Friday 2 September 2016

One thing leads to another

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that a friend had lent me Staring at the sun: overcoming the dread of death by Irvin D Yalom. Well, one of the many references in it that caught my eye was to the story 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' by Leo Tolstoy. Naturally I had to seek it out and buy it. I was expecting much angst and Russian hand-wringing, and yes, it's about a dying man struggling to come to terms with what's happening to him; but it's actually quite an easy read and there are some lovely observations in it about the human condition (no surprise there, methinks).

Elsewhere, I have booked some tickets for a forthcoming festival in Corby and the first event I'm going to next Friday is a performance of 'The Man Who Planted Trees,' by theatre company Impronto Teatro, which the programme promises will be 'bold and beautiful puppetry, physical theatre and vibrant storytelling'. The piece is an adaptation of the story of the same name by Jean Giono of a secluded shepherd who plants a forest, one acorn at a time. Intriguing - especially since we are warned to 'wear stout footwear' if we are going to join the audience! Naturally, I've bought a copy of the book, in an edition that is adorned with beautiful woodcut illustrations.

I've recently finished reading Fragile Things, a Neil Gaiman short story collection that my son Sam lent to me. The final tale, 'The Monarch of the Glen', is a novella based on the character Shadow, who first appears in the novel American Gods. Yes, you've guessed it: I'm now reading American Gods - in which there are several references to Herodotus' The Histories

Do I need to say what I've just added to my 'must read' list?

12 comments:

  1. I've read American Gods - I'm still not sure how I feel about it! Have a great weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll get back to you when I've finished it, Laura!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like a nice little list and an interesting trail to follow. I hope you enjoy the festival. I don't think I've seen many puppet shows in-person.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Loni. There's a chance the pupeteers will be taking a yoga class with me this week, so it will be interesting to meet the faces behind the masks.

      Delete
  4. You crack me up. You buy books like I research on the net, always chasing down some tangent somewhere till I've forgotten where I started. Have a great time at the theater (stout footgear and all) and have a lovely weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I manage 2 or 3 pages of reading a day, usually after 10.00 at night when my eyelids are propped open with match-sticks. Quite often they are the same 2 or 3 pages every night to refresh myself what I have previously read. But on the other hand I can re-wire a house in 3 days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't do your job, Tim - but then again, you couldn't earn a living reading books.

      Delete
  6. I hope you've got a large book case!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm impressed at the variety of reading material, Julia, and I'm intrigued about that play!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like to mix things up a bit, Rosemary - and the play was incredible!

      Delete