Packing for all seasons

Tomorrow at 6am we’ll be heading to the Lake District, nothing but mountains, lakes, cute villages and rain. I’ve been franticly checking the weather forecast the past weeks and have come across several mentions of heavy rain and thundery showers, not good. The upside, I’ll finally have a sunburn-free summer! The downside, I’ve had to buy so many new clothes, shoes and backpacks for all types of weather that this holiday will go down in history as the most pricey vacation ever. Who knew that nature could be so expensive? Clearly “god” did not intend for me to leave the city.

Luckily, I’ve planned several indoor activities so we’ll be fine and if worse comes to worse we’ll just curl up in front of a fire, looking over the lakes with some tea, scones and a good book. The books that made the cut are (sorry Siri):

• Unruly Times, Wordsworth and Coleridge in their time by A.S. Byatt
• The Group by Mary McCarthy
• Sunset Park by Paul Auster

Now if all goes well, I’ll be spending the next two weeks here

Thursday's trailer

Holiday

I’ve been home for two weeks now and I’ve spent most of my time like this:


Writing, some yoga, a little cooking, more writing, blogging, watching movies, interviewing and out for an occasional spot of lunch and I’ve been loving every minute of it! It must sound boring to most but I couldn’t be happier. I’ve finally got the chance to pick up where I left off with “the project”. And if you were wondering if I always sit in the dark when I’m work, yes I do, I feel the need to block out the world when I’m writing. Besides, who needs reality when you’ve got fiction?

What I haven’t done these past weeks is read. For some bizarre reason I hardly ever read when I’m on vacation. I started in Siri Hustvedt’s The Summer without Men over a week ago and I haven’t gotten past page 50 yet. I’m just never in the mood which isn’t a good sign, for the book at least. It’s like exams really, when you’re busy studying, a million things pop into your head that you’d rather do right now but when you’ve actually got the time to do them, they suddenly don’t seem that appealing. I’m the same with books, plus seeing as I’m spending most of my time at home in front of my computer screen instead of out and about where I usually get my reading done, my options a have become slightly limited.

But don’t worry, I’m already looking forward to selecting the books I’ll take with me on part 2 of the vacation, the REAL vacation.

Summer in Antwerp

17°C and cloudy aka your average Belgian summer

The Night Bookmoblie

A new book by Audrey Niffenegger is always something to look forward to seeing as she wrote one of my all time favorite books The Time Traveler’s Wife. Since then, I’ve been following her work rather closely. Her second novel Her Fearful Symmetry, although good, sadly wasn’t able to reach the Time Traveler’s stellar heights. Besides novels, she has also written several graphic novels or novels in pictures as she calls them.


The Night Bookmobile is her latest “novel in pictures” and the first in her new trilogy about the role books play in our lives. It started out as a short story for Zoetrope in 2004 and was adapted into a serial graphic novel for The Guardian in 2008.

Like most of her work, there is a macabre yet soothing atmosphere that exudes from every page. The Night Bookmobile can be best described as a fairytale for adults in which she describes our fascination with reading books and creating our own libraries. It is a story about obsession and the consequences of getting what you wish for.

The Night Bookmobile is a strange yet highly identifiable tale of a young woman who accidently discovers a bookmobile that contains everything she's ever read making her realize how important books are to her. Years pass and her life radically changes but books remain a constant, something she can always count on until one day the bookmobile appears again.

This is a short and intriguing tale for booklovers that explores the darker side of our obsessions with people, places and things. Thought-provoking and fascinating, The Night Bookmobile, is a cautionary tale of the seduction of the written word.

Thursday's trailer

Pretty in Pink

Since I became a vegetarian, I started eating more cheese, eggs,… in order to get my daily dose of protein. Gradually I also began incorporating a lot of beans, lentils, tofu, seitan and what not. But then I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, forcing me to change my eating habits once again: out with the full fat cheese, eggs and butter and in with oily fish, nuts and an obscene amount of soy products.

Because I didn’t want to give up on my new vegetarian lifestyle, I tried to find a way to combine a low cholesterol diet with as little animal products as possible. I still don’t eat artery clogging meat or poultry but we do have fish at least twice a week now. Seeing as I am forced to read the labels on everything I eat, I discovered that vegetarian food is often high in fat because most pastes and burgers are filled with oil. So I was faced with a dilemma, namely where do I find low fat vegetarian cooking? The answer: Appetite for Reduction, 125 Fast and Filling Low Fat Vegan Recipes.

I doubt I’d be able to keep up a vegan lifestyle, especially seeing as my doctor ordered me to eat fish, but this book is filled with tasty and easy recipes full of gorgeous greens, tofu, quorn and all that jazz but more importantly, they’re low fat! I just loved the funky rock and roll cover (not to mention that it’s pink!) and immediately decided to give this book a go.

Although the recipes rock, the layout sadly doesn’t. The recipes aren’t illustrated, apart from a few photos in the middle, which is a shame and also the reason why I don’t use it as much as I ought to despite the fact that everything I’ve ever made has turned out great. Call me crazy, but I need visual stimulation. I often just sit on the couch, leafing through cook books just for the hell of it and dream of the scrumptious dishes I’ll serve, one day, making Appetite for Reduction less appealing. Cook books, just like travel guides (sorry Lonely Planet), need photographs, it’s as simple as that.

Founder of the Post Punk Kitchen and author of the renowned Veganomicon, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, has written a delicious and original cook book equipped with nutritional information and several innovative recipes. It’s easy, colorful and above all accessible cooking that perfectly fits into a niche audience, just don’t expect too many too many yummy pictures.

Before I go to Sleep

Before I go to sleep by SJ Watson is the talk of the town right now and seeing as I’m a sucker for any hype, I naturally had to see what all the fuss was about. This former healthcare worker’s debut novel was hailed as the must-read book of the summer and I honestly couldn’t agree more. Before I go to Sleep has already been translated into 30 languages and the movie rights have also been bought by Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free, so Watson has struck gold with this clever and compelling thriller.

The book revolves around Christine, who loses her memory when she goes to sleep. Every morning she wakes up next to a man she doesn’t know but he tells her he is her husband and that she had a car accident almost 20 years ago and as a result she has no short term memory. She begins to keep a journal, writing down what happens to her each day as recommended by her doctor who calls her each morning to remind her of her journal and where it's hidden. Her husband however doesn’t know she’s seeing as doctor because on the first page of the journal she has written that he isn’t to be trusted…

The entire story takes place during the course of one day and she spends about 75% of the novel reading her journal entries, trying to piece together her so called life. This book is a real page turner because you simply have to know what’s going on, it’s that good. Well written, interesting characters and some genuine insight into one woman’s fragile psyche make this novel a joy to read. The story however, is exciting but I couldn’t help thinking that it was the literary love child of Memento and 50 First Dates. Before I go to Sleep is nonetheless my favorite book of the summer so far and I’d highly recommend it if you are looking for an engrossing and thrilling time.

Thursday's trailer

Cartoon

This basically sums up my entire academic experience.

Deadlines

Only two more days of work and I've got an entire month off in which I plan on doing loads of reading, writing, climbing a mountain or two and sadly some more working.

The Pumpkin and I will be enjoying the calm and serene atmosphere of the Lake District the first two weeks of August but before I can enjoy myself, I'll be spending the last two weeks of July meeting several deadlines: 8 book reviews, an exposé on eBooks in Belgium and an article on Belgian Chick Lit for which I'll be talking with Saskia de Coster who has recently written a novella entitled Oh Jackie O filled with art, fashion and Jackie Onassis. So you see, my adventures in chick lit have only just begun.

Naturally, I'll also try to squeeze a little more writing of my own in seeing as I've passed the 27000 word mark, so I'm almost halfway there. Applause please.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

This month’s book club book was The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley aka part 1 of the Flavia de Luce mystery series. Last month’s The Finkler Question scarred us all for life so we were in need of some light summery reading material and this book certainly did the trick.

"England, 1950. At Buckshaw, the crumbling country seat of the de Luce family, 11-year-old Flavia is plotting revenge on her older sisters. Then a dead bird is left on the doorstep, which has an extraordinary effect on Flavia’s eccentric father and a body is found in the garden. As the police descend on Buckshaw, Flavia decides to do some investigating of her own…"

Although the story was a tad predictable, having a young starry eyed narrator was a real treat. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is genuine unpretentious entertainment. It’s a fun and old fashioned English murder mystery with an original protagonist who’s armed with tons of imagination and a chemistry kit. Quirky, witty and perfect for lazy days.

Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine was one of the most anticipated movies of 2011, for me at least. Why you’ll probably ask, seeing as hardly anyone knows of this jem's existence.

Firstly, anything starring Ryan Gosling is something to look forward to. He’s cute but not in a hunk sorta way plus he is, in my opinion, a bold and daring actor and one of the few under 35s who can display such a wide range of depth and emotion. You just know that anything he does will be freaking awesome.

Secondly, I’ll a sucker for low budget indie romances that usually lack the sugarcoating and sentiment of mainstream movies and dare to go that extra controversial mile. What can I say; I love a good love story. I’m a girl, so sue me.

Blue Valentine tells the story of Dean and Cindy who fell head over heels in love when they were both young and “innocent”. Their world got turned upside down when their daughter Frankie arrived. Cindy sees her dreams of becoming a doctor slowly fade whereas Dean rejoices the fact that he’ll soon have a family. Fast forward to the present when this once endearing couple can no longer spend 10 minutes together without arguing. What went wrong?

This movie portrays one crucial day in their present relationship and alternates these tense and harrowing scenes with poetic flashbacks filled with passion and hope. The story is pretty basic but the performances are phenomenal. Ryan Gosling and the talented and oh so brave Michelle Williams have amazing chemistry and are truly the heart and soul of this gritty yet genuinely heartfelt romance that show us that every emotion fades, even love.

Blue Valentine is movie making in its truest and most purest form. The wonderful performances combined with a terrific script (plus some sensational improvisation) have given us one of the most touching and raw cinematic delights of the past years. It’s gutsy, honest, depressing and so damn beautiful!