Places to read

Someone once told me the reason why they didn’t read much was because they could only read, sitting in a special chair in her bedroom, which was also used as a clothes hangar. That meant that every time she wanted to read, she would have to take all the clothes and either put them on her bed, which she didn’t like or put them all away in the closet and that would take too much time and then there would be no time to read.

A bad excuse? I don’t know, but it made me think of the places I like to read, which is almost everywhere, but I do have my favourites. My favourite place to read in the summer is outside, especially in Holland Park in London. There are so many different views of the park that you can find a new place every time. In the winter when I like to stay inside, my bed is my number 1 place other than that I like to go to a café sit down with a cappuccino and drift away in a good book.
Where is you favourite place to read? Outside, inside, anywhere, write and tell me.
Josefine

My Recommendations: Under the Tuscan sun – at home in Italy by Frances Mayes

The remarkable Alexander McCall-Smith

From a detective agency in Africa, to Edinburgh Scotland and some academic Germany in between you can follow Alexander McCall-Smith’s characters. His No. 1 Ladies' detective agency series is a success. I even heard that they are making it into a movie, which I think will please many. But that is not the end, McCall-Smith also ventures in to the philosophy of living in Edinburgh and the life of a German professor who seems to be a bit out of the ordinary and now the latest addition, they story that started as a series in a newspaper about the house on 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh.

McCall-Smith has a humour and a way of writing that fits the most. I haven’t met anyone yet who has not liked him, if you don’t like one of the series, they are different enough for you to try another. I wasn’t too impressed with the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but I love the Sunday Philosophy Club and the new series 44 Scotland Street.
What I like the most about McCall-Smith is his style of writing, like he is sitting in a pub telling us a story. It seems like the story poured on to the paper. His characters aren’t described in to their smallest details and there are plenty of room for my own imagination. Take the example of Doktor von Igelfeldt. He is just like you would picture a German professor who has spent way too much time in the academic world. His arrogance makes me sometimes laugh and sometimes shake my head in disbelief. His description of Isabel Dalhousie’s life and the life at 44 Scotland Street makes me want to visit Edinburgh right now.
I can only wish for what comes next from the genius McCall-Smith.
Josefine

My recommendations: Portuguese Irregular Verb by Alexander McCall-Smith

Book of the year 2008

The book of the year was difficult to choose from since I this year I have read much and broad (if you remember my last years resolution). Finally I set my mind on March by Geraldine Brooks. I have mentioned it here before, but a brief recap of the book tells us that it is about the whereabouts of Little Women’s (Louisa May Alcott) father during the American Civil War.
I have decided on March because of its story, which captures every reader who read Little Women and now we finally find out some more about their mysterious father! The second reason is Brook’s talent in putting words on a paper that makes sense and won’t disappoint you. It makes the book easy to read without loosing its appeal to a good story.

Every year I give a new years resolution, however this year I was undecided o what it was going to be, until my siblings made the decision, when they gave me the Swedish version of 1001 books you must read before you die.
Looking through it, there were some I had already read, but there were still plenty to go. I therefore decided that my new years resolution would be to read at least one book from each chapter (there are five: before 18th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century and 21st century).
What is your new years resolution this year or don’t you give any resolutions?
Josefine

My recommendations March by Geraldine Brooks

My Christmas present

I decided to give myself an early Christmas present this year. It is the ultimate gift to myself or any other booklover. It is a CD box of Penguin Classics, including my personal favourites of: Anne of Green gables, Little Women, Peter Pan and many more. It is the perfect gift, because I can listen to some well-known stories as I do other things as well. And then of course it only helps that I got it at a great discounted deal through The BookPeople.
Josefine

My recommendations: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Why aren’t there any good Christmas books for adults?

I ask you the question because when I look back at the books I read about Christmas when I was young; I can vividly remember plenty of them. Many of them written by Astrid Lindgren, but there were also others. They gave a wonderful feeling of Christmas that are forever etched in my memory. I think about them and feel the smell of Christmas and get that warm and fuzzy feeling that only good memories from childhood can give you. But as an adult I have troubled finding any stories about Christmas that can provoke the same feeling. Is there any of you who have any good tips you’d like to share?
Or why not share with us your favourite Christmas book as a child?
Josefine

My recommendations: Most of the children’s books by Astrid Lindgren that had something to do with Christmas.

Europe’s largest bookstore

From the smallest library in town, there is a short subway ride to what they claim to be the largest bookstore in Europe (Waterstone’s on Piccadilly). Six floors with shelf after shelf of books of all kinds: fiction, non-fiction of every subject available, school literature, children’s books, poetry, and magazines, everything you can imagine. If you get tired at any point there is a café in the basement and a trendy restaurant on the top floor.

I spent a whole afternoon there the first time I was there and came out with a whole bunch of books, ready to buy their complete inventory, but stopped myself.
I like this bookstore, not so much for their exclusiveness in books; they have what most other stores have. But it is just the share amount of books that intrigues me. It feels like they have collected every publishable book in Europe and put it in one place.
Did I need to mention that it was not my first time and only time there?
Josefine

My recommendations: Maya by Jostein Gaarder

Negativity destroys book

There is something about the book I just finished (Joanne Harris, Coastliners). I just can’t get rid of the feeling that it is all too sad and negative. Even during the positive and more uplifting scenes, there is a negative cloud lurching in the background, shadowing every prospect it ever had of being an interesting read. And it bothers me so much, because it had such a great future.

Set in France the plot begins with a young woman (Mado), who returns to her native island to save it from slowly being washed away by the sea. Her father entering the plot being old and grumpy, the villagers the same, but even as the tide turns and the village eventually prosper, the feeling of negativity stays with me and I can’t cast it off. All the way to the end the negativity prevailed and the book left me empty with no hopes for the future.

Pity on such a good writer (Harris is the author of the book Chocolat, turned in to a movie by director Lasse Hallström)
Josefine

My recommendations: Marian Keyes, An unexpected holiday. A much more enlightened reading.