A Christmas Carol (1843) is Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption, generosity, and the spirit of Christmas. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old businessman who despises the holiday season. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and three spirits—the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. … Read more
A Child’s Garden of Verses (1885) is a beloved collection of children’s poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson, capturing the wonder, imagination, and innocence of childhood. Written from a child’s perspective, these charming verses explore themes of play, dreams, nature, and bedtime rituals. Highlights include: Whimsical Imagination – Poems like “The Land of Counterpane” and “My Shadow” celebrate a child’s playful mind. Nature … Read more
The Metamorphosis (1915) is Franz Kafka’s iconic existential novella that explores alienation, identity, and the absurdity of human existence. The story begins with Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, waking up to find himself transformed into a giant insect. As Gregor struggles to adapt to his new form, his family reacts with shock, disgust, and eventual neglect. Kafka … Read more
Meditations is a timeless collection of personal reflections by Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor of Rome (161–180 AD). Written as a private journal during military campaigns, this profound work distills the principles of Stoic philosophy into practical wisdom for living with virtue, resilience, and inner peace. Unlike formal philosophical treatises, Meditations offers raw, intimate insights on: Self-discipline – Mastering emotions and desires. Acceptance – … Read more
The Kama Sutra, attributed to the ancient Indian philosopher Vātsyāyana, is far more than just a manual on physical intimacy—it is a profound treatise on love, relationships, and the art of living a pleasurable and virtuous life. Composed in Sanskrit around the 3rd century CE, this timeless work explores kama (desire, pleasure) as one of the four goals of … Read more
White Nights (1848) is a moving short novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky that explores the theme of loneliness, unrequited love and ephemeral human connections. Set in St. Petersburg city during the city’s otherworldly “white nights” (summer nights of twilight), the story focuses on a solitary, dreamy character (“The Dreamer”) who bumps into a young woman, named … Read more
The Wealth of Nations, first published in 1776 by the Scotch economist and philosopher Adam Smith, is a seminal work in the field of economics. Formally titled An Inquiry into the Origin and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, the book analyzes the principles of free markets capitalism, the division of labour and the role … Read more
As You Like It is a historical pastoral comedy written by William Shakespeare around 1599. The play is the story of Rosalind, the daughters of a duke who is exiled from her uncle’s court. Disguised as a young man named Ganymede, she elopes to the Forest of Arden with her cousin Galia and the court … Read more
Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, first published in 1897, is a Gothic horror novel that has become a cornerstone of the vampire literature. The story is told in a series of letters, diary entries and journal articles, forming an epistolary narrative. It follows the journey of Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer who travels to Transylvania to … Read more