En marzo cumplimos 4 años

And the first thing we have to do is have a General Assembley.
It has been called for  the 11th March at 19.30h.

The second thing is celebrate St Patrick's Day on the 17th March.
We'll do that with the things that the Irish love best....
 nature, conversation and a drink.

Paperback Book Exchange

Well our selection of books gets more and more eclectic. It was fascinating to see the wide variety of reading tastes and all of us were able to find something we liked to read.

The Central Library is a wonderful setting and the staff are incredibly kind and helpful. Members and friends of the association took turns to man the stand and despite the cold weather there was a good turnover of books.
The overall outcome is very encouraging.

12th March Next Reading

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
Chapter Two and Chapter Three

One of the most controversial and perverse characters in literature is not the young Dorian but the perverse and manipulative Lord Henry in my opinion. So clever that you will want to write down all his smoothtalk  and quote him but so ultimately destructive.

Paper back Book Exchange

Bring a book, take a book.


TAKE THE AFTERNOON OR MORNING OFF AND INDULGE IN THE PLEASURE OF FINDING A GOOD BOOK TO READ.

From the 25th to the 28th February come by La Biblioteca Central in San Sebastián de los Reyes.

We are celebrating our third Paperback Book Exchange.

You will find a great selection of paperbacks in English and a few  books in French, German and Italian too.

There are also DVDs you can borrow or exchange.

The books will be on  display in the entrance of the library.

There will be someone to make you feel at home and welcome.

Del 25 al 28 febrero celebramos el tercer Intercambio de libros de lectura. En principio se intercambian libros en inglés, pero también tenemos algunos en francés y alemán y, unos pocos dvds para llevar prestados o intercambiar.

Los libros estarán expuestos en la entrada de la biblioteca y habrá una persona para ayudaros en lo que podamos e informaros sobre esta asociación y las actividades que realizamos.

Queremos que todo el mundo se sienta a gusto y bienvenido.

Venid a disfrutar de pasar una mañana o tarde libre hojeando y buscando un buen libro de lectura.

Snow Patrol Live

 2013 European City of Culture, Derry/Londonderry, will host a  concert this evening which promises to be fantastic.

Snow Patrol and The Undertones will be among the big names.

If you aren't in Northern Ireland  you can follow the link to BBC Radio on the right and listen to it live on Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle.
A brilliant start!

But if pop music is not your style , for  San Sebastian's Day today there is a concert at TAM to celebrate Verdi's bi - centenary.
19.30h Teatro Adolfo Marsillach San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Happy Feast Day, Sanse!

Beautiful quote that accompanies the Campari ad

For one moment our lives met,
our souls touched.

OSCAR WILDE

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

English For Travelling recommences today at 19h. and continues each Wednesday at the same time.

Our next reading at thelocal library will be on the 15th  January at 19h 15.
Act 3 of An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.
Here is a quote or two:

....'pitiless in her perfection'

'All I do know is that life cannot be understood without much charity.'

2013 THE YEAR OF CHANGE

Happy New Year!!!

2013 will be the year of change, travel, movement, fun.
For the European Union it is the year of the citizen.
For Ireland it is the year of the gathering.
Gather your friends and visit Ireland.

You will feel at home there.

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

I tried to remember that quote from Oscar Wilde but he is such an artist with words that approximations never do him justice..

Here is an extract from yesterdays reading, 'The Ideal Husband'

 Sir Robert Chiltern, the respected and admired Underscretary for Foreign affairs,  wrestles with the possibility of seeing his whole world collapse  because eighteen years beforehand

'he laid the foundation of his fortune by selling to a Stock Exchange speculator a cabinet secret.'

and admits

'Wealth has given me enormous power.'

 Lord Goring does not understand ,

'How you of all the men could have been so weak as to yield to such temptation.'

And yet Sir Robert still argues,

'To stake all one's life on a single moment,to risk everything on one throw, whether the stake be power or pleasure, I care not - there is no weakness in that.'


What a plot, what an argument!

NEXT READING

An Ideal Husband  by Oscar Wilde

This is the intriguing title of our next reading. It is a play by Wilde with lots of colourful characters and his provocative witticisms. The plot is woven around guilt and the terrible fear of being caught.

He describes life's temptations :

' ....he expounded to us the most terrible of all philosophies, the philososophy of power, preached to us  the most marvellous of all gospels, the gospel of gold'

and remorse

'I have distributed twice over in public charities since then'

'In public charities? Dear me, what a lot of harm you must have done.'

Wilde preferred social justice over charity.

We will read the first two acts hopefully.