April is gone and we are heading for May. Difficult to think of, considering the weather we have here in Sweden. April has been cold and windy, cloudy with some rain. Where is the sun, one wonders. The good thing is that in the last few days it has visited us, and with comes a little bit of warmer weather. I have done a few, smaller trips during April which made it all the better. You can read more about them in my newsletter. April was a slow reading month. I don't really know why, since I think I did read quite a lot. I ended up having read five books. A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins I think this is my third Hawkins, and maybe the one I liked the least. It was rather slow in the beginning, or just that the introduction of characters seemed a little bit too much for me. However, it was soon over and the story got going, making it difficult to put the book down. You were left to the very end to know who did it. Although, I did have a few guesses the end turned out a big surprise. Always good for me. Hemma (Daheim/At Home) by Judith Hermann I read this for one of my book clubs and did not like it at all. After having read it, I was wondering what it was all about. However, as you start discussing it with other people, characters and their actions keep bouncing up and showing themselves in another shape. This improved my impression of the book, which has been highly praised in Germany. She, the narrator, has left her former life behind, and moved from the city to the sea. Her husband is somewhere in the background, they still have contact through letters, but it seems they can not live together. Her daughter is travelling the world in remote places so contacts are rare. She finds a new life working in a lake tavern owned by her brother. Making friends with a female neighbour and a pig farmer, and takes a new look at her life. Judith Hermann talks about the unreliable memory of what was, as a cross road comes and your life splits into new ways. Filosofi på 30 sekunder (Philosophy in 30 seconds) edited by Barry Loewer My attempt to learn more about philosophy. It is an easy enough introduction to the greatest philosophers. That does not mean that I do understand everything. Often philosophical discussions tend to make my head go around and I find no answer in the end, justing feeling more confused. But, some of the thoughts I think I got a clearer view of. Vi drabbade samman med våra ödens hela bredd: författarparet Moa och Harry Martinson by Ebba Witt-Brattström This is a biography, or it reads more like an academic paper, on two, early 20th century Swedish authors who were married for ten years. In those days, we talk 1920s and onwards, female authors were rare, and male authors took the stage. Interesting story about Harry who got the Nobel Prize for his Flowering Nettles in 1974, and Moa, who was the more popular author, and their lives, work and legacies. The Teutonic Knights by William Urban This was a good book to read for my Polish trip where we visited Malbork (Marienburg in German) where the Teutonic Knights had their headquarters. Fantastic place, and I wrote about it in my newsletter. Urban is a professor in history in Illionis, USA. He has been teaching in several universites around the world and is an expert on German and Baltic history. This you notice when reading the book. I think everything there is to know about the Knights and their fights to turn heathens into Christians is there. It was turbulent times, fights going on everywhere, an especially eastwards towards where the Baltic states, Ukraine and Russia are today. The grand masters of the Knights, the different kings and princes of the eastern areas are changing all the time and it is not easy to get an overview of this turbulent history. That was it for April. I will do a bit of travelling in May, meaning I will probably read more from my ipad than from my physical books. I have read 20 books from my TBR this year, out of 168, so I am quite pleased with that. Have you read any of these books? Any views?

Novellas in November is hosted by Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck . The theme of week 4 is: The Short and the Long of It Pair a novella with a nonfiction book or novel that deals with similar themes or topics. Not entirely easy for me, but then I remembered a novella I read some years ago, Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. I really liked this Gothic novella about a female vampire. It comes natural to pair it with Dracula by Bram Stoker. It turns out that Le Fanu's story was published in 1872, 25 years before Dracula. Could Bram Stoker have been inspired by this story? "The story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein. The character is a prototypical example of the lesbian vampire, expressing romantic desires toward the protagonist." (Wikipedia) There is an interesting analysis on Wikipedia on the story, influences and what might have influenced Le Fanu to write it. There is also an interesting point of view: "Some critics, among them William Veeder, suggest that Carmilla , notably in its outlandish use of narrative frames, was an important influence on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw (1898). This is a very interesting novella. I think you can download it from the internet. If you read it, I would be happy to hear what you think about it.

I found this vintage copy of a Japanese classic on the annual book sales. I wanted to read more by Japanese writers and I thought this could be a good start. The book starts with an introduction to Mishima who was born into a samurai family. This meant to live by a " code of complete control over mind and body, and loyalty to the Emperor - the same code that produced the austerity and self-sacrifice of Zen ." He has written many short stories, and films have been based on his novels. " After Mishima conceived the idea of The Sea of Fertility tetralogy in 1964, he frequently said he would die when it was completed. On November 25th 1970, the day he completed The Decay of the Angel, the last novel of the cycle, Mishima committed seppuka (ritual suicide) at the age of 45. " Well, the story of he, himself, makes for wanting to read his novels and short stories. I was totally absorbed by the story in this novel. A young widow who lives with her 14 year old son, meets a sailor randomly. They enter into a love affair. The man tries to interact with the son, as he falls very much in love with the mother. The son is difficult to get a grip of. He discovered a whole in the wall between his bedroom and that of his mother, and overlooks her evening routines, and, what follows when she meets the sailor. "Fusako teased the ashtray with her cigarette and then snuffed it out. The man still nested in every nook of her body. She was aware of her flesh beneath the clothes as continuous, thigh and breast in warm accordance: it was a new sensation. And she could still smell the sweat of the man. As if to test them, she curled her stockinged toes." From here Mishima lets us follow all three characters. The love story is very well described and you wish the best for the lovers. However, there is a shadow looming over their relationship. The son's feeling for the new man are somewhat biased. He is also influenced by the group of friends from school that he is seeing. We learn rather early that the actions of this group is not normal. As the story continues, you, as a reader, feel that something is not right. The closer the end you come, the more the sense of doom hangs over you. "In the grand dream Ryuji had treasured secretly for so long, he was a paragon of manliness and she the consummate woman; and from the opposite corners of the earth they came together in a chance encounter, and death wed them. Outdistancing tawdry farewells then, with streamers waving and strains of "Auld Lang Syne," and far from sailors' fickle loves, they were to descend to the bottom of the heart's great deep where no man has ever been ..." "Ryuji asked for her fan and shooed the mosquitoes away. Lamps on distant masts twinkled like ocher stars; bulbs in the eaves of the warehouses directly below stretched in regular, bright rows." The whole novel is so beautifully written that I could quote every line here, but I have to limit myself. The beauty with which Mishima describes ordinary things, harbours, boats, surroundings that not always look very nice in real life, brings wonderful prose to every page of the novel. A must read if you like Japanese literature, and I am curious to read something else by him. Lastly, a quote from the boys, the chief being the boy that leads the gang. "The chief scrutinised their faces and saw tension easing out of their cheeks, fear dwindling away. Awakening for the first time to society's sweet cordiality, the boys fel secure in the knowledge that their enemies were actually their protectors."

I had read several reviews on this book, and was happy when I found it at a camping in Croatia this year. I think it will go down as the best book read in 2023. It is a wonderful story that stays with you, long after you have finished the book. From the back cover. "On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night. Norah Henry, who knows only that her daughter died at birth, remains inconsolable; her grief weighs heavily on their marriage. And Paul, their son, raises himself as best he can, in a house grown cold with mourning. Meanwhile, Phoebe, the lost daughter, grows from a sunny child to a vibrant young woman whose mother loves her as fiercely as if she were her own." David and Caroline know what happened, and have to live with the consequences their whole lives. Norah and Paul are ignorant of what happened, but still the events on this harsh winter night affects them as well. Norah cannot come to terms with that fact that her daughter died. Maybe because she did not see the body with her own eyes, she has a feeling that all is not well. Paul, as one of a pair of twins, misses his sister, even if he does not realise it himself. David was sure he did the right thing. The life expectancy for children with Down's Syndrome, at the time, seems to have been very short, and there were not many fascilities that could give these children a comfortable life or the help needed. He does not understand Norah's problems, and dedicate his life to his work, and later on, to photography. He knows that Caroline has taken care of her and sends money every month. But, as life goes on, he thinks more and more about his daughter. "He saw he'd been caught, frozen for all these years in that moment when he handed Caroline his daughter." Caroline, a single woman, in love with David at the time, takes Phoebe with her to hand her over to the institution. Once there, she is terrified to see how the patients live, and, in the spur of the moment, she leaves with the baby. She leaves the city where they live to find another place for them to live. As the story evolves we follow these four characters and the traumas that one action give to all of them. I don't want to go further into the story since it would give away spoilers. Especially about Caroline's struggles in giving Phoebe a good place in the world. It is also a story about consequences of our actions, that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It does not matter that you do good in other areas, for other people, it goes down to the initial decision. "David Henry she had typed already, correctly. But his last name, Mc Callister, had been lost. He had never told anyone. He had gone off to college and registered, and no one ever knew. It was, after all, his true name. Still, David Henry was a different person from David Henry McCallister, that much he knew, and it seemed clear it was as David Henry he was meant to go to college, a person with no history, unburdened by the past. A man with a chance to make himself anew." As I was nearing the end (my pocket version has 401 pages) I was wondering how the story would end. Would Norah and Paul find out about Phoebe or not? Well, I will not reveal anything here. If you have not yet read the book, I can highly recommend it. It is a wonderful story, thrilling and heartbreaking. Beautifully written without putting the blame to any individual person. The way things are in life, we all try to do what we think is right. Sometimes, it turns out not to be right thing to do. But, then it is too late. Or, can a decision be mended?

The Classic club has announced a new spin. My results in this challenge are not very good. I seldom manage to read the chosen book. Even now, I am late with this post, but inspired by the spin, I will try to do my best this time. It did not start very good, because I could not find my list. I have changed my blog provider, and taken away the challenge label I had before. However, I found my list from 2022, took away a couple of books I had actually read, and added two more books. Voilà, here the new list for a new year. As you can see, number 20 is A Writer's Notebook by Somerset Maugham. I have had this for ages, read part of it, but could not be inspired by it. I do like Somerset Maugham's writing, but maybe this one was too early for me. Since I seem to have lost my book mark, I will start all over again, and hopefully be surprised over how much I love it. Has any one of you read his notebook? Looking forward to see what your book will be.

Sylvain Tesson is a French writer and adventure traveller with several books published based on his adventures. The book is based on a radio programme he did with the same name. He deep dives into the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey. He looks at the actions in the ancient books and compared them with what is happening today. He says that " to open The Iliad and The Odyssey is like reading a daily paper ". Nothing is changing under the sun. " Man remains true to himself, a magnificent and desperate animal, flowing with light and full of mediocrity. Homeros allows us to save on newspaper subscriptions . Tesson rented a lonely cottage by the Aegean Sea with Homer as his only company. He reads, he ponders and asks question. What is the driving force in man? How should you really live? The answers are fascinating as we, together with Tesson, read Homer's account on life. " The Iliad was the musical theme of the curse of men. The shackles of the soul were let loose on the battlefield. The Odyssey is the prayer book of a man who escapes the collective frenzy and tries to reconnect with his situation as a mortal - free and dignified. The last axis of the Odyssey : the endurance of the soul. The biggest danger is to forget your goal, to get rid of yourself, to no longer follow the direction of your life. To deny oneself is the greatest shame." In nine parts he looks into Homer's world in detail. The story as it was told, what it meant for the people at the time, and what we can learn of it today. Or, the eternal question; are people so different today? He often compares events of antiquity with events today, and surprisingly often we do recognise what is happening. "The night with Penelope reminds us in a cosmic way that the Odyssey has been a series of adventures experienced only by men but instigated by women. Women have pulled the strings. Doesn't Penelope's web symbolize the warp of our fates being woven and unraveled? Athena helped Odysseus, Calypso restrained him, Penelope kept the plotters at bay, Helena was the cause of the Trojan War, the sorceresses set their traps, the monstrous daughters of Poseidon, Scylla and Charbydis, snatched away the sailors. The man thinks he is living his adventures. In fact, it is the women who manipulate him. It would be a really bad idea for the former to want to be men's equals when in fact they are superior to them." The book, as you see from the image above, is full of plastic tags where I have marked something worthy of going back to. If you want to understand the two books by Homer, Tesson's analyses of the books are worth reading. Tesson entertain us with a beautiful prose, full of wisdom and clarity. We do see the world in another light when we come to the end of the book. It is said that Alexander the Great travelled with The Iliad under his pillow. I think I could bring this book with me wherever I go. Not necessarily under my pillow, but in my handbag. A book to go back to over and over again. And, by the way, my book has a handy size, perfectly fitting into my handbag. And a hardy, durable cover. What is not to love? NB: The quotes are translated from the Swedish version by me and Google translate.

Hello, again. It was a long time since I posted something here. I have been travelling and having had a cold that drained me of energy, so not much has happened on either the blog or the newsletter. I have been enjoying reading your blogs though, although there might not have been so many comments. In the meantime, I have run into some literary happenings that I wanted to tell you about. Auster and Munro Two literary giants have left us. Paul Auster died on 30 April, 2024 and Alice Munro on 13 May, 2024. Munro received the Nobel Prize for her writing in 2013 with the motivation "master of the contemporary short story". I have only read one of her books with short stories, but they stayed with me for a long time. Ever since I read The Book of Illusions Auster has been a favourite author. Not long ago I read Brooklyn Follies and it is another master piece. I have now started on Report from the interior which I found in a second hand book shop in Ireland just two weeks ago. They will be missed, but, luckily they left behind many excellent literary works for us to enjoy. Gdansk and its authors I recently went on a trip (guided tour) to Gdansk in Poland. On the trip I 'met' with a couple of famous authors. On our short visit to Gdynia, I discovered a monument dedicated to Joseph Conrad . He was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski (1857-1924) in Berdychiv (now Ukraine). He served as a merchant-marine for 20 years before he went into writing novels. As far as one knows he had no connection to Gdynia so it must be seen as a homage to his love for the sea. There is a description in Polish taken from his novel Lord Jim which says: " Nic tak nie nęci, nie rozczarowuje i nie zniewala, jak życie na morzu " ("There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than life at sea"). The monument was unveiled in 1976 and the artists are sculptors Danuta and Zdzisław Koseda and Wawrzyniec Samp. On the last day, on our way to the beautiful sea resort of Sopot, our guide stopped the bus in a suburb of Gdansk. In a small park between the apartment houses there is a sculpture of another great author, namely Günther Grass . He was born here in 1927 in the then Free City of Danzig. He was drafted in late 1944 in the Waffen-SS and was taken prisoner of war by US forces at the end of the war. He was released in 1946. He was trained as a stonemason and sculptor and started writing in the 1950s. His writing often too him back to his Danzig days of childhood. His best know novel, which has also been filmed, is The Tin Drum, described as European magic realism. I have not read the book, but saw the movie in 1980. I think it might be time to read the book now. Grass received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999 with the motivation that he was a writer "whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history." Donna Leon and Venice I have been to Venice again and that is always a treat. More will come through my newsletter soon. We were there for three days, but I managed to prolong my stay in Venice by reading three of Donna Leon's novels about Inspector Brunetti. Always a treat since Leon describes Venice and its inhabitants in an initiated way. So far read book #11 Wilful Behaviour and #12 Uniform Justice and I am reading #13 Doctored Evidence. That was my literary notes for today. More will follow and next notes will be about a visit to Oscar Wilde's home in Dublin and a visit to a wonderful second hand book shop in Galway, Ireland.

A few more literary notes. I think I might continue with these kind of posts, where I will talk on everything about books, including smaller reviews. I left off in my last notes with two literary trips and books/authors along the way. During my 5-day trip to Ireland with a group of friends, I also encountered some great literary ventures. Not surprisingly in a way, since Ireland is full of talented authors these days. I don't think I agree with Oscar Wilde who said: “ We Irish are too poetical to be poets; we are a nation of brilliant failures, but we are the greatest talkers since the Greeks. ” I think he would have had another view if he had lived today to see the thriving world of literature in Ireland. Maybe, he is even the inspiration to today's literary achievements. But, we start with a magic book shop in Galway. Charlie Byrne's book shop Charlie Byrne's Bookshop is said to be Ireland’s best-loved, independent bookshop. Here you find over 100,000 books: new, second-hand and antiquarian. A paradise for me, and I could have spent several hours in there. Around 6-8 different rooms, full of books from ceiling to floor. I grabbed a few and asked if I could leave them on the counter while looking for more. I asked if there was a limit on the number of books you could buy, but unfortunately there was not. I left with ten books. How I would get them into my hand luggage was a later problem. So what did I find? Mostly classics and nonfiction, but very interesting books. Books I have been looking for. A few images from the interior. I just wish we had book shops like this in Sweden. Jonathan Swift While in Dublin we visited St Patrick’s Cathedral. An imposing building both on the inside and the outside, it was founded in 1191. Since 1870, the Church of Ireland has designated the Cathedral as the national cathedral for the whole of Ireland and its 12 dioceses. The office of the dean has existed since 1219 and the most famous office holder was Jonathan Swift (1667-1745). He is more famous as an author, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer and poet with his most famous work being Gulliver’s Travels . It might not come as a surprise that he originally published his works under pseudonyms. He was buried in the cathedral by the side of Ester Johnson, according to his wishes. Esther Johnson (1681-1728) was an Englishwoman, a close friend of Swift, and known as “Stella”. Still today, it is not for certain whether they were married or not, since it was never made public. Let’s hope that they were happy together, married or not. I have not read anything by Swift, but this might be the time? Any suggestions on what to start with, except Gulliver's Travels I guess? Oscar Wilde's home You can’t talk about Dublin without talking about one of its greatest sons, namely Oscar Wilde. On the last day of our tour we were supposed to visit the Trinity College where he studied and have a look at the famous library. Unfortunately, due to demonstrations in Dublin, the visit was cancelled. I decided to walk over to the Merrion Square park, situated opposite his first home, to have a look at the Memorial Sculpture in honour of him. I was lucky enough that the Monday was a holiday and therefore his home was open to visit. It is a beautiful house, now the home to the American University. You start by watching a film about his life which was very interesting. Afterwards you walk around the house. Most of the rooms are today lecture rooms, but there are a few rooms which are sparsely furnitured to give you an idea how the family lived. His father was Sir William Wilde a oto-ophthalmologic (ear and eye) surgeon. He also wrote books about Irish archaeology and peasant folklore. His mother, Jane, wrote poetry under the pseudonym “Speranza” and might have influenced him in his future career. Both parents were part of the social life of the city and kept a salon where famous authors like Sheridan Le Fanu, Charles Lever and others participated. Once I finished the tour, I had a small conversation with the lady in the cashier. We talked about his sad life, at least the latter part of it. She said that he was, several times, at cross roads, where he could have taken another route, but choose not too. Even when he was sentenced to prison the police waited some hours to pick him up, so that he could take the easy route and run away. Obviously, he choose not too. One must admire such courage to stay tuned to one's beliefs. After the visit I crossed the street and went into the Merrion Square Park to have a look at the statue of Wilde. I was waiting to get closer since an Italian school class just had walk up to the memorial. The guide spoke in English so I presume they were also there to improve/practise their English. She showed them the statue and asked if anyone knew who it was. There was total silence. Maybe, I should have spoken up, but I did not want to interfere. It is an unusual statue, which very well personifies the man. Quite a suitable memorial and different. Reading in May May has so far been a slow month for reading. Only four books. I just finished listening to The Searcher by Tana French. I love the other books I have read by her, but this is a very slow book where nothing much happens. Kay at Whatmeread has an excellent review of The Hunter the follow up of The Searcher. I don't think I will continue reading that one. Otherwise, I am reading for the Classic Spin The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and hope I will get through it. That is all for today, soon back with some more notes.

Finally, I did finish a spin with The Classic Club . My treat this time was The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. I recently read Ethan Frome by Wharton and liked it very much. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton   My first read by Wharton and it is a good one. A wonderfully, sad story of Ethan Frome, and his harsh life, both work and private wise. When he falls in love with their inmate, a cousin of his wife, life takes a more dire turn. Beautifully written and the characters go directly to your heart. Now it was time for one of her longer novels, and maybe one of her most famous and popular one. It was written in 1905 and tells the story of Lily Bart, born into high society but without the money to go with it. Both her parents are dead and she is depending on an aunt and other relatives for her support. When we meet her she is already 30 years old, and still unmarried. As we follow her during a two year period we see her struggles in trying to keep up her social life, at the same time as she is looking for a rich man to marry. In his " A critical history of the House of Mirth ." Shari Benstock (1994), says that Wharton uses Lily to describe "an irresponsible, grasping and morally corrupt upper class." It is highlighted in the story when the newly rich are trying to enter high class society. They are welcomed due to their riches, but are, at the same time, looked down upon, as having to work for money. Wharton describes it so well in the novel. Not stressing the fact, but weaving it into the story in a very smart way. The novel was considered as a genre novel, and categorized as a social satire and novel of manners. Carol Singley, in her introduction to Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth: A Case Book says that the novel "is a unique blend of romance, realism, and naturalism, [and thus] transcends the narrow classification of a novel of manners." It seems that the initial title of the novel was "A moment's ornament", which is the way Lily is described in the novel. There are lots of references to her beauty and well-bred manners, and maybe that is why we see her as an ornament, something that makes people happy to look at. At the same time, Wharton shows women's limitations at the time. There are several characters that are not as beautiful as Lily, and they are either unmarried or they are married due to their money. Being a non-english natural speaker, I had to look up the word Mirth, which I found means joy, happiness, amusement and similar adjectives. It seems The House of Mirth title is taken from the Old Testament: "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." (Ecclesaistes 7:4) Seen in this context the story becomes even clearer. The upper class lives solely for their own amusement and benefits, rarely thinking on how people in general are living. They go from one dinner or ball to the next, and their social society is full of rules on how to behave. Mainly this is for the disadvantage of the women who, like Lily, were trapped and had to make a good marriage to be successful. Wharton herself was part of the privileged Old New York society and one can suspect that she knew what she was talking about. " When I wrote House of Mirth I held, without knowing it, two trumps in my hand. One was the fact that New York society in the nineties was a field as yet unexploited by a novelist who had grown up in that little hot-house of tradition and conventions; and the other, that as yet these traditions and conventions were unassailed, and tacitly regarded as unassailable ." Introduction by Edith Wharton to the 1936 reprint of The House of Mirth . One could say that struggling is the theme of the novel. The struggle between who we are and who society tells us to be. It is so well detailed in Lily Bart's life. She is the narrator and we have all her private thoughts which are mostly in opposition to what she really would like to do. You feel that she always have to hold back the person she really is. She is not free to be who she want to be, but always dependent on other people, and that she behaves and acts in the right way. The novel clearly highlights this struggle that Lily has to go through. She tries, but does not always act as society expects, leading her into trouble and bad rumours. Lily is a multifaceted character, but we do see the beginning of a modern woman in her character. However, she is still aware of the behaviour she must abide to. Sometimes she does act out of character of the general behaviour and I think, yes, Lily, do it, go on, follow your dream. Somehow, she is always going halfway and misses out in the end. It is a wonderful novel, describing an era that was coming to its end. How it affected people, high and low. Edith Wharton has created a timeless story and it is still very much readable today. I thought it would be a little bit old fashioned, out of touch with today's world, but it is not. On the contrary, it still seems like a very modern story. Maybe it is the way she writes. This is only my first novel by her, after having read her novell Ethan Frome. I loved both books and will eagerly read her other production. I also have a biography on my shelves, Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee, which I want to read now as well. Back in 2015, I read Mysteries of Paris: The Quest for Morton Fullerton by Marion Mainwaring about Wharton's time in Paris and her possible love affair with Morton Fullerton. Have you read The House of Mirth? In that case, did you like it, or not? I am eager to hear your views, since I think this is a novel which can be discussed for a long time. I would alos like to see the film, and I think there are several versions. The latest came 2000 with Gillian Anderson as Lily. She would be perfect for the role, I think.

May is over and we have entered June. In Sweden this is considered to be the first of the summer months. Weather wise we don't talk of summer, although it seems there were some sunny and very warm days recently. I am still in Innsbruck and here it has been raining for the last couple of days. In spite of not so good weather my May reading was very slow. I ended up reading only six books. Sometimes it seems I read a lot but I never finish a book. Well, May was such a month. Anyway, let's have a look at what I did read. Övergivenheten by Elisabeth Åsbrink This title translates like "The Abandonment" and is a partly auto biographic book about the authors family. Elisabeth Åsbrink is most famous for nonfiction books, excellent books on various, interesting and personal topics. This novel was about three generations of women during the 20th century, during wars and migration and what it did to these women, and how each generation had a different remedy for how to live. Wilful Behaviour and Uniform Justice by Donna Leon We visited Venice once again so I took up where I ended with my earlier reading on Donna Leon's detective stories from Venice. Always a pleasure to meet Chief Inspector Brunetti, his colleagues and family during his search for culprits in Venice. The Searcher by Tana French I am a big fan of Tana French and have loved everything I have read by her. But this was a strange, very, very slow story of almost nothing. " Retired detective Cal Hooper moves to a remote village in rural Ireland. His plans are to fix up the dilapidated cottage he's bought, to walk the mountains, to put his old police instincts to bed forever. Then a local boy appeals to him for help. His brother is missing, and no one in the village, least of all the police, seems to care. And once again, Cal feels that restless itch. Something is wrong in this community, and he must find out what, even if it brings trouble to his door." Sorry, but can't recommend this one. I have understood that there is a continuation of the story in her new novel "The Hunter". Will not go into that one. However, there are other books by her I have not yet read, so I can always go back to her. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton I read the classic The House of Mirth for the Classic Spin and the first spin book I finished in a while. It is definitely the best read this month, I really liked to the story of high class society in New York at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. My review under link above. Rivieran inom räckhåll, Med tåg till de bästa upplevelserna i södra Frankrike by Kristina Svensson och Maria Unde Westerberg The Riviera within reach is a set of travel guides for going by train in Europe. I happened to run into the author Maria while here in Innsbruck. I got fascinated by her books and bought this one and her other book on Languedoc. I do want to travel more by train in the future. It is another pace in life. You can read more about are meeting in the article " Ticket on a train " in my latest newsletter. That was it for May. I have already read some of your wrap-up and it seems you have been busy reading and reviewing.

We are nearing one of the most popular blog challenges, Paris in July. Introduced by Tamara @ Thyme for tea many years ago. Tamara has now taken a time out and Emma @ Words and Peace has generously taken over the running of the challenge. It turned out to be a huge success last year, and this year Emma is already planning for another Paris, and French, month. If you are not familiar with the challenge, head over to her blog for more information. During July we talk, read, travel, eat or do anything connected to France. All participants bring something to the rest of us for inspiration and enjoyment. I am starting to think of what I should do during the month. I will be travelling in our van, which makes it a little bit more difficult to arrange events like a dinner. I will take Emma's bingo card as an inspiration. Let's see what's on the card. PARIS in title - The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl . Reichl takes readers on an adventure of food, art, and fashion in 1980s Paris in this dazzling, heartfelt novel. Sounds like an adventure I could like. The novel seems to fit in, not only with Paris in the title, but also French Food and Fashion. It would also go with Art and History, but I will find something individual for these titles. One book ticks three boxes. Hopefully, it is not outside the rules. There might be a special event with French food, but in case ... FRANCE in title - to be updated. BOOK set in France - Marie Antoinette's Head: The Royal Hairdresser, the Queen, and the Revolution by Will Bashor. I bought this novel last year, but had no time to read it. Will be interesting to see what the hairdresser to MA had to say about his most famous, or maybe only, client. MOVIE set in France - The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend is a French docuseries which follows the lift of L'Oreal heiress Lilianne Bettencourt and the scandals around her. How did a conflict between the world's wealthiest woman and her daughter spiral into national scandal? Sounds intriguiging enough. Although it is a series I might go for a French movie as well. Under Paris - In order to save Paris from an international bloodbath, a grieving scientist is forced to face her tragic past when a giant shark appears in the Seine. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I will keep an open mind. Both on Netflix. French FOOD - The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl - I might try to make a French dinner of my own. French FASHION The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl French MUSIC - I am sure I can find some nice French music to listen to. French FLAG on book cover - to be updated. French HISTORY - I am thinking of a biography of Napoleon. TRAVELS in France - I have travelled in France so might go down memory lane and write about one or two of them. PLAY set in France - I have to OTHER! - French Windows by Antoine Laurain EIFFEL TOWER on book cover - to be updated CROISSANT on book cover - to be updated, but could be difficult to find ... or not? French ART - so much to look for here. To be updated. French LANGUAGE - I will not be able to read a novel in French, but maybe a poem. To be updated. So much to look forward to. I will certainly be inspired by your posts as well, as regards books, arts, history etc. Looking forward to exchanging views on everything French.

The Heron Legacy is the new historical fiction be Leona Francombe. I have read two of her earlier books, The Sage of Waterloo and The Universe in 3/4 Time which I loved. Leona's new historical fiction is a story about a legend of love, hate and misdeeds, which keep you occupied until the end. Charles Fontaine is a young man, around 16 years old when the story starts. His favourite passtime is to be with his uncle Theodore who is a history teacher. Theodore lives in the old family estate, Blancherhon, although it belongs to Charles' father Hugo. Charles is interested in history and spends time with his uncle who tells him of the old Heron legend. Although Charles would like to study history his father, a rather harsh and unloving father, has other plans. He takes Charles with him to New York to study law. Father and son have a troubled relationship but Charles is not strong enough to oppose his father. All his life Charles has heard the story of the ancient legend of the heron. It was sung by troubadours and tells the story of a strange seeress and healer. Her music and songs enchanted a local aristocrat preparing to leave for the crusade. She was said to have taken the form of a white heron after her mysterious death. The locals claim that you can still se her at the pond near Blancheron. Before Charles left Belgium for the United States he took a last walk around the estate and was totally absorbed by its surroundings when he actually saw a heron in the pond. At the same time he heard somebody sing and saw a quick glance of a girl who disappeared into the forest. Charles could not say wether it actually happened or was just an illusion. It was all too close to the legend. The strange meeting did stay with him during his exile, and would have an influence in his future. Seventeen years later Hugo and Charles receive the information that Theodore has died. Hugo sends Charles to Belgium to sell the estate. As Charles returns he contacts his aunt and friends of Theodore. Very soon he realises that it is more to the death of Theodore than meets the eye. When Charles gets hold of an old document concerning the legend, he is determined to find out what happened to Theodore and find the truth behind the old story. Leona Francombe uses the legend, and the historical accounts of the crusaders, to build up a story of love, hate, and misdeeds. Together with a famous medievalist and a woman from his youth, Charles is determined to find out what really happened nine centuries ago. The search is not without danger and he finally finds out what he is capable of, and what is important in his life. As usual Leona Francombe builds up the characters, and above all historical events, and turn them into an exciting story with many depths. With beautiful prose she takes us into nature and its fascinations, which becomes an important background to the story, and the legend itself. The search for the truth of the legend is thrilling and borders on magic. When the puzzle is finally done, the story takes an unexpected turn. This novel is a must for any one interested in history, but also for those who enjoys a good mystery and riddle. The characters are well defined and the excitement is kept up until the very end. Leona Francombe not only writes, she is also a pianist and composer, so music has thus an important role in her books, as in the Heron legend. She lives in Belgium with her family, and often integrates places in Belgium in her books. If you are familiar with Belgium and Brussels you will recognise many places in her telling of the Heron legend. For me, who have lived in Belgium for some years, it was a nice welcome back to read about familiar places. I received a copy of the novel for a fair and impartial review. These are my personal thoughts of the novel.