Elizabeth Kostova
Little, Brown and Company
February? I haven't written a post since February? Holy schnitzel ... I guess it's time to get cracking!
Well, while I might not have been doing much blogging in the last few months, I have continued to read like a fiend. Off the top of my head, I can't say that I've picked upanything that has been particularly worth sharing. I'm still reading the odd Inspector Rebus novel and I must say that I've re-discovered a fondness for Sherlock Holmes. My work colleagues and I are always up to our hips in data and I'm finding that both Homes and Watson provide me with timely, yet relevant witticisms to inflict upon them. A few weeks ago, it was "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." I'm pretty sure my coworkers hate me some days. Or at least hate my sense of humour.
Lately, my head has been choc-a-bloc full of art and ideas. I've just returned from Italy and am still reeling from all the unbelievable things that I saw. Amazing painting, sculpture, architecture, landscapes, food -- why does anyone ever leave? It confounds me. Anyway, while I was away, I picked up a copy of Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves. It couldn't have been more perfect! A beautiful, languorous novel about creativity, obsession, love, betrayal, passion and secrecy, Kostova takes her time developing the characters. It's almost as if the she is revealing their layers of detail one brush stroke at a time. Three impressionist readings out of five.
