Black Sea Twilight

I was recently taken very ill and needed some books and films to keep my mind off the illness itself. Luckily I had by chance stumbled across a novel in a charity shop that offered me the refuge that I was seeking for.

Black Sea Twilight written by a Romanian author called Domnica Radulescu captured me straight from its first paragraph. The books is about the time of Communism in Romania in the 1980s and it describes effectively how living under a Communist regime shaped people's lives.

The book tells the story of main character, Nora, a young lady who lives in a beautiful seaside town. The reader follows Nora's struggles over the years, in particular her love story with a Turkish boy, and holds one's breath as Nora and her love decide to escape from the regimented country and to start all over in a different place.  

Radulescu is an excellent writer who truly captured the life in Romania with colourful and emotionally-ridden dialogue. Not only did I learn a great deal about the history and culture of Romania, but I also felt that the characters were so real that they became my friends during the journey of their young lives.

I will definitely look out for other books by Radulescu and would thoroughly recommend Black Sea Twilight. 

www.goodreads.com/book/show/8593763-black-sea-twilight-domnica-radulescu

Richmix

The Richmix, a community hub and cultural centre, in East London deserves some attention. It is a cultural centre located close to Liverpool Station that offers opportunities for the local community to experience cultural events, such as music and dance performances as well as art exhibitions and film nights, but also for themselves to perform and exhibit their art work.

The atmosphere at Richmix is laidback,warm and welcoming. I recently popped in with a friend to an evening on short films and felt very much at home.

http://www.richmix.org.uk/

Saatchi gallery

I ventured into the Saatchi Gallery in Sloane Square yesterday after not having been there for many years. At the moment, they have a beautiful photographic exhibition on, which includes artistic photos of cities, nature, people... It left me feelings inspired and like I wanted to tune more into my creative and artistic side.

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/

100 Days to Go... to London Olympics

On the plane back to London yesterday, I was reading an in-flight magazine. There was an article in the magazine that listed 99 reasons to celebrate the games in London. Here is a selective few that anyone in London this summer might find of interest:

* On the 27th July, a 3-minute chorus of bells will ring out across the land to signal the start of the Olympic games.

* Florence + the Machine, Tinie Tempah and Leona Lewis amongst others will perform at the biggest ever free-ticket live music event at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend 23-24 June.

* London Live 2012 includes live coverage of the games on giant screens in Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Trafalgar Square.

* BT River of Music, a free music festival takes place along the Thames 21-22 July.

 * Exhibition Road in Kensington turns into a massive street party during 28 July- 5 August.

* Big Dance is the world's largest dance initiative throughout the UK. Highlights include a cast of more than 1,000 dancers in Trafalgar Square.

* Head to London's Southbank Centre to hear poets from every competing Olympic nation read the Poetry Parnassus festival.

* Tate Modern will reveal new pieces of art and also hosts several live art events during the games.   

The Create Place

I used to volunteer for the charity that hosts this great craft workshop space in East London. Anyone who loves to knit, do crochet or anything else crafty, should check this place out. They run weekly workshops that are very reasonably prices and great fun to attend. On top of that all the profits go to charity.

So get your knitting gear out and go and do something creative and fun with others that share the same passion with you!

http://www.thecreateplace.co.uk/

Richard Bach: 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull a story'

Here is a link to a book that I read this weekend.... The author specifically states in the acknowledgments that, if the reader enjoys reading the book and gets something out of it, (s)he should pass it onto others as an educational source without charging anything.

So here I go - it is worth setting a few hours aside and reading through the little yet very rich book. I shall not say more about it -- Do read it and discover the essence of it yourself!

http://img1.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/b/2/3599/3599086_richard_bach__jonathan_livingston_seagull.pdf

'Sabra Zoo' - a novel and film by Mischa Hiller

'Sabra Zoo' is the book that I had been looking for sometime - a book that I could not put down, but simply had to keep on reading till I got to the end. The story captured me from the firs line and I was barely breathing till I read the final paragraph of it. The story truly touches your heart and makes you reflect on how our lives are shaped by where we are born and which nationality and religion we carry.

No surprise that the book has gained international recognision and Hiller has won prices for it.

Below is more detailed information about the book and links to the author's website:

The book is about Beirut under siege in 1982. Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) have been evacuated and war is about erupt between different religious and racial groups. Ivan, a teenager holding Danish and Palestinian citizenship decides to remain in Lebanon after his parents are evacuated to interpret for international medical volunteers. Whilst working as an interpreter in Sabra refugee camp, he is also working undercover for the PLO. Ivan befriends Youssef - an orphan receiving medical aid after being disabled by a cluster bomb. He also harbours feelings for Eli, the Norwegian physiotherapist who, in turn, is plagued by doubts of her own.

The assassination of the president-elect is the prologue of a massacre in Beirut. A massacre is carried out by the Israeli army as it enters Beirut, and the scene becomes the camp story franchised into international headlines. The stench of war crimes - rape, mass execution and decapitation force Ivan to face the quest for survival and search for Youssef - a final attempt at saving a fragment of humanity from Sabra.

This brief, explosive account of the weeks leading up to the massacre of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in September 1982 is a timely reminder of Lebanon's divided past and precarious future.

'Beautifully told, ambitious and important, this is a debut with something to say.' Ronan Bennett 'Mischa Hiller has written a moving and haunting novel, a narrative for our tormented times.' Fergal Keane --Reviews and endorsements

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/sabra-zoo-by-mischa-hiller-1948104.html

www.mischahiller.com/