by Laura Esquivel (2001)
Es este un hermoso relato ambientado en México, a principios del siglo XX, con posterioridad a la Revolución Mexicana: la historia de Júbilo, un hombre que nació con el don de la alegría y la capacidad de «escuchar» los verdaderos sentimientos de las personas no expresados en palabras... Desde pequeño, Júbilo se convierte en el intérprete entre su abuela, de origen maya, y su madre, de origen español. A caballo entre dos culturas, sirve de lazo entre esas dos mujeres irreconciliables. Júbilo ha descubierto el poder de las palabras, tan grande como el deseo, y ello determinará que elija convertirse en telegrafista para poder seguir traduciendo e interpretando a su antojo... A través del relato de su hija Lluvia, que lo acompaña en sus últimos días, postrado en el lecho y privado de la palabra, descubrimos la historia de Júbilo, quien conoció como nadie la discordancia entre el deseo y la palabra. Todavía deberá aprender una última lección: después de todo, el amor sigue viajando a la velocidad del deseo.
Ann Beattie
It is 1980 in New York City, and Jane, a valedictorian fresh out of Harvard, strikes a deal with Neil, an intoxicating writer twenty years her senior. The two quickly become lovers, living together in a Chelsea brownstone, and Neil reveals the rules for a life well lived. Neil's certainties, Jane discovers, mask his deceptions. Her true education begins.
Anita Brookner
I have come to believe that there can be no adequate preparation for the sadness that comes at the end, the sheer regret that one's life is finished, that one's failures remain indelible and one's successes illusory.' Elizabeth and Betsy are old school friends. Born in 1948 and unready for the sixties, they had high hopes of the lives they would lead, even though their circumstances were so different. When they meet again in their thirties, Elizabeth, married to the safe, older Digby is relieving the boredom of a cosy but childless marriage with an affair. Betsy seems to have found real romance in Paris. Are their lives taking off, or are they just making more of the wrong choices without even realising it?
Alan Alda
The actor and founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science traces his personal quest to understand how to relate and communicate better, from practicing empathy and using improv games to storytelling and developing better intuitive skills.
Brian Moore
From the award-winning author of 'The Colour of Blood', this is the story of Mary Dunne. Mary has had several past lives and more than one husband - her true nature is revealed in this brilliant exploration of female desire and sexuality.