I must admit I fear big books and THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett is HUGE. It’s not that I don’t like these big guys, but the thought of getting started and sticking with them until the end feels daunting. What if I’m not committed enough to finish the job? However, with Pillars, that fear is completely unnecessary. This epic novel is literally unputdownable.

River God by Wilbur Smith is my first epic historical saga. I immediately took an intense liking to Taita, a very talented and intellectual eunuch slave. This novel—the first of the five in the Ancient Egypt series—is narrated by Taita. According to Wilbur Smith, the story in River God is real, based on the scrolls found at the Temple of Karnak, and this is why the river Nile is important in the story.“

It is safer by far to live unseen and unremarked, as I always attempt to do.” Although Taita is a very handsome man with many talents, he prefers to live a low-profile life. […]

A few weeks ago I finished reading THE ART OF HAPPINESS: A Handbook for Living by His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. It was my constant companion every morning while commuting to work in the bus or while waiting for it.

Having just finished MINDFULNESS FOR EVERY DAY LIVING by Christopher Titmuss, I expanded my reading to include The Dalai Lama's book. These two books are some of the best things that have happened to me recently.

Here’s my very brief Italian review: Mi è piaciuto molto la storia. È bella e i gattini sono carinissimi! Mi è piaciuto anche l'avventura. C'erano la gente gentili e un vecchio gatto bravissimo che ha aiutato i gattini persi. Mi manca Roma... (In English: I really liked the story. It is beautiful and the kittens are so cute! I also like the adventure. There were nice people and a great old cat that helped the lost kittens. I miss Rome...)

OTTAVIA E I GATTI DI ROMA (Octavia and the Cats of Rome) by Claudia Cerulli and beautifully illustrated by Leo Lätti is [...]

I started reading COLLINS EASY LEARNING ITALIAN CONVERSATION a moment ago and loving the “Introduction.” Here are some of my my thoughts (emphasis mine).

”Becoming proficient in a foreign language means being able to use and understand a number of different aspects—vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and so on. However, it takes a while to be able to put all these elements together and be sure that what you are saying sounds like natural Italian.”

Or, any language for that matter. […]

My copy of SANDOKAN from the Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia (ITBM) has arrived—I’ve read the book and enjoyed it. I’m usually not fond of pirates but this time I'm seeing things from another point of view and that is from the pirates’.

In this story, the fearful Sandokan, known as Harimau Malaysia (Tiger of Malaysia) is a famous and powerful pirate. He is the leader of the Mompracem pack. Together with his good friend, a Portuguese man named Yanez de Gomera, they set out to rescue the ill-fated Tremal-Naik.