Category: .Books & Art.

Hello and Happy Sunday! 

“No matter where you are and no matter what is going on around you, this is the only moment you ever have. Tomorrow may never come, and your past is long gone. The future, with all its promises and anxieties, may never eventuate. All you have is this moment, right here and right now.” – Gala Darling. 

Self-love is important and life is limitless if you do understand that. I am not an expert on this, far away from it actually, but I am getting there slowly but surely. Of course I read everything on this subject I can get my hands on. I heard about Gala Darling before and followed her blog for quite some time. Gala suffered from eating disorders, harming herself and unfortunately much more. She explained a lot about her therapies, tapping and more on her blog so basically, if you read it, there is nothing new in the book. It is autobiographical with a series of homework, bullet points and lists. Let’s say, if you are new to the self-help/self-love scene this book might be great for you. It has a good introduction but if you already dove deeper into self-love it is most likely a bit boring and redundant. 

“Don’t be shocked by the fact that everything in your life feels crappy, and that you can never find a lover who treats you right. All of this stuff comes from not loving yourself. Truly. Everything we do in life comes from a place of fear or a place of love. How often do you think you allow fear to motivate you? How many times a day do you act from a place of love?”

What you will find in the book are tips on what to do when you are sad, how to love yourself and how to find more happiness within. The author also writes about loving others, that can only truly work if you love yourself first. Many tips, homework and tricks can be found in the book along with an easy to read format. What I really liked was Gala Darling’s somewhat energetic, funny voice. No doubt, Gala Darling is authentic and she comes across like as she lives her life according to what she talks about and preaches in her book. She also created the Badassery movement and explains all about it. I liked how she tries to help the next generation of women on how to find joy and adventure and that it is important to listen to your heart. You can have your cake and eat it too! However, for me, the book is simply lacking depth but it is a great beach or bathtub read. 

Is this book for me?

If you like to read something fun with some sort of inspiration, grab a copy of this book. It is most certainly entertaining but nothing ground breaking. Read it if you need a bit of a dose of self-esteem and tips on how to create this life you always dreamt about. If you are stuck in a somewhat soul-sucking job or dealing with a bit of  soul searching this book might lift you up or help you. It is important to enjoy life. We only have this one shot. 

Hello and Happy Sunday!

Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I read Andie Mitchell’s memoir It Was Me All Along and loved it. This fact, as well as the cover and title drew my attention to her latest book. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“At first, I tried to lighten the desserts I loved. I traded the real ingredients for sugar substitutes, butter substitutes, and the worst-tasting ingredients of all: fat-free cream cheese. My mom would try them, her smile as fake as the taste of aspartame. I learned the hard way that most of my efforts at lightening tended to, ironically enough, result in a leaden dessert. And worse, I realized that I wasn’t satisfied after eating them.” 

Andie Mitchell struggled with weight loss and obesity since her childhood. She never found a way to eat in balance. In her memoir she described her journey in detail and now her cookbook has been published.  With these dishes she was able to reach her weight goal and maintain it, she claimed. In this cookbook she shares approximately 80 recipes and explains what ingredients are important to her and how she eats. 

I have a bunch of cookbooks and also reviewed a lot on my blog. However, there are cookbooks I fell instantly in love with. They are just beautiful to look at, with nice pictures, great stories and of course recipes that I instantly want to try. Cookbooks just do have something special, even though most recipes can be found online. In a way, Andie Mitchell’s style of cooking and some recipes she shares are similar to what I cook and like so I did not find it too inspiring. I found myself not in the target audience range. She shares recipes for a fresh breakfast, lunch, vegetables & sides, dinner or party dishes and of course sweet desserts – because life is sweet. However; honestly, nothing that I have not heard of. 

“Eating in the Middle is structured the way I eat and live my life. So, the vast majority of the recipes in this book are healthy, wholesome, and made from read food ingredient, with a focus on big, boisterous flavors. You’d swear most of them are richer than they are, like Lemon-Herb with Crispy Oven Fries or Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Pancetta Cream.” 

After Andie Mitchell lost 135 lbs she felt transformed but also stopped herself from eating certain things. No more chocolate, cakes and she wondered if life is a constant diet. She missed all the foods she always loved – all those comfort dishes that are rich, creamy and cheesy. She had no idea how to incorporate those dishes in her new lifestyle and diet plan. In Eating In The Middle she explains how she dealt with this problem, as well as emotional eating, overeating and cravings. 

The dishes are easy to prepare but again, nothing inspiring or new to me simply because I consider myself an advanced cook. Also, there are many recipes that include meat and I am not a big fan of that. She also shares 3 fish recipes. If you are interested in the book I would advice you to flip through it at the bookstore before purchasing it.

What initially drew my attention to the book was that she kept her weight down for such a long time while eating this mix of indulging, yet healthy recipes. This book is beautifully done, with tons of great food photography and a gorgeous layout. Sometimes I thought I would love to sit at this table right now, in front of all the food even though I would not try everything. 

Would I like this book? 

I do recommend this book if you are a fan of Andie Mitchell’s writing. She has a very lovely, likable personality. You might also like this book if you want to know about nutritional information which Mitchell includes at the end of every recipe. Also, there are many weight loss/maintenance tips throughout the book. You may like the book if you have never heard of Kale Chips before and would like to make some. Also if you have never heard of Chia Pudding, roasted broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots or sesame green beans. 

Personally, a cookbook has to give me a bit more to remain in my cookbook shelf in the kitchen. It has to be a cookbook I love to go back to because the recipes are special, new, mouth-watering and don’t seem like they are taken right out of a Cheesecake Factory menu. Recipes that are not new to me but that I liked are:  the Bagel & Lox Salad (page 64), the Creamy Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato & Artichoke Omelet (page 38) and the All The Greens Frittata (page 33) 

Hello and Happy Sunday!

“My husband, Fanie, was dead and gone, but sometimes it felt he was with me again, like a bad taste in my mouth. Suddenly I could see the expression on his face just before he would hit me. My forehead was sweating and my heart beating fast. It was like I was having a bad dream, but I was wide awake.” 

Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery is a fantastic murder mystery mixed with love, sadness, romance, food, the beautiful nature in South Africa and friendship. Tannie Maria loves food, to cook and is a woman who writes a column about recipes and relationship tips for the local paper, Klein Karoo Gazette. She solves relationship and love trouble through good advice and delicious recipes that are described in such a yummy way that I felt like trying some of them right away. Don’t read this book on an empty stomach. Chocolate heaven, full of flavor and nourishing recipes can be found at the end of the book. Pictured below is Tannie’s famous Milk Tart. 

Things change however, when one day, Maria received a letter from Martine, a woman who is being abused by her husband and tries to escape this hell she lives in. This reminded Maria of her own past. She had been abused for years and years by her husband before he passed away. This was reason enough to help Martine and to write her a letter back. Shortly after, local police informed the newspaper about the murder of this particular woman. Together with Harriet and Jessie, who are Maria’s colleagues at the Klein Karoo Gazette, they decide to find the person who committed the murder(s). They assist the police and find themselves in several frustrating and dangerous situations. Will they be able to find the killer? Things take a turn when Jessie went missing and Maria receives death threats herself. 

Is this book for me?  

This novel is very compelling, charming, a real page-turner — yet eye-opening and thought-provoking regarding this serious issue of the abuse of women in South Africa. I also enjoyed to read many words in Afrikaans that are explained in the glossary of the book. The reader will also find interesting details about South Africa and its beauty. 

The author focuses a lot on the characters which I love. I can almost see Tannie Maria cooking in her kitchen. This book is a real joy to read if you are into delightful, light crime novels, South African culture, of course food with a touch of serious issues. 

You can purchase a copy here. Do visit Sally Andrew’s website if you would like to find out more about South Africa and videos and pictures from the author. Enjoy! 

Hello and Happy Sunday!

“Now you’ve said it. The hopeless emptiness. Hell, plenty of people are on to the emptiness part; out where I used to work, on the Coast, that’s all we ever talked about. We’d sit around talking about emptiness all night. Nobody ever said ‘hopeless,’ though; that’s where we’d chicken out. Because maybe it does take a certain amount of guts to see the emptiness, but it takes a whole hell of a lot more to see the hopelessness. And I guess when you do see the hopelessness, that’s when there’s nothing to do but take off. If you can.”

I would like to share a book review of one of my favorite books. I don’t even know why I haven’t written it so far. It is a beautiful, eye-opening story that is also very thought-provoking. 

How does the perfect life look? Does the perfect life even exist? The story takes place in suburban America in the 50s. April and Frank met and fell in love almost instantly. They are both intelligent, beautiful and talented and the relationship moved at a very fast pace. Maybe too quickly. Not long after they first dated they decided to get married. Both wanted to have kids and dreamt of a big house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. The American Dream. April realized one day while she took out the garbage that this is not the life she wanted and visualized; that this just cannot be everything. She wants to move to Paris with Frank. They both agree to do something out of the ordinary. However, their plans changed. April became pregnant. 

I describe this book as very wise, yet tragic and a bit depressing considering that many out there might still have dreams out of the ordinary but are afraid to take the final steps simply because of this need of routine, security or comfort. How many are out there and frustrated on a daily basis but keep working at the same job for years upon years because eventually they will retire and then they plan doing all these awesome things. “As soon as…..!”  The author does not want to dissect the suburbs or the traditional family life. If people love this type of lifestyle, good for them. Yates focuses more on the fact that April and Frank are both painfully aware of their shallow surroundings and try to escape this routine. There both think that there must be something else to life than just taking the train to the city every morning, working from 9 to 5, coming home exhausted and sad to just do it all over again the next day. They want to change because they are unhappy and frustrated and feel the need to accomplish something else in their life. 

When I read the book a couple of years ago for the first time, I realized that many scenes were just so familiar to me. I have been stuck too at points.  Stuck in relationships, stuck in jobs that I did not like, you name it. This is why I loved the part when I found out how Frank got his job. A job and financial stability that seems oh! so! important. Well, it is but it is not everything. The reader will also find out about April’s disappointment and sadness while doing the housework to a perfection because this is all she has. Cooking, cleaning and tending the house – waiting for her husband to come home in the evening. And in the meantime  dreaming about Paris. 

My favorite scene. 

Yates holds a mirror up to society and just tells a lot of truth. This kind of truth that makes people uncomfortable and embarrassed. After reading Revolutionary Road I started to ask myself some questions and realized what is important in my life. For this alone I think it was an excellent read. What gets people through life? What are their morals or justifications? Are April and Frank betraying each other? Or their own selves? 

You can purchase the book here. Also, see the trailer of the movie if you would like. 

Have you read the book or seen the movie? How did you like it? Have a great week. 

Hello and Happy Sunday!

“The old man came to check on me that evening. He was delighted to find me lost in my book. Seeing how happy he was made me feel a little happier. No matter what the situation may be, I still take pleasure in witnessing the joy of others.” 

Knowledge is good but it might be dangerous sometimes. I fell in love with Murakami after I read his novel After Dark a long time ago. I remember the day when I purchased this book so clearly. I liked the cover and needed a book to kill some time at a café. Well, three hours and five lattes later, I still sat there reading this book. I also really enjoyed this, this and that one. I have always been eager to read more from Japan’s famous author. When I found The Strange Library at a Vintage Bookstore in the East Village in New York I was as happy as a kid in the candy store. Well, bookstores are my candy stores anyway but you get the picture.

This gem of a book is wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated and shrink wrapped when I purchased it. I love the old-fashioned library card wallet attached to the cover that reminds when I used to take out books at my local library as a child. How unique and special. Besides this I have to tell you that the entire book is slightly strange and different from any other book you might have read. It is filled with amazing photographs, graphics and art work that all adds to the weirdness of the story. Most of these illustrations come from old books that have been found in The London Library and included and mixed  in an unusual  way with the story. 

“All I did was go to the library to borrow some books. “If you don’t know something, go to the library to look it up.”

This story of this novella takes place at The Strange Library. The narrator (a young boy) is on his way home from school and finds himself wondering about the Ottoman Empire’s tax system and how taxes were collected. [Have you ever thought about this? Well, I have not!] He walks into the local library to ask if there are any book available on this subject. The librarian, an old man, helps him and finds three huge books. He also tells the narrator that he has to read those books in a special “reading room” and cannot take them home. The boy agrees, even though his mother waits for him at home and the library closes soon. He follows the old man who leads him to a maze underneath the library that is in complete darkness and guide him to this strange reading room. Here, the narrator soon finds himself imprisoned with a little person who is a sheep man. Sheep man makes the most delicious doughnuts, soups and other dishes.  Weird enough at this point? Let me continue. Now a girl walks into the “prison room” where the narrator is attached to a chain just long enough to go to the table to read the books. This girl only talks with her hands. Now, sheep man and girl tell the boy that the old man seems to have a huge appetite for smart brains – especially smart boy brains and has no intentions of letting him out any time soon. Even worse, as soon as the boy read the books (which should take him approximately one month) the old man will kill him – and eat his brain. 

Will the narrator be able to escape? What else will happen? 

Actually, I would describe this book as nightmarish, thought-provoking and interesting. Murakami surely has a wild imagination but I loved all the symbolism that just kept my attention throughout the book. I always dreamt to be at a library over night and locked in at some point but not anymore, hah! However, after re-reading the book I felt that  there is so much more to discover. 

Read this book if you are a fan of beautiful illustrated books and a lover of novellas.  Also of course if you like Murakami and his amazing surreal imagination. I would not suggest getting this book on e-readers, simply because of all the art work in it. This is a book to touch, hold and smell. And also, please continue going to your local library. Unless you find this wooden door that leads to total darkness and down a serial staircase  to a suspicious reading room. 

Order this book here. Enjoy! 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not heard about Hannah Tennant-Moore before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the cover and title. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book in my review.

“I was not loved as a child and now I find it difficult to love others- how can I heal? I hate my job but I need the money – should I quit and live as a pauper? The monk answered them each the same way: Be earnest. If you want to be free, do not let anything stop you. Examine every thought, desire, sensation until you fully understand its source. Expect nothing from the world. Then you will naturally wake up to your true state. Remain open and quiet. That is all you can do.” 

This book is very raw and honest and about a young woman, Elsie, who is searching for a purpose in life. She also feels stuck in a weird and impulsive, abusive relationship with her boyfriend Jered. Her father helps her financially until she “finds what she is looking for” while she works at a newspaper for a while and makes a plethora of bad decisions mixed with alcohol and drugs. Then she meets Bryan. He seems perfect – no drugs and alcohol and no physical pain. However, she is not happy and this relationship seems not to be right either. She goes back to Jered. After a weird drug party she decides that there is only one possible solution at this point. A drastic change. She travels to Sri Lanka and Paris in search for a new way to live, new connections and friends and experience. Elsie is on a quest to figure out what she wants and most importantly who she is and come face-to-face with herself. 

She wants to be comfortable in her life, to not make these bad decisions anymore and most importantly think about these sexual cravings she has and needs to fulfill with Jared. There is quite some spirituality in this book but not as much as I hoped for. Also, the Elsie character bothers me at points. Her constant whining and going back and forth in this abusive relationship trying to make it work even though it seems all hopeless and self-destructive is annoying. The sexual descriptions are very graphic but not vulgar. But, if too many graphic details about violent sex offend – or make you uncomfortable, this is most certainly not your book to read. I guess since 50 Shades of Grey sex sells. Sometimes I had the feeling of reading a memoir because the descriptions of places in Sri Lanka were so real and accurate. You will get a  pretty good idea on how people in Sri Lanka live as well as their culture and lifestyle. 

“I need to reconcile my ideals with my personality,” Elsie stated and wanted to help a woman she befriended in Sri Lanka. Her desire to do good and make some changes is definitely something I enjoyed reading about. Elsie’s character is very realistic and I loved to find out about this little barrier a person may created between actions and thoughts. 

Order your copy here. 

Hello and Happy Thursday!

“Wandering is not about a specific place or destination, getting from one place to another, or movement as a means to an end. Instead, it’s about letting the soul and mind roam”. 

First of all “Hallo Putzl and Thank you for stopping by today. And of course Thank you for reading my blog every day! Keep your eyes open Seventh son.

A couple of weeks ago I searched for a book on Amazon and for some reason I stumbled upon The Wander Society by Keri Smith. I do love journals and notebooks and purchased Wreck This Journal years ago at an Urban Outfitters. This one is also great and somewhere in my bookshelf. 

Keri Smith explained in the introduction that she browsed her local bookstore and found some strange notes in a worn copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Notes such as “WW will show you the way,” The Wander Society” and “Solvitur ambulando”. There was also a weird little thunderbolt symbol on this particular page. She found all this very strange but was intrigued and did some research first. She then discovered pamphlets, hidden messages and clues in the city, in the woods and at several other places. All her findings about The Wander Society are in this little gem of a book and beautifully done. 

What is The Wander Society? The Wander Society is a secretive mysterious group who say that in order to live a deliberate fulfilled life and if you want to find your true self you need to wander. Simple as that. “You have arrived”, “we are infinite” and the book is just as awesome as this all sounds. 

“Technology can be an amazing tool when used for good. But when it is used constantly throughout your day, it serves to distract and disconnect you from the things you are attempting to explore on a deep level, namely yourself and the world. On this note, the wanderer makes a conscious decision to limit his or her technology use while out on wanderings. Certainly technology will be used for documentation purposes, but other access should be limited to emergency use only.”

I do like my computer, phone, new camera and whatnot but I am becoming somewhat disenchanted with all this new technology out there. So this book just came at the right time in my life. It is full of practical tips, how-tos and much more. I found the tips on wandering fieldwork very interesting. Discovering new things by solely walking around is fantastic. The Wander Society also suggests that you take different routes to broaden your horizon. Observe and treat nature as your teacher. I found this book very inspiring and felt like going into the woods and explore right here and there. I highlighted many passages and loved this quote especially: 

“Regular wandering provides us with mental space so that ideas have a chance to form. When we repeat the same activities day in and day out, we limit our ability to have new experiences. Over time our bodies, senses, and brains start to atrophy. Our world becomes smaller and smaller until we are living in a tiny little box. Society likes us to exist in this box because it makes our behavior predictable. If our behavior is predictable, society is more able to sell us things that we don’t need. We tell ourselves that the box is okay, that it is safe, but really the box is a little prison.” 

Read this quote one more time! Isn’t it so true? 

Since my son can walk we are outside most of the time. We love being in the woods, in the park or just to “wander around” and explore. Now I want to do it even more often. The Wander Society has a plethora of symbols they use and since I saw them all in the book I have to say that I have seen at least two  in a city at lamp posts and carved into an old tree. The society suggests that you leave some of these symbols, or your own, somewhere along your journey of discoveries. Leave a stone pile somewhere, a sticker, a chalk drawing. Be creative. So many times I left stone art at the beach with my son. It is all fun! Needless to say, I loved loved loved this book. Check out The Wander Society’s website. There is not much on it or to click on because they want to remain as mystical as possible. 

“The Wander Society is a secret underground organization based on the concept of experiencing unplanned time. Membership will require you to conduct research on your immediate environment and complete a variety of assignments designed to creatively disrupt everyday life. That is all you need to know for now. If you are interested, please continue reading this site. All else will be revealed in time.”

Order the book here. Enjoy! 

“I don’t ask writers about their work habits. I really don’t care. Joyce Carol Oates says somewhere that when writers ask each other what time they start working and when they finish and how much time they take for lunch, they’re actually trying to find out, “Is he as crazy as I am?” I don’t need that question answered.”  ― Philip Roth

Hello and Happy Thursday! 

The other day I looked through all my posts I have written in just one year to see what else might be interesting to add. I have to say it is a lot for one year and I am proud of myself to be this committed. Even more surprised I was that I have not written anything about my favorite author Philip Roth. He wrote 31 books so far and I read all of them. Seriously, I am that crazy about this author. Some I like more and some less but I remember the time when his latest book [Nemesis] came out and I stood in front of the bookstore at 8am to purchase a copy. If you have never read anything by Roth I would recommend to start with  The Dying Animal. This book is simply amazing and perfection from the first sentence to the last. 

“No matter how much you know, no matter how much you think, no matter how much you plot and you connive and you plan, you’re not superior to sex. With these words our most unflaggingly energetic and morally serious novelist launches perhaps his fiercest book. The speaker is David Kepesh, white-haired and over sixty, an eminent cultural critic and star lecturer at a New York college–as well as an articulate propagandist of the sexual revolution. For years he has made a practice of sleeping with adventurous female students while maintaining an aesthete’s critical distance. But now that distance has been annihilated.

The agency of Kepesh’s undoing is Consuela Castillo, the decorous and humblingly beautiful 24-year-old daughter of Cuban exiles. When he becomes involved with her, Kepesh finds himself dragged–helplessly, bitterly, furiously–into the quagmire of sexual jealousy and loss. In chronicling this descent, Philip Roth performs a breathtaking set of variations on the themes of eros and mortality, license and repression, selfishness and sacrifice. The Dying Animal is a burning coal of a book, filled with intellectual heat and not a little danger.”

This book has been made into a movie. Check out the trailer for Elegy here.  I just love this friction, every time I read Roth. Here are some things I like you to know about this great author:

Philip Milton Roth (born 1933-in Newark New Jersey) is an American novelist and short-story writer. He is considered one of the leading authors of the 20th century.  He writes provocatively about American as well as Jewish identity. Roth is also well known to focus on familial love, mortality and sexuality in his novels. He wrote his best-seller Portnoy’s Complaint in 1969 and has earned many major awards for all his other novels throughout the years. Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral and National Book Awards for Sabbath’s Theater are just some I would like to mention. Philip Roth is a controversial writer and got many Jewish readers upset when the story Defender of the Faith was published in 1975. 

 “I was suddenly being assailed as an anti-Semite, this thing that I had detested all my life, and a self-hating Jew,” Roth later explained to The New York Times.

Roth recently announced that he retired from writing but I believe this is difficult for him. He almost wrote a novel every year. And I don’t want him to retire – matter of fact. He is known as being a bit of recluse while living at his Connecticut home [Warren – and yes, stalker-me has been there to see if he is at the local coffee shop!] home.

Roth has been married twice. He married Margaret Martison in 1959. They separated but were not divorced when she had a car accident and died in 1968. He married Claire Bloom later on but they separated in 1993 and divorced two years later. Actually, Claire Bloom wrote the memoir Leaving a Doll’s House and of course I read it. It is awesome to see the other side of the coin sometimes. I read Roth’s autobiography The Facts  when he spoke about her a bit but more in I Married to A Communist.  It always takes two to tango, right!?

One of my favorite documentary is Philip Roth’s Unleashed BBC. It makes me feel good to just listen to him talking. Enjoy if you would like. 

Have you read anything by Philip Roth? Do you like his writing? I would love to hear from you. 

“My affection goes with you – Rolling Junk – with you and with all the faded trappings that have brightened my youth and glittered with hope or promise on the roads I have travelled – roads that stress on still, less white, less glamorous, under the stars and the thunder and the recurrent inevitable sun.”

Hello and Happy Sunday.

How was the egg-hunt? Or have you spend the day reading? I read a lot the past two days. I realized that if I am in the same room as my son and he sees me reading he picks up one of his books, sits down next to me and “reads” as well. Perfect. Win-win! I decided to write a small book review on this beautiful Sunday because I read this amazing book and I have not written a review in a while. Keep on reading if you would like. 

I picked up a copy of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Cruise of the Rolling Junk at the Leipzig Book Fair and could not wait to start it. I just knew I would not be disappointed. I have read Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby and enjoyed both books immensely. The Cruise of the Rolling Junk is a small book that I read pretty quickly and I was intensely affected by his words. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American writer of many short stories and novels which have been seen as evocative. However, he is seen by many as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century and a writer of the “lost Generation”. He was married to Zelda Fitzgerald. 

The story is very simple but beautifully written. Zelda out of a sudden has this passion for biscuits and fresh peaches from her hometown in Alabama. Trying to please his wife no matter what, Scott agrees and both take off from Connecticut and drive in their somewhat unstable car that they call “Rolling Junk” for simply please to Alabama. Things do take a different turn throughout their travels and you learn a lot about Zelda as well as Scott and their troubles within themselves and with each other. I think that this road trip is very romantic, crazy but idealistic and Fitzgerald just knew how to describe nature pleasantly and colorful. His writing is brilliant and the reader can dive deep into post-war American culture and all their dreams throughout this time. The way they both drove around together, sometimes fighting, arguing and trying to constantly fix this car  reminded me a bit of Sisyphus. Do you remember the story? Sisyphus was condemned by the Gods to roll a stone up and down a hill continuously. Isn’t this the most meaningless task ever? But what could one do but roll on and on anyway. He just realized many times that he could not fix the car which broke down so many times but he kept on trying and trying to just roll on in a way. And he in a way felt like he was condemned to drive to Alabama – as he even says in the book. I think Scott’s marriage to Zelda  can be analyzed with this approach. I don’t want to get to deep into this but I think that it is some sort of a junk(ness) of being or absurdity that we have to accept in a way before we can “move on”. 

The book is beautifully done with several pictures of Zelda, Scott and the Rolling Junk while they are on their adventure and reminds me a bit of On the Road by Jack Kerouac which is also a great read by the way. Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald are very well depicted in Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris. Get your copy of The Cruise of the Rolling Junk here. Below I added a documentary on F. Scott Fitzgerald that I liked. Enjoy! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVB0qWLCnEo&list=PLfe7zpjR9oZuxACVQiKQ_OD2-LH5gtMPZ