Somewhere along the river walk we have to leave the river edge to walk the charming streets at Bakklandet, soon though we are back near the river again.
But as I wrote yesterday, today I'll write about books and reading.
Christmas has just started here in Norway. When my American friends undecorate their trees and store away Christmas, the tree here in The House in the Woods is just a few days old, and will still be up till at least the 12th Day of Christmas. Close to the tree is the sofa where I often sit during the days, during the nights with a stack of books close at hand.
I give everybody a book for Christmas, carefully picked, to be sure the book is a right one for the reciever (though so far Marta has been much more interested in the crime I bought for Ingrid's boyfriend than in the Girl With Peal Earring I bought for her.....). And when I say everybody it includes myself....to make sure that I gat a book for Christmas I always buy at least one for myself. A perfect deal, isn't it :-) This year I actually gave myself three books, all by the Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy. I have almost all her books now, and can think of no better way to armchairtravel the world than with her words as my ticket.
So far this Christmas I've travelled the Middle East world with another travel writer though, William Dalrymple and his From the Holy Mountain. My dear friend in India, Carolyn, told me in one of her emails some time ago that to understand the world it is important to try to understand the Middle East, and I am doing as I was told. With the help of old and new travel writers I try to learn as much as possible from this special area of our world. For some reason I seem to concentrate on Syria, and in my Christmas stocking on Christmas morning there were more books......all had Syria as their theme. I might not go there for real any time, well who knows, may be I will.....but nothing prevents me from going there via my books......
Travel writing has been my favorite reading for years, but there are of course other books as well. Every month I try to focus on one artist, one style, one period. Now in December I am enjoying Alphonse Mucha, the artist which was completely unknown to me untill I "discovered" him in Prague a couple of months ago. I bought the book Alphonse Mucha by Sarah Mucha, and enjoy learning more about this Noveau Art artist, this master of posters, and his work.
I have a few ideas for my January theme, but haven't quite decided yet. Any good suggestions?
Marta and I started to read The Hobbit a few days ago. I haven't read it in ages, well, not since the boys were young. What a lovely treat to go back to it, to discover it again, this time together with Marta. Lord of the Rings might be next on our list, but then we'll need ALOT of time.......
I keep tracks of the books I read over in The Blue Bookshelf.Going back to see when I read during 2009 makes me realize that I so easily forget. We started to talk about books around the table a few nights ago, and I could think of so few books that I've actually read lately. I believe this is partly because I read so few of the best sellers, so when people start to talk about them I am often blank. I also read too few Norwegian books, and since most of my friends concentrate on the Norwegian book list, well, I am blank again.......
But reading for me is of course not to follow the lists......but to dream, to travel, to enjoy, to capture words, to discover something new, to relax.
Fiona B, you mentioned children's book yesterday and wrote that you are a little embarrased to tell that those are what you are reading. Oh please don't be. I love children's books, and read alot of them. One of the loveliest gifts this Christmas came in the mail two days before Christmas. A gift from Elizabeth Wix, a blogging friend though several years. She sent me her latest book; Jane and the Essex Serpent. That's the book I plan to start reading today!
Thanks for all the book suggestions in your comments to yesterday's post. I write them all down in a special notebook I have, and who knows, one day I might read just your book :-)
Happy Reading Day!
Here is a link to my other book posts......you have to scroll down quite alot to come to the actually "Booktalk on a Sunday"-posts, but there are alot of other book talks as well.
