Ann Frank's House

I can't skip telling you about the best part of our trip!

Dee had the wonderful idea of reading Ann Frank's Diary while we were on our trip to Amsterdam. So, before we left Ireland, we bought two copies of the book and began reading like crazy. I have to admit that Ann Frank's Diary is something that I have always known about, but it is one of those classic books that I should read but never have. I was a little apprehensive to read the book at first.... after all.... it is a diary of a teenage girl... It only took me, however, about 10 pages to fall in love with the book. Ann wrote with a maturity and thoughtfulness far beyond her years. The book does contain her struggles with growing up and struggles with her parents, but it also really reveals what it was like to be a Jew in hiding under the Nazis. I was amazed at just what they knew of the outside and how aware they were of the war. You really could sense their hope and their desperation as the eight fugitives quietly lived out their lives in the four hidden rooms. I couldn't help but want them to survive... fear for their safety.... and want to know that it would all work out........... all the while knowing that they did not survive the war, that they (all but 1) were killed in the concentration camps.................. but somehow knowing this made the book somehow more personal and more powerful.


When Dee and I got to Amsterdam we quickly discovered that our B&B was just a few blocks over from Ann Frank's hiding place. We also discovered that there were some great benches right in front of the building. So... we spent many hours seated there in front of the house reading. This really made the book even more significant. Several times Ann wrote about sneaking looks out of the windows... watching the neighbors across the canal... and looking down at the street below as people went about their lives. It was almost eerie to read about these things as we sat there looking up at the dark windows.

We ended up going touring the hiding place on one of our last nights in Amsterdam. Having read the book made the tour 1000times more interesting. I'm so glad that we had read it before seeing the rooms.

If you have not read Ann Frank's Diary - I would highly recommend it. You will really gain an amazing perspective on the plight of the Jews and their struggle will quickly become very personal.





(Dee reading in front of the hiding place. The green building on the left is the front part of the building where the eight refugees hid for two years.)





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Currently Reading...

I continue on my quest to read classic books. I just finished Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea'. I have to admit that I found the writing style simple, but refreshing. Hemingway didn't bother with extra detail, but rather wrote with a style and force that made the story hard to put down. I found myself celebrating and grieving as I was on the little skiff with the old man.

It will be a while before I can make it down to the old bookstore.... but I am already looking forward to my next book.

Slan - Uncle Tom...

I finally finished 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. This little book was surprising in many ways. First of all, it was a lot longer than I had originally thought. The 460 page book took a lot longer to finish than I would have ever guessed! It seemed to drag on and on and give so much detail that I felt like I was never making any progress. Secondly I was surprised by how well the book was written. I had always heard that the book was greatly exaggerated and was used as propaganda for the North. I, however, found it to be very believable. The characters had real substance and stories that I could believe, and I found myself genuinely interested in it. The other thing that surprised me was the faith of many of the characters. Uncle Tom was a gentle and kind man that was able to withstand much abuse because of his Christian faith. He continuously found hope in the midst of despair and kindness in the midst of extreme cruelty. I found myself convicted by his example and admiring a faith that was real and working in his life. Over all I really enjoyed this book that played such an important role in the abolition debate. I am very glad that I was able to investigate it on my own. Who would have thought that it would take me moving to Ireland to find a copy of it....


I finished 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' some time ago... I just have not had time to write about it. I am currently half-way through my next little book, 'Dubliners' by James Joyce. I had been warned that Joyce was notoriously hard to read, but I am finding it very easy and enjoyable. I think that it is his other work, "Ulysses", that has given him such a reputation. 'Dubliners' is a collection of several short stories that give momentary glimpses into the lives of ordinary people living in Dublin before the Revolution. I chose the book because one of my best friends here is reading it and studying it in a university class here. He kept talking about it so much that I decided to pick it up and have a go at it. We have since had countless discussions about the book in our local coffee shop, and I have enjoyed reading it with someone else who is more knowledgeable about the culture and history of the work. I am about half-way finished with the book, but I hope to finish soon and pick up something new before my upcoming business trip. Stay tuned....

A Book Update...

I have been meaning to mention this for a while now... but several people have been emailing and asking about our book that was published last summer. Well... it is still available from the publisher. Just CLICK HERE to go to their online bookstore. Also - it is now available in a soft cover for a reduced price. Let me know if you have any problems... And thanks to everyone out there who has shown interest in the book. It has really been a blessing to get to share some stories and photos of this beautiful place and the amazing people we get to live among.

In the Bookshop...

Well... I finally finished reading 'Little Women'! I have to say that I absolutely loved it! As a friend here once said (about another book), "It was like eating chocolate all day"! Every turn of the page evoked emotion. I found myself laughing out loud while reading in coffee shops and almost in tears late at night as I read in bed (yes, I am man enough to admit that!). The strange thing is that people reacted in strange ways when they found out that I was reading it. Mostly my guy friends would just chuckle a bit... and the women would say, "aahh.... you have never read it!?!". I'm glad that I took some time off of my adventure/boy books to read this little heartwarming story. I found it refreshing to read a simple character based book. I really felt as if I was right there with them in their little old house. Anyone else read it? Any thoughts? Comments?

The reward for finishing 'Little Women' is a trip to my favorite bookshop! I went yesterday and spent the longest time searching through the maze of bookshelves for my next classic. I picked up several books and carried them around for a long time, but finally decided to only buy the one book that I am going to read next. I don't want to overload myself (I am, however, reading several books at the same time - This is just my pleasure reading). So - I found an older copy of a book that I have always heard talked about, and have even discussed in history classes, but I don't think that I have ever actually seen a copy of - much less read. I decided on "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. We visited Mrs. Stowe's house this past summer while visiting our friends Blake and Mary in Connecticut. We had taken a day trip with our friends to see Samuel Clemens' (aka Mark Twain) house, and she happened to live next door. It was at that time that I thought to myself, "I would really like to read that book..." So, here I am. I am going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

Making Up For Lost Time...

I have a confession to make. I was not always the best of students. I don't know if it was because I was a part of Generation X and watched too much TV or if it had something to do with my dyslexia, but I have developed a deep regret that I didn't take the time while i was in school (especially High School) to really read all of the literature that my teachers were attempting to force upon me. In all honesty, I think that I really missed out on a lot by simply skimming most of the books (or not reading them at all). It was not until I was out of High School and then in college that I developed a love for reading. After college Dee and I married and moved to North Carolina where I never had time to read anything that I wanted. I was drowning in an unrealistic sea of required reading for my Master's degree......... (a drowning so severe that I feel as if I am just now (four years later) really recovering). Dee has always loved to read - a trait that I really admire in her - and I (because of her example) am attempting to go back and re-read many of the great classics that I have always heard about, but have never actually read. I don't have any system... just that I plan on picking the next book after I finish the current book from my favorite little used bookstore in the city. My only requirement is that the used copy has to be picked on the day I go into the shop, and that the book must be of some age (i.e. not a paperback!).

I started this new adventure with Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" while we were in the states this last summer/fall. I found it refreshing to be reading a book with great American / Southern flare while in the states. It was truly an exciting "can't put this down" book. No wonder it is a classic. I then read "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe. I loved this tale of isolation and creativity on a deserted island. I found myself lost in the pages wondering if I would have been so inventive and methodical. I just finished reading Jules Verne's classic "A Journey to the Center of the Earth". This early sci-fi book was far beyond it's time, and I really appreciated that it paved the way for many of this centuries books and movies... but it was a hard read, and I found it a bit outlandish. For my new book - I have just picked up an old copy of "Little Women" by Louisa M. Alcott. Dee and some of my friends here think it is a bit funny that I am reading this one, but I am ready for a change in pace. I've read several adventure novels and now it is time to settle down with something a bit slower paced. Dee has assured me that I will love the book... especially the fact that they really are tiny women (Who would have guessed?). So... I am going to give it a go.