il était une fois…

Song of the day: Good People by Jack Johnson

Last week I finished a good book so I thought why not tell you as I have done in the past. This one is called A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory. The style is particular and not as easy as the other I like but is really readable by a foreigner. It talks about a boy who has suffered great losses and has seen lots of things in his youth. His past at one point catches him back…. and here come troubles. It is also a book about a boy who thinks a lot about lots of thing and has a certain life philosophy. I would really recommend this book.

Would you have any to recommend me? I am always in search for great books. The only thing is that I read in english since I am here so don’t give me a french author even if we can find some here of course. The only things I read in french are the newspapers (Google news to find the good one with a big preference for Le Monde) and Marianne as my parents have subscribe me for my xmas present.

books, books, and… livres :D

Song of the day: Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

I began a new book this week. It is called A kiss gone bad by Jeff Abbott. I have already read 2 of his books (Fear and Panic). He is good. Not as good as Harlan Coben (I love all his books: crime and great sense of humour) of course or Michael Connelly but he is good.

Last week I read Mo Hayden’s novel Birdman as said in one of my post. This one was terrific. On Saturday, I even bought The Treatment which is the second of hers with the same hero. I am looking forward to reading it. My next buy will be her last: Pig Island that seems superb. Can you believe that? On Saturday we went shopping with a friend and what did we buy? Clothes, shoes, handbag, jewellery, makeup… NO, nothing like this at all. We bought books!!! Unbelievable. But I can’t help it. Once I am at Waterstone’s, I HAVE to buy a book. And with those ‘buy 2, get 1 free’, you always end up buying more than you wanted.

But don’t worry, I am still a girl and I also enjoy buying girls stuff but it depends on the week! And this one wasn’t one!

reading is important

Song of the day: Homeless by Burial

So, how are we today? This blog still looks the same. I have just discovered that if I want to change the layout, I need to pay 15$… I may do it as I am motivated… must be the Happy New Year side effect with everybody making resolutions! What is happening to me? But I am always up to test things except weird food or cocktails as you never know what people hede in it!

Today, my friend Jenny from San Francisco, California asked me this question: why do you think it is important to study literature? She is in Guatemala for a year and is looking for an introduction for her lesson as she will teach literature in a high school to teens who didn’t have school 5 years ago! That is a hard challenge: make them discover and especially like literature when most of them don’t even speak good spanish but only chuj – their mayan regional language…. and I am not sure chuj is a written language. It is like explaining to a peasant in a lost village in my dearest Burgundy why improving the encryption of the financial transactions oven internet is really important! So, What would you answer?

My answer was (as the daughter of a teacher and a bookseller I am (because I am not only a geek you know )):
Before talking about the importance of literature, we must know why reading is so important. Reading helps me forget that it is raining (unfortunately I live in England so God knows I need to forget these almost daily showers at this season of the year), forget that I travel everyday in a overcrowded train to go to my office to work. Reading also makes me live great adventures, makes me cry, scream, travel, meets famous people, live a second more hectic life! Then literature helps me discover better words to explain myself, see that a spanish author from this century and an indian author from the previous have more in common that we would think but that the differences are really interesting to study.

Does it mean anything? Now your turn? what would you say to these boys and gals?

PS: Just in case you ask, I am reading Birdman by Mo Hayder. This author is GREAT. I also read Tokyo and she rocks.