quiet paws.

Presented in no particular order of significance or importance, here are books eleven to fifteen on my bookshelf of inspiration:

1. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald - I first encountered this book at high school for an English assignment, and have pretty much loved it and Fitzgerald ever since. Gatsby, Daisy and Nick illuminated the world of the ‘roaring twenties’ for me. Fitzgerald presents these characters in an ultimately tragic story which lurks beneath the surface of all the glitz and glamour. Forever more I have found myself believing in the green light.
2. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton - Again this is another that I haven’t read through in completeness (yet), but it’s one that I read from on the odd occasion. I am a very big reader of Alain de Botton and I absolutely adore his friendly, conversational writing tone and the way he cleverly delivers philosophical ideas in an entertaining (and pop culture friendly) way. This book contains input from a range of famous ‘travellers’  such as Flaubert, Wordsworth, Van Gogh and Ruskin who were inspired by travel. While I haven’t travelled too much yet, I hope to soon and I find this book inspires just for being what it is.
3. Walden by Henry David Thoreau - I have spoken on the site about my love of this book, time and time again and probably at much length, but I really can’t help myself. This is a soulmate book. I connect with this book in so many different ways, and often reflect on Thoreau’s thoughtful words. If there was one book to carry with me always, this would be it. I love it so, and as we know, ‘true love lasts a lifetime’. 
4. The Music of Chance by Paul Auster - This is a strange, wonderful, completely fantastic book which I’m still thinking about a couple of years after I first read it. The characters are slightly ‘off’ and the situations they find themselves in are almost unbelievable, and yet Auster’s words make anything possible. 
5. Footsteps: Adventures of a Romantic Biographer by Richard Holmes - As mentioned earlier in my book listing, I love a good outdoorsy walking adventure with a literary cast, and this book is no exception. Holmes retraces the steps of Robert Louis Stevenson’s journey through the Cevennes. Holmes is a wonderful biographer, he has an ear for an entertaining story and is adept at connecting the present with the past, bringing a cast of real-life characters expertly to life. This is wonderful, wonderful stuff and inspires as much with its words as with its content.

Presented in no particular order of significance or importance, here are books one to five on my bookshelf of inspiration:

1. Possession by AS Byatt - I love the blending, contrast and overlap between historical and modern fiction. The story moves quickly and as it does the two main characters unravel clues and embark on a great literary adventure to unlock the mysteries of the past. The romance between the two modern characters grows, as the secret relationship between the two lovers of the past is brought to light. This book is a great demonstration of the successful intersection of plotlines across time. A lot of people hated the film adaptation of this book, but I thought it had its charms.
2. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - Death and the nature of grief are topics that I often reflect on. We all love and unfortunately we all have to face the loss of those we love. Too often grief is treated as something people are expected to just ‘deal with’ and that they should ‘move on’ with their life. This is a powerful book which deals with the reality of life and the tragedy which is found within it. 
3. A Scandalous Life by Mary S Lovell - The story of Jane Digby in the hands of Mary Lovell had me completely absorbed and utterly enchanted. The book leaves me satisfied and yet hungry to know more of Jane and her entirely extraordinary and wondrous life. A heartbreaking, inspiring, romantic and fascinating tale.
4. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster - A master of building worlds within worlds and stories within stories, this volume clearly demonstrates his incredible talent. The stories collected here springboard from traditional detective stories into something more wonderful and more indefinable. He creates linkages and connections to people, places and plots which in theory should not be possible. What can I say? Paul Auster messes with my head and I love it.
5. An Inland Voyage by RL Stevenson - I haven’t actually read this book through in completeness (yet), but I often flick through the pages and read a passage here and there. Stevenson has a wonderfully ‘real’ way of writing that puts you in the moment along with him. I’m also a complete sucker for walking adventures with a literary bent, so this tale has me donning my metaphorical hiking shoes. Also something tickles me about the idea of undertaking ‘an inland voyage’ … going on a voyage of one’s self.

The music of chance does not always sing with clear voice or charm us with an obvious melody. It is however impossible to resist its call or deny the impact that random events and chance encounters have on our lives. Paul Auster is a master at dealing in the mystery and intrigue associated with ‘cause and effect’ connections. He speaks to readers with clear voice and crisply formed prose that flow in thrilling fashion.

In ‘The Music of Chance’ unbeknownst to the main character Jim Nashe, we become silent witnesses to a significant turning point in his life. With him we experience the strongest feelings of a life lived without constraint or permanency, but also discover how quickly this freedom can slip away.

Authors like Auster who have the capacity to raise questions beyond the immediate words on the page, are a rare and wondrous breed. Even now some time after reading ‘The Music of Chance’, many questions still come to mind:

What is freedom? Who should we trust? What do we cling to in the darkest hours? Should we always hope for a better future?

Auster is equally compelling and challenging, working his unique magic with words in a style that immediately grabs attention. He plays with shifting timelines and his characters perceptions of self and identity. Through Auster’s deft hand we are reminded that a series of singular events may not of themselves be of much consequence. Rather, it is the timing of these events in relation to eachother that can push an individual to the brink.

An unexpected windfall…
However unfortunate the circumstances, a financial inheritance is generally viewed as a blessing, and on the surface the same goes for Jim Nashe. With his financial gain he is able to buy the illusion of freedom, setting himself on a directionless course as he searches for something to make meaning of himself and his life in this world.

So there is Nashe – just a man, his car and a truckload of cash…surely life cannot be more free of attachment or responsibility? Of course if you rest too long in any place, the world of social connections threatens to pull you back into the fold of normalcy. As tempting as a return to stability sometimes appears to Nashe, for him it is not to be. Nashe has no choice but to react to the whim of a universe which appreciates the irony of unsynchronised events.

A roadside encounter…
Without constant positive attention money will not last forever. With Nashe’s funds dwindling to alarming levels a crisis point is fast approaching. A palpable sense of dreadful desperation lingers in the air. In one last hurrah Nashe finds himself winding through country back roads bound ultimately for New York. While driving he notices a man walking beside the road and sensing the man is in trouble, stops to offer him a lift. It is in this way that Jim Nashe meets a young man who has seen better days, Jack Pozzi.

A hopeful pact…
For different reasons the men are both driven by the need for money, seeing it as the way to reach the life they want to be living. Being the sharp poker player that he is, Pozzi just happens to have a big poker game on his horizon, the only problem being that he no longer has enough cash to deal in. Lucky for him that fate had him cross paths with Nashe, a man looking to turn his shrinking inheritance around.

Agreeing to become partners and split the winnings, Nashe and Pozzi set off to the biggest game of their lives, against a couple of ‘just-begging-to-be-fleeced’ billionaires, Flower and Stone. The future of Nashe and Pozzi hangs in the balance and will be decided by a simple game of cards…fiction does not get more nail biting than this.

As in all his works Auster places his characters under the microscope, exposing their flaws and strengths in sometimes gritty detail. However like a stranger met in life, the full picture is never revealed; certainly things left unsaid are just as much part of the Paul Auster experience as those which are written. With ‘The Music of Chance’ Auster presents a voyeuristic thrill ride that will leave readers gasping for breath at times, but certainly asking for more.