Small Country, Big Heart

Source

Usually I post my own photos of pins I buy when supporting various causes, but decided this time to show two of NETTOs photos with the pins (they are selling the pins in their stores here in Denmark). I have already bought  pin to show my support.

I believe that we Danes need this cause to show the world that we do have a big heart. Lately we have been hammered in the international press about some laws relating to the migrants coming to Denmark: the right to seize valuables above a certain amount including jewellery, temporary border control between Denmark and Germany (started after Sweden imposed border control between Denmark and Sweden). To be honest I do not like those two measures to limit migrants - both of them costs a lot of money, money that could have been spent helping locally.

Locally - a lot of the migrants actually do not want to leave their countries, but when the support to relief organizations gets cut so there is not sufficient funds to provide food in local refugee camps, that is when migration takes over as the only hope.

Danmarks Indsamling has their 10th annual TV show tonight - This year's theme: Lille land stort hjerte (small country big heart) - collecting money to support 10 different relief organizations like Red Cross, Unicef, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders etc. to help fight extreme poverty. I just hope that the Danes have not been discouraged by the negative press but still wants to contribute like the previous years.

Source

Shall We Dance?

Magazines can lure me to buy them if they come with a freebie paperback - I have discovered some good authors that way so I see it as an excellent chance to read new authors. This book has been in my to-read pile for 4+ years and I finally got around to read it.

Love Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark

Let's turn back time 20+ years, back to the time before smart phones were found everywhere and internet dating still have not been invented. As research to a TV documentary, Erin's friend is looking into what makes people create a personal add, what makes others reply to the adds etc. and she has agreed to meet with a few to get as much back ground details/experience as possible.

At the same time a serial killer is a foot, leaving his victims with one shoe only and the other replaced by a dancing shoe. Those unfortunates ones listens to dance music just before they meet their fate. How can you be sure, that the person that reflects your add, or perhaps an add you have shown interest does not turn out to be a psychopath? Or can the meeting somehow blur that you might be sitting in front of "your soulmate" as you might both be nervous and say all the wrong things?

We are seeing the side both from the serial killer and from Erin just building up the story so you just have to finish the book to see how it ends - at some point having me sitting on the edge of a comfy chair as could not put the book down. It is moments like that where I know that the book is doing it's job - keeping me entertained and lost to the real world.

One thing though: the song Shall We Dance? will never be the same again.

Libraries

Look what I found in the back of a book the other day.........

It really bring back memories to when the librarians had to stamp out the books you borrowed at the library - Just wondering why they put this pouch in the book as it has never been used? But yet at nice touch that it is still there intact.

Now it is all about self-service when checking-out/returning books

The Boy Nobody Could Find

A wood (forest) - for some a scary place for others a sanctuary of piece. When I was seven we moved from our noisy capital city to the country side - just across the road from the main house was a forest - further down the road (not very far and same side of the road as our house) was another forest

Neither of them scared me. One was said to be haunted by the old King Valdemar Atterdag riding his horse in the night - when the wind was right in the old tree crowns it sounded like a riding horseman. The other one had excellent paths when I decided to go for a run.

In some ways they may not have changed much the past 25 years, maybe some bigger trees. But now I've read the Danish book "Drengen ingen kunne finde" (literal translation: The Boy Nobody Could Find) by Christian Moerk (Mørk) and now those woods will never be the same again.

His woods are i Vermont USA but some parts of the woods described feels like my woods making those in the book much more creepy. Gordon refuses to believe that his nephew, Martin, died in the fire that killed his sister-in-law and roams around the site of the fire to find something that the police might have overlooked. 

Five weeks after the fire Gordon finds Martin's backpack and show the contents to his brother Harold, who has committed himself to a mental hospital after the fire. The contents of the backpacks are drawings that Martin has made of a scary looking man that seems to be from the woods. They sense that the answer is to be found in the wood

Christian Moerk's description of the drawings and the wood sent chills through my spine - somehow I was reminded of the atmosphere from Stephen King's Haven and yet no direct resemblance between the two authors. It is not the author's first book, but I had never heard about him until a magazine's review lured me into reading this book - and now adding his previous books to my always growing to-read-list. 

January 2016 in Books

A good start to 2016 when it comes to pages read - just a little sad that the MS has influence on the high number. A few self-help books which are surely not my favorite reading - I tend to be extremely picky and most of them read have been given to me. we are a couple of friends who let books wander if they are ones we do not want to keep after having read them.

The books by Sally Goldenbaum and Jan Guillou are both part of series - and that is the trouble with series: you read the book and then start waiting for the next one. Totally different in their writing styles and genres.

The Art of Changing Track* by Ulla Schade &Birgitte Bartholdy
(Original title: Kunsten at skifte spor)
Denmark 

Trimmed With Murder by Sally Goldenbaum
USA 

Find Joy* by Rikke Hedehus
(Original title: Find glæden)
Denmark 

Dispose Garbage* by Tor Nørretranders
(Original title: Afskaf affald)
Denmark
Library book

How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto
USA
Library book

The Boy Nobody Could Find* by Christian Mørk
(Original title:  Drengen ingen kunne finde)
Denmark
Library book

Blue Star* by Jan Guillou
(Original title: Blå stjärnan)
Sweden
January Bookfriend Book

Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark
USA

Portraits by Steve McCurry
USA

What Are You Really Waiting For?* by Sofia Manning
(Original title: Hvad venter du egentlig på?) 
Denmark

The One Who Dares Life* by Søren Dahl
(Original title: Den der vover livet)
Denmark

Her by Harriet Lane
England

Gung Ho! by Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles
USA

Lose That Loser and Find The Right Guy by Jane Matthews
USA

Hi Dad, Dear Emil* by Mikkel Beha and Emil Midé Erichsen
(Original Title: Hej Far Kære Emil)
Denmark

I Will Put Your Letters Under the Mattress* by Astrid Lindgren & Sara Schwardt
(Original title: Dina brev lägger jeg under madressen)
Sweden
AudioBook


*Literal title: the book has not been published in English version, so title is not an official title of the book