Finally Enjoying My Kindle.

 A good book helps.

I have always wanted a kindle and finally got one several months ago. Under the premise that I could make use of the Amazon Kindle Library, but sadly that didn't work out. Amazon insists on a credit card despite us having deposited the money into their account, they won't budge. Neither will I. So, no library and the kindle sat sadly on the sidelines of old fashioned paper and ink invasion in our house, waiting. Books, can't get enough of them.

So, the other day I happened upon a review of a thriller that seemed to take the world by storm. Alex Michaelides-The Silent Patient. Upon perusing the online portal I saw that the kindle version was extremely cheap and then and there downloaded it unto the kindle.

Well, I have been reading almost non-stop. The book is fabulous, thrilling and un-put-downable. Holding the kindle feels good and the writing is clear and highly readable. The infamous middle age eye adjustment has landed on my shore too and often reading a paper book, means extending arms or squinting lids. Not always comfortable.

An added bonus, although to be honest that was the main reason of purchasing this reading device, is that it lights up perfectly in a dark room. Reading in bed last night was easy. No light bothering my dear hubby, no page turning keeping him from slumber and no heavy weight of a book threatening to drop onto my face. The kindle is light as a feather and even Mausi was pleased to not be blinded by the reading lamp.

The only negative is of course the lack of a physical book to display on our bookshelf, to be taken out whenever the mood strikes. But, may that be the worst of my problems...

Kindle, thank you for a fantastic way to read during a sleepless night.

Biggi

A Postal Story.

Following the yellow van.

Books are on the card or rather on route. Divine stories contained between covers are coming our way. Yeah, both of us are elated at the prospect of having the choice of delving into some else's life. Is there anything better than to live vicariously through the eyes of another?

With this modern technology Bob was notified that the books would arrive today which of course prompted him to waylay this information to his wife:

" Honey, the books are arriving today. Try and be there when the postman brings them. "

Missing him means a note in the postbox and a day's delay. I was out at a lesson until eleven and then had to go to fetch curtains from the seamstress which meant that I would miss Günther, the postman. Yikes, I had to make a plan and it was so daring that I felt like that policeman in the new series I have discovered. I drove about the village in search of the yellow van and it did not take me long to find him.

I parked opposite his car ( which was devoid of him ) and waited. A few minutes to no avail. There was nothing for it but to drive off to the seamstress at speed in order to be back when he would knock on our door. Ten minutes later I drove home and lo and behold he wasn't yet at our house but one a few in front of ours.

In true village style and I say that because I wasn't the only one to do it, I stopped behind him ( in the middle of the road too ) and waited until he had delivered the post in order to catch his eye. A shrug and hand signal from me got a similar reply from him. Nothing for us today. Oh dear, I felt quite bad for having cornered our postman like that, but on the other hand I felt rather pleased that he knew who I was and more importantly remembered that there wasn't a parcel for us today...EQ beats IQ every time.

Biggi

For The Love Of Reading.

Different methods of devouring books.

Just now I was contemplating life while looking at our overfilled bookshelves and sent a silent thank you to the powers that be for infusing me with a never ending love of reading and the ability to read.

Books are our treasures and pleasures. Whereas others fall prey to boutiques and clothing emporiums, Bob and I are wholeheartedly enslaved with anything to do with books and thus spend any spare dosh on new fodder for our minds. Prayers do work because back when I was single I wished for a boyfriend who loved reading as much as me!

So there I was regarding our books when I noticed one I hadn't read. We are also fortunate enough to have friends who bring us second hand books and it seems that Bob was to quick to file it away. Yes, he likes his order and woe be me if I put a book back in the wrong place. Trouble is that I forget where I took it from and have decided to leave them lying about, knowing that Bob can't resist. Works every time.

Do you also have a method to reading or am I the only one? First I read everything of an author and if that comes to a close then I continue with the same genre. Somehow I am stuck on murder and mayhem with the odd romance to clear the fear. At times such as now I mentally transplant myself to countries such as Sweden ( Camilla Läckberg ) or Norway (Jo Nesbo) and live vicariously through the author's stroke of a pen. The gist of reading, isn't it?

The queen of murder started me off on my love of this genre when I was a teenager. Even now I think back with such nostalgia and pleasure at having read my way through all of Agatha Christie's books. More than once too and it won't be long before I revisit St. Mary's Meade for a soothing slice of English country life...

Biggi

A Year In Time.

At the moment I am reading a most insightful and delightful book about a year in time. The year being 1913, with little notes and anecdotes about artists and personalities of the moment... Proust, Puccini, Kafka, Rilke to name but a few. Florian Illies - 1913 A wonderful read indeed.

Naturally one paints a mental scene of the various anecdotes and even though our generation deems everything before the invention of the internet to be old, boring and has been, this book reminded me that life over a century ago was just as normal, mad or creative as it is today. In fact, when one considers that most literary classics, paintings and poetry were created by candle light with mere pen and paper a new found admiration sets in.

How would our great grandchildren describe a year in our life, a year we were creative? I can see the title now...2019. Will it have more to show for our lives than online creation and inventions? Will they talk about Instagram stars, YouTube millionaires or outrageous coiffed politicians? Artists, novelists and thespians would feature too but perhaps not with those groundbreaking works in toe that the 1913 generation had.

Reading about the everyday struggles of artists before they became the household name they are today was priceless...imagine the irony that back then they were worried about making ends meet when decades later their works would trade for millions, books would be reprinted endlessly and musicals performed constantly. Let us hope that 2019 will make for interesting reading in the future.

Some novels published in 1913:

• Edith Wharton- The Custom of the Country
• P.G. Wodehouse - The Little Nugget
• D.H. Lawrence - Sons and Lovers
• Joseph Conrad - Chance
• Beatrix Potter - The Tale of Pigling Bland

Biggi

Looking For A Yellow Van In Eisenberg.

The lure of books was just too great to wait.

The only items we do order from the Amazon giant are books. Monday was the day we placed our order, which in itself is not easy as the choices are endless, and straightaway we were told that they would arrive on Thursday, today. Like children we had been counting sleeps and were planning our day around the arrival of these books.

For a while we've been needing to get more light bulbs but as they are so ' green ', they are a pain to replace. Hardly any shop carries them, so Bob wanted to run through to Güssing this morning. But, we also wanted those books; Mohammed won't come to the mountain than the mountain will come to him...I have more or less memorized our postman's route and his routine, so at a quarter to eleven The Bobster and I were driving up and down the various side roads of Eisenberg but to no avail. Where on earth was he? A cup of coffee somewhere or had we been driving parallel to him?

Bob was getting impatient so we stopped at Kainz's ( a place where the postman definitely stops during lunch ) and asked if they knew where the postman was as well as telling our woe to old lady Kainz. She, was quick and astute:

" When he comes in at lunchtime, I'll ask him to leave the parcel for you here in the shop. "

Still a bit undecided we chose to drive home ( via all roads ! ) and wait until after two before going shopping. With each and every car that drove past our house I chased Bob outside to see if it was the man in yellow, but no luck.

When we left at half past two, we planned to drop in at Kainz's to see if a parcel was there but on the way we spotted the yellow van. Yeah!!! We double parked behind him, I jumped out to run towards him when he grinned, waved and shouted:

" Hi, I already left your parcel at Kainz's. It is waiting for you. "

Oh, I was so happy I did a little dance of joy, thanked him profusely and skipped back into the car to tell Bob. Both grinning from ear to ear we drove to pick up our parcel, thanking old lady Kainz a few times over and drove off shopping while dreaming of delving into the adventures contained within our new books.

Biggi

Better Late Than Never.

Discovering the sheer joy of hankering down with a Lee Child thriller.

Bob was the first to read it as it was on the list of books he'd ordered over Christmas. Apart from his love of sci-fi and fantasy, we more or less can read the same books although he draws the line at my historical romances. Who can blame the man...

Last weekend Bob only emerged from the covers of this Lee Child thriller to eat or have a shower. It had been a long time since a book has drawn him in like that and last night, as I was off to bed I noticed the well thumbed book on the bookshelf and managed to read the first few paragraphs before dropping off to sleep.

This morning I deemed the roads to be too icy for a walk knowing full and well that I had a couch and book waiting for me. Is there anything nicer than dawdling a Sunday morning away reading, eating and drinking tea? Not all books can or should be high prose and reading a contemporary thriller is exactly what's needed to blend out all the blah blah happening on the news.

A novel with a strong main character, even better that Jack Reacher is a man in uniform, is pure entertainment gold. In a way it is quite nice that I've discovered this author so late because now I don't have to wait for each new book to be released.

Isn't it fantastic that there are over twenty Jack Reacher novels waiting to be read by Bob and I? An indulgence beyond words for any bibliophile and as of today Lee Child has gained two more devoted readers.

Biggi

Ah, For The Love Of Reading...

My faith in the next generation of readers is restored.

On Thursday they came to pick up our donation for the tombola prizes. This afternoon was and probably still is the annual children's fancy dress party and I can imagine the roof of the venue being screeched off numerous times with the ever popular musical chairs game plus the mere fact that the kindergarten & primary school crew resplendent as witches, vampires, cowboys, cops & robbers has to be vocal and entertaining.

Bob and I decided to give three books as our donation, and we had a ball trying to find them in Oberwart. Gosh, it was like delving back into my childhood seeing some of the books on offer. Who didn't love stories set in a boarding school preferably complete with a stable of horses?

It can be quite tricky finding the right book not knowing who will end up with it. A reader or an iphoner? Never mind, we took a gamble that it might be a well received prize!!

Back to Thursday. The young girls came along with their mums and instead of knocking on the door I noticed a small face pressed against the window. Cute. I had the books ready in a packet and went out to hand it over.

" Sorry, we didn't wrap them. I hope that's okay? "

Before one of the mums could answer, the slightly older of the girls ( about 7 ) took the packet and excitedly delved into it. As she saw what we had bought, she was besides herself with giddiness...

" Oh mum look, books! I want to read these books. "

I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that. A girl who loves reading as much as we do. Lately I've encountered teenagers who only read text books because they have to and who don't see the point of reading for pleasure which is hard for me to comprehend. Thus, seeing those eyes light up at the sight of three books did me the world of good and has restored my faith in the next generation...

Biggi

Thomas Bernhard, Discovering A New Author.

For the love of reading...

Admittedly, I am not so fond of reading in German but after this sojourn into eminent Austrian literature things might change. As with anything worthwhile I came to read my first Thomas Bernhard book the round about way.

A friend and I were discussing the various merits of authors and books when she happened to mention him. Mention him with reverence akin to homage. My appetite was piqued. Who might inspire so much praise and the more she told me of his character the more keen I became to meet him through one of his books.

An author of controversy, a playwright who had had a protest outside the theater due to the sharpness of his wit flowing effortlessly from his pen resulting in some rather uncomfortable introspection. He died almost thirty years ago but had decreed for none of his plays to be performed in Austria.

After hearing of him on Monday, I went to visit another friend on Wednesday, a friend who also loves to read, and told her about my next literary excursion.

" Oh wait, I think I have one of his books somewhere. "

and just like that I was lent a book of Thomas Bernhard.

An autobiography of the adventures and misadventures met around each literary price received. Absolutely divine to read, wonderful to get a feel of his acerbic wit and description of the various characters that one encounters in life.

Thomas Bernhard ( 1931-1989 )...Meine Preise (suhrkamp taschenbuch)

Biggi

The New Realm Of Bob.

A box set of adventure.

Only last year Bob had fallen for the Game of Thrones series and was incommunicado whilst watching them. Even tempting him with ice cream, chips or chocolate didn't budge him from watching this series.

Last week, we both ordered a round of books as a treat and like true modern couple we each had the same amount to spend. Bob decided on a box set of the Game of Thrones novels and I for a mix of crime and romance. Although, Bob keeps telling me snippets of his books and they seem to have everything in it...murder, romance, adventure and fun .

Bob's books arrived on Friday and as any bibliophile will understand, he was in heaven when he saw five books of almost 900 pages each. Adventures that never end...Luckily he was on a weeks leave and started the first book in the afternoon and apart from supper he read most of the day and even night.

Today being Tuesday, I don't have to tell you that Bob's been very quiet all weekend as he had entered the fictional kingdom of his novels. Yesterday afternoon I had a great idea of how to get his attention.

" My lord, would you like a cup of tea? "

Honestly, I'm not one to offer making teas all day long and thus I don't know if he responded because I addressed him in this fashion or because I offered to make tea.

You know, there's nothing nicer than being with someone who also loves reading and understands why we disappear inside the covers of a good book for hours on end.

Biggi

Feeling Slightly British...

You are what you read...

There is nothing nicer than if your other, better or younger half also loves reading and conversely, it is a tad difficult if they don't. As I've had a relationship once where he didn't see the point of reading, the first thing I asked Bob when we met, was if he liked reading...and the rest is history!

Once either of our noses are stuck in a book the other doesn't get offended when answers are terse, leaning towards non existent. Sign language comes to the fore and nods coupled with grunts suffice.

What I've noticed recently is that Bob, as soon as I turn on the sign language, picks up his book and reads on the other couch. Rather quaint and fitting in winter with the roar of the oven being the only noise and our Mausi having a pick of two delightful laps to snuggle on. In fact, she's rather fond of books too as she rubs her little face in ecstasy against the cover.

The most used and useful hand signal in our marriage is the Rock Paper Scissors decision as it magically gets cups of tea, dinners and dishes made. I fear that we look like a couple of extras in Flintstones when we sit, grunt and make fists...

Christmas has been jolly kind to us and we've stepped out and ordered a few books. Cunningly, I let Bob order from his stash first, knowing I'd have plenty of material to read after he's read them. The only fear when he ordered was that the fantasy genre would take center stage ( really not my thing ) but luckily he is on a mystery, thriller bender and thus a murderous feast awaits me.

My new favourite British city is Brighton...oh yes, Peter James has me glued to the goings on there. Goodness me, but he is addictive. Bob's slavilshly following Lynda La Plante and that has both of us feeling British.

Yesterday I got home late from extra lessons and how divine to be greeted by the aroma of baking wafting throughout the house...Bob had made a batch of scones, which we both love. He later admitted to feeling a bit let down as their wasn't any cream to whip up and plum and red wine jam had to suffice for the strawberry variety he loves. Ah, the good life...!

Biggi

Bob Makes A Bookshelf For Us.

Drilling, measuring, hammering with the odd curses thrown into it.

The two of us come with books. Books, an indelible spirit of adventure and not much else came with us to Burgenland. Even though our house is big with many outbuildings, we had a lack of shelving.

A while ago we bought two large plastic containers, filled them full of books and stashed the whole lot in our eloquently named Summer Kitchen ...who knows, someday not to far off, Bob might drill and hammer to make it into a tiny library. A chimney is in there already, and coupled with an old leather chair, it might be the best place to devour books.

Last Saturday Bob made us go to town in order to purchase the bits and "bobs" needed to make a bookshelf. Wondering to myself if and when he would assemble them, I merely nodded along to his suggestions. When he started to measure and drill on Wednesday morning, I sat meekly on the couch, watching him and more importantly, not saying words resembling suggestions or objections...as one is wont to do as a wife!

Once or twice a choice word was dropped, but not more than other men would have done. But, he really enjoyed the work involved and the last part of it was his favourite. Bob likes method and order, the main reasons why he was in his element stacking the bookshelf with our treasures.

Bob has got the memory of an elephant and was walking from one side of our house to the other, in order to collect books by the same author. Actually, both of us are serial readers and support authors with fervour ( oh yes, Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer are vying for space on the top shelf ).

At one stage he accused me of giving one of his books to Goodwill, in the same manner that I had disposed of his tight leather pants...oh no, not the Austrian type, but the Ross Gellar- Friends type. Luckily I remembered the plastic boxes in the Summer Kitchen just in time, because honestly, I wondered if I had given some of his books away.

Anyway, I am pleased as punch with our new bookshelves and so proud that Bob put them up. Fantastic, Schatzi.

The first of two shelves made by Bob. Brilliant, I love it.

Biggi

" There Is Just No Time To Read. "

A bit of a red flag for this book lover...

Ingenuity makes time:

• The obvious is naturally in the sacred chamber; ie the bathroom. A room where often reading is the first order of business!
• At the kitchen table while awaiting for the water to boil for pasta, tea or anything else.
• During those incredibly long TV commercials.
• Waking up half an hour earlier to finish a chapter.
• While waiting anywhere, be it at the doctors, dentist or coffee shop.
• After bedtime, reading with a torch under the blanket ( my fond memories of finishing the Famous Five while still a very young Mädchen ).
• Turning off the television and just reading.
• Taking the book to work / school and using every bit of available break time to read pages. Once a book has taken hold of your reality and mingled it with its, any and every sentence sneaked in is a bonus.
• Becoming a library monitor at school and having the best of both...choosing good books and being able to read them there in the guise of work.
• Inventing a mysterious and sudden stomach upset and staying home from work or school. The ultimate luxury for a reading fiend.

A final and rather frightening thought:

Teens spend an average of 9 hours a day on media, which might just be more than they spend sleeping...by the way, that doesn't include homework related usage.

Biggi

Jane Austen, What A Brilliant Woman.

Pride and Prejudice: My favourite literary romance.

A few exerts of her brilliant dialogue and artful yet timeless description of human nature.

... The stupidity with which he was favoured by nature, must guard his courtship from any charm that could make a woman wish for its continuance; and Miss Lucas, who accepted him solely from the pure and disinterested desire of an establishment, cared not how soon that establishment were gained...
Pride and Prejudice

"...There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense...."
Elizabeth Bennet to Jane Bennet

..."Pardon me for interrupting you, Madam, " cried Mr Collins; " but if she is really headstrong and foolish, I know not whether she would altogether be a very desirable wife to a man in my situation, who naturally looks for happiness in the marriage state. If therefore she actually persists in rejecting my suit, perhaps it were better not to force her into accepting me, because if liable to such defects of temper, she could not contribute to my felicity. " ...
Mr Collins talking to Mrs Bennet about Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

..." My dear Jane, Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man; you know he is, as well as I do; and you must feel, as well as I do, that the woman who marries him, cannot have a proper way of thinking..."
Miss Elizabeth Bennet talking to Miss Jane Bennet

...Mr Bennet treated the matter differently. " So, Lizzy," said he one day, " your sister is crossed in love I find. I congratulate her. Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then. It is something to think of, and gives her a sort of distinction among her companions. When is your turn to come? You will hardly bear to be long outdone by Jane. Now is your time. Here are officers enough in Meryton to disappoint all the young ladies in the country. "...
Mr Bennet talking to Miss Elizabeth Bennet

Biggi

The Postman Always Rings Twice.

And usually brings a hefty surprise.

How do we know that our postman has been? Well, we hear the stop and go of his yellow van accompanied by music from the radio and an audible door slam at every neighbour in our street long before he even repeats the sequence at our house. Now and again, he ventures passed our front gate, a gate where the postbox has a home, and walks up the stony path up to our front door ready to knock.

The first time this week, it was a refund from our medical aid ( contrary to popular belief, a medical aid refund is not fiction but a reality ) and despite it not being too hefty, it was a lovely surprise and let's face it, getting unexpected money, is one of life's great pleasures!

The postman's second knock was yesterday. It was lunchtime and Bob was just about to go off to work, while I was lazying (ie snoozing ) in front of the telly. Before I realized what had awoken me from this divine lunch time slumber, Bob had already returned with a parcel in hand.

Yes, we had received a parcel and like a pair of hungry wolves we descended on the wrapping; ripping it instead of elegantly cutting it. Oh, you know how it is...receiving a parcel is very similar to opening your Christmas presents, only a bit better because you never really know what's in it!

My American parents, had sent us a parcel filled with the type of manna, which will get bibliophiles frothing at the mouth, or rather rearranging their calendars. A parcel full of books. Books of every genre, books promising a lovely time out from everyday humdrum and books that need a game of Eeny - meeny - miny - moe, because how else does one decide which to read first?

Even a parcel filled with Godiva chocolates wouldn't have made me as happy as receiving this treasure chest filled with the many permutations and combinations of letters and words, which have a tendency to transport me into a different reality.

The only other thing that might have measured up, would have been a box filled with wine...because reading a book does lend itself to sipping a glass of wine from time to time.

Biggi

If You Can't Be A Bookie, Why Not Become A Kindler?

A Christ-kindle perhaps?

There is nothing better than the smell of a new book. When you open the cover and get that first waft of the elusive scent of paper and the feeling of anticipation. Yes, anticipation because a book takes you on a journey to distant shores, emotions and often knowledge.

Take any bookie ( a self confessed lover of reading ) to a shopping center or town, and I can guarantee you that they will make a bee-line to a bookshop. Once over the threshold of a bookstore, we bookies straight away start performing our well versed routine...we merely glance at the front display table ( that's for novice bookies anyway ) and head to our shelf or isle of choice and suddenly minutes turn into hours...

Second hand books are rather groovy too. A Saturday morning trip to the flea market or Hospice shop is also a great way to stock up on the fuel that a bookie needs. Reading a dog eared book has a flair of its own. The second hand books smell is not to be quaffed at either. Don't forget, these books are so much more affordable.

Even before we moved to Burgenland, I was aware of the Kindle. I had only read about it once, but the association with Christkindel was there. Clever marketing indeed. The Kindle was a great idea but not really needed at the time. Well, that is until now.

Getting hold of English language books is not so easy for us. Of course we could order online but that is a bit dear. We have also discovered a bookstore selling English books in Szombathely but they are limited too.

As we are major bookies, our house is filled with books that we have shipped with us and some that family have brought us when they visited ( unlike a lot of other South Africans, we mostly eschew peanut butter, Marmite and biltong for books ) Three years into our adventure, we have re-read most books at least once. After the third time, you know the plot word for word!

The folks at Amazon are very clever. Creating the Kindle, they took it one step further. Did you know that through a Kindle device you can have access to most of the books they have on offer? No, not to buy ( of course you can if you want to ), but to join the Amazon - Kindle library. A monthly fee and off you go to your place of leisure to read your books.

The more I think about this, the more attractive this Kindle becomes. Real books are still #1 for me, but for us, joining a Kindle library might be the answer.

Click on this link to the Kindle Voyage, and you'll find a link to Kindle Unlimited ( the library option ) Kindle Voyage, 15,2 cm (6 Zoll) hochauflösendes Display (300 ppi) mit integriertem intelligenten Frontlicht, PagePress-Sensoren, WLAN

All of us know how important reading is. Reading helps your language skills, reading keeps you informed and reading helps you to relax and take precious time out of your hectic daily schedule.

The generation of teens now, are not very fond of reading. Physical books to them are associated with going to school. Reading for pleasure is anything but for them.

But as a society it is necessary for us to get this young generation to read. They are will be our future doctors, lawyers, politicians etc. Imagine if they have not had the pleasure and skill of reading books?

The Kindle is the vehicle of delivery that the young generation will take notice and make use of. Life for our young generation is stressful from the time they get up to when they go to sleep.

They are connected all the time. They don't even look up often any more. Texting and mobile surfing has taken over the world. Getting them interested in reading novels will give them the time out to relax and experience a life outside 140 characters..

Biggi

There is also the Amazon Prime option: with a subscription to Amazon prime, you'll get free but limited library access. Maybe try their 30 free trial. Happy reading.

When The World Gets A Tad Bit Bad, I Take Comfort In A Favourite Novel.

Dealing with the new realities of our lives.

As much as we all like to watch the news and events shaping our era, time or year, it can also be extremely daunting. Nations fighting among themselves, perhaps a bad outcome over a territory and weather that is downright frightening. A whole bag of stuff that gets thrown into our path of reality on a daily basis.

Those are the times when reading a book takes on such a special significance. Books have that unique ability to take us on an instant journey away from the current moment. A good book can make us a part of the scene, time and century it is set in.

For me, this form of time travel usually takes me back a century or two. To be precise, I love reading fiction set in the 19th and 20th century. A time before electricity or Internet or modern stuff. Imagine how civilized it must have been, if the way to pick and settle a fight was by lightly slapping your glove over the other man's cheek and fixing a time for a duel...

Oh, I know there was " pinking " in alarming proportions and if a gun was used, then even more of it. The novels of Georgette Heyer are usually set in those times. Times where duels were fought, and marriages were formed by parents, a glance or two dances danced with the same partner. Almost an easy time? Well, I would like to think that Bob would have called someone out for a duel over me! Even picturing Bob in the outfit of a 19th century Gent is well worth it...

My other favourite literary place to escape to is the delectable and wonderful world that Agatha Christie has penned. It is fictional world that has a soothing backdrop of Tea & Scones, Tea-time, knitting, country estates and dashing gents. Oh, and it has a few intriguing and unusual murders in each of her novels.

Apparently Agatha Christie is the third best selling author of all times, after William Shakespeare and The Bible. So if you haven't read any of her books, please try one. If you have the opportunity to get a proper scone or make one yourself, it is a nice treat to accompany the pure pleasure of reading her books...

Biggi

Life In The 1890's, Would You Have Liked It?

Reading history will make anyone appreciate our lifestyle of today.

A while ago Bob and I were sent a goody box from N.Y. A box full of books.and as any lover of reading knows, those gifts are priceless. At the moment I am reading the most fascinating book. It is a telling of the years spanning the building of Chicago's 1893 World Fair.

Eric Larson: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

. Yes it is a historical rendition, but it reads like a novel. Did I mention that the book also re-traces the steps of the notorious serial killer of the time: Dr.H.H. Holmes...oh yes, the plot thickens!

But, you'll have to read it yourself. What I find so interesting is the way of life back then. Little details that we take for granted. Details that make such a huge difference:

• Indoor plumbing. Not just the lavatory, but also having a water tap inside. Remember, with indoor plumbing come pipes that escort the offending lot away to somewhere without being seen. Before, you had to do that yourself in the case of a chamber pot / washing up water / bath water. The rather more modern outhouse seemed luxurious in comparison to a chamber pot. At least I would imagine it to be so.
• Streets were different then. The car was just being invented and started to take hold. The main mode of transport were horses. Horses that dropped their steaming apples where ever the need took them. The stench alone would have been awful. As the horses dropped dead from exhaustion, they would often be left to rot on the verge of the road.
• No electricity for the masses yet. Reading by candle light?

The book makes wonderful sojourns into the everyday life of the main characters and describes in detail what they had for dinner. In those days, dinner was taken with care. Dinner was taken without haste. Dinner was enjoyed and consisted of several courses.

Personal battles were fought slightly different back then. A time before the mass communication, internet, and smartphones. An email, text or phone call doesn't quite have the power of a personal snub!

" A battle followed, fought in true Gilded Age fashion with oblique snubs and poisonous courtesy. Mrs Palmer pecked and pestered and catapulted icy smiles into Hayden's deepening gloom."

Isn't this description simply divine? Eric Larson uses his words in a way that as a reader you step right into his depicted world. A treat indeed.

Biggi

A French Connection Worthy Of Addiction.

Europe offers this magnificent smorgasbord of crime fiction.

Even though I now live in the heart of Europe, I haven't had the pleasure of visiting France. It won't be long though, as I cannot wait to realize my vision of having a picnic on the side of the road with a bottle of French red side by side with a fresh crispy baguette that's covered with a chunk of farm butter & full fat Camembert. Oh and of course with Schatzi next to me...

Last week, while at the library in Oberwart, I picked up a crime novel purely because I liked the name. It conveyed mystery, exactness and strength all at once. Up till then, I hadn't heard from this author.

But what an adventure from the word go. The first page threw out the line, the second page the hook and from there on I was sunk in this story. A story set in Paris.

The author has painted each scene with brushstrokes of words, that in my mind I had followed those and created the stage set to envelop the characters. Gosh, I could almost picture an ashtray with a smoldering Gauloise cigarette dangling precariously in the groove.

All passionate readers live for that moment when they stumble across one of those book. One, that lets us stand on the sideline of every action yet feel a part of it. This book by Fred Vargas is one of those finds for me. Heck, I could even taste the food described in this novel.

Fred Vargas.........what an author, what a novel!

Amazon.com: Fred Vargas
Amazon.de/at: Fred Vargas
Amazon.uk: Fred Vargas

The best surprise of all is that he is really a she. If you intend to pick up a book, try Fred Vargas's!

Biggi