Booktalk on a Sunday 26 - A Life with Books

"I bet you loved to read as a girl too?" - Fleur asked me this question after I listed some of my favorite things to do as a girl.

I loved to read as a girl, and I love to read now.

Thinking back to my childhood, some of my strongest memories are about reading - how I found the door to The Borrowers world at the age of eight. How my mother had to hide a book for years after my crying reading the first sentence in a book,"I am an orphan", and she had to explain to me what an orphan is. Spending almost two weeks in hospital when I was 12, during which time my father went to public library almost every day after his workday had finished, to find new books to me (that's when I discovered Mary O'Hara's books about Flicka)

Growing older I spent a winter in Narnia and the next spring wandering around with a hobbit, I spent long days with Kristin Lavransdatter and Olav Audunsøn (both by Sigrid Undset).......and so I can keep on for a long time.

My visit to Uppsala of course included visiting bookstores, an antiquarian where I found a the fifth diary of Anais Nin, another store where I bought a book about Carl von Linné, the son of Uppsala.

Books surrounds me wherever I am. While uploading photos for this post I have Jane Austen's Persuasion on the desk beside me. As I have mentioned earlier it is my goal this winter to reread all Jane Austen's books. I have finished Emma, and Persuasion is next on the list.

I always love to hear about new books and authors, and to listen to what other persons read. What are you reading right now? Which is your all time favorite book?

____________________________________________________

I have a treat for you this week - my choice for Blog of the Week is Charlotte Lyon's house wren studio. Charlotte is a talented artist living in New York. We have a mutual friend near Chicago, and many years ago I got one of Charlotte's books, between friends (you can read more about this if you follow the link) for my birthday from my friend. Shortly afterwards I was going to NY for two weeks, my friend came up from Chicago to meet me, and we hoped to meet Charlotte as well. Things didn't turn out as planned, but a year ago I got a comment in my blog one day from Charlotte. She had discovered my blog by chance and wondered if I was the Britt-Arnhild who knew her friend. I am especially in love with Charlotte's snowmen, and I dream of adding one of them to my snowman collection.

____________________________________________________

Music today..........Let me think about it and I might give you an update a little later. It is still quite early here, we were late home after celebrating the 50th birthday of a dear friend last night, but had to be up early as Terje just left for a work trip to Germany. I will have four friends over for an Italian dinner tonight, so probably I will play some Italian music. May be Roberto Murolo.

_____________________________________________________

The photos are of Marta and her cousin dog Winnie, taken one night in August. And as she still is saving to buy her first digital camera, apprenticing for a photographer career, I have promised her a little money for every comment left :-)