Goodreads

I’ve always been a big fan of keeping lists. Even when I was a little girl I’d keep a log of all my toys. Worse, I’d keep files on my Barbies: name, address, occupation, marriage certificate... yes, I was that weird. I’ve always had this unexplainable need to organise and kept records of everything in several hundred notebooks, hence my addiction to pretty little blank books that I can massacre with my loopy (the Pumpkin’s word, not mine) handwriting.

The only thing I keep track of these days are the books I read, in a girly pink leatherbound notebook embroyded with swans which sounds worse than it is. I love flipping through these books to reminisce and see what I’ve loved and loathed over the years, something I’d otherwise quickly forget.

Nowadays most people do this online, comforting me that I’m not the only nut out there. Sure, it’s not as romantic as a notebook but it’s easy to manage, you can add friends and keep track of what they’re reading but most importantly, these sites are filled with reviews.

I started out with LibraryThing back in 2006 and spent hours (I was a student back then) putting my books on there. Sadly, you had to pay a membership fee so I went over to Shelfari when the time came to renew, seeing as this is a free book cataloguing site where I’ve spent many happy years.

Most of my friends however, have now also caught the bug and have started accounts with Goodreads, making me take the plunge with them because it’s fun to share book related comments like “Why the hell are you reading that!?!” or discovering new titles that my peeps loved. I’m just not sure I’ll add all my books like I did when I transitioned from LibraryThing to Shelfari because we’re talking several hundreds here. Best to start fresh from 2011 onwards.

So what about you? How do you keep track of all the books you read?

Decadent Daisy

Everywhere you look these days, people are starting 365-day projects such as photographing the same location, making a robot or drawing of your cat every single day for an entire year. I was naturally intrigued to start my own little project but I'm still undecided about what I'd like to do for 365 consecutive days. Maybe read all 1001 Books you must read before you die? Or something like that only less intimidating.

The past few months I've also noticed that I don't use as many photographs as other blogs do. Ok, I illustrate the City with covers from books and movies but I rarely use actual"homemade" photographs, although I am working on this (check out recent posts). I often feel the need to share images with you guys but then I think, Jeeez now I have to write something as well and that occasionally puts me off. Call me conventional, but the City was created for literary musings and not snapshots but it's time to get with the program, so I've decided to start a new blog: Decadent Daisy

Decdent Daisy isn't a 365-day project but a photo diary where I'll share some random day to day photographs for your viewing pleasure. Call it Ginny Jones: A life in pictures. It's my goal to make a personal collection of ordinary yet memorable events that sadly hardly ever get immortalised and are otherwise quickly forgotten seeing as I have a tendency to only capture our holidays on film. The Sumptuous City will still continue as she always has, filled with reviews and ramblings but if you're in the mood for less talk and more action check out Decadent Daisy, where words come to life ;-)

Wishlist

Autumn is upon us which means loads of new book releases and stationary. It's probably me but the sight of notebooks, folders and perfectly sharpened pencils has made me giddy ever since I was a young and hopeful English lit student and it still does. Besides lusting after a new fountain pen, there are also a few titles I'm particularly excited about this season:

The third Leon cookbook for example: Baking and Pudding. If the previous two are anything to go by, this book will be scrumptious. The cover already looks stunning and seeing as the topic is puddings, the interior will be just as delectable. A genuine feast for the eyes and tastebuds!

8 years after Craig Thompson wrote his monumental masterpiece Blankets, he finally returns with and the 672-page hardback graphic novel Habibi which is based on a Middle Eastern fable and tells the story of Dodola, a woman who escapes being sold into slavery.

The Night Circus, the debut novel by Erin Morgenstern is taking the blogosphere by storm. I’ve read nothing but exceptional things about this magical tale set in 1886 about a mysterious travelling circus. Not only the story, but the book as well is supposed to be a thing of beauty.

Jeffrey Eugenides has also made us wait 8 years for his next novel, The Marriage Plot. Seeing as Middlesex is one of my all time favorite books, my expectations are pretty high for this meditation on the contemporary value of the great 19th century love stories.

When she woke by Hilary Jordan is another of this season’s hyped books. I’ve never read any of her books before but this “enthralling and chilling novel” is supposed to be a mix between The Handmaid’s Tale and The Scarlet Letter, satisfaction guaranteed.

Last but not least, the 1Q84 trilogy by Haruki Murakami finally...

Momiji Book Club collection

It's no secret that I love little Japanese dolls, whether they're Kokeshi, Kimmi or Momiji, they're simply too cute and too pretty to resist. I have however, been a very good girl and have been able to restrain myself whenever I encounter a new range of those delectable dolls but when I saw the Momiji Book Club collection in an interior design store in Kendal, all bets were off.

The Momiji Book Club collection was designed by the Argentinian Luli Bunny. These six little nerdy girls all like different genres of books and come with a cool "I Heart Books" button. Like the classic handpainted resin Momiji message dolls, they also have a tiny card in the bottom for a secret note. My girl's called Alex and likes books about magic and the supernatural. Ok, she's nothing like me but she has red hair and two funky knots.

Herdy

Besides some lushious Lakeland food, I also wanted to get some souvenirs that would last longer than a week in our cupboard, something to remember our kick-ass trip by and what better than a mug? Despite the Pumpkin’s initial reservations (we already have more mugs than we know what to do with), he had to admit that a his and hers Herdy was kinda cute.


Herdy is a local Lakeland brand featuring the cute and lovable Herdwick sheep, a breed that thrives against all odds on the high fells of England’s Lake District and helps sculpt a stunning landscape appreciated the world over. They produce a contemporary range of products that help support, through their sale, brilliant environmental and sustainability causes in this wonderful region such as campaigning for wool, maintaining farmland and aiding farmers.

They also use skilled potters in heart of Staffordshire’s struggling fine bone china industry to make these gorgeous woolly mugs. Everything is made locally to limit their carbon footprint to a minimum and to support the rural economy. Herdy is also committed to giving back a percentage of profits to look after the Lakeland landscape so I couldn’t leave without bringing these nature preserving treasures with me.

Lakeland Book Binge

No trip to the UK is complete without some books, am I right people? I could spend hours browsing the bookstores there with their designer coffee, eclectic range, abundance of English literature, cookbooks and ever so seductive offers. For less than 25£, these babies made the trip back to Belgium:


The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht, simply because she won the Orange Prize this year and I’m always curious the find out why.

When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman, who didn’t win the Orange Prize but definitely is the public’s favorite if sales and reviews are anything to go by.

At Home by Bill Bryson, because no matter what the man writes, you just know it’s going to be good. Plus I’ll have officially read some non-fiction this year.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo, which is supposed to be phenomenal or so people tell me. I still have to read The Snowman first seeing as this is a follow up but I’m pretty psyched to get my teeth into these bad boys.

The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson, also recommended by a friend but I never wanted to buy it because I suspect it will be sentimental drivel but at 1,95£ I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates, who is one of my favorite authors and I couldn’t leave without taking a beautiful hardback version of latest memoir with me.

Money well spent if you ask me, especially seeing as the difference between the pound and the euro is marginal right now. But don’t fear, I didn’t spend all my time in chain stores. Seeing as there aren’t any real cities in the Lake District, only small villages, we only encountered two Waterstones on the periphery. And like any self respecting English village, the Lake lovelies all came equipped with their very own independent bookstore. There were teeny tiny ones, cute ones, some that never closed and all of them had an intriguing selection of new and secondhand books, but what impressed me the most was that each owner knew absolutely everything about the books in his / her shop. Granted their average age was 75, but it was still quite impressive, especially if you have a shop like Michael Moon in Whitehaven:


That's the pumpkin by the way.


No less than 13 narrow rooms filled from top to bottom with books, creating a lushious literary death trap.

The Lake District

I have (sadly) returned from the glorious Lake District where the weather was as fickle as the landscape. We encountered high mountains, lush valleys, big lakes, little lakes, adorable villages, fairytale settings, gorgeous cottages, some utterly divine food, loads of literary references and ate a vegetarian English breakfast every morning. In short, we were dead tired, had a blast and probably both have high cholestrol now. The Lake District is highly recommended! Here’s why:

On our way back to Dover, we spent some time in the Cotswolds area aka the most enchanting place on earth, as well as in Stratford-upon-Avon to visit my main man, William Shakespeare. The result of this mesmerizing trip, besides the Pumpkin's growing interest in the Lake Poets and Beatrix potter (be still my beating heart), were 800 photographs, lots of relishes and chutneys, tea, several DVD's (HMV how I love thee) and tons of books due to offers I simply could not refuse but more on those later. For now, I'm energized, inspired and ready to cause some havoc. Balance has been restored in the Force.

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

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.

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.

Walking on Sunshine

Last weekend, the Pumpkin and I ventured on unknown territory: we went shopping for outdoor sportswear. As you all know by now, I'm not adventurous nor am I an outdoors-y person. Don't get me wrong, I love brisk walks through nature just as long as they are followed by coffee, cakes and cute villages; hence our holiday to the pitoresque yet rugged lake district.

Stemming from a long line of fervent citytrippers, I've been brought up to believe that culture and shopping are the bare necessities of any holiday. Vacation is a time to spoil and enjoy yourself and not time to get back to basics which is also why I've never set foot in a tent. My family simply doesn't do nature so our trip to the Lake District is causing quite a commotion.

Seeing as neither of us have any outdoor gear we went in search of the perfect pair of walking shoes. I arrived at A.S. Adventure in my weekend stilettos and immediately saw that I was out of my league as I was surrounded by an army of big, brown and above all brutish shoes. Despite my reservations, I found a pair of shoes that fit perfectly and have pretty pink laces. I know, I know but I couldn't resist. I even got a matching pink fleece. They'll probably see this city girl coming a mile away, which might come in handy if I fall off a cliff.


On Sunday we decided to try out our shoes and went for a 15km walk. The roads in the lake district can be pretty steep, wet and rugged so we couldn't actually test all their capabilities, only check if they were comfy which they were. It was like wearing warm and fluffy slippers, too bad they made me look a tad butch or I'd be converted. The Pumpkin will confirm this, outdoor sportswear and I don't mesh well. And neither do long and unprepared walks because I was moving like a 90-year-old woman by the time we got back.

We've got our shoes and rucksacks now, so all that's left are the rain and windresistant outfits seeing as the weather over there will be 17°c and cloudy at best. I can hardly wait!

Mindfulness

Thanks to the numerous tests, doctor’s appointments and meds that could have become fatal in hindsight, my panic attacks have been going through the roof lately. They started with mild hyperventilation about three years ago and whenever you least expect it, usually while doing the dishes or watching TV, they’ll pop up and hold you hostage for a couple of days.

These past few months I’ve been hyperventilating more than I care to say and on Friday I had a major panic attack seeing as I wasn’t supposed to take the meds my new doctor prescribed but naturally I had already taken them. I eventually got over it and forced myself to leave the house, something which has become stressful in itself at times.

Over the years I’ve become very sensitive to stress, emotional and physical ailments, unexpected events and even things I don’t particularly want to do are able to cause severe inner turmoil. I have a habit of ignoring all these things until there’s no escape and my body just shuts down, queue dizziness, nausea, chest pains and the feeling that I'm being suffocated, in other words a classic panic attack.

Now the new meds I got on Thursday were supposed to slow down my heartbeat, lower my blood pressure and basically calm me down, easing the blood flow to my head and making the noise in my ear less prominent. It actually worked until I read the accompanying leaflet which said it could be fatal for people who have or had asthma (that would be me). Needless to say, I didn’t respond well to that information.

Sadly, my tendency to hyperventilate isn’t something you can cure; only manage by being aware of the warning signs, avoiding stress and simply saying enough is enough. I’ve been advised to do more yoga and maybe try mindfulness to clear my head of negative thoughts which is why I’ve been meditating and breathing my ass of this weekend. It’s weird to think how something so easy (for some at least) and vital can be so hard for others, making me cherish every slow breath and moment of silence, even if it only lasts 8 seconds.

"Slumming"

This week I indulged in some mindnumbing entertainment: chick lit and a thriller. Ok, I have to admit that both novels were predictable, lacking depth and eloquence but they were fun, sassy and made you want to finish them in one go which I almost did. I truely understand why people read this stuff and you shouldn't mock something before you've tried it.

What strikes me the most about non-literary novels is their lack of description, atmosphere and setting. It's all about dialogue and action, which I have to admit are things I also crave in a novel. Throw in a little character development and I'm one happy bunny.

First up was Sophie Kinsella's Remember Me. I had read one of her books last year when I was in a rather abysmal mood and truth be told, she lightened my day. I wouldn't dream of starting on her Shopaholic series but I'll give her standalone novels a go whenever the mood strikes me (which is once a year apparently). The novels starts off with Lexi, a twentysomething girl with an average job, great friends and a deadend relationship. Queue a slippery surface and some stillettos. She wakes up in hospital and three years have gone by. Apparently she had a car crash and can't remember anything that has happend from the crash until her stiletto slip up. Three years of her life: gone. Besides getting her driver's license, she has also lost touch with her friends, become a fahionista, her own boss and most shockingly has gotten married fulfilling every girl's dreams (in chick lit that is). Will she remember her past? Her husband? And naturally her lover? Ok, this book was cliched, predictable and flawed but also sassy, relatable (my inner Carrie Bradshaw hasn't died on me yet) and great if you're looking for nothing more than a book that'll put a smile on your face.

Next up was the thriller: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly which was recently turned into a movie. Despite having read Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy, I have to admit that I've never read a lot of thrillers / crime novels. I don't know why really. Anyway, Michael Haller is The Lincoln Lawyer simply because he works out of the back of his Lincoln, deep right? He has to defend Beverly Hills pretty boy Louis Roulet who supposedly beat up and threatened to kill a prostitute, something he naturally denies or we wouldn't have this novel. Haller investigates, discovers ties to a former case, Roulet confesses (it happens 1/3 through the novel so it isn't that big of a spoiler) and threatens Michael who is left with lots of ethical, judicial and parental dilemma's. It was all pretty straight forward stuff, lots of courtscenes, an ex-wife or two and some snappy dialogue. Oh and there's a slight twist at the end. I don't know if I'll read another novel by Connelly, it wasn't bad but I wasn't impressed either. That being said, I am secretly eyeing up a few crime novels, just to broaden my horizon.



So my slumming experiment wasn't a total loss. I'll never become a convert to Chick Lit or Thrillers but neither am I opposed to reading one once in a while. Sometimes it's good to lower your expectations because you just might be in for a lovely surprise.

Highbrow vs Lowbrow literature

The past few weeks I have read several award-winning books and I’ve been disappointed by most of them, leading me to the assumption that awards don’t necessarily go hand in hand with quality fiction like you might presume. With many prizes, I think books win not because they are especially good, but because they address “difficult topics”. It’s the same with the Oscars really; historical movies, biopics and films involving disabled people always get the statue. But do you really have to uncover the flaws in humanity to be good? Can’t books just be good without teaching us some valuable lesson?

The first book that got me thinking was Just Kids by Patti Smith, winner of the National Book Award, and the only one I truly loved. There’s no glamour involved in her memoir, no lessons to be learned and no bullshit. It’s raw, it’s gritty and gives us a clear picture of the 1970s New York art scene and her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Despite the sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll, it’s actually a quite touching and almost romantic story about two lost souls who try to make sense of themselves and the world. Anything goes really, as long as it gets you to where you want to go. There are no social or moral dilemmas, no preachy tone, just the facts, pure and simple and that’s why she really deserved the award because of her unsentimental portrayal of troubling times.

Many authors today have the habit of overanalyzing everything and making things a philosophical quest for enlightenment and understanding like Howard Jacobson in The Finkler Question, winner of the Booker Prize. This is a novel I just could not get into no matter how hard I tried. The Finkler Question focuses primarily on Julian Treslove, a man in his early to mid-50s who is still in search of his self. He is mugged after leaving the home of a close friend, who happens to be Jewish and the mugger, Julian comes to believe, says "You Jew". This event makes him want to “find himself” even more and he starts to contemplate the possibility of becoming Jewish. The Finkler Question is the Jewish question. Jacobson explores what it means to be Jewish in London in 2010. Through Julian's search for his self, we are given insights into how Jews see themselves, how they see their religion, how they feel others perceive them, anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Although Jacobson’s writing is beautiful, the story was tedious at best: three grumpy old men with too much time on their hands pondering anything and everything. I still cannot believe this won the Booker Prize! Jews pondering on anti-Semitism isn’t particularly revolutionary but like I said, a “difficult” and “historical” topic always gets away with it. Lest we forget…

And then there’s Alabama Song by Gilles Leroy, winner of the Prix Goncourt, based on the lives of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, two fascinating people with rambunctious lives. Sadly, I can’t say the same about the novel. I read this piece of French fiction in Dutch and I’m still not quite sure if the translation was awful or Leroy is just a bad writer but the language was idiotic and simplistic. The entire novel is told from Zelda’s perspective who was troubled person to say the least but Leroy portrays her as an annoying whiny bitch. I love a fictional biography as much as the next person, heck it was my thesis subject but come on. Due to the fragmentary storytelling, the novel also lacks atmosphere making the roaring twenties and thirties dull and lifeless.

I have always been skeptical of award-winning books but these last few have really tipped me over the edge. No matter how beautiful the writing or how important the subject matter is, when a story sucks, the book sucks! During my time at university I’ve read the Classics and dozens of highbrow novels which turned me into a literary snob, frowning on chick lit and thrillers. But the more I read, the more I realize that what makes a novel work for me namely: story, character and writing, high or lowbrow doesn't really matter.

If the story doesn’t captivate me, who cares how well it’s written (Franzen’s Freedom)? If the characters annoy me, who cares that it’s a Booker Prize winner (The Finkler Question)? If a book gives you a headache to keep up, why bother (Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, amazing accomplishment but not exactly relaxing)?

I’m actually more impressed by authors who are able to create a whole new and exciting world than base themselves on true or historical events. Copying isn’t creating or that’s my opinion at least, which also explains the success of lowbrow fiction that merely aims to entertain with is wacky characters and unrealistic plots. Seeing as I’ve had my fill of intellectual fiction and the fact that I’ve stocked up on crappy novels at the boekenfestijn, I’ve decided to go slumming for a while. I’m in need of some mind-numbing entertainment because reading should be fun, not hard work, unless hard work is your idea of fun (yes Pynchon fans, I’m talking to you).

Boekenfestijn

Yesterday we went on our annual family outing to the Boekenfestijn. Me, my mom, my grandmother, uncle and hundreds of other people rummaging through piles of discount books. It was brutal, hot and totally exhilarating. The lengths I’ll go to for cheap books is ridiculous really but, who can resists an 80% discount?

I usually buy tons on English novels and cookery books but this time I decided to change my approach. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve got a slight addiction when it comes to buying books and when they’re that cheap, all bets are off. Most years I'll leave with several dozen books because A) I want to read them, B) they’re pretty and C) they’re too cheap to resist. This year I decided to ignore options B and C seeing as I know from experience, I’ll probably never read them anyway and I have still got 48 novels on my “to be read” pile.

Now, the books I get at the Boekenfestijn are usually not the kind of books I’d normally buy meaning cheap (literally) trashy / commercial novels that won’t be great but very entertaining never the less. Ok, I also found some “literary” novels but most of ‘em were guilty pleasures for less than €3 each.

Oh, and I got a cute clip-on nightlight for when I'm reading in bed. Like I need more accessories...

Sunday Sweetness

Last week I received The Great Penguin Bookchase curtousy of Penguin. It's basically a book version of trivial pursuit with adorable little books that you have to put on your shelf whenever you get a question right. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself decorating these tiny novels.

But I wasn't the only one who was tickled pink with this present. As you can see, Molly was delighted with the box it came in which she now prefers over her very own chair, go figure!

Articles by Rebecca Benoot

I had an epiphany on Tuesday while I was working on my articles namely, I really need a website / log with all of them on there. Not just for my own benefit, I do tend to forget what I've written about quite quickly, but also because I can finally show people what I've been writing about these past 2,5 years.

I already have a lovely website which the Pumpkin made for me but it hasn't been updated in over a year as I always have to bother my in-house designer whenever I get the need to change something, which is often.

So... I made a blog, (whoopie!) seeing as it's the easiest, although not really the most professional, way I can catalogue my articles. Low maintenance and easily adjustable. The only downside is that I now have to copy-paste several dozen articles which while probably take me a while.

Anyway, if you're curious what I've been scribbling the past years check out: http://rebeccabenoot.blogspot.com/ (updated daily)

A Day of Writing

I took the day off today to finally get some writing done and it was bliss. No interruption, no stress, just me and a blank page, heaven. If only I had some more time to get some “other” writing done… My word count has increased the past week but only slightly, did you notice?

Now, I had to interview Luc Herman last week about Nora en de Feiten which was kind of awkward seeing as I had to put on a major poker face because I didn’t particularly like his novel. It was also weird having to “judge” one of my former professors but I survived. Writing the article however, was quite a challenge seeing as I wanted to be objective, didn’t want to sugarcoat it but I also didn’t want to offend because I know a lot of my former teachers and ex-class mates will be reading it so I’ll be a little on edge next week when it’s published.

I have to admit that although I still don’t like the novel, he did shed a lot of light on it, luckily. His aim was to stay true to the genre code of crime fiction and create an old-fashioned whodunit that invites the reader to solves the puzzles which in a way he has succeeded in doing but the fact still remains that the novel is too analytical / academic to please the general crime fiction loving audience who are just looking for some light entertainment, which I supplied by writing 4 reviews today to accompany the article.

Needless to say, I drank a lot of coffee, did a lot of procrastinating but I eventually got the job done.