Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Review of "Less" by Andrew Sean Greer

In the last few weeks I read two Pulitzer Prize-winning novels. I struggled through The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, which won the coveted Fiction Prize in 2013, but I smiled my way through Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Abacus, April 2018) which won the same prize for 2018. Two novels that couldn’t be more different. Both were recognized for their literary merit.

I am not sure what the threshold is for Pulitzer Prize consideration or why one book wins while another remains on the shelf. I had chosen to read The Orphan Master’s Son because its setting is North Korea, and North Korea has been in the news lately. I chose to read Less because it’s the humorous tale of a failed novelist, about to turn fifty, who travels around the world to escape a failed relationship. That sounded just like the kind of book I would enjoy.

The Pulitzer Prize website describes Less as “a generous book, musical in its prose and expansive in its structure and range, about growing older and the essential nature of love.”

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Practical Tips for Visiting Sofia, Bulgaria


Regular visitors to my blog have heard me say time and time again why you should visit Bulgaria. But you might be wondering, how will you get around when you get there? If you plan to start your visit in Sofia, how will you get from the airport to the city center? If you rent a car, where should you park? If you want to plan a day trip out of the city, where should you go? Is Sofia a good destination if you're vegetarian or vegan? Is Sofia safe to visit?

Luckily all these answers and more are provided by Maria Stoyanova at her blog Travelling Buzz. If you're on your way to Sofia, I highly recommend her article: