Lukas Smith, bartender at Bar Pilar

Manners from Heaven, by Quentin Crisp
"This book should be read by all aspirant writers and lovers. Crisp mastered the elucidation of subtle social notions through understated yet over-stylized means."

Signposts in a Strange Land, by Walker Percy
"This collection of essays by the late National Book Award winner is wonderfully edifying and persistently, yet patiently, controversial. Mr. Percy addresses three areas of utmost personal concern: the relationship between literature and philosophy, the future of the 'Old South,' and the meaning of faith in an increasingly secular and cynical world."

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami
"After reading the highly anticipated and mysteriously straightforward 1Q84, I felt the need to work through Murakami's corpus in an attempt to figure out what went so wrong in his putative magnum opus. Murakami has been so interesting for so long that he deserves the effort."


Photo: Courtesy of Lukas Smith/Jocelyn Weiss