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Paulo Coelho is for me my favorite author of all. He writes really good books, that are entertaining and teaching and makes you think at the same time.
What is it about his books that you like, or dislike?

I've only read The Alchemist and The Witch of Portobello but I enjoy his writing. I like that there's a purpose to his writing and I am definitely going to read the rest of his books.

I've read quite a few of Paulo Coelho's books, to include, The Alchemist, The Valkeries and The Pilgrimage, and I absolutely love his work! His story lines are easy to follow and I really enjoy that he tries to convey a message, as well. I recently started following him on twitter and he is surprisingly sassy! If you get a chance, check out his tweets, he often talks about political happenings, literature, and inspirational quotes.

I was pretty lukewarm on The Alchemist, but I haven't read others. If I tried again, which should I go with?

I guess it depends on what you didn't like about the book. If it's the writing style, you'd be better off trying "The Valkeries, " but if it's the content or the setting, I'd say try "The Pilgrimage." Both are centered around the author and are set in modern times.

I was introduced to his books as being self help. I almost died. But when reading his book there is a story behind the lesson he's teaching. This makes his books much more appealing to me

smurfette2580 wrote:I was pretty lukewarm on The Alchemist, but I haven't read others. If I tried again, which should I go with?

I'm with you here. I didn't have a problem with the writing style (I understand that it was a translation) but there didn't seem to be much substance to the story. It was fueled by cliches, I felt. Again, I think part of it might be that the beauty of the original language was lost in translation.

He is one of my favorite writers. For me his stories are mostly about 'self-discovery'. Among all his books that I read, I love the Alchemist most of all. I also read the following:

Like a Flowing River
The Devil and Miss Prym
The Pilgrimage
Eleven Minutes
Brida
The Valkyries
The Witch of Portobello

smurfette2580 wrote:I was pretty lukewarm on The Alchemist, but I haven't read others. If I tried again, which should I go with?

Go with The Zahir its an awesome book, however be warned its pretty heavy stuff. You will without fail find a resonance within the story. Was totally overwhelmed yet loved the book too much to not finish reading! Well its been 10 years since I first read it had it been now probably wouldn't have affected me as much!

I enjoy the simplicity and beauty of his writing.

I read the Alchemist my junior year of high school and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Since, I've read Eleven Minutes and have a few others of his books in queue to read. I find it beautiful how each book is unique with its meaning and can be applied to everyone who reads it.

I have read The Alchemist and it is an inspiring book. I really likes his writing style, but i haven't tried his other books. I think i will read them now.

I've never liked anything he has written. Too inspirational stuff in his books for me.

I have read parts of a few of his books, and I just love how it feels to read a translation. I can almost always tell when a book has been translated because the language is different.

I've read parts of Brida and The Witch of Portobello. Veronika Decides to Die is pretty high on my list, especially with the film adaptation featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

I always feel like I am going on a journey when I read his books. They make me contemplate and try to better myself. I will never forget The Alchemist, which I first read when I was 16.