Here we are again in Paris in July. Thank you to Emma @ Words and Peace who is hosting this event this year as well. We are already guided into the various themes of this year. Head over to Emma's website for more information. I was actually in Paris in May this year. I had 12 days, all to myself, to wander around this wonderful city. Visiting museums, author houses and in general following in literary foot steps. I will take you along on the ride and hope you will enjoy these scenes from Paris. If you are interested in following my trips, my interests in history and anything cultural, travel etc, I am writing a newsletter (once a week at its best) about my travels and my interests. Head over to The Content Reader Newsletter on Substack if you are interested. You can check it out without subscribing, but I would be happy if you do. It is free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. But now it is all about PARIS. Finally in Paris. I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. I arrived in style, ordering a car to pick me up at the airport. It took one hour 20 minutes to arrive at the hotel. It is nicely situated in the 5th arrondissement and close to many of the things I want to see. The first evening I just took a short walk in the neighbourhood, saw Pantheon (closed) but it is also mighty to look at from the outside. I visited the Église Saint Etienne du Mont. A beautiful church with quite unique decorations. Here you find the shrine of St. Geneviève, who is the patron saint of Paris. From there I went to a restaurant on a nice street where you could sit outside. The food was nothing special but the wine was good. Then a short walk back to the hotel. Jardin de Luxembourg The next day was May 1, so most of attractions and shops were closed. I decided to take a walk and started with the Jardin de Luxembourg, a popular park, only about a km from the hotel. The first thing I saw when entering the park was this sign. It is so nice to see a sign with what is permitted! It is a very popular park for running, walking or just sitting down on the grass or on chairs that are placed all over the park. It was Marie de’ Medici, then widow of King Henry IV, who constructed the Palace at one side of the garden, as her new residence. Today the garden is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the palace. It is a nice place for recreation in the middle of Paris. The Senate, former palace of Marie de Medici Saint-Germain-des-Prés This is an area well known to Swedes, since our greatest football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic played here for some years. It turns out to be a lovely area, with small cosy streets, lined with restaurants and bars. It is know as the Latin quarter, but stretches outside SGPs limits. Here you find famous cafés like Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore, le Procope, and the Brasserie Lipp. Famous for being the hangouts for artists and writers at the beginning of the 20th century. Later on it was the centre of the existentialist movement, which is associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. In other words; a lot for me to discover in this area. Champs Elysée I continued down to the Seine and walked along the river on Quai d’Orsay. It is surrounded, on both sides, by impressive and elegant buildings, many of them museums today. I passed by the French National Assembly before crossing the bridge Pont Alexandre III, passing by the Grand and Petite Palaces, museums today. Continuing on to Champs Elysée and starting the long road up to the Arch de Triomph. You pass by all the elegant shops and restaurants, where you find the most famous, and expensive brands. I was hoping to be able to take a photo, not having to walk all the way up, but alas. Trees are planted along the road and hide the arch until you are standing in front of it. I crossed over to the other side and had a faster walk down this elegant road. At the end you come to Place de la Concorde. Place de la Concorde This square is the largest in Paris. In the old days it was a place for public executions, including this of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. In those days it was called Place del la Révolution. It got its current name in 1795 as a gesture of reconciliation. Place de la Concorde means ‘Harmony Square’. Place de la Concorde. One of these places where it is impossible to take a good photo From here I walked towards home, and could not find anywhere to eat until I reached Jardin de Luxembourg again. I found a nice restaurant, sitting outdoors, with a view to the gardens. I think I forgot to say that it was a hot day, around 28 degrees C (82F). Tired after a full day of walking, I slowly made it back to the hotel. I did 15 km that day.

Thank you to Emma @ Words and Peace who hosts this fantastic challenge. I continue my sightseeing through Paris by making a visit to the long awaited Père Lachaise cemetery. I wanted to visit this cemetery for a long time. Many famous people are buried here. It reminds me of another beautiful cemetery, the Highgate Cemetery in London. Père Lachaise is a big park and you can stroll around, sit down here and there on a bench (although I think they could have more opportunities to sit down). At the entrance I received a map over the most famous people. It is a list of 86 people. Not possible to visit all, but I made a note for the most interesting and started walking. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a perfect place to slowly stroll around. Although you have a map, it is not always easy to find the tombs/graves you are looking for. Many graves are very old, and not cared for, but it gives a certain ambiance to the place. According to the information on the map, there are nearly 10,000 funerals every year. It is still today a cemetery in use. It was designed by A.T. Brongniart in 1804 and its purpose was to replace unsanitary parish cemeteries. The park is the largest green space in Paris with its 43.20 hectares (4,32 square km). There are 70,000 graves and many commemorative monuments. Which graves did I visit? I concentrated on cultural people, that is writers and artists of different kinds. Honoré de Balzac - Georges Bizet - Anthelme Brillat-Savarin - Jean-Francoise Champollion - Frédéric Chopin - Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette - Eugène Delacroix - Jean de La Fontaine - Michel Legrand - Amedeo Modigliani - Jean-Baptiste Molière - Yves Montand - Jim Morrison - Èdith Piaf - Camille Pissaro - Marcel Proust - Georges Seurat - Simone Signoret - Gertrude Stein - Oscar Wilde A suitable memorial, an Egyptian obelisk, for Champollion who was the one who deciphered the hieroglyphs. It might not sound much, but it took around 3-4 hours to stroll around. If you are in Paris I can highly recommend this visit. If not, just for the beauty of the place, the tranquility and the surrounding nature.

March was a busy month. My father celebrated his 100th birthday and we had a family gathering. He is healthy, and live by himself, taking care of everything in the household. It is good to see. Back home again, I got a sinusitus infection and was mostly in bed. I did recover in time for my five day trip to the Basque country with a group of former colleagues. If you are interested you can read about it on my Newsletter . I have not had the time, or energy, to do a lot of reviews, so here a wrap-up of the books I read during March, which was six books. Read in March The Gentle Spirit by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I felt it was time for a novella by Dostoyevsky and found this one. It is a typical Dostoyevsky story about a man and a woman and complications arising between them. Mostly the fault of the man, I think, who could not, or dared not, follow his feelings. As always, there is a sad note lingering above the story. The Burning Secret (Brennendes Geheimnis) by Stefan Zweig - Zweig never disappoints and it is amazing how he can make a rather thrilling story out of simple actions. " The suave Baron, bored on his holiday in an Austrian mountain resort, begins a flirtation with a beautiful woman. When his advances are rejected, he seeks a new way to her heart - by befriending her twelve-year-old son. To the Baron all this is a game, but he cannot begin to imagine the effect he is having on the boy's life... " Review will follow ABC-bok för vuxna by Sara Lövenstam (NF) - Sara Lövenstam has written several books about grammar, and she does it in such a humourous way, that it is a pleasure to read. Here we get the roots, and background, of the letters of the alphabet. Great read. The Lost Café Schindler by Meriel Schindler (NF) - In Innsbruck there used to be a Café Schindler. Meriel Schindler is the granddaughter of the last owner. Being Jewish they lost the café during WWII. She grew up in England, and it is only when her father dies, and she goes through his old photos and pappers, she becomes interested in the family saga. Personal account on what the buisness meant for the family and the tragic way in which they lost it. Min bokvärld by Kerstin Ekman (NF) - Kerstin Ekman, famous Swedish author and former Academy member is a great writer. Here she looks back on her life and the books that made an impact on her. Interesting reading. ​Simmaren (The Swimmer) by Joakim Zander - found this in a second hand shop and it turned out to be an interesting thriller and story. " Klara Walldeen, orphaned as a child and brought up by her grandparents on a remote Swedish archipelago, is now a political aide in Brussels. And she has just seen something she shouldn’t: something people will kill to keep hidden. On the other side of the world, an old spy hides from his past. Once, he was a man of action: so dedicated to the cause that he abandoned his baby daughter to keep his cover. Now the only thing he lives for is swimming in the local pool. Then, on Christmas eve, Klara is thrown into a terrifying chase through Europe. Only the Swimmer can save her. But time is running out..." Excitement until the very end, and you really did not know how it would end. Great story. Turns out to be the first book in a series, so I have downloaded the next two. At the end of the week, I am heading for another trip, to Crete this time. I will read Zorba, the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. He was born in Crete and is buried in Heraklion, the biggest city of the island. It seems he rests on one of the bastions of the city wall. We will also visit Knossos, where King Minos ruled. I have already read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, so know the story behind.

Hello, again. It has been very quiet here on my blog for quite some time. I have been away for a month, travelling in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Lots of travel, many places and sights, lots of good food and nice people. Rather warm and humid so I quite enjoy the chilly temperatures here in Europe for the moment. It will not be long before I miss the sun though. I did manage to read quite a few books during my trip. Perfect for days when you are travelling and cannot do anything else. I have read physical books, e-books and listened to audio books. I managed to go through 14 books. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini De unga baronerna (The Young Barons) by Birgit Th. Sparre The Doctor's Widow by DanielHurst Den förste (The First) by Marit Furn Död mans kvinna (Dead Man's Woman) by Katarina Wennstam (January) Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier Trust by Hernan Diaz Kungen av Nostratien (The King of Nostratien) by Tony Samuelsson Memoria by David Lagercrantz Post Morten by David Lagercrantz Dottern (The Daughter) by Sara Önnebo The Broken Girls by Simone St. James Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison Believe it or not, but I did like all of the books, and some were really excellent. There are a few thrillers which were some of the best books I have read this year. I hope to do a few small reviews soon. The best book I read this year was Trust by Hernan Diaz. I guess it should be, because it got the Pulitzer prize in 2023, shared with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It was also named on of the the 10 best books of 2022 by The Washington Post and the New York Times. Well worth it. I would also like to mention these three thrillers which were difficult to put down. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison All of them telling stories about women and peculiar circumstances. Thrilling stories, all going back to past events. Furthermore, endings which come as a surprise. I have continued to read your blog posts, although I did not comment. I see you have been busy as usual, and read a few good books. Several interesting challenges or read alongs, which I, unfortunately, have not time to participate in. The future of the blog During this month of travelling, I have given a few thoughts on my blog. It has been good not to feel obliged to post articles all the time. It has also given me time to consider where I want to go with the blog. How I want to proceed with sharing my thoughts on books, literature and reading. The book blogging community is such a nice place to be. I have come up with some ideas, but they have to mature for a while. I will let you know as soon as I have gathered my thoughts into something sustainable for the future.

No, I am not trying to start a new challenge, I am just, finally, going to Paris. I will spend 12 days in the city and enjoy walking around its small streets, visit cafés and restaurants, museums, palaces and whatever there is to catch my interest. I have saved tips on what to see, and if you have something you think one must see, send me a comment or e-mail. I am staying at a hotel in the 5th arrondisement. As far as I can see it is a perfect spot, from where I can visit a lot of places by foot. Many bookshops also in this area. I will re-read Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, walk in the foot steps of artists and politicians making Paris there home in the beginning of the 20th century. Follow in the steps of Napoleon, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and many more interesting people. I will write my newsletter from there, maybe not every day, but more often than once a week. If you are interested in following me, check out The Content Reader Newsletter and I am so happy if you want to subscribe. You can always, at any time, unsubscribe. Maybe one of you reading this post are also in Paris? In that case, send me a mail/comment. I also found this book which has a very suitable title.

While in Paris I have come across information on Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. I did not read them now, but some years ago. I will post these article again now that I am in Paris. I start with Sartre. Here the article from 2014, which I read for the Classic Spin. I find it very difficult to give a review of the book. It is probably for someone that know much more of the philosophical world than I do. But, I will make a humble try! First of all, what is it all about? This was Sartre's first novel and according to himself, the best of his works. Sartre was an existentialist and his life's studies and research. This you realise when you read the book. The main character, Mr. Antoine Roquentin, a historian lives in Bouville (a fictional seaport town), where he is trying to write a book about an 18th century, French, political figure. During the winter he is taken over by a sort of sickness he calls nausea. It effects everything he does. He looks at everything around him, how people look, what they are doing, how the trees look, why they are blowing in the wind, the waves of the sea, the cafés, restaurants. He tries to figure out what is existing. A meaning to why they are there. Why he is there. All his questions on absolutely everything happening around him, almost drove me crazy. It is at times very depressing, since however he looks at things, there seems to be no meaning with them. His relationships with various people; an autodidact, Francoise, a café owner and Anny his ex girl-friend, he can't see in a clear light. He is disgusted with everything. While reading I came to think of Kafka. Not that I am an expert on him, but the whole idea of however you turn there is no way out. The book is like a dark, never ending maze and in the end you don't know if you are going to make it through. According to people who know, in the ending of the book he accepts that there is an indifference between the physical world and the aspirations we have on it. The nausea does not necessarily need to be seen as regret but could also be seen as an opportunity. We are free to make our own meaning of life, but this also brings responsibility and commitment. Without it, it will have no meaning. Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, which he declined, saying it is merely a function of a bourgeois institution. The Nobel Foundation gave him the prize "for his work which, rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, has exerted a far-reaching influence on our age." On the contrary to what one would think, at least me, the book is rather easy to read. We follow Roquentin during a few months, his research, his friends, eating, writing and then of course, all the reflections on everything around him. Although all this questioning drove me mad at times, it still gives you something to think about.

During my trip to South East Asia from mid-January to mid-February, I read 14 books. Dividing them into the two months, that makes 9 books for January and 10 books for February. January reading The Doctor's Wife by Daniel Hurst - A fast reading thriller, with turns along the way. Jag såg kärleken och döden by Erik Eriksson - (I saw love and death) A journalist writing about his time in Vietnam during the war. I read it for my trip to Vietnam. Cold Case: Försvunnen by Tina Frennstedt - (Cold case: Disappeared) A new to me author, writing about the area where I live. A good, and thrilling story, hard to put down. Want to read more by her. Vad gör alla superokända människor hela dagarna by Fredrik Lindström - Did not live up to what I expected from Lindström. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini - A classic tale of pirates. Still interesting to read, but a little bit too many description of battles. De unga baronerna by Birgit Th. Sparre - (The Young Barons) Historical fiction from a rather famous author (in her days). I have never read anything by her, but really liked this story. The Doctor's Widow by DanielHurst - The continuation of "the Wife", continuing the fast paced story of a wife, who got away with it. Or did she? There is a third instalment to go, The Doctor's Mistress. But, I will wait a while with that one. Den förste by Marit Furn - (The First) a story of a famous journalist, deciding to change his life, and move to the countryside. Engaging in a local theatre group is not as easy as it sounds. Död mans kvinna by Katarina Wennstam - (Dead Man's Woman) The second book in this series of women in Stockholm at the end of the 19th century. Highlighting the lack of influence and independence that women faced then. Trying to cope with life and solving murder mysteries. February reading Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier - Another interesting story by Chevalier. Another story of women fighting for a meaningful life. Trust by Hernan Diaz - Four short stories are binding together the life of a man and a woman. Excellent storytelling. Kungen av Nostratien by Tony Samuelsson (The King of Nostratien) Winner of the August prize in Sweden, this is a fascinating story. An author trying to finalise a book by an author in coma, after a heart attack. Fascinating story, but I did not like the ending. Memoria by David Lagercrantz - the second instalment in the series of professor Hans Rekke and police assistant Micaela Vargas. Post Morten by David Lagercrantz - the third instalment in the series of professor Hans Rekke and police assistant Micaela Vargas. Both books are a fast and thrilling read. Every time I finish a book, I want to read the next one. They all end with a cliff hanger. Dottern by Sara Önnebo - (The Daughter) When her mother dies in a car accident, the daughter decides to travel to Finland to try to find out her mother's secret. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James - A great thriller about a past crime. Hard to put down. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica - I found this in a hotel. Another great thriller with a surprising ending. It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison - It seems I found all these exciting thrillers to read in February. Great story and surprising ending. The Harlot by Saskia Walker - An easy read without having to think too much. More erotica than story. Best books I did read a surprisingly number of good books these two months. I liked most of them, but here a few that really stuck out, and was difficult to put down. Mainly thrillers, which I usually don't read so many. Best book this year is Trust by Hernan Diaz. No wonder he received the Pulitzer prize for this book in 2023 (sharing it with Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. Diaz has said he wanted to "write about extreme wealth and capital". His earlier book is In the Distance and he sees Trust as a continuity from that novel. I have not read his first novel, but is eager to do so now. The novel is mostly set in New York City, focusing on the world of finance in the beginning of the 20th century. The main characters are an elusive financier and his wife. The books is composed of four fictional texts: A Novel (Bonds) An incomplete autobiography (My Life) A completed memoir (A Memoir, Remembered A diary (Futures) It is difficult to talk about the novel without using Spoilers, so I will only say that the book focuses on the same characters, but the story is seen from different angles. In the end, it is up to the reader to determine what is the truth. It is an excellent tale of a hidden world and the people within it. What is the real truth? Who should we believe? The story delves on the secret world of those who have enough money to hide their private lives, and their motives. What do we think happened when we have read the accounts? If you have read it, please leave a comment of what you think. As for the thrillers I can really recommend these three: The Broken Girls  by Simone St. James - A great thriller about a past crime. A young girl disappears from a boarding school. The case is forgotten until many years later. I got totally into this fascinating story with a surprising ending. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica - A fascinating story of missing children and women. The missing child of one of the neighbours engage the whole neighbourhood. Eleven years later the child is found. What really happened those many years ago, and is the girl really who she says she is? Keeps you glued to the book until the very end. It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison - Olivia and Park Bender use fertility treatments and IVF to try to have children. They are both shocked when the police visit them and tell them that a son of Park is suspected of murder. As they are not aware of having any children, Park remembers that he donated sperm to a clinic in his youth. This is not only a story of a crime, but also a story of a couple struggling with their relationship. As the investigation goes on, more terrible truths come to light. It turns out both have dark, past secrets. Also this thriller keeps you guessing to the very end. A good two reading months for me. Just to hope it will continue into March. I have read 19 books so far this year, and seven of them came from my TBR.

Yesterday was the World Book Day. I realised it only in the morning, reading about it in the paper. How could I have missed such an event? Anyway, in Sweden they encouraged people to go out an read a book. Show the surrounding that you are reading a physical book, and hopefully inspire others to read. World Book Day " World Book Day is a charity event held annually in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the first Thursday in March. On World Book Day, every child in full-time education in the UK and Ireland is provided with a voucher to be spent on books; the event was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1998. The event is the local manifestation of the original, global World Book Day organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing, and copyright, and widely observed on 23 April. Organizers in the UK moved the observance to avoid clashes with Easter school holidays and with Saint George's Day. Book publishers in Ireland decided to bring World Book Day to Ireland a number of years later. " (from Wikipedia) This year it was difficult for me to go out and read, having been down with a food poisioning recently and having just recovered. It was the first day I felt up to something and I had already, before being ill, bought tickets to the Opera to see La Bohème by Puccini. Luckily, yesterday was the first day I felt "safe" to venture out. Since I was going alone, I decided to bring a book to read while waiting for the opera. I sat down in the foyer and took up my book. I do hope that someone saw me reading and got inspired, but who knows? What did I read, you might wonder. I brought with me a book by the great, Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Thirst for Love. "Yukio Mishima was born into a samurai family and imbued with the 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 wrote countless short stories and thirty-three plays. Several films have been made from his novels, including The Sound of Waves; Enjo, which was based on The Temple of the Golden Pavilion ; and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea . Among his other works are the novels Confessions of a Mask and Thirst for Love and the short-story collections Death in Midsummer and Acts of Worship . 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." (from the book) I loved his book The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea with its sad, but very poetic story (my review under link). This novel seems to have another, unusual love story. " After the early death of her philandering husband, Etsuko moves into her father-in-law's house, where she numbly submits to the old man's advances. But soon she finds herself in love with the young servant Saburo. Tormented by his indifference, yet invigorated by her desire, she makes her move, with catastrophic consequences. " I just had time to read the first chapter. Mishima's books are not for reading fast and skimming over the pages. He forces you to read every word, think about them, turn them around and glory in the beauty of them all.

This challenge is hosted by Sue Jackson on Book by Book . My initial list with 8 books has been extended by another couple of books that I have read, making it 12. They are detective stories by Kristina Ohlsson, and I am totally absorbed. I am at the last book in the series now. They are all ebooks so unfortunately they don't lower my TBR shelves. I took a rest from my list to read a couple of detective stories by Swedish author Kristina Ohlsson. I read the first in the series a while ago and really liked it. A little bit different set-up of characters than the usual ones. It takes place by the sea a little bit north of Gothenburg, on the west coast of Sweden. There is a murder where the story goes back many years and affect people today. Water, harbours and beaches are always within reach. The stories are so well built up, and for all of the books the stories get more and more exciting. As you near the end it is impossible to put the book down. I am now on the fourth book, which is the fifth(!) (I missed out no. 5 and thought it was no. 3, so already read the last one). They can be read in which order you want, but relationships do develop through book. Very good, easygoing reads this summer. A good start. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt (615 pages) Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (562 pages) The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Galbadon (507 pages) Facing the Light by Adèle Geras (403 pages) Tychonium - Experimentet by Jan Johannesson   (448 pages) Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen (586 pages) Shakespeare and the Countess by Chris Laoutaris (416 pages) Blondie by Joyce Carol Oates (862 pages) Isbrytare by Kristina Ohlsson (552 pages) Nattankare by Kristina Ohlsson (512 pages) Skuggläge by Kristina Ohlsson (500 pages) Frälsekransen by Kristina Ohlsson (500 pages)

My first book for the summer challenge is Tunnel 29. It was recommended by Rennie @ What's Nonfiction during a Nonfiction November challenge a couple of years ago. I was so happy when I recently found the book, and it comes with very good reviews. Originally the story was told through a BBC Radio 4 podcast. It gained lots of critical acclaim and has been made into a documentary, movie and now a book. It is one of those stories that are stranger than fiction. Merriman gives us a good introduction, and a short resume of the political situation in Europe from World War II, the peace treaty and the division of Europe into East and West. There is also a short, but scary introduction to life in East Germany, the people who ruled it, and the devastating decision to build a wall dividing Berlin. It is the true story of efforts to flee East Germany once the wall was up. We follow Joachim Rudolph, a young engineering student who, after escaping East Germany in 1961, returned to help others flee. In 1962, Rudolph and a group of fellow students came up with the idea of digging a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall. The East German authorities had taken measures to prevent people from fleeing above ground and it became more and more difficult and dangerous to try to cross the wall. The group spent several months, facing terrible hardship, to dig the 135-meter tunnel. It was not only the physical dangers, but also dangers of being infiltrated by informants. I will not reveal any more details, but Merriman follows several people simultaneously, making the story read like a thriller. It just happens to be fact based. Merriman's narrative is based on extensive research, including interviews, news reports, and Stasi files. She is giving us a vivid portrayal of life in the divided city. It is also part of the story how television networks started reporting events in a different way. It was the time of the Cold War, and Merriman also gives us some insights in how the politics were working. The sensitive decisions politicians had to make, considering the fear of another war. This is a story for everyone who is interested in European politics and the Cold War era. Excellently written, and more exciting than anything, any author, could make up.

One of the main goals on what to see during my Paris visit was Shakespeare & Company. I have read so much about the book shop and its time. Although you have to queue to get in these days, it was not more than 15-20 minutes. It is one of these shops that open up to small rooms as you go further into the building. For some reason or another, it was not allowed to take photos inside. The top floor was dedicated to reading and relaxing. All the books up there was only for loan while you were there, not for buying. It looks like you imaging it looked at the beginning of the 20th century when Sylvia Beach was the owner. It was nice to visit in my aim to look out addresses of authors living in Paris at the time. San Francisco Book shop I also visited two other bookshops - San Francisco Bookshop and The Abbey Books. Both were full of books from floor to ceiling with just a small space to move around the shop. They were also with a lot of small rooms, opening up as you walk inside. The Abbey Books The Abbey Books I bought 11 books, some of the somehow connected to France, some not. I am very pleased about the books I found. The books are not cheap, not even the second hand ones, but when you find the right book, you just have to take out your card. Nancy Mitford - Voltaire in Love Nancy Mitford - Madame de Pompadour Stephen Clark - talk to the snail, Ten commandments for understanding the French David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim Irène Némirovsky - Le Bal Charlotte Brontë - Tales of Angria Benjamin Franklin - The Autobiography of Paula McLain - Love and Ruin Paul Verlaine - Before Wisdom: The Early Poems John Baxter - The Most Beautiful Walk in the World, Pedestrians in Paris Duff Cooper - Talleyrand

This is a review from when I read the book back in 2014. I have had this novel for a couple of years and was always afraid to read it, mostly because I was not sure whether it would be so theoretical that it was really above me. On the contrary, it turns out, this is a fantastic book, utterly fascinating. The book is partly based on the relationship between Simone de Beauvoir and her life-long companion Jean-Paul Sartre. To understand the book I think we have to have a short resumé of their lives. Simone de Beauvoir was born in 1908, and was a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography and papers on philosophy, politics and social issues. Her best known novels are She Came to Stay, The Mandarins and The Second Sex. She was born into a wealthy family which lost most of their wealth after World War I. She started to study and she was only the ninth woman who received an exam from the Sorbonne. Women had just recently been allowed into higher education. She went on to study philosophy and that is where she met Jean-Paul Sartre, Paul Nizan and René Maheu. She passed her exam as second after Sartre. Beauvoir and Sartre became a couple, but they never married. Beauvoir said later she could not accept his proposal since she had no dowry! The couple always read each others work and there has been discussions who has influenced who and written what in several of their works. Beauvoir was known to have relationships with women. It was rumoured that she seduced her students and in 1943 she was suspended from teaching due to an accusation of having seduced a 17-year-old student. In 1943 Beauvoir published She Came to Stay which was her first novel. It is a fiction of her's and Sartre's relationship with the sisters Olga and Wanda Kosakiewicz. Olga was one of Beauvoir's students and she grew fond of her. Sartre tried to pursue Olga but was refused so he began a relationship with Wanda. When he died Sartre was still supporting Wanda and had also supported Olga for years. She later married Jacques-Laurent Bost, one of Beauvoir's lovers. As you see, quite a complicated life. The book is based on this drama, but Olga and Wanda are changed into one young girl, Xaivère. The novel is a fictive metaphysical novel and it treats the questions of existentialistic thoughts about freedom, anxiety and 'The Other'. We have to go to Wikipedia to have an explanation of these things (at least me). Metaphysics is a traditional branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it. Traditionally, it tries to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms: 1. What is ultimately there? 2. What is it like? The Other opposes the Same. Other is identified as "different". It has been used in social science to understand the processes by which societies and groups exclude 'Others' whom they want to subordinate or who do not fit into their society. de Beauvoir changed the Hegelian notion of the Other and used it in describing a male-dominated culture. This treats woman as the Other in relation to man. That indicates that the Other is an important concept for studies of the sex-gender system. In the world of Beauvoir the Other is the minority, the least favoured one and often a woman. Now to the book. The book takes place just before France is forced into the World War II. Françoise is a writer and Pierre a director/writer who sets up theatre productions. They share everything; life, love, secrets, passion for the theatre. They are one, separately they are nothing. They have a free relationship and is closely connected intellectually. Everything works very well until Xavière comes into their lives. It is not clear how Françoise got to know her but at the start of the book she is visiting Paris from Rouen where she lives with her aunt and uncle. She is young, has no education and no work. Françoise and Pierre decide to invite her to Paris and they will pay for her until she can get a job. Both of them are attracted to Xavière and she likes both of them. However, she does not understand their relationship and tries to separate them. Françoise who always was very content with her life now sees that she is the weakest partner. All of a sudden she is just one among the crowd. Her jealousy almost kills her and she must be free, although she sees now how this can be. The book follows them during a little bit less then a year and there is their daily lives, cafés, restaurants, dances, drinks and night-life. How they have the energy to work I don't know! But they do, except Xavière. She doesn't want to do anything. She is not interested in any of the educations that they try to convince her to take, she does not want to work because she is not interested in any work. She tries acting, but tires rather fast. She sleeps during the day and sees them during the night. She is lazy, nonchalant, sloppy and self-absorbed, she has no will or ambition but still wants to become famous. A rather unsympathetic type in other words. The open relationship that Françoise and Pierre have changes when Xavière comes into their lives. The book is written from Françoise's point of view and it is her thoughts on existentialism, anxiety, jealousy and the meaning of life that we come to share. The menage à trois affects all three of them and not in a very positive way. It is difficult to see what it is that makes these two highly, intellectual, freely thinking and independent people so dependent on this young girl. They follow all her whims, all her moods. Even when they are by themselves they discuss how she is and what her moods will be when they meet. Xavière is jealous on Pierre's special love for Françoise. Françoise notices this and feels that Pierre does not care or notice. Pierre spends much less time with Françoise and when he does they seem to discuss only Xavière. The philosophical thoughts in the book about life in general, relationships, the threat of the imposing war is very interesting and gives you something to think about. It is fascinating to say the least. You wonder where this will all lead in the end. Well, for me, it lead in a direction that I could not have imagined! You have to read this book.