The Devil and Miss Prym - Paolo Coelho

"A stranger arrives at the remote village of Viscos, carrying with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to a question that torments him: Are human beings, in essence, good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives.

A novel of temptation by the internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym is a thought-provoking parable of a community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear—as it struggles with the choice between good and evil."

I've been reading a lot of books lately - as always when I'm traveling. This one was a really nice read. Need to get more of his books...

Night Train to Lisbon - Pascal Mercier

Not sure how the translation is, but this book was wonderful to read!
German Original: Nachtzug nach Lissabon

"Raimund Gregorius is a Latin teacher at a Swiss college who one day—after a chance encounter with a mysterious Portuguese woman—abandons his old life to start a new one. He takes the night train to Lisbon and carries with him a book by Amadeu de Prado, a (fictional) Portuguese doctor and essayist whose writings explore the ideas of loneliness, mortality, death, friendship, love, and loyalty. Gregorius becomes obsessed by what he reads and restlessly struggles to comprehend the life of the author. His investigations lead him all over the city of Lisbon, as he speaks to those who were entangled in Prado’s life. Gradually, the picture of an extraordinary man emerges—a doctor and poet who rebelled against Salazar’s dictatorship."



One of the best books Ive read in a while!

Fraincois Lelord, Le voyage d'Hector ou la recherche du bonheur

French is not my strength, so I had to read it in German. What a lovely book!

The psychiatrist Hector is traveling the world to find out what happiness is. It truly made my day on the flight back from Germany. If you're looking for a nice read that leaves you with a big smile in your face, try this book!

Hectors Reise - oder die Suche nach dem Glueck (German version)
Not sure if there is an English translation yet, I found a Spanish version on Amazon.

The Last Chinese Chef

It's part a story about food and part a love story. Great combination for a nice reading experience!

The most important thing is to preserve civilization. As men we are the sum of our forebears, the great thinkers, great masters, great chefs. We who know the secrets of food must pass them on, for our attainment in food is no less than our attainment in philosophy, or art; indeed, the three things cannot be separated. These are the things that make us Chinese. In the West, it is different. There, Plato is one of their favorite sages. He teaches them that food is the opposite of art, a routine undertaken to satisfy human need, no more - worse, a form of flattery. We Chinese look instead to the Analects of Confucius, where it is written that there is "no objection to the finest food, nor the finest shredding." - The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

I really like to think about food that way! :-)

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany

Just finished reading this book. It's been fascinating from page one... Makes me want to read more of his novels. Too bad I can't read them in Arabic. Wonder how much got lost in translation.