Books, books and more books

Books are the ultimate treat for me, a good book is better than
television or social media any time,  a book will make everything
better and a good book will make many things perfect.
The good things in life need a book to make them perfect. Christmas
without a new book is nearly as bad as Christmas without a new pyjama
and holidays without a new book are seriously lacking while even a
stay in hospital can be made bearable with a book. Days that threaten
to go really bad can be survived with a book – like the time I arrived
in a new city and found the student accomodaton a serious disaster.  I
walked the streets until I found a shop that sold supplies and
thankfully also a small array – of actually seriously mediocre books.
With crackers, cheese, a glass of wine and a book , the student
accomodation became a possibility, the first night was weathered and
everything panned out ok and turned out to be one of the best years
spent in college. Books, you gather, are important, books are both
crutch and inspiration, relaxation and – just sometimes - even
education. For some strange reason it is not only the content, it is
the feel of the book, a real treat to read a good hardback. After the
bread round goes with the times – most of the time – and has lots of
books on the phone which is also a good way to read but never the same
as the real thing. Yesterday, on the deck chair beside the forest
swimming pool beside the Steinback brewery ( after the bread round is
on holidays....) holding the phone to read was just not the same.
Can’t read the screen in the sun and the contrary phone always slipped
the screen sideways – just to annoy.
Kilkenny has such an amazing abundance of book shops and a wonderful
library that there is never a shortage of books anywhere and
everywhere there is a wonderful attitude to the seriously long winded
and very undecided browser that needs to read half the book before
considering to buy. I love bookshops, especially bookshops with
chairs.

This year’s holiday book was a very undemanding and
uncomplicated and lovely to read novel called How to find love in a
book shop by Veronica Henry. One of her characters is only just
converted to reading and comes up with this conclusion “ So that’s why
people read. Because books explain things: How you thought, and how
you behaved, and made you realise you were not alone in doing what you
did or feeling what you felt.”Simple, straight forward and not at all
bad.  Books are one of the keys to life and there is one for every
mood and every person. So put down those insipid video’s on your
captivating screens and grab a book. After the bread round has just
finished the morning read. Still waking up early have the sunny
terrace in my mother house – a house full of books – all to myself.

Shall now start the day and go and negotiate with the local baker to
swop recepies. Irish Soda bread against his amazing “Sportler Brot”.
If you’re lucky that could be the start of Speltbakers dabbling with
rye.