We are half way through the Novellas in November, hosted by Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck, and this is my first post. I did manage to read a novella för the first three weeks, Novellas in November 1 – 7 November: Short Classics - The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann - I really loved this book and Hoffmann's writing. A mystery, dark and spooky tale. The Sandman is a folklore character who is said to throw sand in the eyes of children to help them fall asleep. The protagonist and narrator is Nathanael, most likely suffering from post traumatic stress due to an encounter with the sandman in his childhood. The whole story has a dark, psychological and unreal touch taking us into another world. What is real and what is suggested by our thoughts? 8 – 14 November: Novellas in Translation - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - for someone like me who do not like insects it was a rather terrifying read. What does Kafka want to say with the novel? Alienation: people who are different are looked down upon? Work - the employer takes out everything they can from you? Family - he worries about the family which he supports. Once the family realises he can not work anymore, they take their act together and start working themselves, and manage very well. Using other people for their own means? 15 – 21 November: Short Non-Fiction - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - an enjoyable children's tale about a prince visiting different worlds. It has an educational streak. The author takes up different areas of life and show what happens when things do go well, or what one should do instead.

We are half way through the Novellas in November, hosted by Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck , and this is my first post. I did manage to read a novella för the first three weeks. 1 – 7 November: Short Classics - The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann - I really loved this book and Hoffmann's writing. A mystery, dark and spooky tale. The Sandman is a folklore character who is said to throw sand in the eyes of children to help them fall asleep. The protagonist and narrator is Nathanael, most likely suffering from post traumatic stress due to an encounter with the sandman in his childhood. The whole story has a dark, psychological and unreal touch taking us into another world. What is real and what is suggested by our thoughts? 8 – 14 November: Novellas in Translation - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka - for someone like me who do not like insects it was a rather terrifying read. What does Kafka want to say with the novel? Alienation: people who are different are looked down upon? Work - the employer takes out everything they can from you? Family - he worries about the family which he supports. Once the family realises he can not work anymore, they take their act together and start working themselves, and manage very well. Using other people for their own means? 15 – 21 November: Short Non-Fiction - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - an enjoyable children's tale about a prince visiting different worlds. It has an educational streak. The author takes up different areas of life and show what happens when things do go well, or what one should do instead.

Busy month with a lot of challenges. I decided though to join Novellas in November which I find interesting. Mostly because I don't really read novellas. This month has helped me find my way into the shorter fiction books. It is very nice to read shorter books as a break with the very long books that seem to enter our lives these days. Thank you to hosts Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck . To my own surprise I did manage to find something for each of the weeks. 1 – 7 November: Short Classics - The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann 8 – 14 November: Novellas in Translation - Metamorphoses by Franz Kafka 15 – 21 November: Short Non-Fiction - How Much Land Does A Man Need? by Leo Tolstoj 22 – 28 November: Contemporary Novellas - Master Georgi by Beryl Bainbridge 29/30 November: My Month in Novellas/ New to my TBR - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, On top of that I read Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov, recommended by Emma @ Word and Peace. This week made me discover novellas and how wonderful they are. I think I will continue reading these short fiction. I got a lot of inspiration from bloggers and have saved a few authors and titles for the future.

A while ago I checked when I did my first blog post, in order to celebrate with an anniversary post. Well, that day came and went without any reaction from me. Better late than never, so here a reminder of my very first blog post from 24 October 2012. The book was New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani. Marani is an Italian novelist, translator and newspaper columnist. While working as a translator for the European Union he invented a language ‘Europanto’ which is a mixture of languages and based on the common practice of word-borrowing usage of many EU languages. It was a suitable book to start with, being a book about letters, languages and memories. With a beautiful prose, the novel went directly to my heart. "One night at Trieste in September 1943 a seriously wounded soldier is found on the quay. The doctor, of a newly arrived German hospital ship, Pietri Friari gives the unconscious soldier medical assistance. His new patient has no documents or anything that can identifying him. When he regains consciousness he has lost his memory and cannot even remember what language he speaks. From a few things found on the man the doctor, who is originally from Finland, believes him to be a sailor and a fellow countryman, who somehow or other has ended up in Trieste. The doctor dedicates himself to teaching the man Finnish, beginning the reconstruction of the identity of Sampo Karjalainen, leading the missing man to return to Finland in search of his identity and his past." Have you read it? Please let me know in that case.

I know that many of you are a fan of this novel by Fredrik Backman. Now made into an American film with Tom Hanks as Otto. I also loved the book and the Swedish film, where the man is called Ove. Yesterday evening the author visited Malmö together with the American film version. Before the film was shown, Backman was interviewed on stage and told us a little bit of the background to the character. It seems he 'collects' real life characters and situations, which he then puts in a mental storage. These characters tend to jump out when he finds a suitable place for them in a story. Backman has a lot of humour, which I think we all see in his writings. He also has a very good eye for how we live our lives. I really loved this version with Tom Hanks. He seems perfect for the role. I think not an eye was dry in the salon during the film. It was well transferred into an American setting, and worked well there as well. Which might mean that Backman has written a universal story. I can definitely recognise myself in some of the things Otto does. Even if I don't point it out, I think about how people behave, and scan't they get their act together. I have also read My Grandmother Asks Me To Tell You She's Sorry. It is also a tragic, comical story and so well describes people and events in Sweden. However, I think they can be recognised everywhere in the world. I really loved this version with Tom Hanks. He seems perfect for the role. I think not an eye was dry in the salon during the film. It was well transferred into an American setting, and worked well there as well. Which might mean that Backman has written a universal story. I can definitely recognise myself in some of the things Otto does. Even if I don't point it out, I think about how people behave, and thinking, why can't they get their act together. Have you read the book and seen the film? What do you think?

While travelling in Portugal and was about to visit Estoril after a week in Lisbon, I found a recommendation on a travel blog for Neill Lochery’s book Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-45. Historian Neill Lochery is a specialist on Portuguese history, it is well researched, and makes for exciting reading. We are talking about spies, diplomacy, refugees and businesses, where Lisbon was a hub at the time. It was the only way out of Europe for those who needed and wanted to leave. "Lisbon had a pivotal role in the history of World War II, though not a gun was fired there. The only European city in which both the Allies and the Axis power operated openly, it was temporary home to much of Europe’s exiled royalty, over one million refugees seeking passage to the U.S., and a host of spies, secret police, captains of industry, bankers, prominent Jews, writers and artists, escaped POWs, and black marketeers. An operations officer writing in 1944 described the daily scene at Lisbon’s airport as being like the movie Casablanca, times twenty.” As you can imagine from the introduction above, this is an exciting part of, not only Portuguese, but European history. Estoril today is a quiet place. The famous Estoril Casino looks a little bit run down, but might be elegant on the inside. “The interior of the casino bore a resemblance to the gambling room in Rick’s Café in the film Casablanca, but on a grander scale. Among those who played at its tables during the war was a young British intelligence officer, Ian Fleming, who took inspiration from both the casino and the hotel for his future James Bond books.” “… Lisbon became affectionately knows as “Casablanca II.” The real-life version had all the ingredients of the fictional storyline: broken romances; desperate refugees trying to obtain the correct paperwork and selling the family jewels to finance their onward passage; a thriving black market as supply dictated that the prices of diamonds and other rare stones fell to record low levels; cafés and hotel bars full of refugees and spies scattered across the city center and along Lisbon’s coastline resorts.“ Lochery guides us through the Allies' and Axis' powers and their diplomatic efforts and spy games. It was the time of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, who had come to power in 1932, and left only in 1968. He was a workaholic, had several minister post at the same time, and spent the war time years trying to keep neutrality for Portugal, as well as keeping up businesses. One of the most important commodities at the time, the wolfram, or tungsten, was eagerly sought after, especially by the Axis. That is how Portugal got hold of an immense amount of gold, of which, it is believed, there might still be some hidden in banks in Portugal. For those interested, Lochery’s book has much more to tell. Not all refugees were lucky enough to have money and many tragedies happened. Politics, allies vs axis, diplomacy, economy and, in the end, the people who tried to do something. Sometimes successfully, other times not. If you are interested in Portugal you can read The Content Reader Newsletter where I have several articles on our trip around the north western part of the country.

This is a difficult book, at least it was for me. I was about to give it up 4-5 times before I got my act together. The last time was on my way to Lisbon, just before Christmas. I thought it would be easier to read while I was there, but decided to give up already on the flight there. Probably because I was so tired, having been up very early. If you have read my newsletter you know that already on the first day I had an encounter with Saramago, and Pessoa (link to newsletter) since we ended up at the restaurant that both authors frequently visited. It turned out we had chosen the same table as Saramago used to sit at, and behind me on the wall was a picture of him. 'Noblesse oblige' as they say and I realised, there and then, I had to finish his book. “If proofreaders were given their freedom and did not have their hands and feet tied by a mass of prohibitions more binding than the penal code, they would soon transform the face of the world, establish the kingdom of universal happiness, giving drink to the thirsty, food to the famished, peace to those who live in turmoil, joy to the sorrowful ... for they would be able to do all these things simply by changing the words ..." The power of the word is evident in Portuguese author José Saramago's novel, The History of the Siege of Lisbon. His protagonist, a proofreader named Raimundo Silva, adds a key word to a history of Portugal and thus rewrites not only the past, but also his own life." The story sounded intriguing, and is, but I found the way in which it was written difficult. There is only text, no air on the page; hardly any full stops, the sentences just linger over page after page; the dialogue is included in the text, without citation marks or any other hint; a comma here and there (not visible in the text below). “Every novel is like this, desperation, a frustrated attempt to save something of the past. Except that it still has not been established whether it is the novel that prevents man from forgetting himself or the impossibility of forgetfulness that makes him write novels. I persisted, and I am happy about that. I did find the beginning mystifying, but then there was only long discussions, or monologues, leading nowhere. After half the book the story picked up and I found myself enjoying this part. Maybe because I was walking the same streets as Saramago’s protagonists, could see where they were heading, where Silva was living and understand the hilly nature of any walk in Lisbon. The prose and descriptions of the surroundings, the people, the houses, life and love is beautiful. There are so much wisdom hidden in the lines of this book. When I really took the time to immerse myself into it, I saw it with different eyes. Just look at this extract from the novel. So much information hidden in a description of Silva having his morning coffee. “Raimundo Silva entered, said good morning to no one in particular, and sat at a table behind the showcase where the usual tempting delicacies were on display, sponges, mille feuilles, cream cornets, tartlets, rice cakes, mokatines and, those inevitable croissants, in the shape dictated by the French word, a pastry that has risen only to collapse at the first bite and disintegrate until there are nothing but crumbs left on the plate, tiny celestial bodies which the huge wet finger of Allah is lifting to his mouth, then all that remains will be a terrible cosmic void, if being and nothingness are compatible.” José de Sousa Saramago (1922-2010) received the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his " parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony [with which he] continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality.” I am eager to read something else by him, just to compare this novel to others he wrote. Have you read anything by him? What can you recommend?

Thank you to all of you who introduced me to this book. Although a great book, a modern classic, I find it very difficult to review. It leaves so many questions unanswered, but maybe that is why it gives you the impression it is a story beyond life. When her mother dies, eleven-year-old Unn goes to live with her aunt. At school she is keeping her distance although the class mates are eager let her into their community. Siss is the leader and feels rejected when she cannot draw Unn into her sphere. It all changes when Unn one day invites Siss over after school. The meeting is somewhat mysterious. Two teenage girls discovering each other. Unn says she has a secret to share with Siss, but not now. Siss is not entirely comfortable, and after some time she goes home. Both girls feel revived after the meeting, although next morning Unn feels she cannot face Siss and decides to visit the Ice Palace. It is a frozen waterfall, that looks like a palace. She goes in and out of different ‘rooms’ and enters further into the palace, until she cannot go further. The disappearance generates a general research for several days, without result. Siss was the last one who saw Unn and everyone is sure that she knows something. That Unn revealed a clue to her disappearance. "It was only something I said ! "I don't think so. I can see you know something. What did Unn say ?” "I can't tell you.” "Why not ?" "Because it wasn't like that, she didn't say it ! And she didn't say a word about hiding." Tarjei Vesaas was born in Telemark in Norway. He was ridden by guilt since he refused to take over the family farm. His youth was mostly spent in solitude where he was seeking comfort and solace in nature. His literary career spans over 50 years, writing about simple rural people exposed to some psychological drama. All these aspects are clearly visible in The Ice Palace. Beautiful prose and description of nature, and above all the ice palace. He takes you with him on a visible tour of the surrounding landscape in this story. A landscape where people has not yet taken over. Although the novel does not give you any clear answers, you can feel the underlying tension of the two teenage girls, who is venturing towards a grown up world. Relationship, underlying sexual tension, secrets and maybe a hint of wanting to put a mark in the world. The drama and the beauty of the story makes this a magical read.

I reviewed this book back in 2018. Since I have just attended a Beethoven festival last weekend, I came to think of this book. I decided to take it up again, as I have just been attended a Beethoven festival. I write about the festival and Beethoven and his influence on people today in my newsletter this week. The book has an interesting topic, of which I had never heard before. Since I love a real life mystery, it was a must read for me. It seems that when Beethoven died in March 1827, the fifteen-year-old musical protégé Ferdinand Hiller was in Vienna, visiting the composer together with his instructor Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Hiller later wrote: "He lay, weak and miserable, sighing deeply at intervals. Not a word fell from his lips; sweat stood out on his forehead. His handkerchief not being conveniently at hand, Hummel's wife took her fine cambric handkerchief and dried his face again and again. Never shall I forget the grateful glance with which his broken eyes looked upon her." Three days later Beethoven died and a day later they went back to pay their respect. "The two did not remain for long beside the coffin, but before they left, young Hiller asked his teacher if he could cut a lock of the master composer's hair. …Hummel quietly whispered yes to his student, and the two of them were moved by the deep sadness of the moment. Ferdinand Hiller took the scissors he had brought with him, lifted a small lock of Beethoven's long half-gray hair, pulled it away from his head, and cut it free." This is the story of how the hair travelled through the Hiller family in Germany, through the Second World War and Denmark and ended up in the United States with two Beethoven enthusiasts, Dr Alfredo "Che" Guevara and Ira Brilliant. Circumstances made them find a note in Sotheby's catalogue about the sale of a lock of Beethoven's hair. They used part of it to make forensic tests to find out what ailed Beethoven. Now starts an investigation into, not only finding out what medical problems Beethoven had, but also to verify where the hair came from. It is truly a fantastic story of dedication and love for something that belonged to one of our greatest composers. The pair tracked down the hair from Hiller to his children and grandchildren, it travelled to Denmark during the second world war and ended up with a local doctor in the small town of Gilleleje in Denmark, and through his daughter to an auction in London. It is more exciting than any made-up story. (Warning - spoilers) The outcome of the examination of the hair was surprising. Most of the samples contained the normal elements found in hair, but his hair also contained "an average of forty-two times more lead than the control samples did". Walsh, one of the scientist, believed that Beethoven had been "massively poisoned by lead at the time of his death and may have been for decades before". This could also explain his health problems. Of course, in those days, nobody knew how dangerous lead was. A well-written, pedagogical, not too long book about a real life mystery. The authors mix the mystery with facts about Beethoven's life and deeds. It is exciting and when you are in the middle of the search for the Hiller family, it is difficult to put the book down.

I actually listened to this book. It came recommended from book bloggers/vloggers and I loved it. A different kind of detective story. Alan Conway is a bestselling crime writer. His editor, Susan Ryeland, has worked with him for years, and she's intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. Alan's traditional formula pays homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. It's proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job. When Susan receives Alan's latest manuscript, in which Atticus Pünd investigates a murder at Pye Hall, an English manor house, she has no reason to think it will be any different from the others. There will be dead bodies, a cast of intriguing suspects, and plenty of red herrings and clues. But the more Susan reads, the more she’s realizes that there's another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript—one of ambition, jealousy, and greed—and that soon it will lead to murder. The story definitely takes you to Agatha Christie and it is difficult not to make comparisons between Atticus Pünd and Hercule Poirot. It is like reading one of her mystery books about the famous detective. The story also has much of Christie's genius way of telling a mystery. However, Horowitz has built up the story in quite an unusual manner. I will not reveal it here, since I think it will be a big spoiler. You just have to trust me that it is an exciting thriller which takes unexpected turns. It is also as difficult to guess the culprit as in a Christie mystery. While recommending the book to a Swedish friend, and looking for the Swedish title, I came on the information that is has been made into a TV-series. Wow, I thought, I just have to watch it. Turned out that I had already seen it, but did not connect it to this book. Of course, the Swedish TV-series title was totally different, but did make sense. I love the show, so I can recommend either the book and/or the TV-series, but probably better to read the book first. Horowitz seems to be a well known author and screen writer and there is a second novel in the Magpie series, Moonflower Murders. Something to look out for.

Time for another Classic Club Spin, and this month the wheel ended up on # 18. For me that is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I can only say that I will not be able to read it until the dead-line. I bought the physical book recently at the book sales, and, as you know, it is thick. I want to read the great books of Dostoyevsky, but am not ready to do it now. Furthermore, I am travelling and the book is back in Sweden. It just have to sit and rest for a while. In the meantime I am reading another classic author, Stefan Zweig. I visited Salzburg during the weekend and bought two of his books. He lived there for some years. More about him, his life and books later. The visit to his house is a story in itself.

It is quite embarrassing that I have not written any real reviews since the beginning of February. I have been reading a lot, but did not have the urge to write reviews. Maybe, because I have read rather easygoing literature, and although interesting, not necessarily anything to ponder on in a review. Just an excuse for being lazy. I try to remedy the lack of longer reviews with a few shorter ones. Books read in February Red Queen (Reina Roja) by Juan Gómez-Jurado First book in a series of international thrillers with gruesome murders. A special squad is gathered to solve the crimes. A though woman at the front, and an anti-hero police man as the protagonists. The story kept up until the end with some really exciting parts. Agatha Christie reading I have decided to read AC books from the beginning. So far I have read Five Little Pigs, The Mystery of the Blue Train (Hercule P), The Secret Adversary (T&T), The Murder of the Links (HP) and The Man in the Brown Suit. I mostly liked the HP books. Hercule is often enjoying to read about. Five Little Pigs took a different angle on murder and I enjoyed that. The others were more so, so ... Book Lovers by Emily Henry This book got raving reviews from blogs/vlogs I follow. I was not overwhelmed and thought it dragged out a little bit too much. Maybe for a younger audience than me. Det omaka paret, Tjeckernas och slovakernas historia by Ingmar Karlsson A nonfiction from a former colleague of mine. Ingmar Karlsson has been ambassador to Czechoslovakia and written a short history of the two countries of today, Czechia and Slovakia. Very interesting how two areas were, artificially (?), made into one country and why it did not work. Seven Kinds of People You Find In a Bookshop by Shaun Bythell Loved Bythell's first book and I want to read the second. This one is fine, but I enjoyed the first one more. Aldrig mer trött by Pia Norup Never again tired, sounded like a good title for someone who is tired all the time. It is an interesting book, written by a doctor, who is also en expert on, should I call it, welfare problems. Lots of good advice, and a two week menu that really made all the difference. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Dostoyevsky is a favourite author, but I must admit, I did not understand too much of this story. I found the characters rather irritating in all their undecidedness and flimsiness. Kallocain by Karin Boye I am not much for SF, but did like this take on a scary future. It seems so up to date in today's world, although it was written in 1940. It gives you a clear idea of what it is to live in a totalitarian world, where everything is decided for you. Thank you to Marianne at Let's Read for the gift.