Books I read in 2022. And I dearly recommend them.

I have prepared a list of the books I read in 2022 that I dearly recommend to you.

Should you be curious to read my books, you can find some of them here, here and here.

And here below are my book recommendations:

The air in bones – Otilia Țeposu

The decision – Karine Tuil

A Short Philosophy of Birds – Philippe J. Dubois

Little Liar– Lisa Ballantyne

Mortua Est –Teodor Hossu-Longin

I cannot find you anywhere – Laura Ionescu

Death - Julian Barnes

The Morning when I should have died– Semezdin Mehmedinovic

Theatre –Sidonia Drăgușanu

Dinner with Liver and Heart – Mihaela Apetrei

Achluophobia. Ten macabre stories– Flavius Ardelean

Prisoner of Tehran – Marina Nemat

Ophanim – AnaBarton

Oneiron - Laura Lindtstedt

Bread with something – Liliana Nechita

The Three Women of the Consul – Jean-Christophe Rufin

Everything the genius man must know– Oliver Kuhn

How to kill your family– Bella Mackie

Great love – Balla

Broadway – Fabrice Caro

Broken wings – Kahlil Gibran

The world inflames – Siri Hustvedt

Endearing black - Gabriela Chiran

Nothing but blue sky – Kathleen MacMahon

Kill the sons – Benoit Severac

Bellevue – Ivana Dobrakovova

Fratricids – Nikos Kazantzakis

The Paganini contract– Lars Kepler

House of leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski

The secretary’s poems – Ștefania Mihalache

Dehumanized – Osamu Dazai

How I became a hooligan – Mihail Sebastian

The exod of lambs – Irina Georgescu Groza

It’s all in your head – Suzanne O’Sullivan

The future of humanity and other unpopular essays – Bertrand Russell

The journal of a jazz player – Bujor Nedelcovici

The feeling of an ending – Julian Barnes

What brought you here won’t take you there – Marshall Goldsmith

The institution – Andreea Lupu

The art ofcompromising – Ileana Vulpescu

On earth we’re briefly gorgeous – Ocean Vuong

A distance perspective – Alexander McCall Smith

The amnesia – Cristina Lincu

Milk teeth – Zoje Stage

The reading list – Sara Nisha Adams

Ioshka – Cristian Fulaș

North Korea. A camp as large as a country – Adelin Petrișor

Between twoenemy lines – Oana David

Born a crime – Trevor Noah

The three daughters of Eve – Elif Shafak

One hundred days of happiness – Fausto Brizzi

The paradoxe of the chimpanzee – Steve Peters

Happiness is a safety pin – Răzvan Exarhu

High-heeled girls – Michael Kurland

The praise of the road – Florea Lucaci

Misogynation – Laura Bates

The girl in green – Derek B. Miller

The Indian signature – Sergiu Radu Ruba

Momo – Michael Ende

The discomfort of evening – Lucas Marieke Rijneveld

A trip around the human being – Alexandru N. Stermin

Burned alive – Souad

The silent power – Susan Cain

The polar star – Martin Cruz Smith

The history of bees – Maja Lunde

A woman’s prospect – Ana Barton

Masks – Leonardo Padura Fuentes

Letters to Lucilius – Seneca

Piranesi – Susanna Clarke

Your story started a long time ago – Mark Wolynn

Kay’s anatomy – Adam Kay

Confiteor – Jaume Cabre

Adventures

My Adventures have gone on a trip.

A colleague of mine is visiting Ghana and he took the book as companionship while on his flight.

And you, what are you planning to read in the holiday season?

Mortua Est (From Latin, It Is Dead) – Teodor Hossu-Longin

I was 6 years old when the revolution that brought the fall of Communism happened. I have only a few memories and the stories from my folks, and some books I read to make me draw the line to the shape of how people were living during those days.

But the fond of the shape … Well, I have not lived it and I hardly believe that I can imagine it, regardless of how many books I would read about the way of living during the Communism, about what happened during the revolution or at the mineriads.

But still, I keep reading. And it seems essential to me not to ignore the voices, so few these days, because this is how we learn about us, about where we are going and what to do in order to avoid the mistakes of the past.

 

Mircea, the main character of the novel Mortua Est, was wounded during the mineriads and decides to emigrate from Romania, searching for a more suitable place to fulfil his dreams and expectations and finds that place in a foreign country. Deeds and people, remorse and recalibrations (when one finds out that the grass is actually not that greener on the other side), convince him to return to Romania. All this journey is filled with stories and philosophical analysis in which the reader may or may not find oneself but has the liberty to choose so.

And there is another main character in the novel, a character that is noticed by the reader only at the end of the novel. The pure wish for better days. It belongs to no one and to everyone. It is due to it that youngsters nowadays have a present. It comes from a very far, far away place, from our ancestors and grandparents. And it does not leave, but tests us into measuring our own values while admiring ourselves in the mirror that it holds to ourselves.

 

Here, below, there is a small excerpt to convince you to read the novel:

‘Soya salami, rapeseed oil, brown bread, everything was given on ration. It feels like I am reading a menu that a nowadays nutritionist has especially drafted. How ironic! Maybe in 20-30 years, we will find out that, actually, Ceausescu’s only plan  was to make Romania healthy…’

I cannot find you anywhere – Laura Ionescu

It’s a little hard to write about Laura Ionescu’s book, but it’s rather easy to love it, to find oneself in it, to recommend it to others and to let yourself be enchanted by the magic of simple words that usually mean more than those pompous words we see being used around.

In ‘I cannot find you anywhere’, I found myself in many of its chapters. I found my mom with her love for the village life, I found myself being fussy because I was lucky enough and did not live so many years under Communism, and I found my sister – here below is an excerpt that applies for us, too:

‘The two of us got to know each other better later in life, when I became her eldest child and the difference of 13 years between proved to be a divine mathematics.’

I wish you find yourself in this book too, and when you do let it teach you a thing or two.  

Memories

They say that memories are the refuge when one feels restless or alone. I often happen to be found by memories then the other way around. Like this post I found recently. It’s a lovely thing to be reminded of something you remembered seven years ago. How lucky I am with this blog!

On my nightstand, I have a book written by Vlad Musatescu, to protect me from sleeplessness or evil thoughts. And as I was opening it the other night, I remembered that some years back, more than seven years for sure, I was talking on the phone with a friend of mine and I happened to tell her how lovely are Vlad’s books. Being the passionate speaker that I am when I truly believe in something, I went straight to directly convince her. So the conversation on the phoned turned into something different; my friend spoke no more and listened while I was reading excerpts from one of Vlad’s books.

 

It sometimes seems to me that the only clothes we need are memories. So cover yourself nicely!

Words of Wisdom

For some time now, I have been indulging myself in reading this book, trying not to hurry things up and make sure I grasp all the meanings.

So today I made a stop, when I got to these three sayings:

Those things that are present should not be looked at as having less value than those that are absent. Instead, one must consider the fact that even these things that are present now were once coveted.

Nature is weak when it comes to evil, not good. But it is true that pleasures keep it alive, while pains destroy it.

A sane man will neither hurt himself nor another person.

Men of Deeds (2022)

(copyright)

At the end of the movie ‚Men of Deeds’, one starts to ponder of one has grasped all the symbols and their meanings. One thing is for sure, the movie starts and ends with a hen in close-up which means a lot of things, but the most important of them all is the innocence and courage to fight for it.

When, at the end, Ilie, played wonderfully by Iulian Postelnicu, enters into the water, I remembered the scene in the movie where he tells a story to a child about the dead people. 

The disquietude that Ilie feels is beautifully presented as he finds out that the things and people from the village he has been working in as head of police station for more than twenty years are different than what be believed. I think that it is not the violence that Ilie witnesses the main trigger to his change of heart, but the way he positions himself towards the world. And there are a couple of moments in the movie where we get to see who Ilie is, aside from a policeman, and thus vulnerable and human.

Black humour makes the story even more believable, while at the same time potentiating the gravity of the situation. The courage is also a type of character because it appears from time to time trying to assert itself.

Go watch ‚Men of Deeds’, believe me.

My Nephew Has Joined a Choir

Yesterday, my nephew told me that he joined a choir and I was so joyful I could not speak for a moment. But I got myself together and told him that wherever he would perform, I’m there (to root for him, not sing ... yet).

‘But you, Eme, never asked me to be there when you performed?!’, my nephew told me.

And then I pondered over it a little, which sometimes happens when my nephew utters things one needs to mull over. And so I started thinking, what if my nephew is right ... how late can it be for me to join a choir?!

Theatre – Sidonia Drăgușanu

These five plays written by Sidonia Drăgușanu have a discreet but enchanting charm.

The situations and characters presented within these plays are universal, but the witty voice of the author giving scene guidelines makes the reading really intense.

The characters run around and interact in a way that proves that Sidonia Drăgușanu was a connoisseur of the human spectacle with all its good and bad parts. Even though the plays in this book are presented as comedies, tiny stitches of sadness and inquietude can be noticed once in a while, inviting the reader to ponder upon things.

Here below is a paragraph from the play “The Game of Truth”:

 

Mister Elefterescu (wandering around the room): You keep insisting on the truth. The truth! Well, it more hinders things than makes them easier. Why did I listen to you?!

Valeriu (humorously): Why did I listen to you?! It serves me well! It’s been some time now since I realized that it is better not to give advice, even if one seeks it from one. But I do not know how I do this and constantly find myself overriding my own opinion!

Email Communication or How to Make Sure You Include Everything You Need when writing an Email

Sending or receiving emails is now a big part of our daily activity as employees. Sometimes, we send and receive more emails than we actually talk with our colleagues. And this is not due to some trends caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even before of it, emailing was starting to be the main communication method (contrary to the WACAMA recommendation I was telling you about in an old article of mine).

The other day, I was talking with a colleague about how to make sure everything needed is included in an email. So I thought about it a little bit and presented, by steps, how I try to make sure I don’t forget something. Then, I figured others might be interested in these steps, so here they are:

1. Write notes on the main topics you want included in the email.

2. Write the message and keep it as draft (you can save it in a Word document you use).

3. Read it carefully and correct mistakes (spelling, missing of words, if all items in your notes have been mentioned, etc.).

4. Take a small break from it and do another task.

5. Come back to the text and read it again; check again your notes to see if you missed anything, make corrections, if necessary. If your email contains more than two sentences, it’s best to sepparate the paragraphs with spaces (optional – underline the critical information you want the reader to remember after reading your text; you might make them stand out with italics or bold).

6. Send it.

7. If there is a call to action for the receiver (you gave them a DL (deadline) or requested something), make a note to follow-up (two days before the DL expires).

 

I hope it’s useful to you!

Ana Barton – Ophanim

This novel is like a hug. Which, by the way, I got it directly from the writer right before I started reading it.

On the 14^th of October, I went to the launch of the novel Ophanim, glad that Ana Barton had finally published another novel. I had been waiting for it for such a long time!

I found out about Ana Barton on my second time moving to Bucharest, while I was looking for a job (the umpteenth time). During an interview with the manager of the marketing department, whose name was also Ana (I am starting to see a pattern here and my mom’s name must be guiding me for I have been knowing so many women called Ana during the past years, and none have disappointed me), we started to talk about books (this also because I was asked about mine) and Ana Barton’s name came up and she was dearly recommended.

Ever since, I read everything that Ana had published and loved it. Also, despite her full schedule (this si based on a hunch), Ana made time to look over one of my texts and gladly offered her opinion on it. And it seems not such a big deal, but it is. And this because I have asked around and few other writers did this. My dear Zully is also one of these remarkable people that made time to offer their recommendatons and it matters so much.

Going back to the book launch, after the event, a queue of people formed to get autographs. When it was my turn, I gave Ana the book and she signed the autograph. Afterwards, when I left, I laughed while reading it because I could not grasp what she had written in the lower right corner and I remembered what she had said during the event, that her handwriting is really dificult to read. I have looked at it from different angles and still I cannot understand it. 

(later edit - The author told me she wrote embrace. Maybe because I had received it already, my mind could not grasp it.)

When she gave the book back to me, she asked me if it is OK to give me a hug, which left me a little puzzled. I very much love Ana’s books, but I had never dreamed of a hug, too. Which, as it happens, was not short, like those that are sometimes given to people just so they say they received it. I left with the smile of a child that feels emotional when receiving a prize. And just like me, the others must have left in the same way because Ana had hugged all of her readers that night.

Just like Mrs. Mărculescu had mentioned that evening, the novel Ophanim must be read, but the reader also must let the novel read her/ him.

I liked all characters in the book, but, from them all, I adore Mamifera. She has a special way of telling things as they are, which resonates dearly with the person that I am, pragmatic and fed up with so much superficiality.

And because I prefer to let the book convince one about why it should be read, instead of trying to explain it, I leave you with a couple of paragraphs:

‘…

 

… that angel of a mom that I have believes that all we have to do in life is to figure out when we feel the urge to behave badly and to put a stop to it; then, we must think about why that urge emerges and, in time, with self-discipline, we will succeed in not behaving badly… The only thing a human being is able to build is the lack of viciousness.

…

 

… And when your mind is wandering around and fears take hold of you that this could happen, and the other thing could happen, or, even worse, something horrible could happen to your loved ones, you must turn that thought around and imagine that you actually lift it with your hands and turn it inside out, like a glove, and then get out of bed, if you are in a bed, start walking and change your thought while starting to do something else, even if you only scribble on a piece of paper. You have to use your mind for a good purpose, Intriesh, darling, and not let it do whatever it wants to do because the mind is a very treacherous thing, if you don’t keep your guard up, it will take you somewhere you would never want to go. Nothing and no one can scare you as much as your mind could, darling, but you must not let it do it to you.

...’

Kindness through a song

 

In the paper

Recently, Facebook reminded me that I once appeared in the newspaper. And so I wanted to brag about it.

We want to live by each other's happiness

 

A song

 

Until the Longing Starts – Zully Mustafa

While reading Zully Mustafa’s new novel one cannot feel but the strong and endearing smell of the sea. From the very beginning, the words seem to do more than merely describe, and help the reader smell and feel the presented sceneries. The salted taste of the agitated sea is an image that constantly appears in the mind of the reader, amongst waves of memories about places, people, feelings, dreams and hopes or uneasiness.

And even though the reader is carried through small rooms that serve as chapters in the book, the writer actually unravels a universe more complex, where the past and the future come together in order to make peace and to draw conclusions and lessons of wisdom.

There is beauty in the way Zully uses her words so that the reader finds it impossible not to genuinely feel the storyline, while also remaining connected to their own reality. And this reality can be easily compared with the one from the story in order to help the reader embrace the lessons from it.

To my mind, this novel only has one character, and it’s not a human being. Memories, regardless of the time or the place or the people evoked by them, are the focus of the novel. Also, by means of a game of reflections in the mirror, to alter or not the form of the memories, the writer creates a claustrophobic feeling in order to force the reader to get courageous enough and carefully analyse the universal emotions reflected in the mirror.

I dearly recommend Zully Mustafa’s new novel and I give you below a paragraph to ponder upon:

‘This is what it means to have memories, and they become even more precious when friendships are ended.

...

Take a pen or a ball point pen, or a quill, or anything you want, and write: Loneliness, even the greatest loneliness, not only brings monsters, but it also brings wisdom, and passion, and tenderness, and forgiveness. Next time, if you have more time, maybe we could go together and see the sea. I also miss it, too.’

Sun

Not all of us have magic powers like Nica (a character from a famous Romanian children’s book written by Ion Creanga), but we can try to find ways to make the sun shine.

If not, others find them for us.

I recently received from a dear friend of mine this crocheted sun and ever since this song has been playing in my mind.

Let there be sun!

Email communication - Efficiency

Now, here’s an appeal from all of us, struggling every day with meetings, tasks, deadlines, giving explanations, and trying to make sure projects are delivered in a due manner and on time:

Be efficient!

 

Should I give an example? Of course.

 

When one sends an email to ask for support from a person and there are more than one people to decide on a project (and included in the email), please get together and establish the wants. It’s easy. Have a short meeting and clarify what you want for the project.

 

Don’t! I repeat, don’t send us emails in which you try to clarify with others interested about the project the details of it. It’s not efficient, it wastes a lot of time (for all of the parties), and it is really demotivating. Not considering it shows no respect and kindness for the person you are spamming with emails.

It is exactly like watching a tennis match. Only that one is not in one's free time and the exchanging of the balls (in this case, emails) does not bring excitment (that is, understanding). Why would anyone send to a third party a considerate number of emails before establishing the wants for the project  together with the interested party?!

 

I know it’s easier to send emails and to expect that the people reading them will have the overview, but get this – emails are not literature so they are not read for pleasure’s sake. And also, bear this thing in mind too when sending emails after emails (where you discuss with the other parties interested about the project, trying to reach a decision) – you are not the only one sending us emails.

 

So be mindful of the time that people spend reading emails and try to be as efficient as possible. I am no fan of the never-ending meetings, but sometimes a 10-minutes call can make a difference. So schedule that meeting with your interested party and this way you will make sure you are communicating only the relevant information to the person you are asking support from.

 

Be kind, be efficient; it’s not at all that difficult as it may seem!

Addition (October 2023)

I was mentioning above that it is important not to send emails after emails in which you try to clarify what you want together with the team. But I have another request. And it's fresh - Do not send WhatsApp-emails. 

What's an WhatsApp-email? A reply that contains several phrases but which is sent in different emails, one phrase after the other.

For example:

The first email - Thank you. It's very good, but it needs some additions.  

The second email (sent after a minute or two) - You have to delete this fragment. 

The third email (sent after ten minutes) - And add this link, please. 

The fourth email (sent after five minutes) - And attach this document that we talked about yesterday. I think Maria sent it to you last week.  

Discipline is needed in order to be brief and concise, but it is hardly something difficult to do. One must not be a writer or a communications specialist in order to efficiently communicate. First, one has to think of the other, to put oneself in the other person's shoes. And most of all, to understand that the other does not live in your head, and thus cannot access all the information that you might have and 'read' your mind about what exactly you want one to do.

Terracota stove

I love terracota stoves.

I have beautiful memories about them and, throughout the years, the affection for them grew.

In Romania, stove masters create the most beautiful terracota stoves in Medias. And also from Medias comes this beautiful tile.

How I Ate My Mask – Jan Cornelius

I became very fond of Jan Cornelius ever since I read his book called ‘I, Dracula and John Lennon’. I enjoyed reading it for I laughed my heart out and even made me ponder on a couple of things. A testament to good writing.

I got the same feeling after reading his new book, ‘How I Ate My Mask'. And even though there are many things to say about the book, I’d rather leave the professionals to it, while I am just going to illustrate through a paragraph and so convince you to read the book.

‘…

Creativity is requisite to being a good cook, as Paul Bocuse once said: When a doctor makes a mistake, dirt is place thereon. But when a cook makes a mistake, it can be hidden under some type of sauce and sold as a new recipe.

…‘

You did the right thing!

How often do you tell yourself this?!

How often do others tell you this?!

 

There, a suggestion to help you to start the week well: you did the right thing!

Stop looking around for confirmation, stop listening to what others might have to recommend. Anyway, it does not matter.

You did it.

Siri Hustvedt – Blazing World

‘Don’t let anyone tell you that there are no magic words.’

This phrase really got to me. Especially since it reminded me of the fact that I already knew that. An oak is not felled at one stroke, my sister once told me in a grey period of my life, at my first coming to Bucharest. And I pulled through for I had understood this.

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth, Oscar Wilde said. Can literature be a mask? What about artistic creations?

Yes. Siri Hustvedt’s novel brings arguments to support this. Also, there is an entire discussion about forms within it. How we perceive them, how we represent them, how we subject to them, how we were taught to look at them, to accept them and to live according to all prejudices we have against them.

 

There is a question that I really appreciated and with which I would like to end:

Was there ever a work of art that was not burdened with the expectations and prejudices of the viewer, reader or listener, regardless of their degree of education or refinement?

Movie and Music

I recently watched the Meddler (2015) on Netflix and I dearly recommend it. I especially liked the music, aside from the main character, Marnie, beautifully played by Susan Sarandon.

I leave you with this song below that keeps coming throughout the movie.

Between Two Enemy Lines – Oana David

Oana David’s novel is a recommendation to stop and do a little soul-searching, especially of our own prejudice, but also to reminisce and ponder upon historical consciousness.

I would be terribly wrong to categorize it as a mere love story, even though one is presented. For I understood the novel as a manifest for love in all forms (for one’s family, for one’s country, for traditions, people, places, for the past, present and, especially, for the future).

The dialogue exchange is fluid, even the couple’s. Minute descriptions present Luli’s (the main character) feelings and thoughts, but also the places where she goes to. The part of the novel where the bombing of Bucharest, in the spring of 1944, is described is really shattering, and the author manages to transpose the reader right in the middle of the events.

I dearly recommend you to read Oana David’s novel.

Hope

Slovakia - our visit

My husband suggested Slovakia for our summer holiday this year, and since we had a really nice experience in Slovenia last year, I was really looking forward to it.

We started our journey in Kosice. It has a very nice city centre, and like for almost anything we saw in Slovakia, the architecture is similar to what you can find in Austria or Hungary (and in Romania, Sibiu or Sighisoara).

Presov

A small visit through Presov, and it reminded me of the experience we had in Albania, in terms of finding Romania promoted.

Spis Castle

Slovakia has many castles one could visit. From them all, we visited Spis. The view is really nice and visitors are encouraged to come there and have a picnic.

Vysoke Tatry

The Tatra Mountains are the highest mountain range from the west Carpathian Mountains. In Slovakia, they are divided into the High and the Low Tatra Mountains.

We stayed in a lovely cottage that had quick access to the chairlift that brought us to the mountains.

Kremnica

This is such a lovely small town, built on important gold mines! It is the site of the oldest still-working mint in the world. And a bird’s eye view from the castle.

Cicmany village

This is a lovely spot to stop and see the painted wooden houses.

Banska Bystrica

Such a lovely town. Unfortunately, we were only passing by, but it defintely deserved at least one day to explore.

Nitra

A cute little town, with a castle to visit.

Bratislava

Like mostly everywhere in Slovakia, there are a lot of bronze statues in Bratislava, too.

And icecream 😊. And the Danube.

Komarno

Right at the border with Hungary, there is a small and lovely town called Komarno. Attention must be given while strolling through the city center because you might miss a small entrance to a city center within the city center.

Slovakia in literature

What kind of writer would I be, if I did not show interest in literature?!

Everytime I visit a place (here’s a funny story from when I visited Slovenia last year), I like to take that feeling with me. So I buy tea and books by local writers.

Unfortunately, in the smaller cities, I could not find translated books by Slovak writers. But I was lucky to find these below in Bratislava.

I’ve only managed to read Ivana Dobrakovova’s Bellevue (which I really enjoyed), and I am looking forward to reading the others.