.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Tuesday! 

March 26th, 2016 ins Indiebookday! Yay! I heard about it at the Leipzig Book Fair and think the concept is great, especially because I do love independent bookstores more than anything else. My favorite of course is Riemann in Coburg. Actually, I just attended an inspiring event this evening at the bookstore. The Riemann Team introduced and spoke briefly about their favorite books, those that they just read and think were worth sharing. I will share the list below. 

But first I want to talk a bit about the Indiebookday. What is Indiebookday?

On Indiebookday you basically show your love, support and appreciation for the independent bookstore and even more for independent publishers for one entire day. This Saturday, March 26th, 2016 all you have to do is go to your favorite independent bookstore and buy a book that is ideally published by an independent publisher. To make this a bit more fun, you take a picture of the book, or yourself and the book (whatever you like) and share it on a social network. (We are all connected anyway, right? Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and whatnot) or on your blog and use the hashtag #indiebookday. 

Indiebookday was first introduced in 2013 and had a somewhat widespread attention throughout Germany. Many countries joined in the following years. There are just so many wonderful independent publishers out there who create awesome books while putting a lot of love and passion into it. Unfortunately, many of them are not known as well as the big ones. I experienced this at the Leipzig Book Fair a lot. Most people simply just walk by these little stands of independent publishers. I believe that Indiebookday can help and built or generate some attention to the little publishers. 

What do you think? Are you taking up the challenge? Easter is around the corner and maybe you need a little book-gift? Just go to your local independent bookstore this Saturday. Simple as that. Independently published would be preferred. To hone your appetite I will share the book list the Riemann Team recommended this evening. Enjoy! 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order your copy here. This one I actually purchased!! [Can I ever leave this bookstore without buying a book?] 

Order your copy here. This one sounds really awesome too I think! 

Order or read about the book  here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. This book is also available as audiobook. And, did you know that J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) wrote this book? Pretty awesome I think. 

Order your copy here. 

Order your copy here. This one sounds amazing too. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about the book here. 

Order or read about this book here. There is actually a lot of hype about Owen Sheers these days. It seemed everybody talked about him and his book at the Leipzig Book Fair. It will definitely find its way on my bookshelf eventually. 

Order or read about this book here. 

Update: Here is a list of independent publishers to look out for: Alcorde Verlag, Arco Verlag, austernbank verlag, Verlag Antje Kunstmann, Wagenbach, Nautilus, be.bra verlag, cass verlag, Demmler Verlag, Dresdner Buchverlag, Edition fünf, Elfenbein Verlag, Gmeiner Verlag, Emons Verlag, Haymon Verlag, Limbus Verlag und Limmat Verlag, Lukas Verlag, MERLIN Verlag, Milena Verlag, Pendragon, Rimbaud, Schöffling & Co., Transit Buchverlag, Verbrecher Verlag, Wallstein Verlag and many more. 

I would love to hear from you. What books can you recommend? 

Hello and Happy Saturday. 

I had an interesting conversation with my mom today while we waited for my father and people-watched. A man came out of the gas station in a hurry with two cups of “coffee to go” which is actually not that common in Germany. Some places do offer it however. The man looked really stressed out while he fumbled for his key and talked to himself. He  looked annoyed at his wife who sat in the car, also talking to herself. Or her phone, who knows these days. So my mom told me a story from when she was a kindergarten teacher and enjoyed her coffee-break with her colleague. “She made every little coffee-break special. The way she prepared everything, boiled the water first in a little pot and then added the coffee was what made me forget the stress of the day. Made me look forward to the first sip of this great cup of coffee. It was something different from the ordinary cup of coffee I drank at home”, my mom said. The way she explained this made me taste the coffee and almost smell the flavor and instantly I wanted a cup. [Yep, my mom is very well read and words are her thing!] 

In the meantime, the couple in the other car left; both with their coffee-to-go in their hands, arguing. This made me think about when I really enjoyed a cup of coffee last. I do stay at my parent’s house for now and my mom and I have our occasional afternoon chat with coffee or tea which is of course always great. Now, I am talking more about the coffee you have at a café or even at home but which sure beats sipping on a cup of coffee in a car while rushing through traffic. I have even seen people drinking coffee in the car in the morning. Well, in New York everybody walks around with a cup of either Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts at all times, especially on their way to work which I found very strange in the beginning. When I used to smoke [yeah, I broke this habit five years ago!] I literally smoked and walked to work while drinking coffee. My mind was racing and rushing constantly while I tried to not pour this coffee all over my clothes while walking to work. [If you live in New York you don’t walk anymore- you rush so fast that it feels like  one step from running]

It is difficult for me to live in the moment. I am learning, working on it and getting better slowly but drinking coffee on the go means to me drinking coffee not in the NOW for some reason. It does never taste the same than if I would sit down and really enjoy a cup and being fully present without doing anything else. For some reason I think about the movie Chocolat and this scene:

To really sit down, focus on this cup of coffee (or chocolate or whatever) without rushing and really tasting the coffee is what I enjoy most. Sort of like mindful drinking, hah! In so many cultures drinking coffee is such a ceremony and I love it. You rarely, or never, see a French or Italian running around with a cup of coffee, right? Well, unless they live in New York. Drinking coffee for them is just all about enjoyment and mostly relaxation. People just hang out for hours in cafés to take breaks from their daily routines and just enjoy themselves or each others company. Of course, if you read this far you might say: “What is she even talking about here? I have to rush to work in the morning, get the kids ready, drive two hours to take them to daycare and so much more.” Valid point. It is a somewhat luxurious experience to SIT DOWN and enjoy a cup of coffee without hassle but everyone can do it. Just imagine that there are no counters to order coffee but a waiter has to bring you your cup to your table (a normal size cup – not grande, venti and whatnot), with a glass of water and two cookies. [Have you ever been to a Starbucks and stood behind someone ordering a Venti-Soy- with caramel-flavored-moccacino-vanille-soy-cream-spicy-latte?]

My point is that it is nice to fully enjoy the little things in life. To drink a cup of coffee and sit down and smell the aroma of whatever your are drinking.  It is about the taste of the drink and the rich aroma in this cup in front of you. And YOU! The simple pleasures just like this cup of coffee. 

One last thing: Starbucks personnel never get my name right. It is Daniela – not so difficult, right? 

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. Do share your comment. How does Starbucks spell your name? 

Hello and Happy Wednesday! 

So, recently I have been crazy about chocolate-anything that it is not funny anymore. And no, I am not pregnant. It was just a phase and I am glad it passed. However, throughout this time I searched for recipes that made my hips and my heart happy. I discovered this Peanutbutter/Chocolate Madness and I have to tell you one thing about it up front. It is probably by far one of the best cakes I have ever had. It is creamy, juicy, chewy, smells and tastes like caramel and simply to die for. My father added that one should keep a defibrillator close by and after eating one piece it reminded me of the Family Guy Stroke Episode but it is so worth it. You cannot eat more than this slice pictures above; honestly, it is very rich. Are you ready for it? Do you want it? Do you want it now? Here you have it. Enjoy! 

Before you start, this is what you will need: a tart-pan; I used 9-inch/1-inch tall and found that this is definitely the right size. If you do want to use a standard pie pan you might have to double the filling and chocolate which you actually don’t really want. [little reminder of Mr. Stroke here, hah!] Also, use parchment paper instead of greasing the pan. I had difficulties removing the cake from the tart pan afterwards! I used Walkers Shortbread just because they are so good. You can use any cheaper variety of  butter cookies in fact. 

I enjoyed my slice with a nice cup of coffee. Happy baking.