Today, January 12th, marks the 72nd birthday of award-winning Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. A prolific author whose work masterfully blends realistic fiction with mind-bending surrealistic elements, Murakami has published dozens of novels, short stories, and essays. Translated into more than fifty languages, his works has sold millions of copies across the world. Born in Kyoto, Japan, Murakami began writing at age 29. On an April afternoon, watching a baseball game between the Yakult Swallows and the Hiroshima Carp at Tokyo’s Jingu Stadium, Murakami was struck by the inspirational thought that he could write a novel. It came to him …
Today marks the 19th anniversary of Australian author Markus Zusak’s esteemed book I Am The Messenger! Published on January 10th, 2002, the book won the 2003 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award. The book itself is now the same age as its protagonist, 19-year-old cab-driving Ed Kennedy. In honor of this fantastic book’s birthday, we’re sharing our ten favorite quotes; quotes that made us laugh, made us think, and made us feel that–just maybe–we too might be messengers. My full name’s Ed Kennedy. I’m nineteen. I’m an underage cabdriver. I’m typical of many of the young …
In the unprecedented tumult of 2020, these inspirational tales of remarkable people provided a new vantage point from which to view the broadening horizon of this vast and changing world. These are true stories of love and loss, of family, faith, and failure, of self-examination, confession, and success against all odds. Within these pages, the authors leave their mark on a world made just a little better, a little brighter, and a little more informed. Here are some of the year’s best memoirs: 1. A promised Land by Barack Obama Former President Barack Obama’s critically acclaimed memoir is wonderfully rich …
