The Content Reader

On 9 May, 1860 James Barrie, famous for Peter Pan  was born in Scotland. He published many more books and plays but non has been so long lived like Peter Pan which was published in 1904. He died in London in 1913.

8 May 1899 saw the opening at the Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin of William Butler Yeats The Countess Cathleen. It was the theatre's inaugural performance.  Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the more prominent figures of 20th century literature, both within the Irish and British literary establishments. In his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms. In 1923 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He lived between 1865 and 1939.

I am quite excited because tomorrow I will finally go to Haworth, Yorkshire, and see what inspired the Brontë sisters. A lot of friends here in Brussels, from the Brontë group, have been there and they have given very positive views, so expectations are high. The museum is a must as well as a walk on the moors. Weather forecast not too good, rain is expected, so I better take good clothes with me. Report will follow. Quotations about the Geography of the Moors from the web-site The Reader's Guide to Wuthering Heights Chapter 11 One time I passed the old gate, going out of my way, on a journey to Gimmerton [from Thrushcross Grange]. … I came to a stone where the highway branches off on to the moor at your left hand; a rough sand-pillar, with the letters W. H. cut on its north side, on the east, G., and on the south-west, T. G. It serves as a guide-post to the Grange, the Heights, and village. Chapter 12 There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not ...

On 7 May 1812 poet Robert Browning is born in Camberwell, outside London. Browning attended boarding school and studied for a short time at the University of London before returning to his parents' home where he had private tutors. Both parents were interested in literature and the arts and encouraged both Browning, and his sister Sarianna, in this field. Browning read a lot, and by age fourteen he was fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Latin. He devoted his time to poetry and refused a formal career. He stayed at home until he was 34 and was dependent on his family for finance. His father also sponsored the publications of his son's poems. His poetry was criticised so he abandoned it and continued to write drama. This was neither very successful but he developed a form for dramatic monologue which he transferred later on to his poetry. Among all the bad critics, there was one positive, from the respected poet Elizabeth Barrett. Browning wrote to thank her and asked for a...

6 May in 1940, John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath. This is one of Stenbeck's most famous book about the Joad family from Oklahoma who moves to California when they lose their family farm. They search for a better life but the times were hard and they slid into poverty. A typical book of Stenbeck with plain-spoken language, rich plot and rich and colourful descriptions makes it one of his best books on social criticism. The novel also won the National Book Award and was probably one of the reasons why he won the Nobel Prize in 1962. Other famous books are: Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, The Pearl, Forgotten Village, Viva Zapata, Travels with Charlie and East of Eden. He died in New York in 1968.

This is a review for 2014 Monthly Motif Challenge , Book beginnings on Friday , as well as a read for my book club. I heard a lot about Fred Vargas from Renate in our book club. This is one of her favourite crime fiction writers and I think I can agree with her after having read this first book about commissaire Adamsberg. It is a refreshing chief inspector, quite different from others that tend to appear in books like this. I am so tired of these middle aged chief inspectors who are divorced, overweight and depressed and spend all time trying to solve the crime. This chief inspector too does, of course, trying to solve the crime, but it is written in a totally different way. You could read it like a fiction novel, it just happens to have a murder or two in it. Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg has just been appointed chief inspector in the 5th arrondissement in Paris.  He originates from a small town in the Pyrenees and knows very well how nature works. He has made a r...

I think that Italian food is one of my favourite cuisine in the world. I love Asian, Mexican, Indian and a lot of other foods, but Italian at its best, beats most of them. Together with the Italian wines of the region where you are, you can't get much better taste experiences. Tuscany is known as a very good area both for food and wine, which we also discovered. It is not only the taste of the food but the way it is presented both in the shops and in the restaurants. It is an all-round experience. We were lucky to eat home made cooking where we stayed. There was a camping and the host and hostess provided dinner for those who wanted to. We tried one evening and ...yes, they saw us for another two nights!  It is impossible to describe the food, it was just so delicious, whether it was antipasti or pasta or meat. As the hostess said; you have to cook the sauce for 4-6 hours to make it taste like this! That is a little bit the problem today; we don't have the time. Everything ...