4.10 avg rating — 97,063 ratings

"Each story takes you to a different universe, with it's own reason of being, evolution, and meaning. Crystalline prose--well, closer to poetry. Cannot, would not take one word out! Each city is a perfectly polished gem of a place/idea/feeling/origin/consequence. Perfection. Improves with familiarity. Stands up to umpteenth readings.
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3.87 avg rating — 30,883 ratings

"Classic, socially important, don't forget it."

4.42 avg rating — 108,536 ratings

"Classic Sci Fi, can't skip this if you read Sci Fi at all."

4.56 avg rating — 25,654 ratings

"Erudite South American Magical realism."

4.11 avg rating — 152,238 ratings

"No one writes like Haruki Murakami in this world. This is one of my favorites of his, along with Kafka on the Shore, Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and short story - Super Frog saves Tokyo."

3.71 avg rating — 72,783 ratings

"Distilled and devastatingly honest. Characteristic Duras prose."

4.22 avg rating — 35,849 ratings

"Sophiscated, erudite. Takes you right into how Hadrian could have lived with intimate immediacy and great dignity."

4.16 avg rating — 192,522 ratings

"Important book and sharp exposition about an emergent understanding of the mechanisms of evolution--one level at which natural selection operates. "

4.26 avg rating — 217,527 ratings

"A laugh out loud window into one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century. "

3.88 avg rating — 39,278 ratings

"Very unusual story, memorable."

4.15 avg rating — 20,909 ratings

"One of my favorite books by my favorite author. Beautiful craftmanship wedded to immense playfulness and ingenuity."

4.18 avg rating — 84,543 ratings

"Exacting and exciting telling of the start of WW1. Nothing compares. This is a landmark of history writing."

4.09 avg rating — 41,720 ratings

"Another very useful book to clearly explain in sharp prose the workings of evolution. "

3.86 avg rating — 26,583 ratings

"Amazing imagining of the inside and orbits of a dictator. Modeled after Simon Bolivar."

3.89 avg rating — 128,679 ratings

"One book to take you to the inside of grief like no other, it keep you fascinated, open, feeling."

4.09 avg rating — 39,172 ratings

"When another culture adopts what you sell it, you cannot truly imagine how your product is taken on, it will be nothing like you expect; it will be devastating to them and to you to really understand such foreignness. "

4.14 avg rating — 43,019 ratings

"One of my favorite Kundera books."

3.92 avg rating — 22,675 ratings

"Stunning study of psychic upheaval."

4.20 avg rating — 13,022 ratings

"POETRY, extremely good, memorable poetry."

4.17 avg rating — 17,720 ratings

"How do advance human societies handle the unknown other? An under discovered but very insightful and wise gem of a book in Science Fiction guise. Aside from blindness and prejudice, this book unflinchingly illustrates how even supposedly intelligent and open-minded society might still be deluding itself of its motivation. But with this mirror, one might see how one deludes oneself, and by such seeing, avoid some of it. An impressive book written by an impressive intellect, a pre WW2, on-the-pulse and in-the-know Czech journalist with the highest level connections. What is remarkable is that it is ever more relevant in contemporary society. "

3.59 avg rating — 7,949 ratings

"Beautiful prose, terse and precise, studying connections among the unconventional, unassuming people."

3.44 avg rating — 6,677 ratings

"Read this like it is in German, but in English. If you submit, it can immerse you in the romantic German period and you can emerge with a fuller experience, direct understanding and feeling of that age. What you think of this romantics' concerns is for you to discover for yourself."

3.95 avg rating — 2,871 ratings

"Wonderful collection of sparkling Calvino stories."

4.03 avg rating — 5,397 ratings

"These magical people have wonderful things to illustrate."

3.89 avg rating — 52,542 ratings

"Did you know that Jesus was not considered God until a bunch of men decided to call him that several hundred years after he is dead? Development of religious tradition entirely based on historical evidence. Learn how the dogmas of your faith was shaped. The people peddling it to you might know it, but if you buy it, know what you are buying."

4.39 avg rating — 50,595 ratings

"Beautiful translation, mystical magical loving translation."

4.22 avg rating — 36,730 ratings

"Is there a way to understand genocide? Be still and learn, don't run away. These are important lessons for humans. Humans do these things."

3.97 avg rating — 132,791 ratings

"Landmark book of literature, go on the wonderful magic ride and understand a little of India."

3.86 avg rating — 139,164 ratings

"What is Identity? Though sometimes uneven, passages are amazing. The construction, the characters, the themes, the subtexts, all a fascinating puzzle and discovery. The desert is a character, WW2 is a character. For the society of humans who map the North African deserts together, the people who subsequently touch them, what of the questions of borders, nationalities, allegiances, personal commitments, cultures, race, all of these are fluid and arbitrarily forced at the same time. "

4.25 avg rating — 4,155 ratings

"Another Calvino favorite."

4.38 avg rating — 394,872 ratings

"One of the best books ever written, and so it happens to be a children's book. Never tire of rereading."

3.74 avg rating — 19,889 ratings

"A devastating study of moral decision making. "

3.83 avg rating — 31,729 ratings

3.65 avg rating — 19,597 ratings

3.68 avg rating — 68,367 ratings