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The Cruise of the Jasper B. is a book written by Don Marquis. It is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great novel will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The Cruise of the Jasper B. is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Don Marquis is highly recommended. Published by Quill Pen Classics and beautifully produced, The Cruise of the Jasper B. would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

The Glass Castle' is a 2005 memoir by Jeannette Walls. The book recounts her and her siblings' unconventional, poverty-stricken upbringing at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents. The memoir stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for 100 weeks and is now under development as a film by Paramount.By late 2007, The Glass Castle had sold over 1.5 million copies, had been translated into 16 languages, and received the Christopher Award, the American Library Association's Alex Award (2006) and the Books for Better Living Award.       

This book is dedicated to three exceptional men—and to their wives, who have worked so very hard to sculpt them from such rough clay. From the ground up: To Leason and Marlene Pomeroy, to Mike and Edie Martin, and to Jose and Rachel Perez. After The Project, I will not be able to get up in the morning, spend a moment at home during the day, or go to bed at night without thinking of you. I guess I’ll just have to live with that. The civilized human spirit ... cannot get rid of a feeling of the uncanny. —Doctor Faustus, THOMAS MANN

1:1 [hgb]  当 三 十 年 四 月 初 五 日 ， 以 西 结 （ 原 文 作 我 ） 在 迦 巴 鲁 河 边 被 掳 的 人 中 ， 天 就 开 了 ， 得 见 神 的 异 象 。    [kjv]  Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.    [bbe]  Now it came about in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was by the river Chebar among those who had been made prisoners, that the heavens were made open and I saw visions of God.1:2 [hgb]  正 是 约 雅 斤 王 被 掳 去 第 五 年 四 月 初 五 日 ，    [kjv]  In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,    [bbe]  On the fifth day of the month, in the fifth year after King Jehoiachin had been made a prisoner

The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896) is considered Jewett's finest work, described by Henry James as her “beautiful little quantum of achievement.” Despite James's diminutives, the novel remains a classic. Because it is loosely structured, many critics view the book not as a novel, but a series of sketches; however, its structure is unified through both setting and theme. Jewett herself felt that her strengths as a writer lay not in plot development or dramatic tension, but in character development. Indeed, she determined early in her career to preserve a disappearing way of life, and her novel can be read as a study of the effects of isolation and hardship on the inhabitants who lived in the decaying fishing villages along the Maine coast.

 A fellow traveller -- On a famous sermon -- On pockets and things -- On a country platform -- On a distant view of a pig -- In defence of ignorance -- On a shiny night -- On giving up tobacco -- The great god gun...

Mr. Artur Sammler, Holocaust survivor, intellectual, and occasional lecturer at Columbia University in 1960s New York City, is a "registrar of madness," a refined and civilized being caught among people crazy with the promises of the future (moon landings, endless possibilities). His Cyclopean gaze reflects on the degradations of city life while looking deep into the sufferings of the human soul. "Sorry for all and sore at heart," he observes how greater luxury and leisure have only led to more human suffering. To Mr. Sammler—who by the end of this ferociously unsentimental novel has found the compassionate consciousness necessary to bridge the gap between himself and his fellow beings—a good life is one in which a person does what is "required of him." To know and to meet the "terms of the contract" was as true a life as one could live. At its heart, this novel is quintessential Bellow: moral, urbane, sublimely humane.

许多生活潦倒的作家一样，莫特·雷尼(强尼·戴普 饰)也走进了自己人生中最可怕的时候，相爱几十年的妻子爱上了别的男人要离开自己，正在创作的小说灵感顿失，曾经繁华潇洒的笔也变得枯涩。 雷尼努力想从妻子艾米(玛莉亚·贝洛 饰)离开的悲痛中走出来，却想不到她并不想善罢干休，与她现在的男友(查理斯·特顿 饰)勾结起来要害苦雷尼。律师更是纠缠不清，眼看着自己陷进了可怕的离婚案中，雷尼感到了从未有过的失落。 离开这座伤心的城市，来到自己的湖畔木屋，雷尼想忘记世俗烦人的一切......

An excerpt from the book - Alone in the night On a dark hill With pines around me Spicy and still, And a heaven full of stars Over my head, White and topaz And misty red; Myriads with beating Hearts of fire That aeons Cannot vex or tire; Up the dome of heaven Like a great hill, I watch them marching Stately and still, And I know that I Am honored to be Witness Of so much majesty. "What Do I Care?" What do I care, in the dreams and the languor of spring, That my songs do not show me at all? For they are a fragrance, and I am a flint and a fire, I am an answer, they are only a call. But what do I care, for love will be over so soon, Let my heart have its say and my mind stand idly by, For my mind is proud and strong enough to be silent, It is my heart that makes my songs, not I. Meadowlarks In the silver light after a storm, Under dripping boughs of bright new green, I take the low path to hear the meadowlarks Alone and high-hearted as if I were a queen. What have I to fear in life or death Who have known three things: the kiss in the night, The white flying joy when a song is born, And meadowlarks whistling in silver light.