The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (2003)

In the Chicago of the 1890s there lived two men, both handsome, both blue-eyed, and both unusually skilled at their chosen professions.  One was an architect, the builder of many of America's most important edifices; the other was a murderer, one of the most prolific in history and a harbinger of an American archetype, the urban serial killer. Although the two never met, their fates were linked by a single, magical event, the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Beneath the gore, the smoke and the loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible and others in the manufacture of sorrow. It is the story of the conflict between good and evil, daylight and darkness.

Author: Erik Larson was born in Brooklyn in January 3, 1954. He is a journalist and nonfiction author. He is a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal. He has written for many prestigious publications; the New York Times, Harper's and Time magazine, to name a few. He lives a quiet life in Seattle with his blind-date wife and three daughters. He loves to cook, he likes to play tennis, he drinks too much red wine and he enjoys dry humour.

My thoughts: I love Erik Larson, he has an attention to detail and a way of telling stories that get you hooked. He entertains as he educates.  I discovered Erik Larson's works in 2007, when I read his nonfiction thriller, “Thunderstruck”, another great story.

“The Devil in the White City” is two books in one! A historical account and a crime thriller, I could not put it down, I literally devoured this book. The entire length of my time in this book was marked with moments when I would stop reading, only to eat, to rest my eyes or to tend to some other minor interruption. Really mesmerising! I read “The Devil in the White City” in December 2014 for Christmas...No, I assure you, this is not a joke. To me, “The Devil in the White City” is more than just a dark story. It is a historical book that recounts actual facts, two parallel stories: the designation of good and evil. Why do some men use their intelligence to do good and others to do harm?

I picked this book up in Payot on Chantepoulet in Geneva. This store catered well to the Anglophone public and I relished its peaceful atmosphere which was most conducive to spending time to choose a book.  Sadly, it has recently closed.

Facts About The Reader’s Tales

My lifestyle and book review blog covers many subjects from cake and cocktail recipes, fashion and beauty, through to craft, hotels and travel. I publish 3 posts per week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays.

This blog is my escape, a hobby devoted to my passion for beautiful things. It is a place where I let my creativity blossom. I need it. I love doing it and have fun with it. I love my simple life: my friends and family are the most important thing for me.  Everything I write here is genuinely me, even though I don’t expose too much of my personal life, I am a girl who cherishes my  little bit of privacy.

Type of blog?

This is a personal blog, a virtual album, written in first person as a diary. It is as I dreamed it would be: easy to read and free of links, gadgets, publicity, etc... It is just a page of my thoughts with pictures to illustrate, shared with a group of people who have the same interests. It was originally created just to keep in touch with my school friends and family who live abroad. But, little by little, it turned into something else, bigger, with more and more page views (friends of friends, former colleagues, acquaintances and bloggers).

Is it difficult to write in a foreign language?

Yes, of course. It takes more time, especially, when I review the books I read in other language editions. I always strictly translate the cover notes, then do a little bio of the author and finally add my thoughts by using simple words to tell what attracted me, the circumstances, what moved me, my feelings. English not being my mother tongue, sweetheart (my other half) checks my texts without changing my style and meaning.

How I organise my blog?

I prepare some of my blog posts in advance, especially book reviews.

But the remaining posts, I can only write a few days after the event, because I cannot predict what will happen, even though I always have a programme. I don't create a scenario.

What kind of cameras do you use?

My primary camera is a Nikon D330 and I occasionally use a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50 compact camera or my SAMSUNG Galaxy A3 smartphone. All my photos are edited using NikonView2. I don't use Photoshop for photo manipulation.

What kind of computers do you use?

I use a Sony VAIO Laptop.

Do you have a Facebook account?

No I don't, nor any of the other social media for that matter.

What would you suggest to an expat or to a tourist visiting Switzerland?

Although Switzerland is tiny, there is so much to do in this country. You couldn't possibly fit it all in on one trip! I invite you to read my section on Switzerland: charming villages, festivals, restaurants, cafés, shops, museums, thermal spas etc.

Please drop me a line at: thereaderstales@yahoo.com

Mascot cake

I made this two-layer cake for a dinner with friends this weekend and all of them loved it. This is a family recipe that mum often made for special occasions. It is a cake that beautifies a festive table. Perhaps it would be nice for Easter!? This amazing cake melts in the mouth and its icing encourages gluttony... it is heaven for your taste buds.

Ingredients

7 eggs (separate the yolks from the whites)

7 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons of potato starch flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 vanilla pod

Buttercream Icing

Salted butter, softened (200g)

Icing sugar (200g)

6 teaspoons of lemon juice

Tapered almonds (I used grated coconut powder)

Preparation

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until frothy. Add the vanilla seeds, beating constantly.

2. Gradually add the sifted potato starch flour and the baking powder, stirring constantly to ensure thorough blending.

3. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Fold gently but thoroughly into the egg yolk mixture.

4. Line a rectangular mould with greaseproof paper. Bake in a moderate oven (175 degrees) until the cake springs back when touched gently with fingers (20 minutes).

5. Leave to cool thoroughly before removing the cake from the mould. Once cold, cut the cake in two to make square halves.

Buttercream icing

Beat the softened butter with the icing sugar and add the lemon juice.

Topping

Put a little icing between the two halves. Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream icing. Sprinkle with grated coconut powder (or sprinkle with tapered almonds). Decorate to your taste.

Serves 6

Tips: Alternatively, you can decorate with canned fruit. (cherries, apricots, pears, pineapple). For a bigger cake just double the ingredients.

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates (1976)

The Easter Parade tells the story of two sisters. Sarah and Emily Grimes. We first come to know them as children, with newly divorced parents and, over the next forty years, we follow the paths that make them very different women, as they both struggle to overcome their difficult family past.

Sarah is stable and stalwart, settling into an unhappy marriage on Long Island and ultimately succumbing to her silent despair. Emily stays in New York; she is precocious and independent, struggling with one unsatisfactory love affair after another. She goes through several uninteresting jobs, fails in her career and loses herself in alcohol.

Author: Richard Yates was born on February 3, 1926 in New York. Yates came from an unstable home. His parents divorced when he was three and much of his childhood was spent in many different towns and homes. Yates first became a journalist. His career as a novelist began in 1961 with the publication of the widely acclaimed "Revolutionary Road." Yates is known for his exploration of mid-20th century life. He died in 1992.

My thoughts: I think Yates is an extraordinary writer; he has a sharp eye and no mercy. This story is moving and written with great elegance. I read it in Portuguese translation in 2012. This is the second of Yates’s books I have read.  The other one is “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness”, a masterpiece, which I will soon review.  But for now, what made me wanted to read “The Easter Parade” was the chemistry I felt while reading its first page.  I very quickly felt intrigued by the plot.  The opening line of the novel aroused my curiosity: “Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life and, looking back, it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents` divorce”.  I definitely wanted to learn more about their mother, an extravagant lady nicknamed “Pookie”, and I remember thinking “Oh my Lord it’s going to be fun discovering all these characters and the way they move through life”. I was right to follow my intuition as I simply couldn’t put the book down once I had started.

I really recommend that you discover this great author, who, by the way, used to write speeches for Senator Robert Kennedy. If you do not fancy reading his book but you like Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, you can always see Revolutionary Road, a film based on Yates’s novel.

Remembering Djerba... a thalassotherapy destination

If you want to enjoy thalassotherapy in a warm and scenic country, that is not too far away and not exorbitant, I would recommend delightful Djerba. It is a beautiful small island in the south of Tunisia, 2 hours from Geneva. Known as the Island of Dreams, it is a good place for people who are looking for calm and tranquillity. It has a nice beach and is heaven for thalassotherapy. Most of the residents are equally fluent in French and Arabic.

After seeing the pictures of my last vacation out there (a few years ago), my entourage fell in love with Djerba. I thought... hmmmm... maybe it's also going to please my dear readers.

The dream hotel where I have always stayed, the Radisson Blu Palace Resort & Thalasso Djerba, is simply splendid: beautiful architecture, right at the water’s edge, with a stunning lush garden and an interior patio, friendly staff and a great quality of service. It is half an hour away from the airport, with a minibus service to take you to and from the hotel.

This luxury and family-friendly hotel, with an All-Inclusive option, has a nice white sandy beach only a few steps away. The Athénée Thalasso & Spa is where you can indulge in pampering treatments, including cryotherapy, seaweed wraps, massages, passotherapy, etc…

The meals or, I should say, feasts were composed of dozens of dishes. We didn't know what to choose, there was so much and all the dishes were really succulent. They often organised an Arabic theme night which was a good opportunity to taste the famous national dish, couscous, prepared in hundreds of different ways from sweet to very hot.

During my stay, my routine was to swim lengths of the beach, I also used to go for long walks along the beach.... and I ended the afternoon in the 1,100-square-meter outdoor pool, with a bar area and great music.

Sometimes I went for a horse ride in the area (you can rent horses on the beach). I had thalasso treatments almost every day, each time a different one. I was advised by a Tunisian friend to use an excellent and affordable institute outside because I thought the hotel thalasso was a bit pricey...

On my last visit I occupied a Deluxe Sea View Room, a big bedroom of about 42 m2, decorated in warm colours with a gorgeous and spacious bathroom.

Sometimes I took a ride to the market in Midoun. A taxi took us for the 7 km trip for a modest amount.... Here the taxi drives wait for the customers for the return journey and they are very nice, like all the Tunisians I met. They are kind and warm people; this is the image I have kept of them. We saw many veiled women, with either traditional costumes or bright costumes with very pretty colours and patterns.

During my holidays I went on several excursions to give me an insight into the culture of the island of Djerba. Here are some places and villages on the island.

Djerba's small capital, Houmt Souk (9.5 km from Midoun) is the main town on the island. It is the largest city and one of the most beautiful places with an abundance of cafes and terraces and shops selling rugs, souvenirs and crafts. The Houmt Souq Harbour is well worth a visit.

Tunisian carpet weaving workshops in Houmt Souk... here you can watch the skill of the ladies as they weave silk carpets.

Guellala Pottery Museum & Village (28Km de Midoun).  A lovely museum housed in a fine example of Djerba architecture which traces the rich history of pottery making in this village which dates back to the Roman times.

There are said to be some 450 potters in this tiny village, the centre for exquisite handmade ceramics. I adored the visit to one of their workshops.

The El Ghriba Synagogue (10.9 km from Midoun) is the oldest one in the world. In the interior of the island amid run down colonial properties, there survives one of the last Jewish communities in North Africa, with its Synagogue El Ghriba, Erriadh.

Borj El K'bir Fort (15 km from Midoun) is a fort that was built for defence purposes during the 15th century. Once we had climbed to the top of the fort we were rewarded with panoramic views.

Finally, for a bit of a thrill, if you are fascinated by strange creatures, you can visit the Crocodiles Farm. It is constructed like a traditional village you would find on the Nile River and it is inhabited by crocodiles that, fully grown can be as long as 5 - 6 metres!  I didn't visit it because I'm terrified of these creatures.

I hope you enjoyed this suggested holiday destination.

Note: Make sure you verify the latest security information prior to reserving.

Radisson Blu Palace Resort & Thalasso Djerba Website: www.radissonblu.com/en/resort-djerba

Café De La Paix

On a recent Friday, sweetheart and I decided to test this brasserie, which had taken my eye some time ago.

It exceeded our expectations: we were literally conquered, as you will be when you finish reading this.

It is situated between the Bains and Jonction neighbourhoods, not far from the banking quarter. This is reflected in its clientele, made up of people from the nearby TV studios and university and bank executives. There is a great relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

We loved the decor: made from salvaged and recycled objects that have been rendered pretty and functional: very original. A few days later I went back to take more pictures of the decor, without disturbing the customers.

Upon our arrival we were placed at a table by the large glass windows overlooking the main street.

The menu is small and changes according the seasons and the creativity of the chef. We opted for the “Menu of the day” at a very reasonable CHF 34 for a starter, main course and dessert.

Menu

We ordered 5 dl of "Yo no puedo mas", a very pleasant red wine from Languedoc.

Starter: French toast with mushrooms and crayfish sauce.

Main dish: Roast beef hanger steak, fried potatoes, mustardy carrot purée.

Sweetheart’s dessert: Pear poached in red wine.

I chose an à la carte dessert: Runny dark chocolate fondant and white Toblerone, pear sorbet.

The dishes we tasted were worthy of a Michelin restaurant. My darling, who is accustomed to business lunches in prestigious restaurants, agreed on this point. The bill came to CHF 112,00 (5 dl of wine and coffee included).

If you visit Geneva, or live here, this is a fabulous venue for its service, dishes, atmosphere, price and neighbourhood.

Sculptures on the path by the river, near the restaurant.

Café de la Paix

Bd Carl Vogt 61

1205 Genève

Tel.: +41 22 301 11 88

The restaurant is open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner.