My sister Ayesha gave me this last Christmas, and I figured it fit nicely into my travel reading list that consisted mostly of fiction. The book tells the story of Santiago, a shepherd boy in Spain, who travels to Egypt in search of his personal treasure. The parable is ultimately about fulfilling one's destiny, or personal legend.

It is full of spiritual references about listening to one's heart, the Soul of the World, and paying attention to omens to fulfill one's destiny. It's a very quick read, and was contextually relevant after having visited Cairo and the pyramids (Santiago's final destination) several weeks earlier.

While some of the spirituality was a little hokey (or maybe I just didn't get it), I think the general theme of figuring out what makes one happy and then pursuing that dream is one that's underplayed in Western culture.