The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an ironic sort of book.

Ironic not in anything it says, but in its very purpose.

Basically, it is one of those old-fashioned stories that actually attempts to impart on the reader a lesson. This particular lesson is one about how we should live our individual lives. The problem is, and Coelho points this out in the book, one can not learn how to live from a book or from another person, they have to figure it out for themselves.

What comes of this (and I like to think that I have figured out a little bit of what life is about) is that a few people will read it and think, "Well...yeah..." but the vast majority of people will completely misunderstand it, as demonstrated by the blurbs in the first pages of the book.

So what is the role of the book if it either isn't telling its readers anything new, or isn't telling its readers anything at all? I think the book is playing the same role as the king does (a character in the book,) it is trying to affirm that we are on the right path and will help us along when we most doubt ourselves.

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors is a collection of short stories/poems by Neil Gaiman. Aptly titled, each of the stories is a small glimpse into human life. Each story is a lie that shows us a little bit of truth. And, each is gloomy.

This is not a good book for one contemplating suicide, but otherwise is a must read. The longest story being only 31 pages, you can read them over a period of months if you so desire. Notable mentions are Mouse and Murder Mysteries. Personally I also enjoyed the last story, Snow, Glass, Apples. It reminds me of those old English class assignments where we would have to do much the same thing, but obviously Gaiman is much better at it than any of us ever were.