Solveig Book reviews & recommendations

When a dog changes everything… Book review of Buster & Moo by Geoff Le Pard

Book review of Buster & Moo by Geoff Le Pard

Laden is having an affair while trying to secure a promotion, for nothing in the world does she want her boyfriend Mervin to find out that she’s sleeping with a junior colleague. They don’t talk much and seem to avoid the things that are really important to them, like the question whether or not they should try again to start a family. Past pain has led them to almost grow into strangers. Adopting a dog seems like a good plan to get their love life back on track as well as Mervin’s fitness. They find themselves rehousing a dog called Buster, quickly rebaptised. He previously belonged to Dave and Sheri, who due to the curveballs that life has been trowing at them cannot keep their furry companion. Continue reading “When a dog changes everything… Book review of Buster & Moo by Geoff Le Pard” →

Solveig Spotlight on

Spotlight on Judith Charlotte

 

Judith Charlotte

Some pictures are assembled with a lot of thought, others are simple snapshots that are full with beauty. Judith Charlotte, a young fashion designer living in Paris,  shares magical shots on her Instagram account.

Continue reading “Spotlight on Judith Charlotte” →

Solveig Book reviews & recommendations

Following a girl in an all-male profession…, a book review of “First Lady of the Keys” by Lucy Brazier

 

Following a girl in an all-male profession…, a book review of “First Lady of the Keys” by Lucy Brazier”

At Old College, the main priorities seem to be food, tea, and alcohol. At least so it seems when PorterGirl starts sharing her adventures as Deputy Head Porter. Her job has so far never been filled by a woman, thus it is her mission to prove that this traditionally male role can definitely be filled by a female and that she’s not only there to be something pretty skipping around the grounds.  Continue reading “Following a girl in an all-male profession…, a book review of “First Lady of the Keys” by Lucy Brazier” →

Solveig Weekend Coffee Share

Weekend Coffee Share 08/07/2017

If we were having coffee, then I would be so glad to have you over!

The past two Saturdays I had friends over (both where in my class in high school, which was 10, yes TEN years ago!!!), as no one is announced for today (maybe a friend will come tomorrow), and little one, errr should give her a different nickname is sleeping, I will do a coffee post.

It has been forever since I had coffee with you. Or maybe this is the first time you are stumbling onto my blog, or the first time you are reading a coffee share post here… Anyways it has been a while.

It is a beautiful day in Paris and I have no coffee to propose to you, but maybe a sparkling water, a grenadine? I have milk and still water too and if you are really into a hot beverage then maybe a tea, or a hot chocolate?

Now, if you are a regular reader of my blog, then you are probably wondering what I have been up to all these months. Or maybe you figured it out all by yourself. Continue reading “Weekend Coffee Share 08/07/2017” →

Solveig Flow

All is quiet

All is quiet.

The noise of the day has finally ceased. The house is no longer shaking from the demolition hammers and drills used need door.

The kids are sleeping. A sniffle and a snore can be heard from time to time.

My ears concentrate on a lovely sound. The ticking of a mechanical pocket watch. It seems alive. The other day we hung it on a nail, it’s small but the numbers are easily read, from a distance I can tell what time it is. As I listen to the ticking of this watch my eyes are attracted to it. The heart is strong, it makes its body move like a small pendulum.

All is quiet, I listen to the ticking of the watch. To the beating of the mechanical heart, there to give me the time.

What time is it?

Let me see.

 

Solveig An Interview With ...

An interview with Angela Guidolin

 

Today, I have the pleasure to start a new feature on my blog “An interview with…”. My first guest is the SF Author Angela Guidolin, whose new book “Across Spacetime” will be published at the end of March 2017.

An interview with Angela Guidolin

You have a new book coming out soon Across Spacetime, a Sci-Fi romance, it’s your first book right? But not your first piece of published work. What can you tell us (my readers and myself) about this book? 

Across Spacetime is a story about two time travellers from the future who meet in London in 1995. Although they have very different backgrounds-Samir is a Terran and Beatrice is a Progressive (a human who lives beyond the Asteroid Belt), they fall in love. They have to decide whether to stay for good in that point of the spacetime continuum where they are free from the prejudice of their society, but miss their friends, families and the technology that makes their life much easier, or return where they belong and defend their love.

The truth be told I am not a big reader of Sci-Fi nor romance, but the mash of the two sounds too intriguing. I must have read a bit of both but never together really. Who do you wish this book will appeal to?

This book is really about having the courage to follow your dreams, even though it means to disappoint or defy the people you love, like your parents. I wish it will appeal to readers who need some encouragement in a time of struggle, or look for escapism. As it is written in first person singular, and Samir and Beatrice tell the story from their point of view in alternate chapters, it is ideal to read out with a partner.

What is the driving force that makes you sit down and write? Continue reading “An interview with Angela Guidolin” →

Solveig Blogging

Blogging Announcements

Blogging Announcements

IMG_5475Once again this year in blogging has started out less consistent  than I had hoped it to be. I have my reasons…

Still, this does not keep me from having some projects for this blog.

First of all, on Sunday I am starting something completely new…

There will be an interview with an author!

Up until now I have not interviewed any authors, I have in the past done interviews with musicians and with ambassadors, central bankers and European civil servants. I also had the opportunity to be present at an interview with a German politician back in 2005 when I was doing an internship at the Economist in Germany. So I am now getting back into something I really enjoy doing.

I hope that this interview will be the first of many! I also want to do features on blogs and places on the internet that I enjoy.

On the 12th of March my blog will turn two. As March has a big event in store for my family, I am not sure that I will be spending a lot of time online. But I am hoping to put up some posts linking back to the posts that I have cherished most in my two years on WordPress.

Then if I can manage to prepare my posts I will be participating in this year’s edition of the A to Z Challenge. It is going to be a bit more complicated than it was last year though, as I am not sure that I will be able to provide links to my posts on a daily basis. But some of my posts are already written (on paper).

© Solveig Werner 2017. All rights reserved.

Solveig parenting, The Past

3

3

Three years ago, I was having breakfast with S. I had spend an interesting night, contractions had ripped me from my sleep, but a shower later I was peacefully snoring again, the contractions continued. When I arrived in the Maternity Ward at 11:30am I was already at 4 or 5 cm. Things went quickly, S arrived at the hospital 2 hours after I did, and at 15:34 our daughter joined us.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Today, she is 3 years old! It has been quite an adventure.

Currently little one is still fast asleep, it’s one of those rare nights she spend from the beginning to well now in her bed. Up until the end of last year she was still sleeping in the parental bed, but my growing belly and her size made her take the decision that it was time to try the little bed. It was our plan to convince her to sleep there, but finally she decided on her own. Just like so many other things.

In June, she figured it was time to no longer wear her diapers and start using the potty, I am only responsible to the extent that I bought her a potty. Two years ago, on her first birthday she learnt to walk, when she was 7 and a half months old it was crawling. The hardest part to get her to get used to was no longer nursing on my breast. Looking back, that was the only developmental step that happened by me forcing it upon her, there was no choice, really.

I enjoy reading with her, many of the stories we read are so important to her that she can recite the ending of the sentences, and sometimes she knows the whole book. Will she be a young reader? I don’t know, but I do know that she is a lover of books.

Sometimes she is shy, but that’s when she is tired. But once she starts to like someone, well then she has a loose tongue and will fill your ears with questions and stories in German or French.

How cute she has been after the last ultrasound in January, she asked the doctor for a picture of her future sibling, so that it could be hung on the wall and kissed before leaving the house. It will be such a change for her, for us, once our family will be growing in March.

Now, I have learnt so much thanks to this little girl.

I really don’t know what to say, besides:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

© Solveig Werner 2017. All rights reserved.
Image Copyright Moritz Werner (my dad) February 2014

Solveig Blogging

2016 might be over, but…

2016 might be over, but…

I would like to give a little update on the year’s stats. First the last quarter of 2016 and then the year’s overview.

4rd Quarter (October, November, December) Blog Performance

Between October 1st and December 31st this blog was viewed a total of 2802 times! Thank you! That gives a monthly average of 934 views.

October 2016

In October my blog received a total of 212 views, and only one post was published: I came out of my shell a while ago, but …
The three top reads of the month were:  I came out of my shell a while ago, but … (36 views, 16,98% of the month’s total views), My Colette Surprise (6 views, 2,83%) and The Seed We Did Not Sow (5 views, 2,36%).
Top referrals in October were: Search Engines with 53 views, The WP reader with 7 views and Twitter with 2 views. Continue reading “2016 might be over, but…” →