War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Well, I did it, I finally finished reading War and Peace. And just in time too, because I reached the renewal limit at the library.

This won’t really be a proper review, because, well, it’s War and Peace. It’s a classic, it’s epic, it’s beautiful, it’s long and at times almost impossible to read. It took me three months to read. I started with a decent reading speed, but when I was around halfway in I slowed way down, so slow that in fact I read another book. After page 700 I started feeling like I was actually capable of finishing and I sped up significantly. And then I got to the second epilogue, because one is not enough, and it was so boring it nearly killed me.

Here are a few of the many beautiful passages in this masterpiece:

“Had I said what I thought, I should have said: even if he had to go on dying, to die continually before my eyes, I should have been happy compared to what I am now.”

“We imagine that when we are thrown out of our usual ruts all is lost, but it is only then that what is new and good begins. While there is life there is happiness. There is much, much before us.”

Bookmarked – The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

I just had to share this lovely quote, because, clearly, these are my kind of people.

“Because despite his money and his looks and all the good-on-paper attributes he possessed, he was not a reader, and, well, let’s just say that is the sort of nonsense up with which we will not put.”

-p. 78, The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

So I went home for two weeks and I really did plan on reading War and Peace while there. But it turned out it was literally and metaphorically too heavy a book for the beach so sadly I barely read any of it while there. (There has been progress since, partly thanks to the many hours I spent in doctor’s waiting rooms since I’ve been back.)

Thankfully, my mum is a big reader, so our bookshelves at home are stocked with lots and lots of books that I plan to read eventually. Not surprisingly, I picked up another Isabel Allende book, Eva Luna. I loved it, it was amazing and provided many blissful reading hours at the beach (always under the umbrella with lots of sunscreen on).

I don’t want to give away the plot, but this book, just like her other novels that I’ve read, has a unique, fascinating heroine, is set in a beautiful and strange country and in a brilliant way intertwines the real world with supernatural elements.

I have to say, I think this one was my favourite of Allende’s books. It reads almost like a fairytale, just like the strange and fascinating stories that the heroine of the book makes up. Allende’s kids are very lucky because I’m sure they got amazing bedtime stories from their mum, she is such a story-teller.

In the land of endless summer

I don’t usually think about it but, I’m quite lucky. Because, as much as I love living in London, the teeny tiny mediterranean island I come from is a pretty awesome place to go on holiday. It is practically guaranteed to be warm and sunny, with glorious white sand beaches and of course delicious mum-made food.

So here are my favourite things about the place I call home… First of all, looking up at the blue sky, with no clouds in sight, preferably while reading underneath palm trees by the sea. Long walks by the sea, my toes sinking in white sand, collecting seashells and pebbles.

Swimming in secluded coves, where the water is surreally, out of this world turquoise and so clear you can see fish swimming beneath you.

Tiny fishing boats lined at quaint little ports in the mid-day heat. Playing with kittens in the late afternoon sun.

Quenching my thirst with fresh water from a village’s stone drinking fountain. Cobblestone streets and myriads of potted plants outside houses. The night air scented with the smell of jasmine. Hidden, secret, streams and small waterfalls in forest clearings. Delicious, mouthwatering meals like freshly caught trout with a lemony, buttery, garlicky sauce.

Do you have a favourite summer destination?

All pictures were taken by me.