.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Friday! 

So this week was crazy and stuffed with so many little things that I lost track there for a bit and realized I have to slow down, stop and breathe to smell the roses again. Realizing that everything could be taken away from me at any time hit me hard. My problem I have to work on is patience. I want everything and I want it now. Whenever it comes to something new I would also like to try it all, know it all, experience it all and learn learn learn. And if I cannot achieve this in the shortest time possible it makes me uncomfortable and annoyed all the way to angry and aggressive. If I see books piling up in my office and I have no time to read because of X, Y and Z I hate it and I wish the day could have more than 24 hours to get everything accomplished that is on my to-do list. I realize I do have a son and I do have responsibilities other than just writing and reading all day. I wish I could do that more though. This is life. Everything I do I want to do with love and stop stressing out about unimportant things. And guess what? If I don’t feel like doing something, I just don’t. Easy to write, more difficult to set into action. So I slowed down a lot this week but of course Five Things continues. 

Reading: I like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writings. My favorites so far is The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night. At the Leipzig Book Fair I picked up TWO books only – and one is Die Strasse der Pfirsiche. [English: The Cruise of the Rolling Junk] . It is a light read about Zelda and Scott road tripping. Yay! It seems good so far. I also enjoyed this article from the New York Times after I started and finished Fabio Volo’s Lust auf Dich last night. Absolutely beautiful and worth reading. 

Watching: My husband told me about the movie Finding Noah a while ago and I did not have “time” to watch it. Well, I just took the time, did nothing else and watched this awesome movie. I definitely recommend it. I also enjoyed a great documentary on Nora Ephron: Everything is Copy. It is available on HBO. At the Book Fair I discovered that Tschick – the movie will be released this summer. I finished the book on the train to Leipzig and really loved it. I am not too much into Young Adult Literature but this book is also for almost any age I would reckon. It is a page-turner for sure with an interesting story but also depth,  funny language and a special little twist. And lastly, Anomalisa is finally available on iTunes. This movie sounds so amazing, no? Have you seen it? 

Listening to: I mentioned Modern Love – the Podcast several times already just because it is so good. I do look forward to every new episode. Listen to this one if you would like. Does anyone still remember 2Raumwohnung? I remember listening to their songs throughout a great time in my life – Police Academy in Würzburg. Sometimes a single song can bring up so many memories. Especially this one.  I discovered, that they came out with an album in 2013 that I never listened to. Yay! 

Discovering: So many new conferences and book festivals everywhere. The Eifel Literature Festival sounds great. I love TOMS Shoes. The classic Alpargatas are my favorite! I wear them throughout spring, summer and even in fall. [I would love another pair in black, size 9 hint, hint! You know who I am talking to ;)] While I browsed thought Youtube somehow I discovered the band United Crushers and this song. Repeat-one, until everyone around me is annoyed by it, hah! 

Enjoying: To watch my son discovering things. I thankfully received a lot of comments regarding yesterdays post on Tantrums and it made me feel better to realize that I am not alone out there. Other mom’s experience the same almost daily and sometimes even worse. Yep, it can always be worse. Keep that in mind. And even though this little guy is driving me insane a lot lately, I do love him so much and today was a perfect day. With this thought I am signing off. 

Have a great weekend and Happy Easter Egg Hunt if you are into it. 

Hello and Happy Tuesday! 

March 26th, 2016 ins Indiebookday! Yay! I heard about it at the Leipzig Book Fair and think the concept is great, especially because I do love independent bookstores more than anything else. My favorite of course is Riemann in Coburg. Actually, I just attended an inspiring event this evening at the bookstore. The Riemann Team introduced and spoke briefly about their favorite books, those that they just read and think were worth sharing. I will share the list below. 

But first I want to talk a bit about the Indiebookday. What is Indiebookday?

On Indiebookday you basically show your love, support and appreciation for the independent bookstore and even more for independent publishers for one entire day. This Saturday, March 26th, 2016 all you have to do is go to your favorite independent bookstore and buy a book that is ideally published by an independent publisher. To make this a bit more fun, you take a picture of the book, or yourself and the book (whatever you like) and share it on a social network. (We are all connected anyway, right? Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and whatnot) or on your blog and use the hashtag #indiebookday. 

Indiebookday was first introduced in 2013 and had a somewhat widespread attention throughout Germany. Many countries joined in the following years. There are just so many wonderful independent publishers out there who create awesome books while putting a lot of love and passion into it. Unfortunately, many of them are not known as well as the big ones. I experienced this at the Leipzig Book Fair a lot. Most people simply just walk by these little stands of independent publishers. I believe that Indiebookday can help and built or generate some attention to the little publishers. 

What do you think? Are you taking up the challenge? Easter is around the corner and maybe you need a little book-gift? Just go to your local independent bookstore this Saturday. Simple as that. Independently published would be preferred. To hone your appetite I will share the book list the Riemann Team recommended this evening. Enjoy! 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order your copy here. This one I actually purchased!! [Can I ever leave this bookstore without buying a book?] 

Order your copy here. This one sounds really awesome too I think! 

Order or read about the book  here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. This book is also available as audiobook. And, did you know that J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) wrote this book? Pretty awesome I think. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. This one sounds amazing too. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about this book here. There is actually a lot of hype about Owen Sheers these days. It seemed everybody talked about him and his book at the Leipzig Book Fair. It will definitely find its way on my bookshelf eventually. 

Order or read about this book here. 

Update: Here is a list of independent publishers to look out for: Alcorde Verlag, Arco Verlag, austernbank verlag, Verlag Antje Kunstmann, Wagenbach, Nautilus, be.bra verlag, cass verlag, Demmler Verlag, Dresdner Buchverlag, Edition fünf, Elfenbein Verlag, Gmeiner Verlag, Emons Verlag, Haymon Verlag, Limbus Verlag und Limmat Verlag, Lukas Verlag, MERLIN Verlag, Milena Verlag, Pendragon, Rimbaud, Schöffling & Co., Transit Buchverlag, Verbrecher Verlag, Wallstein Verlag and many more. 

I would love to hear from you. What books can you recommend? 

Hello and Happy Saturday. 

I had an interesting conversation with my mom today while we waited for my father and people-watched. A man came out of the gas station in a hurry with two cups of “coffee to go” which is actually not that common in Germany. Some places do offer it however. The man looked really stressed out while he fumbled for his key and talked to himself. He  looked annoyed at his wife who sat in the car, also talking to herself. Or her phone, who knows these days. So my mom told me a story from when she was a kindergarten teacher and enjoyed her coffee-break with her colleague. “She made every little coffee-break special. The way she prepared everything, boiled the water first in a little pot and then added the coffee was what made me forget the stress of the day. Made me look forward to the first sip of this great cup of coffee. It was something different from the ordinary cup of coffee I drank at home”, my mom said. The way she explained this made me taste the coffee and almost smell the flavor and instantly I wanted a cup. [Yep, my mom is very well read and words are her thing!] 

In the meantime, the couple in the other car left; both with their coffee-to-go in their hands, arguing. This made me think about when I really enjoyed a cup of coffee last. I do stay at my parent’s house for now and my mom and I have our occasional afternoon chat with coffee or tea which is of course always great. Now, I am talking more about the coffee you have at a café or even at home but which sure beats sipping on a cup of coffee in a car while rushing through traffic. I have even seen people drinking coffee in the car in the morning. Well, in New York everybody walks around with a cup of either Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts at all times, especially on their way to work which I found very strange in the beginning. When I used to smoke [yeah, I broke this habit five years ago!] I literally smoked and walked to work while drinking coffee. My mind was racing and rushing constantly while I tried to not pour this coffee all over my clothes while walking to work. [If you live in New York you don’t walk anymore- you rush so fast that it feels like  one step from running]

It is difficult for me to live in the moment. I am learning, working on it and getting better slowly but drinking coffee on the go means to me drinking coffee not in the NOW for some reason. It does never taste the same than if I would sit down and really enjoy a cup and being fully present without doing anything else. For some reason I think about the movie Chocolat and this scene:

To really sit down, focus on this cup of coffee (or chocolate or whatever) without rushing and really tasting the coffee is what I enjoy most. Sort of like mindful drinking, hah! In so many cultures drinking coffee is such a ceremony and I love it. You rarely, or never, see a French or Italian running around with a cup of coffee, right? Well, unless they live in New York. Drinking coffee for them is just all about enjoyment and mostly relaxation. People just hang out for hours in cafés to take breaks from their daily routines and just enjoy themselves or each others company. Of course, if you read this far you might say: “What is she even talking about here? I have to rush to work in the morning, get the kids ready, drive two hours to take them to daycare and so much more.” Valid point. It is a somewhat luxurious experience to SIT DOWN and enjoy a cup of coffee without hassle but everyone can do it. Just imagine that there are no counters to order coffee but a waiter has to bring you your cup to your table (a normal size cup – not grande, venti and whatnot), with a glass of water and two cookies. [Have you ever been to a Starbucks and stood behind someone ordering a Venti-Soy- with caramel-flavored-moccacino-vanille-soy-cream-spicy-latte?]

My point is that it is nice to fully enjoy the little things in life. To drink a cup of coffee and sit down and smell the aroma of whatever your are drinking.  It is about the taste of the drink and the rich aroma in this cup in front of you. And YOU! The simple pleasures just like this cup of coffee. 

One last thing: Starbucks personnel never get my name right. It is Daniela – not so difficult, right? 

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. Do share your comment. How does Starbucks spell your name?