A Sala de Vidro (The Glass Room), by Simon Mawer

A very good novel, The Glass Room tells the story of a house, inspired by the Tugenhat House by Mies van der Rohe, in Brno. The modernist house is the main character, the stage where the narrative unfolds, and it's beautifully described. The contrast between its light and transparency and the secrets and deceits of its inhabitants through the years is very well depicted, as its pervasive influence on their lives - the "living in a work of art". It's also a history of the period from the late 20s until the 60s in Czechoslovakia. The main characters are convincing and nuanced in their contradictions. And it is a pleasure to read, a novel that grabs you and takes you into its world, which is one of the main qualities of a novel.

L'Histoire des Rois Francs, by Grégoire de Tours

I bought this book at the Musée Cluny; always enjoy reading history, and usually find very interesting the way it was written centuries ago. And I find this era fascinating - the times when Roman civilization was still a recent memory and influence and a new and barbaric Europe was being shaped. The History by Gregory, bishop of Tours, reads like an adventures book, full of wars, murders, intrigues and tortures, with terrible villains like Chilpéric and Frédégonde and extremely vivid scenes. It reminds us how violent those times were.