Something scary...

Just finished packing for Iowa, and - guess what - I am taking NO books to read with me. I feel as if I'm stepping off the high diving board.

This isn't because I can't think what to take, or haven't read anything good recently. The opposite. My pile for Italy was a treasure trove of good reading. Best was The Makioka Sisters. What a find. There was something bizarre about being in the middle of the Italian mountains and inhabiting old-style Japan. Because that's what this book felt like. I walked into the pages, and watched these four sisters go about their business. It's a masterful novel, not least in the way the eldest sister slips out of the story as her place in society slips, and also the power given to her by the passivity of the third sister. It was the first time I understood the power of the Japanese cherry blossom rituals too - the celebration of the fleeting moment.

I want to do reviews of all the books I read - I meant to do them before I left again - but I want to absorb them too. Normally I read one book after another, this is a chance to try something different. A slower approach. Also I'm going to make myself watch and make notes at the airport etc etc.

And so I'm off. Again. This is a working trip so I'll be blogging. If not here, then here. And in the meantime, don't get too frisky while I'm gone. At least remember ....