Bruno Blog

Watching the news these days is hard. It hurts me to see how this virus has emptied the streets, taken away our routines and left us without kisses and hugs. We are all at home taking care of our loved ones and wanting to know when it will all be over.

Today in the news the director of Caritas spoke about those people who cannot afford to live in a house with light, water and gas. I could not suppress my tears when I thought about how bad they must all be having. It also made me think of the differences that still exist in our society. This virus has put us all on the same level and shown us that we can all be vulnerable at some point.

Unfortunately, there are no magic recipe books that present us with the ideal equation to solve this global crisis. I think that the key is that we must all start working on building a better world. Therefore, I would like to recommend today two books that can help us to redirect our current situation. One of them is MONEY MINDFULNESS (Grijalbo), written by Cristina Benito, which explains how we can manage money in a more intelligent and lasting way. The other one is PEQUEÑO CURSO DE MAGIA COTIDIANA (Libros Cúpula, “Small Daily Course”), by Anna Sólyom, which with very simple tricks is able to teach us to be more serene, calm and stronger to face everything that comes our way. Without a doubt, two readings that we should keep very much in mind to face what is coming.

This is the third blog I’ve done from home because of confinement. I know it’s important that we stay positive and not fall into the drama, but I recognize that there are times when it’s inevitable. It’s getting hard for me, not just because I can’t leave the house, but also because of the uncertainty and thinking about all those people who are losing their loved ones. I am surprised at how my son and my nephews are able to cope with this better than I am. They are the real heroes of this situation; I have no doubt.

I am lucky that my teenager is making it very easy for me, but I know that those families with young children must be living a constant struggle. With this in mind, today I would like to recommend RABIETAS (“Tantrums”), the latest book by Míriam Tirado, a new author that I am very excited to introduce to you. The book should already be in bookstores, but due to the current situation, it has been impossible. However, today we can already find it in eBook format on any digital platform. I’m sure it will be very useful reading for all those parents who have their children at home these days.

In this book, Miriam explains that the tantrums of the little ones are an essential aspect in their development and that we must learn to deal with them. She gives us very useful advice to learn how to deal with these tantrums through awareness, humor and love. It is important that we learn these tools to transform ourselves and see the world from the conviction that the future depends on the education we all give our children.

This blog will be the second one I write from home. It makes me sad to think that we’ve been teleworking for two weeks now. The days are passing and, as if we were automatons, we are getting used to living indoors.  This situation is causing me several negative thoughts that paralyze me. However, I have to make an effort to smile again and think that everything will be fine.

LA LLIBERTAT INTERIOR (“Inner Freedom”, Columna / Diana), by Gaspar Hernández, is one of the books I have recently recommended. Having read this book is helping me to get through this situation we are living through in the best possible way. Today, more than ever, I realize the importance of everything Gaspar says in this book. It is true that one of the greatest obstacles to being free is fear, and now I think we are all feeling it. It’s totally normal, but we shouldn’t let it paralyze us. As the author tells us, we must learn to look inside ourselves in order to give our best to the outside. Now we have the opportunity to take hold of this book and face the future that lies ahead.

This book will be a fundamental tool to face the new world that is coming. Nothing will ever be the same again and we need to learn to know who we really are in order to start again with more strength. For me, LA LLIBERTAT INTERIOR has been a fundamental book to be able to better face this new paradigm. Thank you very much Gaspar for not allowing this situation to paralyze us.

Writing this blog today is difficult. I want to be positive, and with everything that’s going on these days, it’s hard for me.  Every day when I wake up, I think that all this must have been a dream, that it is not real that we have to be locked up in the house without the possibility of going out. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Besides, our sector has always been weak and it is going to need a lot of strength to be able to get up again. But we have to try. We cannot let ourselves be defeated. On a more positive note, I am sure that this situation is serving to recover readers, as many will have taken advantage of the confinement to rediscover the pleasure of reading. After all, a book accompanies you and allows you to travel to other worlds without having to move from home.

This blog always recommends the latest news but, due to changes in the programming of publishers, I prefer to recover titles that are already in bookstores and that can help people to have a better quarantine. I know that there are many parents who have young children at home, that’s why in today’s blog I want to recommend three readings that you can share with your children:

TALES TO LOVE YOURSELF MORE (Àlex Rovira and Francesc Miralles): In this book, Àlex Rovira and Francesc Miralles emphasize how important it is to cultivate values in children. With 35 stories that make up this book, they teach us how to cultivate this power from childhood, awakening the imagination, humor, love and acceptance of what each person is and how they are.

TALES FOR HAPPY KIDS (Àlex Rovira and Francesc Miralles): In this book we find 35 stories that teach us that values are the compass of life. Thanks to them, we can overcome adversity, make better decisions and be happier. Responsibility, trust, humility and cooperation are just some of the values that children and adults must learn to cultivate. In summary, strong values are the key to a better life.

LA VUELTA AL AÑO EN 365 CUENTOS (Àlex Rovira and Francesc Miralles): La Vuelta al año en 365 cuentos is a wonderful book for all parents to have the possibility to explain a story to their children. I am sure that many of you will enjoy reading this book as a family. 

I always recommend visiting bookstores, but this time I advise you to get the books through digital platforms or the publishers’ own websites. I know it will be difficult, but together we will manage to get out of this situation. For the moment, it’s time to stay home and read. Thank you.  

After his latest novel, LA MUJER QUE NO SABÍA LLORAR (The Woman Who Couldn’t Cry, published by Columna/Destino), Gaspar Hernández returns to the bookstores with LA LLIBERTAT INTERIOR (Inner Freedom, published by Columna/Diana). In this new book, between the essay and the diary, the author explains that true freedom is inner freedom and that through it we can achieve happiness.

How can we be free? Gaspar tries to answer this question by giving us some guidelines that will help us achieve this goal. Based on what the great psychologists and spiritualists have said, this book dismantles the obstacles that prevent us from being free, such as fear, our daily thoughts and the demands that we have on ourselves. If I had wanted to underline the important quotes in the book, it would have been all painted orange, since everything this author writes would have to be framed in order to remember it always. I think it is important to make a special mention of one of the sentences at the beginning of the book: “Today I know that thought serves to think about life, not to live it“. I think it’s an excellent quote because we all need to be aware of the thousands of thoughts that make us anxious. The present moment is the only space of freedom we have. 

LA LLIBERTAT INTERIOR is a great gift. Gaspar Hernández, with a close tone, explains to us that, as much as it may seem impossible, freedom without limits is within everyone’s reach. We only need to discover who we really are, as this way we can be freer and, consequently, happier. Thank you, Gaspar, for these useful words and for making us see that we cannot continue to live limited by our thoughts.