Just got back from my first trip to Italy in three years, and I bought ALL the books (including three others that I finished and left in the Airbnb). I figure I‘m saving on international shipping. : ) How many books have you fit in your suitcase?
Just got back from my first trip to Italy in three years, and I bought ALL the books (including three others that I finished and left in the Airbnb). I figure I‘m saving on international shipping. : ) How many books have you fit in your suitcase?
Perfect Saturday evening for sitting outside with a book at dusk. Makes me wish there was a porch here, but the steps to my apartment building will do in a pinch!
I have the tendency to buy books of poetry and then set them aside because, well, 700 pages of 19th-century poetry is a lot. I have several such books sitting half-read on my shelf. But I‘m resolving now (not for the first time) that I will read a little of them every day to try and make some progress. Will it happen? We‘ll see.
Not the most exotic view, but getting a little reading in between classes. I am liking this book. It is a novelized story of the author‘s family, and it really makes me want to go back in time and meet them!
This book has been on my shelf for a while, and I‘m finally getting into it for real. I‘d picked it up and read a couple pages a few times, but I guess I needed the right moment. The title intrigued me (roughly: “family portrait with fat child”), and I love a good female-oriented family saga, so I‘m hoping it‘s good! I believe it has recently been translated into English as well, in case it piques anyone else‘s interest. : )
Taking a break on a walk to read a bit on the bridge. Love this spot, though it‘s a bit steamy out today! Prepping for classes has my brain a little overworked these days, so a good hike and a nice murder mystery are the antidote. : )
pickFor this literary trip to Florence, here‘s a picture from an actual trip there. : ) I liked this book. It‘s a mystery mostly interesting for its setting, 1960s Florence, and Bordelli often engages in the Florentines‘ favorite summer pastime: complaining about the heat and the mosquitoes. The other characters were perhaps more unique than the MC, especially the eccentric inventor working on ways to save rats from poison. I‘m eager to read more!
I‘ve heard mixed reviews about this author, but I‘ve been curious about his books and they were on sale, so I figured I‘d give it a try. Plus a literary trip to 1960s Florence didn‘t sound bad. : )
Stopping by the trail to read a bit... This is a funny, light read (I‘d call it chick lit that is in denial of the fact). Nice beach read for the middle of the woods. : )
Defying the weather reports that are basically saying that if you go outside today you‘ll instantly burst into flames. Hate the heat, but also hate having to stay inside all day.
Rereading this book for the Italian Book Club I organized on #Duolingo - it‘s turning out to be a good pick! It‘s fun, but still very relevant, with lots of interesting things to talk about. Lakhous does a great job creating his characters.
so-so3.5/5
I feel like the concept of this book was better than the actual execution. The killer‘s story was really interesting, but the author just went overboard with the detective‘s personal drama (threat of Alzheimer‘s AND general aging woes AND a traumatic past AND etc.). The dialogue also seemed a little over the top at times. This is a debut novel, and it‘s not without promise, but it didn‘t quite do it for me.
At least the woman on the book cover looks like she‘s staying cool right now...
“It‘s funny to realize after 40 years wearing the same shoes with the foolish disregard of one born in them that they‘re tight. They‘re a size too small and we didn‘t know it. [...] You try to take off the shoes and can no longer walk because that constriction had become part of your gait part of your style of your worldview. Likewise women with a culture made without them against them but that they still love cruelly as one loves one‘s tyrants.”
It‘s HOT back in Virginia, but it feels nice to be out walking outside (with a break for a book, obviously)!
Came back from visiting family to two new books in the mailbox! A very nice thing to discover after a loooong drive! : )
And now for tough choices... Which book to read next? I‘m torn between the murder mystery on the left and the classic on the right. Hmm... (Had to edit because I apparently can‘t tell my left from my right. 🤦♀️)
pick4/5 stars
I was a fan of this book in the end. The author is relatively new to mysteries, but has been getting a lot of attention in Italy. She‘s been compared to Camilleri, but the style seems more like Fred Vargas to me, but with a woman as the main character (yay!). Vanina Guarrasi is likeable and real, and I like that she has a backstory without it taking over the book. I look forward to the next one!
