Holiday reading

[Sybarite]

The school in the UK are now closed for the summer holiday, and there already seem to be less people at work in the centre of town. Holiday time is upon us.

We've talked about what people are doing for their holidays – but if you're going to do any reading, what are you hoping to read?

[Irene Wilde]

I am going to finish The Dance and then take up Noel Coward's autobiography for the pure pleasure of his company while I'm on holiday.

[fausto]

I only take light reading when I'm on holiday as I never know how much time I will be able to give to reading every days. I'm not quite sure what I will bring with me, but it will probably be La velocidad de las cosas by Rodrigo Fresán and Mundo Maravilloso by Javier Calvo. Maybe something extra, but I doubt I will get much reading-time anyway. I should be back home with a yearning for loads of big books.

[Mirabell]

Say, what about Frésan. I keep seeing a book of his in english translation (kensington gardens, I think) in a used books bookstore round here. any good? as you're contemplating reading him, probably.

and I don't have holidays.

[fausto]

I read and loved Mantra in spite of its shortcomings. Great, fun book.
(for an essay in English: My Own Private Mexico Quarterly Conversation)
Velocidad de las cosas would only be my second one and I haven't read Kensington gardens. Allow me to read Velocidad and I'll get back to you. I doubt someone will pick up the book before you.

[saliotthomas]

I shall be in Paris first and there's a good few book i have been longing to get(if the facking galerie i'm working with deign to pay what the own me,buzzard!)Makine,Marai,and Mishima are the first in line then i bring them to the mountains where i alway have time,life is so slow up there.And the view behind the book is one to take your breath away and give you back your real size and value.The kind of place were you see a car coming from miles.Good book,fresh air,Mum's cooking,long treks,local booze,good friends and the milky way up there....nothing like the star in this place on earth.
Being back in the familly houses is also an occation for pilfer from the book shelves,that's where i'll get Mishima(might give anothers go to Kawabata from the father collection)and leave a few of my own.

[Irene Wilde]

Probably off-topic, but it's funny what makes an ideal holiday fom one person to another. I have a friend who takes off to a Greek Island and spends most of his time sitting on the beach reading. Mr. Thomas is taking off to the mountains for fresh air, family, and natural wonders. For me, trailing my coattails through the streets of a great city is energizing and gets me re-charged. All of them sound great in their way, yet they are very different getaways.

[Mirabell]

For me, trailing my coattails through the streets of a great city is energizing and gets me re-charged.

Same for me.

[Irene Wilde]

Originally Posted by Mirabell

Same for me.

Anything on tap for this summer? In a little over a month I'll be in St. Petersburg! So excited! Just a couple of days, but even so, I'm thrilled. Not that we won't enjoy the other cities on our tour, but being an American who grew up in The Cold War, there's something special about being able to visit Russia.

[saliotthomas]

One learn to love what is in reach.I'd love to go back to greece(not in august so)and i 'm also a big city lover.Finance however cut short any other plan than the mountains.I 'm a good nature personne,give me a ticket to New york,Rio or Bombay and a bag of dow,and i'd be grinning my way through the summer...

[Irene Wilde]

Originally Posted by saliotthomas

One learn to love what is in reach.I'd love to go back to greece(not in august so)and i 'm also a big city lover.Finance however cut short any other plan than the mountains.I 'm a good nature personne,give me a ticket to New york,Rio or Bombay and a bag of dow,and i'd be grinning my way through the summer...

I'm taking The Child to New York next spring. She will be 13 and we'll do the whole shopping spree/makeover girlie thing. Have breakfast outside of Tiffany's and lunch at the Algonquin Hotel. After that, finances will come into play and our wings will be clipped for a couple of years, but then off to Ireland for a Bloom Day not to be forgotten.

Stupidly, I did not begin to travel until I was 40! Now, I budget for it like any other bill I have to pay so my child doesn't suffer the same fate. Of course, if our next President does something about the formerly Almighty Dollar, it would be a lot easier.

[Mirabell]

Originally Posted by Irene Wilde

Anything on tap for this summer? In a little over a month I'll be in St. Petersburg! So excited! Just a couple of days, but even so, I'm thrilled. Not that we won't enjoy the other cities on our tour, but being an American who grew up in The Cold War, there's something special about being able to visit Russia.

I'd so love to visit Moscow again
wouldn't even cost us money for a room
we have a standing invitation from my great-aunt
but not this year. We may crash with friends in Berlin for a few days late this summer but that is probably all
piss-poor students writing thesis, working, and learning for exams don't have holidays.

greet mother russia for me, will you?
i love russia and russian so much.

[Irene Wilde]

I will be sure to pass on your regards.

Will be in Berlin for only one day -- don't think I'll get the reception Sen. Obama got, but that's ok.

[Eric]

Never mind doing a Nabokov about the nostalgics of Mother Russia. Just go and visit, and soak up the atmosphere. Speak to people, and so on.

Both Berlin and Moscow are capitals of crumbled empires (but don't tell the residents that, they may be offended). I've been to the latter city for several days, but my only memory of Berlin was from the 1970s, with railway porters larking about on the Zoologischer Garten railway station as I waited for a train. But I'd like to visit Berlin and Moscow again - as long as I don't bump into Molotov or Ribbentrop on the street.

If I were a pockmarked Georgian seminary student like Yosif Jewgashvili, I'd sentence you all to a month in Berlin and ten years in Moscow, so you could compare the atmosphere. Nowadays, those who want to read Russian newspapers have a plethora available in Germany, as lots of Russians appear to live there. Why, I wonder? Is there anything wrong with Russia?

I started travelling in the womb (Dutch mother; born in England). Then: Finland, Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Netherlands. Some of you must get some exercise.

[Mirabell]

Is there anything wrong with Russia?

Simple. Germany is easily the richer country, indeed one of the richest countries in Europe. If I didn't know what a ghastly country this is, I'd move here, too. But I know, so I aim to get away asap.

[Eric]

Mirabell, we're waiting for your description of your new country of residence. How about Britain? We had a great empire, you know. When the people two generations older than me finally pulled out of the colonies, it all went well for a while. There was a new wind of change and liberation in the air. But now, for instance, Southern Rhodesia isn't what it was. Popeye Smith is dead, but the Hitler Moustache rules our former colony.

I'm waiting for the book "From Bread Basket to Basket Case", which should be out this autumn.

[Mirabell]

yeah I don't think I will ever be happy with my next country of residence, so I'll go where my professional, er, career (fat chance) will lead me. Chances are we'll go to the US. Yay.

[Beth]

Going to the Appalachian mountains in a couple of weeks to spend some time hanging off the pool's edge with a book. Taking Colette, My Mother's House and Sido and Animal's People.

Originally Posted by mirabell

Chances are we'll go to the US. Yay.

Well, yay indeed! Always lovely to have new faces

[Sybarite]

Originally Posted by Irene Wilde

Probably off-topic, but it's funny what makes an ideal holiday fom one person to another. I have a friend who takes off to a Greek Island and spends most of his time sitting on the beach reading. Mr. Thomas is taking off to the mountains for fresh air, family, and natural wonders. For me, trailing my coattails through the streets of a great city is energizing and gets me re-charged. All of them sound great in their way, yet they are very different getaways.

I love cites, Irene, and we were thinking of Barcelona again. But if I go there I won't stop. And I need to stop. So we're going to do something we've never done before and go somewhere that I can just stop and sit and think and read and relax – and we've chosen Collioure in the south of France, just a few kilometres north of the Pyrenees. It's an old fishing village – they don't fish there anymore, but still get the anchovies from Port Vendre, just down the coast. There are two sheds in the town where women fillet the little fish by hand and pop them in oil or salt for sale.

In the early 20th century, the Fauvists (Matisse in particular) discovered the place and decided that it had some of the most wonderful light in the world, so they'd stay and paint. Even now, although it has fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, there are 34 art galleries in the town and you can see artists painting all over the place.

I'm going to take quite a few books with me – at current reading pace I'll shoot through stuff.

[Irene Wilde]

Originally Posted by Sybarite

I love cites, Irene, and we were thinking of Barcelona again. But if I go there I won't stop. And I need to stop. So we're going to do something we've never done before and go somewhere that I can just stop and sit and think and read and relax – and we've chosen Collioure in the south of France, just a few kilometres north of the Pyrenees. It's an old fishing village – they don't fish there anymore, but still get the anchovies from Port Vendre, just down the coast. There are two sheds in the town where women fillet the little fish by hand and pop them in oil or salt for sale.

In the early 20th century, the Fauvists (Matisse in particular) discovered the place and decided that it had some of the most wonderful light in the world, so they'd stay and paint. Even now, although it has fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, there are 34 art galleries in the town and you can see artists painting all over the place.

I'm going to take quite a few books with me – at current reading pace I'll shoot through stuff.

If this were Hell, I'd simply demand pictures, but everyone has manners here, so I'll simply suggest how wonderful it would be to see pictures from your holiday when you get back. (Of course, when I get over to Hell, I'll make my demands anyway.)