A Bibliophile Pilgrimage

It has long been a book-loving dream of mine to visit the famous Bibliothek at the Benedictine Abbey in Metten, Germany.

I first saw the library featured in a coffee table book called The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World.  Not only was there a chapter on the Metten library, but it was beautiful enough to warrant the picture on the back cover.

But what really captured my fancy was that the Metten library is part of the same "Kloster" that houses the school several of my cousins attended.  My paternal grandfather grew up in Bavaria, in a tiny village near the little village of Metten, both outside the small city of Deggendorf.  That corner of Bavaria is thick with cousins of varying degree.

When I went to one cousin's graduation in 2002, I was disappointed that the Bibliothek was not open for some reason.  I was determined to see it when I was in Bavaria last week.  It took a couple of tries, due to my inadequate German and the Kloster's inadequate signage, but Hubby and I made it to the tour Saturday morning.

Wow!

Really, wow!

Don't turn me in to the elderly woman who lead our tour, but I surreptitiously took some forbidden photos.  No flash -- I'm not a total scofflaw.  But I was not going to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

 

 

Teaser Tuesday: The Hidden Target

Section One was not dead -- after America, he'd be back to give it life again -- but it was badly mangled.  Last week, it had been the most effective operational unit of the People's Revolutionary Force for Direct Action.

-- The Hidden Target by Helen MacInnes.

I have a stack of Helen MacInnes books and always enjoy them.  This is a later one, published in 1980, and involves "a new undercover counter-terrorist network" and "a deadly game playing across thee continents." 

It was a little dense to start with, but now that the players are in place and the adventure has begun, it is rolling right along.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

The Bluestocking Guide is hosting in June. Please visit her wonderful blog,which is jam-packed with reviews, essays, and other bookish features. 

I added a few books to my list of Bavaria books:

Travellers Bavaria Including Munich, published by Thomas Cook.



MapGuide: Munich, published by Knopf.

Favorite Author: Helen MacInnes

Helen MacInnes (1907 - 1985) was born and educated in Scotland, and moved to America with her husband in 1937. She started writing spy novels in WWII and is best known for her Cold War thrillers, usually involving reluctant amateurs caught up in international adventures.

I love them because the protagonists are always smart, competent, and classy. The heroes are gentlemen, usually with an intellectual bent, and the women are all very intelligent, but can outrun bad guys even in high heels.

Those I have read are in red; those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

Almost all are out of print, but readily available. In publication order:

Above Suspicion (1939)

Assignment in Brittany (1942)

While Still We Live (aka The Unconquerable) (1944)

Horizon (1945)

Friends and Lovers (1947)

Rest and be Thankful (1949)

Neither Five Nor Three (1951)

I and My True Love (1953)

Pray for a Brave Heart (1955)

North from Rome (1958)

Decision at Delphi (1960)

The Venetian Affair (1963)

The Double Image (1965)

The Salzburg Connection (1968)

Message from Malaga (1971)

The Snare of the Hunter (1974)

Agent in Place (1976)

Prelude to Terror (1978)

The Hidden Target (1980)

Cloak of Darkness (1982)

Ride a Pale Horse (1984)

NOTES

Last updated on January 3, 2013.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Grand Cru

Having barely wet his lips with the dark red wine, Henri Lamarque balanced the fragile wine glass lightly but firmly in his fingers, truly as if it were a chalice, swirling the precious stuff, airing it, studying its color and viscosity, or "legs" if the term is permitted.

-- Grand Cru by Barney Leason.

I am still on my light reading jag, devouring mysteries non stop.  This Sonoma wine adventure is right up my alley right now.

It may be even more fluffy than what I have in mind, but my husband grew up in Sonoma County and worked at wineries in college, so that connection may be enough to hold my attention.