The Content Reader

Outlander I just read about a new TV-series which will be aired on 8 August, called Outlander . And saw the trailer. It looks very good and something I would like to see. Reading more thoroughly I realise that it is based on a series of very popular books by Diana Gabaldon. Reading further, I am a little bit shocked that I have never heard of it, as the first book came already in 1991. There seems to be 7 books so far. I don't know how I could have missed this, because it seems to be a story that I love. It starts with a time travel (of this I am not overfond, but so far it is ok in this book) and Claire, the heroine, is transferred from 1945 Scotland to 18th century Scotland. The second world war had just finished, but now she is transferred into even more violent times. Being a fan of historical fiction, I find it fascinating. I was brave to download all the books! The price was good. Yes, I know, it is a little bit of a game, not knowing if I would like it or not. Not all of t...

This book popped up in Janet Flanner's articles of Paris as a book that was translated into French. It made me curious so I thought: "Hey, I have this on my TBR shelves"! So I grabbed it and finished it in a couple of days. I have never read anything by Faulkner, but seem to know that he is one of the great American writers. I must say I did not understand too much of this book. There were a lot of characters, mostly dialogue so no explanation who these people were. And new persons tended to pop up here and there. Ok, after a while you got a little bit more information on them flashbacks, but still... Short summary: Someone dates an innocent school girl, gets drunk and brings her to a bootlegger's camp for whom he is working from time to time. There are a few, criminal character's around and a woman with a child. The men drink, moving around the girl Temple Drake, and at the end of a couple of days one man is dead and she is raped. Popeye (the man who raped her...

A while ago I read a post somewhere, about how important covers are. How important are they really? Do you choose a book due to the cover, or do you go for title/author? Personally, I think a good cover attracts your attention to a book, but I would not buy it unless it was a book that interested me. The Twilight series and their covers, which I think fits perfectly for these kind of books, has also changed the covers in other books. It seems, like in other areas, to be a trend. One popular book will be followed by covers similar to this book. The other interesting thing with the Twilight series is the interest it has given Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, being the favourite book of Bella. She is identifying herself with Cathy and sees Edward as her Heathcliff. There are several references in the series to Emily's book.  “Hand me that book, will you?” I asked, pointing over his shoulder. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion, but he gave it to me quickly. “This again?” he as...

My last post on Janet Flanner's articles on Paris in the 20s and 30s for Paris in July . We have reached the last two years and are also getting closer to the World War II. There are several articles on the situation and uncertainty at the time. They are rather long and difficult to just make a small extraction, so I leave them out. The articles posted here are just a few of what the book contains. If you are interested in Paris during these years you should read the book. Flanner has a sharp eye and ear for things and it is interesting to read. So, here we go...! 1938 Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) "With the death of Maurice Ravel, France has lost its greatest petit maitre  of modern music. He was still a prodigy pupil at the Conservatoire when he composed two of the three works for which he was most famous - the 'Pavane pour une Infante Défunte' and 'Jeux d'Eaux,' regarded as the most perfectly pianistic piece since Liszt. The hypnotic Iberian qual...

Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell I love Ruth Rendell's books. Some year's ago I discovered Barbara Vine and it was with great satisfaction I saw that this is a pseudonym for Ruth Rendell. She took up this pen name in 1986. The author explained to the National Post that "the two distinct bylines offered the opportunity to hone two distinct voices. The works published under her real name feature more 'excitement' and 'sensation' while the works published under the pseudonym 'don't have any sort of mystery in them, they don't have any revelations, really. They're just really about people.' She also said she used Vine to explore specific topics, like the evolution of morality." Dark adaptation: a condition of vision brought about progressively by remaining in complete darkness for a considerable period, and characterised by progressive increase in retinal sensitivity. A dark-adapted eye is an eye in which dark adaptation has taken place...

Paris in July The ever active Janet Flanner continues her articles. We have reached the years 1936-37. Only two to go! 1936 Stein - Human Nature "If French books have evaded the political question recently, one book written in France is going to go The Relation of Human Nature to Human Life; or the Geographical History of the United States.  The new volume, Miss Stein says, will be pretty long - about two hundred pages - and will be something in the style of her little-known essay, 'Composition as Explanation,' or very clear. She explains the new book's material as follows. 'It is a discussion of the fact that huma nature isn't very interesting and that that's why politics are what they are, since they deal with human nature. The book also deals with masterpieces; what they are and why they are so few.' ..." into it. This will be Miss Gertrude Stein's new volume, entitled Considering how we see politicians an leaders today, and expec...

End of July and I am going through my challenges for the year to see where I am. I not only promised to read at least 12 books from my TBR list, but I also promised to read around 27 books (some of the are also on my TBR list) during the summer months! Well, here I am for the moment. TBR As for Fiction I have so far read the titles in read. It is seven for seven months so there I am up to date. Five more to read before the end of the year. Den Inbjudna (L'invitée) by Simone Beauvoir (1943)  Röde Orm - Sjöfarare i västerled by Frans G. Bengtsson (1941)  Röde Orm - Hemma och i österled by Frans G. Bengtsson (1945)  Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (1900)  Simon och ekarna by Marianne Fredriksson (1985)  Ensam drottning (Lonely Queen) - Sofia Magdalena by Gerd Ribbing (1959)  A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine (1986)  Travels With My Aunt by Graham Greene (1969)  The Angel Avengers by Isak Dinesen (1946) Lisbeth by Ragnhild Hallén (19...