The Bookworm

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This year, although I've been busy teaching (and brushing up my german by reading the first Twilight book - Biss zum Morgengrauen), I've been on such a great book streak. I take the tram about an hour each way to work, which gives me a good deal of time to read, and lately you can't find me without a book in my hand.

A good deal of these books have been passed around by friends here in Vienna - I find it exciting that we all have similar tastes. I also look forward to using the library when I'm back in Vancouver, and maybe finding a reading group to join. Anyway, this is what I've read and I thought I'd share. :o)

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Currently Reading:

Lonely Planet: Croatia

To prepare for my and Colin's trip to Croatia on May 29th. :o) I guess I need to get to the library to pick up a few more books!

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Recently Read:

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (2003)

This is the real reason I decided to post about books. I think I read Oryx and Crake in about 4 days (which is pretty impressive, considering how busy I usually am.) If you've ever read anything by Margaret Atwood and know her style, you won't be disappointed, because this is her at her best, I'd say.

Oryx and Crake is a dystopian science fiction novel (although I read that Atwood doesn't like the term "science fiction" for this book: she prefers "speculative fiction" and "adventure romance".) If you've ever read The Handmaid's Tale (another fantastic Atwood dystopian-futuristic-novel), well, Oryx and Crake imagines a MUCH worse future for mankind after boundless genetic technological advances, one that is chilling to the bone. I call Oryx and Crake a "cautionary tale" for sure - because, when you take a look at current expierments that scientists are working on, how could you not? (just google spider-goats! and using pigs to grow human organs for transtplant!)

The book starts out with Snowman (once known as Jimmy), who might be the only man left on earth. As he deals with his present bleak situation, he flashes back to his childhood, growing up in a compound where scientists spend all their time on perfecting genetic engineering, supposedly all in man's best interest. He also slowly (sometimes humorously and sometimes frightfully) recounts how the world fell apart and how he ended up alone taking care of a group of human-like people he calls Crakers.

That is all I'm going to tell you - this was one or the best books I've ever read and I truly hope that you pick up this book during your next trip to the library!

Oh, and PS... there's a "sequel"!!!! Margaret Atwood's Year of The Flood (2009)

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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (1998)

I just finished this one yesterday - and wow! Another quick, awesome read. This is the first book in a series (of 11) called The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, about Botswana's first (and one-and-only) lady private detective: Mma Ramotswe. After inheriting cattle from her father, Mma Ramotswe opens her detective agency. She is motivated to help others and make her country a better place. She is cunning, intelligent and courageous (and most of all lovable) while driving around in her little white van, solving mysteries and making endless pots of red-bush tea. Not only is this a hilarious and touching look into Botswanian/African culture, but an interesting look at the situation and perspective of women in contemporary Africa.

Such a great book :o) I can't wait to get started on the next one: Tears of the Giraffe. (2000) Oh! And it was also made into a television show in Britain and for all you Netflixer's - you can get it there! :o)

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The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (2005)

My 8th year class read this book this year (aka the graduating class.) As I haven't read it before, I bought one too... and discovered that I loved it! I read it in 3 days over a trip to Prague (thank goodness for the 8 hour bus ride!) This is another of those books that all of my friends here have read.

The story follows two narratives, one of the 80 year old jewish Leo Gursky and the NYC tween Alma Singer, who just lost her father. They are brought together through a book entitled The History of Love, which Leo wrote as a 20-something in Poland during WWII and Alma's mother is now translating into english.

Trivia! Nicole Krauss married Jonathan Safran Foer, who wrote Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (also published 2005) and Everything is Illuminated (2002.)

The rights to The History of Love were bought by Warner Bros... I guess we can expect a movie shortly! (Ahem, but still read the book!!!) The same goes with the exceptional memoir Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006) which was turned into a film starting Julia Roberts (and is coming out August 13th of this year. Here is a link to the trailer:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/eatpraylove/

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The Painted Kiss by Elizabeth Hickey (2006)

I picked up this book at Powell's in Portland, while on an overnight trip with my awesome boyfriend Colin. At the time I was home from Vienna for Christmas, so you can probably guess as to why I was intrigued by this book. The cover art is a painting called "Emilie Flöge" by one Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), turn-of-the-century viennese playboy. He's probably the most famous for his painting "The Kiss" (which I'm sure EVERYONE has seen before. You can't go 10 min. in Vienna without seeing it somewhere.) Anyway, this specific painting is a portrait of Emilie Flöge, protagonist of The Painted Kiss and Klimt's real-life muse (whose name he uttered with his dying breath!). At 12, Emilie was Klimt's drawing student, and the book follows Emilie's life as she grows up to be the owner of a successful viennese fashion house, as well as her and Klimt's on-again-off-again relationship.

Such a great book [reminiscent of Tracey Chevalier's Girl with the Pearl Earring (1999)] and the most perfect thing ever to read while living abroad in Vienna. :o)

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Up Next:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005)

This was recommended to me by my good friend Alice Gerard, not only because it's a good book, but it also takes place at Lake Bled, in Slovenia. Now, it just so happens that I'm going to visit Lake Bled in 3 weeks! Should be able to get it done before the trip :o)

I believe it's about an american girl in Amsterdam, who finds a medieval book. When she asks her father about it, it is revealed that he'd found the book 20 years ago and that somehow Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) was still alive. Then her father vanishes, leaving a note, and she goes on an adventure to find him, as well as her long-lost mother. Sounds good!

**If you have any recommendations for me,

they're ALWAYS welcome!**

Vienna: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana

{Musikverein Poster}

On Sunday night I went with my friends to see Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Written between 1935 and 1936, it's taken from a collection of poems which he compiled into a libretto, mostly in Latin verse, with a small amount ofMiddle High German and Old Provençal. The selection covers a wide range of secular topics, as familiar in the 13th century as they are in the 21st century: the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of Spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.

{Covering of the score feat. Wheel of Fortune}

The best-known of the 25 movements is "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi (O Fortuna)" that opens and closes the piece. Here's a (hilarious) youtube video of it (including the "misheard lyrics"):

My favorite line is: "Leaking Foot When Near Cherries"

{Inside the Vienna Musikverein: Chamber Orchestra}

{On the balcony: Tölzer Boys Choir}

Afterwards we all went for a beer at 1516, a bar here in Vienna. Everyone was speaking english there and there were sports on all over the place, but when I asked the waiter if this was an american or british pub, he responded: "It's a Vienna pub." Oh well. The super tasty burgers made up for the all english surroundings!

{A radler at the 1516}

Vienna: Frohe Ostern!

{Freyung Easter Market - lots of fun trinkets, good food, good wine and good music (a group called Gospel Meet Vienna). I had a "Kaiserspritzer", which was a glass of Hollunder (Elder Berry) syrup, with white grüner veltliner wine and soda water. Yum. I also had chocolate covered strawberries on a stick!}

{Stacks of painted, blown Easter Eggs. I bought 4 for our easter tree next year... those were expensive little buggers! But well worth it, considering we can get them home on the plane in one piece}

{Easter Market Am Hof - I picked up something pretty cute here for Hudson, Suzie's gorgeous, adorable, magnificent new baby}

{Schönbrunn Easter Market - with Robert and Casey - Rachael was there too!}

{Easter mass at the Stephansdom with Casey, Rachael, Elisabeth and Robert - bright and early to get a good seat. The place was packed with hundreds of people.}

{Inside the Stephansdom (here's the link to the wiki page) - the Mass was held by a cardinal! This parish was started in 1147. NO KIDDING. And I just found out that Mozart was married and had his funeral there... more on that later.}

{We had a very very yummy Easter Brunch in my backyard. Here's my table with colored eggs and my easter tree}

{Since I couldn't afford to decorate my whole eater tree with bought painted eggs, I decorated a few myself too.}

{Yay Easter Brunch! We had fantastic weather and it was nice to sit outside in my backyard. Elisabeth, Andy, Me, Rachael and Casey - and Robert took the picture - thank you!}

{Mmm a table full of goodies}

{Robert and Elisabeth made a quiche - it was super delicious! And no, they didn't grill it) ;o)}

{We hid Easter Eggs and chocolates around the backyard...}

{And some everyone got really really excited when they found something!}

{Yay a chocolate bunny!}

{The boys hit it big}

{The remains of the day...}

{And that afternoon I went to visit Mozart's apartment in downtown Vienna (which is how I knew he was married in the Stephansdom). Here's a link to the museum website: Mozarthaus}

The tour included an audio guide and it was interesting to learn about how he lived:

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart only lived at N.5 Domgasse for 2 1/2 years. It was their largest, elegant and most expensive place - although truthfully, it didn't seem so large to me! 4 large rooms, 2 small and a kitchen.

- He was 25 when he moved into this apartment with his family: his wife Constanze and 9 week old son Karl Thomas (they had 6 children total, only 2 survived).

- Also living in the apartment was Mozart's father Leopold (who came to visit from Salzburg), his tutoring student, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, 2 servants and a cook, a dog and a bird. (where the heck did they all sleep?)

- He lived there from 1784 to 1787... in America the rvolutionary war had just been won by the north, the first constitutional convention is held and George Washington is elected president two years later. Wow. It's weird to me that those things happened at the same time Mozart lived in Vienna.

- He wrote The Marriage of Figaro while living there:

- The view from his apartment that you see today is the same view Mozart saw.

- He is one of the most famous Austrians, and even has a candy named after him, the Mozartkugel. It's delicious - chocolate outside filled with pistachio marzipan and nougat.

- My favorite Mozart quote from the visit:

"I should have everything that is good, genuine and beautiful!"