Reading in Reykjavík

I decided it was time to change the name of this blog to something more representative of what it's about. I haven't done a 52 books challenge for several years so the 52 books title was outdated. As you can see, I changed the look of it as well. I finally found a bookish design I liked that didn't require me to stop using the gadgets. I may play around with it a bit in the following days, adjusting colour schemes and background images and so on. Please let me know if you find it difficult to read because of the colours, and any other comments you have about the new look. P.S. Maxine, I didn't reject your comment, it disappeared when I edited the post...

Now I have started reading the Italian chapter. The first story of the chapter that is long enough to fit the reading challenge is one I have read before, but I want to recommend it anyway, as it is fine example of a short story: “ The Falcon ” from The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. (different translation) “Galgano” by Ser Giovanni Fiorentino. Originally from Il Pecorone . A romantic tale about a lovesick swain and his cruel (and married) lady-love. A nice change from the bawdy tales which were so popular at the time. “ The Two Ambassadors ” (to read, scroll down to NOVELLA XXXI) by Franco Sacchetti. Originally from the Novelliero . A short, funny moral tale. Recommended. (different translation) “The Cavalier of Toledo” by Masuccio Salernitano. Originally from Il Novellino . Another romantic tale, in which the lovers are separated by differences in social status. Nicely told. “ Belphagor ” by Niccolo Macchiavelli. A well-known theme from both oral and written literature abo...

I went on a reading spree over the weekend and finished three books, all of which I started and read from cover to cover with only short breaks. One was the Katie MacAlister book I quoted from in the previous post, which turned out to be good, mindless fun, full of steamy sex, violence and hot vampires, and another was a Regency romance by Loretta Chase, Viscount Vagabond , which I enjoyed despite, or perhaps because of, the improbable plot. The last was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society , which makes it 7 books I have finished in the Bibliophilic Book challenge . Not only is it about a book club, but each member of the club has his or her favourite book or author, which they frequently mention. Year published: 2008 Genre: Novel, epistolatory Setting & time: London and Guernsey, Britain, 1946 Writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, Dawsey Adams, telling her about a book he owns that was once in her possession and sparking her curiosity with a men...

Here is the opening line: "Imps?" I blinked in surprise at the completely unexpected question. "I beg your pardon?" "Imps? You are imp removals, ja? " The woman who had answered the buzzer connected to an expensive cream-colored stone building didn't look insane, but how many people meet you at the door by asking if you were there to remove imps? On it goes from there, a wacky, funny, sexy urban fantasy adventure that sometimes reads more like a parody of the genre.

Here is my African entry in the Global Reading Challenge , which marks the halfway point in the challenge for me. The author is South-African and the book takes place during the period of transition in the 1990s when Apartheid ended. I am not knowledgeable enough about the recent history of South Africa to be able to tell if it happens after or shortly before the racial segregation ended, but I am inclined to think it’s before. Although this is a first novel, it was not written by a novice writer – the author had already published poetry and several award-winning plays when he wrote it. Year published: 1995 Genre: Novel Setting & time: South Africa, an unnamed city and a village, 1990s with flashbacks to the 1970s and 80s. Toloki, a homeless man living on the street, has carved out a niche for himself as a professional mourner. Paid by relatives of the deceased, he goes to funerals and grieves for the dead. One day at a funeral he meets Noria, a woman from his home village, w...

Last Friday I posted a tale of how Öxará got its name. Here is another folk tale about the same river: It was believed that the water in the river Öxará would turn to wine for one hour every year. Once upon a time two priests were up and awake in Þingvellir on New Year’s Eve. One was a young man who was writing a sermon for the New Year’s Day mass, and the other was an old man who was keeping his colleague company. Around midnight the young priest had become very thirsty and so he went out with a bottle which he filled with water from the river. But when he came back to his lodgings, he noticed that the water was wine-coloured. Upon tasting it, he found that it was indeed wine, and of good quality too. Both priests had a drink from the bottle and then put it on the windowsill and went on with their work. A short time later they took the bottle, intending to enjoy the wine that was left in the bottle, but all they found was pure and clear water. This greatly surprised them, and was the ...

“ The Last Lesson ” by Alphonse Daudet. A symbolic, emotional tale. A little too saccharine for my taste, but well told and was, at the time of writing, undoubtedly effective for stirring up national pride and keeping alive the anger over a certain historical event. (This seems to be the same translation as the one I read). “ The Fairy Amoureuse ” by Emile Zola. Originally from Tales for Nanon . A Romantic transformation tale that would, in a simpler form, be at home in the Metamorphoses . A nice read, well written but a bit too treacly for my taste. (This seems to be the same translation as the one I read). “ The Substitute ” by François Coppée. A tale of self-sacrifice, well written but clichéd to a modern palate. “Our Lady’s Juggler” by Anatole France. Originally from L’Etui de nacre . A beautifully told miracle tale about the power of faith. (Same translation). “ The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. An excellent moral tale with a twist, beautifully written and does not try t...