It is the first of Advent and we are slowly going towards Christmas. As a child I always had an Advent Calendar and was so excited to open one box every day. I used to buy one for my son as well. In Sweden there is also an Advent Calendar story on television, shown early in the morning, so children can watch it before going to school. Each year is a different story. It helps us all to get into the Christmas mood.
I remember having done a bookish Advent Calendar one year, thinking it was just a few years ago. It was in 2017, which shows that time flies. Definitely time for another one, so I will add a short post for each of the days leading up to December 24.
December 1, 2024
Advent marks the arrival of a notable person or event, and is also the first season of the Christian liturgical year, leading up to Christmas. In Christian traditions, Advent is a four-week period of reflection and celebrating, focusing on the arrival of Jesus on Earth. Today, however, the traditional reflections coexist with more commercial aspects.
This morning I lit the first candle of my Advent candle holder. One for each Sunday. It is especially comforting here in the northern hemisphere where even the days are dark. Although, this morning the sun was shining.
Bookish thoughts
We are heading into December, leaving a very busy November behind. For me, it seemed that everything was happening in November; theatres, conserts, excersises, errands, appointments and I don't know what. On top of it all, a busy, interesting, reading month with many challenges, of which I participated in three: Nonfiction November, Novellas in November and German Literature Month. I did read a few books, and managed to combine a couple of the challenges, but, would have liked to read more.
December will also be a busy month for me, so probably I will not have much time to read. Should I try to choose a few books to read? Everytime I do that, I tend to read other books, but why not. Maybe put the books that I have already started on the list? Seems like a good choice.
Darwin's Sacred Cause - Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins by Adrian Desmond and James Moore - a left over from Nonfiction November. It has been on my TBR for many years. I wanted to read it as a complimentary to Karin Bojs My European Family - The First 54000 Years on the evolution of man.
The Lost Café Schindler by Meriel Schindler - A family saga of the Schindler family, and their Café Schindler in Innsbruck. The building is still there, hosting a restaurant and bar, with a special atmosphere. Meriel Schindler is looking into her family's past, making this a story of 20th century Europe.
12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson - I think it does not need further introduction. It was getting my attention by my son who had watch video interviews with Peterson. I want to know what it is all about.
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche - a book for German Literature Month which I had no time to read. Another book to read, to find out what it is all about. And a classic too.
Min bokvärld (My World of Books my transl.) by Kerstin Ekman - In 24 chapters Ekman looks into the books that has made an everlasting impression on her, and which she loves. Kerstin Ekman is a former member of the Academy, and a fantastic author. I am curious to see which books have influenced her life and her writing.
Vad hände på vägen till Jerusalem? En gåta i historiens utmarker by Lena Einhorn - Lena Einhorn has had a varied career, from being educated to a doctor specialising in tumor viruses, to medical editor for Lifetime Television, and making medical documentaries, into an author of nonfiction books. I have read several of her books, and they are all mesmerising. Before this book, she wrote, The Jesus Mystery in 2007, and A Shift in Time in 2016 on "hypothesising an alternative understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus". This book, "What happened on the road to Jerusalem? An enigma in the outback of history" she is following in the foot steps of the bible. Looking for archeological and historical proofs of the stories.
De fenomenala fruntimren på Grand Hotel by Ruth Kvarnström-Jones - an easygoing, feelgood novel of the fenomal women who saved the Grand Hotel in Stockholm at the beginning of the 20th century. It has got raving reviews in Sweden and I have big hopes of a fun and relaxing read.
Have you read any of the books? Or any book on the subjects? What are your reading plans for December?
Happy First Advent!
"In Sweden there is also an Advent Calendar story on television": so cool!