Times are a bit doomy and gloomy, and continental Europe is still in deep winter chill, but there is no denying that in the UK the spring is coming. Saturday was a lovely and warm day in London, and with hiacynth’s smell in the air everything suddenly felt a lot more hopeful.

Do you know this lovely feeling on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning when the whole weekend wide open in front of you. Two days of time just for you to do as you please, no deadlines, no one telling you what needs doing. This lovely feeling of freedom. That’s how I woke up on last Saturday – ready to enjoy my day to the full and make sure I taste every second of it.

After doing some writing and my Spanish homework (I just started learning, but it is so much fun!) I decided to go for a walk, before I immerse myself in my new knitting addiction. Usually I climb the hill to Blackheath, to have some space for my eyes to roam, but Saturday was pretty windy so I decided to change tack and walk towards Greenwich. This route also avoids the steep hill, and I was in a bit lazy mood. What a good decision that was!

As I turned the corner form my apartment and entered a street of semi-detached houses I stumbled across the loveliest box ever! One of the neighbors was clearing out their bookshelves and decided sharing is caring. So the box was full of books. I could not stop myself, I am a sucker for a free book. I picked those four beauties and happily carried them in my hand for another hour of my walk.

Did you read any of them? What did you think? Which one should I start with?

When it comes to Ian McEwan I’m never sure why I buy his books. I usually quite enjoy them, but I’m almost never swept away. Still, I persist, also the title of this book was very timely. You can find some of my reviews here, here, here, here and here. The case with Ali Smith is even worse, I tried reading one of her books and couldn’t finish, but why not give her writing another chance, especially if it comes for free? I’ve been curious about Brick Lane for a while, so this was a perfect opportunity. And The Orchard on Fire is just me trying to be adventurous.

I also came across those beauties, I hope you’ll enjoy them too:

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