The Schmeiser is gone

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

The monument of the soviet army in Sofia lost its gun. The sculpture is too large and it looks like it will be chopped to pieces rather than removed all at once.

I saw no pro-Russian protesters, which also surprised me. There were statements for the eternal defense of the monument. In the end, it looks like nobody cared enough to stay overnight in the cold for this gigantic gun to remain menacing over the sky.

Looking forward to seeing which piece is removed next.

Reading Challenge

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

I completed my 2023 reading challenge of 39 books – it is the first more ambitious reading challenge I set for myself in years.

https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/41622441

The books that chose me this year were almost entirely light reads – Fantasy, Sci-fi, and a variety of Crime/Thriller.

The highlights of the year for me are:

  1. Jonathan Moore – Noir/Thriller author who captivated me with a gothic atmosphere and romantic characters (4 books read, all of them in Bulgarian).
  2. Two Years Before the Mast – a biography from 1840, written with such a strange and infectious optimism that springs out of the pages almost 200 years later.
  3. 10% Happier by Dan Harris – quite a personal journey into the world of spirituality and meditation with a personal message: “You can scratch your nose as well”.
  4. The Three-body Problem by Liu Cixin – is a good reminder that Sci-Fi exists and is still fantastic, well at least until you reach the 1000-page third part.

50th International Book Fair in Sofia

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

I love the bookseller events in Sofia. They usually happen 2 times/year, and if the weather is good, I would go multiple times. This fall, I was short on time and visited once but it’s still open tomorrow as well. This is my harvest.

Physical books take up space, cost more, and are less available than electronic books but they still bring me far more joy. Nothing in the book is going to start blinking to get my attention. I won’t be tempted to context switch elsewhere like I am when reading on a screen. And last but not least – I pay for translation, paper, and publishing, and help some small businesses stay afloat.