Monday, December 5, 2016

Best Book of 2016 + memories of Miro and sunnier days




It's troubled day here. With bad news following bad news, despite all the Christmas lights. I actually thought about skipping this whole DecemberReflections2016 idea. But then, it feels like a ray of colored sunlight on days like these, and a walk through memories of happier days.

And so my personal best book of 2016 is a colorful art book, one that also is a symbol: the Taschen biography / artography of Miro. It's a wonderful book. I bought it after visiting the Miro exhibition in Frankfurt in April. And learned that there is a Miro museum with Miro's atelier in Mallorca. So I took the book with me, to read it under the Spanish sun... and visit Miro there, on the island that was his home for years.

Here's the memory from back then, with a note and photos:
"Miro museum. Colors shapes emotions. And: his atelier. The place where Miro lived and worked after he moved to Mallorca. His vibe is still here. Makes me want to paint. In bright colours. In constellations."
 


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And the other fave read of this year: is a re-read of a found book. I came across it in the "telephone book box" (a book exchange installed in an old telephone box). And back home, starting to read, and not wanting to end. It's a memoir of Meike Winnetmuth, who at age 50 gets the chance to be candidate in a quiz show - and wins half a million Euro. She decides to go travelling for a year, with the plan to visit 12 countries, and live in each one for a month in a city.

   

The book is written in letters, starting with a letter from Sydney... here's the list of the 12 cities:

Sydney
Buenos Aires
Mumbai
Shanghai
Honolulu
San Francisco
London
Kopenhagen
Barcelona
Tel Aviv
Addis Abeba
Havanna
Hamburg

Like during the first read, I read the book at the pace of 1 city / day and loved it. "It's probably one of the best books I read this year so far. Found by chance," that's what I noted when I read it first. It's still true.


1 comment:

Vilt og vakkert said...

Heisann, here I have been to some years ago, Palma is a wonderful town, like to go there more!
On Wednesday the Sun is turning and we will have more natural light. There are so many ugly Christmas lightening decorations outside people´s houses. I planed to celebrate this moment in some way, but yesterday a friend called inviting me for a outside barbeque, nice!
Today we will pick mosses and lichens for decorations... the Sun will shine. Have a wonderful Sunday ;:OD)