Priceless Paintings from W7

Speaking of grumpy old men, here’s a book warning, and a book recommendation.

The warning is about Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist. I bought and read it, because I was lead to believe that this is a household essential in America. Poor America.

It’s a long time since I was so insulted by a book. The pretty thin book delivers a single morale, sickenly repeated and spread thickly more than anyone can endure, and it does make sure that you get the point. It goes like so:

Sentence one tells you what is about to happen, and why. Sentence two repeats part of the statements made in sentence one, just in case you didn’t get it. Sentence three describes what sentence one already announced, number four explains the moral (confirming the expectations raised in previous sentences). Then it moves on to repeat the same spiel over and over again, but doesn’t even bother changing the moral at all.

Try living your dream, is what the book says. It’s not very difficult to say, is it?

Now nice and completely refreshing on the other hand is Sarah Gruen’s Water for Elephants. A lovely story, told by a 91-year old man, who looks back on his live with a circus during the years of the Great Depression.

Water for Elephants. Highly recommended.

The Alchemist. You have been warned.

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Books, Thoughts Paulo Coelho, Sarah Gruen, United States