Mom told me to bring back just one book from the library
Mom told me to bring back just one book from the library.
But Mom, it’s impossible.
My personal shortlist from the Gothenburg Book Fair
My personal shortlist from the Gothenburg Book Fair
This year, my selection moved between leadership, faith, revolution, design, the Middle East and even oysters.
Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings
Private reflections on duty, faith, leadership and public service.
Annika Persson, Elsa and Natanael Beskow: A Love Story
A cultural and personal portrait of two important Swedish figures.
Mohammad Fazlhashemi, Iran Between Three Revolutions
A broader historical perspective on the forces that have shaped modern Iran.
Oysters for Everyone
Food history, sustainability, aquaculture and the future of a classic delicacy.
Arts & Crafts: Ideas That Shaped the World
Design, craftsmanship and ideas that still influence how we think about quality today.
Empires of Faith: The History of the Middle East
Religion, empire, culture and power across centuries.
Different subjects, but one common thread: understanding the people, ideas and traditions that shape our world.
Make it to the pub before last orders and start a discussion about the Bayeux Tapestry
What a striking way English bookshops do it. A constant flow of outstanding publications, beautifully presented to an audience that is genuinely devoted to books. A perfect combination.
And as I often say after an evening in St James’s, take the route along Piccadilly and fall in love with the bookshop windows.
This time, the main subject was the Bayeux Tapestry and the publications around it. Which immediately gave me another idea: make it to the pub before last orders and start a discussion about the Bayeux Tapestry.
Surely no one can say no to that.
When the weekend comes, I take my bicycle to the library
When the weekend comes, I take my bicycle to the library to fill up my bike basket with books.
I always go here to find a perfect conversation topic
When darkness falls dull in its effect of change, afternoon breaks into the evening. At the same time, a pulsating flow of people on the sidewalk increases, down to the subway and up from the subway.
I turn off from Duke Street after my regular visit to the Checkers Tavern; as the raindrops hit the surface, my umbrella is raised, and Jermyn Street is in front. There is something magical about this time frame in London, between the afternoon and before dinner - an hour of possibilities and exploration. The effect of Dunhill and Floris reaches me as Jermyn, in his usual way, presents hit after hit, but now it is Waterstone's flagship.
Few stores can initiate, inspire and invite you to a journey in intelligence - an intellectual path of discovery as you have never seen. I always go here to find a perfect conversation topic for my drink at the club before dinner. With my classic conversation opener - look what I found…:
Dominion will place the story of how we came to be what we are and how we think the way we do in the broadest historical context. Ranging in time from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the ongoing migration crisis in Europe today and from Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles.
It broadens my view in business and as a fellow human being to create insight and take part, as well as learn from others and be inspired. Welcome to the conversation before dinner.
