It has been quite here for quite some time, both on my blog and with comments from me. I was hit by a gastritis in beginning of August, and have not entirely recovered. However, we left the heat wave in Innsbruck on August 23 and spent a few days around some lakes. On August 28, we drove down to Dubrovnik and further on to Montenegro. That is a little bit the problem, since you are outside of the EU and have no access to internet. There are wifi at the campings, but not always very strong. Furthermore I have not been feeling well, and the heat is still at us. We are not in the south of Albania, and in a few days we will be in Greece. For those interested in our travels I have posted a couple of newsletters. You find an overview here . Just click 'No thank' you if you do not want to subscribe and you come inside. I have had time to read though. Some days, that is all I have energy to do. I read eight books in August. I started the Forsyte saga by John Galsworthy which has been a wonderful read. It seems the books in Swedish does not entirely follow the English numbering. I still have two to go. Keegan, Claire - Foster Yarros, Rebecca - Fourth Wing Keegan, Claire - Small Things Like These Kressman Taylor, Kathrine - Address Unknown Miller, Madeline - Circe Zweig, Stefan - Marie Antoinette (NF) Galsworthy, John - The Man of Property Galsworthy, John - Indian Summer of a Forsyte Due to all the good reviews I did read two books by Claire Keegan which I liked very much. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros , I already reviewed. I am really enjoying watching Supposedly Fun on Youtube and Greg' excellent take on various books and reading. He led me to an excellent novella by Katrine Pressman Taylor, Address Unknown. Such a clever little book. I finally finished Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig. It probably took me two years, with pauses in between. His writing is different from other biographers, and I really enjoyed the book. Review will come. The best fiction book this month, and I might think this year, was Circe by Madeline Miller. I really loved it and her different take on the classic story of Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, not to mention all the nitty, gritty business of the Greek gods. Review will come. There are so many good quotes in this book, but it is impossible to use them all. I did not like so much her book about Achilles, so it was really a nice surprise.

This is the best fiction book I have read this year. I was not entirely into her book about Achilles, but this one is absolutely thrilling. From the back cover. "In the house of Helios, god of the sun and eighties of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is strange - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. But she has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When Circe's gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beats. yeet a woman who stands alone cannot I've in peace for long - and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything." _________________ There are so many wonderful quotes in this novel, here some on the gods. "That word nymph, paced out the length and breadth of our futures. In our language, it means not just goddess, but bride. My mother was one of them, a naiad, guardian of fountains and streams. She caught my father's eye when he came to visit the halls of her own father, Oceanos. ... My father (Helios) glowed bright as just-forged bronze, while Oceanos had been born with rheumy eyes and a white beard to his lap." "Centuries had passed. The earth's wounds had healed and the peace had held. But the grudges of gods are as deathless as their flesh, ..." "It was not piteous, as it might have been in a mortal. We gods eat as we sleep: because it is one of life's great pleasures, not because we have to." "They could not stop a god, but most divinities are cowards." "I was smooth as oil, calm as windless water." ______________ As Circe makes herself comfortable on her island, she is not entirely forgotten by the outside world. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, pays his visits from time to time. Circe is happy about those until one day she receives a visit from a mortal; Odysseus. As the story goes, Circe turns his men into pigs. Odysseus, with good advice from Hermes, meets Circe and manages to overcome her spells, leading to an epic love story. He stays with her for a year. Circe is very attached to Odysseus. By the poets Odysseus' name has gone down in history, or legend, as a hero. Miller treats him different, and gives him the attributes of a normal man, not always on his best behaviour. Quite entertaining to read. Quotes on Odysseus "Living with him (Odysseus) was like standing beside the sea. Each day a different colour, a different foam-capped height, but always the same restless intensity pulling towards the horizon." "The window was open; the breeze passed over us. It was a trick of his, to set a sentence out like a plate on a table and see what you would put on it. But he surprised me by continuing. *I would stay, he said, 'if you would have me. It will only be until spring. I will go as soon as the seas are passable. It will be scarcely any delay.' That last was not said to me, but to some person he argued with silently. His men perhaps, his wife, I did not care. I kept my face turned away so he would not see my pleasure. 'I will have you,' I said." "The answer that came to me was from a different tale. Long ago, in my wide bed, I had asked Odysseus: 'What did you do? When you could not make Achilles and Agamemnon listen?' He'd smiled in the firelight. *That is easy. You make a plan in which they do not.'" "'His true talent was in how well he could take from others.'" "'He never did anything for a single purpose.'" _______________ Once Odysseus has left Circe to continue his travel home, Circe gets another surprising visit that makes her revaluate her life. Miller's take on Circe is fascinating and spellbinding. In this story, Circe is a modern woman, dependent on decisions made my her father, but determined to do the best of it. With small steps she takes control of her life in the island. The prose is poetic and beautiful, many wonderful quotes of which I have included some above highlights the reading. The inclusion of other classical characters, adds to the story, and the surprising end just makes the story perfect.

New year and a fresh look at my shelves. Which books have I saved on my shelves, just because they have become my favourites. That is mostly true about the fiction books, most of the nonfiction I do keep. This pile of books is situated in hotel The Literary Man in Obidos in Portugal. I guess this is a way to store your books when there is no more space on your shelves. Nonfiction The nonfiction this week are related to history and art. Nothing but the best and most interesting. The Magdalene Legacy: The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy by Laurence Gardner - an interesting story how art has visualised the religious stories. To this a historical theory of the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Antikens religioner (The Religions of Antiquity) by Ingvild S. Gilhus/Einar Thomassen - going back to the Greeks and the Romans and how religion has been visualised in art and sculpture. Vermeer's Little Street by Franz Grijzenhout - finding the history and location of one of Vermeer's most famous paintings. It gives you a tour in Delft and its history. Wonderful little book I bought in the Vermeer museum in Delft. Skåne i Danmark, En dansk historia till 1658 by Harald Gustafsson - we usually read about Skåne from a Swedish point of view. This is seen from the Danish point of view. Fiction The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai - a bitter sweet story about a boy and his dog as he is trying to save his mom and people around him. The Suffering of Young Werther by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe - a classic novel about a young man committing suicide due to unhappy love.

I have come to authors whose surname starts with an H in my search for books that I save on my shelves. Due to lack of space, I only save fiction books that I really love. For nonfiction, I save most, but some of the go for recycling. Fiction Lennart Hagerfors - Framåt natten uppklarnande. A book I received as a review copy. I was not familiar with the author, but really loved the book. The narrator, a writer, gets a scholarship to stay at the Bergman house (Ingmar Bergman's house on the island of Fårö) to hopefully, be able to write another book. His contacts with the other cultural workers staying there gives him a new perspective on life, creation, memory and death. Lin Haire-Sargeant - Heathcliff, The Return to Wuthering Heights . An account of the three years that Heathcliff went away to an unknown place. I read it many years ago and cannot remember anything. I should re-read it for sure. Thomas Hardy - Far From the Madding Crowd. I think it does not need any closer introduction. One of Hardy's most famous books. Tom Harper - The Book of Secrets . Gillian's and Nick's hunt for a 500-years-old mystery are taking them to the German mountains and old monasteries in search for an answer. I do like these kind of books, although it is on the borderline to be saved or not. L.P. Hartley - The Go-Between . One of the the best books I have ever read. A wonderful tale of love, youth and innocence, leading to chocking revelations. It has one of the most famous opening lines: "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." If you haven't read it you have a wonderful story to dig into. Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine . Eleanor leads a simple, routine like life, and is very happy. At least that is what she thinks. Until she gets mesmerised by a man who turns out not to be the one she thinks he is. That puts her quiet life upside down, but might lead to something better. Wonderful book about a wonderful character. Peter Hoeg - Miss Smila's Feeling for Snow. Almost a cult book these days. Smilla can read traces in the snow, and realises that the small boy that fell off the roof, did not fall on his own account. Leading to a much bigger crime. Nonfiction Carola Hansson - Andrej. Historical fiction about Leo Tolstoy's son. Memories of his childhood, his family and his father. Memories are mixed with fantasies, literary fiction and real life events. I read it many years ago, can't remember more than I liked it. Dick Harrisson - Stora döden (about the Plague, and two books from Swedish history, the murder of Gustav III and the Kalmar Union). One of the most famous historians in Sweden. I love most of his books. Katarina Harrison Lindbergh - Nordiska gudasagor (Nordic God's Sagas). Interesting take on the old asa gods and their peculiarities. Always interesting, since these gods are not like any other gods. Kim Hazelius - De kallades snapphanar. The history of snapphanar, some kind of rebels during the Swedish-Danish wars during the 17th century. Lucinda Hawklsey - Lizzie Siddal, The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel . I love the Pre-Raphaelite and this is about Lizzie, the mistress/wife of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whose life was not entirely happy. She is the model for Millais' wonderful painting 'Ophelia. She also modeled for several of Rossetti's painting. Christopher Hibbert - The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici. Always a fascinating family to read about, and Hibbert is a good historian and writer. Yvonne Hirdman - Den röda grevinnan. The author's mother was a countess, and had a secret, movable and fascinating life. Born after the Russian revolution in Estonia, part of Tsarist Russia, growing up during the first world war in the outskirts of Austria-Hungary, marrying a poor, Baltic count, living the wild life in Berling during the Weimar Republic, fell in love with a German communist and ran away with him to Moscow, where she was one of the few who managed to escape before the big terror. Living as a refugee in Paris until she came to Sweden in 1940. As you can imagine, this biography is fascinating. Adam Hochschild - King Leopold's Ghost. The story of the Belgian King, Leopold II, and his personal colony in Africa, the Belgian Congo. The story behind, during and after. Quite difficult to read sometimes due to the politics of the day. Anthony Holden - Tchaikovsky . Very interesting biography of one of my favourite composers. Read it many years ago, but I still think of it from time to time. Homer - The Iliad. Classical literature, beautiful writing. I find the fighting scenes quite too long and boring. Otherwise, great literature. I find Odyssey easier to read and more interesting. Marie & Lennart Hultqvist - Sophie Brahe, vetenskapen, kärleken, stjärnbrodern. A biography of Sophie Brahe, sister of Tycho Brahe. She was also interested in astronomy, astrology and alchemy like her brother, but also in medicines, herbs and garden art. Being a woman she did not have the same possibilities as her brother to pursue her interests, but seems to have had a fulfilling life nevertheless. We are talking 16-17th century. Håkan Håkansson (ed) - Tycho Brahe and his time . Essays on Tycho Brahe, his family, his time and his scientific work. Very interesting man indeed, way ahead of his time.

Well, these things happens. I had collected some clothes from my wardrobe to give to a second hand shop. While there, and since you get a voucher for a coffee and a cinnamon bun if you give things away, I did look around the shop. They have recently moved to a bigger place, and they had decorated the shop in a very nice way. I did take a tour around the whole place before entering the book section. I really did not intend to buy anything special, but while looking through the books I discovered so many books I wanted to read, so I just had to buy them. Maybe because I started with the section of old books, classics in other words. There I collected the first five books. Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope The Courier of the Tsar by Jules Verne The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Next I found two travel guides from the Lonely Planet. One for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and one by Hungary. Always good to have in our camper van when the roads lead us to these places. I think I have mentioned that I am reading through all Agatha Christie books. What happened when I came to the section with English books? I found seven books by her. The temptation was too much, so down they went into the basket. The Seven Dials Mystery The Listerdale Mystery Appointment With Death N or M? Destination Unknown The Clocks At Bertram's Hotel They are perfect to bring with me in the van. Once read, I can leave them at the book shelves of the camping. Always nice to give some enjoyment to other readers. The last three are random books. The first one was a nice coincidence as well. I am reading a biography of August Strindberg. Once of his most famous books, a sort of memoirs was The Defence of a Fool. It was first published in French, Le Plaidoyer d'un fou and then translated into Swedish. I could not believe my eye when I discovered it. Not so available these days. Another one was a Swedish book by Gunnar Fredriksson 20 filosofer (20 philosophers). I want to read more philosophical authors so also a suitable find. The last one was a thriller and what attracted me from the beginning was the title: The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. Sounds literary enough for me. Have you read it? I think, in principle, all of them will go to a new owner once I have read them. They will therefor not take up a lot of space in my book cases.

I am so happy that AnnaBookBel is hosting the Nordic FINDS again in the beginning of 2023. AnnaBookBel says: ”For 2023, I will aim to read one book per country, and will simply encourage anyone who’d like to join in to pick up one or more titles from FINDS authors at any time during the month.” This year I was a little bit disorganised in choosing books, so this time I am determined to be more alert. I took some time to find five books, one for each country. The Norwegian one comes as a recommendation from one of you bloggers (maybe even from this year’s FINDS), and the rest I found on a website called Scandinavia Standard The Best Contemporary Scandinavian Fiction to Read. I must admit I don’t even know all the Swedish authors they mention. Here are my choices for books from each country. Finland - They Know Not What They Do by Jussi Valtonen Iceland - Cold as Hell (1st Áróra series) by Lilja Sigurdadottir Norway - The Ice Palace by Tarjej Vesaas Denmark - Silence in October by Jens Christian Gröndahl Sweden - The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald Looking forward to this first challenge of next year. I am sure it will come with new exciting books and authors.

I got a mail from Goodreads, showing me how many of the books I read are among the 60 most read books on Goodreads. Interesting, I thought, since I usually do not read so many new, and possibly, popular books. Turns out I read eight out of the 60 books. Not that much, but some of my favourite books this year. My eight books My eight most popular books, in parenthesis the number on the list. The most popular book is It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. She pops up often, but I have not yet read a book by her. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2) Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (8) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (15) The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (17) The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (19) The Last Thing He Said by Laura Dave (21) Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney (38) The Guest List by Lucy Foley (43) My favourites The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo The Last Thing He Said by Laura Dave The Guest List by Lucy Foley Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Always difficult to rank books. I like all of them except The Paris Apartment .

This was my last in the FINDS challenge hosted by AnnaBookBel and aiming at reading Nordic literature. I am not familiar with the author, but she writes what we call 'feel good' novels and has written quite a few other ones. It is a wonderfully, charming account of a lonely girl who does not get along with the rest of the world. However, she love books. "Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love." When there are close knit societies people tend to act as they always have. Nothing much changes, most probable because there is nothing to initiate any change. This is exactly what happens when Sara arrives in Broken Wheel. Her own, rather peculiar way of interacting with people around her, feels rather strange to the town folks. She was a friend of Amy's and that is why she is accepted. Her way of looking at books, and her aim to find a book that is suitable and interesting to everyone in the town, slowly changes people's mind sets. The novel makes you happy to read, especially if you are loving books. It is about friendships and finding your way in the world. How one person, rather discreet, somewhat odd, still can affect people the way she does. I think we can all recognise this in real life. Something happens, somebody says something and all of a sudden you start thinking in another way. Although at odds with the world Sara has the ability to change it, to attach to people, and to find her own happiness, at the same time as she is making other people happy. A sunshine story, much needed in this troublesome world. I don't have to mention the big influence of books to make the world a better place.

There will be another set of short reviews for my March reading. I read nine books, of which four were nonfiction. Two of them history books in Swedish so I will not say too much about them here. I did write about the findings in Uppåkra (Tusen år i Uppåkra by Dick Harrisson) in my newsletter, article on Reality, or myths? The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa A charming little story about a cat who helps a young boy to save his grandfather's bookstore. There were lots of thoughts on books and reading, and here are some of them. Books can give us knowledge, wisdom, values, a view of the world, and so much more. The joy of learning something you didn’t know before, and seeing things in a whole new way, if exciting. Books can't live your life for you. I’m going to say it as loud as I can. Empathy - that’s the power of books. If you find it difficult it’s because a book contains something that is new to you. Every difficult book offers us a brand-new challenge. A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is a mere scrap of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul. Books have helped me many times. I’m the kind of person who tends to dwell on the past, and I give up way too easily, but somehow, I’ve made it this far because books keep me going. A cherished book will always have a soul. It will come to its reader’s aid in times of crisis. In the same way that music is made up of more than notes, books are more than just words. Donna Leon reading My Venice reading (due to our visit there, more in another post) has lead me to the thrillers by Donna Leon. In her first book in the Commissario Brunetti series, Dean at la Fenice we get to know the characters that return in the coming books. A famous conductor is found dead in his loge at the opera and Brunetti has to use all his skills to find out what actually happened. Casanova in Venice More Venice reading and why not about one of the most famous citizens of the city, Casanova. This is an extract from his memoirs that fits into drawings made from his writing. (Casanova in Venice by Michel Delon & Michèle Sajous D'Oria). Grand final i skojarbranchen by Kerstin Ekman Not translated into English it seems. It is about two women of which one is writing popular detective stories and one is using her name for the publishing. As the books become very popular the woman whose name is seen on the books are given medals, prizes and even a place in the Swedish Academy. How are these two women solving this as time goes by? Funny, witty and exciting as only Kerstin Ekman can do.

Ali at Heavenali is hosting another Daphne du Maurier reading week this year. It will take place on 8 - 15 May. This event comes at a very appropriate time for me, since I am on a path to read all, or most, of du Maurier's books. I have already started and managed five novellas during April. They were: Don't Look Now The Apple Tree The Birds Not After Midnight The Blue Lenses All of the spooky. Most of you will know The Birds, if not by reading, by watching the famous Hitchcock movie. All the novellas are building up a story, about quite ordinary people, but there is a dark undertone lingering, almost not visible. The endings come with a somewhat weird twist. Highly entertaining to read though. I have already read some books by du Maurier, and will try to start from the beginning. Her first three books are; The Loving Spirit, I'll Never Be Young Again and The Progress of Julius. I have to try to find them, but will choose something else, if they are not available. Are you a du Maurier fan as well? What would be your favourite books to start with, or to read by her.

It is this time of the year again, the much anticipated meeting point of Paris in July. Hosted by Tamara @ Thyme-for-Tea during the last years. This year Tamara has no time, and Emma at Words and Peace kindly has taken over this year, for which we are grateful. Thank you Emma. Emma has also created a beautiful cover image to go with our posts. What is it all about? From Emma's website (see link above) we get the following information: "I’m Emma, from Dijon, Burgundy, France, but have been living around Chicago for over 20 years. I have been blogging here for almost 13 years, often highlighting books set in France or written by French authors. So it kind of makes sense that I would help you, eager participants into this yearly event , to keep visisting your favorite city in July! Advertisements Let’s try something different: you will add all your links thanks to the widget on this page every week then on this same page, I will list your posts by theme : books, movies, cooking, etc. I think it will be easier for all to use as a resource there will be a couple gifts at the end of the month! Feel free to share your page on social media with the hashtag #parisinjuly2023. I’m also preparing a special BINGO game, if there’s some interest." There might be a few new items on the agenda this year. Looking forward to seeing what Emma is coming up with. My plans for the month I have not really had time to plan anything this year. I usually do a French dinner, but will not have time this year. I will look for French films/tv-series and listen to French music. I took a look at my book shelves to see if I have anything, not read, connected to Paris and France. To my surprise I have nine books that I could read this month. They are: The Pursuit of Glory - The Five Revolutions That Made Modern Europe 1648-1815 by Tim Banning - I can at least read about the French revolution. Axel von Fersen and Queen Marie-Antoinette by Margareta Beckman - a Swedish nonfiction of the love affair between the two. I think it will include new research and findings. Notre-Dame de Paris/The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo - I actually read this book in June, but will write about it in July. Hemingway, The Paris Years by Michael Reynolds - I have this for some time and each year decide to read it for Paris in July. Will it happen this year? The Red and the Black by Stendahl - a classic I wanted to read for a long time. The text in the physical book I have is very small, but I have an e-book version, so can go for that one. Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig - his take on the Austrian princess turned queen. I have already started this one, and it would be good to finish it this year. Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Maurice Leblanc Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar by Jules Verne The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Let's see how far I have come at the end of the month. Hope to see you in Paris in July. Looking forward to seeing what you are up to this year.

Many years ago I saw, and loved, the tv-series with Anthony Andrews as the Scarlet Pimpernel and Jane Seymour as Marguerite St. Just. It was with great anticipation that I finally read the book. I had heard good words about it, but one never knows. I realised when I started the book (there was no information about the original titel) that it was not the first book. After some research, I found that the original title is The Elusive Pimpernel, the second book in the series (originally from 1908). It was a great read. I was surprised by the easy going writing, the characterisation, the descriptions of the aristocratic surrounding, and the political situation in France. We come straight into the action and the scheme planned by Chauvelin to capture the Scarlet Pimpernel. Chauvelin travels to England to try to lure the Scarlet Pimpernel into France. The plot is initiated through his wife Marguerite and she soon finds herself in a situation where she has been fooled into luring her husband to travel to France. As he is heading for France, well aware of the dangers, she decides to travel there herself to try to help him. This leads her into an even bigger trap and she sees no way out for herself, or for him. As the plot thickens, as a reader, you really don't understand how they will get out of this troubles. It is very exciting as the grip on both of them tightens, and there is a matter of their lives or the lives of the citizens of Boulogne. It is a great story and so exciting that it is difficult to put the book down. Baroness Orczy is slowly building up the story, and then it speeds up as we are nearing the end. I don't think I am spoiling anything if I say they manage to get out of their troubles, but it is quite a surprise how the author, in just a few pages, let us face the ending. And what an ending. Although more than 100 years old it still feels fresh to read, and is a traditional adventure story that we seldom see today.