109 I’m reading a book about sheep. “A Short History of the World According to Sheep” by Sally Coulthard. I love how it meanders through the centuries, touching upon everything from the incredible properties of wool to how we started making cheese. Did you know that we have the domestication of sheep to thank forContinue reading “stories about sheep”
Category Archives: books
to tame a goshawk
105 A while back, I read ”H is for Hawk” by Helen Macdonald. It is a memoir of her grief following the unexpected death of her father. How she started training a goshawk and it almost made her lose herself, into the bird, the grief – but then, also, guided her out of it. ItContinue reading “to tame a goshawk”
all the rivers
56 A while back, I read “All the rivers” by Dorit Rabinyan. It is a novel, the bittersweet love story of an Israeli translator and a Palestinian artist who meet in New York and fall head over heels for each other. Despite the thick walls put up between them by the history and present ofContinue reading “all the rivers”
Elin
47 I listened to another biography, while tending to the sprouting kale in my allotment garden. Elin Wägner (1882-1949), an early Swedish feminist, journalist and author, environmentalist, educator and outspoken pacifist during the world wars. She wrote about how our industries and our burgeoning consumption were degrading ecosystems, decades before it became a an issueContinue reading “Elin”
belonging on Earth
45 I seem drawn to simplicity this summer. Specifically, children’s books. I’m listening to recordings of Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories and today I read “Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth” by Oliver Jeffers. These beautiful drawings of Earth and people, words about diversity and kindness, me in the suddenly-arrived August heat, sweating,Continue reading “belonging on Earth”
the wild & the tame
41 The sun is shining again and I walk down to the center square in my neighborhood, I pick up books from the library and buy strawberries. Outside the local bakery, I sit down with a cappuccino and one of their wonderful, rich cardamom buns. I read the old children’s book “Where the wild thingsContinue reading “the wild & the tame”
books & idols
39 My dad just published a book. In an interview, when asked what she will read this summer, Annika Norlin answered: “I will definitely read the Olle Adolphson biography by Jan Malmborg”. My dad’s book. Annika is Hello Saferide and Säkert!, her lyrics are little stories, smart and sad and funny, she has been myContinue reading “books & idols”
geographies of belonging (i)
11 A while back, we read “Barmark” by Malin Nord in my book club, a novel about loss, legacy and belonging. It is painful and sad and during the club meeting we mostly spoke about how strong emotions can be carried down, from mother to daughter, in generations. But what I myself remember most strongly,Continue reading “geographies of belonging (i)”
Selma
8 This Easter I have been tending to my balcony. Replanting baby tomatoes, chilis and marigolds, planting seeds of nasturtium and wild strawberries. Making plans for wooden structures for the plants to grow in and up against. This home quarantine has turned me into an overly ambitious amateur carpenter and balcony gardener. Only time willContinue reading “Selma”
Katja Malmborg 