Spring has arrived with its spectacular display of blossom trees, and the excited chatter of birds that have found new supplies of nectar and insects. The wardrobe changeover has occurred, and I am wondering where to store all the winter jackets for 6 months.
I've been reflecting on the dramatically different four seasons that we have experienced in Luxembourg and how there is always something to look forward to. Maybe that is why they like to celebrate each season with some kind of fair. The latest was the May Fest - mostly a chance to eat and drink local specialities and buy trinkets.
Spring also seems like a good time to reflect on the books I've been reading. A few years ago I made a rule for myself that for every fictional story, I would read at least one work of non-fiction. We brought a few books with us and when we arrived here, the previous tenants had left a whole case of books for us, which was thoughful as it is not easy to buy books in english here (Amazon UK is our best source). So here are my views on few that I have read since we arrived:
Spring also seems like a good time to reflect on the books I've been reading. A few years ago I made a rule for myself that for every fictional story, I would read at least one work of non-fiction. We brought a few books with us and when we arrived here, the previous tenants had left a whole case of books for us, which was thoughful as it is not easy to buy books in english here (Amazon UK is our best source). So here are my views on few that I have read since we arrived:
Alpha Beta by John Man
An average read, with some interesting info on where the modern alphabet came from (the Etruscans in Italy)
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
This was a book that Phil read years ago, and his recommendation to read it was a good one. I really enjoyed this story about Galileo's life, with personal insights largely taken from letters between him and his daughter who was cloistered in a convent. We have just been watching a documentary on the inquisition, and combined with our travels, we are starting to understand the deep links between politics, science and religion in Europe. Galileo was censured for suggesting that the earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around....
This was a book that Phil read years ago, and his recommendation to read it was a good one. I really enjoyed this story about Galileo's life, with personal insights largely taken from letters between him and his daughter who was cloistered in a convent. We have just been watching a documentary on the inquisition, and combined with our travels, we are starting to understand the deep links between politics, science and religion in Europe. Galileo was censured for suggesting that the earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around....
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
This was one off the shelf, and surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. The context was the revolution in Iran. A group of women meet secretly with a female professor to discuss books, and also their lives affected by the revolution. I am no literary buff, but I think I learned a thing or two about literature, as well as about people living under restraint and persecution.
The Man who loved China by Simon Winchester
This guy writes good books. This one is the biography of an english scientist, Joseph Needham, who passionately decided to document all he could about the history of science and technology in China. Both interesting and enjoyable.
Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite Van Geldermalsen.
This was a delightful book written by a dutch/NZ woman who fell in love while visiting the village of Petra in Jordan. She married a Bedouin and moved into his cave. It was a fascinating true story that reminded me of some of the rougher experiences I have had in less developed countries, and that people are cut from all kinds of different cloths.
On the fiction side of the list, I've tried out a number of new novelists from the book shelf including Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, MaryHiggins Clark, Dean Kootz and Lee Child. All of these are quite readable, but I quite fancy Daniel Silva and read his 'Moscow Rules' last year.
I'm always open to good book recommendations, so please let me know if you have any!
