books... in all shapes and forms
Usually I prefer reading books, rather than listening to them. However, at the moment, after long days in front of my computer, I decided it would be a good idea to rest my eyes a little.
So after listening my way through "Sherlock Holmes Railway Mysteries", "Konrad aus der Konservendose", "Momo" and "Artemis Fowl", I am currently travelling with a literature obsessed Lindwurm:
"In tiefen, kalten, hohlen Räumen
Wo Schatten sich mit Schatten paaren
Wo alte Bücher Träume träumen
Von Zeiten als sie Bäume waren"
How the heck did I miss Walter Moers' "Stadt der träumenden Bücher" ('The City of Dreaming Books') when it first came out? Oh wait, I was writing a PhD... All I can say is that I could quote it to death. The language is so colorful and playful it makes listening to it a delight.
The last two books I actually read were for work: "Die Königliche" ('Bitterblue' - Kristin Cashore) and “Das Schicksal ist ein mieser Verräter” (‘The Fault In Our Stars’ - John Green).
As far as books for teens go, John Green isn’t bad, but I had pretty much the same experience as I had with “Juno”. I am simply too old for that book/film.
“Die Königliche” was an entirely different experience. My first thought was: oh crap I got stranded with the new romantic fantasy chick lit book. Boy was I off the mark. It’s more like “Inkheart” or the “Neverending Story”. Thematically if focuses on how a country deals with its recent bad history & trauma. How different people try to frame the present by constructing a reality based on more or less facts/fictions about said past and how far some people will go in order to hide it.
Next stop the reboot of “Jerry Cotton”, “Cotton Reloaded”, which has supposedly been revised for the "CSI generation", well we shall see… Then to be followed by Harry Dresden...