On April 23, World Book Day is celebrated. The celebration, first instituted in Spain, was placed on the date because it was the day of death of Miguel de Cervantes, El Inca, William Shakespeare, among other great authors.
As everyone knows, reading is important; in addition to helping with brain development and health, it helps prevent diseases like Alzheimer's, improves your memory, your imagination and your sense of empathy, as shown this article from CNN.
With that in mind, we asked our residents and employees for tips on books that marked their trajectory. From fiction to poetry, the list has books for all tastes and styles.!
Oh, and taking advantage of the hook, the Publisher However created a collaborative channel where he scored which bookstores in Brazil are working with the delivery system – this way you can encourage the literary market and still guarantee your fun for these complicated times. Take a look at their website here!
Now, let's go to the list:
Little bee
Chris Cleaves
2008
Amanda Coelho, resident of Uliving Rio
@amandacvbdfgert
“I've always read a lot, but this book was the first one that made me want to just paint and write on the pages. It is wonderful!"
Those were Amanda's words to describe Little bee, Chris Leave's second novel and one of the author's most praised books. The story, set in England, talks about the reunion of a Nigerian refugee and a British journalist, years after an episode of the conflict in the Niger Delta, in Nigeria. The story is a fiction, but deals with real and contemporary issues, such as geopolitical problems in the African country, racism and xenophobia. Worth the read!
Don Quixote
Miguel de Cervantes
1605
Gabriel Gomes Simão Correa, resident at Uliving Jardins
Gabriel spared no praise and references when talking about his admiration for “The ingenious nobleman Don Quixote of La Mancha”, better known throughout the world simply as Don Quixote. Look what he told us:
“The narrative involving Don Quixote is incredible, as it has great diversity when dealing with themes such as epic tales, philosophy, among others, in addition to having an exceptional satire in its text… it is something unique in literature! In addition, I have a fondness for the book since its story was the one that most impressed me by demonstrating an idealism inherent in the human being, something that I carry with me to this day.? As most authors explain, reading Don Quixote brings unique experiences to each reader. Dostoevsky himself said that the work could be "his conclusion about life". ?”.
I don't think we need to say anything else, right?!
Harry Potter
J. K. Rowling
1997
Daniela, resident at Uliving 433
@brterenad
The most famous saga in literary history (and one of the most famous in cinema) was the first reading incentive for many people. Therefore, it is difficult to name one of the books in the saga, but Dani gave a great testimony of how JK Rowling's books encouraged her to read.
“I always hated reading since I was a little girl, my mother read all the books the school sent and I only read the summaries. Then Harry Potter came along and it clicked in my brain and I became a voracious reader. Even reading in English. And when the saga came to an end, I thought: “What now? What am I going to read?”.
Then I found a wonderful author called Nora Roberts/ JD Robb and her books are simply amazing, she has the ability to take you into the story. For a person who is 100% rational, finding that hole in the brain and being able to go in and visualize a story is phenomenal! As a result I have at least 7 moving boxes of books. ??❤️”
And you: Harry Potter influenced you to read? And what is your favorite book in the saga? Tell us on our instagram @UlivingBrasil.
Nobody belongs to Nobody
Zibia Gasparetto
2000
Helena, Maintenance Assistant at Uliving Rio
With more than 18 million books sold, Zíbia Gasparetto was one of the most successful authors in Brazil. In 2000 she released “Nobody is Nobody”, a story that talks about love, possession, self-preservation and passion. The book discusses the pains we suffer in love - and if they are really valid to call love. Is it worth suffering for someone? “It opened my eyes to the real world” is what she told Helana when talking about the book. It's worth giving it a try!
To Viagem do Elefante
Jose Saramago
2008
Gustavo, is part of Uliving's Marketing team
@gus.kills
José Saramago is one of the most famous authors in the Portuguese language and the only one to win a Nobel Prize for Literature with a work written entirely in Portuguese. But in addition to his great books and polemics, in 2008, while fighting leukemia, he released “To Viagem do Elefante”. The story narrates the journey of the elephant Salomão from Belém (Lisbon) to Vienna, Austria, sent as a gift by the King of Portugal to the Austrian Archduke. In Gu's words, the story, which is based on real facts (yes!) “It's a half historical journey, half reflective (…) and it shows that our paths can be full of obstacles, but at the same time we can surprise many people .”
If you've read any work by Saramago, this one is indispensable – and don't be fooled into thinking that social criticism escapes him.
The sun is for everybody
Harper Lee
1960
Bia, resident of Uliving Ribeirão Preto
The sun is for everybody, in English “To Kill a Mockingbird”, is one of the most famous books in American literature. Released in 1960, it already won the Pulitzer Prize and in 1962 yielded a film adaptation that won 3 Oscars.
The story takes place in the south of the United States and tells the story of a quiet Maycomb lawyer who decides to defend an innocent black man accused of rape. Talking about racism, class, social inequality and sexual abuse, it is a book that shocks and raises awareness, such is its proximity to reality. For Bia, it is a book that “taught me a lot”. Too much, right?
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Violin and other questions
John Gelman
1956
Franco, resident of Uliving Jardins
@frank.saddemi
Juan Gelman is a very famous Argentinean poet and writer in the Spanish-speaking world. In addition to several successful works, the guy has received several awards, including the Cervantes Award, the most important in the Spanish language. “Violin and other questions” is a collection of super personal and intimate poetry – almost like a self-reflection. Franco, when talking about the play, even said that the texts are so brilliant because the author used them to “himself try to understand himself or express feelings that are often anguished, in such a way that, in an almost psychosomatic way, they generate a lump in the throat already in the first verses. Few works are as sentimental as this, as deep and, in a way, innocently, as genius.”
The account was so impressive – and a quick google search and reading of two poems together – that I already rushed to secure mine.
Coraline
Neil Gaiman
2002
Nicole, resident of Uliving Jardins
Neil Gaiman has returned to the spotlight in recent years with the adaptation of “American Gods” for TV, which was even made available on Amazon Prime here in Brazil. But the author is also responsible for a milestone in the lives of many people: Coraline. Described around as a darker and more modern version of “Alice in Wonderland” (which those who write to you vehemently disagree), the book tells the story of a girl who moves to a new house and discovers a parallel world there. With a touch of terror and humor, Coraline is one of those books that charms you right from the first pages – and even yielded a great movie, made in stop motion, nominated for an Oscar for Best Animation. In Nicole's words, “It [the book] is perfect”. And she also indicated another book by the author: the award-winning “O Oceano no Fim do Caminho”, from 2013.
Smarter than the Devil
Napoleon Hill
1938/2011
Juliano Antunes, CEO of Uliving
Can you imagine interviewing the devil? So it is. In this 1938 book, published only in 2011, the author conducts an interview with “His Majesty”, the way he calls the Devil in the story. In these interviews, he discovers which mechanisms the mangy uses to boycott human capacity and make them fail - and that's the fun of the story. Although it is a fictional story, “it is an internal conversation that shows the struggle to control your own thoughts”, in the words of our CEO. Crazy, right?
And the story of this book's publication is as interesting as it is: Napoleon wrote it in 1938, but at the time his staff found it too controversial to publish. It stayed in a drawer for years, and more than 40 years after the author's death it was published - and sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane austin
1813
Sarah Borsoi, resident of Uliving Jardins
More than 200 years have passed since the release of Pride and Prejudice and it remains one of the most read and referenced books in the world. Why? The reasons are numerous, from his impeccable writing to his legacy in other media (see the 2005 film that grossed over $120 million). But the story is central: in times of arranged marriages motivated by money and power, Mr. Bennet needs one of his daughters to marry so his legacy isn't destroyed. This is because, at that time, inheritances could only be received by male heirs. However, the daughters clash over what motives would lead them to marry: does need prevail over love?
It is a book that escapes the sameness of classic novels, and that is why, for Sarah, “it was my first classic and opened the interest of others”.
In search of meaning
Viktor Frankl
1946
Eduardo, Community Manager at Uliving Ribeirão Preto
We have all studied the horrors of the holocaust throughout our lives. Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl, author of the renowned “In search of meaning”, narrates in the story his experience inside one of the concentration camps. But everything that could be a tragic and painful story also becomes a lesson. The scientist, who inaugurated a new research front, tells not only what he went through, but also the ways in which thinking about the future and a sense of life comforted him in difficult times. In difficult times like what we are living, it's a great read to clear the mind a little.
“I really liked this book because it goes deep into the question of the search for the meaning of man's life and how resilient he can be in the face of the great difficulties he faces, especially today” was what Edu told us when describing the book . Inspiring, right?!
Be the love of your life
Guilherme Pintto
2008
Everton, is part of Uliving's Marketing Team
Some days we just want a light read - the kind you lay down, pick up the book and can't wait to pass. But sometimes these books hit you right in the eye – especially when it comes to love. That's what "Be the love of your life" is about. In the words of Everton, it's a book that gets you “it's an easy and light read for those rainy days or a sunny afternoon at the beach. It's very special and struck me at a time when I was vulnerable after a breakup. very cliché. It ended up getting to me in a way that I only have good memories of when I read it, even though many times I read it with a few tears on the pages.”
In the midst of some denser indications, one of these is also worth it, right?! Even because, who never cried for love, throw the first stone...
Reading is undoubtedly an act of self-care as well. It's important to occupy your head, whether thinking about the mental benefits of reading, or as a way to distract yourself from the difficult times we live in. We hope that this list inspires you and, if you have read any of the books, or want to indicate another one, just call us on our instagram, the @UlivingBrazil.
