We had a dusting of snow today – just a little bit to add a little winter shine to the landscape. Himself and I took the dog for a long walk yesterday when it was sunny – I love the crisp cold air. Live has been about prepping for Christmas and trip planning. Himself and I leave in a week for Europe and it still seems a little surreal to me. I did manage to see one film – The Sessions which is based on the life of Poet and author Mark O’Brien, a man profoundly disabled by polio and spending most of his time in an iron lung. The film was extremely well written by Ben Levin and was sparked by an article O’Brien wrote in 1990 called “On Seeing A Sex Therapist“. The article is well worth reading. I was suppose to see Anna Karenina but things fell through and we will see it next week instead. I am still reading The Imprefectionists and have started The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason which has satisfyingly sucked me into its narrative.
Here is what caught my interest this week:
One of the first books my book group read was Roland Merullo’s Breakfast with Buddha and I was thrilled to read in Bibliosue’s Blog that there is now a sequel, newly published this November called Lunch with Buddha. The story of Otto Ringling and his now brother-in-law, Volya Rinpoche starts up six years after the first novel. Once again Otto and Volya go on a road trip, seeing America and discussing the ins and outs of fully living a life. While Suzanne says the novels can be read as stand alone books, I would suggest starting with Breakfast before preceding to Lunch.
When I was at the movies I saw a preview of a film called A Royal Affair about King Christian VII, his wife Caroline Mathilde, and an adviser to the King (and lover of Caroline) Dr. Johann Friederiche Struensee. The film is the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards and I was interested in seeing it. Later I read Mary Whipple’s Blog Seeing the World Through Books and she reviews the book the film is based on The Royal Physician’s Visit by noted Swedish author Per Olov Enquist, Set in the 18th Century, the book tells the story of the mentally ill King, his progressive adviser, the love affair between Queen and Doctor, and the court intrigue surrounding it all.
If you are in the mood for a love story Lizzie’s Literary Life review’s Swiss writer Alex Capus’s novel Leon and Louise (translated by John Brownjohn). Beginning in 1918, Leon and Louise meet and fall in love. An explosion separates them with each thinking the other is dead. Reunited twenty years later, they again part and live their lives without each other through the war and subsequent years while continuing to love each other. Lizzie writes, “Do read it. There is war and the usual insanity it brings; nevertheless, it is a pleasant book with pleasant people.”
Finally, Beauty is a Sleeping Cat is hosting the Third Annual Literature and War Readalong. If you like literature about war and how individuals cope with war, the list she has put together for 2013 is well worth checking out (as are the lists for 2011 and 2012). The discussions the groups has about the books were very interesting last year and I expect the same this year.
Happy Reading!
Reflections from the Hinterland 
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