The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, has been on my "to read list" for, well, a very long time. So long, in fact, that I forgot I wanted to read it. Ha. But now I have, and I'm glad I did!
Browsing through people's reviews on Goodreads, it is apparently a book that you'll either love or hate. It is full of deep truths and profound thoughts on life and our purpose in living. Either the author's beliefs will resonate with you and your personal journey through life, or it will piss you off (seriously, some people were quite angry with their reviews).
The author mixes many religions in his views of God and draws man's purpose, his Personal Legend, from them. Although I don't personally believe that "all roads lead to Rome" (to use that popular phrase), I do believe that all truth is God's truth, and this book was full of little nuggets of truth.
The story is of a Spanish shepherd boy, named Santiago, who dreamt of finding treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. Shortly after a gypsy woman interprets his dream and tells him to go seek his treasure, he meets a man (who calls himself a king) that prophetically encourages him to discover his Personal Legend by making the journey to Egypt. The boy then sells his flock of sheep and sets out to find his treasure. On his way he overcomes obstacles, fights discouragement, almost gives up… and meets an Alchemist.
I do recommend this book, as I quite enjoyed it. It's less than 200 pages and an easy read, although it shouldn't be read too fast since the book is more philosophical that fanciful. Just be sure to read it with a highlighter --there are lots of great quotes like the one I posted above (that one is a favorite of mine) that you might want to refer to again as you make your own journey through life to discover your Personal Legend. :)
