Connie ROOTS again in 2021 part 2

Welcome to my Second Thread

I'm known to most of you, but here is a small introduction.
I'm Connie (68) and I live in the Netherlands (which might explain my English being a bit off sometimes). I am retired and have worked in a school for kids from age 12 to19 for 15 years.
Not as a teacher but as a kind of assistant to the deans. So lots of lists and administrational things. And organizing parent evenings.

I've been reading ROOTs when they were called BOMBs in 2012 so this is my tenth year. And I'm loving to be among all the people I got to know here.

Since I can't rehome books (I just can't part with them) they just move to another room in the house. My favorite genres are Fantasy and Thrillers, but I like novels too. Especially in summer when it's warm and sultry.

I'm married to Peet (70) and we have one son Jeroen (38) and one daughter Eveline (35)
Jeroen lives with his girlfriend Rianne (33) near by and they have a daughter Lonne (3 years old)
Eveline lives with her boyfriend Cyrille (38) in another town, Maastricht, half an hour from us by car.
They have two girls, Fiene (4 years old) and Marie (1,5 year old).

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For my RL Book-club I will read books for the challenge we set for 2021
We have 21 categories and per category we have to read 21 books between the members, max. 4 books per person per category.

The categories are

Big fat books
** Een mooie dag om te sterven by R.J.Ellory
** De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna
** Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge
** De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett
New to you authors
** Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams
** Klifi by Adriaan van Dis
Beautiful covers
** Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
Recommendations
** De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White
** Het bloemenmeisje by Anya Niewierra
** De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt
Fairytales
Alphabet
** Bloedrode maan by Geoffrey Huntington
** De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini
** De weg naar Callisto by Torsten Krol
Numbers
** 1953 by Rik Launspach
Not occidental
** Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini
Snake
** Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien
Object with Awareness
** Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende
** Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Festive days
** Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews
** Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan
Name of a City
** Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles
** De helden van New York by R.J. Ellory
Non-hetero love
** Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George
** Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Holiday
** Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore
Allitiration
FF on the cover
** Het laatste offer by Petra Hammesfahr
** Dorsvloer vol confetti by Franca Treur
Highest rating on LT or GR
** Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory
** Win by Harlan Coben
** Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh
LOT (=ROOT)
** Draken van een verdwenen maan by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
** Het Paradijs by Toni Morrison
** De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks
First name
** Livaks waagstuk by Juliet E. McKenna
** Ronja de roversdochter by Astrid Lindgren
Weather
** Het boek der stormen by James Clemens
Relay
** Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George

Were does the love for books come from?

top row: Cyrille, Jeroen and Peter
Rianne, Eveline and me

Peet and Guido (Hetty's husband)


My brother and sisters and me

Hetty, me, Martin and Ineke

Marie, Cyrille, Eveline and Fiene



Fiene



Lonne



Marie

This is where I will keep a list of the ROOTs I read in 2021.
My rules are simple: A book counts as a ROOT when it has been on my shelves for more than 6 months. And I will raise my goal from 42 to 50



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens -
03. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna -
04. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George -
05. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George -
06. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison -
07. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory -
08. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Ellory -
09. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini -
10. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini -
11. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell -
12. 1953 - Rik Launspach -
13. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald -
14. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna -
15. Livaks fortuin - Juliet E. McKenna -
16. Verdwenen - Val McDermid -
17. Roverandom - J.R.R. Tolkien -
18. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood -
19. De nazaten van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
20. De druïde van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
21. De elfenkoningin van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
22. De wakers van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
23. De helden van New York - R.J. Ellory -
24. Het laatste offer - Petra Hammesfahr -
25. Dorsvloer vol confetti - Franca Treur -
26. Ronja de roversdochter - Astrid Lindgren -
27. De weg naar Callisto - Torsten Krol -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This first post is for January, February and March.



001. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - book - BFB # 1 - ROOT # 1 -
002. Bloedrode maan - Geoffrey Huntington - ebook -
003. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - book - BFB # 2 - ROOT # 2 -
004. Graaf in Moskou - Amor Towles - ebook -
005. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 3 -
006. Het boek van vergeten woorden - Pip Williams - ebook -
007. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 3 - ROOT # 4 -
008. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 4 - ROOT # 5 -
009. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison - book - ROOT # 6 -
010. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 7 -
011. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Elloty - book - ROOT # 8 -
012. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 9 -
013. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 10 -
014. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell - book - ROOT # 11 -
015. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - book - BFB # 5 -
016. De vrouw en de weduwe - Christian White - ebook -
017. 1953 - Rik Launspach - book - ROOT # 12 -
018. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - book - ROOT # 13 - BFB # 6 -
019. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 14 - BFB # 7 -
020. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende - book -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This post is for April, May and June.



021. Livaks Fortuin - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 15 -
022. Here is the Beehive - Sarah Crossan - ebook -
023. Verdwenen - Val McDermid - book - ROOT # 16 -
024. Win - Harlan Coben - book -
025. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher - ebook -
026. Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews - ebook -
027. Sweep in Peace - Ilona Andrews - ebook -
028. One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews - ebook -
029. Sweep of the Blade - Ilona Andrews - ebook -
030. Sweep with Me - Ilona Andrews - ebook -
031. The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow - ebook -
032. Roverandom - J. R. R. Tolkien - book - ROOT # 17 -
033. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT # 18 -
034. Wie niet horen wil - Nicci French - book -
035. Een verre horizon - Santa Montefiore - book -
036. De Nazaten van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 19 -
037. Winter in de kleine bakkerij - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
038. De druïde van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 20 -
039. Heks van vuur en oorlog - S. Christina - book -
040. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley - book -
041. Wen er maar aan - Maike Meijer - book - BFB # 8 -
042. Schaduwland - Robert Bryndza - book -
043. Het geheime kistje van Elle - Aline van Wijnen - book -
044. De elfenkoningin van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 21 -
045. De wakers van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 22 -
046. Het bloemenmeisje - Anya Niewierra - ebook -
047. De helden van New York - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 23 -
048. Klifi - Adriaan van Dis - book -
049. Vrij uitzicht - Anya Niewierra - ebook -
050. Niemand zeggen - M.J. Arlidge -
051. Het laatste offer - Petra Hammesfahr - book - ROOT # 24 -
052. Dorsvloer vol confetti - Franca Treur - book - ROOT # 25 -
053. Ronja de roversdochter - Astrid Lindgren - book - ROOT # 26 -
054. De overlevenden - Jane Harper - book -
055. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett - book -
056. De weg naar Callisto - Torsten Krol - book - ROOT # 27 -
057. Doods geheim - Robert Bryndza - book -
058. Een voor een - Ruth Ware - book -
059. De brief voor de koning - Tonke Dragt - book -
060. Geheimen van het Wilde Woud - Tonke Dragt - book -
061. Valse getuige - Karin Slaughter - book -
062. Gegijzeld - Clare Mackintosh - book -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This post is for July, August and September.



063. Ons huis - Louise Candlish - book -
064. Middernachtbibliotheek - Matt Haig - book -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This post is for October, November and December.

This is where I will keep track of Chunksters, books with more than 500 pages



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - 573 pages -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - 505 pages -
03. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - 587 pages -
04. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - 724 pages -
05. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - 574 pages -
06. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - 600 pages -
07. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - 512 pages -
08. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley - 688 pages -
09. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett - 734 pages -

This is where I will keep track of all my bought books in 2021 (excluding e-books)



01. Een dodelijke opleiding - Naomi Novik
02. De verloren legioenen - David Hair
03. Het keren van het tij - David Hair
04. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab
05. Een voor een - Ruth Ware (gift from Peet)
06. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett (gift from Peet)
07. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende
08. Klifi - Adriaan van Dis
09. Het geheime kistje van Elle - Aline van Wijnen
10. Win - Harlan Coben
11. Een verre horizon - Santa Montefiore
12. Wie niet horen wil - Nicci French
13. De brief voor de koning - Tonke Dragt
14. Heks van vuur en oorlog - S. Christina
15. Schaduwland - Robert Bryndza (gift from Peet)
16. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley
17. Doods geheim - Robert Bryndza
18. Niemand zeggen - M.J. Arlidge
19. De overlevenden - Jane Harper
20. Geheimen van het Wilde Woud - Tonke Dragt
21. Rosa en het vriendschapsengeltje - Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker
22. Wat wij zagen - Hanna Bervoets
23. Valse getuige - Karin Slaughter
24. Gegijzeld - Clare Mackintosh
25. Ons huis - Louise Candlish
26. Middernachtbibliotheek - Matt Haig

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And for Book Bullets that hit me here.



01. Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles BB by Jackie_K that followed me from 2020
02. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue BB by Susanj67
03. De boekwinkel voor gebroken harten by Robert Hillman BB by John Simpson
04. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow BB by curioussquared
05. De jachtpartij by Lucy Foley BB by Nickelini
06. Moon of the crusted snow by Waubgeshig Rice BB by Nickelini
07. The other passenger by Louise Candlish BB by Susanj67
08. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia BB by curioussquared
09. De gastenlijst by Lucy Foley BB by QuestingA
10. The Crow Folk by Mark Stay BB by Jackie_K
11. The midnight library by Matt Haig BB by Persephoneslibrary
12. Schuldig in eigen ogen by Agatha Christie BB by Robertgreaves
13. Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan BB by Nickelini
14. Bermtoeristen by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris strugatsky BB by Sibylline

Cursief is read

Stats for 2021: January

TBR on 2021-01-02: 418 including 38 e-books = 380 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 6
Tree-books read in 2021: 6 including 3 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 3

Total tree-books into the house: 2
2 books bought
0 as presents

Welcome dear friends!

Happy new thread! Your granddaughters look more gorgeous in every new photo!

Happy new thread, Connie! Are the girls enjoying the snows?

I will show you

Lonne



Marie



Fiene and her friend.



They like it a lot. Just a pity that there in not much show in Maastricht.

Happy new thread Connie!

Thanks Natalie!

It looks more like a Photo-thread now! But Books will follow.

I'm now reading two books.

And Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George ROOT # 4 - BFB # 3 - FF-Challenge # 7



The blurb

In this novel Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives. Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect, Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict, leads her to Nicholas' wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

And an ebook

The once and future witches by Alix E. Harrow



The Blurb

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Yay, new thread means more pics of the girls! They are so cute. I especially love the picture of Fiene and Marie reading. Also, I want the boat Lonne's playing with ;)

I want the boat Lonne's playing with ;)

That's the boat filled with gifts Sinterklaas uses to get here from Spain. Nothing to do with Christmas.

Thanks for the pics, Connie!

Finished Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George

My review

What a wonderfully exciting book. There is really everything in it; family issues, homosexuality, transgender, jealousy, murder, multiple suspects, misunderstandings. I would say just read it yourself.
It's about the Fairclough family: father, mother, twin sisters and a drug-addicted brother who is back on track and has to prove himself. And a cousin they took into their family after his mother's death. They own and run a successful bathroom porcelain factory. Then Ian, the cousin, is found dead in the boathouse. He drowned when he got out of his boat on the dock of the boathouse. Lynley is asked to discreetly investigate whether anything else may have happened. And then a mind-boggling sequence of events unfolds

This book ended with a major cliffhanger and I MUST read the next instalment

Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George - BFB # 4 - ROOT # 5 - FF-challenge # 8



The blurb

When Hadiyyah Upman disappears from London in the company of her mother, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is as devastated as the girl's father. They are her close friends as well as neighbours, but since the child is with her mother, nothing can be done. Five months later, Hadiyyah is kidnapped from an open air market in Lucca, Italy, and this triggers an investigation in the full glare of the media spotlight. Barbara's clever manipulation of the worst of London's tabloids forces New Scotland Yard to become involved. But rather than Barbara herself, her superior officer DI Thomas Lynley is assigned to handle a situation made delicate by racial issues, language difficulties, and the determination of an Italian magistrate to arrest and convict someone - anyone - for the crime.

Hi Connie, and happy new thread to you.

From your previous thread, I’m sorry to hear about Peet’s brother.

I love all the pictures of you and your family, especially the granddaughters.

>19 connie53: I read Alix Harrow’s first, The Ten Thousand Door of January last July and loved it. I’m sure I’ll get to this book one of these days.

>24 karenmarie: I loved the first Alix Harrow, so I had to read this one too. Some of my friends who have read this 'witches' book thought it a bit gloomy. Not a book they got a happy feeling from. Good but with a shadow of doom to it.

Added two more BB's to my list, both by Nickelini/Joyce!

Started another ROOT for the 75ers group read

Het paradijs by Toni Morrison ROOT # 6 - Forumchallenge # 9



The blurb

The Oklahoma town of Ruby is a black-only paradise. Founded as an enclave in a country 'where every group of whites looked like a nigger hunt', it flourishes by virtue of its isolation and belief - belief in one's innocence and belief as a religion. Until the isolation proves unsustainable and the disastrous events with which the book opens take place.

In Paradise, Toni Morrison describes the history of the town in an inimitable way. Past, present and future are deftly intertwined and the motivations of the inhabitants of Ruby are made tangible through dreams, visions and memories.

The story of these people paints a fascinating picture of the conflicts that have dominated their lives: between different generations, between men and women, community and individual, race and racelessness, between institutional religion and instinctive magical worlds, loyalty and promiscuity, immortality and freedom.

I like your review of Paradise, Connie. This is one of hers I haven't read, so will add to my wishlist.

>28 HelenBaker: Hi Helen, it's not my review but the text on the back-cover.

Finished Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George

My review

Volume 18 in the series about Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers. The book seamlessly continues where Part 17 left off. You can split this book into 2 parts. The first part is about the kidnapping of Hadiyyah Upman. That is a very complicated story and also very exciting.
The second part is about the death of Angelina Upman and the many false tracks that have been set by people who are not so good in obeying the law.
I thought the first part was worth a 9,5 and the second a 7,5.
Because the story is partly set in Italy and a lot of Italian is used untranslated, you occasionally have to guess what is being said, sometimes you can guess that from the context, but not always. On the one hand I found that a challenge and my not too great knowledge of Italian has improved a bit, but on the other hand it was also disturbing because it just takes you out of the story.

Finished Het Paradijs by Toni Morrison and this book gets

My Review

I'm not sure what to think of this book. It is certainly an intriguing book, but not easy to read. Toni Morrison begins and ends with the end of the story. In between, she describes the history of a small town / village in Minnesota. The town is populated exclusively by black families, 9 in total. With all the children and grandchildren, quite a group. A few kilometers outside the village is a building called the 'Monastery'. It used to be, but now it is inhabited by five women. Connie (Consolata), Mavis, Gigi (Grace), Seneca and Pallas. Connie lives there permanently, but the rest moves in, leaves, but always returns. The book describes the backgrounds of the five women and the reasons why they ended up in the Monastery.
In the village harmony reigns, but that all changes when the youngest generation is no longer satisfied with the situation and the older people blame the women from the Monastery. They decide to chase the women away, but that gets terribly out of hand.
Because you have to guess when which part of the described periods take place, it is quite difficult in the beginning to make a coherent story. Fortunately, that works in the end.

Reading another oldy.

Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory ROOT # 7 - Forumchallenge # 10



The blurb

It should have all been so easy for Vincent Madigan. Take four hundred grand from the thieves who stole it in the first place and who could they turn to for help? Madigan is charming, resourceful, and knows how to look after himself. The only problem is that he's up to his neck in debt to Sandia - the drug king of East Harlem. This one heist will free Madigan from Sandia's control and give him the chance he needs to get his life back on track. But things go wrong when Madigan is forced to kill his co-conspirators and a child is shot in the crossfire. Now both Sandia and the collected might of the NYPD are hunting him down, and the one cop assigned to lead the case is the very last person he could have expected. Employing every deception and ruse he can think of, Madigan must stay one step ahead in a battle of wits that will test him to his limits. Can he evade justice for his crimes, or will his own conscience be his final undoing?

My new book came today, the third one bought this year



Het keren van het tij by David Hair

The blurb

The Guardians - ascendant magicians loyal to the Rondian throne - enter the battlefield to destroy the world and recreate it according to the wishes of Emperor Constant. But the Guardians are no longer the only ascendant magicians. Malevorn Andevarion's demonic Ablizian warriors also join the fight, their ambitions as great as Constant's dreams of eternal dominion. Among those fighting for survival are Ramon, Seth, and the Lost Legions. They have survived disasters, ambushes, and overwhelming odds, only to find their way home is blocked by their own people - and Seth's tyrannical father. In Javon, Cera, Elena and Kazim find themselves in a battle to the death with the Rondian invaders led by Elena's former lover and mentor Gurvon Gyle. No weapon is avoided, and any target is allowed. But Alaron and Ramita have the toughest task. With a small group of monks, they must prevent Constant and Malevorn from destroying half of the world, and rule forever the ruins that remain.

The touchstone is not working and this takes some explaining. In the English version of this series there are 4 books. In the Netherlands they have made them into 8 books so every English part is divided into 2 books.

Finished Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory and this book gets

My review

What an exciting, but also cruel book this is. It reads very quickly and completely took me away from the beginning. Vincent Madigan is a detective who has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble over his contact with the boss of a criminal gang, Sandía. He has had that contact for years and it generally worked both ways. But now he has built up a large debt with Sandía and has to come up with a plan to raise that money. The plan is well put together, only he robs the wrong gang and then he has to come up with a plan to get out of everything. And he continues to work his way into misery. Read with a lot of nail-biting. Highly recommended for someone who likes excitement and is not to squeamish.

Happy new thread, Connie! Your granddaughters look like they're having fun in the snow!

>34 connie53: Thanks, Jennifer. Yes they did! But now it's all melted away and it spring-like here.

I started another book by R.J. Ellory

Een mooie dag om te sterven ROOT # 8 - Forumchallenge # 11



The blurb

Twenty years ago, John Costello and his girlfriend, Nadia, became victims of the deranged "Hammer of God," a serial killer who went after young courting couples in an attempt to "save their souls." Nadia was killed by the first blow of the hammer. John survived but was physically and psychologically scarred to an extent that few people could comprehend. He withdrew from society and hid in his apartment and emerges now only to work as a crime researcher for a major newspaper.

Today promises to be a very nice day with temps up to 19C and blue skies and sun. So I will be in the garden with above book.
I did a little ironing this morning while waiting for the sun to reach the garden and I did some administrative things. And tried to catch up with all threads here and on the 75-ers.

Wow, 19C. After five months of autumn and two weeks of winter, spring is finally here!

And it was lovely out there. I really enjoyed it very much.

Happy new 2nd thread, Connie. Lovely pictures above. Enjoy your warmer spring-like weather and whatever book you are reading. Nice weather is always a mood lifter after winter.

Do you want to send a few degrees of that lovely temperature our way? We're warming up, but it's all relative, still more or less in single figures!

I did spot my first open daffodil last week, and first snowdrops too, and the carpet of crocuses in a local park are up and flowering, so I know spring is on the way, but it would just be nice to be a bit warmer!

>38 connie53: What a good day. I hope the weather lasts til the weekend!

>41 This-n-That: I know TnT. I always get in a better mood when spring is chasing the winter away.

>42 Jackie_K: You can certainly get a few of my degrees, Jackie. Today is also sunny but not that warm anymore, like 14 C or so.

>43 MissWatson: I don't know, Birgit. Forecasts differ every day. Tomorrow will be rainy.

I finished Een mooie dag om te sterven by R.J. Ellory this morning and give it

My Review

Another exciting book from Ellory. That man can write. Ray Irving is a New York Police Department detective and he faces a series of murders of which no one can be charged. He comes into contact with John Costello. As a 16-year-old boy, John survived an assassination attempt in which his girlfriend was killed. Since then, John has been obsessed with facts and has developed all kinds of neuroses. He also has an incredibly good memory on all kinds of murder related issues. Now he works for a newspaper and has written a piece with Karen Langley, he as a researcher, Karen as a journalist. In that piece they make connections between the murders that Ray investigates and murders from the past. The police keeps the piece out of the papers and Ray, John and Karen become involved in a hunt for a Copy-Cat killer.

Now starting in Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini ROOT # 9, Forumchallenge # 12



The Blurb

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival. A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

>46 connie53: I read this book several years ago and loved it.

>46 connie53: I liked that one a lot, too. Not quite as good as The Kiterunner but still a compelling read. Enjoy!

>48 Henrik_Madsen: Thanks, Henrik. So far, so good.

Finished Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini and this book gets

My Review

Great but haunting book about a period of war and coups d'état in Afghanistan. For the first 15 years of her life, Mariam lives with her mother in a small hut just outside a small village. Mariam is an illegitimate daughter and her father visits her weekly, but there is no room for Mariam in his house. Until at some point she goes to her father and has to sleep in front of his house for the night because he and his three wives won't let her in. After the death of her mother, she is married off to the much older shoemaker Rasheed. Years later, Kabul is virtually destroyed by bombings and the approximately 13-year-old Laila is rescued from the ruins of her home by Rasheed. Laila was about to leave with her parents for Pakistan, to a relative safety. Laila's childhood sweetheart, Tariq has already left there with his parents and Laila hopes that she can find him again in Kabul. But on the day of their departure, this bombing takes place. Laila is nursed by Mariam and when Rasheed wants to marry Laila to make the situation in their house legitimate, Mariam becomes the second wife. Laila is soon pregnant and has a daughter. The relationship between Mariam and Laila, which started out rather rough, slowly turns into a friendship as they both have to fight against the violent Rasheed.
This book gives a beautiful but oppressive and cruel picture of the situation in Afghanistan under such a strict regime. Women have all lost their rights, they are no longer allowed to study, they are not allowed to work and not leave their home without a husband among other things like what to wear, not to smile or laugh outside of their homes

Now reading De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini ROOT # 10, Forumchallenge # 13



The Blurb from the book jacket

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds; Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him." "The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before. The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption.

I finished De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini and give it

My Review

Another wonderful book by Khaled Hosseini. This is the story of Amir and Hassan who grow up together and are even suckled by the same nurse. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul and Hassan the son of his servant Ali. Both mothers died shortly after birth and the boys basically do everything together. Hassan does everything Amir asks and at one point that leads to a very painful and humiliating situation for Hassan. Amir does nothing to help his friend. This creates a separation between the boys and Ali and Hassan even decide to leave Kabul. Years later, Amir and his father fled to America from the Taliban who invaded Afghanistan. Amir loves America and finds a sweet woman whom he marries. Then he gets a call from his father's best friend with shocking news and Amir leaves for Afghanistan to search for Hassan's son.
A journey through the still troubled Pakistan and Afghanistan follows.

There are many similarities between this book and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". It's about friendship and loyalty, betrayal and deception. And I even have the impression that the same orphanage plays a role in it.

Now reading Het stille huis by Ruth Rendell, ROOT # 11



The Blurb from the back-cover

When Ismay thinks of that terrible day, and she often does, she remembers Heather coming down the stairs - her dress wet, her face as still and white as a porcelain mask. Sometimes the memories return in a dream: She and her mother are climbing the stairs, following her dripping-wet sister through the bedroom to a door. The door leads to the upstairs bathroom, but when Heather opens it they are standing in a marble chamber on the edge of a glassy lake. Ismay watches as a white thing floats toward them, its face submerged, and her mother calls, absurdly, "Don't look!" But of course she does. She looks into the water and sees her stepfather Guys face, his lifeless, frightened eyes, staring up at her." "Now, nine years after Guy was found dead in the bathtub, she and Heather still live in their childhood home, which has since been renovated into two flats, one upstairs for their mother and aunt, with Heather and Ismay downstairs. The police determined the cause of death was an accident, and to this day the two sisters never talk about what happened." "Although Ismay finds herself feeling intensely protective of her little sister and of the secret they share, their lives move placidly, even happily, forward. It seems as if the mysterious death of their stepfather is behind them. But when Headier becomes seriously involved with a man for the first time, Ismay's long-repressed memories can no longer be ignored. With painful inevitability, the surprising truth will emerge whether Ismay wants it to or not.

Hi Connie!

I read The Kite Runner and loved it but was reluctant to read A Thousand Splendid Suns. I like mystery/suspense/thriller much more than contemporary fiction anyway, so will probably pass on ATSS.

>52 connie53: I have this one on my shelves so will look forward to seeing what you think of it.

>53 karenmarie: that won't be very long, Karen. It's only a thin book, only 285 pages.

Stats for 2021: January and February

TBR on 2021-01-03: 422 including 46 e-books = 376 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 12
Tree-books read in 2021: 9
e-books read in 2020: 3

Total tree-books into the house: 3
3 books bought
0 as presents

Enjoying these photos; it's special to have occasions to gather with your siblings.

You remind me that Hosseini hasn't written a novel in many years, I wonder if he will again (I hope he will).

Hi MJ. Yes it was. I think this was at the end of 2019.

A new book entered the house



Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Blurb from the back-cover



A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Finished Het stille huis by Ruth Rendell and give it

My review

A bit of a strange and confusing book. I could not really follow it now and then, partly due to the layout of the book. It jumps from one subject to another without any blank lines. The story itself is also quite restless and I sometimes couldn't keep track of the characters. A very unexpected ending.

Now reading >57 connie53:

I started in >57 connie53: in it's really good.

Started another book on my Kobo for the challenge for my RL Book-club.
Read a book that was a recommendation by someone you know.

When we celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5 we do a kind of Santa-thing. It's a tradition to write poems for that day and I got a poem by one of the members with the recommended books

De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White



The Blurb from the back cover.

Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband's secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she's forced to confront the evidence of her husband's guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

>60 connie53: That sounds like a clever thoughtful poem. And what a disturbing premise for a book. I look forward to your review.

Happy new thread, Connie! What beautiful pictures of your family!
>23 connie53: I've read and enjoyed a number of books by Elizabeth George but I haven't heard about this one. I'll put it on my list.
>50 connie53: Another great review! I've read The Kite Runner and loved it. I own a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns but I can't bring myself to read it because I sense it's not going to match TKR.

I have just finished Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - 574 pages - and give it



My Rewiew

What a great book this is. Adeline (Addie) LaRue was born in a small French country village in 1714. And when she is twenty-three and unmarried, it is seen as strange, so her parents decide to let her marry a widower with 3 small children. Addie doesn't feel like it at all. She never wants to marry anyone at all. When she manages to escape on her wedding day and has run deep into the forest, she is found there by a mysterious man who makes her a proposal. She wants to spend time and do things that she enjoys. In return, she will give him her soul when she is ready. But there is a downside to the deal. Nobody remembers her. Not her parents, not her friend in the village. And then a story begins that takes Addie to many places and times. Until she meets a man in 2014 who remembers her from the day before when she was also in his bookshop. Addie is over the moon and can bask in the fact that someone doesn't forget her as soon as a door closes between them.

>62 Carmenere: Hi Lynda. About Duizend schitterende zonnen. It has the same feel to it, but is a bit more women unfriendly. So I can see what holds you back.

Finished De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White

My Review

In the beginning, this was a reasonable and average book to read. A snack, but somewhere past the halfway point I thought I knew how it could work. And that was a great eye-opener. I still didn't know for sure, but I did know which trick was used. And then you can read a book with different eyes and with interest. I will definitely follow this writer.

Starting in ROOT # 12 for the year

This happened in real life a month before I was born. So it's special to read this now.



1953 by Rik Launspach

The blurb

In a dark night, in a province forsaken by God, during the biggest disaster that hit the Netherlands after the war, two searching souls are linked by fate. She lost the child she gave birth a month earlier, he lost the child within himself. Together they undertake a seemingly hopeless journey through the salty mud of devastated Zeeland.

Set against the backdrop of the 1953 Flood, Rik Launspach tells a poignant story about the destructive power of water and the driving force of love.

And finished and WOW what a book! It gets

My Review, translated by google

This book has been on my shelves for years and now I don't understand why I didn't read it sooner. I am really impressed. The center of the book is the flood disaster in 1953 Zeeland, but also in Zuid-Holland and Brabant. And not only there but also parts of Belgium and England.

And it is the story of Julia, an 18-year-old farmer's daughter who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and that is quite a thing in 1952. The father Diewer sets off to sea to earn money to build a life with Julia and his unborn baby.
And it is the story of Rutus, a young technical engineer, who was stationed at Gilze-Rijen air base during his national service. Julia has her baby seven weeks to early on January 1, 1953. She is in hospital with her son, Ernst, for a number of weeks and is released just before the flood disaster and goes home where she is not warmly received. Her father no longer talks to her at all and her mother is not allowed to talk to her. The only one from whom she gets a little support is her sister Becca. Then disaster strikes and Julia is separated from her baby. She has put it in a trunk and wrapped it nicely in the blue and white checkered blanket. And when the whole house collapses around them, the suitcase is gone.
Julia tries to find the suitcase and jumps into the water. Rutus is on an exploration trip above Zeeland and takes pictures of the flood from a helicopter. Then he sees Julia swimming and tries to save her. That does not go without a struggle and eventually Julia ends up unconscious in the helicopter. Rutus and Julia form an unlikely duo on the quest that then follows. The search for Ernst.

The book also describes the ignorance of the various authorities, such as Water Management and mayors. Everyone does their own thing and the people who warn for the disaster remain unheard and unseen. A very interesting book with truth-based details. I am very impressed!

And starting ROOT # 13, BFB # 6



De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna

The blurb

Ryshad had no choice but to kill his long-time friend and ally Aiten. Aiten's mind had been corrupted by the mysterious Elietimm and he was a danger to himself and a deadly threat to others. But that is no consolation to the grieving Ryshad and certainly will be of no help when he tries to explain it to Aiten's family. To distract him from his troubles and from the strange dreams he has been having, Ryshad's patron, Messire D'Olbriot, sends him to Caladhria to assist the wizard Shiv, who is working for the Archmage himself. The wizards are trying to find a way to combat the strange aetheric magic of the Elietimm, which threatens to destroy the land. But Ryshad's desire to help goes far beyond the patriotic - he seeks revenge for the death of Aiten. What he doesn't know yet is that he will have to work with Livak, with whom he had a brief love affair, and that the strange dreams he has been having may hold the key to the mysterious Elietimm ...

>63 connie53: A BB! I’ve just ordered The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, it sounds wonderful.

>69 karenmarie: It certainly is wonderful and I hope you like it too. But I can't imagine why it wouldn't. Let me know what you think of it!

>70 connie53: I need to get to Addie LaRue, too. I also have been meaning to read her Darker Shade of Magic books for ages, too. So many books, so little time!

>71 curioussquared: re; the time. I know. I have the shade books on my Kobo.

>68 connie53: The book named in this post is not doing it for me right now. So I took another book from the shelves. A very old ROOT and one that was recommended by Oprah



Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald ROOT # 14, BFB # 7

The Blurb

Following the curves of history in the first half of the twentieth century, Fall on Your Knees takes us from haunted Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, through the battlefields of World War I, to the emerging jazz scene in New York City, and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters. The mythically charged family - James, a father of intelligence and immense ambition; Materia, his Lebanese child-bride; and their daughters: Kathleen, the eldest, a beautiful talent preparing for a career as an opera diva; Frances, incorrigible liar and hell-bent bad girl; Mercedes, obsessive Catholic and protector of the flock; and Lily, the adored invalid who takes us on a quest for truth and redemption - is supported by a richly textured cast of characters. Fall on Your Knees is a story of inescapable family bonds, of terrible secrets, of miracles, racial strife, attempted murder, birth and death, and forbidden love.

>73 connie53: I really like this book. It's intriguing, sometimes funny and sometimes painful. And it's written in a style that I like.

Forgot to post my last puzzle made last weekend

1000 pieces by Colin Thompson

>74 connie53: Almost finished Laten wij aanbidden. Only 50 more pages to go. I think is a great book. I finished my chores for today. Did all the ironing before 10 a.m. so I can read all day.

Have a lovely sunday, Connie! Does it feel like spring yet?

And finished Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald it gets

My Review

How can you best describe this book. It is a family history that stretches from about 1900 to about 1955 and begins simply when James (18) falls head over heels in love with Materia, a 13-year-old girl from a Lebanese family. He elopes with her and they eventually have four daughters, Kathleen, Mercedes, Frances and Lily. This book tells their story and that is a boisterous, special and wonderful story with different ingredients such as incest, being transgender, lesbian love and losing innocence, trust and loyalty to each other, but also hate, racism, deception and abuse, prostitution. and dead babies. Beautifully written and beautifully told. I cannot and do not want to tell much about the story. You have to read it yourself to find out what's going on with the four sisters.

Fun puzzle! And enjoy your Sunday filled with reading :)

Thanks RP. I spend the last hour just updating all my tickers and threads after finished >78 connie53:.

Now I'm turning back to my reading.

>75 connie53: I love the puzzle! I have a 6 year old neighbor who is very into pirates right now, I'll have to show it to him the next time in wanders over.

>81 clue: It is a beautiful puzzle. He will like it and search for all the animals, like the penguins on the mast. And the dinosaur that is trying to go on board from the little boat.

>75 connie53:. I love Colin Thompson illustrations and his picture books. I didn't know there was a range of puzzles available. I enjoy jigsaws as well, although my neck suffers if I sit at them for too long.

>83 HelenBaker:. I have the same feeling about making a jigsaw. I tend to stand up because you can see the colors clearer from above, especially when in the evening with the lights on. That's not nice on my back. But hé, I love to make them so a bit of suffering is a price I like to pay.

Got 2 new books today that Peet bought me for my upcoming birthday

Een voor een by Ruth Ware
De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett

I'll wish you a happy birthday now, Connie, and I hope it's a great one!
My mom is always doing a jigsaw on a table in the living room. When I'm there I can't help but get involved. She does the really hard 1000 piece ones too.

Love the puzzle! I've been doing a lot of puzzles over the past year. Currently working on this one: https://www.amazon.com/Galison-Vintage-Library-Stamped-Puzzle/dp/0735353263

I like the 1000 piece ones, so they don't go too fast, but I don't like them to be TOO hard, haha. I like doing puzzles that are reproductions of famous paintings, or pattern-type ones like this book one. I don't love the puzzles that are all pretty much the same color. Too hard!

>87 curioussquared: Love that puzzle, Natalie! It's about books, what can I say! I don't really like landscape puzzles or old castles. And 1000 or 1500 pieces is just right for me. I have a tabletop (without the table legs)
I make the puzzle on the table and when we eat or I'm on my laptop I put the said tabletop on top of the puzzle.

>86 mstrust: Thanks, Jennifer, turning 68

>87 curioussquared: What a neat puzzle and I am very tempted to buy the feathers puzzle in this range. Thanks for posting this.

I, too, wish you a very Happy Birthday Connie. I hope you are able to share it with your family and love receiving books.

Well, tonight new measurements will be announced. We planned to see the kids on Saturday and Sunday (my birthday is on Thursday) on each day one of the two families. But we will have to wait and see what is announced tonight and act according to it.

The blurb

Unicorns, dragons, sprites, will-o'-the-wisps: the inhabitants of an enchanted world. And into this world - through the pages of an old book - ventures Bastian, a lonely boy of ten or twelve. But Fantastica is slowly decaying, its Childlike Empress dying. Only a real human being can set things right by giving the Empress a new name. Bastian takes up the challenge, and finds himself crossing the Swamps of Sadness and the Silver Mountains, meeting sorcerers and giants, bats and night-hobs, gnomes and racing snails, as he journeys bravely toward the Ivory Tower, Bastian's quest is filled with all the wonders of myth and fairy tale. It is a fantasy adventure that will capture your heart - and recapture the magical dreams of childhood.

I'm currently reading Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende on my Reader. But when talking about it on my Dutch Forum I was told the tree-version had blue and red sentences for the parts about Bastian and Atreyu. The e-book does not show that difference clearly. So I went looking for the tree-version. And found it with the help of a kind woman who works in a Children's Bookshop right here in town. She has ordered it from the publisher and will phone me if it's the right version. Then I can pick it up on Saturday.


Also reading a tree-book De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna see post >68 connie53:.

>91 connie53: My version growing up had the different colored text - which played into the story. I was so excited about it when I first read!

>88 connie53: Ooh, I love your tabletop idea! I need something like that for my puzzling.

>89 HelenBaker: I hope you enjoy it! The book one is good fun so far.

>91 connie53: The different-coloured text is what I remember best, the story not so much. I think I need a re-read...

Happy birthday, Connie! I hope it is a lovely day!

Happy birthday Connie! Have a lovely day, I hope it's a good one!

Happy birthday, Connie! I hope you had nice weather for reading out in the garden :)

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

It was a quiet birthday with no visits, except my sister who came by for a short chat on the driveway.

The kids will come on Saturday and Sunday. Jeroen with Rianne and Lonne on Saturday and Eveline with Cyrille, Fiene and Marie on Sunday. But the weather will be rainy so the garden is out of the question. Our Livingroom is big enough to keep distance.

Bought 3 books today. Totally by coincidence. Here's the story.



The blurb

In this classic fantasy novel from author Michael Ende, small and insignificant Bastian Balthazar Bux is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own. Then, through the pages of an ancient, mysterious book, he discovers the enchanted world of Fantastica, and only Bastian himself can save the fairy people who live there. Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill.

I started reading Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende on my Kobo but I heard that the book had differently colored sentences for the part in the real world where Bastian is living and for the part about the book in the book. So I decided to phone a children's bookstore to ask if they had the right two-colored version available. They didn't, but they could order it for me and I could pick it up at the store when it had arrived. So today I got a call back that it was the right version and I took my bike to pick it up.
The stores have a click-and-collect policy and they can have 2 customers in the shop when you reserve a time slot for 10 or 20 minutes in advance. I asked if I could come in for 5 minutes to have a look around. It's a bookstore! So I had to ask! And yes I could. So I had a good time browsing and took two additional books home

Klifi by Adriaan van Dis
Original Dutch. Klifi stand for KLImaat FIction



The Blurb

In Adriaan van Dis's "KliFi", The Oranjes (The king and his family) are chased away, the republic of the Netherlands licks its wounds after a hurricane and the people accept a president who has elevated denial to an art. Jákob Hemmelbahn, son of Hungarian refugees, is amazed at the resignation of his fellow citizens. He completely resists his nature and gives a voice to the victims of a local flood. "KliFi" is a bitterly cheerful tale of getting out of step, our tendency to adapt and feign, and difficult friendships.

And



Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen
Original Dutch.

The Blurb

A gripping family story in which a young woman discovers who her grandmother really was, which also helps her to get to know herself better

Belarus, 1941. During a raid in her native village, the Jewish Ella witnesses her entire family being murdered in front of her. She manages to escape herself and flees into the forest, where she is taken in by a group of resistance fighters who are hiding there. She finds love there, but loses it again. After the liberation, Ella, who has nothing left to lose, receives false papers named Elle and travels to Paris to pass on information about fugitive Nazis. When she meets a Dutch person who falls in love with her, she agrees to marry him and go to the Netherlands. She is completely silent about her origins and her past.

Netherlands, 2013. Janna is going through a difficult time after her husband has left her. When her grandmother Elle dies during the same period, Janna helps her mother clear out grandma's house. She finds a worn-out box in the attic containing things she cannot place: a Star of David, an old ID in illegible language, and a smooth metal ring. Was her quiet, closed grandmother very different from what she has always thought?

And then I went to the counter to pay. I looked into my shopping bag and noticed I had packed my red Kobo reader instead of my red wallet! It must be the previous 68 years kicking in. They were very nice about it, gave me an invoice and I could pay when I was at home. Of course I did that immediately. But I felt really stupid!

>99 connie53: I'm glad you had a good (if quiet) birthday, and I hope you have a lovely time with the children and grandchildren this weekend. Don't worry about the wallet thing - I'm sure we've all done something similar (I know I have). It's nice that the shop were kind about it - I bet it's not the first time they've seen that sort of thing!

A belated Happy Birthday! I hope you're having a lovely weekend with your family.

A belated happy birthday, Connie! I hope you're having a great weekend seeing your grandchildren.

>99 connie53: I went to the hairdresser's yesterday and got the works, meaning a cut, color, and styling, so it was my more expensive visit. My hairdresser is the only one in the shop and doesn't take credit cards due to the cost. I had glanced in my purse before I left the house to make sure my checkbook was there, I don't use it very often. When I took it out to pay there were no checks inside! At least your booksore could have kept your book! The hairdresser told me to just mail a check but since she lives near a park I enjoy walking in, I went home, about a 20 minute drive, took her the check, and then walked 45 minutes in the park. It was a beautiful day so a good day for that mistake!

I wish my town was well planned for bike riders. Lots of people ride for exercise and a few use theirs for travel but we don't have good bike paths throughout the city so its not always safe to go where you need to go.

I'm glad you're able to see the family for your birthday. I am a litle older than you and have one coming up in August. What's odd is that I don't remember last year's at all. I'm sure with the pandemic there wasn't much celebrating!

>101 Rebeki:, >102 susanj67: Thanks, ladies! I had a few very joyful days.

>103 clue: Hi Luanne. I'm so happy I'm not the only one. Love that story! I think in the covid days people are much nicer then before. At least the people I meet are lovely and think in solutions instead of in problems. Maybe that is the one thing we can learn from covid.

Yesterday Jeroen, Rianne and Lonne visited me and I got a puzzle and finished it this afternoon



Finished:



Today Eveline, Cyrille, Fiene and Marie visited. Marie was a bit shy. From 'oma' on the mobile phone i turned out to be a old lady with legs. But she gave me a little hug when they left, so I think she got used to me in those few hours.
Fiene was over the moon. She visited all her favorite spots in the house, like the room where the barbies are and where she knows is a little pink wheelbarrow (for Marie to play with) And she wants to come and stay for a week when covid is gone or when Peet and I are vaccinated.

I got a nice photo of all the girls



Fiene fooled me with her hair



I really thought it had grown so long!!

But she found a wig from her mother (for Carnival reason) And I fell for it!

I can't believe you did a 1000 piece puzzle in a day! :-0

Your grandchildren are adorable

>104 connie53: That is a bookstore I'd love to visit! And such a lovely picture of the girls!

I seem to make puzzles very fast. I don't know why or how. Maybe I spend all my free time on the puzzle and leave my books alone.

Finished De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna -

My review

It had been a while since I had read part 1, so I had to get into the second part of the series, but after a while it really got to me. Of course Livak also plays a role, but the main role is for Ryshad. He is a swordsman for one of the Houses of Einarinn and is assigned to assist the mage Shivvalan on an unspecified assignment. So Ryshad sets off and ends up in a strange adventure. I will not tell you more because that gives away too much about the story and that is not the intention. but the story is special and many of the riddles from Part 1 are explained. A rough start but an exciting ending.

Now starting in part 3



Livaks fortuin by Juliet E. Mckenna

THE BLURB!!!!

Livak has decided it's time she turned her new-found connections with powerful mages and mighty princes into solid advantage for herself. If she is to have any sort of future with the swordsman Ryshad, they need the means to live independently of her gambling and travel and the ties of his oath. Livak discovers that knowledge of the ancient aetheric magic - Artifice as the Tormalin call it - is being sought by both Messire D'Olbriot and Planir the Archmage. By locating those who hold the secrets of Artifice first, Livak will hold the key to untold riches ... THE GAMBLER'S FORTUNE is a wonderful new fantasy adventure in the Einarinn series, with magical storytelling, powerful characters and a richly detailed world.

A belated happy birthday to you, Connie. That's great that you got to see your children and grandchildren! My daughter got to say hi to her grandparents yesterday and we're planning a backyard get-together when the weather is a bit nicer. I also love your puzzles. I'm tempted to get mine out, but between my child and my two cats, especially the mischievous former outdoor cat, I'm afraid pieces will get lost. ;)

My best friend, who has similar reading tastes to mine, has recommended the McKenna books, so I have the first two on my TBR pile.

>109 Quaisior: Thanks, Q! Good to hear your friend has such a good taste in books! I noticed while searching for information about those books there are at least 5 books, and a few novellas. And of course part 4 and 5 are not translated. Very annoying, but it happens often. So I'm happy my English skills are improving and I will read the last two in English.

Hi Connie!

Belated Happy Birthday to you. We were born in the same year, so I’ll be 68 in a few months, too.

>70 connie53: I’m going to start The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue today. I’ve been reading lots of mysteries and it’s time for a bit of a change.

>99 connie53: Yay for new books. And the wallet at home – I left my credit card in the car when I went grocery shopping last week. Left all the bagged and checked groceries at the end of the cashier’s line, fetched the card, and retrieved my groceries. I can’t imagine the grocery store giving out invoices.

>104 connie53: I’m so glad your family got to visit you. What a sweet card.

That jigsaw looks like a real challenge.
Your granddaughters are beautiful! I'm glad you got to visit with them.

Hi, Connie
I just wanted to tell you that I rec'd my book order from the Dutch illustrator Peter Van Den Ende called The Wanderer. I can't find the original Dutch title. There are no words, just fabulous, magical illustrations. Maybe one day you can find a copy and share it with your grandchildren.

>113 Nickelini: The Dutch title is 'Zwerveling' = someone who wanders. I will keep an eye out for it, Joyce!

>111 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen. It's a collage from three photo's glued to a greyish background and put in a picture frame.
Let me know if Addie LaRue works for you. I hope it does and you enjoy the beautiful story.

About the wallet stories! We call that Alzheimer light!

>112 mstrust: Thanks Jennifer, The puzzle was great to make. It's a bookstore, so what can I say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Finished Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende and give it

My Review:

Nice story about a world, Fantásia, that threatens to disappear if there is not someone who will search for a solution. Atréjoe is the chosen one and he has to go on a quest to find that solution. His journey takes him to oracles, secret gates and weirdos who keep sending him to the next challenge until he knows that someone must come from another world.
Bastiaan is a boy who is not very popular and often a victim of bullying in school. When he 'steals' a book from a mysterious bookstore, he hides in the attic of the school to read the book there. And he reads the story of Atréjoe and starts to feel more and more that he must be the someone who must save the land of Fantásia. Nicely written and certainly catchy for older children. It's about trust and loyalty, believe in yourself, courage and love yourself.

>104 connie53: A belated happy birthday - and what a nice puzzle. They sure know what your interests are. 😃

>115 Henrik_Madsen: They do, don't they?

Stats for 2021 up to March

TBR on April 1 2021: 432 including 57 e-books = 375 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 18
Tree-books read in 2021: 14 all ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 4

Total tree-books into the house: 9
7 books bought
2 as presents

>118 mstrust: What a cute duckling, Thanks Jennifer!

Happy Easter, Connie! Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

>120 Caramellunacy: Thanks CL.

Happy belated Birthday, Connie! I am a fellow Aries born on March 22 and beginning the fabulous 60's.
Awesome puzzles! I purchased a puzzle mat which I can fold up and put away when I need the dining room table or even at night to protect it from the kitties. What a game changer!
Hope you're having a delightful Easter!

>122 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda. Mine is on March 25 and ending the fab 60's. In two years time I will be entering the 70's.

I do have a mat like that but did not like it at all. Perhaps it was another version of the mat.

Happy Easter to you too.

Thank you for your Easter greetings, Connie, you're so good at checking in on us all! I hope that you, Peet, and all your family have a lovely Easter.

>124 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie. Glad to see you here. We have a very quiet and cold Easter. We will visit Jeroen, Rianne and Lonne tomorrow. If the weather allows us going there by bike. Otherwise Jeroen will pick us up.

Re: visiting all threads. I like to do that occasionally to get them enthusiastic for ROOTing again.

Finished Livaks fortuin by Juliet E. McKenna and give it

My Review

Wonderful relaxed reading. I needed that for now. Livak and her friends face another attack from the Eliëtimm. This time Eresken unleashed a war between the north and the middle of Einarinn.
Livak has been sent on a journey north to find out if in a book of songs references or spells are hidden that could be the origin of an other kind of magic used by the Northern people and the Eliëtimm. That could mean that the Eliëtimm are somehow descendants of the people in the north. The wizard Usara is also coming along, as are Sorgard and Sorgren. Of course they get into all kinds of difficulties again. I just enjoyed reading this. It is a pity that the following parts are no longer translated.

Hi Connie! Happy Easter.

>114 connie53: I’m about halfway through The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and lovin’ it. I’ve just started the part where Henry makes his own, different, deal with the green-eyed demon and Bea has ‘seen’ Addie in 3 different pieces of art centuries apart. Heady stuff!

What a fun puzzle and grand-girls update! Happy belated birthday and Happy Easter.

Thanks, MJ!

>127 karenmarie: I think I will have a re-read somewhere in the summer. You made me want to read it again, Karen.

Today it was really strange weather. We were supposed to visit our son and his family but because of the forecast they decided to visit us instead. First Jeroen thought he might pick us up by car but than he had to ride the distance four times. So they came here and it was a pleasant visit. In the meantime outside it was raining and storming, then sunny, then hail, then sun again, all in ten minutes time. We were happy we did not have to cycle through that weather.
In the afternoon I tried to read, but not one of my books could keep my attention, so up I went to one of the bedrooms to see a book that could work and I found it.



Verdwenen by Val McDermid

The BLURB from the back

It's every parent's worst nightmare... Stephanie Harker is travelling through the security gates at O'Hare airport, on her way to an idyllic holiday. Five-year-old Jimmy goes through the metal detector ahead of her. But then, in panic and disbelief, Stephanie watches as a uniformed agent leads her boy away - and she's stuck the other side of Security, hysterical with worry. The authorities, unaware of Jimmy's existence, just see a woman behaving erratically; Stephanie is brutally wrestled to the ground and blasted with a taser gun to restrain her. And by the time she can tell them what has happened, Jimmy is long gone. But as Stephanie tells her story to the FBI, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems with this seemingly-normal family. What is Jimmy's background? Why would someone want to abduct him? And, with time running out, how can Stephanie get him back? A breathtakingly rich and gripping psychological thriller, The Vanishing Point is Val McDermid's most accomplished standalone novel to date, a work of haunting brilliance.

So I spend all afternoon reading this book and loving it.

I made asparagus for diner combined with boiled eggs, ham , fried potatoes and butter sauce.

Now going to watch some instalments of 'Grantchester'

Finished Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan and I give this



The Blurb

Ana and Connor have been having an affair for three years. In hotel rooms and coffee shops, swiftly deleted texts and briefly snatched weekends, they have built a world with none but the two of them in it.
But then the unimaginable happens, and Ana finds herself alone, trapped inside her secret.

How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out? In her desperate bid for answers, Ana seeks out the shadowy figure who has always stood just beyond her reach - Connor's wife Rebecca.
Peeling away the layers of two overlapping marriages, Here is the Beehive is a devastating excavation of parenthood, betrayal and loss.

My Review

Reading a book in English is in some cases quite difficult and that is also the case here because it is such an incoherent text. But the story is broadly accessible and it is an intriguing story about a forbidden love, about infidelity and friendship written in a diary formula. At least that's how I see it. Loose comments without knowing who or what it is about. That is already a challenge in Dutch, but for me in English it was for sure. The end really took me by surprise. Very well done.

>131 connie53:
Impressive! Well done, you

Thanks, Joyce and thank you for the BB.

Finished Verdwenen by Val McDermid and give it

My Review

Exciting book right up to the last minute. There are so many surprises and plot twists in it you'd think I was prepared for anything, but the ending was really WOW. This book is about everything, maternal love, friendship, infidelity, faithfulness, betrayal and love. I am not going to tell you anything about the content, which is not really useful if you want to read this book yourself.

Bought and started to read today: the new Harlan Coben - Win



The Blurb from the back cover

Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On New York's Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead not only on Patricia's kidnapping but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up in this dead man's apartment. But he's interested - especially when the FBI tell him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism, and that he may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not:: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his own unique brand of justice ...

And finished and the book gets

My review

This book is about Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III) and his family. His family is very rich and they have useful contacts everywhere, both in the highest circles as in the lesser circles. Win has expensive cars and a few helicopters at his disposal. His PA is Kabir who is very good at researching and structuring things. Win himself has mastered all kinds of combat sports and can defend himself against anything. He is distant in nature and can think logically, but does not have much feeling or emotions. He doesn't love anyone, just in a platonic way his friend Myron Bolitar (who has no role in this story). He has sex for the sake of sex without being in a relationship. He even has an app on his phone that allows him to meet like-minded women. And he is incredibly tenacious when he finds a trail of a wrong and does not shy away from any means to find out the truth.
Harlan Coben has written an exciting story in the style of how Win would work and think. That makes this a very different book from all his other books. The atmosphere is more businesslike and a summary of factuality's. However, that makes it very interesting to read.
When a murdered man, a suitcase with Win's initials and a Vermeer stolen from the Lockwood family, are found in a penthouse, the police has found a new lead in the kidnapping case of Patricia Lockwood, Win's niece, 20 years previous. Win must find out exactly what happened to prove his innocence and find the other missing painting (a Picasso). But nothing is what it seems.

Also Reading.



Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood book

The blurb from the back cover

It's 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories?



A Wizard's guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher ebook

The blurb from the back cover

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance.
But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries...



The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow ebook

The blurb from the back cover

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. But when the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote - and perhaps not even to live - the sisters must delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive. There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

>137 connie53: I have Alias Grace on my TBR (although who knows when I'll get to it?!). I've also heard good things about both those other two books as well.

>138 Jackie_K: I know, I've seen them described too. That's why I'm reading them now. And loving them. I'm not that far in Alias Grace but I've seen the series and loved it, so I wanted to read the book too.

I really liked Alias Grace, enough that I bought my sister a copy too.

>140 mstrust: That's good to hear, Jennifer. I'm progressing very slow because another book is calling me louder and is almost finished. So I will concentrate on A Wizard's guide to defensive baking, that is such a delightful read.

Finished A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher and give that book

My Review

What a nice and funny book this is. Unfortunately not translated into Dutch, but the English was easy to do for me. Mona is a 14-year-old girl who works in her Aunt Tabitha's and Uncle Albert's bakery. She makes all kinds of delicious things. Mona has a little bit of magic that she can use to tell the dough what she wants them to do. Taste good, don't burn and things like that. The dough comes from a large vessel in which the sourdough starter grows. Mona is responsible for it, she has to feed it and make sure it grows and she calls him Bob!
But then bad luck strikes and she is arrested for a murder she did not commit. She just found the victim in the bakery. She is brought before the Duchess by the Inquisitor Oberon. The Duchess, however, acquits her but then Mona notices that anyone suspected of having magic, gets killed or disappears. When the little brother of the murdered girl, Spindle finds her and they become friends, an adventure begins. Spindle is a street boy and he brings her all kinds of pamphlets who urge the people of the city to report people with magic. Mona and Spindle go to the Duchess who barely knows anything about the pamphlets and the murders and disappearances and they all decide to do something about anti-wizardry. When an enemy army approaches the city walls it's up to Mona to save the city using Mona's magical powers with dough. Mona finds she can do more than she thinks she can. A Young Adult book but I really enjoyed it.

Now reading

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews



The blurb from the back Cover

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can't leave the grounds because she's responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina. And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night.... Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans--an alpha-strain werewolf--and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she's facing is unlike anything she's ever encountered before. It's smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

>142 connie53: I need to get to this one, Connie! It was just nominated for the YA Hugo this morning. I know a lot of folks on LT like T. Kingfisher and I just haven't gotten around to her books yet. Soon!

Please do, Natalie, they are fun reads with a great kind of magic.

Bought two more new books, I'm so bad

Something went wrong translating this book. On the cover it says 'De verre Horizon' but inside it says 'Een verre horizon'



Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore No touchstone yet

This is the translation of The Distant Shores.

The blurb from the back Cover

Margot Hart travels to Ireland to write a biography of the famous Deverill family. She knows she must speak to the current Lord Deverill - JP - if she is to uncover the secrets of the past. A notorious recluse, JP won't be an easy man to crack. But Margot is determined - and she is not a woman who is easily put off. What she never expected was to form a close bond with JP and be drawn into his family disputes. Shouldering the blame for running up debts that forced him to sell the family castle, JP is isolated and vulnerable. With help from his handsome son Colm, it seems as though Margot might be the only one who can restore JP's fortunes. Will the family ever succeed in healing rifts that have been centuries in the making?

And



Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French No touchstone yet

This is the translation of The Unheard.

Jason and Tess broke up amicably a year ago and share custody of their daughter Poppy. Tess has yet to get used to her new situation, but is happy with the help she is getting from her friends. She tries to get over the fact that Jason is now married. She's herself is dating again and she's pretty happy, she tells herself, until her daughter Poppy starts speaking a foreign language and draws a picture with black crayon. A drawing showing a figure falling from a tower. Tess becomes convinced that Poppy has witnessed a crime. She goes to the police, but she is not believed. Then she decides to investigate herself ...

Enjoyed catching up on your acquiring and reading, especially when you read a new book right away. You always inspire me to try mystery/thriller writers -- Harlen Coben has been on my radar since reading Michael J. Fox's latest essays, where he mentions their friendship. And I'm happy to see another positive for Here is the Beehive.

Thanks MJ. I have to read a Harlan Coben immediately. I can really look forward to a new one. So If you have the change just try one.

Finished Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews and it gets

My review

First part of the Innkeepers chronicles and I really like this book. A living Bed & Breakfast (the Inn) what more could you want. It was not difficult to read in English and there is some tension and some romance. And vampires and werewolves which are in some competition over the owner of the Inn, Dina Demille.
When in the village where Dina lives, a number of dead dogs are found that have been horribly battered and she meets her new neighbor Sean Evans, they decide to prevent worse things together. Because the injuries of the dogs are not normal but rather come from some other creature. Dina, who is no stranger to other species, recognizes a werewolf in Sean, which makes things more complicated. And then a few vampires arrive who are also looking for the strange creature. During an attempt to find it, a number of them are killed and one is left deadly wounded in the inn. And that attracts a new vampire who has to heal him. That's Arland, the three of them are going to battle. Lovely reading, going to start part 2 immediately.

Part 2

Sweep in peace by Ilona Andrews



The blurb from the back cover

Dina DeMille doesn't run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance. Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper...

>149 connie53: These sound like so much fun! It's been a while since I read a fantasy/paranormal series, but would love to step away into another world for a bit...

>148 connie53: Harlan Coben isn't my cup of tea at all, but I happened to hear an interview with him about his new book Win the other week as I drove home from work, and he sounded like a really lovely guy. Always nice to see the good guys doing well!

I hope you and Peet and your family are well. At least now the weather seems to be getting a bit warmer it will be easier to sit out and read outside (I always love that! Although yesterday a bird scored a direct hit on me! Didn't love that so much :D ).

>151 Jackie_K: LOL. Yes it's warmer now, but temps and nature are falling behind on schedule, so I heard on the radio. It should have been warmer. Yesterday I sat outside reading, but not for long. Next week will be better.

>150 Caramellunacy: They are fun and not too long. Just about 200 pages each. But it's really very relaxing and entertaining to read them.

Finished Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews and give it

My Review

Second part of the Inn keepers Chronicles and a very exciting part. Dina Demille is asked to host 3 alien nations who want to hold a peace talk. That creates the necessary difficulties, because these nations have been on the warpath for decades. They have to come to an agreement to ensure peace and economic stability on the planet where all three are based. With the help of Sean and Arland, Dina tries everything to bring it to a successful conclusion.

Moving on to part 3



One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews

The blurb from the back cover

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest...the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don't stand too close, or you may be collateral damage. But what passes for Dina's normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who's been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

Finished One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews and this book gets too

My Review

Part 3 in The Inn Keepers Chronicles. And it is just as wonderful a book to read as the first two volumes were.
Dina has to put everything she has when she gets a message from her sister Maud and that message is a cry for help. Together with Sean and Arland, Dina travels on one of Arland's spaceships to a harsh planet where Maud and her daughter Helen are trapped after the death of Maud's vampire husband. This is really just a small introduction story in which we get to know Maud and Helen. After some skirmishes with the other visitors to the café where they find Maud and Helen, they can safely return to the Inn.

And there new difficulties await. A Hiru, a hideous and smelly but peaceful creature, asks Dinah and the Inn for protection. She has to comply with that because that is the honor and task of the Inn. The Hiru, a dying race with only about 30 individuals left, are threatened by the Draziri, a people who kill for the sake of killing. And their attacks on the Inn can only barely be repelled. A police officer who has been watching the Inn since Book 1 learns the truth about the Inn, but ends up contributing to the final all-out attack.

Starting in part 4



Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

The blurb from the back cover

Maud Demille is a daughter of Innkeepers—a special group who provide ‘lodging’ to other-planetary visitors—so she knows that a simple life isn't in the cards. But even Maud could never have anticipated what Fate would throw at her.

Once a wife to a powerful vampire knight, Maud and her young daughter, Helen, were exiled with him for his treachery to the desolate, savage planet of Karhari. Karhari killed her husband, and Maud—completely abandoned by his family—has spent over a year avenging his debts. Rescued by her sister Dina, she's sworn off all things vampire.

Except... In helping Dina save the world, she met Arland, the Marshal of House Krahr, one of the most powerful vampire houses. One thing led to another and he asked for her hand in marriage. She declined. Arland is not used to hearing the word ‘no;’ and try as she might, Maud can't just walk away from Arland. It doesn't help that being human is a lot harder for Maud than being a vampire.

To sort it all out, she accepts his invitation to visit his home planet. House Krahr is extremely influential and Maud knows that a woman—a human, with a very questionable past—who's turned down a proposal from its most beloved son won't get a warm reception. Maybe she’s not sure about marrying Arland, but House Krahr isn’t going to decide for her. Maud Demille has never run from a fight, and House Krahr will soon discover that there's a lot more to Maud than they’re expecting.

I just fly through the books by Ilona Andrews

Finished Sweep of the Blade - Ilona Andrews -

My review

Part 4 of the Inn-Keepers Chronicles, but actually this is part 1 of the books about Maud, Dina's sister.
Maud and her daughter Helen went to Arland's planet. There she will meet his mother Ilemina and that is not easy, because Arland is important to the House of Krahr. He is their Lord Marchall and that means he is in charge of many things. So Maud has to do everything she can to prove that she is worthy to stay with him. Helen, who is half human - half vampire, also creates the necessary difficulties because she can do much more than the average 5 year old. Very entertaining and nice to read.



And started and finished - Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews -

The Blurb

A charming, short novella in the Innkeeper Chronicles, from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ilona Andrews. Thank you for joining us at Gertrude Hunt, the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, during the Treaty Stay. As you know, we are honor-bound to accept all guests during this oldest of innkeeper holidays and we are expecting a dangerous guest. Or several. But have no fear. Your safety and comfort is our first priority. The inn and your hosts, Dina Demille and Sean Evans, will defend you at all costs. But we hope we don't have to. Every winter, Innkeepers look forward to celebrating their own special holiday, which commemorates the ancient treaty that united the very first Inns and established the rules that protect them, their intergalactic guests, and the very unaware/oblivious people of planet Earth. By tradition, the Innkeepers welcomed three guests: a warrior, a sage, and a pilgrim, but during the holiday, Innkeepers must open their doors to anyone who seeks lodging. Anyone. All Dina hopes is that the guests and conduct themselves in a polite manner. But what's a holiday without at least one disaster?

My Review

This book is thin and easy to read on a sunny afternoon. We are back with Dina and Sean and at the Inn. It keeps reading and this story is actually too short to be in-depth. Therefore a 7.

Hi Connie!

>130 connie53: I’ve only read 3 by Val McDermid, and those in the Karen Pirie series, but I do have a couple of standalones and the first in the Hill/Jordan series. She’s so good, isn’t she?

>136 connie53: I’m so glad you like Win! Wow. 5 stars. I’d love to see more in the “Win” series.

>137 connie53: I read Alias Grace for the first meeting of my RL book club in 1997. It was stunning. I’ve only read one other by her – the first in the MaddAddam trilogy, Oryx and Crake.

>156 karenmarie: Hi Karen.

I've read 9 of Margaret Atwood books since I saw her Het verhaal van de dienstmaagd series. And loved most of them.

And yes! I would like to read more about Win. And Val is good, always.

>156 karenmarie: >157 connie53: Although her crime books aren't for me at all, Val McDermid is a Scottish National Treasure and always great value when she's on the TV or radio. I love listening to her - even when she's talking about crime (shudder! :D ) she's interesting and entertaining.

>158 Jackie_K: If you don't love crime books, these are not for you, Jackie.

Finished

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow This book gets

My Review

What a great book this is. The three Eastwood sisters were estranged in their childhoods. Bella, Agnes and Juniper grew up in a motherless family and with a fairly easily flammable father. Bella and Agnes have fled early and Juniper is left with her grandmother Mama Mags and her alcoholic father. Juniper learns from her grandmother that there is power in the poems, fairytales and stories told by the grandmothers, mothers and aunts and passed down through generations. When Juniper finally also flees after the death of her grandmother and her father has died in a suspicious way. She flees to New Salem and there she ends up in a suffragette demonstration. Bella and Agnes are there too, although they don't know that about each other. When Bella accidentally casts a spell, it's mayhem all over. At that moment, the three sisters sense that the others are nearby and a tower appears in the square where they are standing. The tower of the last Three. And then the women of New Salem begin to secretly meet and exchange spells and stories. The three sisters face Gideon Hill, a city administrator with the ambition to become mayor.
This is a story about the power of words, of women and the power of love and sacrifice. I am very impressed with this. Read the book yourself if you want to know exactly what is happening.

And Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien gets



My Review.

Funny story that Tolkien wrote for his children. The book has 3 parts. The introduction (long) tells about the origin of the story with dates, certainties and deductions, then the actual story follows, which is nice and then a very long piece with an explanation of some sentences or clues that occur in the story. Nice to read.

Finished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and this book gets

My Review

Canada, between 1851 and 1872. Grace Marks is in a detention-center where she will be for the rest of her life. She has been found guilty for participating in the murders of her boss, Mr. Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. Grace worked for them as a maid. Her co-perpetrator, James McDermott, is guilty of the murder of Kinnear because he fired the fatal shot and was hanged for it.
This is a true story and Margaret Atwood has used many books and other publications to provide an intriguing picture of the case. Simon Jordan was also actually involved in this. He is a young neurologist who has new ideas on how to fix memory loss. He's been able to visit Grace and record her story and see if he can get some of the still remaining questions answered. He does this with verve. Grace has been in the detention-center for 16 years now and, due to good behavior, is allowed to work in the house of the director of the detention-center. He comes to talk to her regularly and while she is working on her quilts, he listens to her story. That story is told in a simple way because Grace is a simple girl.
Grace is a young Irish woman from a family with many children who emigrate to Canada. Her mother dies on the boat trip and Grace has to take care of the smallest children. Her father is a lazy dude and only occasionally has work and therefore sends Grace out to work. Happy to be able to leave home, she moves from one family to another until she comes to work for Mr. Kinnear. Everything goes wrong there.
The story is partly the story that Grace tells and partly a number of exchanges of letters between head officials and some sections about Simon. You slowly get a sense of how the story could have happened. With the occasional aha moment. But you don't really know anything for sure at the end. You do get a good idea of ​​how things went in those days with the poorer and the rich families. Very nice book to read.

Started in this book yesterday and almost finished it. Today is going to be a sunny and warm day. So I probably will finish it today too.



Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French

The Blurb

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly colored paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

>160 connie53: I haven't read Alias Grace, but I watched the mini-series and found it fascinating - unfortunately the library here doesn't seem to have it!

I'm sorry to hear that, CL. I hope you will find it somewhere soon.

Finished Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French and this book gets

My review

Nicci French's latest book was a bit disappointing. It's a big book, but the line spacing is actually a bit too big. So you get a lot less story than you expect based on the size of the book. The story is exciting and the ending was quite unexpected. I hadn't seen that coming. I thought Tess was a bit premature with her action. She is rather quickly going to the police with her suspicions and that seemed rather strange. But still it was a good book and I finished it in 1,5 days.

Started yesterday and finished today



Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore and give it

The blurb

Margot Hart travels to Ireland to write a biography of the famous Deverill family. She knows she must speak to the current Lord Deverill – JP – if she is to uncover the secrets of the past. A notorious recluse, JP won’t be an easy man to crack. But Margot is determined – and she is not a woman who is easily put off.

What she never expected was to form a close bond with JP and be drawn into his family disputes. Shouldering the blame for running up debts that forced him to sell the family castle, JP is isolated and vulnerable. With help from his handsome son Colm, it seems as though Margot might be the only one who can restore JP’s fortunes.

My review

I don't really understand why Santa Montefiore's books can always bring me to tears. The story always catches me, but actually they are ordinary romantic stories where you can see from afar how it ends, namely everything turns out well and they are a loving couple in the end.
The road to it is often a bit different, but there is always a difficulty that comes along that way, that needs to be solved. This time it is a number of misunderstandings between the members of the Deverill family and the arrival of Margot Hart. She has a contract with the new owner of the castle to write a book about the history of the family. That does not go well with a number of family members.

>164 connie53:
I'll note this one. I read my first Santa Montefiore last year (the Temptation of Gracie), which I loved. I own two others that I'm looking forward to get to - Secrets of the Lighthouse and House By the Sea

Hi, Joyce. The book I talk about is part 5 in the series about the castle of the Deverills so maybe not the best place to start. But her books are always a place of comfort for me.

BTW, The touchstone of your last book goes to another writer.

>166 connie53:

Fixed! Sorry about that.

I will make note of the series. I forgot that her books were not all stand alones. From the one that I read, she does seem like a great comfort read.

>167 Nickelini: Nothing to be sorry about. It happens to me too.

Stats for 2021: January, February, March and April

TBR on May 1 2021: 422 including 52 e-books = 370 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 33
Tree-books read in 2021: 22 including 18 ROOTs
e-books read in 2021: 11

Total tree-books into the house: 12 (5 read)
10 books bought,
2 books as presents

Finished De Nazaten van Shannara by Terry Brooks and the book gets

My Review

Nice to return to Shannara again. That has been a while ago. Fortunately, it is still fun to read. Par and Coll Ohmsford are summoned to a lake somewhere to meet the Shade of the Druid Allanon and more Ohmsfords are summoned to come as well. They all receive an assignment from Allanon. The adventures are a bit predictable: battles with creatures of shadow and fear, misunderstandings and dangerous roads. Just nice to be back.

Now starting in;



Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan

The blurb from the back cover

In the Cornish coastal village of Mount Polbearne, the Christmas season has arrived. But holiday bliss soon gives way to panic when a storm cuts the village off from the mainland. Now it will take all of the villagers to work together in order to ensure everyone has a happy holiday.

And



De druïde van Shannara by Terry Brooks

The Blurb from the back cover

In the three hundred years since the death of the Druid Allanon, the mysterious, evil Shadowen have seized control and are ruining the Four Lands. Using Cogline as messenger, the shade of Allanon summons the four scions of Shannara: Par, Coll, Wren, and Walker Boh. To Walker Boh he gives the duty of restoring the lost Druid's Keep, Paranor. For that, Walker needs the black Elfstone, but his search leads him only to a trap. Meanwhile, the King of the Silver River, a fabulous being as old as mankind, creates a daughter named Quickening and sends her to help. She is joined by Morgan Leah and Pe Ell, an assassin who plans eventually to kill her. They find Walker Boh dying after an attack by the Shadowen, Rimmer Dall. Quickening heals him and tells him that the Elfstone is in the hands of another ancient being, the Stone King, who seeks to turn all the world to stone. The journey will lead them to the far north, through the Charnal Mountains and beyond, into a perilous and unknown land. And no one knows what horrible monsters the Stone King has set to guard his citadel.

Hi Connie!

>159 connie53: I wasn’t inclined to read The Once and Future Witches based on the Amazon blurb, but your review has me reconsidering. I loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January, after all, so have put this on my wish list.

>160 connie53: Alias Grace was the first book chosen for my RL book club back in 1997. I loved it.

>161 connie53: I had to play detective on this one, based on your “latest book” clue. This is one of those titles I won’t get to see until October or so - Amazon says the hardcover will be published in the US then. I found 2 not-Frieda Klein books by French at the thrift store last week and will try one of them soon.

>171 karenmarie: That's so strange and I've noticed that before. The books by Nicci French are translated almost immediately after being published in the UK. I guess the Dutch like to read them very very very much and the Dutch publisher is very eager to keep the Dutch people satisfied.

Finished Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan this book gets

My review

This is of course a really 'feel good' series, but this part doesn't really work for me. I was quite irritated by the endless repeating of facts. They came up in just about every chapter. The story itself is likeable, but the book could have used a better editor.

There is this little bookstore in the shopping center nearby. I get my groceries in the center and, now shops are open again and I like to support my local shops instead of buying everything online, I pop in the bookshop regularly. I wanted to make a reservation for the new book by Lucinda Riley that will be published next Thursday and I saw a book that I wanted to read sometime and then read for the girls. And it was a special edition published by the foundation 'geef een boek cadeau' (Give a book as a gift) so.....

De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt



The blurb from the back cover

A young messenger.
A secret mission.
A kingdom in peril.

It is the dead of night.

Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day.
But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help.
A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the GreatMountains - a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood.

Tiuri's journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places.

He must trust no one.
He must keep his true identity secret.
Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter...

>174 connie53: That was one of my favorite books growing up! One of our teachers used to read us snippets at the end of his lessons - I got hooked! (I'm not a fan of the new Netflix adaptation, though)

Two new books into the house

One a gift from Peet for mothersday.



Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina

Part one in the series about Lara Polaris
Original Dutch

The blurb from the back cover

In a land where magic is prohibited, 16-year-old Lara tries with all her might to suppress her powers. But then she is tested for witchcraft, and her world is turned upside down. The witch sign is tattooed on her neck and slowly but surely she is cut off from the rest of the world.
She gets to know her fellow companions; David, Noah, Philip and Alex, and together they start a resistance against the oppression. But just as everything seems to fall into place, Lara discovers a dark family secret. Magic is prohibited for a reason, and that reason is closer than she thinks ...

And because I like his books a lot and I was ordering the first book anyway



Schaduwland by Robert Bryndza

The blurb from the back cover

Criminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector's too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn't add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.

The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

But the elusive serial killer they're hunting isn't the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

Finished De Druïde van Shannara by Terry Brooks and it gets

My review

I also enjoyed this book. This time we get to know Pe Ell and Horner Dees. The others in the company are Morgan Leah, Loper Boh, Carisman and also the girl Quickening (I know: a very strange name.), who is formed from trees and grasses, by the King of the Silver River. Together they set out to find the black elf stone in the lands of the Stone King Uhl Belk. Lots of fights and adventures.

Now reading a book I got from Peet this morning Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina see>176 connie53: for the blurb from the back cover.

Finished Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina

Now this was not the best book I've read. And it gets

My review

Bit of a disappointment. This book has a good starting point, but the effect is a bit too sloppy for me and at times unlikely. The end was rather exciting.

This morning I went to the bookstore to get the newest book by Lucinda Riley - De zevende zus. I did pre-order that one and will start reading it NOW.



The blurb from the back cover

The mysterious seventh sister was always untraceable, but when Georg Hoffman reveals he might be on her trail, Maia and Ally discover two clues: the address of a New Zealand vineyard, and a drawing of a special, star-shaped ring. CeCe, who lives in Australia, starts to investigate.
This is only the beginning of the thrilling search for the seventh sister, because the woman with the special ring has just embarked on a long journey. It will be a race against time that takes the sisters all over the world. They try to follow her trail in New Zealand, Canada, England, France and Ireland, but they always seem to be one step behind ...

Yesterday my daughter Eveline and Fiene visited us for mother's day. We had a nice time outside on a playground in the neighborhood. Eveline brought a book she had read and that was a real fun book, sometime hilarious, so she lend it to me to read. I made a small start in it yesterday.



Wen er maar aan by Maike Meijer

Original Dutch by a woman that is an actress and writer of scripts for TV-series.
She made the illustrations too.
Translation of the title: 'Get used to it.'

It's about a 40+ woman that finds herself in menopause and is completely thrown about it.

The blurb from the back cover

In her revealing diary, unemployed actress M. records the small and large decline in her life and all the things that happen in menopause. Her adolescent son Ole threatens to leave the nest and sex with husband Koos is something that has to happen now and then. "It's like a six-monthly check-up at the dentist, only less often." Meanwhile, she longs for a star role. She wants to prove to herself - and above all her son - that there is still a future in her.

Another BFB # 8. This book is not a ROOT.



De zevende zus by Lucinda Riley, 688 pages

My review:

Another good story by Lucinda Riley, but one that starts up a bit slow and I feel it was written in a bit of a rush with short sentences that speed up the reading, but also feels a bit simple. When the seventh sister's story goes back to the past as usual, it works again for me. The story of the seventh sister goes back to Ireland in 1920 and tells about Nuala, a girl who grows up in a poor peasant family with seven children. They all have to work hard to stay afloat and besides that, the whole family is deeply involved in the IRA. Nuala and her sister Hannah convey messages to other members of the resistance and do laundry and cooking and provide temporary shelter to people who have to go into hiding. That continues in all the episodes that make up the story. Via Hannah to her daughter and so on with the Irish struggle for freedom as the common denominator.
In the present, the book is about Merry (Mary) who, after her husband's death, wants to take a trip to change her mind. Meanwhile, the D'Apliese sisters are on their way from all over the world to Geneva to the house where they lived as children. They want to honor Pa Salt by throwing a wreath in the sea in the spot where their father, Pa Salt, is said to have drowned. They have clues about the seventh sister and start looking for her so she can be there too. I'm not going to say more because of spoiler stuff. A huge cliffhanger at the end. And the announcement of an eighth book.

Finished Wen er maar aan by Maike Meijer this book gets

My review

Funny and sometimes a bit wry book about an unemployed actress who fights for a new role and against the menopause. Nice snack.

Started in Schaduwland by Robert Bryndza yesterday



The blurb from the back cover

Criminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector's too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn't add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.

The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

But the elusive serial killer they're hunting isn't the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

And finished Schaduwland and give it

My Review

An exciting story. Kate, a professor of criminology and her assistant and partner as an occasional private investigator Tristan, investigate the disappearance of a university colleague, Magdalena.
Kate and her son Jake recently found the severely mutilated body of Simon Kendal during a dive in a reservoir. The body was stuck 20 meters below the surface of the water to a hook on the church tower of a sunken village. When the police dismiss this as an accident, Kate cannot believe it and when Simon's mother calls for her help, because she doesn't believe it either, that is another reason to investigate. They find many more names of people, mainly girls, who disappeared or were found dead around the reservoir. It slowly becomes clear that there is a pattern. Meanwhile, Magdalena has no intention of resigning herself to her kidnapping without a fight. Exciting and with the surprising return of Peter Conway as an extra.

Starting ROOT # 21 De elfenkoningin van Shannara by Terry Brooks



The third volume of The Heritage of Shannara, which continues one of the most popular fantasy series of all time "Find the Elves and return them to the world of Men!" the shade of the Druid Allanon had ordered Wren. It was clearly an impossible task. The Elves had been gone from the Westland for more than a hundred years. There was not even a trace of their former city of Arborlon left to mark their passing. No one in the Esterland knew of them -- except, finally, the Addershag. The blind old woman had given instructions to find a place on the coast of the Blue Divide, build a fire, and keep it burning for three days. "One will come for you." Tiger Ty, the Wing Rider, had come on his giant Roc to carry Wren and her friend Garth to the only clear landing site on the island of Morrowindl, where, he said, the Elves might still exist, somewhere in the demon-haunted jungle. Now she stood within that jungle, remembering the warning of the Addershag: "Beward, Elf-girl. I see danger ahead for you . . . and evil beyond imagining." It had proved all too true. Wren stood with her single weapon of magic, listening as demons evil beyond all imagining gathered for attack. How long could she resist? And if, by some miracle, she reached the Elves and could convince them to return, how could they possibly retrace her perilous path to reach the one safe place on the coast?

I had started in book >185 connie53: but suddenly I was reading a totally different book.

Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen



The blurb from the back cover

A gripping family story in which a young woman discovers who her grandmother really was, which helps her get to know herself better

Belarus, 1941. During a raid in her native village, the Jewish Ella witnesses her entire family being murdered in front of her. She manages to escape herself and flees into the forest, where she is taken in by a group of resistance fighters who are hiding there. She finds love there, but loses it again. After liberation, Ella, who has nothing left to lose, receives false papers named Elle and travels to Paris to pass on information about fugitive Nazis. When she meets a Dutch person who falls in love with her, she agrees to marry him and go to the Netherlands. She is completely silent about her origins and her past.

Netherlands, 2013. Janna is going through a difficult time after her husband has left her. When her grandmother Elle dies during the same period, Janna helps her mother clear out grandma's house. She finds a worn-out box in the attic containing things she can't place: a Star of David, an old ID in illegible language, and a smooth metal ring. Was her quiet, closed grandmother very different from what she has always thought?

>186 connie53: I had started in book >185 connie53: connie53: but suddenly I was reading a totally different book LOL! I'm in a variant of that situation -- reading three right now and waiting for one to take over...

>187 detailmuse: Yes, MJ. It was kind of strange. I'm reading four now. With the surprise book as a favorite.

Finished Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen and the book gets

I was somewhat hesitating between a 7 and an 8, but the fact that the story was intriguing enough to keep me reading all afternoon and I learned some things about the Russian resistance during WO II made me decide on an 8.

My Review

Based on a true story. Ella is a young Jewish woman studying at Minsk University. In the summer she returns to her family in a small village where her parents, two brothers and two sisters still live with her grandfather. Then the Germans invade Russia and eventually her entire family is murdered and Ella can only escape by fleeing into the forest. She ends up in a camp of resistance fighters. Ella takes part in the group's small and large attacks against the Germans.

Years later, after the death of Ella (who now calls herself Elle), her granddaughter Janna finds a small box containing a number of objects including a Star of David and a identity card. Janna and her parents have no idea to whom those things might belong. When her friend and colleague, Angel, in her enthusiasm, engages her friend and investigative journalist, Nick, and a personal situation gives Janna all the time to investigate, they decide together to try to find out the origin of the objects. The trail leads to what is now Belarus and Nick and Janna decide to drive there. Janna also discovers that she can, dares and wants much more than she previously thought.

Hi Connie!

I had started in book >185 connie53: connie53: but suddenly I was reading a totally different book.

That frequently happens to me.

Finished ROOT # 21 and this book gets

My review of De elfenkoningin van Shannara by Terry Brooks

Third part of The Heritage of Shannara sub-series. This time we mainly follow Wren Ohmsford, the nomad girl with some Elven- and human blood. She has been instructed to find the elves and to bring them back to the Four Lands. She sets off with Garth, her teacher. On the way they are joined by Stresa, the splinterscat and Faun, the little treeweed (very adorable). Very occasionally also Walker Doh and his story appear. Furthermore, there are of course all kinds of dangers to brave, mountains and ravines to conquer. Starting in the last part of this sub-series in the great Shannara series.



De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks ROOT # 21

The blurb from the back cover

Although some of the goals to keep Shannara safe had been met, the work of Walker Boh, Wren, and Par was not yet done. For The Shadowmen still swarmed over the Four Lands, poisoning all with their dark magic. Each Shannaran had a special death waiting for him- at the hands of The Shadowmen-unless Par could find a way to free them all with the Sword of Shannara.

I think I'm totally crazy. I'm now vacuuming my books and rearranging them across the shelves. I found another spot where I could put at least ten books but that was a spot at the end of the line where the Z is. I will be doing that for the rest of the week working my way to the bedrooms.

I'm really crazy, but I'm loving it.

Hi Connie! I'm finally catching up. You have a beautiful family. And it looks like you've had some high-star reads.

>192 connie53: Makes sense to me :0)

>192 connie53: Haha, you can come and do mine too if you like! I really need someone to sort out my bookshelves - they started off so well, but I've got lazy and so am now just slotting books in wherever there's space.

Good luck with the rearranging!

I've finished the shelves in the livingroom. Upstairs will be done as I change the bedsheets and dust and vacuum there.

>193 humouress: >194 Jackie_K: >195 MissWatson: I'm so relieved I don't seem crazy to you all. I think only booklovers can understand. Thanks for the encouragment, ladies!

>194 Jackie_K: I wish I could come over, Jackie. If you where living in the Netherlands I would come right away!

Thanks, Anita!

Bought another book. I was reading a book by Robert Bryndza and had a look at the list of his books and noticed I missed one, so... to the local bookstore I went to order it.



Doods geheim by Robert Bryndza part 6 in the Erika Foster series.

The blurb from the back cover

On a cold icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a horrific killing on the victim’s doorstep?
Straight off her last harrowing case, Detective Erika Foster is feeling fragile but determined to lead the investigation. As she sets to work, she finds reports of assaults in the same quiet South London suburb where the woman was killed. One chilling detail links them to the murder victim – they were all attacked by a figure in black wearing a gas mask.

Erika is on the hunt for a killer with a terrifying calling card. The case gets more complicated when she uncovers a tangled web of secrets surrounding the death of the beautiful young woman.

Yet just as Erika begins to piece the clues together, she is forced to confront painful memories of her past. Erika must dig deep, stay focused and find the killer. Only this time, one of her own is in terrible danger…

Finished De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks and this book gets

My Review, short but I can say to much without spoilering.

Delicious closing part of the Heritage series within the Shannara series. Almost all of Allanon's assignments have been completed but there are still some things to be solved. It remains exciting, with grand battles and quests.

Finished De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks and this book gets

My Review, short but I can say to much without spoilering.

Delicious closing part of the Heritage series within the Shannara series. Almost all of Allanon's assignments have been completed but there are still some things to be solved. It remains exciting, with grand battles and quests.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the challenge you can see up in >1 connie53: my RL book-club reached our goal yesterday so we decided to alter the goal from 2 books p.p. to 4 books p.p., from 10 books per category to 21 per category.

Finished De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks and this book gets

My Review, short but I can say to much without spoilering.

Delicious closing part of the Heritage series within the Shannara series. Almost all of Allanon's assignments have been completed but there are still some things to be solved. It remains exciting, with grand battles and quests.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the challenge you can see up in >1 connie53: my RL book-club reached our goal yesterday so we decided to alter the goal from 2 books p.p. to 4 books p.p., from 10 books per category to 21 per category.

Finished Het bloemenmeisje by Anya Niewierra and this book gets

This is an original Dutch book, not translated
Title: The flower girl

My review

Intriguing book with rather heavy topics, such as rape and assault. It is the story of Nina and Théa. 2 Women who meet for the first time when they are already in their mid-40s. Théa had a quiet, sheltered childhood, Nina on the other hand lived with her mother deep in the Pyrenees and has not seen anyone else in all that time. She still has vague memories of men passing by from time to time. Her mother treated her like a slave and regularly locked her up in a dark room when she had to get her supplies in town. They are discovered as a helicopter crew has to search for new dangerous situations due to forest fires, see A girl, Nina, sitting at a funeral pyre with her mother on it. The transition to a world full of people and noise is major. But Nina is a smart girl and finally ends up going to study at a university in Paris. She completes a study in pharmacy and specializes in herbalism that makes her famous. Théa recognizes her in a magazine. This is how Nina comes into contact with Théa, who turns out to be her twin sister. Together they search for answers as to why they are separated at birth and why they have lived such different lives.

I needed a comfort buy. Things are not well with Peet. He probably has diabetes and is feeling very wobbly and unwell.

Thursday last week Peet fell (again)) with his bike and Peet was brought home by one of his psychologist (he had an appointment but fell down while getting off his bike) and his bike was brought home by a stagiaire who works there too. So I phoned the GP to make an appointment for a general examination on Friday. She told us to go to the hospital, have blood taken to test for glucose. And if that was normal she could send us to the neurologist. And then it was Pentecost weekend and Monday was a day off too. So on Tuesday we went to the hospital for that, Peet was not allowed to eat or drink. And was feeling weak and unstable. When he had to get out of the car he could not use his legs, they could not hold him up. So I phoned the GP again and he came by in the afternoon. The glucose was a bit to high and we have to go for a second blood test and if that is too high too he gets treatment for diabetes and he has to go to the neurologist but that could take a while.

So I really needed a comfort book

"

Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge No touchstone yet.

The blurb from the back cover

A crimewave sweeps through the city and no-one is safe. An arson at the docks. A carjacking gone wrong. A murder in a country park. What connects all these crimes without causes, which leave no clues? Detective Inspector Helen Grace faces the rising tide of cases which threatens to drown the city. But each crime is just a piece of a puzzle which is falling into place. And when it becomes clear just how twisted and ingenious this web of crime is, D.I. Grace will realise that it may be impossible to stop it . .

Connie, I'm so sorry to hear about Peet's troubles. That must be very worrying. I will be thinking of you both and hoping for the best outcome.

>202 connie53: Oh no! I hope Peet is feeling better soon and that the comfort read is doing the trick.

>202 connie53: Sorry to hear of Peet's troubles. We've jut gone through an ordeal with my sister thinking she must have developed dementia but after two weeks in the hospital learned it was low iron. Now that she has received blood and is on iron pills, she is her old self. We never expected this. Hope Peet's gets better soon!

Hope Peet is better, and you're reading some good comfort reads. And seeing cute grandkids?

Thanks Ladies! You are all so kind. >205 clue: I will keep the low iron in mind. Peet is not that good with food so he might have something like that too.

The reading is going fine. I may finish my last ROOT for May today. The weather is finally getting better, so reading in the garden might be possible.

>206 Nickelini: We just see Lonne because she always goes groceries shopping with her dad and they often buy some for us too. I send my son an app with the things I need from that particular shop. He is such a great help. Fiene and Mary live further away, about half an hour drive, so they do not visit that often. When I get my second shot next Thursday I will feel more secure in the train, so I can go there for a visit in the near future.

Sorry to hear about the health troubles, it must be very worrying for you. All my best wishes that the doctors can help. I hope the new book gives you the comfort you need!

Hi Connie!

>192 connie53: Crazy in a good way. I must admit that I don’t vacuum my books, but I do love touching them and rearranging them and finding spots for MORE of them.

>202 connie53: I am so sorry about Peet’s probable diabetes diagnosis. I know you’ve had many ups and downs with his health in recent years and see how you would need a comfort book. Always excepting that we’re in a pandemic and we live thousands and thousands of miles apart, I’d whisk you away for a meal and bookshop visit somewhere. **hugs**

>207 connie53: I’m glad to hear that you’re getting your second shot next week.

Thanks Birgit and Karen!

>202 connie53: I'm really sorry to hear about Peet's health problems - I hope that the doctors can get to the bottom of it soon and give him the appropriate treatment. And I hope that you are able to have a bit of respite - this is absolutely comfort book time!

Thanks, Jackie. And it absolutely is that time.

I finished De helden van New York by R.J. Elorry yesterday and gave it

My review

One thing is certain R.J. Ellory can write and has written a very exciting story. Raw and certainly not for wimps, but very intriguing. Frank Parrish is a New York police detective just like his dad who was a 'hero of New York'. But the reality is different.
After a traumatic hostage situation, Frank is forced to go to a psychologist, but he doesn't like that at all, because there are a number of murders to solve, namely those of a small drug dealer and his sister. But the psychologist gives him the freedom to talk about his father. Meanwhile, he gets a new partner, Jimmy Radick. Together they find similar murdered or missing girls who are all linked by their being adopted and followed by childcare. It's difficult to penetrate in such an institute. Frank follows his intuition and decides to break some police rules.
Definitely recommended for someone who likes exciting police thrillers.

Hi Connie, my husband was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few years ago. It is generally well managed by diet and medication. I hope they resolve the problem and he soon is feeling his old self again.

Finished Klifi by Adriaan van Dis and this book gets

My review

A very strange book, but a nice writing style. Jácob Hemmelbahn fled with his parents from Hungary in 1956 because of the Hungarian revolution. And now he is an old man, widowed, having worked as a librarian for 50 years, where he also met his wife. When the city became too busy for them, they moved to the countryside where they had bought a house on top of a mound. And that's good. Climate change has made the weather unpredictable and a hurricane is passing over the Netherlands. His neighbor Kees lives at the bottom of the mound on a rickety farm, but does odd jobs for Jácob. So he is working there when the water of the river starts to rise and the people who live in a kind of camp (The pit) come up to escape the water. The house is overrun by the people from the pit and Jácob shares everything he has with everyone. There are a lot of strange characters walking around. Soldiers come and set up an emergency hospital and act quite hostile. Jácob lets it all happen and sees his house and capital disappear. Not a bad idea per se and the execution is not that bad either.

And finished Vrij uitzicht by Anya Niewierra. This book gets

My review

This book was written before Het bloemenmeisje and Anya used the structure of that book here first. A Dutch woman returns to Mosset, a little town in France, where she went on holiday with her mother when she was 18. There she met a boy whom she fell madly in love with. Due to an event in which a victim falls, they fled back to the Netherlands in a hurry, but now Tess' mother has passed away and after the funeral she decides to go back to Mosset to process that. She likes her stay a lot and eventually she moves to the village permanently. The town is dominated by a chateau with a mystery surrounding it. Tess wants to renovate the chateau to turn it into an apartment building, but that is not well received by all residents of Mosset

>214 HelenBaker: I hope so too Helen.

Finished Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge and this book gets

My review

This book is absolutely worthy of 5 stars because it is so ingeniously put together and all the ends come together so beautifully at the end. Once there, all you can do is say, "Mr. Arlidge, please write a new book quickly." .

Helen and her team are puzzled when several deaths occur for which no explanation can be found. There are no suspects and Helen cannot find any connection at all. In addition, the team is divided by her disagreement with Joseph Hudson, which is also tearing up the team internally. Somewhere in the second half of the book I thought I knew what was going on, but the ending was completely unexpected.

I'm so sorry about Peet's troubles. Very glad for the distraction and comfort of books. Hugs to you, Connie.

Hi Connie - I'm so sorry to hear that Peet has been having health issues! I hope they're resolved soon.

Things have been happening here. I will write about them tomorrow.

For now I want to note that I finished ROOT # 24 and it gets

My review

What a shame when a basically exciting story is so poorly developed, translated and printed. Lots of names and very few blank lines, so you can hardly tell the different events apart.

>220 connie53: Well, it did not go well.

Monday evening around 8.00 pm I was sitting in the garden reading when I heard a loud noise and rushed inside. Peet had fallen down (because of his unstable walking) and he was lying in the living room. He is 1.94 meters tall and weighs around 95 kilos. I could not get him up again and he could not do it on his own. We tried to pull/push him in a chair, but nothing worked. I ran to our neighbor but nobody was home. I phoned Jeroen, but he was home alone with a already sleeping Lonne. I rang Peets friend Jos, he came over but he recently had surgery for an aneurysm in his aorta and was forbidden to lift heavy stuff. And Peet is heavy stuff. Finally we could get Peet up in a chair and I phoned the hospital.
They have an emergency department and a GP evening post for medical help when the GP's are closed. They could not do anything and just advised us to ring our GP the next morning and let Peet sleep on the couch. So I made a bed for him and he did sleep there. Yesterday I dismantled a spare bed and carried it downstairs. Jeroen came to help assembling it again and Peet slept in the living-room. We have to do something about regulating his medication. He is taking sleeping pills in the morning. That is not a good idea and might explain his dizziness and unstable walking.

>221 connie53: What a shocking thing to happen. Crossing my fingers for you that the GP can help.

>221 connie53: Oh gosh, Connie. That sounds so upsetting. I hope that you can get some answers and help from the doctor.

>221 connie53: I'm so sorry to hear this - it must have been very frightening for you all. I hope that it can be sorted out soon.

>221 connie53: I'm so sorry you're going through this, Connie, and I hope things get better and that the GP can help Peet quickly.

Thanks Ladies. We just go on and take it step by step.

Tomorrow I will get my second shot.

>221 connie53: That must have been scary and so upsetting! I hope the medication gets sorted out soon, and that your second shot tomorrow goes well!

>221 connie53: How awful for both of you. I hope Peet wasn’t hurt in the fall and that you can get his medications schedule set up better to help prevent falls.

>221 connie53: No, he did not hurt himself, that is a good thing. And we have to wait and see if the medications schedule will help. I'm sure it wil be better if he takes them on the right times. I now try to get more structure to the day, making his breakfast and lunch at regular times, and giving him his med's in time. I hope that will make him more stable and if he is stable again we can take small walks to begin with. He needs to get the strength in his legs back. Tomorrow we will go for some blood-tests again, for diabetes, but I don't think that will be it.

>221 connie53: That sounds frightening, especially in the evening/night, and then to have so many of your options for help not available, I'm so sorry. I'm glad your children do live close, and I hope you can find more options for quick help so at least that isn't a worry.

Oh no! Hope things smooth out soon.

Gosh Connie, I'm sorry that happened to Peet; it sounds scary. Hoping that it get resolved soon and well. Best of luck for your second shot.

Hi everybody. Thanks for all the good thoughts and well-wishes. It helps a lot to read them.

Today we again went to the hospital for the blood test. They not only tested for diabetes but also for Liver functions and minerals. Afterwards Peet was very down and was meaning to phone the GP again. But we know he can't help us when he does not have the results and not before we have seen the neurologist (in 6 weeks time). So when he was put on hold and as number 7 in line he decided break off the call. It sometimes takes all my patience to not get mad or scream.

I did compensate by buying some new books



Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt

The blurb from the back cover

There is no place where you can get lost as quickly as in the Wild Woods, the thrilling and mysterious sequel to The Letter to the King.

A YOUNG KNIGHT.

AN ENCHANTED FOREST.

A DANGEROUS QUEST.

One of the king's most loyal knights is missing. The Wild Wood, that's where he would go, but many don't come back from that Wood. Yet Tiuri, on his black horse Ardanwen, goes there. He finds a dark fortress, a mysterious damsel, he plays a game of life and death… Tiuri comes face to face with a ruthless enemy who is preparing a cowardly attack on the king. Can a 17-year-old boy save the kingdom?

And



Rosa en het vriendschapsengeltje by Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker

Title translates into 'Rosa and the little friendshipsangel Original written in English but no book to be found in that language.

The blurb from the back cover

The book tells the story of Rosa, a lively and cheerful toddler. She likes to draw, but the assignment she has now received makes her gloomy. She has to put her family on paper, which is hard for her because she doesn't have a mother and the other classmates do. Rosa is afraid that she will be considered strange and the children will laugh at her. She comes home gloomy and before going to sleep she muses: I wish I wasn't so alone…. And Frederik the little friendship angel hears that. Frederik springs into action and tries to solve the problem.



Wat wij zagen by Hanna Bervoets

Book as a present when you buy other books in the Dutch book-week

Title translates into 'What we saw'

The blurb from the back cover

When Kayleigh runs into financial trouble, she applies for a job as a content moderator for an online platform she's not allowed to name. Her job: to assess which offensive videos, photos and diatribes should be removed. The work is hard. Kayleigh and her colleagues see horrific things happen, and the platform's guidelines are often inimitable. Nevertheless, Kayleigh feels at home, within the moderator team she finds brotherhood. And when Kayleigh falls in love with her colleague Sigrid, the future smiles on them. Or does it just seem that way? What we saw is a story about who or what determines our worldview.

Now reading



De Overlevenden by Jane Harper


The blurb from the back cover

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community on Tasmania he once called home.
Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...

>233 connie53: It's so frustrating to just be waiting for test results, Connie. I'm sending lots of good thoughts to you and Peet.

The Jane Harper book is wonderful. Probably the best book I've read this year. I hope you enjoy it.

>234 rosalita: I hope the books help you keep sane. Thinking of you.

I'm just catching up and I'm so sorry to hear of Peet's change.
A lot of it is familiar to me, as my dad also had a problem with balance and did a header out of his chair several times. Once, after our mom had insisted my sister and I go out and have fun, and an hour later she called to ask us to come back as he's fallen out of his easy chair and couldn't lift him up.
I also tried to get an emergency doctor's appointment for him and found out that his doctor, with the Medicare network, used an answering service and I was pleading with an operator, not a nurse, and she had no way to contact his doctor.
I'm wishing you and Peet the best, and hope you get in to see his doctor quickly. Please continue to update us.

Thanks Birgit and Jennifer.

For everybody who sent me their good wishes an update

Tomorrow we have an appointment with a woman form the city counsel. They offer support to people like me and Peet. Not only some place you can talk but also practical advise. I'm hoping she will be able to help us.
I know we are not the only people with these issues and I'm happy there is a such a group as hers to help us now.

Books certainly keep me sane. They take me away from real live for a while. So I will keep on reading

I finished another one De overlevenden by Jane Harper and this book gets

My Review

Another great book by Jane Harper. In the beginning you are a bit overwhelmed by names and it is not really easy to determine the mutual relationships. But if you can let that go, the story engulfs you. Kieran returns to his native village with his wife Mia and their newborn daughter Andrea to visit his parents. His father suffers from dementia and he and his wife will move to an institution where he can be better cared for. Kieran and Mia are supposed to help, but they soon find themselves reunited with their old circle of friends. Back then Kieran formed a seemingly inseparable group with Sean and Ash. But when a very heavy storm hit their village and two people were killed and a girl disappeared without a trace, everything changed. And now Kieran is back and a girl is found dead on the beach. Everything is told from the point of view of Kieran who has always felt guilty about the deaths of the two men. But the distance of his absent years allows him to take a closer look and discover the truth about the day of the storm. Exciting and very captivating.

And I've started De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett



The blurb from the back cover

It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns. In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined: A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land. But the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.

Hi Connie, I have spent the day catching up on emails and my book reviews etc. I am sorry you are having such a worrying time. The day of Peet's fall must have been very stressful for you both. I hope you receive the test results soon and the Dr's can stabilize him. Taking control of his meals and medications is a good plan for now.
Excellent decision to indulge in some book therapy. I have two Jane Harper books to read. The Survivors is my online groups December read, so I look forward to it.
Wishing you a better week.

I hope the lady from the City Council can offer some practical help!

Hi Connie!

What >239 MissWatson: Birgit said.

Hello, Connie. I echo the others in hoping that the woman from the City Council can give some good advice for you and Peet. And bookwise, I'm delighted that you enjoyed Jane Harper's The Survivors as much as I did.

Well we had a busy week. The lady from the City Counsel was really nice and she siad some things I did not think of before. I tend to take everything out of Peet's hands, He told he that he did not cook anymore because he could not stand in the kitchen for a even a little time. She asked him if he had thought about peeling potatoes at the dinner table sitting down.
And I thought: How stupid am I doing everything for him?
When he asked me if I could clean an apple for him. I gave him a plate and a knife! Ha.

She also talked about Peet going to daytime activities that are organized for people like Peet. So we will go and have a look at some of the centers in the neighborhood.

And we went to the neurologist. Thanks to our GP, who put us on a list for when somebody else canceled an appointment, we got a telephone call if Peet wanted to come today. The neurologist ordered a MRI scan of neck and back and some additional blood tests. She thinks it might be a wedged in nerve in his neck or back of something like a hernia.

Will be continued...

Books:

Finished De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett and it gets

My review

What wonderful books these are. I was drawn into the story by Edgar and Ragna. Aldred is also an appealing character. The story is set before the other 3 books in the Kingsbridge trilogy. And for a prequel, it's wonderfully fat. The story is also about the hamlet of Dreng's ferry. Dreng is an unpleasant man who runs the ferry. That is, he has his wife, his mistress and a slave girl to do it. Edgar and his brothers and mother are allowed to live in an abandoned farmhouse after their father's death. The farm is in an almost unworkable place so that is quite a challenge. Edgar has a talent. He is good at visualizing how things should work. He is building a kind of bridge, which should make the ferry superfluous. Dreng does not agree with that, of course, because that is his source of income.
There is also a role for the brothers Wilwulf, an earl, Wynstan, a bishop and Wigelm, a feudal lord
Ragna is the daughter of Count Hubert of Cherbourg and she is betrothed to Wilwulf.
That is how she ends up in England.
The story tells of the growth of Breng's ferry until it is renamed and called Kingsbridge. Sometimes the story is cruel and rough. But you empathize with the main characters so much that it actually just fits into the story. Definitely recommended for people who love historical stories.

That news sounds very promising!

I thought so too, Jennifer. I was just so glad it was not something in his brain. At least it was not the first thing she was thinking of.

>242 connie53: It's so helpful when people can offer a different expertise or fresh perspective. Yay for Peet getting an earlier appointment!

Hopeful news about Peet and great for the city counsel woman to offer some good, practical advice. I'm hoping the good news continues for both of you.

I'm really glad to hear things are sounding more hopeful for Peet and you. And that your most recent book was so good!

I'm glad to hear that things are looking more positive for you and Peet.

We now have a rollator for Peet and it makes it easier for him to get around in the house.

The reading goes on, of course



I read and finished De weg naar Callisto by Torsten Krol which is a ROOT. I gave it

The blurb from the back cover

Odell Deefus may be a little dumb, but when he discovers a freshly dug grave at the back of Dean Lowry's house, he understands that it's intended for him. When he finds an old lady's corpse in the freezer, he knows that she has been murdered. And when the bomb in his car explodes, levelling every building in the vicinity, and Odell must suddenly hide the body of a terrorist, even he recognizes that things are getting seriously weird. This blackly funny novel of our times follows what happens when Odell Deefus takes one wrong turn on the journey of his life and crashes into a world of oddballs, misfits, drug-dealers, religious fanatics and crooked cops, hypocrisy, torture and bloody murder. In "Callisto", Odell Deefus discovers a vast web of corruption and deceit leading to the dark heart of America.

My review

Weird and at times a bit bizarre book. Odell Deefus is an otherworldly man who is not that bright. When he ends up with engine trouble somewhere around the town of Callisto, an adventure begins, in which Odell ends up in all kind of strange situations. He knocks on a house and the resident, Dean, invites him in. Dean knows a thing or two about cars, but it's already too dark to see what's going on and the men spend a pleasant evening with spirits and beer. Odell discovers a newly dug grave in the backyard. Dean had told him not to go in the back yard and now Odell thinks that grave is for him. When Dean wakes him up in an unpleasant way that night, Odell knocks him down with a club. He takes Dean to his bedroom and continues sleeping on the couch. The next morning, Dean is found dead and Odell is mistaken for Dean by a visitor. Terrorism kicks in and Odell tries to weather or change each new situation as best he can, but things get horribly out of hand, involving the FBI and a few other secret government agencies. The book is written in a certain rhythm. I thought it was an okay book, but it's still real weird.

Good to hear that Peet can move around more easily. It must make things easier for both of you.

The Lady from the Council had some great advice. It's great insight for you to stop 'over-helping' Peet so he can keep busy and engaged. Daytime activities are a good idea too, and yay for the rollator and MRI scan.

In the meantime, The reading goes on, of course!

>249 connie53: I'm really pleased to hear this, hopefully you will both find it more reassuring when he is mobilising with the rollator.

The MRI is planned for tomorrow!

Peet was called on his mobile when I was out for groceries. If all the results of the blood tests are in by tonight, we have an appointment for tomorrow. If they are not in we have an appointment for next Monday. We hope for tomorrow of course.

In the meantime I've finished another book

Een voor een by Ruth Ware the book gets

The blurb from the back cover

The shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask - would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

My review

This book starts off really confusing with a lot of characters and not quite clear connections between them. The story is told by two people. Erin, the hostess of the chalet and Liz, one of the guests.
The guests are the shareholders of a company that is not doing great. They rented the chalet for some skiing and to determine what they will do. Let another group buy their business or continue on their own. There are, of course, 2 camps and the shareholders are equally divided between the camps. Liz is a former secretary and once bought 2% of the shares. She is pressured by both sides for her vote. Then a guest disappears and they can't go out to search because a terrible avalanche partially destroys their chalet. If more people disappear or are found dead, panic sets in. Who's next?

Now I started De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt
Original Dutch



The blurb form the back cover


A young messenger.
A secret mission.
A kingdom in peril.

It is the dead of night. Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day. But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help. A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the GreatMountains - a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood. Tiuri's journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places. He must trust no one. He must keep his true identity secret.Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter... The Letter for the King is the thrilling story of one boy's battle against evil, set in an enchanted world of chivalry, courage and true friendship.

>254 connie53: Best of luck for the MRI.

I have The Letter for the King on Overdrive but I've only got ten more days to finish it. I think it was a book bullet from you.

>255 humouress: It's a very lovely book, Nina. I finished it today and gave it

My Review

Delicious delicious. So in my old age I started reading something by Tonke Dragt. And these books are a lot of fun. There is always something happening and it is exciting, but not really horrible or anything. That wouldn't fit in a children's book. Tiuri sets off to deliver a letter. And that happens at a very important moment for him, namely just before he will be knighted. If he interrupts the rituals for that ceremony, he cannot become a knight. Tiuri chooses to help and sets off with the letter. He doesn't have to go far and he can be back before people notice he's gone. The man to whom he has to pass the letter is seriously injured and asks Tiuri to ensure that the letter is delivered. And so Tiuri embarks on a great journey through mountains and valleys, meeting friendly people and villains, being chased and finding a friend. Absolutely fun to read to children from the age of 7 and up.

Now reading and started yesterday Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt the next instalment in the series about Tiuri



The blurb form the back cover

One of the King's most trusted knights has vanished in the snow, so young Sir Tiuri and his best friend Piak must journey into the shadowy heart of the forest to find him. The Wild Wood is a place of mysteries, rumours and whispered tales. A place of lost cities, ancient curses, robbers, princesses and Men in green. As the darkness surrounds him and reports grow of secret plots and ruthless enemies, Tiuri finds himself alone and fighting for survival - caught in a world where good and evil wear the same face, and the wrong move could cost him his life.

>256 connie53: I have very fond memories of a teacher reading this to the class when I was a child. At the end of the school year, I pestered him so much for the name and author (so I wouldn't forget) that he gave me a copy :)

>258 Caramellunacy: That's a nice story, CL.

Perhaps time for a reread and read the one in >257 connie53: too?

I was doing my groceries early this morning so I would be back home before the heath strikes again. I made a quick stop in the small bookstore in the mall and there is was, the book I was waiting for



Valse getuige by Karin Slaughter

The blurb from the back cover

You thought no one saw you. You were wrong.

Leigh and her sister Callie are not bad people – but one night, more than two decades ago, they did something terrible. And the result was a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, devastated by violence.

Years later, Leigh has pushed that night from her mind and become a successful lawyer – but when she is forced to take on a new client against her will, her world begins to spiral out of control.
Because the client knows the truth about what happened twenty-three years ago. He knows what Leigh and Callie did. And unless they stop him, he's going to tear their lives apart …

Just because you didn't see the witness … doesn't mean he wasn't there.

Finished Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt and this book gets too

My Review

And a delightful sequel to The Letter to the King. Tiuri and Piak are sent on their way again, this time to the unknown and, according to the stories, dangerous Wild Forest. There they must search for the missing Knight Ristridin who has not returned from an assignment for the king. Tiuri and Piak experience all kinds of adventures. They get to know the Green Men, lose each other and are captured. And then there's the threat from the South from Eviellan, where the Red Knights come from. Nice uncomplicated read.

Now reading >259 connie53:

>259 connie53: I love surprise treats like this in my day. A treasure found. I am sure you deserve it.

>261 HelenBaker: It certainly was, Helen. I'm almost half way into the book.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with a neurosurgeon, because on the MRI it showed that the vertebrae in Peet's neck are damaged by the fall he made getting off his bike 4 weeks ago. That was also the time when he started getting trouble walking and the strength in his arm went away.
The vertebrae moved a bit and now are pressing on the nerves, tendons and blood vessels in the back of his neck. The neurosurgeon will determine what can be done about that. Maybe he will perform surgery and scrape some of the protrusions from the vertebrae away to make room for them so they can perform as they should again.

To be continued!

>263 connie53: I'm glad you know what the problem is Connie and hopefully it can be corrected.

>263 connie53: So good to hear that the doctors are closing in on the root cause for Peet's issues. Here's hoping the neurosurgeon will be able to come up with a good plan for treatment to return Peet to full health.

>263 connie53: It's good to have an explanation, and I hope the doctors can do something about it.

Well. He certainly talked about the surgery, but he also needed more information. So we went for a simple X-ray after we left him. On Tuesday we have an EMG and on Wednesday in the morning an CT-scan and in the afternoon a new appointment with the neurosurgeon. More transportation to organize, but I did it with help from my sisters and my daughter.

I bought 3 new books just because I wanted too



Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh No touchstone yet

The blurb from the back cover

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems with her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination: "The following instructions will save your daughter's life..."

Someone needs Mina's assistance and knows exactly how to make her comply.

When one passenger is killed and then another, Mina knows she must act. But which lives does she save: Her passengers...or her own daughter and husband who are in grave distress back at home?



Ons huis by Louise Candlish

The blurb from the back cover

On a bright morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought on Trinity Avenue.

Nothing strange about that. Except it's your house. And you didn’t sell it.

FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE.

When Fi Lawson arrives home to find strangers moving into her house, she is plunged into terror and confusion. She and her husband Bram have owned their home on Trinity Avenue for years and have no intention of selling. How can this other family possibly think the house is theirs? And why has Bram disappeared when she needs him most?

FOR RICHER, FOR POORER.

Bram has made a catastrophic mistake and now he is paying. Unable to see his wife, his children or his home, he has nothing left but to settle scores. As the nightmare takes grip, both Bram and Fi try to make sense of the events that led to a devastating crime. What has he hidden from her – and what has she hidden from him? And will either survive the chilling truth – that there are far worse things you can lose than your house?

TILL DEATH US DO PART.



Middernachtbibliotheek by Matt Haig

The blurb from the back cover

Independent Nora's life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?

>267 connie53: Nice book haul, Connie. I enjoyed that Louise Candlish book quite a bit — hope you do, too. I guess it's good for a neurosurgeon to be very careful before digging in, but I can well imagine how tiring all the appointments are. I'm glad you've got some help from your family.

>267 connie53: I'm glad things are moving along now with Peet, and I hope that the neurosurgeon can get all they need with this next lot of tests, so that they can get on with the treatment.

I got The Midnight Library from the library recently - unfortunately I didn't finish it in time before it went back (too bad you can't hold onto library ebooks!), but I enjoyed what I read (I got about a third of the way through).

>267 connie53: I hope they determine a course of action for Peet soon! I'm glad you're making progress and have help from your family.

>269 Jackie_K: My trick is that I'll put my kindle into airplane mode if I need to keep an e-book a little longer. The library gets use of it again, but it doesn't actually disappear until I reconnect to the internet. You can't download new books while you're offline, but sometimes you just need those extra days!

>270 curioussquared: You're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?!

>271 Jackie_K: I think I learned the trick originally from someone on LT when I first got my kindle years ago, so happy to pass it on :D

That’s good that you have some answers to Peet’s problems, Connie. I hope they can be resolved soon.

>270 curioussquared: Ooh, I wonder if I could do that with my iPad?

>270 curioussquared: Great tip, Natalie!

Thank you all, ladies. I really am glad there is some progress with Peet in sight. Because I'm really drained qua energy and patience. We get help from the city. They have a department for social support and we now getting help from them. A woman came to visit us and we had a very good talk. She asked me why I did do everything for Peet. He can make his own sandwiches or peel the potatoes, or cut the vegetables sitting at the table. And I did those things too, because he can't stand up that long at the kitchen counter. I never thought of that. And Peet has to stay as active as he can so the surgeon told us. So he can walk slowly to the kitchen with his walker and make his own coffee. So he now is doing that a bit more and he really helps me with doing those little tasks.

I finished Valse getuige by Karin Slaughter and that book gets

My review

A new Karin Slaughter always makes me happy, but this one was a bit intense both in subject matter as in execution. Sometimes I really skipped bits. It is of course also a heavy subject, pedophilia. But it's a Slaughter so I múst read it.
Callie and Leigh are sisters. They are actually called Calliope and Harleigh, but they soon abbreviated those names. They have been through something terrible and are each trying to live with it in their own way. That becomes difficult when they are confronted with it again in a terrible way and their secret threatens to be made public. Good book, but you have to be able to handle it.

Now reading

Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh

see >267 connie53: for more details and the blurb!

Great book so far!

Finished Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh yesterday and this book gets

My Review

How well put together is this book. The tension builds up slowly and you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. The larger story is alternately told by Mina and Adam. You feel that there is a kind of tension between them which is partly caused by their 5 year old daughter Sophia. Sophia is a smart girl, but events in the first year of her life make it difficult for her to bond.
When Mina gets the chance to be a flight attendant on a non-stop flight from London to Sidney, she gladly joins. Such a long flight has never been done before and there are all kinds of important people on board.
Adam will be watching Sophia in the meantime, but Adam also has his secrets.

Between the chapters of Mina and Adam, there are also pieces in italics that tell the story of passengers on the plane. They all have their own reasons for wanting to go to Sydney. Sometimes you know their name, sometimes just certain personal characteristics. And then the big puzzle begins. Because who is who and what are they doing there. I've been taking notes to find out for myself what it was like. And that made it even more special to read this great book. Definitely recommended.

Now reading Ons huis by Louise Candlish

See >267 connie53: for more info.

Trying times for you Connie but I had a little chuckle that you bought some more books. 'a girl after my own heart', as the saying goes. A treat gives us the strength to carry on. i hope all these appointments bring positive outcomes for you both.

I need those consoling books sometimes and I just buy them if I feel the need. 'Troost boeken', we call them.

Hi, Connie. Thanks for popping into my thread. I must have missed your change over to your new thread earlier in the year. I hope Peet's situation is improving now you and the doctors have got a better idea of what the problem actually is and what he can and can't do at the moment.

Thanks Robert! We will know on Wednesday when we see the neurosurgeon again. We hope a surgery will do the trick.

I hope the visit to the neurosurgeon gave you some answers. Thank you for visiting my thread, and keep on buying those books! Sometimes you've just got to do whatever it takes to get through these difficult days.

Well the neurosurgeon wants to fuse two vertebrae in Peets neck. Removing a intervertebral disc to make room for the muscles, nerves and veins. The intervertebral disc will be replaced by a kind of little cage that will keep the vertebrae apart for a while. But he can't promise that it will be better (of course he can't). It can get worse too. But we decided to go for it. Even the slightest improvement will be welcome and the change that Peet gets worse or (worst case scenario) dies on the table is very small. He has to stay for 2 nights and it will decided what happens next. Rehabilitation center or nursing home for a while. It's all in the stars!

>281 connie53: That sounds like a scary but also hopeful surgery option, Connie. I know we're all going to be hoping it brings Peet some relief. How soon will the surgery happen?

>281 connie53: A friend of mine had a similar operation to deal with back problems, though lower down, and he came through great. It has made such a difference to his life. Hopefully Peet will be the same.

So good to hear there's treatment on the way. Keeping you and Peet in my thoughts.

Thinking of you and Peet and hoping all goes well!

Echoing everyone else - nothing but best wishes from here! I hope that the surgery provides relief and improvement for Peet (and for you).

Adding my best wishes and crossing fingers for a good result from the surgery!

The surgery will be on the 12th or on the 19th. There was a bit of confusion about what date the doctor mentioned and what his secretary told us.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

I finished Ons huis by Louise Candlish and it gets

My review

I had some trouble with this book. Fiona and Bram don't have the best marriage and when Fiona catches Bram having an intimate affair, she kicks him out of the house. They want to keep a safe place for the children. So Fiona lives in their house during the week and Bram in the weekend. They rent a small flat where they can take turns staying when they can't be in the big house.
When Bram causes a serious accident, things get worse very quickly. He flees the scene of the accident, but that is seen by someone who blackmails Bram afterwards.

When Fiona comes home with her new boyfriend after a weekend, it turns out that the house has been sold and the new residents have already moved in.
The story is told by Fiona in a kind of podcast and by Bram in a long document. But are they telling the truth or are they both trying to cover themselves and keep some things secret?
A very unexpected turn at the end.
Why did I have trouble with it? Just because it didn't feel good. Too many twists maybe and improbabilities

>281 connie53: All my best wishes that everything works out well!

Thanks Birgit! I hope it will too.

Wishing Peet and you all the best for the surgery, Connie.

Hi Connie!

>254 connie53: I’ve only read one by Ruth Ware, but really need to read more.

>267 connie53: I bought 3 new books just because I wanted too Good for you.

>281 connie53: Sounds like a good plan, Connie. Of course doctors always hedge their bets, but like you say, any improvement is better than the situation now. (Dare I say that it will be good for you to have a bit of alone time with Peet safely overnight in hospital and in rehab?)

>292 humouress: Thanks, Nina!

>293 karenmarie: You dare say that, Karen. I would love a bit of alone time. So I totally agree with you. I can go to the hairdresser and the pedicure without a worry on my mind. Or go somewhere for coffee and see my best friend Vera, who I haven't seen in since a year or so. Or just sleep!

Finished book 64 for the year. A non ROOT.

Middernachtbibliotheek by Matt Haig BB by Persephoneslibrary. I give it the full

My review

I'm just gonna do it. I give this book 5 stars because I think it is a beautiful book that should get all the attention, especially from people who are going through a difficult period or have lost all hope. And yet it is not a gloomy book, but a book that is hopeful and also has a life lesson in it.

Nora Seed is a young woman who is having a hard time. She lives in a rickety apartment, no one really needs her, she hasn't seen her brother in a long time and they broke up with an argument, her music career has gone haywire and now she has also lost her job and her cat was found death in the street. In fact, nothing works for her and everything works against her. She makes a decision and ends her life.
Then she wakes up in a library with the same Mrs. Elm from her school, who used to comfort her and with whom she played endless games of chess. She gets the chance to live lives that she could have had if she had made a different choice somewhere in her past.
Wonderful to read and really something to think about for yourself. Highly recommended and a potential rereader.

I wish Peet was a reader so he could read this too.

Hi Connie. I’m hopelessly behind on threads so only catching up to you and Pete’s situation now. I’m sad to hear about his health troubles but at least it’s a step forward that there now seems to be a diagnose and a plan forward. I wish you all the best.

Thanks, Henrik. I am hopelessly behind too.

Late last night we heard that my daughter was in the hospital with Marie, who was having trouble breathing and needed medical care. They thought she had RS-virus or a pneumonia. There was no bed available for a little child, so they were transported by ambulance to another city in the middle of the night. She had antibiotics and was treated with a nebulizer to help het breath and dissolve the slime in her longs.

Here is Marie last night



And here this morning



A pedagogical employee from the hospital brought her a coloring book and a stuffed animal.

>298 connie53: She looks comfortable this morning so I hope Marie is feeling better.

I’m not sure if your second thread is open for business yet but your family look lovely over there.

Follow me to thread number 3!

Oh, Connie, I'm so sad to hear about your family's various health challenges, but it does look like things are getting better. Marie is so adorable.

Thanks Joyce! I know, she is extremely cute.

>298 connie53: Connie we are battling the same virus here. It is very worrying as now it looks like my new 12 week old grandson is developing it. His 2 year old brother and mother are just recovering from it. Such worrying times. i hope Pete's surgery goes well and you are able to rest yourself.

Hi Helen. I hope your new grandson will feel better soon. It are worrying times for sure.