Pen Smithy

Do Not Say We Have Nothing, by Madeleine Thien.

If you’re craving English literature while wandering the streets of Neukölln—Berlin’s immigrant rich and student friendly district with an emerging arts and night life scene—you’re in luck!

You’ll find Curious Fox Books at Flughafenstraße 22, complete with cosy seats and a check-out desk that doubles as a cafe. They host a variety of events, too, including poetry nights.

The shelves are stocked with both new and used books, covering all sorts of genres, including graphic novels and (my personal fave) children’s literature. I picked up a few children’s books to use at the English story time I occasionally host at the Malmö Library (aka Stadsbiblioteket). Check out when the next English story time is (sagostund på engelska) by visiting the online events calendar.

The Children’s lit. corner at Curious Fox Books

Despite working in radio for more than a decade, I did not know this was a thing. And I like it very much.

The State Hall library, measuring 77.7 metres long and completed in 1726, houses 200,000 books in Austria’s capital, Vienna. 

Among the valuable literary works here (such as much of Martin Luther’s writings) you’ll find treasures of other varieties. For instance, ornate and detailed globes attributed to Vincenzo Coronelli, a Franciscan friar, cosmographer, cartographer, publisher, and encyclopedist who was best known for his atlases and globes.

You’ll also find marble statues expertly carved by brothers who have the delightfully appros Austrian surname of Strudel (mmmm... apple pastries). And don’t miss the frescos.

Of course, as any good library can boast, there are hidden bookcase doors, spiral staircases, wheeling ladders, illuminated manuscripts and literary gems in abundance.

desultory: lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm. vegetal: of or relating to plants.

atavistically: something done according to a trait or characteristic typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination.

affray: an instance of fighting in a public place that disturbs the peace.

foist: impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on.

unquellable: something that can not be suppressed.

pernicious: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

moggie: a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable.

punctiliousness: showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.

garrulous: excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

The power of language is real. It controls us.