Books....Venice!!

(click on images to enlarge)

Italy Out of Hand by Barbara Hodgson

This is my kinda book....full of illustrations and quirky stories and tidbits of info...it's a blast.
It does cover all of Italy...
just don't want you Veneziaphiles to go nuts when you realize that she
hits the rest of the boot!

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
"As their holiday unfolds, Colin and Maria are locked into their own intimacy.
They groom themselves meticulously, as though there awaits someone who cares deeply about how they appear.
When they meet a man with a disturbing story to tell they become drawn into a fantasy of violence and obsession."
This is a wild, dark and intriguing read....
I loved it...
but I do tend to like the dark side of things.
It was made into a movie...starring: Helen Mirren, Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett and Nathasha Richardson.
It is fabulous...if you like a dark and haunting film.......and the cast?
Awesome!

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
From the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil. "Berendt brings the same magic, mystery and decadence when writing about Venice. The City of Falling Angels opens on the evening of January 29th, 1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic opera house La Fenice. Arriving three days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of detective, inquiring into the nature of life in this remarkable city, while gradually revealing the truth about the fire."

Along the way he introduces us to a variety of Venetian characters...
American ex-pat that loses the family palazzo after four generations of ownership....
A prominent Venetian poet that commits suicide.....
a master glassblower......
a group of high-society Americans that raise money to preserve the art and architecture of Venice, all the while quarreling in public.
This is a side of Venice that I will only glimpse....(not sure I'd really want to participate anyway...lol)

Rilke's Venice by Brigit Haustedt
translated by Stephen Brown

"Even more than reading, Rilke loved to walk. He was a passionate walker. Stefan Zweig, who often walked with him in Paris, went so far to say that 'knowing every last corner and depth of a city was his passion, almost the only one I ever perceived in him'.
This was equally true in Venice.
Rilke roamed the city for days on end, sometimes by gondola, but mostly by foot. 'My reading ended up being no use at all on this last visit - the best thing was that, with the help of my new topographical education, I for the first time grasped the whole breadth of the city, from San Alvise to San Pietro di Castello.' "

Just a little note: I've been having a blast reading this book. The author actually gives us specific details about locations...it's fun tracking them down on maps....can't wait to really spend time in Venice exploring these places!

My Venice by Harold Brodkey....Photos by Guiseppe Bruno

"Venice is a separate country.
It floats at anchor inside its own will,
among its domes and campanili,
independent and exotic at its heart.
a collection of structures among the waters,
momuments of independent will,
a city of independent will."

Lovely and reflective....a tribute to our charming lady.

Secret Venice by Thomas Jonglez & Paola Zoffoli

With book in hand, discover tiny hidden gems scattered throughout Venezia.
Kinda like going on a scavenger hunt.
I read it at home and couldn't wait to hit the calli in search of these secrets.

Watermark by Joseph Brodsky

This short and sweet book consists of 48 short chapters of essays & prose...a little poetic gem.
I felt as if I were along on a night-time vaporetto ride.



Books...books and more books about Venice or set in Venice.
Sigh...if I can't always be IN Venice at least I can read about Venice...right?
I started to go thru all my books about Venice....holy night...I must have over a hundred.
So I'll post them in segments.


(ps...if you want to see all the books I've posted...click on the LABELS: Books link on the lower left)