is a travelog of the city Trieste. Trieste is a place for those who are exiled and Morris is fascinated by the "nowhereness" of the place. It has had many famous inhabitants, including James Joyce, Sigmund Freud, and Richard Burton. It is on the far northeast side of Italy, and as Morris points out, very few people in Italy actually know Trieste is there. The travelog weaves between Morris' own experience and Trieste and the ancient history of the city, as well as stories from the famous people who have lived there.
I was set up to dislike Trieste for two reasons, the first is that I hate Italy, the second is that I hate travel writing that moves away from the narrator's experience. I didn't hate Trieste, but I wouldn't say it is my favorite book I have read. Some parts are beautiful. Morris has been to Trieste several times and has a keen eye for small parts of life. She is also willing to admit she messed up when she judges something wrong, while some authors wouldn't include it she does and I admire her for that. What I didn't like about this book is that on page it will be present day and the next page it will be 1382. Perhaps I wasn't reading carefully enough, but I really struggled with the movement back and forth.
It's a quick read if you're interested in Italy or travel writing in general. It is the first travelog I have read that talked more about how everything is different within the city rather than how everything is different from where they came from. Demographically, Trieste is very unique because it is so close to Slovenia. The population is made up of Italians, Croations, Slovenes, Romanians, and people that have fled their country. It truly does have a fascinating history so read the book if you can keep up with the constant changes in time.
Pub. Date: August 2002 Publisher: Da Capo Format: Paperback, 212pp
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Since I forgot about doing a What I'm Reading Monday post yesterday I figured I'd make up for it today.
Finished Lady Audley's Secret
is a Victorian sensation novel. I posted a review yesterday which you can read here.
Still Reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
is a Quirk Classic edition of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. I should finish it in the next couple days.
Started Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere
by Jan Morris is a travel novel about the city of Trieste. Trieste is in Italy, but it has the cultures of many countries in it because it has kind of been passed between surrounding countries. Morris mostly discusses the "nowhereness" of the place.
A Little Princess (Unabridged Classics)
by Frances Hodgson Burnett is my first read for Shelf Discovery.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is a mystery I'm reading for Barnes and Noble's Literature By Women Book Club.
My tumble down the stairs last week required me to go to parents over the weekend; therefore, I didn't get as much reading done as I had planned. That being said, here is what I'm reading right now and what I plan to read this week. J.Kaye's Book Blog is the source of my What I'm Reading Mondays is J.Kaye's Book Blog.
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere
by Jan Morris. I am finishing this book today for my travel writing class. The first half was not what I expected at all but I'm enjoying the second half more. It is about the city of Trieste which is in Italy (although it is unknown by most Italians).
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett is my first book for Shelf Discovery. I wanted to finish it over the weekend but it just didn't happen. I am enjoying it though. I grew up watching the movie and it is similar but the differences really change the way you understand the story.
I am embarking on a journey with George Eliot's Middlemarch starting today. It will be a very long journey, but I am looking forward to it.
I'm planning on reading The Lover
by Marguerite Duras later this week for the November Novella Challenge. I started this book once before and didn't finish it, even though I really liked it. So hopefully that will get done this week.
This week's Booking Through Thursday is all of these questions!
1. Favorite childhood book? Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes was my favorite picture book. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery was my favorite chapter bok.
2. What are you reading right now? In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Best American Essays 2008, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.
3. What books do you have on request at the library? Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion.
4. Bad book habit? Putting them down on the table with the spine up.
5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? The Catcher in the Rye, About a Mountain by John D'Agata, Sleeping Naked is Green by Vanessa Farguharson, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
6. Do you have an e-reader? Yes, I have a nook.
7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? Several, although lately I've been focusing more on one at a time.
8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Oh yeah, I read a lot more and I'm more conscious about what I think while I'm reading.
9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) The Secret History of the Pink Carnation.
10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Not very often.
12. What is your reading comfort zone? Genres I know I can count on like literary nonfiction, graphic novels, young adult series, and classics.
13. Can you read on the bus? Yeah I do it all the time.
14. Favorite place to read? Outside as long as I don't have the sun to my back.
15. What is your policy on book lending? I'll lend to anyone I'm friends with.
16. Do you ever dog-ear books? I used to but now I use bookmarks and sticky notes.
17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? Often.
18. Not even with text books? Still do it here.
19. What is your favorite language to read in? English though I can read some French.
20. What makes you love a book? Strong female characters, strong characters of any kind, detailed description but not flowery language.
21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If I come away from a book thinking it either changed the way I look at something or helped me learn a lot about a subject or life.
22. Favorite genre? Literary nonfiction.
23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Current literary fiction.
24. Favorite biography? Wild Child: Life with Jim Morrison by Linda Ashcroft.
25. Have you ever read a self-help book? I've read fitness walking books and study books.
26. Favorite cookbook? Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.
27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
28. Favorite reading snack? Popcorn or oranges.
29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I think I expected too much from it.
30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? Depends on the critic. I usually agree with book reviews from the Believer. Bookmarks is more touch and go.
31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I feel that I always give reasons for why I don't like a book so I don't mind giving negative reviews. I try to find something good even in books I dont like.
32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Dutch.
33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? Middlemarch by George Eliot.
34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
35. Favorite Poet? Emily Dickinson.
36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? I didn't have a library card until last week (I know, I know!) but including the university library I would say about 3 or 4.
37. How often have you returned book to the library unread? Frequently when I was younger, which is why I didn't get a library card again until last week.
38. Favorite fictional character? I have way too many! One I always remember fondly is Marcus in About a Boy by Nick Hornby.
39. Favorite fictional villain? Lydia Gwilt from Armadale by Wilkie Collins.
40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Some literary nonfiction and historical fiction.
41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. Three or four months probably.
42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. Most recently I have been very challenged by Surviving Paradise. Not sure if I'll finish it or not.
43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? Noise, other conversations, my own nagging thoughts.
44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? Jane Eyre! The PBS version.
45. Most disappointing film adaptation? I wasn't too fond of The Lightning Thief.
46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? Oh boy, no clue. Definitely upwards $150 dollars.
47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Not that often, surprisingly.
48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? Boring plot.
49. Do you like to keep your books organized? I like to keep them on shelves, but in no particular order.
50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? I prefer to keep them.
51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Gone With the Wind, even though I said I'd read it by the end of the summer.
52. Name a book that made you angry. I can name an essay that made me angry. Ticket to the Fair by David Foster Wallace.
53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? I wasn't sure if I'd like Candy Girl by Diablo Cody and really enjoyed it.
54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere by Jan Morris.
55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? The Luxe series.
