The Content Reader

I am joining  Guiltless Reading  for  Bookmark Monday . On Thursday I went to Passa Porta, which is an international book shop here in Brussels. Visiting author was John Banville. I bought four of his books, which he kindly signed. When buying a book at the book shop, you get a bookmark and this is my sample of a Monday bookmark this week. As you see, I bought Mrs Osmond  by John Banville and got his signature. It was a joy to read.  More will come on the evening and the interview and the new books.

I am joining Guiltless Reading for Bookmark Monday . It was some time ago. On Saturday we went to Bruges for the day and visited a museum with pictures by Andy Warhol and Picasso. It was a very interesting visit and I came out of the museum shop with two bookmarks, one postcard and one keyring. I want to share these beautiful items with you here. What do you think? Are they not wonderful!

Hello, a little bit late for this meme, but I really do not want to miss it. This week I choose a book I have just finished. The Girl in Rose, Haydn's Last Love by Peter Hobday. The beginning comes from the Overture to the book, obviously following a musical work. Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "Studying history is like reading by candlelight: it takes time for the eyes to become accustomed to the shadows." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "Back at the house in Bedford Row Fanny, the maid, had raised the alarm and told the Master that Miss Rebecca had left the house early in the morning and got into a gentleman's coach. " A review will follow on this book, which is well written, but most of it concerns the music world, which might not be such a bad case.

It is March and another chain of books for 6 Degrees of Separation , hosted by Books Are My Favourite And Best.   This month begins with a book published in 1990, The Beauty Myth  by Naomi Wolf. Summary from Wikipedia: " The basic premise of The Beauty Myth is that as the social power and prominence of women have increased, the pressure they feel to adhere to unrealistic social standards of physical beauty has also grown stronger because of commercial influences on the mass media. This pressure leads to unhealthy behaviours by women and a preoccupation with appearance in both sexes, and it compromises the ability of women to be effective in and accepted by society. " It comes well into the #metoo movement and is worth thinking of. That brings me to someone who was not happy with her looks, Charlotte Brontë and her heroine Jane Eyre. It is about a plain girl who manages to catch the hero with her brain rather than her looks. Women still fighting today to be taken for...

February so far has been a fabulous reading month for me, and I managed 12 books so far. Reading faster than I could review, so here comes a few smaller reviews. Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks I listened to this book of short stories, narrated by Tom Hanks himself. What a treat! The stories mostly take place in the past and some I liked more than others. I awaited a twist in the end of the stories, but either there was none or I did not understand them. I thoroughly enjoyed the story with the very active, healthy and enthusiastic girl friend who tried to introduce her rather tired boy friend to the world of adventure. A story about an actor who gets to kiss the heroine and is envied by all the men in the world. It sounds very romantic, but the hard work shooting a movie which takes place all over the world is something different, as we learn. The story of a rich man who pays to travel back in time, meets a young girl and falls in love. He constantly goes back to the same time, try t...

Sorry, again a little bit late with my Friday book quotes. This time I have chosen a book, just finished. I read a reviews from my blogging friends and thought, yes, this book I have to read. It is really great and I will download her first book. It is Jane Harper's Nature of Force.   It is a book you just cannot put down, so therefor it is read in one or two days. Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "Later, the four remaining women could fully agree on only two things. One: No one saw the bushland swallow up Alice Russell. And two: Alice had a mean streak so sharp it could cut you." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "Falk could smell the decay of winter roses in the air and hear the distant rush of traffic. And on the second floor of Alice Russell's home, through a streak-free window overlooking the road, he could see a five-pointed white star of fingertips pressed against the windowpane, a flash of blond hair, and the gap...

Dolce Belezza is hosting a read along of The Portrait of a Lady, and has written a short summary of the plot here . As always with the novels of Henry James, the ending holds more questions than answers (compare The Turn of the Screw) . Belezza has two questions: why did Isabel Archer marry Gilbert Osmond? Why did she plan to return to him on the very last page? Two relevant questions and I am looking forward seeing what the other read alongs will answer. Here are some of my thoughts. Why did she marry? Although she, unknowingly, was manipulated into the marriage, it is not the whole answer. She already had two offers of marriage and friends and relatives were much for both of them. However, she refused. She had clearly stated that she did not want to marry, but travel around the world. She wanted to have an independent life, settle down somewhere nice and live her life as she chooses. It was definitely easier after she came into the money, and would have been difficult without...