Book cover of Any Human Heart

Book description

Any Human Heart is William's Boyd's classic, bestselling novel, now available as a Penguin Essential for the first time.

Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary, but Logan Mountstuart's - lived from the beginning to the end of the twentieth century - contains more than its fair share of both.…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Any Human Heart as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

What I loved about this book is that Boyd does what I would never do. He writes as if it were a journal in which the writer, like the reader, doesn't know what will happen next. It's like going on a journey without a set plan.  

There are beautifully idiosyncratic descriptions of now famous, then unknown literary figures – Evelyn Waugh, Hemingway, etc. – told in a natural 'course of conversation,' not a name-dropping way, and catty asides shedding light on characters like Virginia Woolf and her racism. Boyd is very good at describing feelings and attitudes and the way…

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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