14 books, 3 languages
Novels, love stories and poetry. (en)
Conversations with friends - Sally Rooney
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-now journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Brittany, beginning a complex ménage à quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotional-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
I must have got myself this book about a year ago, when lockdown N.1 was still in full swing and I saw this book online everywhere. I heard a lot about it and really hope it's a good one.
Eleven minutes - Paulo Coelho
'Love is a terrible this that will make you suffer . . .' So says Maria, a young Brazilian girl convinced from an early age that she will never find true love. A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, but the glittering life she hoped for was a fantasy. The reality - selling herself to survive - is a dehumanising grind that pushes her further away from real love, towards a fascination with pure physical pleasure. But when her emotional barriers are tested by a handsome young painter, she must choose between the dark path she is on and risking everything to find her 'inner light'. Can she move beyond the meeting of bodies to a meeting of minds or even souls - to a place where sex itself is sacred?
A few years ago, I read the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and absolutely loved it. When strolling through a second hand section of a lovely bookshop in Echternach, this book by the same author immediately stood out to me. I am not quite sure what to expect but I think it's a good one.
A springtime affair - Katie Fforde
Gilly runs her own B&B business from her much-loved family home, which she doesn't want to part with - at any price. But then she meets handsome estate agent Leo, and soon she begins to wonder whether selling up might not be such a bad idea after all. Meanwhile her daughter Helena, a talented weaver, has become close to her new landlord who's offered to help her at an upcoming craft fair. It's what friends do, and they are just friends. Aren't they? With spring in full bloom, Helena and Gilly begin to ask themselves the same question.
I was never really intrigued to read a book by Katie Fforde, mainly because on german tv you'll see many film adaptations of her books which are mostly super cliché and predictable, until I found one of her books in my mom's bookshelf and out of boredom gave it a go. And honestly, I loved her very detailed and easy writing style. Soon after, I picked up a springtime affair, hoping I'll get a chance to read it in the next couple of weeks.
Love lettering - Kate Clayborn
The thing is, the letters don't always tell me the truth about myself. sometimes they tell me truths about other people. And Reid Sutherland is - was - one of those people.
I got gifted this book for my birthday by a very good friend of mine and while I enjoyed the story itself, I must admit that the starting story is quite slow and the story didn't get me hooked until nearly the end.
Rating 3.5/5
Violet bent backwards over the grass - Lana Del Rey
Violet bent backwards over the grass is the first poetry collection written by Lana Del Rey. I love her music and really enjoyed reading her words too.
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Books about life, anxiety, love, self love and the little things. (de)
Kaffee und Zigaretten - Ferdinand von Schirach
"Damals gab es keine Zeit, so wie es in der Erinnerung keine Zeit ging. Es was nur der Sommer, in dem wir unten am Fluss waren, Forellen fingen, und ich dachte, dass sich nie etwas ändern würde."
I heard a lot about Ferdinand von Schirach and working in the bookstore, people kept ordering his books, so I got myself a copy too and can't wait to find out what the fuss is all about.
Angstphase - Antonia Wille
Antonia Wille leidet seit ihren elften Lebensjahr an einer Angststörung. Auf Klassenfahrten, Partys, Urlaube und so manches Jobangebot musste sie verzichten, weil die Panik ihr den Atem nahm, die Angst sie krank machte. Die meiste Zeit kämpfte sie Gege die Angst an, ging in die Konfrontation und wurde doch immer wieder zurückgeworfen. Warum es ihr heute besser geht, wie sie meistens problemlos ihren Alltag meistert und weshalb sie manchmal lieber verzichtet, als ihre Panik zu überwinden, erklärt sie in diesem Buch, das zugleich ihr Coming-out als Angstkranke ist. Offen, ehrlich und humorvoll teilt die Journalistin und Bloggerin ihre Erfahrungen, gibt wertvolle Tipps und spendet entlastende Worte für andere Betroffene.
I am a quite anxious person, which is one of the reasons why i picked up this one. It's a personal book about anxiety and how to live with an anxiety disorder. I don't know if it's any good, but once i good my nose a little further into the book, I'll let you know.
Es ist okay - Angela Doe
Es ist okay, an sich selbst zu zweifeln. Es ist okay, nicht zu wissen, was man will. Du bist okay so wie du bist. Mit all deinen Ängsten, Unsicherheiten und Träumen. Denn Selbstfindung ist eine Lebensaufgabe und keine Checkliste, die man bis Ende zwanzig abgearbeitet haben muss. Diese wichtige Erkenntnis musste sich Angela Doe erst erkämpfen. Stück für Stück lernte sie, ihren Körper und das Leben zu lieben. In ihrem Buch erzählt sie von diesem Weg und ermutigt dazu, aus dem eigenen Herzen heraus zu leben und zu handeln und sein Leben so zu gestalten, wie man selbst es als richtig empfindet.
Es ist okay by Angela Doe is a very special book for me. I got it for Christmas and while I didn’t know the author before, it's been a while since a book touched me that much. It's a very honest and personal book that helped me a lot over the last few weeks. A recommendation for sure!
Rating: 5/5
zweit. nah - Lina Mallon
"Ich weiss, wie ich lieben will, wer ich sein will, wenn ich liebe. Aber wie soll die Beziehung sein, in der ich liebe?"
In my quarantine reading list article (here), I wrote about Lina Mallon's first book which I was really excited about and well let me tell you, it was one on my favourite reads of 2020, so I obviously couldn’t resist getting her second one.
Super, und dir? - Katrin Weßling
Marlene Beckmann ist 31 Jahre alt und lebt das Leben, das sie sich gewünscht hat. Auf die Frage, wie es hier geht, antwortet sie meistens: "Super, und dir?" Marlene hat sich äußerlich im Griff. Bis sie ihren ersten richtigen Job als Social-Media-Managerin in einem multinationalen Unternehmen antritt. Bis sie vor lauter Überstunden kein Privatleben mehr hat. Bis der Druck schließlich zu groß wird...
This book is one I stumbled upon while browsing through the world wide web. I was quite intrigued by the blurb as I think it's very common nowadays to just keep our emotions to ourselves and to feel like we don't match the perfect version of people we see on social media daily.
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Inspirational self-help books and classic fairy tales with a twist. (fr)
Les quatre accords toltèques - Don Miguel Ruiz
The four agreements (Les quatre accords toltèques) is the best selling book by Don Miguel Ruiz. I heard good and critical opinions of his beliefs and I am excited to find out if I can take something from it.
Ta deuxième vie commence quand tu comprends que tu n'en as qu'une - Raphaëlle Giordano
Camille, trente-huit ans et quart, a tout, semble-t-il, pour être heureuse. Alors pourquoi a-t-elle l'impression que le bonheur lui a glissé entre les doigts? Tout ce qu'elle veut, c'est retrouver le chemin de la joie et l'épanouissement. Quand Claude, routinologue, lui propose un accompagnement original pour l'y aider, elle n'hésite pas longtemps: elle fonce et repart à la conquête de ses rêves...
Spending quite some time rearranging the books in the comic section, I came around the illustrated version of this book a few times. I was mainly intrigued by the title, so when I found out it was based on a self-help book, I obviously had to get myself a copy.
C'est l'heure des contes - Gérard Jugnot
Comment être... Un méchant loup carnassier à l'heure de la mode vegan? Une princesse jeune et naïve après #metoo? Un rat des champs gavé despesticides?
Working in a bookstore, you really do get inspired to buy books up on recommendation by your customers and work colleagues. C'est l'heure des contes is one of those books I wouldn’t have picked up if it wasn't for my work colleagues that couldn’t stop laughing while recommending each other the book. It's super easy going and a nice book for in between that does make you laugh and could pass as a nice gift too.
Mange, prie, aime - Elizabeth Gilbert
À trente et un ans, Elizabeth possède tout ce qu'une femme peut souhaiter: un mari dévoué, une belle maison, une carrière prometteuse. Pourtant, elle est rongée par l'angoisse et le doute. Un divorce, une dépression et une liaison désastreuse la laissent encore plus désemparée. Elle décide alors de tout plaquer pour partir seule sillonner le monde! En Italie, elle goûte aux délices de la dolce vita et prend les "douze kilos les plus heureux de sa vie"; en Inde, ashram et rigueur ascétique l'aident à discipliner son esprit et, en Indonésie, elle cherche à réconcilier son corps et sone âme pour trouver cet équilibre qu'on appelle le bonheur... Qui n'a jamais rêvé de changer de vie?
Last but not least, we have mange, prie, aime, also known as eat, pray, love in english. After watching the movie over and over again, I finally decided to read the book. We already had the french version at home, so I didn't had to get a new copy, but would have picked up the english one as I prefer to read books in their published language.
Rating: 5/5
And that's it, my current reading list. What are you currently reading?
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