Those who read this blog know that it’s quite rare that I purchase a book. The library has saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the years. However, after all the hype Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is getting, I decided to splurge. And, boy, was it worth it. This is one of the best books of all time for me. I just adored it. You get right into the story and the mystery, the humanity, the characters, everything, make it a terrific read. If I could give it 10 stars, I would. I hate to even describe it because the beauty is in not knowing anything about it before you pick it up. Don’t read the rest if you want to go in blind, as I did. Amazon: “One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.”