From a reading corner to the writing one - through music!

When reading the post "The Dutch Reading Culture" for Hive Book Club I knew that finding a solution to the issues with Miss Time was urgent. A week passed and my promise to read (well, I read the post that day, but needed a second reading to respond to it) and comment seemed never to come. Last week I had days when worked from morning to evening, and it didn't happen just once. It became the pace of my lifestyle for a while already. Luckily, this weekend a one-way ticket to the other side of the world was purchased for the aforementioned lady, so she could go on a long vacation with Mister Deadline. We hoped the couple could enjoy as long as possible and never think of coming back. In case they had homesickness, Miss Time and Mister Deadline would need to swim back to Europe... and I even had an image of the ocean full of sharks... but let's not enter into details.

Time was made but the people from this little corner jumped into some unexpected but inspired works regarding some possible improvements that made two days disappear lol. {spoiler-free announcement}
Reading posts and commenting on them was shelved once again, but it's time to bring the topic of books into the writing corner. Let's bring a comment to @edje's post in the form of a new post, let's convert it into a StV contribution! For that, we have to visit a reading corner first. A library, the section for children.

This is not the common setup in that part of the library. Usually, the chairs are not placed in this way as we see, in rows, but around the tables where children can read the books or do their homework as it happens many times. The smaller ones come with schoolmates and parents that can assist if they need some help. Older students also go (but to the section for adults) with friends and work together around school projects, homework or simply study there. But there is one condition that the librarian asks from the youngsters. Silence!

Well, I broke that rule. I broke the no-noise rule where it was supposed to be just silence. No talk, no whispers even. Music? You must be crazy to think about playing music in a library... But music came and piano was heard.

I know why it is important to keep quiet while someone is working or studying or reading a book. You need concentration and no distractions to merge yourself into a story or any other reading material. Many books were consumed and digested by my eyes and mind when I went to live alone during high school and university. Later, the second big reading wave hit my soul when I came to Spain. I subscribed to the local library and was able to read two or three books every week in Spanish, to learn the language. It was much more fun than going to lessons, and I could read books in the library, at home in the evenings or when chilling on the beach or by the pool. I also connected with more people, on a personal and professional level. Somehow I got myself playing the piano at events and concerts and also for this little event in the library.

The "Norwegian-Spanish days" were celebrated in our town. Actually, they celebrate this combo every year with different activities, which include gastronomy, art, music, conferences etc, all related to Norway and Spain and their culture and traditions. For that reason, my performance contained piano pieces written by two composers of these nationalities. I chose to play a selection of pieces from Spanish composer Enrique Granados - Spanish Dances. To cover the other part, my fingers executed one of the most famous classical pieces coming from that North European country. The suite Peer Gynt. You all probably heard about the composer, so I could skip mentioning it maybe? Anyway, I will let you know that it was Edvard Grieg who wrote it.

The concert went well, and although there were just between twenty and thirty people, they behaved well. The audience listened with attention, and rewarded me with applause but... there is always one but hahaha. I played the beginning of one quiet piece (Oriental by Granados) and one lady I think had a sore throat... she started to search in her purse for candy or something to calm her throat down. Seems she found the desired thing and I heard opening the wrapping paper!!! I turned my head toward the audience and I think my face showed a "killing with a single gaze" expression. But it was just for a moment, I continued to play without interruptions.

I must mention with a lot of pride that Fred Flinstone also visited that event. I can just hope he liked the piano music that evening as we didn't really talk after the concert. Though thinking it better, maybe it was just the librarian, in a Fred costume. He kept silent so I don't know.

All in all, it was a nice experience in a child-friendly environment and literally being surrounded by books. And you see the little tables and chairs in the corner, for the smallest ones? It is so important when the little ones learn to spend time with books, to listen to the stories while they are at an early age and slowly get the habit of reading the books, of course, books intended for their age.

A good reading habit doesn't depend just on the place where you live, although it can enhance the activity. Having those places where you can pick a book for free, as Edje showed in his post are great. I loved seeing that boat on the street, the telephone booth filled with books, also the bookcase areas and rooms in the Hotel Not Hotel(s). I see here in Spain similar places where we can pick a book for free and leave another one we already read. That is how Dorian Gray came to my home recently but the thing is that the couple from the beginning of this post arrived back. Now they again hold me under a pressured schedule, so Mister Wilde is sleeping a long siesta.