February 19th, the birthday of the legendary Hovhannes Tumanyan, marks Book Gifting Day! We asked our book-loving colleagues to recommend one of their absolute favorite novels and put together a great list. It’ll take you just 6 minutes to read this post, but you’ll end up with enough reading material for about 6 months!
And hey, we haven’t forgotten the true spirit of Book Gifting Day. At the end of this post, you’ll have the chance to leave your phone number and the name of the employee whose recommended book you’d love to get as a gift.
We will randomly choose 3 entries for each of the 6 books, and on February 20th, 18 lucky winners will receive a special QR code right in their Telcell Wallet. If you get one, just bring your QR code to our branch at Mashtots 5 (inside “Yerevan City” supermarket) and claim your book!
Now, let’s hand it over to our Arsen, and wish you a wonderful reading journey…
Arsen Avetisyan, Head of Finance Department
“Empire of the Angels”, Bernard Werber
Sooner or later, we all start asking ourselves questions like, “What happens after death?” or “Are there really angels out there, and how do they help us?”. This book presents one possible scenario of human existence — stepping out of the cycle of reincarnation after death to become someone’s Guardian Angel.
It might leave you with a whole new set of questions, like: “What if the ‘After’ is totally different, and what would it look like?”. That’s the beauty of it, because that’s exactly where the most exciting part begins.
Mane Harutyunyan, Call Center Operator
“Fahrenheit 451”, Ray Bradbury
“I wasn’t trying to predict the future, I was trying to prevent it”.
This is a book from the past about our absolute present. We live in a fast-paced era where we never seem to have enough time. But why? Personally, I think the internet swallows our hours, leaving no room for real books. This story is about us — our present and our future. Just think about how much time we waste scrolling through Reels on our commute home or right before sleeping. Wouldn’t it be so much better to spend that time discovering entirely new worlds? “Fahrenheit 451” is a page-turner you can read on the go — on your way to work, on the bus, or at a cozy café…
“It was a pleasure to burn”… let’s not give in to that pleasure. Let’s read instead — books by timeless minds like Goethe, Nietzsche or Brontë. Let’s become better versions of ourselves by expanding our horizons!
Rafael Zarbabyan, Digital Marketing Specialist
“Amerika”, Franz Kafka
They say, “You can’t analyze Kafka, you just have to feel Kafka.” “Amerika” is the perfect proof of that. While you can draw parallels across most of Kafka’s works, “Amerika” — even though it remains unfinished — completely breaks out of our traditional expectations of what is “Kafkaesque”.
Alongside a 16-year-old boy, we arrive in New York — a city where everyone is supposed to achieve their dreams. But reality is a bit different. Kafka tears off the mask of the “American Dream”, revealing the underlying absurdity that we often choose to ignore.
Garnik Haydosyan, Head of Branch Network Development Department
“The Resident”, Ashot Aghababyan
This documentary-fiction masterpiece brings the life story of the Armenian intelligence agent Hayk Badalyan to life with vivid authorial colors. The writer describes the years leading up to and following World War II. In my view, the titans of intelligence — the masters of the most hidden profession — are just as great as the biggest names in science and culture. Sadly, they are rarely celebrated during their lifetime, and only occasionally posthumously.
The fact that our compatriot was right at the center of world-changing historical events gave me a huge rush of inspiration, pride, and a mix of deep emotions.
I didn’t recommend this book randomly — it carries a strong educational message. It partially answered my own biggest question: “Who is the Armenian, where is the Armenian nation heading, and what is its place in the future of humanity?”.
The novel flows effortlessly, gripping the reader with a sharp plot, beautiful landscapes and situational descriptions that perfectly capture the spirit of the era.
Anna Hovsepyan, SMM Specialist
“Never Let Me Go”, Kazuo Ishiguro
Raising deeply unsettling questions, “Never Let Me Go” is one of those intense, thought-provoking books that you will either absolutely love or hate.
This is a story of loyalty and betrayal, hope and despair, and lives dedicated to a single purpose. The novel follows three friends destined to let go of everything — their bodies, their dreams, their lives, and the people they love. It’s their predetermined, unavoidable fate.
Here, we get a glimpse of what happens when a flawed society is allowed to run scientific experiments freely without considering the moral consequences. It naturally makes you reflect on your own choices: what would you do in their shoes to NEVER LET GO of each other?
Narek Tatosyan, Senior Call Center Operator
“The Mysterious Island”, Jules Verne
What makes this novel so exciting is that, as the sequel to “In Search of the Castaways” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, it beautifully wraps up the story of Captain Nemo and the rest of the characters.
I highly recommend reading this book because it genuinely sparks your imagination, making the impossible feel real. The main characters find themselves on an island and manage to build excellent survival conditions out of absolutely nothing. How they pull it off is easily the most fascinating part of the story!
This adventure masterpiece is the perfect getaway from daily routine, taking you straight to a mysterious island to follow the characters through intense plot twists. Trust me, the moment you finish the last page, you’ll immediately want to dive into another thrilling adventure novel just like it.
