WWW Wednesday July 4

And it’s Wednesday again! Norway’s so warm right now, so all the time I’m not at work I basically spend at the beach with a book. Life’s pretty great, to be honest.

I am at work today doing shifts at the supermarket, and so this is the perfect day for another WWW Wednesday!

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words , and anyone can join. All you need to do is answer three simple questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

A bit like with Jane Austen, I’ve always really liked the idea of Shakespeare, but never really gotten through any of his plays. Norwegian schools also don’t set away all that much time for Shakespeare’s works either, and so it wasn’t before I got to England and met some very enthusiastic Shakespeare fans that I really got into his plays. In February, my really good friend Cathy, brought me along to see my first play at the Globe and I’ve seen (and loved) the film version where David Tennant plays Hamlet. Now I’m reading Hamlet in Norwegian, and the translation is wonderful! So sprightly and playful, not heavy and long-winded like I expected it to be. I’m loving every page so far!

Blurb:
“Å være eller ikke være, det er problemet.
Om det er mere edelt av et sinn
å utstå skjebnens slyngekast og piler,
enn ta til våpen mot et hav av plager
og ende dem ved motstand? Dø, å sove –
og ikke mer, å si med en søvn
vil all vår hjertesorg ta slutt og alle
de tusen slag naturen har å by på
og kjødet tar i arv – det er en slutt
vi inderlig må ønske oss.”

“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d.”

I just finished
Villskudd by Gudmund Vindland

Last year I discovered that I’ve got a very big soft spot for books set in Scandinavia in the 60s, and especially books about the LGBT community in the big cities at the time. So if you’ve got any recommendations for this (rather small) niche market of books, please throw them at me!
There is something about the language used, the characters that always seem stereotypical but then defy all those stereotypes, the places I recognize but depicted several decades ago, before I was born but not even that long ago. I really enjoyed this book, because it was such an unapologetic love story from the protagonist to himself, if that makes sense. It showed young gay men finding their way, really screwing up and having each other’s backs. It also had a lot of hope and good laughs, great humor and fantastic pop-culture references. A very good book!

Blurb: (Translated)
In Villskudd we get to know Yngve, who is gay in late 60’s Oslo. “This book is a little piece of Norway. A tale of a young Norwegian’s journey across the earth; a song of his doubts and his beliefs, his insecurities and his struggling desires, of shame and infamy and the dream of becoming someone.” (“Villskudd”, 29.02.16, http://www.skeivtarkiv.no)

Next on the list
Sky chasers by Emma Carrol

I’ll buy anything with hot air balloons on it, any day. Not entirely sure why, I just love the aesthetic of them soaring through the skies, especially since I have absolutely no idea how they work and so they’ve kind of kept that air of mystique around them! I bought this book purely because of the cover, and I’m really excited to get reading on it!

Blurb:
Orphan Magpie can’t believe her eyes when she sees a boy swept off his feet by a kite… or something that twists and dances in the wind. She goes to his rescue only to find herself dangling in the sky. The world looks so different from on high and suddenly Magpie knows what she wants – to be the first to fly in a balloon above the King and Queen of France.

Have you read any of these? What are you reading right now and how are you liking it? And how is your relationship with Shakespeare?

I really appreciate the community feel around these www Wednesday posts, and would love to read some more! Please drop your link in the comments, I’d love to check it out!

As always, have a wonderful day!

-Andrea

14 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday July 4”

  1. Ceri

    Oh Hamlet!!! ❤ ❤ ❤ My favourite Shakespeare! I recently started reading Shakespeare as an adult too and definitely enjoy it much more now compared to when I was in school.

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  3. Lola

    The one time I was in Norway (four years ago I think) it was in the middle of a heatwave! Never knew Norway could be baking hot! 🙂
    Love your selection of books – I have not read many books set in Scandinavia. Are there some Scandinavian classics you would recommend?

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    1. Andrea Wold Johansen

      Yeah, we’ve had a couple of really hot summers the last couple of years! It’s been about 30 degrees outside now, and we’re not all that great at coping with it, haha 👌 so cool that you’ve been to Norway, though!
      And thank you! ❤️
      To be honest, way too few Scandinavian books are ever translated into English and it makes me sad… but of “proper” old classics, I’d kind of recommend Henrik Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” if you’re feeling brave! It’s a play written in 1867, and it’s witty and heartbreaking, looking at subjects like death, loneliness, nationalism and honesty, shrouded in both traditional Norwegian fantasy settings, a bit of surrealism and also very very real realism if that makes sense 😅
      Of a bit more recent books I think The Half Brother by Lars Saabye Christensen is a beautiful novel. It depicts four generations of women, and two young sons, in Oslo in the 60s, navigating a confusing life. It’s sad and thought provoking and funny and infuriating all at the same time, and really really good!
      Sorry, this post got really long! 😅
      Thanks for asking, though, and thanks so much for reading! xx

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      1. Lola

        Thank you for the recommendations! I appreciate it for sure! I had not heard of either of those books, so will check them out 🙂 Always like discovering new stuff!

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    1. Andrea Wold Johansen

      A little bit all of the time sounds like a good strategy! And slow’s okay as long as it’s not standing still, right? 😊
      And I know, right?? I love the aesthetic and the colours on the cover!
      And awesome, I’ll check it out right away! ❤️

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    1. Andrea Wold Johansen

      Yeah, I know what you mean! It would be fun to hear what you think of them now if you try! 😊
      And I know, right?? It’s something with the colours of it, so whimsical and and dream-esque!
      And I hope you have a wonderful week, too! xxx

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