“A baby was like a revolution, Grigori thought: you could start one, but you could not control how it would turn out.”
(Image from Madras shoppe)
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“A baby was like a revolution, Grigori thought: you could start one, but you could not control how it would turn out.”
(Image from Madras shoppe)
pickA comprehensive historical account of the history of the Kievan Rus, the Muscovite period, the Russian Empire, and the USSR.
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be perfectly happy?”
Today, in Catalonia, we celebrate La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George‘s Day). People give each other books and roses. Barcelona is full of books and roses stalls.
Happy Diada de Sant Jordi to everyone and especially to my favourite group of readers: @Lovelylottereader @Sharv_Sona @AnnaSummer7 Amelia, Jamie, Dhra, and Camilla 📚🌹❤️
(Image: iStock)
“Las instituciones internacionales de investigaciones económicas están constantemente sirviendo datos (…); como, por ejemplo, el célebre índice “Big Mac”, que considera más próspero un país cuanto más caro cuesta un bocadillo en el McDonald‘s. En cambio, para evaluar la situación de los derechos humanos, los analistas observan el precio al que se vende el kaláshnikov. Cuanto más barata sea la metralleta, más se violan los derechos humanos.”
pickLet Eisner‘s words review the book:
“I began to produce graphic novels with themes of Jewish ethnicity and the prejudice Jews still face. (…) Upon examining the illustrations of the original editions of ‘Oliver Twist‘, I found an unquestionable example of visual defamation in classic literature. The memory of their awful use by the Nazis in World War II, one hundred years later, added evidence to the persistence of evil stereotyping.” (Eisner)
pickI truly enjoyed the first part of this book. I fell in love with the sweetness and goodness of Klara and I felt very curious about this futuristic society where children are ‘lifted‘. I must say that the story lost power for me and only regained it towards the end. Perhaps, this is exactly how Ishiguro wanted us to feel. @Sharv_Sona the book is yours when you are ready. Image: Scribble Whatever
Food for the soul at the end of the day.
Once again, Ishiguro has captured all my senses in this beautifully written story. @Sharv_Sona I‘m lending you this one as soon as I finish it.
“Do you believe in the human heart? I don‘t mean simply the organ, obviously. I‘m speaking in the poetic sense. The human heart. Do you think there is such a thing? Something that makes each of us special and individual?”
“Until recently, I didn‘t think that humans could choose
loneliness. That there were sometimes forces more powerful than the wish to avoid loneliness.”
Current read 1: “Gomorra”. The textile business and its dark secrets; the drug market, its distribution routes and strategies; the Camorra‘s ways of working and the idiosincrasy of the people of the region where they operate. A truly interesting and disturbing book, especially when one knows that it is all based on true events and the author must live under police protection. I love the immediacy of purchasing eBooks for certain books and topics.
pickMy first book from Zupagrafika, “Panelki”, is a great introduction to the world of prefabricated panel blocks of the Eastern Bloc. I have not constructed my Socialist Prefab Panel Block yet but it looks fun!
pickMy newest hobby is reading about Socialist and Brutalist architecture of the Eastern Bloc, and the publisher, Zupagrafika, based in Poland, has a great collection of works about it. “Concrete Siberia” takes you on a photography journey of the Soviet architecture of Siberian cities like Yakutsk or Norilsk. The book also includes city maps and very interesting explanations.
pickI have just begun to read “Klara and the Sun” and my memories of “Never Let Me Go” have immediately come back. It was the first time that I read Ishiguro‘s work and it made a deep impression on me. I had never read a dystopian novel where love and compassion were so strong and intimate. I greatly enjoyed the film too. I strongly recommend it to my students @Sharv_Sona @Lovelylottereader and @AnnaSummer7
Image from Goodreads
“I don‘t live in either my past or my future. I‘m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you‘ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we‘re living now”
“Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked.
“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure.”
pickSo, I finally reached the Pyramids of Egypt after a delightful journey through the pages of “The Alchemist”. Thank you @Sharv_Sona for inviting me to this exciting and enlightening journey.
Image from World History Encyclopedia
“I want you always to remember me. Will you remember that I existed, and that I stood next to you here like this?”
“What happens when people open their hearts?
They get better.”
pick“Norwegian Wood” is one of the most beautiful and saddest books that I have ever read. I love the author and I have enjoyed each one of his books, but “Norwegian Wood” was the first one that I read, and it has a special place on my Murakami shelf. The film is also beautiful.
(Image from the Iris NYC)
pickUndoubtedly one of my favourite books and authors. “A Tale of Love and Darkness” is the story of a country through the life of the author, Amos Oz. The imagery and the personal stories, together with the narration of the historical events and the appearance of remarkable writers in the story make of this book a unique literary jewel.
pick“The intelligent and outspoken child of radical Marxists, and the great-granddaughter of Iran‘s last emperor, Satrapi bears witness to a history uniquely entwined with the history of her country.” (“Persepolis”, Penguin Random House)
One of my favourite books and historical periods. I reread it a couple of times every year and I enjoy it all the same.
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”
pickWhat happens when a group of young boys find themselves alone and stranded on a deserted island? How do they organise themselves without any adults? Can the innocence of childhood turn into pure violence?
A highly recommended read for any age and a dream of mine to do a theatre adaptation at school. What do you say @Sharv_Sona @Lovelylottereader and @AnnaSummer7 ?
pickSummer reading mornings…my book, the sun and my cat.
“To the End of the Land” by David Grossman, translated into Spanish by my Hebrew Language and Literature professor, Ana Bejarano. An antiwar novel about mother‘s love, grief, compassion and hope.
“Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”
pickUndoubtedly, one of my favourite books by my beloved Oscar Wilde. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a remarkable literary portrait of human vanity in the context of Victorian England. Only Oscar Wilde could depict evil as something beautiful, charming and yet despicable. The film released in 1945 is also highly recommended.
(Image from History Extra)
