We are one the road again, heading south in Europe. We left Sweden last week and arrived in Innsbruck this weekend. We had intended at few stopovers, but wheather and traffic conditions made us change our mind, so drove directly to Innsbruck, just making a stopover at a camping by Elbe, north of Lüneburg, and a few hours walk the next day in this beautiful, medieval city.
The city hosted a wonderful bookshop which we visited. With armchairs and sofas where you could sit down to read a paper or check out books. There was also a coffee machine, so I could envisage myself spending some time there.
The reason I went inside was that they promoted the book Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It has popped up frequently lately with very good reviews, and I wanted to see if they had a copy in English. Alas, it was sold out. It is a fantasy, which I don't often read, although I do like them. Since it has got such raving reviews I was curious. Have to see if I can get hold of it here in Innsbruck. On my book app, I only have it as an audio-book, but I would prefer a paper back or e-book. Despair not though, I did find a few other interesting books, which also have been mentioned around the book- and vlogging world recently.
It has to do with our upcoming (if weather, and fire situation allow) trip to Greece. I read an interesting article on Book Riot on why English speaking authors' books about Greek myths are so visible, while Greek authors who write about the same theme are not. I elaborate on this idea in my latest newsletter about the ancient world of Greece, and the modern. Head over there if you are interested.
New purchases
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams - I found a review on This Reading Life, Broona's books which I found intriguing. From the back cover.
"Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood at her father's feet as he and his team gather words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.
One day, she sees a slip of paper containing a forgotten word flutter to the floor unclaimed.
And so Esme begins to collect words for another dictionary in secret: The Dictionary of Lost Words. But to do so she must journey into a world on the cusp of change as the Great War looms and women fight for the vote. Can the power of lost words from the past finally help her make sense of her future."
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Ithaca by Claire North seems to be a suitable book to prepare for our Greek venture.
"This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca's shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women - and their goddesses - that will change the course of the world."
Having read The Odyssey by Homer, which I liked very much, I am eager to see how Claire North interprets Penelope's life while waiting for her husband to return.
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Circe by Madeline Miller - it has been on my wish list for a while, ever since I read The Song of Achilles by her.
"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and eighties of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is strange - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. But she has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When Circe's gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beats. Yet a woman who stands alone cannot live in peace for long - and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything."
There you are. Odysseus presence in the life of one, of the many women, he encountered on his way home to his faithful wife, Penelope.