~ Christopher Eccleston: „I love the Bones of you“ ~

Euch allen ein schönes neues Jahr – ob mit Lesevorsätzen oder nicht 🙂

Ich habe mir keine Vorsätze für mein Lesejahr genommen – nur eins ist mir diesbezüglich wichtig: selektives Auswählen, regelmäßiges Ausmisten und ansonsten: Schauen was 2020 so bringt.

Ich habe bereits einige Bücher, die ich mir näher anschauen möchte und demnächst werde ich auch diese kurze Liste auf den Blog stellen.

Nun gehts aber rasch zu einem Buch, welches mich über den Jahreswechsel begleitet hat – mit Lesepausen zwischendurch. Gestern hab ich es beendet.

Wish everyone a really wonderful year 2020 – if you have resolutions on what to read or not 🙂

I don’t have any intentions for the year ahead when it comes to reading – but one thing is really important to me this way: choose wisely and selective what to read, clear out your stuff every now and then and that’s it. Let yourself get inspired by what will be published 2020 and enjoy. 

So far I have a short list with some books I will have a closer look at this year and one of the next articles will be about this short list. Stay tuned!

Now let’s go to a book which kept me company before and during the turn of the year, until I finished reading yesterday. Surely I did some pauses in reading – like I do with with every book.

Liebhaber von „Doctor Who“ werden ihn kennen und für seine Darstellung des Zeitreisenden lieben. Wären die Voraussetzungen anders gewesen, wäre er vielleicht länger in die Rolle des Doctors geschlüpft. Aber das alles ist Vergangenheit.

In „I love the Bones of you“ nimmt uns der Schauspieler mit in sein eigenes Leben, seine Kindheit, sein Aufwachsen, seine Vergangenheit.

Fans of „Doctor Who“ will know and love him for his portrayal fo the time-traveler. If the conditions of filming would have been different, maybe he would have been „The Doctor“ for a longer time. But all this is past.

In „I love the Bones of you“ the actor takes us on a journey through his life, his childhood, his growing up, his past.

„I grew up believing I had choices.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you, page 40)

 

Wie der Untertitel schon zeigt, dreht sich das gesamte Buch größtenteils um das Verhältnis von Christopher Eccleston zu seinem Vater Ronnie. Wie in jeder Familie gab es gute und weniger gute Momente, sonnige Tage und Regenwetter. Doch eins ist von Anfang an klar: Ronnie Eccleston hat eine immense Rolle im Leben seines Sohnes Christopher gespielt – und dieser hat ihm mit „I love the Bones of you“ ein Denkmal gesetzt, das Höhen und Tiefen einbezieht, jedoch immer die Liebe spüren lässt, die der Schauspieler für seinen Vater hatte.

Like the subtitle mentions, this whole book is mainly about the relationship between Christopher Eccleston and his father Ronnie. Like in nearly every family there have been good moments and the not so good ones, sunny days and rainy spells. But one thing is for sure from the first page on: Ronnie Eccleston did have an immense role in the life and growing up of his son Christopher – and with „I love the Bones of you“ the actor raised a written monument for  his dad, which included highs and lows but always makes the reader feel the love of a son for his father.

„Crosswords were our thing. They were how we expressed our love.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you“, page 53)

 

Die Zeiten, als Christopher Eccleston aufwuchs, waren anders als die heutigen – und das zeigt er auch in seiner Biografie. Es geht um Geldfragen, um das Berufsleben seiner Eltern, welches andere Prioritäten hatte als in der heutigen Zeit – und um die Frage, wie man drei Kinder ordentlich erzieht und ein gutes Beispiel für sie ist. Der Schauspieler entführt uns in die Arbeitswelt seiner Eltern, wo es weniger darauf ankam, was dich interessiert und was deinen Fähigkeiten und Talenten entgegenkam, sondern es einzig um die Geldbeschaffung ging. Manchmal ist diese Sichtweise nicht ganz so weit weg von der heutigen, obwohl die Dinge im Umbruch sind.

The times in which Christopher Eccleston was growing up were different from ours today – and that is showing in the biography. It’s about money, the working life of his parents, which had different priorities than today – and about the question how to raise three kids properly and set a good example for them. The actor shows us snippets of the worklife of his parents where the focus was less on what interests you have and what abilities you own, but more about just getting paid enough to pay for your living. Sometimes this view is not that far away from todays time, even though things change.

„Dad’s frustration came from a restless intelligence, and intelligence not being met. You got the best of him when he discovered something new, be in via a documentary or a book. Then you would see his sense of amazement.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you“, page 61)

 

Christopher Eccleston erzählt auch von seinen eigenen beruflichen Tätigkeiten, von Entscheidungen für oder gegen Projekte, von persönlichen Tiefschlägen und von der eigenen Kraft, sich aufzurappeln und vorwärts zu gehen.

Der Schauspieler, der die Kraft hatte, sich selbst Hilfe zu suchen, als er seine tiefsten und schwärzesten Tage erlebte, schreibt offen über seine mentalen Gesundheitsprobleme, über seine Erfahrungen mit Anorexie und die Diagnose einer schweren klinischen Depression, die lange Zeit sein Leben und seine Gedankenwelt beherrschte.

Christopher Eccleston also tells us about his own professional work, about the decision for and against projects, of personal deep hits and of the own power and will it takes to get back to yourself and start going forward.

The actor, who had the incredible strength to go and look for help when he had his lowest low and the blackest of days, writes openly about his mental health problems, his experiences with anorexia and the diagnosis of a severe clinical depression, which was part of his life for a long time – and some aspects still are.

„I’d lived fight or flight for three years, some might say fifty the way I am. Chemically and neurologically, I had nothing left. All there is then is death.“

„You’ll be all right, Chris.“, she said. […] You knocked on the door. That’s an indicator of strength. You knew you were ill. You realised you needed help and you went and got it.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you“, page 133/ 139)

Und noch eines zeigt „I love the Bones of you“ deutlich.

Christopher Eccleston ist ein Mensch, der Wert auf Manieren und positiven Umgang miteinander legt – und der sowohl bei der Arbeit, als auch im sonstigen Leben viel Wert auf Instinkt und Intuition legt. Dies und ein ausgeprägter Gerechtigkeitssinn sind nur einige Stärken, die man über diesen Mann erfährt, der schon in so vielen Rollen gelebt hat und sich bei der Rollenauswahl (im Rückblick gesehen) manchmal verschätzt hat, manchmal genau das Richtige auswählte, und mit einem Großteil seiner Entscheidungen zufrieden ist.

And one thing is also obvious when reading „I love the Bones of you“:

Christopher Eccleston is a human being, who makes a point of having good manners and a positive contact with people – and also one who emphasizes the importance of instinct and intuition during work and also in your everyday life. This and a distinct sense of fairness are just some strengths you get to know about this man who portrayed so many characters – some of them were good choices, some of them not – but it seeems he is at peace with his decisions.

„If a director, or anyone else on set, comes in and has bad manners, then chances are they’ll hear from me.“

„I don’t play any part with my head; I do it with my heart and my body, exactly how I would on a building site or in a war zone.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you“, page 173/ 246)

Natürlich dreht sich das Buch auch um die Demenzerkrankung seines Vaters und die Herausforderungen, die sich daraus für die gesamte Familie ergaben. Diese Erfahrung hinterließ doch einen gewaltigen Einschnitt und Veränderungen in der Eccleston-Familie.  Christopher Eccleston erlebte die Hingabe und Liebe seiner Mutter bei der Pflege seines Vaters, während dieser langsam alles um sich herum vergaß. In der Danksagung am Ende findet er auch Platz, um denjenigen zu danken, die Angehörige pflegen, wenn diese an Demenz erkrankt sind.

For sure this book is also about the illness of dementia which his father got and the challenges this meant for the whole family. This experience clearly left a mark in the lives of the Ecclestons. Christopher saw the love and compassion with which his mother Elsie took care of his dad, while he was slowly forgetting everything in life he once knew. The acknowledgements at the end of the book show his appreciation for those who care for dementia patients, may it be homecare or the care in facilities.

„I would like to thank the countless millions who each day provide care unseen, unacklowledged for those they love afflicted by the terrible illness of dementia. They are the ones who truly deserve our respect and accolades.“

(Christopher Eccleston: I love the Bones of you, page 325)

Nicht in jedem Buch würde man solche Sätze finden. Dies ist ebenfalls ein Zeichen dafür, dass Ronnie und Elsie Eccleston ihren Sohn gut erzogen haben, ihm Manieren und ein Gefühl für Dankbarkeit und das Richtige und Wichtige im Leben mitgegeben. Dieses Buch ist sein Dank.

You wouldn’t find these sentences in the average biography. This is for sure a sign that Ronnie and Elsie Eccleston raised her son the right way. They taught him manners and a feeling for gratitude and things that are right and important in life. This book is his Thank-You to his parents.

~ The Stories of the Gregory Sisters – book series by Lorna Seilstad ~

Für diejenigen unter euch, die gern Geschichten aus früheren Zeiten lesen, für diejenigen, die interessante Charaktere mögen und für all jene, die sich einfach nur in einer schönen Geschichte verlieren möchten – euch kann ich nur die drei Geschichten um die Gregory-Schwestern empfehlen, geschrieben von Lorna Seilstad:

For all of you who like to read stories from distant times, for you who like interesting characters and for those of you who just like to get lost in a nice story – I definitely recommend you to read the stories of the Gregory-Sisters, written by Lorna Seilstad:

  • 1. When Love Calls

img_20170305_104052

Als Hannah Gregory und ihre Schwestern ihre Eltern und ihr Elternhaus verlieren, sieht sich die älteste der Schwestern gezwungen, schnellstmöglich eine Arbeit zu finden. Allerdings ist sie nicht besonders gut darin, Regeln zu befolgen und sich nach ihnen zu richten.

Wird sie es trotzdem schaffen, die Arbeit als „Hello Girl“ bei einer Telefongesellschaft zu bekommen? Wird sie damit glücklich werden, obwohl sie eigentlich immer Anwältin werden wollte?

Und was hat der Anwalt Lincoln mit ihrem Leben zu tun?

When Hannah Gregory and her sisters are not only loosing their parents but also their home, the eldest sister is forced to find a job. But one thing she is not good at is this: sticking to rules.

Will she succeed in getting to work as the „Hello Girl“ of a telephone company? Will she be happy with this work despite her dreams of being a lawyer?

And whats this thing with the lawyer Lincoln, who seems to have a thing for her…?

img_20170305_104151

 

  • 2. While Love Stirs

img_20170305_103815

Charlotte Gregory hat ihre Ausbildung an der Fannie Farmer’s School of Cookery beendet und würde nichts lieber tun, als in ihrer eigenen Küche professionell zu kochen. Auf dem Weg zu ihrem Ziel kommt es ihr gerade recht, als sie andere Frauen in der Benutzung des Gasofens unterrichten soll.

Noch dazu hat sie charmante Reisebegleitung in Gestalt von Lewis Mathis, einem freundlichen und netten jungen Mann, der die Teilnehmer ihrer Kurse im Vorfeld durch seinen Gesang motivieren soll.

After Charlotte Gregory finished her lessons at Fannie Farmer’s School of Cookery she definitely wants to find work in this field. So she is eager and happy to teach other women the art of cooking on the newly invented gas stove.

While doing this she is not alone – she has a young and friendly man named Lewis with her, who is entertaining the audience before she starts her lessons.

Neben ihren Lektionen hat sich Charlotte in den Kopf gesetzt, den Arzt Dr. Joel Brooks davon zu überzeugen, dass die Zubereitung und die Art des Servierens einen großen Einfluss auf die Genesung seiner Patienten haben. Doch der eigenwillige Arzt scheint nicht viel von Charlottes Plänen zu halten.

Oder kann Charlotte ihn doch überzeugen?

Besides – Charlotte is eager to persuade Dr. Joel Brooks, that the art of cooking and serving the meals has a great deal to do with the recovery of his patients. But the headstrong doctor doesn’t seem to be that much interested in the plans of Charlotte.

Is there a chance for her to change his mind?

img_20170305_104551

 

  • 3. As Love blooms

img_20170305_103847

Tessa Gregory möchte nichts weiter, als als Gartenbaukünstlerin zu arbeiten. Nur ist dies in den damaligen Zeiten nicht so einfach. Trotzdem setzt sie alles in Bewegung, um den Direktor des Como Park in St. Paul davon zu überzeugen, ihr und ihren Fähigkeiten eine Chance zu geben.

Wird Reese King, Gärtner im Como Park ihr helfen, ihre Ziele zu erreichen? Oder verfolgt er eigene Pläne?

Tessa wird noch auf einige Schwierigkeiten treffen – um am Ende ihre Zukunft zu gestalten – oder doch zu scheitern?

After completing her studies as a horticulturist Tessa Gregorys aim is to work at Como Park in St. Paul. But she is rejected.

Nevertheless she will do everything she can to get her chance in proving her abilities.

Will Reese King, a gardener who works at Como Park, help her to reach her goals? Or is he only using her to fulfill his own dreams?

Tessa will have to face some more difficulties – only to find herself lucky in the end – or to fail deeply?

img_20170305_104033

~~~

Die Geschichten rund um die Gregory-Schwestern sind unterhaltsam, nicht aufdringlich und lassen einen in eine vergangene Zeit wandern. Außerdem gibt es interessante Dinge rund um die Geschichte zu erfahren, denn in jeder Geschichte steckt auch ein wenig Realität. So finden wir Interessantes rund um Fannie Farmer heraus und den Como Park in St. Paul oder die „Hello Girls“ der frühen Telfongesellschaften.

The stories about the Gregory Sisters  are entertaining, not obtrusive and they let your mind wander to distant times. Also you can discover interesting things about parts of history – whether its about Fannie Farmer, the Como Park or the former „Hello Girls“.

Definitely recommended to read!!!

Auf alle Fälle lesenswert !!!

~ Kendare Blake: „Three Dark Crowns“ ~

Obwohl ich letztens bei Hugendubel nur mal stöbern wollte, hat es doch ein Buch gegeben, welches sich in meine Hände geschmuggelt hat und auch mit nach Hause genommen wurde. Der Titel: Three Dark Crowns.

Für meine deutschen Leser: wer die deutschsprachige Variante der Bücher bevorzugt (das Cover sieht jedenfalls sehr interessant aus) findet diese unter dem Titel „Der Schwarze Thron: Die Schwestern“ und „Der Schwarze Thron: Die Königin“.

My goal – when I was the last time at Hugendubel was not to buy anything and just to look – that went not so well. There was one book that made this plan not realistic and so this book found a new home this day. The title: Three Dark Crowns.

img_20161228_112050

Dieses Buch gibt es in drei verschiedenen Coverausführungen und ich habe mich für dieses entschieden. Die Zusammenfassung auf der Rückseite bezüglich des Inhalts hat mich auch ein wenig dazu bewogen – mal abgesehen von der Gestaltung, die natürlich auch eine Rolle spielte.

You can have this book in three different covers – and this one was my choose. Well, what made me choose this? First, the words on the back about the content of the story – and second, the roses and the crown look really nice, don’t they?

img_20161228_112136

Die Geschichte von „Three Dark Crowns“ spielt auf Fennbirn, einer Insel, auf der es in jeder Generation Drillinge gibt. Drillinge, die alle ein Anrecht auf den Thron haben – doch nur eine kann den Thron besteigen.

„Three Dark Crowns“ ist die Geschichte von drei Schwestern: Mirabella, Katharine und Arsinoe. Jede mit anderen Fähigkeiten. Jede Fähigkeit stärker oder schwächer ausgeprägt.

The Story of „Three Dark Crowns“ takes place at Fennbirn, an island, on which in every generation triplets are born. Triplets who could inherit the throne – but only one will get the crown.

„Three Dark Crowns“ is the story of three sisters: Mirabella, Katharine and Arsinoe. Each of them has a special gift. And every gift is stronger or weaker pronounced.

„Three Dark Queens

are born in a glen,

sweet little triplets

will never be friends.

Three Dark Sisters

all fair to be seen,

two to devour and

one to be queen.“

Wir verfolgen als Leser die Geschichte der drei Schwestern mit ihren Ansichten, lernen ihre Stärken und Schwächen kennen und mehr über ihr Umfeld und ihre Beziehungen zu Freunden, Ratgebern und sich selbst.

We as readers get to know the story of these three sisters with their thoughts, get to know their strengths and weaknesses and get to know some more about their relationship with friends, mentors and with themselves.

„‚But in the last three generations, stronger naturalist queens than Arsinoe have still been killed. The Arrons are too powerful. Their poison always gets through. And even if it does not, they have Mirabella to contend with. Every ship that sails to the northeast of the island returns telling tales of the fierce Shannen Storms besieging the city of Rolanth, where the elementals make their home.

‚You only hope, you know‘, Jules says. ‚Like I do. Because you don’t want Arsinoe to die. Because you love her.‘

‚Of course I love her‘, says Luke. ‚But I also believe. I believe that Arsinoe is the chosen queen.‘

‚How do you know?‘

‚I just know. Why else would the Goddess put a naturalist as strong as you here to protect her?'“

(page 36)

Doch nicht nur Freundschaften und Ratgeber spielen eine große Rolle in „Three Dark Crowns“. Es geht auch um Taktierung, Allianzen und natürlich um die Herzen der Schwestern. So ist auch die Liebe nicht fern in diesem wunderbar geschriebenen  ersten Teil der Geschichte.

But its not just about friendships and counsels in „Three Dark Crowns“. Its also about tactics, alliances and hearts – the hearts of the sisters. So – love is never far away in this wonderfully written first part of the whole story.

„‚They will be coming for me soon. Looking. We do not have long.‘

(…)

‚I was not supposed to love you, Kat.‘ He takes her face in his hands.

‚But you do?‘

‚Yes‘,he says, and kisses her. ‚I do.‘

‚I love you, too, Pietyr‘, says Katharine.

Pietyr steps back. He holds her gently by the shoulders.

‚Pietyr?‘ she asks.

‚I am sorry‘, he says, and then he throws her. Down, down, down into the bottomless pit of the Brecca Domain.'“

(page 385)

„Three Dark Crowns“ ist ein Pageturner und macht definitiv neugierig auf den zweiten Teil der Geschichte mit dem Titel „One Dark Throne“, der laut Aussage der Autorin Kendare Blake im September 2017 herauskommt.

„Three Dark Crowns“ is really a pageturner and makes you want to instantly read part two which will go public titled „One Dark Throne“ and will be out in September 2017 as mentioned by the author Kendare Blake.

img_20161228_112232

Ich hoffe ich konnte euch ein wenig neugierig machen. Auf jeden Fall solltet ihr mal einen Blick ins Buch werfen und euch nach Fennbirn entführen lassen.

Zwar sind es mehrere Charaktere, dennoch kommt man nicht durcheinander und kann das Geschehen gut verfolgen.

I really hope I can get you a little bit interested in this book. For sure you should take a closer look at it and get yourself lost in Fennbirn.

„Three Dark Crowns“ has a lot of characters, but you won’t get confused while reading and can definitely keep up with everything happening.

img_20161228_112101

Welches Cover würdet ihr wählen?

Which cover would you choose?

~ The Sound of Christmas ~

Weihnachten ist vorbei und das Neue Jahr steht vor der Tür. Dies ist aber kein Grund, um nicht doch noch den ein oder anderen Weihnachtsfilm anzuschauen. Meine Wahl fiel unlängst auf „The Sound of Christmas“ mit Robin Dunne (u.a. Dawsons Creek) und Lindy Booth (u.a. The Librarians, Relic Hunter).

Christmas is over and the new year is coming. But this is no reason to not see one or more christmas movies. This time I chose „The Sound of Christmas“ starring Robin Dunne (Dawsons Creek,…) and Lindy Booth (The Librarians, Relic Hunter,…).

source: https://booksandmore81.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/ca974-soundofchristmas-poster.jpg
source: https://booksandmore81.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/ca974-soundofchristmas-poster.jpg

Lizzie Moore ist Musiklehrerin an einer kleinen Musikschule. An der Schule kursiert das Gerücht, dass das Gebäude verkauft werden soll, um ein modernes Bürogebäude daraus zu machen. Und Brad Evans arbeitet für genau die Firma, die hinter den Verhandlungen steht.

Beide treffen sich, während sie auf der Suche nach einem Weihnachtsbaum sind und sind sich gleich sympathisch. Lizzie verkörpert mit ihrer Liebe zur Musik das Herz und die Seele der Musikschule und Brad ist das komplette Gegenteil: ein hart arbeitender allein erziehender Vater, der wenig Zeit für seine Tochter hat.

Lizzie Moore is a music teacher at a small school for music talents. At the school there is a rumour that the old building will be sold to establish a modern office building. And Brad Evans is working for the company who is dealing with the contracts.

Both meet while looking for a christmas tree. And both feel attracted to one another. Lizzie is with her love for music the heart and soul of the music school – while Brad is the opposite: a hard working single dad with nearly no time for his daughter.

vlcsnap-0491-07-21-21h07m35s881
Lizzie Moore – heart and soul with a love for music

Lizzies positive Einstellung zu Brad ändert sich schlagartig, als sie von den Plänen seiner Firma erfährt und sie hat eine feststehende Meinung von ihm: „He’s Scrooge!“

Während Lizzie Brads Tochter Abigail Klavierunterricht gibt – den sie eigentlich gar nicht braucht – versucht Brad alles mögliche, um den Verkauf des Hauses zu verhindern.

Leider ist er dabei nicht sonderlich erfolgreich…

Lizzies positive attitude towards Brad changes really fast when she hears of the plans of his company. Now she has a definite opinion of him: „He’s Scrooge!“

While Lizzie is giving piano lessons to Brads daughter Abigail – which the young girl doesn’t really need – Brad tries his best to avoid the sale of the building.

The thing is: he doesn’t seem to be that successfull with his plans…

vlcsnap-2969-09-23-00h20m05s054
Brad talking with his daughter

Werden sich Brad und Lizzie wieder näher kommen?

Will Brad and Lizzie find one another again?

Wird Brad die Schließung der Musikschule verhindern können?

Will Brad at least be successfull in avoiding the closure of the music school?

Und was hat ein älterer Schüler von Lizzie mit der ganzen Sache zu tun?

And what is the role of an elder music student of Lizzie in all that?

vlcsnap-3107-11-04-14h49m06s371

Findet es heraus in „The Sound of Christmas“!

Let’s find this out in „The Sound of Christmas“!

~ Tom Michell: The Penguin Lessons ~

Als ich dieses Jahr in London war, habe ich mir auch ein sehr schönes englischsprachiges Buch mitgebracht, welches ich nun endlich gelesen habe.

When I was in London this year I – for sure – brought back a wonderful english book with me – which I have now finished reading.

img_20161214_104650

„Had I been told as a child in the 1950s that my life would one day run parallel with that of a penguin – that for a time, at least, it would be him and me against the world – I would have taken it in my stride.“

(page 1)

Tom Michell war noch ein junger Mann, als er einen Pinguin vor dem sicheren Tod rettet und sich um ihn kümmert. Daraus wurde eine Art Freundschaft, die beide – den Mann und den Pinguin – beeinflusste.

Tom Michell was a young man when he saved a penguin from dying a horrible way and took care of him. This was the beginning of a kind of friendship which influenced both – the man and the penguin.

„Although it was lying on its belly and covered in tar like the other birds, this penguin was moving its wings and holding its head up. It wasn’t moving much, but its head and wings were giving little spasmodic jerks. The death throes of a defeated creature, I assumed.

(…)

I lifted the furious creature, twisting and turning in its efforts to escape, clear of the beach and away from my body and discovered for the first time how heavy penguins could be.“

(Page 10;12)

Tom Michell bringt den Vogel in das Apartment wo er zu der Zeit wohnt und versucht ihn zu säubern. Nicht ganz leicht, aber der Magellan-Pinguin merkt nach einer Weile, dass der junge Mann ihm helfen will.

Tom Michell succeeded in bringing the bird to the apartment he was living in at this time and tried to clean him. Not an easy thing to do, but the penguin realized after some time, that the young man is trying to help him.

„At the end of an hour’s work I had a recognizable penguin. His back feathers were black again, if not sleek and shine, and his tummy feathers, though not pristine, were at least a greyish sort of white. I let the water out of the bidet for the last time and, when I didn’t refill it, the penguin studied me closely. We regarded each other for some moments as I looked directly at the result of my handiwork.

‚Is that it?`Have you finished? Are we done? I hope you haven’t missed any!‘

(…)

I had left him in the bath and on my return to the bathroom he ran up and down in the tub, flapping his wings. His little eyes were sparkling.

‚You’ve been a long time!‘ they said. ‚I was wondering what had happened to you. What have you been doing?‘

Had he been a dog he would have been wagging his tail and I was conceived he was pleased to see me.“

(page 23; 25)

Tom Michell beschreibt in seinen „Penguin Lessons“ wunderbare Begebenheiten die er mit dem Pinguin hat. Sein Name lautet übrigens Juan Salvado. Beide finden ein neues Heim an der Schule an der Tom unterrichtet und die dort lebenden Schüler sind ebenfalls begeistert von dem gefiederten Mitbewohner.

Tom Michell is giving us an amazing insight of what the life with the penguin was like in his „Penguin Lessons“. By the way: the name of the penguin is: Juan Salvado. Both of them find a new home at the school at which Tom is teaching at that time and not only the students are really excited about the new member of the house.

„A day or so later I was a bit surprised when I answered a knock at my door to find a number of groundmen on the threshold to my apartment, their collective gaze aimed directly over my shoulder. All became clear when they explained they wanted to see Juan Salvado, not me. They were delighted when I asked if they’d like to give him his lunch and the men trooped out on to the terrace to feed him some sprats. In no time at all they were duscussing his walks around the college, assuring him that a new lawnmower was on its way to improve the quality of the grass. They hoped he would approve.

(…)

I overheard many such conversations between visitors and bird, both in English and Spanish (interestingly, he was quite fluent in both languages), as people went out to pass the time of day. (…) He looked people straight in the eye and always paid such close attention to what was said that his guests were inclined to talk to him on equal terms – they thought him a wise old bird.“

(page 103;104)

Tom Michell erzählt nicht nur von dem Leben an der Schule, sondern nimmt uns auch mit auf seine Reisen, bei denen er die unterschiedlichsten Dinge erlebt. Nichtsdestotrotz bleiben die Episoden mit Juan Salvado das Highlight jeder Seite des Buches.

Tom Mitchell not only tells us about his life at the school at that time, he also takes us with him to some of his travel-locations, to his amazing adventures. But nevertheless the times with Juan Salvado are the highlight of every single site of the book.

img_20161214_104802

Juan Salvado beweist nicht nur Feingefühl im Umgang mit seinen Besuchern, er hat auch – wenn man es so nennen will – pädagogisches Gefühl – im Umgang mit einem Jungen an der Schule, der es schwerer hat als andere – und durch die Hilfe des Pinguins endlich seinen Weg findet.

Juan Salvado is not only really good in listening and caring for his visitors, he also has some – if you would call it that – paedagogic feeling – in helping a young boy at the school who has hard times to finally find his way.

„Sometimes Juan Salvado took the lead and Diego swam as though chasing him. Juan Salvado allowed Diego to get close behind him and then off he would fly again. At other times Diego appeared to lead and the penguin swam round the boy, making figures of eight as though he were spinning a cocoon or weaving a spell. Occasionally they swam so close that they almost touched. This was a sublime pas de deux and I was entranced.

Words cannot describe the magic that was in the air and the water that evening, magic that was operating on so many different levels.

(…)

I was almost speechless. I had witnessed an acrobatic (or should that be aquabatic?) display the likes of which I had never seen before. For technical merit and artistic interpretation it would have scored full marks from any judge, but that was not all. Standing quietly by the poolside, watching the penguin and chewing the corner of his towel, was a well-built, little youth who, I was confident, could outswim almost anyone in college. It was simply a revelation. He wasn’t the sad little chap we had become used to, but a very normal boy with a very special talent, and nobody in the college had realized it until that moment.“

(page 183;184)

 ***

„The Penguin Lessons“ zeigt uns wie eng ein Mensch und ein Tier zusammenleben können, nicht nur physisch sondern vor allem auf emotionaler Ebene. Juan Salvado hat einen bleibenden Eindruck hinterlassen – nicht nur bei Tom Michell, den Schülern an seiner Schule und anderen einheimischen Leuten, sondern auch beim Leser.

„The Penguin Lessons“ shows us something about how a human being and an animal could live together – not only physical, but for most parts emotional. Juan Salvado has touched so many hearts of so many humans, not only Tom Michell and the students at his school, but also the readers in many different countries.

Man kann nur hoffen, dass Bücher wie diese auch irgendwann einmal den Teil der Menschheit erreichen und beeindrucken, die immernoch die Natur zerstören und sich nicht um die Leben kümmern die sie vernichten!

All we can hope for is that books like that – that they really touch this part of the „humans“ that still destroy wildlife and don’t care much about the lives they are destroying!

***

Wer ein wunderschön geschriebenes Buch sucht und Tiere mag, dem kann ich „The Penguin Lessons“ nur empfehlen.

I definitely can recommend reading this wonderful book. Other recommendations you can find below.

Weitere Empfehlungen aus dieser Buchkategorie meinerseits sind:

img_20161214_104706

~ Worth Fighting For…Love, Loss, and moving forward ~

Nachdem ich schon Patrick Swayze’s Memories gelesen habe, machte ich mich voll Interesse an das Buch seiner langjährigen Ehefrau und Freundin, Lisa Niemi.

Schon das Buchcover ist schön gestaltet und bietet einen Hauch Nostalgie mit der Rückseite, auf der Patrick abgebildet ist.

After reading Patrick Swayze’s memoir „The Time of My Life“ I now finished reading the book of his longtime wife and friend Lisa Niemi.

Even the cover of the book is wonderful and gives a calm insight in the dark days that are still filled with hope and love.

DSC_0001

„Till Death do us part.“ That’s what Patrick and I said in our vows when we got married. […] I was eighteen years old, I knew death existed, but it was still a concept, something far, far in the future. So far, that I didn’t have to worry about it.“

(page 4)

Nachdem bei Patrick Krebs entdeckt worden war, gab es schon zu Anfang das ein oder andere Hindernis auf dem Weg zu einer Behandlung. Nachdem die ersten Hürden überwunden waren und die Behandlung angefangen hatte, machten Patrick und Lisa sehr erfreuliche Erfahrungen mit der Produktionsfirma, die seine letzte Serie „The Beast“ produzierten:

After they found out that Patrick had pancreatic cancer there were problems right at the beginning of the treatment. But there were also good moments when Patrick and Lisa told the production company of „The Beast“, Patricks latest series, of his diagnosis:

„They reacted like human beings instead of businesspeople, and they decided to hang in there with Patrick.“ (page 48)

Und auch Patrick selbst wollte um sein Leben kämpfen und sein Wille war ungebrochen:

And Patrick definitely wanted to fight for his life:

„And when the doctors were describing treatments and procedures that would have scared other people witless, Patrick’s reaction was more one of the lively curiosity: ‚Wow, that’s interesting. Let’s see what that does. What do you think, Lisa?‘ It was like he could step outside his body and look at it like an objective observer. He was interested in this fight. And I was equally engaged.“ (page 49)

Mit all den Umstellungen von Medikamenten und Chemotherapie geht auch Lisa durch die verschiedensten Emotionen und kümmert sich rührend um ihren Mann.

With all the changes in medication and chemo also Lisa goes through so much emotion and is caring very lovely for her husband.

The story of these two is becoming a little bit of a struggle – mostly because of the disease – and that’s never put a hold on their love and passion for one another. They loved each other deeply and through this hard time their love grew stronger than before.

Die Geschichte der beiden wird durch diese schwere Erkrankung auf einen Prüfstand gestellt und macht die Liebe und Zuneigung der beiden zueinander nur noch größer.

And with every appointment at the doctors, with every scan there is the fear and the hope, that Patrick’s situation might change for the better – or at least stay the way it is.

Und bei jedem Arzttermin, bei jeder Untersuchung schwingt die Angst und gleichzeitig auch die Hoffnung mit, dass sich Patrick’s Zustand zum besseren ändert – oder zumindest gleich bleibt.

„With no more lesions, no growth of existing lesions, and the PET scan shwong and improvement in the liver, this was confirmation that the chemo was actually working well at controlling the disease. Controlling the disease. As far as pancreatic cancer is concerned, that spells SUCCESS. […]

When we were able to privately catch each other’s eye, it was hard not to be flooded with sparkling emotion. And in his eyes I could see him distinctly say, as if he had said it out loud, ‚Looks like I’m going to be around for a little while longer!'“ (page 80)

Also arbeitet Patrick an seiner Serie „The Beast“ und nach 33 Jahren, die sie verheiratet waren, beschließen die beiden, ihre Ehegelöbnisse zu erneuern – mit Patrick auf seinem Pferd Roh.

So Patrick works on his series „The Beast“ and after being married for 33 years – Lisa and Patrick decided to renew their wedding vows – with Patrick on his horse Roh.

„It was like there was truly magic in the air. Everyone was happy. […] I was standing at the back door ready to make my entrance […] he and Roh, our silvery, blinding-white, brilliant stallion sat off and trotted out and fairly floated around the pool […] and they were breathtaking indeed. He dismounted near the patio when Roh had settled… and held out his hand.

I was smiling ear to ear as I walked forward through the crowd and up to him, taking is hand… And I couldn’t resist. I turned to our guests and grinned, ‚After 33 years, he finally rides up on a white horse!'“ (page 109)

Das war am 13. Juli 2008. That was July 13th, 2008.

Danach ging es auf zu den Dreharbeiten von ‚The Beast‘, wo Lisa wieder einmal Zeuge wurde, wie groß sein Arbeitsethos war und dass sich Patrick bei seinen Projekten immer 110% einsetzte – auch jetzt, obwohl er in der Zeit vorher manchmal nicht so gute Tage hatte.

After that they moved on to the work at „The Beast“ when Lisa was again witnessing how Patrick changed when being at work and being fully committed to a project – even when his last days hadn’t been the best regarding his health.

„From the moment his foot touched down in Chicago, he was like a different man. He went from staying in bed all day to hardly ever going to bed. His enormous burst of energy floored me. I say that he ‚was like a different man‘, but the fact is, he was like his old self, going nonstop, and always the extra mile.“ (page 119)

Doch die Zeiten werden nicht einfacher für Patrick und Lisa und sie beschreibt in „Worth Fighting For“ die verschiedenen Momente, die schwierig waren und sie beide auf eine harte Probe gestellt haben.

But times were not getting easier for Patrick and Lisa and in „Worth Fighting For“ she describes the different moments which were incredibly difficult for both of them.

DSC_0003

Umstellung der Medikamente, Probleme mit dem Essen und in der Verdauung sind nur einige der Probleme, dessen eine Auswirkung auch der Verlust seiner Haare ist.

Change of medication, problems with eating and digestion are only some of the problems they were facing as time went on. Another hard point was that Patrick was loosing his hair.

„And he handled all of it the same way he handled his pain and discomfort – with a steady grace, strength and dignity.“ (page 200)

Neben all den gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen, die eine so schwere Krebserkrankung mit sich bringt, fand Patrick trotzdem die Kraft, die Audioversion seines Buches „The Time of My Life“ aufzunehmen, bevor er seinem Körper wieder erlaubte, den Kampf gegen die Krankheit weiterzuführen.

After all the changes in health which came with such a bad disease Patrick still found the time to do the audio-recording for „The Time of My Life“ – before allowing his body to continue the fight for his life.

Es gibt immer wieder Infektionen, die Patricks Körper schwächen und ihm zusetzen und die Ärzte in Alarmbereitschaft versetzen.

There are new infections coming up which weakened his body and got the doctors alarmed.

And then one day, when Patrick was at the hospital for treatment, Lisa heard the words she always feared to hear:

Und eines Tages, als Patrick bereits im Krankenhaus ist, hört Lisa das Unausweichliche:

„And I knew what they were going to say…

‚I’m afraid we’re at that point now,‘ they said gravely and with compassion.

I confirmed with them that, absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, there was nothing more we could do. […] I didn’t want to start crying and not be able to stop. And I had to agree…

I had to agree…

I had to agree that this was the end.“

(page 278)

Lisa bringt Patrick zurück auf die Ranch, um ihm noch ein wenig Ruhe und vertraute Umgebung zu bieten. Lisa hatte noch nicht die Kraft gefunden, ihrem Liebsten zu sagen, dass er sterben wird – doch wie es scheinbar bei allen Todkranken zu sein scheint – sie wissen es – und Patrick wusste es auch.

Lisa brought Patrick back to their Ranch to give him some quiet time and a loved surrounding. While Lisa hadn’t found the strength to tell her beloved about his situation – but, as maybe it is with all those who are coming near their time to die – they know – and so did Patrick.

„Patrick spoke his last words on Friday evening. […] My last words with Patrick? „I love you.“ And he to me. I never stopped saying it – when I would leave the room, or when I came back into it. And he said it to me until it was only the movement of his lips without sound, and then… only his soft ears that my words would fall on.“ (page 296)

Nach dem Verlust von Patrick begann für Lisa eine schwere Zeit, in der sie nur mit Mühe weiterleben konnte.

After loosing Patrick everything was hard for Lisa and she had a hard time facing being alone without her loved soulmate.

Lisa Niemi ist zwar wieder verheiratet, denkt aber immer noch viel an Patrick, was ihr sicherlich auch die Sympathien seiner Fans bringt. Auf ihrem Blog schreibt sie auch über ihre Gefühlslagen und Emotionen.

Now Lisa Niemi is married again, but still thinks a lot about Patrick which I think his fans are loving. On her blog she is writing about her feelings and emotions.

***

„Worth Fighting For“ beschreibt den Kampf von Lisa und Patrick um sein Leben aus der Sicht von Lisa und hat einige lustige und einige tief traurige Momente zu bieten. Man spürt die tiefen Gefühle und die Hochs und Tiefs auf ihrem Weg, Patrick ein wenig länger am Leben zu halten und womöglich sogar die Krankheit zu besiegen.

„Worth Fighting For“ shows the fight of Lisa and Patrick for his life from the view of Lisa and has some lighter and some darker moments to dive into. While reading you can feel the love and ups and downs on their way to give Patrick some more time on this earth and maybe beat the disease.

Den Kampf haben sie nicht besiegt, aber Patrick Swayze wird – auch durch diese beiden Bücher – immer im Herzen der Menschen die an ihn denken, ihn gekannt haben und seine Arbeit bewunderten bleiben.

They haven’t beaten the disease, but Patrick Swayze will be – also via these two books – forever in the hearts of the people who are thinking of him, who knew him and who cherished his works.

DSC_0002