Nonfiction

How Well Do You Live?
''Yes, I have a homeland. The French Language.'' - Albert Camus * Something very strange happened while I was reading this book. Usually, I have a few things on the run (too many books; too little time?), and this was added to a stack that often threatens to crush me in my sleep. I would skip from one to other, often disappointed, confused and enlightened...but rarely entertained (the cold and the darkness outside probably played a role, as did the constant running around from contract to contract). And I really don't care what any intellectual in any academic setting claims, you need to be entertained when you pick up a book.
By Kendall Defoe 21 days ago in BookClub
The Year My English Improved, I Became Quieter. AI-Generated.
The first time I realized my English had improved was on the subway. It was rush hour, the kind where bodies pressed together until no one could tell which arm belonged to whom. The train screeched to a stop between stations. A distorted announcement crackled through the speaker—fast, careless, impatient.
By Jenny 22 days ago in BookClub
I Am Not a Failure. I Was Simply Not Chosen. AI-Generated.
The first time I realized I had not been chosen, it was an ordinary afternoon. So ordinary that I didn’t understand its importance until much later.
By Jenny 22 days ago in BookClub
New York Did Not Betray Me. I Simply Overestimated Myself. AI-Generated.
The first time I felt disappointed by New York, nothing dramatic happened. There was no argument. No rejection letter that made my hands shake.
By Jenny 22 days ago in BookClub
Three Kinds of People Live in the Basement . AI-Generated.
The first thing I noticed about the basement was not the mold. It was the smell. A layered smell—stale cooking oil, damp clothes that never fully dried, raw concrete, and something faintly sweet, like cheap laundry detergent. It was the kind of smell that told you people had been living here for a long time, long enough for their lives to sink into the walls.
By Jenny 22 days ago in BookClub
The Bed That Was Never Mine. AI-Generated.
The first night I slept in New York, I slept on the floor. Not because there was nowhere to live, but because the basement apartment had everything except a bed. The landlord said it casually, as if it were a rule of nature.
By Jenny 22 days ago in BookClub
Roosevelt Park And Me
When I first arrived in New York, I didn’t know where my life would begin. It turned out to be Roosevelt Park. New York is often described as a city of ambition and spectacle, but my earliest memory of it is quieter. It is a narrow park running along Chrystie Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Trees stand where buildings pause. Benches line the path. People pass through without ceremony.
By Jenny 24 days ago in BookClub
Lunch Break. AI-Generated.
At the hardware store, lunch always arrived on time. Every day at exactly twelve, the boss would clap his hands once and say, politely,
By Jenny 25 days ago in BookClub
Wheat stalks
Wheat stalks. We are very much like wheat stalks. Reflect on this with me. Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you are all well and in good health. Reflect with me on these wonderful words, which I wrote myself. We are like wheat. How are we like wheat?
By Ashrakat Elnagy26 days ago in BookClub
What do people make from iron?
Iron is one of those quiet nutrients that doesn’t get much hype, yet it works nonstop behind the scenes to keep the body energized,
By Niaz Muhammad28 days ago in BookClub
Company of One Mindset: I Built a Business (a Life) on My Own
When I started taking “making real money” seriously, I also started picking up more books again. I opened Company of One with a sense of fear—because I didn’t think I was strong enough to hold up an entire company on my own. That’s why, whenever I introduce myself, I usually say I’m a freelancer. But as I kept reading, I realized this book isn’t trying to teach you how to build a company bigger and stronger. What it’s really saying is this: A person can choose to stay small, stay in control, and still build a meaningful life—by treating their own life as the greatest business they will ever run.
By Falls Shuabout a month ago in BookClub
[SUMMARY & BOOK REVIEW] “THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END"
1. BOOK INTRODUCTION “They Both Die at the End” is a novel in the Young Adult – dystopian – contemporary genre, first published in 2017. From its title, the book makes a strong impression and creates a paradoxical feeling: the author openly reveals the ending of the story, yet it still leads millions of readers worldwide on a reading journey with heavy hearts and teary eyes. When I finished “They Both Die at the End,” what lingered in me was not just sadness at the foretold ending, but a quiet, lingering feeling about how people live their daily lives. Mateo and Rufus made me realize that fear is not something to be ashamed of, because everyone carries their own unique fears: fear of loss, fear of loneliness, fear of failure, and most of all, fear of living a meaningless life. What makes the story so haunting is that the two characters don't die because they're weak, but because they live more fully than anyone else on their last day.
By HieuDinhabout a month ago in BookClub