Rainy Day Reads

I am going to Iceland in TWO DAYS! It has really crept up on me and only now am I starting to pack my bags. I made a packing list as I always do, to try and avoid forgetting something. I inevitably always forget something anyway, but the list gives me a sense of security, that I at least have the most important things with me. The list is quite similar to my Morocco packing list, or any packing list in general, as it is often the same things you need to bring. However there are a few differences as the climate in Iceland and Morocco is quite different.  So here it goes: Small bag: Glasses Contacts and a mirror Wallet Passport Tickets for flights and trains/busses House keys Book for reading Notebook and pen Guide book Lip balm Camera Ipod and headphones Cellphone Sunglasses Hand sanitizer Hand creme Watch Big bag (checked luggage): Underwear Socks Long pants One pair of shorts A dress A skirt Tops (T-shirts and long sleeved tops)

I just read Angela’s Ashes, and I had very hig expectations going in, because as far as I understand this book is considered a “new” classic. It won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize and a few other awards, and has a ton of blurbs praising it to the skies. It is about a young Irish boy and his upbringing, first in New York and then in Limerick, Ireland, in the first half of the 20th century. And that is pretty much it as far as a synopsis goes.  I had trouble understanding the time line of the story. For some reason I thought Frankie was born much earlier, so I couldn’t understand how they had suddenly reached the 1940s, and he was still just a kid. But I guess I just got mixed up, because the book starts with an account of his father and mother and their families. Once I wrapped my head around that it was fine. Or as fine as a boring story can be. I think I have this issue with a lot of memoirs in general. Often they just become a parade of events; then the baby was born, then it d

My two main reasons for starting this blog was books and travels, and I thought I would try and combine the two in a series of posts called “My Travels in Books”. I always think it’s fun to read books set in a place you have actually been. It makes it a bit easier to imagine the setting and the atmosphere, and maybe it’s also a bit easier to relate to the characters, especially if they are also tourists, like you, struggling to cope with a different culture and the joys and hardships of traveling.   I will try and talk a little about my personal experience in a given country or city and relate how it compares to the descriptions in the chosen book. As of right now I don’t really have any specific criteria for the book, other than that it should mainly be set in the country or city in question. I’ll try to find one that really captures the place and uses the setting in the story, and not pick a book that could really be set anywhere.  On my travels I have often traveled through

On the way to Fes we stopped by Volubilis and Meknes. First up was Volubilis, the Roman ruins. We had a really good local guide, but it was so hot, that my enthusiasm was only so-so. There were a lot of preserved mosaic floors, and some of the floor plans of the houses were also preserved. They were built in the style of Moroccan riyadhs, with a central open courtyard surrounded by a walkway and rooms. Parts of the toilets and the washing area were also preserved, along with the sewer system and parts of the basilica.   Mosaic floors in Volubilis A storck nesting on top of a column.  One of the main roads of the town of Volubilis Then we stopped in Meknes. This city was the capital fro 1672 to 1727 under the famous sultan Moulay Ismail. The gate called Bab El-Mansour, decorated in green and black mosaics, is considered one of the most beautiful gates in all of Morocco. This was the entrance to the royal city and it is almost 300 years old. In Meknes we

After meeting the group in Casablanca, next morning we headed to Tangier in the north of Morocco. We were only going to stay there for lunch and then have a guided tour through the medina for about an hour, before heading south again to Chefchaouen. At first I was quite disappointed that we wouldn’t be staying longer in Tangier, as I have read so much about it being the Moroccan headquarters for the beatniks and the hippies. We had lunch and headed to the medina for the tour. This mainly consisted of our local guide telling us that in that house a rich French person lived, and that house had been bought by a rich English person, and that house was now a hotel. Not very informative and a bit disappointing. We passed quite quickly through the medina with no stops to shop, but from what I could tell, the goods on offer were not really interesting either. So in the end I was happy that we would not stay there longer. Perhaps if we had stayed longer and had time to explore by ourselves we

I just finished this book yesterday, and boy am I glad I finally did! I had really high hopes for this book, as I have seen it and the author celebrated on Youtube for a long time. But I was sorely disappointed. This book is the first in a series of 6 books. The first 3 books are already out and the last 3 are coming out one a year from 2015 onwards. I really hope this isn't a "Mortal Instruments" situation where the trilogy was finished, but then they decided to milk some more money from the story and published 3 more books...I will probably never know since I don't plan to continue this series. This book is presented as a fantasy book with a kick-ass heroine, and suited for fans of "Game of Thrones" and "The Hunger Games". I loved "The Hunger Games", and I have a thing for strong female characters, so I was really excited for this book. But I started reading it, and it just didn't hit the spot for me. Beware of spoiler-y bits