Hello everyone,
what special treats I have for you leading up to Christmas!
Requested by Deborah is another Alice Munro book. It's her Selected Stories collection and I believe Daniele chose it for the next book club discussion. Remember, that Alice Munro is the winner of the Nobel Prize of Literature 2013, and we already have three of her other stories' collections. If I may quote from the back cover: “Munros' territory is the secrets that crackle beneath the facade of everyday lives, the pain and promises, loves and fears of apparently ordinary men and women, whom she renders extraordinary and unforgettable.”
A small treasure for convalescent Anita is All The World's Mornings by Pascal Quignard. Oh yes, he's a French author but I got us the English translation :-) Set in the seventeenth-century France, it is based on the life of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe, a solitary, taciturn musical genius. Master of the viol and composer of distinction, he lives in a rural backwater with his two daughters. He shuns the vulgarity of the Parisian beau-monde, disobeying the King's command to join the royal musicians. Haunted by the loving ghost of his wife, he seeks only poetry in music, not fame.
One spring, a shy but ambitious young man arrives at the farm begging to become a pupil of Sainte Colombe. As time passes the attraction between Marin Marais (!) and each sister conflicts with his real desire, to succeed as a court musician at Versailles.
And finally, for Katherine and Philippe, newly arrived is the DVD Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg. As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. I believe Katherine is planning a presentation on the book Team Of Rivals in the new year, so watching this movie might be an excellent way to immerse yourselves in American history!
Let me close by thanking everyone who helped with the Book Sale, as well as those who bought books and helped us build a modest budget for the Library again. We still have loads of books for sale at the Association, plenty of fiction as well as several DVDs we're selling for 0,50 euros each. That's right, 50 cents a book or a DVD, so next time you're at the Asso let yourself be tempted and help us fill our tin box.
As always, do not hesitate to send me any requests for books of films you may have and I'll do my best to get the item for you :-)
Enjoy the beautiful season
Anna, Your Librarian.
