I gave this to my daughter for Christmas but had to buy myself another copy after I started reading it. It‘s revealing about what women did in the war and what they still thought about (haircuts, clean clothes). But it‘s rather Soviet in style (or perhaps women still framed their memories in a Soviet way). I preferred Night of Stone by Catherine Merridale.

The description provided is simply wrong. It‘s a classic written by LaoTzu (at least that‘s what we believe). This is an English version by an accomplished writer, who does not understand Chinese. Her version is a recasting of it for modern times, without the male-only authority.

Looking forward to comparing it with my other versions.

Also mine has a quite different cover.

Instead the evidence is to be ‘believed‘ or ‘denied‘ as if the scientific papers are so many Lutheran creeds pinned to a door.

I haven‘t seen the film, but I must have seen the trailer for it,because there were no surprises in the book. It‘s ghost written, but once you know the story the book doesn‘t actually add much.

Read half of this when doing my anthropology masters, and now reading it again. It‘s about Holocaust survivors and their children visiting and revisiting Czernowitz, a city that now exists only in memory, although I visited the town of Chernivtsy 20 years ago.

A bit weird reading it on a long weekend in Athens, revisiting a place I used to live, 15 years ago. When I look up from the book, not sure where I really am. #memoirs #holocaust

I didn‘t remember this well, so it was nice to reread. More serious than I remember as well. Interesting and reflective on the problems of being an escaped prisoner of war, dependent on the willingness of ordinary people to provide food and shelter.

This is a very interesting book by the so-called ‘companion‘ of Peter Fleming on his journey through Turkestan in the 30s (see the book publishers blurb. Actually Maillart is an experienced explorer and traveller in her own right, which makes her book an interesting comparison with his, particularly as I dont think she is ever mentioned in his book. #twolives #travel #memoirs

Actually this is one of the few books, where both people on a life/journey have written about their experiences. Paired with Ella Maillart‘s Forbidden Journey. #twolives #travel #memoirs

I‘m rereading this after my writing group suggested it as a model for how memoirs are written. I always thought it more as travel writing like his other books. Actually I liked his wife‘s book better, last time I read them both. It will be interesting to see what I think after rereading them both now. #travel #memoirs

Not many books where two people have written about the same life/journey with their own different point of view. #twolives

I didn‘t enjoy this as much as the others by him that I just reread. Perhaps it‘s a bit long. Perhaps it‘s the book itself, old with brown pages falling out of the binding. I must have got it secondhand unlike the other books. Now it‘s a bit unloved. Perhaps I just read too many at once, and got bored.

A good explanation of the difference between intra and inter variation. Or why racial profiling is not good. #cats #feminism.

One of my favourite disappearing books, which you have to read if you go the Caucasus.

I had to add this as to the stack “to read”, although it is a re-read. Whenever I move and have to unpack my books again, I find so many old friends I had forgotten about. I try to tag them in LibraryThing, so I remember to actually do it, but generally I forget.

I seem to be rereading crime mostly this year. #reread

Sorry have lost your comment about travel. Still finding my way round Litsy.

Of course I remember you, as Goodreads is sending me your updates, even though I haven‘t updated mine for ages. That‘s how I found this book. I really like Élif Shafak. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I got started, but found the beginning antisemitic and anti- almost everyone else, a bit disturbing. Eventually I realised it was just some typical attitudes at the time. But somehow it didn‘t encourage me to carry on, although the plot was very interesting about two people who seemed to inhabit each other‘s lives. Or one split identity. Perhaps curiosity will make me eventually go back to find out more.

This is one of favourite books. But it‘s also one of the books that I frequently have to replace. It seems I lend it and people never give it me back.

Anyone have a sensible and polite way to remember who has got the book? Of course I could note on LibraryThing, but it seems rude to do it in front of them, and then it seems I must always forget to do it.

I was surprised to find I hadn‘t ever read this book, chosen by my Bookclub. I suppose I was put off by the image of Audrey Hepburn in little black dress and pearls, from the film. I imagined it was an early form of chick lit. Nothing could be further from it. The writing reminded me of Raymond Chandler so I shall have to read his books again. My only complaint about the book, is the story is too short.