The journey to tackle the books I own for a year has begun, and as the Month of April comes to an end this are the books I read so far.
Nightmares of Eminent Persons
by Bertrand Russell Fiction 1954
Russell’s sharp wit and darkly satirical lens reveal the absurdities of power, intellect, and fame with uncanny relevance. Each story feels like a philosophical fable, where reason collapses under the weight of human folly—equal parts nightmare and mirror. It’s unsettling, clever, and oddly comforting to see even ‘eminent’ minds lose their footing in a world that makes little sense.
Siddhartha
by Herman Hesse Fiction 1922
Siddhartha’s journey is less about finding answers and more about learning to listen—to rivers, to silence, to the self. Hesse captures the quiet ache of searching without offering neat conclusions, which makes the story feel both timeless and personal. It’s a book that doesn’t tell you what to believe but dares you to look inward and keep walking.
Youth
by Joseph Conrad Fiction 1898
Conrad’s Youth captures the fragile illusion of invincibility that defines young ambition, only to let it unravel quietly in the face of time and memory. It’s a story told like a toast—tinged with nostalgia, laced with irony, and haunted by what was never said. Beneath the adventure lies a deep melancholy: that the fire of youth burns brightest just before it fades.
Guild & Grace
by Dr. Paul Touriner
Non-Fiction
1962
Tournier dissects guilt not as a moral weight alone, but as a profoundly human cry for meaning, forgiveness, and wholeness. His exploration of grace feels less like theology and more like soul medicine—honest, compassionate, and disarmingly gentle. This is a book that doesn’t preach but invites, quietly insisting that healing begins where judgment ends.