Books That Meant Something… 3/4

“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

For most of December, (before I get too close to the next book launch) I thought it would be fun to share books that have had profound impacts on me. Although, it’s fair to point out the title of this post feels a little deceiving because, to me, all books mean something. 😉

Nonetheless, these are books that I keep close by. The majority of which have spent a Christmas season or two as gifts to friends and family.

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The Great Gatsby. Oh, how I love this book so. I love it for many reasons. For one, the writing. Not sure what more needs to be said about that. Have you read the passage above? 😉

Anyway, I have for a long time had an odd fascination with Zelda and Scott. I find their relationship incredibly interesting—her in particular— and someday I’d like to write a novel based loosely on the two.

It makes me sad that The Great Gatsby did not find its way to success until after Fitzgerald’s death. I guess, better late than never. 🙂 But still, there’s something about it that pains me.

Some of my most favorite quotes:

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“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.”

“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”

“If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him”

“It takes two to make an accident.”

“Life is much more successfully looked at from a single window.”

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