Books like Black Narcissus

A poignant story of an older lady who goes to live in a hotel among other elderly rejects of life. Taylor describes them sympathetically and shows Mrs. Claremont's resilience. Taylor's exquisite writing portrays the bleakness of their lives, Mrs C's enlivened by her new friendship with a young man.

FitzGerald writes about outliers in society, people who are on the margins of acceptability and feel they cannot fit in. This book tells of a woman who moves to a new place to live and sets up a bookshop against all the odds.

I love Rumer Godden’s novels, but I’m even fonder of her memoirs, especially this one. Writing with her sister, Jon, she describes life in Naryangang (then in British India, now in Bangla Desh) during and shortly after World War 1. The large household, the bazaar, the diversity of people, the bright sun and the monsoon rains, the wealth and the poverty, the danger of rabid dogs, the holidays in hill stations…I grew up in India forty years after Jon and Rumer Godden, but in many ways, their experiences bring back my own childhood.

Easily one of my top favorite books, this novel captures so much: the great character of Lovejoy, the realities of post-war London, and a plot that reflects the human search for beauty amid horror, life amid death. 

The motifs, settings, and themes have such a strong impact on me to this day after having read it for the first time so long ago. There is something neat about the older folks thinking of the neighborhood “orphans” as sparrows, frittering away at the building of something special.

A neighbour recommended Pachinko as the best book he had read this year. I was sceptical at first but it quickly turned out to be one of mine too. An epic historical novel about a part of the world I love, but a time and place I knew very little about.
Excellent, compelling and deeply moving. A ground sweep of Korean/Japanese history (1911-1989) told through the eyes of Kim Sunja, her unexpected pregnancy and extended family. We follow Sunja's life from her early years in a fishing village near Busan, Korea, then desperately poor and under Japanese colonial rule. She moves to Osaka in Japan, and grows to be the matriarch of her family's survival across four generations. It speaks of street food vendors and pachinko gambling houses, of systemic racism and the Yakusa, of suicide and hidden LGQBT, and of resilience to life’s traumas.
I travel a lot in… show more.

A slow, meticulous, ordered and incredibly enjoyable read. I loved all the characters, including the Metropol hotel itself. Count Alexander Rostov, destined to spend the rest of his life in the hotel, handles his situation with grace, style and some fun. The book is cleverly written with wit and detailed description. There is a hilariously perfect description of a dog and cat encounter, and an episode of juggling oranges and knives that had me chuckling, to name a few. The Count's relationship with the hotel staff, patrons, and long-term residents is well depicted. There are many heartwarming moments. I also loved how Russia's history is woven into the story.

It’s not possible that Tolstoy died and lived to tell about it, but that's what this book feels like.

As Ivan Ilych’s illness progresses, the reader sees how shallow his relationships are, and how fruitless is his striving to “get ahead.” As I read this book, I felt the vast chasm between the living and the dying, how alone Ivan is in his suffering. Ivan Ilych is no hero: he is an everyman. He squarely faces the pointlessness of his life, and ultimately throws off the things of no importance.

Through his experience I anticipated my own death, and felt how important it must be to live my life remembering that all the stupid stuff doesn’t matter. What does matter is my relationships with God and with other humans. Everyone who expects to die someday should read this book.

I have always liked The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. When I went to Cuba, I was able to go to Cojimar, the fishing village that was Hemingway's inspiration for this novel. Many historic things in Cuba, including the village of Cojimar, have been relatively closed off to the outside world in a perpetual time capsule like state.

Ernest Hemingway lived for a lengthy period of time in Cuba. He kept his boat, The Pilar, moored in Cojimar Bay. The local village tavern, La Terraza is referred to in The Old Man and the Sea as "The Terrace." Hemingway bonded and became friends with the fishermen in Cojimar. Even though many years have passed since Hemingway wrote this novel, not much has changed over time in Cojimar. It is still very much like the setting described in The Old Man and the Sea.

Hemingway received… show more.

This is perhaps the best-known and most obvious choice illustrating Nature’s healing powers. Mary, an orphaned girl, moves in with an estranged, reclusive uncle on his isolated English estate. Lonely and bereaved, Mary spends her days exploring both the house and extensive gardens, when one day she discovers a secret garden, locked away behind a wall.

This garden, tucked away and neglected for many years, is the key to Mary’s healing. Through quiet deliberation, she begins to bring the garden back to life and, in turn, finds new life in herself. The healing of the uncle is perhaps the most mystical scene in the book for me, brought about by a quiet moment beside a trickling stream, where he has an epiphany of heart healing. I find the book’s mixture of nature and mystery beguiling.

I’m not a fan of novels that are paced like greased rockets, as if the author’s afraid you’ll suddenly throw the book across the room, turn on Netflix, and order a pizza. Which is a key reason I love this book. Precious Ramotswe is a “traditionally built” woman who solves crimes in a superbly witty yet unhurried fashion and with deep compassion that stops short of sentimentality.

Her heart (huge) and brain (gently incisive) work in perfect tandem in this book. The plot is simple, which will frustrate readers who prefer intricate puzzles in their crime fiction. But for me, the pleasure lies in leisurely getting to know this wise, ingenious detective and her humble neighborhood in Botswana’s capital city.