crx aus luebeck, germany

Hallo, mein Name ist Caterina. Ich habe vor drei Jahren eine kleine Buchhandlung in Lübeck eröffnet und Lia hat mich gebeten, ab und zu einen Beitrag für die Bücherecke des ROTEN ZELTES zu schreiben. Da mir die Idee dieser Internetseite sehr gut gefällt, will ich es gern versuchen. Als Erstes ist mir sofort folgendes Buch als wunderbar passend eingefallen:

Joan Anderson
Spaziergang am Meer

Joan Anderson verabschiedete sich für ein Jahr von Alltag und Ehe und verbrachte diese Zeit in einem Cottage auf Cape Cod. Diese Auszeit beschrieb sie selbstkritisch und ohne zu beschönigen, in tagebuchartigen Aufzeichnungen, die stark an Anne Morrow Lindberghs „Muscheln in meiner Hand“ erinnern, in „Ein Jahr am Meer“. Hier nun erzählt sie die Geschichte einer außergewöhnlichen Freundschaft. Bei einem Spaziergang am Strand lernt sie zufällig die über neunzigjährige Joan Erikson, Ehefrau des berühmten Psychoanalytikers Erik Erikson, kennen. Die beiden Frauen finden rasch gefallen aneinander und tauschen sich über ihr Leben, über ihre Sorgen, Wünsche und Hoffnungen aus. Joan Erikson, die mehr vom Handeln als von weisen Ratschlägen hält, gibt viel von ihrer Lebensklugheit weiter. Sie erinnert Anderson daran, wie wichtig es ist, nicht stehen zu bleiben, sondern ein Leben lang bereit zu sein zu lernen, sich zu verändern, und vor allem sich eine spielerische Herangehensweise an die Herausforderungen des Lebens zu bewahren.

Freundschaften, nicht nur im gleichen Alter, sondern gerade auch sowohl mit Älteren als auch mit Jüngeren, zu pflegen, finde ich sehr wichtig. Unter Gleichaltrigen ist man oft in ähnlichen Lebenssituationen und –phasen und kann sich daher sicher gut austauschen; hat oft gleiche Erfahrungen und Lebensumfelder. Durch Gespräche mit Älteren kann man aus einem viel größeren Erfahrungsschatz profitieren, kann vergleichen, wie sich Vieles an Ansichten und Gegebenheiten im Laufe der Jahre verändert hat. Dies gilt in beide Richtungen. Durch den Dialog mit Jüngeren bleibt man „up to date“. Auch hier erfährt man, dass mit einer Situation vielleicht ganz anders umgegangen wird, als man es selbst im gleichen Alter getan hätte.
Man kann sich gegenseitig unterstützen und helfen und erhält bei Sorgen, Problemen oder auch einfach bei Gesprächen zu allen möglichen Themen Anregungen und Lösungsvorschläge aus ganz unterschiedlichen Perspektiven.

Here is a link to an entry of an interesting blog, Marginal Revolution. The blogger wrote about his favourite travel books. Ok, he references a list, from WorldHum, but as far as blogging is concerned that is very much allowed.

The only books I would add to their lists are:

The Curve of Time, M. Wylie Blanchet
My Old Man And The Sea, A Father And Son Sail Around Cape Horn, by David Hays and Daniel Hays
A Quest Fro Adventure, Chris Bonington

And I disagree with WorldHums choice of Bruce Chatwin’s Songlines as his best travel book, I prefer In Patagonia. I remember reading it way back then (1977) and being completely inspired by the country and the author.

Carey fans and newcomers alike will be delighted by his latest novel, a feat of literary ventriloquy every bit as accomplished as his second Booker winner ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’. The story is told in two voices, that of scurrilous, self-important artist Michael Boone, aka Butcher Bones, and the observations of his brother Hugh, who Michael euphemistically describes as damaged. Following release from prison - an unfair incarceration, Michael insists, after he ‘liberated’ some of his own work unfairly awarded to his ex-wife during their divorce (said unflatteringly-portrayed ex being allegedly based on Carey’s own estranged spouse) - Boone is trying to rebuild his career within an uncaring eighties art world that has moved on. Then glamorous blonde Marlene Liebovitz tumbles into his life one stormy night, claiming that his neighbour is the possessor of a priceless original Jacques Liebovitz painting… a painting that is subsequently stolen. What follows is part crime-caper, part love story, an exuberantly amoral romp that inevitably ends in disaster.

The book appears to be semi-autobiographical, the character of Michael pointedly sharing details of Carey’s own life and upbringing. This makes it all the more enjoyable when Carey allows Michael’s artistic ego to run riot through the pages, commenting on everything from the unfairness of divorce to the narrow minds of artistic commentators. How much of this is Carey’s own views, refracted through the lens of Michael’s monstrous self-regard? Michael’s rants are balanced by the observations of his idiot savant brother, whose internal life is far more complex than Michael allows for, and who in turn sees his brother more clearly that he sees himself. But it is Michael for whom everything is at stake, as his passionate nature pulls him three ways: his love for Marlene, for art, and for Hugh, who, though volatile and dangerous, is bound to him through unbreakable ties of family and loyalty. Eventually, Michael is forced to choose which of these matter most to him.

Theft: a Love Story is equal to Carey’s best work, by turns hilarious and moving, its central trio of characters and their dilemmas brilliantly portrayed. Michael and Hugh are amongst Carey’s most memorable creations, and their voices will stay with you long after you have finished this joyous, remarkable novel.

Marie from London, England

An exceptional literary thriller recounting an obsessive love story - between a girl and an antique violin. Eva Tyne is an accomplished but volatile young Irish violinist living in New York. Her collapse on the night of her first major solo performance is the trigger for her descent into increasingly self-destructive behaviour. She drinks heavily, ends her long-term relationship and takes up a new one with a virtual stranger, and begins treating her closest friends with paranoia and suspicion. Then one night, in a bar, she encounters a mysterious Chechen who offers to sell her a lost Stradivarius violin. Eva’s efforts to obtain and hold onto the violin lead her into ever darker territory, eventually forcing the revelation of a secret she has been desperately trying to keep, even from herself.

What makes this book so powerful is its insight into the psychology of the young woman at its centre. While Eva is torn between her former boyfriend and her new lover, it is really the violin that is the emotional focus of her life and of this story. Her need to possess the instrument is akin to the consuming obsession of love, a desire so profound that at one point she bites into the varnish, leaving an indelible mark of her possession of it. And yet even beneath this overwhelming need lie still deeper motivations that only gradually emerge as the story unfolds.

Kilroy deftly constructs a gripping narrative whilst never allowing us to lose sympathy with her heroine, whose passions and weaknesses make her all too recognisably human. The lives of struggling young musicians is convincingly portrayed, New York’s dangerous underbelly of mafia and organised crime chillingly explored. In all this is a fantastic and unusual page-turner from a bright new talent. And to date seems to have fallen below the media radar - discover it first at Crockatt & Powell!

Marie from London, England