I'm back!

Sorry about the hiatus everyone, I was actually seriously ill (heh!) and had to spend some time in hospital -- both experiences truly new and exciting for me :-) Now I'm back albeit facing a major surgery some time in the future (heh again) but in the meantime, I'll try to be as busy as possible.

Browsed Amazon yesterday in search for some title inspiration for my baby book -- no luck, but I did brainstorm it myself in the end, and I love it (the title and the book). But in doing so, I got constantly sidetracked reading reviews for some great Russian books and movies, so I think I'll post a few links here, starting today.

Here's one recent Russian film that very few Western viewers know about, which is a shame because it's a true flippin' masterpiece. Although the subject matter is religion, I was happy to discover that even atheist reviewers loved it -- in fact, not a single negative review overall. Rightly so, because Ostrov (The Island), directed by Pavel Lungin and starring some of Russia's finest actors, including the tragic Pyotr Mamonov (a rock star-turned-practicing Orthodox Christian), is a perfect artistic and philosophical experience. I'm not telling you what it's about, go and watch it yourselves! Here's the link to its Amazon page, five-star reviews and all: