I had a reading affair in Old Town Prague with The Unbearable Lightness of Being. We spent some time together in my hotel room, the hotel library, a restaurant, and in the middle of the crowded Old Town Square. I didn’t expect a second read of the novel (ten years later) to take such a…
Whenever you hear about Franz Kafka, the esteemed writer from Prague, the book you will hear mentioned is often The Metamorphosis. It is a book that bridges generations. I was recently in Prague, when a teenager in our tour group praised this book so highly. She and I—and our semi-retired tour guide—were able to get…
If we look closely, will we find that some material things we fight so hard to keep, are just garbage? In Love and Garbage, the second book of our August Reading Challenge, our protagonist, a writer and street-sweeper, wrestles with similar thoughts daily. During the Reading Europe Challenge, we are Reading Prague in August. Join…
Let’s journey with Haňťa, an alcoholic book lover who struggles at work, love, and life. Haňťa is anyone who has been dismissed or ignored at work. He is someone who deals with addiction. He is a flawed person who feels invisible and small. During the Reading Europe Challenge, we are Reading Prague in August. Join us…
Lovers of literature, welcome to the literary world of Sir. Walter Scott, Robert Burns, and Robert Louis Stevenson—Scotland’s preeminent writers and poets. If you’re looking for a lovely city that accommodates solo travelers who admire literature and culture, try Edinburgh, Scotland. The places I suggest for solo travel on my reading around the world literary…
Walk around San Telmo, the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and you will find art. Art dances on the street, a slow street tango; it lingers in bookstores, on paperbacks written by Jorge Luis Borges; it simmers in coffee cups of artistically designed café con leches, it sits on street corners in frames, canvases,…
A Day in Vatican City is not only about seeing masterpieces—although you will see many—but it is also about observing how art, belief, and beauty are merged into a singular vision. It is consuming, awe-inspiring, and an experience you will always remember. Although a spiritual endeavor, it can be intimidating and overcrowded. People swarm in…