I got a little behind in my world reading project. The problem isn’t the reading so much as writing up the reviews! The Expats, by Chris Pavone is a thriller about an expatriate family living in Luxembourg. The country has a population of about 650,000, about half of whom are expats. This creates a tension… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Rest of the World
Detroit’s Cathedral of Finance
On a recent trip to Detroit, I checked out the Guardian Building, which is also known as The Cathedral of Finance. It was built in 1929 for the Union Trust Company, a bank that claimed 25% of Detroit’s deposit market. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with ceramic brick and Pewabic tiles. The pictures tell the story better… [Read More]
Denmark: Mirror, Shoulder, Signal
Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors is a coming of middle age story, and maybe the world needs more of these. Sonja lives in Copenhagen and translates Swedish detective stories. She’s feeling stuck. She is also trying to learn to drive (hence the title) while dealing with vertigo and trying to figure out the next… [Read More]
New Zealand: Alps to Ocean Challenge
The two most disturbing movies that I have ever seen were set in New Zealand. Once Were Warriors is a difficult story of a Maori family trying to stay together in a modern era, and Heavenly Creatures is a disturbing true-crime story starring a young Kate Winslet. Babe and What We Do In the Shadows… [Read More]
Iceland: Woman at War
During the pandemic, I continued to work on the Around the World project, although not always alphabetically. Reading books and watching movies are easier than writing up blog posts, so I seem further behind than I am. Anyway, here’s the entry for Iceland, which is a gorgeous country. It almost looks like a cold version… [Read More]
