My Bookish Thoughts at the end of May

Dear Bookish friends,

It was a while since I posted here. Spring, and especially May was a very busy time, with both good and bad things. I am hoping for a quieter June with more time to communicate, read and relax as we are nearing summer in Sweden. This article will be about bookish thoughts and an interesting historical revelation.

My Summer Challenges

This summer I will follow two challenges: 20 Book of Summer , although I will limit myself to 10 books, all from my TBR shelves. At the same time, I will follow Sue Jackson of Book by Book who hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge. Also here, I choose books from my TBRs and hopefully I can get through these “bricks” as we call thick books in Swedish.

• Franzen, Jonathan - Freedom

• Byatt, A.S. - The Children’s Book

• Geras, Adèle - Ljus och skugga (Facing the Light)

• Laoutaris, Chris - Shakespeare and the Countess

• Oates, Joyce Carol - Blondie

March, April and May Reading Wrap-up

Coming up towards the end of the first half of 2026, I am far behind on my quest for reading 100 books this year. So far I have only read 29 books, of which I read 11 during the last three months. I might finish one more book.

Nonfiction

Bibeln och arkeologin (The Bible and Archeology) by Hans Furuhagen is an interesting book starting with stories from the Bible and what science has been able to certify or prove through archeological digs. Very interesting.

A Short History of Myths by Karen Armstrong. An overview of myth building in old, ancient and modern societies.

Ett utrikes liv by Ingmar Karlsson. A former colleague of mine has written down his memories from his time in the Foreign Service. He covers around 40 years of development in Europe, Middle East and China. He is an excellent writer so a pleasure to read.

Weimarrepubliken (The Weimar Republic) by Olle Larsson. A short history of Germany after World War II. Interesting look into a different governing body and its aftermaths.

Classics

One classic and that was The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. A somewhat strange story.

Fiction

Tarantel (Tarantula) by Eduardo Halfon. A book I read for a book circle I was not able to attend. A Guatemalan author which I have never heard of before. The story follows two brothers who return to Guatemala in the 1980s to attend a Jewish survival camp. What begins as a cultural and educational experience gradually turns disturbing and traumatic, forcing them to confront fear, identity, and the legacy of historical violence. As an adult, the narrator revisits those memories and uncovers the deeper meaning of what happened, exploring how childhood trauma and Jewish history continue to shape his life. (summary by ChatGPT). Very well written story of childhood memories and nightmares and how it affects your life. I would read more by this author.

Den stygga flickans rackartyg (Travesuras de la niña mala/The Bad Girl) by Mario Vargas Llosa. My review under the link.

Glömda om söndagen (Les Oubliés du dimanche/Forgotten on Sunday) by Valérie Perrin. We follow Justine, a young nursing assistant in a retirement home who forms a close bond with Hélène, a nearly 100-year-old resident. As Hélène shares memories of love, war, and loss, Justine starts uncovering long-buried secrets about her own family. It is a moving story of family, love, friendship and how the past affects our present lives. It is beautifully written with many memorable sentences and thoughts about life. Makes me want to read her Fresh Water for Flowers.

Guppies for tea by Marika Cobbold Hjörne. A couple of years ago I found a book by this author (Swedish, but living in England) called Shooting Butterflies which turned out to be one of my all favourite books. This is her first book and it is written in the same beautiful prose and insight into family relationships. The two books are about the relationships between old and young. A little bit like Perrin’s novel. It is touching, and thought provoking at the same time. Written with love and tenderness. Totally what you need in the unruly world we live in today.

Den som följer en stjärna vänder inte om by Malin Haawind. A historical fiction about Malin Blomsterberg, house keeper for Ellen Key. Ellen Key was a Swedish writer, educator, and feminist best known for her influential ideas on children's rights, progressive education, and women's emancipation. She became especially famous for her book The Century of the Child, which argued that the 20th century should focus on the well-being and development of children. Her work had a major impact on educational reform movements in Europe. This is a historical fiction on Malin’s life. Her struggles to do her house hold work, as well as being a companion and discussion partner for the great lady. Interesting, but sad life story.

Studier i mänskligt beteende (“Studies in Human Behaviour” my translation) by Lena Andersson. Lena Andersson is a Swedish novelist and columnist known for her sharp, analytical writing about relationships, power, and ideology. She gained major recognition for her novel Wilful Disregard (2013), which explores obsessive love and emotional manipulation. Her work often combines psychological insight with critical social commentary. The same could be said about this book, containing short stories seen from female perspectives. Their relationships and place in the world. Some of the characters from one short story also appears in another, putting together a web of female lives and decisions. Very interesting, and I really liked this book.

Ancient finds

Last but not least, a very interesting discovery has been made in Egypt by archaeologists from the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission (University of Barcelona). They have uncovered an extraordinary find from the Roman era. Namely, a fragment of Homer’s Iliad placed inside a mummy as part of the embalming process.

The discovery was made at the Al Bahnasa necropolis, the Egyptian site identified with ancient Oxyrhynchus. It is situated around 190 kilometres south of Cairo and was an important city the Greco-Roman era. The excavation has revealed a funerary complex dating back around 1,600 years. The chambers where the sarcophagi and mummies were found, were unfortunately looted, not uncommon in Egypt. The find was made in Tomb 65 where researchers discovered a papyrus placed on the abdomen of a mummy—a position previously known to contain Greek papyri, but earlier, only magical or ritual texts have been found, never literary works.

After analysis, scholars identified the text as belonging to Book II of the Iliad, specifically the “Catalogue of Ships,” which lists the Greek forces before Troy. This is the first known case of a Greek literary text being deliberately integrated into the mummification ritual. I can imagine the excitement from the archeologists when this was revealed. (more information from the University of Barcelona).

This is a remarkable find that highlights how much remain to be discovered in Egypt. Many ancient sites preserve stories of the past, and each excavation adds another piece to a much larger historical puzzle.

Modern finds

I made a more modest find in a bookshop in Innsbruck. They sold pocket books in English for 7€ a piece and I made two discoveries.

Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata - I am not familiar with this specific Japanese writer, but have recently read several good books by Japanese writers. I have just started, and the prose is calm, descriptive and beautiful. From the back cover:

“Shimamura is tired of the bustling city. He takes the train through the snow to the mountains of the west coast of Japan to meet with a geisha he believes he loves. Beautiful and innocent, Komako is tightly bound by the rules of a rural geisha and lives a life of servitude and seclusion that is alien to Shimamura - their love offers no freedom to either of them.”

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh - I have a feeling I have been hearing good things about this novel. Axie Oh is a first generation Korean-American author. From Oh’s website I find this about the book. Sounds interesting to me.

“The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering. Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead. Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all. But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…”

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