I ♕: WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT?

 The other day I've been hunting for a new great book. Fortunately, I stumpled upon a great website: whatshouldireadnext.com. This is an online service that can recommend new books to read from a single book title entered into the form on the service’s website. You just type in a book you like, and it will give you different suggestions of similar books. The book recommendation service works with book titles and ISBN, and if the book title is not precise enough a list of possible matches is displayed of which one needs to be selected by the user of the recommendation service. This will then lead to the loading of the result’s page that lists book authors and titles that are related to the book entered.
To judge the resommended books, the service links also to the book’s pages at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk where you can get additional information about the selected book.

I cannot say which is my favorite book of all time, because there are so many great and incredible books. But one of the books I really loved to read was Bright Shiny Morning, the first novel by James Frey, a collection of stories about various individuals in Los Angeles. It portrays a married couple, both celebrities, a Mexican-American maid, a homless man of Venice and two runaway teens. It unifies California dreams, nightmares and realities in a fascinating, enthralling and educational way. At the time i read it I couldn't put it down because it reminded me of the great time I spent in the City of Angels. Oh, I wish myself back ... I don't think that one of the recommended books can give me this feeling! The selection is a little bit weired,...

I ♕: "ONE DAY" BY DAVID NICOLLS

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

Emma und Dexter treffen sich am Tag ihres Schulabschlusses zum ersten Mal. Es ist der 15. Juni 1988, St. Swithin's Day. Emma ist geradlinig, bodenständig und mit ihrem Übermaß an Selbstironie passt sie so gar nicht zu dem supercoolen Dexter. Dass sie eigentlich füreinander bestimmt sind und dass aus ihrer jahrelangen Freundschaft die große Liebe wird, ahnen beide an diesem Tag noch nicht. Sie kommen zusammen, trennen sich, nehmen ihr Leben auseinander und setzen es wieder zusammen. Ihre Liebesgeschichte durchläuft Höhen und Tiefen. Und David Nicolls erzählt die Geschichte von Em und Dex in Etappen, jedes Jahr zum St. Swithin's Tag. Obwohl es zum zweiten Drittel etwas langatmig wird, gewinnt die Erzählung zum Ende hin wieder an Fahrt und man ist gespannt, wie es im Leben von Em und Dex weitergeht und wie ihre Beziehung letztlich aussehen wird.

"Zwei an einem Tag" ist ein wundervoll subtiles Stück Literatur über die alltägliche Vergänglichkeit des Lebens. Beziehungen sind mal stärker, mal schwächer, mal zerfrisst sie der Alltag und mal erleben sie Höhenflüge. Offenbart uns erst die Zeit, ob man im Leben für jemand anderen wirklich bestimmt ist? Durch das Erzählen im Zeitraffer fragt man sich, wie Dexter und Emma: Was willst du mit deinem Leben anfangen? 



‘Live each day as if it’s your last’, that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn’t practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at … something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance.

So we are excited: In 2011 the book hits the big screen. Danish director Lone Scherfig ("An Education"), who brings her movies under the character's skin to reveal the impulses of good and evil, adapted this lovely piece of literature with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess in the leading roles.The trailer hits it!