god I hate this question...listen folks, Treehugger Dan's is an English Language bookstore. It does not matter where the author is from, just so long as the book is in English. We do not divide the books up by the author's country of birth. People also expect me, because of my name (Swartz), to be conversant about Jewish authors. I honestly do not know who they mean. I do not divide the books up by the author's religion or the religion of their mother either. There are the more obvious ones like Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Primo Levi, Isaac B.Read more »

I admit I am a bit late when it comes to catching up with fads. I still do not own an mp3 player, let alone an ipod. The other night I was humming "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock 'n roll." I think I was thinking about the upcoming concerts we are planning on a boat in the Danube with The Last Drops and The Random Chocolates. Anyway, I got to thinking how much I enjoyed The Donny and Marie Show, and that it must be available on Youtube.Read more »

The Bitch Moan and Wine Society together with Hungary's premier food and wine site/blog Chew.hu hosted its first blind wine tasting on February 20th. Instead of pouring out a mix of different wines under the gaze of the wine maker, we sampled eight comparable bottles "blind," so that participants could let their own taste buds decide which one or ones they like best.Read more »

I remember my first International Women's Day in 1986 as a freshman at Bates College. Bates celebrated on March 4th, a day that still lives in infamy for the Class of 1990. There had been some sexual harassment of a professor, something about condoms being left on her office door or something. As a result, the university decided to cancel all classes and force all students to attend special courses.Read more »

Not in my lifetime did I think I would ever visit Cuba, but my crazy Canadian friends Rich Adkin (of Random Chocolates fame) and Tara Bedard (both living in Hungary) decided to get married in Cuba last week. While it is still illegal by US law for Americans to travel to Cuba, the Cubans don’t have a problem with it. Americans purchase a travel card and this is stamped, not the passport.Read more »

Last night I heard some of my customers talking and saying that I somehow always come up with new events at my shop. Thanks for the credit, but I really have very little to do with it. In fact, I do not think I have ever sought out anyone to perform there - they have always found me. Even the first performer 3 years ago, poet Sara Wingate Gray, contacted me on a tip from local writer Tom Bass while seated next to each other on a plane.Read more »

Discover Budapest organised a trip down to Mohacs to see the BUSÓJÁRÁS, the annual event commemorating a battle with the Turks.Read more »

He did for years and I had never even read anything by him. I saw how his books scared my friends. They got obsessed with the books and could not put them down even though they were terrified. A girlfriend's mother grabbed Salem's Lot out of her hands and threw it on the fire (of course she went out and got another copy).Read more »

Some Simple Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy
Energy prices are going through the roof, the Russians and Ukrainians are playing politics with the European natural gas supply, and climate change is very much upon us. In order to save lots of money, save the planet, and achieve some energy security, here are some simple things you can do to save energy.

• Buy A-A+ energy rated appliances.

A -
B +23% more energy used than A
C +47%
D +71%
E +94%

F + 118%

G +141%Read more »

It is tax time again. Unlike in the US where 1% of your taxes can only be donated to the incumbent president, Hungary allows you to choose an NGO or charity to donate 1% of your taxes too. Every bit helps, and it might as well go to a good cause! Here are some tips from Treehugger Dan:<!-- pagebreak -->Read more »