Regular visitors to TBTP are well aware that I am way too fond of clever infographics. I’m especially kean on the ones that examine reading habits around the world. The graphic above, which was created by Studying in Switzerland used international Google search numbers to determine the most popular book genres in countries where data was available. According to search trends, American readers prefer the classics to other popular categories. Book lovers in New Zealand and Ireland are also searching for older books that tend to be taught in literature classes.
In South and Central America, horror and romance are the most popular genres. Scary books dominate in Mexico and Argentina, and romance books are big sellers in Brazil.
I was surprised to see Fantasy topping the charts in Italy, Germany, and Poland. India, home to the world’s most voracious readers, gravitates toward poetry over the other genres on the map. Poetry is also surprisingly popular in Canada.
Geneva, Switzerland is now offering Europe’s sweetest tourist pass deal. The new ‘Choco Pass’ provides access to sample delicacies at Switzerland’s leading chocolatiers.
The pass, which costs 30 CHF per adult and 6 CHF for children, is an opportunity to sample the country’s best chocolate, with each chocolatier offering an exclusive sampling of their best to pass holders.
Here some of the currently participating chocolate makers :
La Bonbonnière Chocolaterie et Chocolate Bar: A choice of Grand Cru or Gourmand hot chocolate and 4 chocolates of choice/ Kids: A choice of Grand Cru or Gourmand hot chocolate for kids and 1 chocolate of choice
Du Rhône Chocolatier: A selection of 6 chocolates, featuring milk and dark chocolate and pralines/ Kids: chocolate blocks and truffles
Stettler & Castrischer: 1 Pavé de Genève, Bonbons Deluxe range: a Chuao, a luzern, a brazilia, a fleur de sel, a raspberry pearl (in a box of 6)/ Kids: 50gr of crunchy hazelnuts
Sweetzerland: Caramel Truffle, Hazelnut Rocher, Raspberry Truffle, Almond Dragées, Cashew Nut Petals / Kids: chocolate almonds
Click the link for more information on the 24 hour ‘Choco Pass’ .
In 1946, Ihor Szewczenko ,who was a linguist who had been editing pocket-sized Ukrainian-English dictionaries for refugees in displaced persons camps in Germany, wrote to George Orwell requesting permission to translate Animal Farm into Ukrainian. He explained that his Ukrainian publishers had been political prisoners in Siberian concentration camps and that they were the “nucleus of a political group” disgusted at Stalin’s exploitation of the Ukrainian people.
Orwell approved of the project and in late 1947 the Ukrainian version of the novel was released as Kolgosp Tvarin. The Ukrainian publisher Prometheus tried to distribute 5000 copies of the book in displaced persons camps, but ironically most copies were confiscated by American soldiers as anti-Soviet propaganda.
Few copies of the original Ukrainian version of Animal House remain in circulation. But you can now read Orwell’s preface written exclusively for that edition in 1947 on the Orwell Foundation website.
In the preface, Orwell outlined his reasons for writing the novel and provided biographical detail for the readers. He explained that:
“… it was of the utmost importance to me that people in western Europe should see the Soviet régime for what it really was. Since 1930 I had seen little evidence that the USSR was progressing towards anything that one could truly call Socialism. On the contrary, I was struck by clear signs of its transformation into a hierarchical society, in which the rulers have no more reason to give up their power than any other ruling class. Moreover, the workers and intelligentsia in a country like England cannot understand that the USSR of today is altogether different from what it was in 1917. It is partly that they do not want to understand (i.e. they want to believe that, somewhere, a really Socialist country does actually exist), and partly that, being accustomed to comparative freedom and moderation in public life, totalitarianism is completely incomprehensible to them.”
I have stayed in literally hundreds of hotel rooms over the years, but I rarely pay close attention to the furnishings or amenities. Unlike Japanese architect Kei Endo who focuses intently on her hotel surroundings. She then creates beautifully rendered watercolor paintings of the hotel rooms that she’s stayed in. You can check out her charming work on Instagram and her website. The paintings incorporate floor plans of the rooms, exterior and interior views, illustrations of hotel meals, and even images of the bath products. The architect and artist also has a Youtube channel called Draw with KEI that shows the process of each drawing and encourages viewers to draw along.
This week marked the 50th anniversary of the nationwide release of what in my humble opinion is the finest American film ever made. The Godfather is an epic American story directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy. The story, spanning from 1945 to 1955, chronicles the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone, focusing on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone, from reluctant family outsider to ruthless mafioso.
The fantastic poster above was created by California-based designer and poster artist Anthony Petrie. Titled “Carta Criminale” the four-color screen print is available in a signed and numbered edition. My favorite touch is the little olive oil can. You can discover more about the poster and purchase your own copy at Petrie’s website.
Regular visitor to Travel Between The Pages know that I have a healthy obsession with maps. In my humble opinion, it’s impossible to truly understand the world without well drawn maps to guide the way. Throughout the current crisis in Europe created by Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion it’s been clear that many people lack even a basic grasp of the geography of the region. The map above, which was created by Nick Routley, can be very useful in visualizing the situation.
The modern Ukrainian nation was re-established on August 24, 1991 when it withdrew from the Soviet Union.
Here are a few key facts about the country:
I love the internet for the surprising randomness of its gifts. The other day by chance I spotted the wonderful video below about a magical candy store on the Lower East Side of Manhattan that I haven’t visited since I was a kid. Economy Candy was opened by Morris Cohen in 1937 . These days the store is now run by his grandson, Mitchell Cohen, a Wharton graduate and former banker.
If you ever find yourself in New York City, be sure to visit one of its traditional candy stores, but for now, check out the short film about this 85 year-old institution.
Travel Between The Pages 