Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: books, dread, fear, Goethe, history, Orlando, terror, Virginia Woolf, Werther
Lately, I have been having quite a lot of time to read, and re-read, books; this is especially true since travelling around means visiting certain bookshops where I can find a variety of works and for good prices. Here are a few I have either picked up now, been reading now, or just plain re-reading old favourites.
My copy had "The Nightmare" on the cover, I think the one pictured above may be the USA version.
A History Of Terror: Fear & Dread Through The Ages by Paul Newman
Wonderfully interesting book. Paul Newman’s witty sense of humour keeps the reading captivating, and everybody can learn something from this book — from well-known facts for those not so initiated in this field, to obscure facts that not even the Devil (excuse the pun) would have dreamt of. The way things have been feared and faced through the centuries is a pattern-prone subject, but this book never gets repetitive when emphasising the similarities between fear in the XXI century and fear 500 years ago, for instance. Recommended read! My favourite chapter is, of course, the one pertaining to the Romantics.
The cover of my copy is *also* different.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Though I have been acquainted with Orlando for a while and Virginia Woolf for longer, I could not help but recommend the book. Orlando’s thousand adventures and ways of thinking are wonderful, and like my friend Maira points out, it is easy to picture a very hot good-looking Orlando. Or, at least, picture Tilda Swinton as Or - lan – do (which in my dictionary means ‘good-looking’ anyways). And by the way, the coloured pieces over there are links, click them for awesomeness.
Wertheeeeer
The Sorrows of Young Werther by J.W. Goethe
Though I have also been aware of Goethe for quite a while, I would also like to seize this opportunity to spam my readers with shameless promotion of this book. It is Goethe! It is pretty boys doing tragic things! It is a book which sparked a fever among youths of the time!
If that does not convince you, I do not know what will.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: daily life, holidays, misc, politics, random, the girl
For so long, I may update more than once today, just to compensate. After all, spending about a week in the same house as your slightly creepy family does make you think quite a lot and puts things into perspective. After the aforementioned week, I spent a few days worrying about university, having lunch with my father and just generally being too lazy to update this.
* 10 Things About Me You Probably Did Not Know
1. I collect scissors
2. I don’t have only one favourite movie, but if I had to choose it would be Bride Of Frankenstein.
3. I collect insects. I do not kill them, I only pick them up after they have died.
4. Sugar with some tea on it is my beverage of choice.
5. My favourite writer is possibly Mary Shelley
6. I love Virginia Woolf
7. I am slightly obsessed with vintage erotic images
8. I want a monocle
9. I am fluent in two languages, and know others to different degrees.
10. My favourite band is T.Rex.
* On Russia and Georgia
I think the media is doing a lousy job. Two sides, two versions, but do not try to convince me that in the middle of all this mess there was not one impartial observer (a Swiss?). Until I have facts I’ll remain Switzerland-like, honestly. The Internet is being flooded by posts from people on the two sides, each blaming each other. What I think about all this is: a debate would be so much more helpful, and less harmful to children who have no clue what is going on.
* On house-hunting
House-hunting is the biggest woe in the history of mankind, after bee stings. I literally spent HOURS browsing for houses online to visit in person, and out of the [insert ludicruous amount here] I found only a handful, if that many. Not that I am picky, but honestly — well located houses with bathrooms that look acceptable are terribly hard to come across.
