Do I need to say that I had a wonderful time in Sweden?
Hey everyone! I’m back again after spending two wonderful weeks on Koh Phangan, Thailand. It was not really that adventurous, rather chilling and days with soaking in the sun while trying to multi task with the ocean, the pool and a good book (and perhaps the occasional daiquiri). Heavy stuff!
I don’t know why, but always when I’m on vacation it is the time to read books, it’s what feels as if you’ve got all the time in the world – just not think about anything, except the task at hand to read a good book. I thought I’d update you on what I read during the two weeks, especially since one of them was really awesome and is also going to become a blockbuster movie, again reuniting Scorsese and Di Caprio. This is going to happen in The Wolf of Wall Street, a biography about the life of Jordan Belfort, creator of the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm – also referred to as “The real Gordon Gekko” (after Michael Douglas’ character in Wall Street). Without giving too much away, I mean – you can always read the Editorial review on Amazon, this is a MUST read for anyone that enjoys Entourage. Especially the 90s Entourage-lifestyle when the Testarossa was king, and the coke was his queen. Totally enjoyable and written in a fun way, can’t wait for the movie!
I also stumbled upon Gomorrah at a bookstore in Dublin earlier this year, haven’t been able to read it but I figured that this trip was the perfect excuse. This book is exactly was the subtitle refers to; A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples’ Organized Crime System, Camorra. The author is ‘investigating’ journalist Roberto Saviano who also happened to grow up in the area – and he tells his tale about the place on earth where mafia-related murders are more common than anywhere else in the world – and about a mafia much worse than the notorious Cosa Nostra. Very confusing at times, loads of names and families to keep track of, but still a good read.
The third book I read on this very seldom extravaganza was The Broker by John Grisham. I’ve read quite a few books by Grisham and I have to say that each time is some let down. It’s always a really slow, cliffhanger kind of deal with Grisham, nothing being told properly until in the last 100 pages or so when everything suddenly comes to life, I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or not; but personally I truly enjoy high-paced books such as the Wolf of Wall Street much more, where there’s really not one single dull moment in the book. That’s why I can’t really understand why Grisham is such a celebrated writer. Just read the review, sounds intriguing, but it actually isn’t. Disappointment, again.
My forth contribution is Welcome to Hell by Colin Martin. It’s one of those books that is always listed in the ‘best sellers’ in Thailand, about a man that innocently spent 8 years at the Bangkok Hilton, one of the worlds most notorious prisons. It’s quite a ride, and quite a story. I don’t know whether Martin was stupid, unlucky or just at the wrong place at the wrong time – or perhaps it was a mix of both.
Colin was let down by the hopelessly corrupt Thai police. Forced to rely upon his own resources, he tracked down the man who conned him and, drawn into a fight, he accidentally killed that man’s bodyguard. Colin was arrested, denied a fair trial, convicted of murder and thrown into prison, where he remained for 8 years. Honest and often disturbing, but told with a surprising humour, “Welcome to Hell” is the remarkable story of how Colin was denied justice again and again.
I’d say that Martin’s book is definitely worth reading, even though I’ve read The Damage Done, about Warren Fellows, a narcotics smuggler that spent 12 years, also at the Bangkok Hilton – which I found was much more detailed (and quite disgusting) and a better read. I don’t know, I think there’s more honesty involved once a person is actually guilty, Fellows is guilty as few – while the circumstances surrounding Martin as I mentioned are just a mix of stupidity and bad luck.
I gotta give it to myself though, I read about 6-10 books yearly, and probably 90% of all pages I would read (that aren’t work related) – would be read during vacations. Does that make me a bookworm? Or just a wannabe, I’m guessing for the latter.
Var hemma i Sverige förra veckan, stack hem den 18:e och kom tillbaka till Dublin igår. Att leva i exil när det är som absolut sämst med andra ord, detta eftersom jag varje gång jag är i Sverige förstår varför jag älskar att vara svensk – Sverige är helt enkelt världens bästa land, inget snack liksom. Jag mötte Mia på Skavsta, tog över ratten (stort, jag vet) och drog ner till Skåne, Skillinge närmare bestämt. Karlbergsgården står ju nämligen klar där nere, det är morsans och farsans hus, eller som Jens gillar att kalla det ‘ägor’, varför är det ingen som vet. Det är en sjukt skön setup de har skapat, en oas och idyll långt ifrån stressen i Stockholm eller andra storstäder.
Det är egentligen kommentarer överflödiga över hela veckan, det blev en riktig relaxarvecka med sjukt bra väder. Vi var där samtidigt som Jens, Lotta och Cornelia (kid’et som redan jobbar på Google ni vet) så vi hängde på stranden i Borrby eller Kyl varje dag, lapade sol i 25-30 grader och strålande sol (vinden kan dock göra så att gåshuden kommer krypande ibland, nackdelen med Skåne), drack Mojitos varvat med öl och allmänt njöt av att inte göra ett skit. Det är så semester ska vara tycker jag, känslan av att inte göra ett skit är galet underskattad när turister springer runt medan de planerar dagen efter. Vi hade ingen planering, inga måsten, bara sol, öl och snack stod som en gemensam nämnare. Nice.
Nu är det bara börja titta på vart höstresan ska gå. Vi är sugna på Vietnam eller Mexiko, men det lutar nog åt att det blir Thailand eller Bali. Bara för att inte göra ett skit.
