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The Lost Museum, by Hector Feliciano, is an investigation the author undertook to trace the thousands of works of art confiscated by the Nazi forces during World War II. He tells us the story of several European wealthy families, who were forced to flee France during the War, to escape being captured and sent to the Nazi Concentration Camps. He describes in great detail the confiscation of countless works of art by Hitler, his Ministers, and other German officials, and traces the path of some of them. Many others have been lost without trace until today. It is very interesting to note that the Nazis valued the works of art from german or similar artists of the XVII and XVIII Centuries, while calling “degenerate art” to more recent modern artists, such as Picasso. Little did they know they would become so valuable.
This is an investigative book, but it is so interesting and well written, it can be read like a mystery novel.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way
to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.
And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle.
As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.“
~ Steve Jobs

“What a piece of bread looks like depends on whether you are hungry or not”
Arabic saying

I recently read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon. The narrator of this book is a 15 year old autistic young man, who starts an investigation to find out who killed the next door neighbor’s dog. During this search, we come to know his family and friends, through his very special vision. This way of telling the story makes some human traits very clear, and really makes you thing about how you react to certain situations. It is told in a very funny way, and we really relate to the boy’s quest, that will lead to far more than what was initially planned. I enjoyed this book immensely, and I recommend it strongly.

Last week I finished reading The Club Dumas, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. It is a gripping tale of a quest for truth, envolving devil worship, secret societies, and many twists and turns. If you’re familiar with the work of Dumas and Conan Doyle, just to name the two most cited, you will get an extra kick out of this book. “Summer reading for intellectuals” it says on one of the reviews. Maybe. I certainly enjoyed it. This book was also the basis for the screenplay of the Roman Polanski movie “The ninth gate“, staring Johnny Depp.