catching up

So here I was, looking forward to being back in this space and taking holiday pictures and sharing my latest photo session. And then I got sucked into “The Hunger Games” books…I’ve been reading, reading, reading them back to back in the last week. On the way to work, in my lunch break, at home and far into the night. I simultaneously love and hate it when books do that to me. Love it because I get to go new places, experience people and emotions in my mind. Hate it because I can actually get lost in it and tune out reality somewhat. Add that I found the Hunger Games trilogy truly heartbreaking to read. I guess I’m too tenderhearted to read books that make me “watch” the characters in them being broken physically and mentally in the course of the story. I get too invested emotionally. Despite that, and once you get the fact that this is a story about war, not love, what a ride! I’m still recovering, going over parts of it in my head again and again.

Since my parents gave me a Kindle for my birthday I’ve been practically inhaling books. Some great ones that came before “The Hunger Games”:
– The Joy of Less. Loved the concept and the tips, found the pace of the book a bit slow for me though.
– Nightwoods. Another masterpiece by Charles Frazier, less poetic and more “readable” than Cold Mountain, but deeply touching and beautiful. Definitely highly recommended!
– The Night Circus. There really is just one word for this book: magical. Not a big fan of the ending but working up to it was breathtaking.
– Letters of a woman homesteader. So inspiring and refreshing and wonderful. I was continually amazed by this brave, independent and warmhearted woman and her unbelievably hard and beautiful life.

And to change the subject entirely, here’s a first round of christmas market pictures or rather, of our town in advent.

I went to the huge christmas market that is all over town and is pretty packed, even on a weekday. I’m planning on visiting some smaller ones in nearby towns. Lots of small markets are being held at castles and historic places in the weeks leading up to christmas.

We usually go for the food as well as the other booths but this time I must have eaten something that didn’t agree with me as I’ve been in bed with an upset stomach since yesterday. Drinking lots of chamomile tea and hoping it’ll pass soon and I’ll get to enjoy some more advent specialties.

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