The Content Reader

Paris in July for 2018 is upon us. It will be a wonderful month with exchanging anything French with fellow bloggers. Some of you have already started. The pressure (although pleasant) is on and here is my first post. The inspiration comes from Zola. I am reading his Nana and a non fiction book about him, The Disappearance of Émile Zola, Love Literature and the Dreyfus Case.  The theme? Food. After his J'Accuse  article he was brought to trial for criminal libel, and rather than going to prison he left for England where he stayed for a year, before he was allowed back to France. Being a writer he kept a diary and his comments about everything English is fascinating. One thing he does not love though is the food. The following quote comes from a dinner that Nana is hosting. "Thick asparagus soup a la comtesse, clear soup a la Deslignac," muttered the waiters, carrying about platefuls in rear of the guests. ... The waiters took away the soup plates and circulat...

I have finished two audio books recently. It always takes a little bit of time to listen through. Lately, I have been driving long hours, and it makes for a good opportunity to listen to a book. I have finished Mythos  by Stephen Fry (also narrated by him) and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (narrated by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne). Add caption Mythos  is Fry's story of the Greek gods. There are numerous books about the Greek gods, but I think none of them come close to this personal account. He manages to make them all alive and kicking, behaving like "normal" people with all the good and bad faults. It is a hilarious trip he takes us on, as well as juicy details of the behaviour of the gods. Fry narrates himself and that adds to the story and humour with which it has been written. A must for those interested in the stories of the Greek gods and their creation of our world, but maybe even more for those with a less pronounced interest. The book is a good way to ven...

One of my favourite memes or challenges is back. Tamara at Thyme for Tea  is hosting another year of Paris in July.  Reading her post finally got me out of my hibernation (due to moving and a lot of other things to do). I just love everything about it. It is so interesting to read other participants relationship with Paris and everything French. It is a variety of posts on a variety of subjects. Anything that reminds you of Paris and France. The rules are simple as Tamara says: Just blog about anything French. Here are some guidelines on the way. reading a French themed book - fiction or non-fiction watching a French movie listening to French music cooking French food experiencing French, art, architecture and travel For more instructions how to share your posts go to Thyme for Tea . My own participation will go along the following lines: I would like to finalise  Nana  by Émile Zola which I started last year or even the year before, but did ...

Hello, I am back! Long time no see. I have been busy with the last things of, as it seems, a long move. Living like a nomad, no internet and no time to sit down and reflect. I did have time to read though and took the opportunity to read from my shelves, meaning I don't have to move all of the books. I have given away a lot of them. Due to smaller space in the future, I do give away, or terrible thought, through away some books. I only keep those I really loved a lot. This, of course, does not prevent me from buying new ones. I had a couple of hours to fill downtown Brussels the other week, and ended up in a beautiful bookshop, Filigranes . You can have a cup of coffee or a light lunch here, sitting among the books. It is heaven, n'est pas? They also have a section of foreign books and I went though the English one. It is always interesting to see what kind a books a foreign book shop decides to sell. It is not always the same sort of books as would be highlighted in the UK a...

Difficult week to find a book for this meme since most of the books are packed. Yes, in the latter process of moving and most books are already in Sweden, and I am here in Brussels finalising the rest. I did find one by my bedside, which I am also reading for the time being, and that is Elisabeth Luard's My Life as a Wife - Love, Liquor and What to Do About Other Women. It is a humorous book as she looks back on her life. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "This is the story of my life as a wife. Or how to stay married for forty years without actually murdering your husband. A love story. The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "'Your mother,' said Nanny, 'doesn't think much of your young man.'"

My reviews have been rare recently, mainly due to lack of time. I hope to have more time soon, but in the meantime, here are a few mini reviews of books I have read recently. Kate Hannigan's Girl by Catherine Cookson One of my favourite authors when I was younger, but I have not read any of her books lately. When I read Cliff Goodwin's biography of her, To be a Lady: Story of Catherine Cookson , I was curious to read one again. I got hold of this book on a book fair. It is a continuation of the book Kate Hannigan,  but you can easily read this one without first having read the previous. It is about Annie, illegitimate daughter of Kate, and her coming of age, falling in love, finding her way in life, and being harassed by evil Catherine. It is an easy enough read, and Cookson manages to balance the romance with the harsh realities of life at the time. You can feel with the characters. That is probably why she was so popular. The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht It wa...

This meme is hosted by Guiltless Reading . Being in Sweden we popped over to Denmark for some sightseeing and museums last week. We visited Kronborg, Hamlet's castle. It was a nice surprise and not at all what I had expected. There was an exhibition on the people having played Hamlet and Ophelia in the past. I took the opportunity to purchase a very nice bookmark. We also visited Karen Blixen's home which is now a beautiful museum. Close by is also the modern art museum Louisiana, where we saw an exhibition of Picasso's ceramic. A full day full of culture, history and books. What more can we ask?