The Content Reader

Continuing my journey through the books I save on my shelves, and have arrived at letter B. That is, authors whose surname starts with B.  I organise my books in alphabetical by surname. There seem to be many more books with authors on B than on A. Hm... Bailey, Anthony - A View of Delft, Vermeer then and now Bagerius, Henric & Berglund Louise (ed) - Politik och Passion, Svenska kungligheters äktenskap under 600 år (about Politic and Passion, Royal Swedish marriages during 600 years) Bart, Istvan - Den olycklige prinsen i Mayerling (The unhappy prince in Mayerling) Backman, Margareta - Kungar, drottningar, älskare och älskarinnor (Kings, queens and lovers) Blom, K. Arne & Moen, Jan - Försvunna städer i Skåneland (Lost cities in Scania) Barker, Juliet - The Brontës Bremer, Fatima - Ett jävla solsken, biografi om Ester Blenda Nordström (A bloody sunshine, a biography of Ester Blenda Nordström) Burton, Nina - Gutenberggalaxens nova, berättelse om Erasmus av Rotterdam, hu...

Friday coming up! I am just wondering where the time goes? Tomorrow the sun is promised, so I hope we can go out for a walk. Very windy here in Sweden now. On the other hand, bad autumn weather is a good excuse to stay at home and read a good book. Therefore I have chosen one of my favourite authors for this week's beginning and page 56, Sebastian Barry's Days Without End. "Time was not something then we thought of as an item that possessed an ending, but something that would go on for ever, all rested and stopped in that moment. hard to say what I mean by that. You look back at all the endless years when you never had that thought. I am doing that now as I write these words in Tennessee. I am thinking of the days without end of my life. And it is not like that now ..." Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "The method of laying out a corpse in Missouri sure took the proverbial cake. Like decking out our poor lost troopers for marriage rather tha...

From the back cover: "Dublin, 1918. At the end of the First World War, Lilly Bere and her sweetheart Tadg are forced to flee Ireland for America. They plan to marry and forge a new life together, in the hope that their past will not catch up with them. Seven decades later, Lilly, mourning the loss of her grandson, tries to make sense of her own life and the lives of the people she has loved. At once epic and intimate, On Canaan's Side is a novel of memory, war, family ties and love." Another master piece by Barry, who is one of my favourite authors. He never disappoints you. This time he tells the story of Lilly, an Irish girl who has to leave Ireland when her husband is accused of collaboration with the English. Set just after World War I, it is another enchanting story by Barry. Lilly looks back at her life and the different paths it took. Must revenge and sorrow follow you all your life? Don't you deserve a little bit of happiness? "Because the ingre...

Another week and another challenge for a good book beginning and interesting quotes from page 56. This week I have found On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry. A short review will be up on Monday, 30 September. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "Bill is gone. What is the sound of an eighty-nine-year-old heart breaking? It might not be much more than silence, and certainly a small slight sound." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda´s Voice "Amazement and delight were Mr Eugenides' bywords. When Bill was going into the army, just a couple of years ago, Mr Eugenides bought him a copy of Homer in translation, which Bill dutifully brought with him to the war. In this way, Bill and I, on very separate occasions, received the same book, in different editions and translations, as a gift."

I cannot believe it, but we have entered the second half of the year. Time for a round-up of my reading for the first half of 2019. I have read 54 books, of which I am rather proud. Of those, 20 books come from my TBR shelves. I aimed for 48 books, so have to hurry up a little bit. I really liked most of the books I read, but here are some highlights that stick out. Two thrilling books by Nele Neuhaus, Snow White Must Die and Big Bad Wolf .  Her books are so well written and the story lines so exciting, with twists and turns. They also go deep into the characters, whether it is the police women/men, the culprit or all the people surrounding the story. Thrilling until the very end. The Third Man  by Graham Greene is a classic. I have seen the film many times, but not read the book. Greene wrote it as a script for the film, and it has then been turned into a book. I actually listened to it. It was wonderfully narrated by Martin Jarvis. The very dark and brooding atmos...

This week (sorry being late) my book beginning and page 56 come from The Secret Scripture from one of my favourite authors, Sebastian Barry. From the back cover: "Roseanne McNulty is nearing her hundredth birthday in the mental hospital where she was committed as a young woman. Finishing up his case notes before the hospital is closed, psychiatrist Dr Grene finds himself intrigued by the story of his elderly patient. While Dr Grene investigates, Roseanne looks back on the tragedies and passions she has locked away in her secret journal, from her turbulent rural childhood to the marriage she believed would bring her happiness. But when Dr Grene finally uncovers the circumstances of her arrival at the hospital, it leads to a shocking secret."  Book beginning hosted by Rose City Reader "The world begins anew with every birth, my father used to say. he forgot to say, with every death it ends. Or did not think he needed to. Because for a goodly part of his l...

I post this a little bit early, since I am busy the whole day tomorrow! It is Friday and two favourite memes; Book beginnings on Fridays and The Friday 56. Here we go! Rose City Reader, is hosting Book beginnings on Friday. Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56. Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.) Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it My book this week I have not read yet, but is from a favourite author. It is On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry. Bookbeginning "Bill is gone." Page 56 "In this way, Bill and I, on very separate occasions, received the same book, in different editions and translations, as a gift. ...

Another day of snowing, but the temperatures are still too warm to keep it. I love snow though and remember my childhood winters. It always seemed to be snow and cold. Just like you want it. That is to enjoy skiing, skating and sledging. Well, the climate has changed and this is no more. Instead enjoying my new purchases. Apart from the six new books I showed you on December 7, here comes another seven books, of which three are from favourite authors and the other four are new authors to me. Sebastian Barry , On Canaan's Side - a favourite author of mine and this books sounds as intriguing as his others. "At once epic and intimate, On Canaan's Side is a novel of memory, war, family ties and love." William Boyd , Restless and Ordinary Thunderstorms - two more book by this new favourite author. On to the new acquaintances. Andrea Camilleri , Hunting Season - "Both a delightful murder mystery and a comic novel of huge brio, fired by love and o...

Lately, I have been reluctant to write reviews of the books I have read. Sometimes I make notes during my reading, sometimes not. I always think I will remember what I was thinking at a certain point, but, alas, this is just wishful thinking. I have been slow with reading and for once did not have the energy or will to open a book. It comes and goes, but this time it has lasted longer than ever. I hope I am over it now, so looking forward to more reading during the summer. For now, I will share my thoughts on three books. The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry Sebastian Barry is a favourite author and I loved his The Secret Scripture and A Long, Long Way . Here we meet Jack McNulty in Ghana in 1957. He is a former UN observer whose mission is over. He is dreading going back to Ireland and the life he used to lead. He reflects on his life and failed marriage and his failings as a father. His present life acts as an opposite to his past life. While he has had problems engaging i...

Rose City Reader , is hosting Book beginnings on Friday. She says: Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56 and the rules are: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. *It's that simple. My book this week is The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry Beginning: 'It's a beautiful night and no mistake. You would never think there was a war somewhere.'    Page 56 (57 since 56 is an empty page): When my brother Tom was still a teenager he got a job as the organist at th...

One of the praises, from the back cover of the book At a time Sebastian Faulks' name turned up everywhere around me. Obviously, I bought one of his books. It has since been decorating my TBR shelves. My first encounter with this writer just asks for more. Birdsong  is a wonderful book on all accounts. It starts out very romantically with Stephen Wraysford coming to France on behalf of his employers in 1910, to see how a factory works, from which they buy material for their clothes. He stays with the owner and his family and it is not long before he falls in love with the wife, Isabelle. This happens rather early on, so I think I don't spoil anything here. He thought of Isabelle's open, loving face; he thought of the pulse of her, that concealed rhythm of her desire that expressed her strange humanity. He remembered Lisette's flushed, flirtatious look and the way she had taken his hand and placed it on her body. That day of charged emotion seemed as unreal and biza...