Fennel Broccola and the Secret of the Cleaver

~ Veselin ~ 10 Comments

I catch myself valuing literature that’s not serious over serious but shallow. I’d rather read Matthew Reilly than Mark Manson. However, what do we say about literature that’s purposefully not serious, shallow, and cringe to extreme levels? The book in the photo above is a form of absurd comedy. It’s unlikely that it ever gets translated, or even published in enough copies so that anyone other than gamebook collectors reads it. But it exists and I think it’s nice that such things can happen. I enjoyed it for what it is.

So, the book is about an illegal vegan in a world where eating meat is required by law. He’s born with the mission to make the evil tyrant of the world eat veggies. He’ll meet cartoonish characters along the way and be tempted to eat ingredients that may contain animal products. It didn’t become clear to me if the author was mocking vegans or if he was vegan himself and wrote this piece as an act of defiance. Perhaps both? Who knows.

The book is unavailable in any online store, has no ISBN, and doesn’t exist on Goodreads.

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

~ Veselin ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
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Looking back, it has to be one of these 3:

  • Pippi Longstocking
  • The Three Musketeers
  • Winnetow

Pippi was one of the books that hooked me to reading, Winnetow introduced me to adventure books – pirates, Wild West, and such. The top choice, however, must be The Three Musketeers.

Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan are unlikely friends, united by their shortage of money and willingness to duel. They are all extreme in some way and represent a few distilled qualities that complement one another. Their paths briefly cross, create beautiful moments of courage and bravery, and drift apart because of tragedies and traumas. It’s written in small chunks, chapters that have their own merit as short stories. This made it a good book for a 7 or 8-year-old with a limited attention span.

I’m not sure if I read The Three Musketeers more times than Pippi, Winnetow, or the other 4-5 books I would read each summer break but it aged well. The last time I got it in my hands and read a few chapters, they were captivating and great. It was less than a decade ago.

Vitosha

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

Sofia has many hearts. Vitosha is one of them. It’s visible from everywhere and shares its chill with the city.

I’ve had several brief periods in which I’d actively hike. I’m not sure if I’m getting back into this hobby. It feels much harder than the previous times, almost unsustainable. Took me 5 hours to get to the top and back, which is not much but then the day was over. Messes up with the weekend schedule.

On the bright side, they serve bean soup at the top. I love beans.

Achievement

~ Veselin ~ 10 Comments

My daily walking goal is 10k steps.

This is me in the bus after my longest hike in a decade of tracking (but not hiking).

At 45, doing this is no longer a matter of willpower for me. It’s a result of all the daily walks over the last 1.5 years. I’m happy and tired. Also, my phone is full of photos worth posting.

I wish I never stopped hiking, resuming is tough.

Nezabravka

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

Forget-me-not in Bulgarian is Nezabravka. I’m not sure how the plant got the same name in very different languages but here we are: