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Of the many books I have read or listened to this year one has stood out just a little more than the others.
Theo of Golden.
It wasn't like any other book I've read. It had my full attention from the beginning.
The main character, Theo, is a person everyone wishes to have in their life.
The fact that the book moves at a slow, steady pace yet keeps the readers full engagement says a lot about the talent of this author, Allen Levi.
Levi has an interesting story of his own. It wasn't until his late 60's he decided to try to write a novel; it took close to 4 years to finish.
With no agent or editor, he decided to try self-publishing just promoting it locally. And it worked it gained local popularity before getting the attention of some readers from the BookTok community. That created a slow ripple effect that eventually made its way to Simon & Schuster who offered Levi a publishing deal.
Theo of Golden made it to the New York Times bestseller list in November of 2025 and remains there today.
After watching an interview with the author on The Oprah Podcast I thought his story was as beautiful as the story he created. He reminds us all that it is never too late to pursue a dream.
Recently I was watching The Golden Girls and Dorothy says to Rose, "The bottom line is if you take a chance in life, sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen, but honey, if you don’t take a chance, nothing happens."
I agree and Levi is proof that sometimes you take the chance and something amazing happens. For this author, at 70 years old he is experiencing not only publishing his first novel, but having it reach a level of success he never could have imagined.
Do I need to say more about the book to pique your interest? Maybe not, the origin story alone is pretty convincing it's worth a read. But I'll say just a bit more, then you can decide.
For a little sneak peak into the opening of the story, picture a coffee shop probably not too different from one of our own.
The artwork on the walls of this coffee shop though was done by a local portrait artist and the drawings are all of people who have come into the coffee shop. Some locals, some just passing through.
An older gentleman from out of town stops in for a coffee and begins admiring the talent of the artist. He doesn't just notice the talent though he imagines the story he can read on the subjects faces.
One in particular really catches his eye, the face is familiar. As the reader you will want to know why but you will have to wait, patiently to find out.
Theo decides it would be an interesting project while he is staying there in the town of Golden, Georgia to buy the portraits a few at a time and give them to the people depicted in them.
Theo is drawn to the faces that carry a great sadness. When having a conversation about this, he says, "Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose." It can be easy to let sadness steal our joy but as Theo also points out, "sadness and joy can coexist so compatibly with one another."
You will find yourself wondering from the beginning, but why is Theo in Golden and who is he? The author will take his time telling you, but don't worry you'll find out and you won't be disappointed.
To save you the time looking it up, Golden is just a fictional town in Georgia where a cast of wonderful characters will come to life for you.
The slow pace of the story is half the charm of this book. Nothing feels rushed and you find yourself relaxing into the story.
You may, like me, even find yourself wishing you were one of the ones sitting next to Theo on the bench. You might wish to experience for yourself the true presence and attention of a beautiful soul like Theo.
After reading or listening to the book (the narration is fantastic on this one if you decide to go with the audio version) you will most likely find yourself thinking about a person in your own life who offered you the kind of love Theo had to offer. And hoping you can offer it others as well.
This story is full of moments that glow with a warmth you will find comforting on these chilly fall days.