I guess you can add as many statistics as your fantasy reaches. I have read many of your statistics and most are amazing in their details. Not so much here, but I wanted to add a few more interesting takes on my reading. New to me authors and the countries they are from I have never looked att new authors that I have read earlier, so I have nothing to compare it to. Of the 120 books read, I have read 62 authors for the first time. They represent 15 countries. I can imagine that is rather a lot of new authors. Please correct me if I am wrong. Swedish - 21 Erik Eriksson - Tina Frennstedt - Birgit Th. Sparre - Marit Furn - Tony Samuelsson - Sara Önnebo - Joakim Zander - Johannes Anyuru - Birgitta Petrén - Marika Cobbold - Andreas Marklund - Annelie Sylvan - Helena Kubicek Boye - Mikael Parkvall - Frida Skybäck - Bo Ericsson - Erik Petersson - Katarina Harrison Lindberg - Anders Sundkvist - Kerstin Berman - Stig Wallerman - Per Nygren American   - 13 Hernan Diaz (Argentine) - Mary Kubica - J.T. Ellison - Gertrude Stein - Andrew Turnbull - Diane Gaston - V.E. Schwab - Ann Patchett - Eleanor Herman - Karleen Koen - Shirley Jackson - James Baldwin - Riley Sager United Kingdom - 10 Daniel Hurst - Meriel Schindler - Saskia Walker - Stephen Clarke - Nancy Mitford - Helena Merriman - Jonathan Buckley - Ian McEwan - Tamara Talbot Rice (Russian) - Rafael Sabatini (Italian) Australia - 2 John Baxter - Geraldine Brooks (US) And one each from the following countries - 11 Simone St. James, Canada / Walter Kempowski, Germany / Sicho Matsumoto, Japan / László Krasznahorkai, Hungary / Mariléna Karabatéa, Greece / Tove Jansson, Finland / Han Kang, South Korea / Shahnaz Habib, India / Paul Verlaine, France / Irène Némirovsky, Ukarine / Paride Rombi, Italy For 2026 I would like to read more authors from countries I usually don’t read from. I have a list of the countries of the world, and so far I have filled in 27 countries och the 195 on the list. Far too few. I will make an effort to read authors from less read countries this year. What about you? Are you varying your reading to cover countries all over the world?

Thanks to Brona @ This Reading Life I am joining Book'd Out for reading nonfiction in 2026. You find the rules under the link, but here are a few of them. HOW IT WORKS You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format. Choose a goal: Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share the nonfiction you read through the year. Categories: History Memoir/Biography True Crime Science Health Food South East Asia Humour (Humor) Lost or found Television Subculture Published in 2026 * You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish. Use your best good faith judgement as to whether a book fits the category or not. * Where a book is identified by more than one category, it may only count for one, not both. * You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just aim to complete the challenge by December 31st 2026 I will read other nonfiction so I will settle for Nonfiction Nipper:  Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories. History is my most favourite category so that is a given, thinking of all the nonfiction I have on my shelves. I also have a few Biographies , and I could choose from Edward Burne-Jones - A Life by Penelope Fitzgerald; Gabriele d'Annunzio by Lucy Hughes-Hallett; Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee among others. For Science or Health I would go for Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. All books on my shelves far too long. Nonfiction Grazer:  Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal, or none at all, just share the nonfiction you read through the year. I am planning to read more nonfiction this year so will add them as they come. There will be many nonfiction books considering my 2026 Personal Curriculum . Both Literature and History will generate nonfiction reading. Are you on for a Nonfiction year?

Happy New Year! I wish you all the best for 2026 and a great new reading year This is the time of the year when we look back on the previous year and what we read. I read a record 120 books last year. It turned out to be a lot of mystery books, and that is probably why the number of books is somewhat higher. They are easy to read. Furthermore, I do listen to a lot of the Agatha Christie books I read. I register the books I read on StoryGraph, which also provides the statistics. After a quick look at the statistics above, I notice I only read 30 nonfiction books which is only around 25% of my overall reading. I usually read more. 90 books, 75% come from fiction, various genres. Due to all the mystery books I read, of which 19 was by Agatha Christie, I read 73 female authors and 47 male authors. Of all the books I read 67% in English and 33% in Swedish. I read 59 books from my TBR shelves (To Be Read). That leaves 188 books to go for 2026. Usually, there will be a few books added during the year. I don’t think I will ever come down to zero. I don’t differ books coming on my shelves from earlier year. I count also books ending up there during the year. What about you? How many books have you read? Any very good ones that you can recommend? What is your favourite genre? I will return in a later post with the favourite books of the year and my prospects for 2026.

This book was published already in 1992, and has been a bestseller for many years. It is planned as a twelve-week program, and designed to help creators to finding their inner creative confidence, take away internal blocks - such as fear, perfectionism, and self-doubt, that I guess most creative people have. The base for the exercises is “Morning pages” and “Artist Dates” and they repeat themselves over the weeks. Morning pages should be a stream of consciousness way of writing; free-flowing, unfiltered and often illogical. It should capture the writer’s immediate mental state, including ideas, shifts of focus etc. Don’t think of the grammatical structure, just write. This way of writing is typical for established authors like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. It is a sort of relief to get things down on paper. I must admit I have not been able to write every morning, but I try. The idea is to write three pages. I use an A5 notebook, but I think you are meant to have an A4. Anyway … the important thing is to write, and I quite enjoy it. “The Artist Date” - is a block of time you set aside weekly to nurture your creativity. Two hours a week might be a good start, but I guess you can choose yourself. The idea is to do something creative - on your own - that inspire and promote your creativity. It could be going to an exhibition at a museum; playing the piano, trumpet, drums or whichever musical instrument you fancy; you could go to a café and read a book etc. It should qualify as quality time. This is something that I do rather often myself. You choose yourself, and you don’t have to take into consideration other people’s interests. Just concentrate on what you are doing at the time, and being inspired and hopefully it would lead to a creative output. I have started with the first two weeks, but will have to stop for a month since I am going away. I was thinking I could do the morning papers anyway, but alas, the travelling has been too intensive so no time for that. I will probably start from the beginning once I am home again. I hope that after following this “course” I will be more directed towards the things I want do to, and achieve. And above all, not just start a lot of projects which are never finalised. I also bought Julia Cameron’s book  Write for Life , A toolkit for writers. I hope it will add something useful to my writing goals. The book is a six-week programme for writers of all levels. What are your goals for 2026? Reading? Creating? Or just take life as it comes?

I must have read about this novel, with its distinct gothic touch, on one of the blogs I follow. When something catches my interest, I usually download it—if available—through my Nextory app. This one turned out to be a surprising story that keeps you guessing until the very end. In other words, exactly the kind of story I love. "At seventeen, Lenora Hope Hung her sister with a rope Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred. Stabbed her father with a knife Took her mother’s happy life It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything. “It wasn’t me,” Lenora said But she’s the only one not dead As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought." (from Story Graph) I was hooked from page one. Early on, there’s a reference to the Lizzie Borden murders of 1892, and in a way the setup feels similar: everyone is dead except for one person. Yet the police struggle to determine whether that person really did it. The narrative unfolds through two voices, Kit and Lenora, each revealing small pieces of what has happened—and what is still happening—until a fuller picture slowly forms. As we delve deeper into the events, the atmosphere grows even darker. The house—built on a rock above the sea—is literally crumbling, leaning ever closer to disaster. And gradually, we learn the truth of what happened on a tragic day fifty years earlier. It’s described as a gothic tale, and I think that fits well. Sager structures the story along parallel lines: the decaying house with its slanting floors and walls, worsening as the plot progresses, mirrors the two timelines unraveling fifty years apart. It’s all done with impressive skill. I looked into Sager’s other novels and it seems he often writes what could be called horror. I’m not usually drawn to horror, but if it’s written the way it is here, I’m all for it. There’s an uneasy undertone throughout. Since I listened to most of it at night before sleep, there were a few evenings when I simply couldn’t continue—too atmospheric for the dark hours. If you enjoy thrillers, murder mysteries, and gothic tales, this is definitely a book for you.

For some time, I have been thinking if I can somehow develop my book blog, which is now more of a newsletter. After 12 years of blogging I feel it is time to change a few things. I recently read a post from Travellin’ Penguin on Getting Ready for 2026 on various things she wants to pursue during the next year. It seems to be the right time to consider new goals. In my last post I talked about joining the 52 Book Club, and that is one of the reading goals I have. But, there are a few other things on my mind. My Personal Curriculum I follow quite a few channels on Youtube, and once you start looking for something, there pops up a lot of other videos on the same subject. I don’t know if it is because I was looking for it, or because this is a trend now, but it seems to be popular to make your own personal curriculum. Meaning, you want to learn things, but not necessarily go to school, or university to learn it. Instead you look at the curriculum of classes you are interested in, and add the books, or whatever practical exercises you need to learn more. This is something up my alley, so I started to think of what I would like to learn more about. I am reading quite a lot, but I would like to learn more from my reading. Not just finish a book and then start the next. So what is on my curriculum? Subjects I could easily put up 5, 6 or more subjects that I would like to study more, but one has to be realistic, and it seems that three subjects is what you should aim for. I have chosen Literature, History and Languages. Literature Of course! Reading is part of my daily life. For a long time I wanted to read more of the classics, going back to Antiquity where it all started. Searching the internet I have found three ages: Theocratic Age (Foundational work) Late Medieval and Renaissance - Aristocratic Age 19th Century To start with the beginning, I have a list of the books from Antiquity, and I started with Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days . Theogony is the origin story of the Greek cosmos. The background story of the births of the gods, the rise of Zeus, and the cosmic battles that shaped the world’s order. This is the foundation of later Greek religion and storytelling. Here is where the Greek myths are born. Works and Days tells the story of everyday life. You find practical wisdom, moral lessons, and advice on farming. It is a handbook for living responsibly in a difficult world. Maybe it will even be relevant today? Now I am on to Pindar’s Complete Odes which honour victors of the ancient Greek games. They praise athletic achievement as well as linking it to divine favour and heroic lineage. It is rich in myth, imagery and moral reflection. I find it a little bit difficult to read. Simultaneously, I am reading Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes. This is a recount on Jasons’ voyage aboard the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. The story has always fascinated me, although I don’t really know the details. Here we find adventure, heroism but also psychological depth. It is said to be more subtle and literary than Homeric epic. It is a traditional story of a hero’s quest including a little bit of romance. Nothing wrong with that. History To make things easier for me, you can say that literature and history are connected. To learn more about history, I have to read literature. That these two subjects are combined should make it easier. I found the following list of what to learn on this subject. Perspectives: Understand that historical events are interpreted differently by various people. Continuity and change: Identify what has stayed the same and what has changed over time. Cause and effect: Analyze the reasons behind historical events and their consequences. Evidence: Learn to evaluate and use historical evidence to support arguments. Significance: Determine the importance of specific events, people, and developments. Contestability: Recognize that historical accounts are open to debate and reinterpretation. Broad historical periods: Study major eras such as ancient civilizations, the Roman Empire, the medieval world, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern era, including both World Wars and the Cold War. Global and national events: Investigate key historical trends and movements, from the rise of early civilizations to the fall of empires and the rise of modern economies and nationalism. Regional and local history: Learn about your personal, family, and local history, as well as the history of your state or territory. Thematic studies: Explore specific themes across time, such as the development of politics, social sciences, philosophy, religion, art, and music. Connections to other fields: Integrate history with other subjects like geography, literature, economics, and politics to gain a more complete understanding. I have an extensive reading list for literature, but, so far, not so much for history. I am sure there are recommendations to follow, but I have not yet looked for them. Time you know. Languages I have chosen three languages, of which I have some knowledge of two of them: French, Russian and all new to me is Classical Greek. I am now studying French and Classical Greek. The latter is very difficult, but I choose the classical version of Greek because I want to be able to read text from ancient stones. That should keep me busy for 2026. But, I have other ambitions … Outside the Curriculum Several of the subjects and goals are intertwined, like my blogg and newsletters. They are connected to the literary part of the curriculum. I would also like to do more photography, learn my camera better, and use apps to edit the photos. Journaling is something I have not had time to do. I have a big bunch of memorabilia from my travels, they just have to be put into my journals, which is something I have to do next year. Once I have caught up, I hope to do it more regular as I travel. Not piling up things. Another thing that will happen in the beginning of next year is a small renovation at home. The biggest one is my office. I will make it into a dark academia theme and hopefully it will be a more pleasant space than it is now. I hope the new room will give me inspiration for writing, reading, blogging and studying. A smaller bedroom renovation and a few other things around the house are also on the plan. I think next year will not be less busy than this year. I feel good though to have made a plan, to have a structure, and a set of goals. I also have to streamline my various tasks to make them easier to work with. As it is now, I am all over the place. As you might notice on this post? What about you? Do you have any plans for your blog, reading or whatever you like to do in your spare time?

Soon, a new year is coming. This is the time of year when you look back to what you have read during the year, and looking forward to deciding what to read in the coming year. I tend to make lists, big or small, of books I want to read. When the time comes I usually choose something else. Well, that is life, or is it just bad discipline? One challenge I will follow this year is the 52 Book Club. The aim is to read 52 books in 52 weeks. To guide you along the way, they provide you with a list of prompts to follow. From the prompts you choose the book you see fit. You can be flexible with your interpretation of the prompts. Please let me know if you are interested in participating. It would be nice to exchange views and tips. If you don’t read 52 books, it is still ok to join. The aim is to read more books. I personally like, in general, to choose a book from prompts, which makes it more interesting. This also tend to lead you to finding books in a genre you might not read much. There is also a Facebook group where you can share your reading experience, and get ideas which books to read. As far as I can, I will choose books from my TBR (To Be Read) shelves. Going through my list of TBRs, I find these books that could be suitable: Set in an ancient civilization - The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto Calasso Has a dust jacket - Columbus, The Four Voyages by Laurence Berggren Title starts with the letter “O” - Ofredsår by Peter Englund Title starts with the letter “P” - Påven Johanna (Pope Joan) by Donna Woolfolk Cross A three-syllable word in the title - Darwin’s Sacred Cause, Race, Slavery and the quest for Human Origins by Adrian Desmond and James Moore Spans a decade or more - Inheritance: The Story of Knole and the Sackvilles by Robert Sackville West My Newsletter(s) I will slowly phase out this website and go over to My Bookish Corner . You can subscribe for free (and unsubscribe at any time), or just go inside to read from the website (click no thank you when asked to subscribe). If you subscribe you will receive an e-mail with the full post. If you are interested in reading about my trips, history, culture and other things that make life more interesting, please subscribe to The Content Reader Newsletter . When life works well, I publish once a week, on Fridays. Den svenska versionen heter: Den tillfälliga besökaren It is for free and you can unsubscribe any time.

November was a bad literary month for me. I did read, but it seems I hardly finished a book, and only reached five books. I was not able to follow my two challenges - Nonfiction November and Novellas in November. I only posted four posts, and they were only introductions to the challenges. My excuse is that I have been very busy during the end of October up until now. First I was on a three week trip to South Korea and Japan. Although I did read a few books during that trip, I did not have much time to blog. Coming home saw a huge amount of administration and activities, leaving me with just the tip of the nose above water level. December will also be busy, the calendar is rather full already, and over Christmas and New Year we will go to Egypt for a ten day classical tour. We have not been back to Egypt since we left the country in 1994. I worked there for 3,5 years and met my husband there. Now we are going back to show our son Hannes and his girlfriend the country. The most anticipated visit will be the new Egyptian museum. Having seen some videos on youtube it seems fabulous. Ok, we are here to talk about books, so let's start. November it was ... Read in November Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris Curtain: Poirot's Last Case by Agatha Christie ​A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin​ Utan spår (Without Trace) by Anders Sundkvist Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris After having read three books by him, Harris is becoming one of my favourite authors. I have read An Officer and a Spy about the Dreyfus affair, and V2: A Novel of World War II about the building of V2 and bombing of London. Act of Oblivion is the thrilling story of the hunt for two of the persons who signed the death sentence for Charles I. They managed to fly to the US and the hunt continues for several years. The story is so well built up and it gets more exciting as we near the end. Harris is well researched in history and it is really a pleasure to read his books. Detective stories Neither Agatha Christie nor Josephine Tey need a closer introduction. AC's book is about the last case of Poirot and it was ok, a little bit sad of course. I have followed Poirot for many years, and have also seen the tv-series of this case. JT's story was a little bit slow, but had a surprising ending. A well written account on how the police is working and how to have a break through in the investigation, although it seems hopeless. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin I have wanted to read Giovanni's Room for a long time, but got hold of this partly auto biography. It is a collection of essays where Baldwin explores important topics of his time; race, identity and the Black experience in America. He mixes personal memories with social critique. Baldwin is blending personal memoir with social critique, and reflects on his turbulent relationship with his father. Racism in daily life and how it is to live as a Black man in a segregated society. His analysis are sharp, and he examines how hatred - both personal and societal - shapes individuals and communities. His conclusions is that to understand each other we have to show empathy, and confront injustices. It is a thought worthy book, and although the harsh realities of life he describes is difficult to read, it is all written in wonderful prose. His writings give way to deeper thoughts about how people live and how our lives are so differently shaped. It is also a mirror of the time he lived in. It was written in 1955 and the first edition was not a success. But, already reprinted two years later, it received good reviews. Today, it is considered a classic. I am even more excited now to read Giovanni's Room. Utan spår (Without Trace) by Anders Sundkvist This is Sundkvist's first crime novel and it takes place in Luleå which is in the north of Sweden. "In the June twilight, a shipment of drugs washes up in the Luleå archipelago—a discovery that looks like a windfall for small-time crooks Dagge and Branislav, until it becomes clear the shipment was meant for far more dangerous hands. Detective Demian Vide has traded the pressure of Stockholm for what he hopes will be quieter police work in his hometown. But Luleå offers anything but calm. Tasked with mentoring rookies Khaled and Julia, he soon finds himself in the middle of two thorny investigations: mapping the city’s drug network to learn who lost the shipment, and reopening the troublingly flawed case of journalist Lisa Wegelin, who vanished two years earlier. As the threads tighten, it becomes evident that nothing about these cases is as simple as it seems." It was a very good first try and the crime story was very interesting. Well-built characters add to a good work, and a surprising ending, although I was on the track rather early. Nonfiction November and Novellas in November As you see, no nonfiction read in November, and only Baldwin's novella. I did read a few novellas in October . Under the link a few short posts on those I read. I am still reading these which I hopefully will finish before going away. Thirst for Love by Yukio Mishima (200 pages) Perdu by Paride Rombi (165 pages) Den sista vargen by Laszlo Krasznahorkai (127 pages) My Bookish Corner I will phase out my blog on this link during 2026 and it will be replaced by an e-mail from my Substack book blog. You can find that here: https://mybookishcorner.substack.com/ You can either go in an read the posts on line. In that case say no thank you to subscription and you will find the home page when you enter. The other option is to subscribe and in that case you will receive an e-mail with my post. My Newsletter If you are interested in reading about my trips, history, culture and other things that make life more interesting, please subscribe to The Content Reader Newsletter . When life works well, I publish once a week, on Fridays.

Week 4 is hosted by Rebekah at She Seeks Nonfiction . This week is about Mind Openers. Week 4 (11/17-11/23) Mind Openers:  Nonfiction books are one of the best tools for seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. They allow us to get an idea of the experiences of people of all different ages, races, genders, abilities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, or even just people with different opinions than ours. Is there a book you read this year from a diverse author, or a book that opened your eyes to a perspective that you hadn’t considered? How did it challenge you to think differently? I haven’t read many nonfiction books this year, which is unusual for me. Still, I came across three titles that—if not completely eye-opening—made me reflect on how fragile our world is, how quickly circumstances can change, and how easily everything you take for granted can be lost. Jag såg kärleken och döden (I Saw Love and Death) by Erik Eriksson is a memoir by the Swedish journalist reflecting on his career, especially his years as a foreign correspondent covering the Vietnam War. I stumbled upon the book in a second-hand shop and picked it up as I was preparing for a trip to Vietnam earlier this year. Reading Eriksson’s account of the conflict—its brutality, chaos, and human cost—stood in stark contrast to the peace and natural beauty I encountered in Vietnam today. That contrast made the book even more powerful. It’s clear that what he witnessed left deep and lasting marks, and his reflections offer a sobering reminder of how dramatically a place can change, while the memories of those who lived through its darkest moments remain. The Lost Café Schindler by Meriel Schindler is a deeply personal account of her family’s history. They once owned the renowned Café Schindler in Innsbruck, Austria, a social and cultural hub in its time. Meriel Schindler, the granddaughter of the last owner, grew up in England, far from the world her family left behind. It was only after her father’s death—while sorting through his old photos and papers—that she felt compelled to uncover the full story of her family’s past. The book traces what the café meant to the family, both as a livelihood and as a symbol of identity and belonging. It also lays bare the tragic way they lost it: as Jews in Austria during WWII, they were stripped of the business, their rights, and ultimately their safety. What makes the story a true mind-opener is how it exposes the slow and bureaucratic dealing in destroying a family’s life. It shows how ordinary people—neighbors, officials, even acquaintances—can become complicit in injustice not through dramatic acts, but through silence, convenience, or personal gain. The book reminds readers that war shapes everyday tasks and choices. The small people have nothing to put up against an efficient, and corrupt bureaucracy. Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman tells the gripping true story of the desperate and daring attempts to flee East Germany after the Berlin Wall went up. At the center of the narrative is Joachim Rudolph, a young engineering student who escaped East Germany in 1961 and soon made the extraordinary decision to return—not for himself, but to help others gain their freedom. In 1962, Rudolph and a group of fellow students came up with a plan as bold as it was dangerous: to dig a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall. With escape routes above ground increasingly sealed off and heavily surveilled, the underground became the only remaining path to freedom. Over several months, the group endured exhausting physical labor, constant fear of discovery, and the looming threat of Stasi informants infiltrating their ranks. Their 135-meter tunnel stands as a testament to determination, courage, and human solidarity under an oppressive regime. The mind-opener in this story is not just the tunnel itself, but what it reveals about life under totalitarian control: how fear becomes an everyday tool of the state, how ordinary people can be turned into informants, and how the simplest freedoms—movement, speech, trust—can vanish almost overnight. The book forces readers to consider how fragile freedom can be, and how extraordinary the bravery of those who risk everything to reclaim it.

Thank you to Emma @ Word and Peace for hosting this popular challenge. I usually try to do a French dinner if I have time. This year it coincided with the 65th birthday of my husband, Martin. It was a perfect time to invite a few friends for a French celebration. Here is the 6 course menu de degustation that I made. Dinner with nice friends so it turned out to be a lovely evening. I had to explain how the Paris in July challenge works and I think they were all impressed by our efforts. We had such a nice time, and I was busy preparing the food, so I totally forgot to take a photo of the crowd.

Week 3 (11/10-11/16)   Book Pairings:  This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it's a historical novel and the real history in a nonfiction version, or a memoir and a novel, or a fiction book you’ve read and you would like recommendations for background reading. Or maybe it’s just two books you feel have a link, whatever they might be. You can be as creative as you like! This week is hosted by Liz at Adventures in reading, running and working from home . I always find this week difficult. Although I do enjoy reading a nonfiction book when I have read a historical fiction novel. I am eager to see how the author handled historical sources. Many years ago I read the book series of Angelique by Sergeanne Golon. It made my fascination for Louis XIV and France history. This year I read Ludvig XIV (Louis XIV) by Andreas Marklund, but I have read several nonfiction books about the Sun King. Always fascinating reading. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris is another book I read recently. Robert Harris has turned out to be one of my favourite authors. He so well captures historical events in his fiction. The novel is about Charles I's killers and how his son, Charles II, pursued the people who signed the death warrant for his father. After having read Harris I am eager to read the historical facts and found two books that covers the lives of Edward Whalley and William Goffe, who managed to escape to America. Charles I's Killers in America: The Lives and Afterlives of Edward Whalley and William Goffe by Matthew Jenkinson The Great Escape of Edward Whalley and William Goffe: Smuggled Through Connecticut by Christopher Pagliuco

Week 2 (11/3-11/9)   Choosing Nonfiction:  There are many topics to choose from when looking for a nonfiction book. For example: Biography, Autobiography, Memoire, Travel, Health, Politics, History, Religion and Spirituality, Science, Art, Medicine, Gardening, Food, Business, Education, Music. Maybe use this week to challenge yourself to pick a genre you wouldn’t normally read? Or stick to what you usually like is also fine. If you are a nonfiction genre newbie, did your choice encourage you to read more? This week is hosted by Frances Spurrier at Volatile Rune .   I am a little bit late in posting due to a three week trip to South Korea and Japan. A fantastic trip and we saw so many nice, varied and interesting things. My blogging has been suffering though, but hope to catch up now that I am at home again. I am an avid nonfiction reader. Most of my TBR books are nonfiction, and most of them cover history. I do like other genres; biographies and memoires, books about religion, and not to forget, books about food. Since we are supposed to challenge ourself this week, I went to my book shelves and choose three books that are a little bit out of my comfort zone, although I find them interesting. They will have to be my reading for November. Carl Michael Bellman (1740–1795) was a Swedish poet, songwriter, and performer, best known for his humorous, vivid, and often bittersweet songs about 18th-century Stockholm. His works blend satire, romance, and realism, featuring memorable characters, drinking culture, and social life. He is considered one of Sweden’s greatest literary figures and a key influence on Scandinavian music and poetry. I have a book with his Dikter i urval (Selected poems). At the end of the book they have printed some of his compositions. Many of his songs are still popular today in Sweden. His poems is another genre for me. I don't often read poetry, but would like to read more, and improve my understanding of this kind of writing. Another book that has been on my shelves for a long time is Augustinus' Confessions . It is a Swedish edition translated by Sven Lidman. I am curious about this classic confessions, and I am not sure if I will manage to understand it. Have any of you read it? What do you think? Last, but not least antoher book I wanted to read for a long time. It is Montaigne's Essais. I see that it is volume 3, but hope that it can be read independantly of the other two volumes. On the back of the book it says that it may be considered the highlight of the entire work. Together with other challenges like Novellas in November and The Classic Spin, I will be happy if I manage to finish these three. If you are interested in reading about my travels, and other adventures, you can follow me on Substack. It is free and you can unsubscribe at any time. The Content Reader Newsletter Den tillfälliga besökaren