books

The streets are walkable again! Edinburgh festival round-up

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The festivals are over, and Edinburgh is starting to shake off its hangover and get back to work. There are still plenty of tourists in town, but nowhere near the numbers of the past three weeks. It’s nice to be able to stroll around without being constantly stuck in a crowd.

That said, I was surprised to find myself really enjoying the festivals this year. It’s hard to predict if I’ll be able to enjoy things without Scott, since everything brings up memories and feels different without him, especially everything about life in Edinburgh. And sometimes, a wave of grief will hit, and I’ll find myself crying as I wander around George Square trying to decide what I want for dinner and wishing I could tell Scott about the covfefe stand. But the wave will pass, and later I’ll be clapping along to 9 to 5 at Margaret Thatcher Queen of Game Shows.

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The book festival held its place as my favorite again this year.

Read moreThe streets are walkable again! Edinburgh festival round-up

Death at the Book Fest

One of this year’s themes at the Edinburgh International Book Festival is ‘Reading the Final Chapter‘, a collection of events centered around death. This feels very well-timed for me, as much of my recent reading (and writing) has been on this topic. I appreciate the open and frank discussions that are being held. Death and … Read more

August is Edinburgh is Festival

I once heard a comedian (it may have been Ed Byrne) talk about how amongst comedians, the month of August is simply known as ‘Edinburgh.’ ‘What are you doing for Edinburgh?’ ‘Oh, I’ll be spending it in Florida.’ Here in Edinburgh, August often just gets called ‘the festival.’ Locals discuss their festival plans, whether or … Read more

Edinburgh: the Book Festival, part 1

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This year I am diving head-first into the Edinburgh International Book Festival, just one of the many festivals going on in the city this month. Conveniently self-contained on Charlotte Square in New Town, the Book Festival grounds consist of several theaters, a big book shop, a couple of bars and cafes, and lots of lovely outdoor seating (some of it covered, perfect on a drizzly day).

Read moreEdinburgh: the Book Festival, part 1

Guest Post: So you want to be an expat writer

I recently met Saskia Akyil, a fellow American expat in Munich. She was giving a presentation on how she self-published a novel. Having had a mostly-finished novel living on my hard drive for years, I was impressed. Inspired, even. That book of mine just might see the light of day after all. One of these days.

I asked Saskia if she’d be interested in guest posting on this blog, and to my delight she was happy to share some of her wisdom about life as an expat writer. Here’s what she had to say:

 

I had always wanted to write a novel, so I did.  Once it was (self) published, I started hearing from other expats who:

  1. Wanted to write a book.
  2. Were in the process of writing a book.
  3. Had written a book.

Upon further thought, I realized that there are some pros and also some cons to trying to make a career of writing as an expat.  I think that so many expats (especially trailing spouses) write because in many ways, it does make sense. 

Read moreGuest Post: So you want to be an expat writer

David Sedaris reading in Munich tonight!

I barely heard about this in time, so wanted to post it here in case there are any other crazy fans of David Sedaris in Germany who are interested in going to see him read (along with the guy who does the German-language audiobooks – I can’t even imagine DS in German!). Amazingly, tickets are … Read more

A little German leisure reading

So, in my quest to improve my language skills, I have switched most of my leisure reading over to German. So far I have finished two novels in German, and I’m looking for more. The first novel I read, at the suggestion of Heza and Alex, was Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink. It started out … Read more

I’m a stranger here myself

Greetings from America! No matter how many times I come back to the US, there are some things that always confuse the crap out of me for the first couple days, leaving me wondering if I really am from here. Depending on how long you are away and how much you integrate into your host … Read more