Blogging Anniversary - 10 years

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A while ago I checked when I did my first blog post, in order to celebrate with an anniversary post. Well, that day came and went without any reaction from me. Better late than never, so here a reminder of my very first blog post from 24 October 2012.  The book was New Finnish Grammar  by Diego Marani. Marani is an Italian novelist, translator and newspaper columnist. While working as a translator for the European Union he invented a language ‘Europanto’ which is a mixture of languages and based on the common practice of word-borrowing usage of many EU languages. It was a suitable book to start with, being a book about letters, languages and memories. With a beautiful prose, the novel went directly to my heart.  "One night at Trieste in September 1943 a seriously wounded soldier is found on the quay. The doctor, of a newly arrived German hospital ship, Pietri Friari gives the unconscious soldier medical assistance. His new patient has no documents or anything that can ide...
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Recently read books

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My reviews have been rare recently, mainly due to lack of time. I hope to have more time soon, but in the meantime, here are a few mini reviews of books I have read recently.


Kate Hannigan's Girl by Catherine Cookson

 One of my favourite authors when I was younger, but I have not read any of her books lately. When I read Cliff Goodwin's biography of her, To be a Lady: Story of Catherine Cookson, I was curious to read one again. I got hold of this book on a book fair. It is a continuation of the book Kate Hannigan, but you can easily read this one without first having read the previous. It is about Annie, illegitimate daughter of Kate, and her coming of age, falling in love, finding her way in life, and being harassed by evil Catherine. It is an easy enough read, and Cookson manages to balance the romance with the harsh realities of life at the time. You can feel with the characters. That is probably why she was so popular.


The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

 It was the text on the back cover that draw me to this novel. "A young doctor, Natalia, struggles to make sens of her grandfather's death in a Balkan country still scarred by war. From fragments of stories her grandfather told her as a child, Natalia realises he may have died searching for 'the deathless man', a vagabond who was said to be immortal." 


 The novel starts out very well (you can read book beginning and page 56 here), but then somehow I got lost. It is beautifully written, the stories are captivating, but seems to drag away from the main theme. I think it might have been better to collect the stories as short stories, rather than a novel. I read that Obreht wanted to show how different people relate to death, and with this aim she has been successful. I must say though, that the stories has stayed with me after finishing the book, which is always a good thing.


The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory

 I love Philippa Gregory's books, but it took me a little bit of time to get into this one. However, after a while I got totally hooked up on the story of Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and his wife Amy. Dudley was Elizabeth's favourite and great love, although they could never marry. This is of course historical fiction (at its best), but I always want to know the facts, so I have to read a biography of the pair.

The book covers only the years 1558-60, the first reigns of Elizabeth. It gives an insight in the politics of the time, the court with its inevitable gossip and fights for power. There Dudley seems to have a natural talent. Philippa Gregory has made some interesting interpretations of the relationship between Elizabeth and Dudley and the death of Amy. Fascinating like most of her books. I absolutely love the cover.

Comments

  1. Jeanie16 May 2018 at 13:45

    Thanks for these reviews, Lisbeth. I'm especially interested in the Philippa Gregory given that I'm headed to England in the fall and am reading with a focus -- fiction and non-fiction -- on Britain. Mysteries, history, bio, fiction, travel essays.

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    Replies
    1. Lisbeth 21 June 2018 at 12:22

      She does write very well and interesting historical novels. It is nice to read up before going there. They have such a history, it is amazing. And very well documented. Have a great time.

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