current bookstack!

Top row:

1. The Soul of Rumi, compiled & edited by Coleman Barks- How can you be a poet without reading poetry? Still, Rumi's poems are more closer to devotions. The imagery is haunting, but they scratch a spiritual itch as well. My favorite line I've read so far: This is how I would die/into the love I have for you:/as pieces of cloud/dissolve in sunlight. 
2. The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke- Since I've been trying to keep my own journal lately, I thought it would be good to get some inspiration. Rilke is one of my favorite poets, and the prose in this is not only beautifully written, but introspective and philosophical. It's a fascinating insight into the mind of a genius, but still designed to be interesting enough to draw you in, as if you were reading a friend's diary. But a really smart friend who lived in France 100 years ago.
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson- A collection of intimate-feeling short stories, painting an authentic picture of early 1900's prairie America. The author has a gift for characterization and seeing beyond the surface of seemingly ordinary lives. I recommend "Paper Pills" as a strong example. 

Bottom row:

1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse- One of the quintessential "hippie era" books! (Even though it was written long before that, the English translation only came out in the 50's.) But I'm not reading it just because of that. I, too, am currently on my own "spiritual journey" (ugh it sounds really cheesy when I put it like that but you know what I mean) involving Vedantism and Buddhism. Therefore, this book is a great companion, reminding me that true peace cannot be taught, and that you cannot search for it, but experience it.
2. That's Not A Feeling by Dan Josefson- This one takes place in a therapeutic boarding school in upstate New York. It seems like a cross between The Catcher in the Rye (of course by J.D. Salinger) and It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. David Foster Wallace gave it some high praise before he killed himself, so I have high expectations for it. 
3. 2666 by Roberto Bolano- I don't know much about this book besides the highly complex synopsis on the back and the fact that it's 900 pages long. I'm too intimidated to start it!