The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

How did you come across the book?

It was recommended to me by two of my closest friends, on tour, three years ago.

So far, what perspective have you gained from this book?

Well, what’s cool is I just finished reading another book called, “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy… and finding nuggets he gave in that book reflected in here has been really interesting. Just reading them so closely together… that’s been really cool.

Would you recommend it, and if so, to who and why?

Yeah! I’d recommend it. I mean, I’m not… I’m only 36, 37 pages in… uh, but so far, it’s good. It seems like anybody can read it. It’s not too challenging. And, I’ve heard only great things about, like, once you finish the book, what it does for you, so… why not everyone, yeah?

The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck

How did you come across the book?

Uh… a friend lent it to me.

So far, what perspective have you gained from this book?

It’s amazing! Well, maybe you know it… maybe you’ve read about it. It’s set in the 1930s, Great Depression, where a lot of people in the South of the US were forced to move to the West because of the… they were losing the land, the banks were taking it away from them, and… it’s just an amazing book. I really like it. It’s very humane. It has that… from the start, it’s perspective, it has the mix of the very nice prose of the author, and the descriptions… and with the dialogues of the characters, that are very… you know, uneducated, and very popular from the sense that they talk like people in the South… it gives you the sense of the time and helps you learn about the South through language, and how they spoke and interacted during this period. So, its a very nice book to read from that point of view, and also, it helps you understand how the American society came about, to what it is today.

Would you recommend it, and if so, to who and why?

I think everyone should read this book. Especially if they live in America. Or, even if they don’t, because the US is such an influential country… politics and economics, quotes… for everyone.