Couple of days ago I visited my friend and I saw in his bookshelf one of my favourite books, Italo Calvino's "Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore " ("If on a winter's night a traveller" / "Jos talviyönä matkamies"). I asked what he liked about it and he said that it was a very good book but one of those that somehow feel better afterwards. While you read the book it's actually quite hard, long or boring but later you remember only good things about it and the book somehow grows in your mind. I had to agree. First I only remembered how much I loved this Calvino's book but slowly I started to remember that it was also quite hard to read. It's a really really funny and cleaver book but with every chapter it jumps to totally new situation and reading all those stories the one after the other was also quite hard. Now when I think of it I honestly don't know what it takes to be a good book. "Crime and punishment" was hard too and still it's one of my all time favourites. Kafka can be boring too and still I love him. Maybe it sometimes make a book even better if you have to work your way through it?

Anyway, it still love Calvino's book and want to recommend it to everybody. At least try, it might make you laugh on one of these long and dark winter's nights.