A fantastic list of free Arab plays has been released.
Check out these 8 Arab plays which can be read like novels which was released by BookRiot recently.
A handful of them you can get for free, which is pretty awesome!
I personally haven’t read that many books that are based in the Middle East so I’m quite curious and going to be checking out a few of these.
The best part, a bunch of them are FREE!
I find that a bookstore can really represent a culture.
No, I’m not talking about going to your local B&N or conglomerate bookstore.
I’m talking about the small bookstore that is a hole in a wall, crammed full of books and smells old!
I have a dream of falling into a Parisian Bookshop and just spending my afternoon there shopping around.
That being said, I got to visit an incredible bookstore in Tokyo, Japan while I was there. Kitazawa Book Store! It even made a list on BookRiot of one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world!
It was full of classic novels, all in beautiful condition but almost nothing was new. It was all pre-owned or vintage. The best kind of book store!
I relived some of my journey to Japan today on Instagram, as this time last year I was enjoying my study abroad!
I was so honored when they commented back and shared my photos on their story (check their instagram out here)! Honestly, it was a fangirl moment. I went all the way around the world to visit their bookstore and then they thanked me. It doesn’t get much better than this honestly. I’m still so excited and honored beyond belief!
But my question to you…
For me, I want to go back to Japan and visit all the store on the street that Kitazawa was on. There were so many.
Of course visiting bookstores in England is always so enjoyable for me.
But on my bucket list….Paris!
Summary
“Ludwig Bemelmans–legendary bon vivant and raconteur, and author of the Madeline stories as well as the surprise success of last year, Hotel Bemelmans–lived life like a character in a novel. Wherever Ludwig went and whatever he did–letting Parisian criminals baby-sit his daughter, getting caught with his toenails painted red by the Gestapo, or discovering the only restaurant with toilets in the Amazon Jungle–his escapades are guaranteed entertainment.
When You Lunch with the Emperor collects Bemelman’s work under the headings of Childhood, Work, and Play. Readers will enjoy their lunch with the Bemelmans!”
-From Amazon.com
Review
This was my traveling book that I took to Japan with me (so it got a nice bunch of miles) and I’m so glad that I brought it. It kept me company during the long flight there and during a long train ride in Japan on the way to visit the Great Buddha. It was so much fun to read a book about someone who traveled all over and had this incredible life, while being abroad.
First off, the story was fantastic. There was just so much going on and I had to keep reading to find out what disastrous thing happened next. Ludwig went through so much in his life and seeing it all recounted was just such an amazing story.
There was food talked about, different locations, traveling, high and low times in his life, and success and failure. It was so impressive to read because Ludwig just struggled and struggled, doing well and then failing but he never gave up. It was amazing to see his resilience.
I think the other thing that I loved was the fact that there were pictures now and then, drawn in the famous style that you see in Madeline. It was a surprise to be reading and reading and then suddenly get a page with pictures. It’s extremely rare in adult books and just added a little surprise to the book, which I loved.
This wasn’t exactly a difficult read. In total, I read it in a few days (it just seems longer because there was traveling in between).
When You Lunch With the Emperor is one of those books that is hard to review by talking about the story, because it’s technically nonfiction (as far as I’m aware there was nothing fantasy in the story). It’s an experience book, but it reads like an epic tale. I highly recommend reading it if you’re looking for something unique and different. This 100% fits the bill.
I’d give this book a 5 out of 5 teacups because I absolutely loved it!
Have you read it? What do you think?
I am finally back from my study abroad experience in Tokyo, Japan so it’s time to hit the ground running again! Of course, while I was abroad, I had to visit bookstores, because it’s just what I do.
I wrote a blog post a while back about “50 Must-Visit Beautiful Bookstores on Six Continents” which was originally compiled by BookRiot. In that list they had the bookstore Kitazawa and after a little bit of research, I found that it was just a 30 minute train ride from where I was studying. So, naturally, I went to visit as I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
The bookstore was definitely an experience to visit.
First of all, it was in a used bookstore district. All of the stores on that side of the street were for used bookstores so it was such a wonderful street.
The first thing you saw on the way into the bookstore was this gorgeous display outside. I really loved the contrast between the blue books and the yellow flowers. It was really eye catching.
Heading inside, it was a nice entrance way so you knew that you had to expect something exciting!
And the door to the bookstore was beautiful. A nice, rich red. It had such an inviting look. Also the bookstore door was glass, which was different. You were able to clearly see inside as to what to expect.
Walking in you saw so many books! Unlike Pickwick, which was chaos but in a wonderful way, this bookstore was incredibly neat, down to the smallest thing.
You can clearly see how neatly it was all set up. Instead of having the discount books in piles, they were on rolling carts and even those that were on the floor were clearly stacked and in specific sections. It wasn’t messy at all.
Even their desk for checking out was covered in books all over the place! There was a slight disorganization because of just how many books that there were, and how many books that were waiting to be put out. But it was calming and you were easily able to browse around.
There was also a side of the room that had old bookshelves and really old books that were not for sale. They were just part of the ambiance of the shop.
The store was not busy at all. While I was there, there was only one other person in the store, and maybe one was coming in on the way out. So I’m honestly not sure how they survive as a bookstore. Of course some of their books were incredibly expensive.
An example was this book. You can just see how bit it was. It was massive! And this book would be an incredible table piece of something to show off in your home. But it was over $200 and there were many others similar, or old, that were of a comparable price. So I’m guessing when they sell a few of those, and since it’s a small bookstore, they do well.
Overall, this bookstore was amazing. I am so glad that I found time to go and visit the bookstore while I was in Tokyo. Who knows when i will be back next and I had to visit somewhere that BookRiot had said was good!
Have you visited here?
So I will be traveling in a few days for about a month! I’m heading off to Japan to study abroad! I’m so excited, and of course nervous too, but it will be amazing!
Because of this I will not be able to post as much. And when I do, the time I post may be strange!
So to help keep my blog going and to keep posts coming up, I will be using the help of my wonderful M.O.M. to keep the blog going for the next few weeks.
Don’t worry, I will be taking tons of pictures, and may be posting things form my trip when I’m there too!
But I just wanted to let you all know so you don’t get concerned about a severe lack of posting (especially in the summer when I am most active) or different kinds of reviews.
I can’t wait to see you all when I get back and I’ll be doing a massive post about my trip!
See you in a few weeks!
Happy Reading!
