Archive for September 2016
August reads
In summer, my reading always picks up. And during holidays, I had the chance to read quite a few books, some of which I really enjoyed. Now that I am back to the daily grind, I decided to take a look back at my August reads and (hopefully) somehow feel as if I’m back on…
Read MoreHollywood on the Lusatian Neisse River: Görlitz, Germany/Zgorzelec, Poland
During a stay in Prague, Czech Republic, we decided to make a day trip to an interesting town partially in Germany, partially in Poland. This architectural gem is called Görlitz in German and Zgorzelec in Polish. You can see the tourist information site here. It may be familiar to many who haven’t yet visited because it is a…
Read MoreI completed my Goodreads Challenge 2016
2016 is not yet over, but a recent burst of enthusiastic summer reading means I’ve wrapped up my Goodreads Reading challenge early. Even if it’s only for fun, always nice to get things in before deadlines. I know some people criticize the Reading challenge, calling it a useless check-list, but I enjoy participating each year. I’ve…
Read MoreWhy I love New York in August
When people ask me what my summer holiday plans are on the years I return home, they tend to look at me oddly. “New York in August? Why? Isn’t it miserably hot?” My family and I try to get back every couple of years for a long holiday in NY, and this is our favorite…
Read MoreBack to school … err.. writing!
‘Tis that time of year. New notebooks and pencils, giving up the freedom of long summer days of unscheduled time and getting that derriere back in the chair to concentrate on putting pen to paper and working once again. Sounds like back to school season, doesn’t it? And, not so strangely, it’s also back-to-writing season for…
Read MoreEtruscan Tuscany in Chiusi
On a trip to Tuscany this past summer, I decided to make a stop in a city I’ve always seen from the highway but have never managed to visit. The area is known for its Etruscan civilization. The ancient city of Clusium, or Clevsim in Etruscan, was one of the most powerful cities in the…
Read MoreBook Review: Fall of Poppies
This series of short stories set during World War I, Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War was bound to be right up my alley. I love short stories and I love historical fiction, and I have a particular weakness for stories set during this time period, an era of marked upheaval as…
Read MoreTennis & more in Abruzzo’s Campo di Giove
My oldest son went to tennis camp in Campo di Giove during the summer, and he loved playing tennis in the cooler mountain air and enjoying walks around the little town of Campo di Giove. Campo di Giove is a small mountain town in the Abruzzo region, with just over 800 inhabitants. It is situated…
Read MoreThe origins of greatness
“Everything important always begins from something trivial.” – Donald Hall A great quote from the American poet Donald Hall. As any student of history knows, many of the greatest wars and tragedies in history were sparked by events that, with the benefit of hindsight, appear trivial and easy to avoid. Likewise for authors. Howard’s End…
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