The Content Reader

I am in Mallorca this week. We had a friend come to visit so we did a nice walk and some nice restaurants. Now it is time for some serious stuff. We decided to go north-east to do some trekking. Unfortunately, we choose a day which was sunny where we are in the south west to go north east. There the clouds we getting very dark, thunder in the distance and when we were ready to go for our walk the rain started to come. We saw a wonderful rainbow though. Looking where the sun was we decided to continue eastwards. It seemed that once we reached the places it was getting darker too. However, we started on our tour over the mountains (hills my husband would say who is Austrian). Once on top of the first one, with a heavy wind, which you can see on the picture below, it started to rain. Just to go back again. We decided to take a break in a nearby restaurant. Some tapas helped us gather new energy, and once they were done, the weather improved. I could see the tower we wanted to visit...

On November 10 there will be another classic spin . Here is my list of 20 of which I will read the one number that is chosen. 1. Emma by Jane Austen 2. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 3. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 4. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot 5. Light in August by William Faulkner 6. My Childhood by Maxim Gorky 7. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann 8. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 9. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence 10. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 11. Ben Hur by Lew Wallace 12. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 13. Richard III by William Shakespeare 14. Travels With My Aunt by Graham Green 15. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 16. The Overcoat and Other Stories by Nikolaj Gogol 17. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waughn 18. Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams 19. The Taming of a Screw by William Shakespeare 20. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen I am happy to say that I have read 3 of the 50 books I...

My TBR shelves have hosted this book for about 20 years I think. That is when it was printed and it makes sense that it was then I bought it. I had already started it, if I judge from the book mark still in it. However, I only had vague remembrance of the book, so I started afresh. Like with a lot of other books from these shelves, I am wondering why I have kept it there for so long. It is a lovely book, but not a ‘thundering’ read, if you know what I mean. The story evolves slowly, slowly, but somehow there is always a new hint of something to come. The language is beautiful, calm, almost fragile in its prose. Not to reveal too much here is a summary of the start. Lucan is alone in the world and has got a position as a governess with a wealthy widow. He makes her an offer that she can refuse and she runs away in the middle of the night. She is heading to her school friend Zosine which she has not met since school. Arriving at her mansion on the day of her birthday ball she is w...

Today I went to Tongeren in the Limburg region of Belgium, bordering the Limburg region in the Netherlands.  This is the part which the Romans once conquered. In the Gallo-Roman museum is a temporary exhibition on Vikings! It was absolutely fantastic.  There is also a permanent exhibition of development of man from the beginning of times to the Roman times. Very interesting indeed. More will come on this outing. Just want to say that I actually managed to buy a book as well! What's new? It is The Celts  by Peter Berresford Ellis.  I am looking forward to read about these peoples who conquered Europe at a certain time. And...which culture we still enjoy today! A separate post about my visit to Tongeren will come.

Got dressed and ventured out in the rainy, dark evening to drive to this event. When I finally found the restaurang and a parking, the waiter told me that it was last week! WHAT! Last Wednesday of the month! Ok, when I started to think rationally, I remembered that it is the school holidays this week, so that is probably why. Had to head home with my bag with 24 books. So much for coming home with fewer books that I went out with! I hope I didn't fool anyone of my Brussels friend to go there. If so, I AM REALLY SORRY! Next time.

Every last Wednesday of the month there is a book swap evening in Brussels. You can bring your own books and hopefully find some new. I have sorted out quite a heap of books, mostly English, but some Swedish. I promised my husband that there would be less coming in as was going out. You have to give a little bit of breathing space to your book cases as well. Here is my pile: I see that there are some elephants on the pillows behind. It does not mean I would need an elephant to carry the pile...a handy man would be all right! I fear though I have to carry them myself. Let's see tomorrow if I found some replacements. For those of you in Brussels: if you are interested, it is taking place at Le Chapelier Fou 190 Chausse de la Hulpe Watermael-Boitsfort between 17.30 - 20.30 Maybe see you there?

This is the fourth book in the Outlander series. I don't think I have to give more details on this series, since it seems to be one of the most popular for the time being. Even more so after the first 8 episodes of the TV-series from Starz. I am also a big fan of both the books and the TV-series. I am not really into time travelling, or at least I did not think so. Maybe I have to change my own mind now, especially after having read two other books/series about time travelling and loving it; A Rip in The Veil by Anna Belfrage and The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. In the Outlander  series the time travelling takes the story to another level. I still think the first book is the best. Maybe because there is where it all started, the idea and the story was totally new and it was exciting. Not to say that the other books are not...they are! Some spoilers here for you who have not read the book so stop here. From book three Claire and Jamie leave Europe for the ...