12 in 12 by Lunarreader

Hopefully a better attempt then last year, i will fix my categories as i go, some classics will return. I do hope to find more time to read this year and this challenge should help me. Again i will permit myself unlimited overlaps.
Wish me luck.

Category 1 : Around Europe (The West)
1. Alsof het voorbij is by Julian Barnes : England - January, 4
2. Schaaknovelle by Stefan Zweig: Austria - March, 4
3. Caesarion by Tommy Wieringa: The Netherlands - March, 29
4. Heldere hemel by Tom Lanoye: Belgium - March, 31
5. Utopia by Thomas More: England - April, 4
6. Witte tanden by Zadie Smith: England - July, 30 (my tour seems stuck in the UK)
7. In Europa by Geert Mak: The Netherlands - November, 17
8. Laura by Elia Barcélo: Spain - November, 17

Category 2 : Around Europe (The East)
1. Koets naar Wenen by Jan Prochazka : Czech Republic - January 9
2. Geluk by György Konrad: Hungary - March 11
3. Slingerbeweging by György Konrád - Hungary, again - May 1
4. Liquidatie by Imre Kertesz - Hungary, stuck there it seems - June 3

Category 3 : Booktips received at "Uitgelezen" (monthly literature event in Ghent - Belgium)
1. Koets naar Wenen by Jan Prochazka - tip by Jos Geysels, permanent panel member at Uitgelezen
2. Schaaknovelle by Stefan Zweig - March 4
3. Mr Gwyn by Alessandro Baricco - December 15 (this book will be discussed next "Uitgelezen" so not really a tip received but hey ...

Category 4 : "Man is the only creature which must be educated" (as my good friend Immanuel K. said)
1. De hond van Tisma by Geert Mak - economics, politics, history - January, 25
2. De ongelovige Thomas heeft een punt by Johan Braeckman and Maarten Boudry - philosophy - February, 26
3. Geluk by György Konrad - biography - holocaust - March, 11
4. Utopia by Thomas More - ideal society - April, 4
5. Slingerbeweging by György Konrád - biography, contemplation - May, 1
6. Door Spinoza's lens by Tinneke Beeckman - Philosophy, currently still applicable - December, 30

Category 5 : Chi trova un buon libro, trova un tesoro (free after the Italian saying "Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro")
1. Wit als melk, rood als bloed by Alessandro D'Avenia - March, 5
2. Een zee van niets by Ugo Riccarelli - April, 10
3. Ik haal je op, ik neem je mee by Niccolo Ammaniti - May, 9
4. De Lüneburger variant by Paolo Maurensig - June, 10
5. Gedachten by Giacomo Leopardi - June, 23
6. Zo ook op aarde by Davide Enia - June, 28
7. Land van glas by Alessandro Baricco - August 23
8. Van Acquit by Pietro Grossi - November, 18
9. Mr Gwyn by Alessandro Baricco - December, 15

Category 6 : A thing of beauty is a joy forever
1. Overboord by Jozef Deleu - flemish poet - March, 11
2. Door Spinoza's lens by Tinneke Beeckman - Beautiful view on mankind - December, 30

Category 7 : War ! What is it good for ? Absolutely nothing !
1. Koets naar Wenen by Jan Prochazka : The afterdays of war: revenge - January 9
2. Geluk by György Konrad: Boedapest & Hungary, the holocaust - March 11
3. Heldere hemel by Tom Lanoye: the cold war and its effects on the innocent - March, 31
4. Een zee van niets by Ugo Riccarelli: the second world war by the Italians, sad but in a way also hilarious - April, 10
5. Liquidatie by Imre Kertesz: Auschwitz, the effects, forever - June 3
6. In Europa by Geert Mak: the history of Europe in the 20th century, world war 1 & 2, Bosnia, ... November, 17

Category 8 : Family, you get them for free!
1. Caesarion by Tommy Wieringa: a son, and his mother. - March, 29
2. Een zee van niets by Ugo Riccarelli: a son, his father, his uncles and all the rest - April, 10
3. Ik haal je op, ik neem je mee by Niccolo Ammaniti: Italia, so family is important, albeit it all losers - May, 9
4. De meester van Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee: a father, his stepson, death - May, 20
5. Zo ook op aarde by Davide Enia: a son, grandson and his beloved ones, missing or present.
6. Laura by Elia Barcélo: a brother, a never recognised sister, revenge.

Category 9 : The world according to ...
1. Coetzee about Russia: De meester van Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee - May, 20
2. Leopardi about mankind : Gedachten by Giacomo Leopardi - June, 23
3. Smith about London and the multicultural life : Witte tanden by Zadie Smith - July, 30
4. Geert Mak about Europe and where the European Union should go to: In Europa by Geert Mak - November, 17
5. The world according to Dino: straight lines, simplicity : Van Acquit by Pietro Grossi - November, 18
6. The philosophy of Spinoza, and how to apply it today : Door Spinoza's lens by Tinneke Beeckman - December, 30

Category 10 : F & F : Books i should read according to my (LT)friends & family
1. De Lüneburger variant by Paolo Maurensig, a tip by my daughter's friend Leonardo, not a good tip ... he should do better
2. Zo ook op aarde by Davide Enia, a tip by someone who knows good books, my LT friend Jebronse, thanks!
3. In Europa by Geert Mak, highly recommended by my friend CPNijs.
4. Van Acquit by Pietro Grossi, recommended by LT friend Jebronse
5. Door Spinoza's lens by Tinneke Beeckman, recommended by my friend @CpNijs on Twitter, thanks for bringing my intrest in philosophy back to me :-)

Category 11 :

Category 12 : a classic, books under 144 pages (12 x 12 this year)
1. Koets naar Wenen by Jan Prochazka - January 9
2. De hond van Tisma by Geert Mak - January 25
3. Schaaknovelle by Stefan Zweig - March 4
4. Overboord by Jozef Deleu - March, 11
5. Heldere hemel by Tom Lanoye - March, 31
6. Laura by Elia Barcélo - November, 17

Welcome back and good luck with your challenge!

Good luck! I didn't do too well last year myself. Hopefully we'll both do better this year.

A monthly literature event - sounds heavenly!

To Ikernagh, Owltype and Mamzel, thanks for your reactions. Yes the "Uitgelezen" event in Ghent, Belgium is very popular. Despite of reading being in general not so popular anymore. "Uitgelezen" has a double meaning in dutch (i live in the flemish/dutch speaking part of Belgium, called Flanders) : it means "exquisite", suits the event, and it also means "finished reading (this book)" and that's also nice and suits the content of the event.
A panel of 2 fixed readers and 2 or 3 variable readers comment on 3 books they have been given to read and they discuss about the themes, the writing style, the author without necessity to agree and without giving too much away to the audience.
After these 3 books, each panel member can talk about a particular book that he or she would recommend to the audience.
The whole event is accompanied by some live music and at the end they give some books to 10 randomly picked people of the audience (every participant can write his name on a little note received at the door, put it in a box and they pick 10 out of the box).
A truly nice event sponsored by a newspaper and the cultural center in Ghent where it takes place.
Info on LT : http://www.librarything.com/venue/24708/Vooruit-Kunstencentrum

Started well : 2 books : Alsof het voorbij is by Julian Barnes, a great novel on the tricks our memory plays with us and how we like to remind us stuff. Pretty freaky turnaround at the end of the story and two majors themes grouped in one book, the coming of age theme combined with the "my life as i (like) to remember it" theme. A very good read. Koets naar Wenen by Jan Prochazka, an author of which i never heard until the latest "uitgelezen" event (see post nr 17) but a short, nice story with also some great themes as motherhood, revenge and war. Not so stunning as promised at the event, but still quite good.

nr 3: De hond van Tisma by Dutch writer-historican Geert Mak, an appeal to the European leaders to show some courage in getting out of this economical crisis which tends to become a political crisis which could lead to the end of the European Community according to the author.
He certainly appeals to the European leaders not to make the same mistakes as in the years 1930 - 1940, mistakes that became obvious with the second World War.
Truly concerned for our peace and our welfare i would say. My thanks go out to Mr. Mak.

nr 4: .... not that this challenge is going to lead me anywhere, it took a month for this one to come ... De ongelovige Thomas heeft een punt by Johan Braeckman and Maarten Boudry. A non fiction book about fiction: pseudo science! Great book that gives insight to why your brain has a natural tendency to believe stuff that is a bit weird, the trics your memory does with you, that your eyes do with you and so further (like the hollow face being automatically transformed by your brain to a normal face). Lacan enthusiasts, Freud followers, the Bigfoot believers, creationists and other 9/11 complot believers will not agree but .... that's just the point of this book.

Five: Schaaknovelle by Stefan Zweig, a short tale on two completely different chess players that meet. For one the future is important, for the other the past is all too dramatic. Zweig's tantalising style depicts his negative feelings about the rise and presence of nazism which he considers as destroyers, of his homeland Austria in reality, of mr. B in the novel. We all know how it ended for the author.

Number 6: a real quick read this one, a lot of white on the pages, between the red blood and love in the text' Wit als melk, rood als bloed by Alessandro D'Avenia. A teenage love drama, in a "youngish" style but as i am well over 40, i'm not so sure that the real youth would agree. I will pass it too my teeenage daughters to see if it is accepted as "their" language.
A straightforward rather silly story but, hey, i must admit, it touched me now and then, so a good score.

7: Geluk by György Konrad, autobiografic story about his life during the second world war. Hard but the story unfolds like it was an afternoon walk in the park. Very strange.

8: Overboord by Jozef Deleu, "old grand man" of the flemish poets shows again that less is more, not one word too much, not one word in the wrong place : brilliant!

9: Caesarion by Tommy Wieringa, a great story about a son and his mother, and a little bit, the same amount of things shared in their lives, about his father. Oedipus, love, porn, loneliness, hate, illness, cancer, death, revenge .... It all passes here and the story gets a real grip on you.
Maybe less compelling then Joe Speedboot, the authors bestselling previous book, but still a work of art, very beautiful language (not so "Dutch" this time) and great imagination.

Number 10: Heldere hemel by Tom Lanoye, a short story based on a true event: a Russian unmanned Mig jet crashing on a house here in Flanders in 1989, after being abandoned by its pilot! The author changed the main characters, focusing on relationships but .... for my taste there are too much holes in it. A (too quickly written) novel for the national week of books, for free when another book was purchased.

11: a special one : Utopia by Thomas More, i thought let's read some classics and this one, part of the Perpetua series in Dutch, was attractive enough. I have no regrets reading it but very mixed feelings. On one hand the book is astonishing up to date even if it is 500 years old. Two examples of this are that themes like euthanasia, freedom of religion, time off for culture and selfstudy are handled like if it were normal parts of society. The other example is that criticism on politics, greed, money handling make you think that it has been written only yesterday or even tomorrow!
On the other hand the book is elaborating and repeating the virtues of this utopic society with such a degree of repetition that more then once you have to check the pages to see if by accident you are re-reading the same pages once again.
So, overall impression: weird stuff. More was certainly remarkable in his time.

12: Een zee van niets by Ugo Riccarelli, the second work of this author that i read and again a pretty epic story. Two different episodes of the life of "the father" (Ugo's father?) are mixed through each other to come to a kind of finale at the end. Intriguing, inviting to continu to read, very well written but at the end .... the feeling to have read just a story about some family members and their adventures, small or great, nothing more.
A maybe far fetched interpretation of me is that the characters that seem to be free and successfull are in fact captivated by their own sorrows and the ones depicted as the kind of losers, the not haves, are in fact free and rich in ideas and insights. I can't dig up any other thematics.
Perfect for 3 of my categories: War, Italy and Family

13: Slingerbeweging by György Konrád, a strange book about nothing really, but o so lovely. This is 250 pages of small reflections, memories, thoughts and flashbacks, predictions and overall wisdom. The author happily admits here his passive, awaiting attitude and is clearly in perfect balance of mind about it. Very relaxing read for those who can also take distance from the daily rat race and just wander ....

14: Ik haal je op, ik neem je mee by Niccolo Ammaniti, a long time "tbr" in my library and finally it's done. This is again one of this mythical novels by Ammaniti, filled with characters as weird as they can get and as realistic as .... any Italians ? Touching, fatalistic, emotional and hilarious at the same time, Ammaniti is the true master of describing someones inner soul by just mentionning his actions .... Great book, his later work Zo God het wil is for me better but everything is already present here, it justed needed some more maturation.

If you like Ammaniti, you will probably like Davide Enia's Zo ook op aarde. Finished reading yesterday. Review will be published some time this week.

Jeb, i will have a look next time in a bookshop ;-) and i will certainly read your review

15: haha, a Coetzee: De meester van Petersburg by J.M. Coetzee, a dark and grim story on Dostojevski, his stepson, some kind of revolutionary friends of the stepson, a landlady and her daughter, all pretty bleak with very little happiness. So far, so Coetzee.
But this time no gripping story for me, no deeper feelings, no asking to the reader to choose sides, .... so no real Coetzee for me.
Maybe when i think of it a little bit more, some more comments will follow.
I had some time to rethink and i decided to upgrade my comment with this: 4 star now (instead of 3) due to the very beautiful sentences and the ability to outwit the reader.

Hello Jeb, just found out in Walry's newsletter that this book is now for sale with 25% reduction, so ... i'll go and get me a copy tomorrow ;-)

16: Liquidatie by Imre Kertesz, a very bleak story on a group of people united by a horrible past of prosecution, first by the nazis then by the communists, and wondering what the sense of their lives can be after such a horrendous past. Kertesz is the master in getting under your skin, as if it was your story he was telling, or at least the story of a beloved one. Not comfortable, not comfortable at all. Not his best book for me, certainly the first 50 pages are, for me, very confusing, it took me a week, the other one hundred only an evening.

Nice review - thanks!

> 35 - If that is Liquidation, then I understand your comments on the book. I found myself highly annoyed with the book when I finished it. Glad to see you consider it not one of his best books.... I may be motivated to give something else by him a go just to see how it compares.

Nice to see such keen readers having an interest in my little list.... Hope you're doing fine as well.

To VictoriaPL: my pleasure ! Imre Kertesz is certainly a very nice writer, i was really blown of my feet by his book Kaddish for an unborn child, a book that goes on and on without no pause, no rest ... but what a read, amazing. This one is less, i will read later Fatelessness which seems to be his best known book.

To Ikernagh: yes it is Liquidation, and i understand your feelings about it, i really had a hard time as well, in the end the story gets more readable and understandable and pieces of the jigsaw fall a bit in place, still pretty bizarre. My recommendation would be Kaddish for an unborn child, read my comment to VictoriaPL, not Detective story which i have read as well but is also rather in the bizarre category for me.

And now, back to the Italian authors ... for a change ;-)

number 17 : De Lüneburger variant by Paolo Maurensig, a short novel on chess, revenge, nazism and the holocaust. I can't help feeling a bit disappointed: this book could have been so much better ! After all the items part of the plot are promising, it's the way the story is told that is so inelaborate, like the author was thinking that finding the baseline was already enough work. Exemplary is the (too) long explanation of the evolution of the prosecution of the jews in the 1930's, we know Paolo, we know ... add something too it, instead of only mentionning everything.
The book is not bad, it's just ... way too simple.

and 18: Gedachten by Giacomo Leopardi, short notes, thoughts, as the title says on the world, the people, relations, and especially on good and bad, and oh boy, is he convinced that we are all bad .... and if we're good, we're just pretending. Not my ideas, and Leopardi may have had a tyraniccal mother and an unhappy youth, it's really depressing to see the result. Complex phrases, lingering comparisons and multiple sidesteps don't make this an easy read. Some really short pithy findings make it up ... for a while

19: Zo ook op aarde by Davide Enia, a lively written book, a lot of flashbacks, flashforwards but without losing the rythm, very well but still, confusing at one or two occasions. The history of 3 generations in Sicily through a common theme: the noble art of defense as the British would say, but here in a slightly different variation :-) : just hit them, oops no, just hit them harder! Enigmatic, love stories, family and friendship and not making choices between these emotions, very Italian yes indeed. A recommendation for everyone who hates falling asleep while reading, this one will surely keep you awake.
A big thank you to LT friend Jebronse for recommending it to me!

Glad you liked it :-)

Have you read Pietro Grossi's Van acquit yet? Also very recommendable. A few year old, but I missed it at the time.

Hello Jeb,
i already saw this book in bookshop Paard van Troje, but somehow i wasn't "touched" to buy. I'll check next time based on this recommendation. I started Land van glas now.

finally some news:
number 20: Witte tanden by Zadie Smith, ... strange, strange, strange story that talks about some people in London, with a common history for some of them but how this common history created this friendship stays a bit of a mystery, differences being huge and common things or intrests rather scarce. On top of this the likelihood of these stories really go beyond me, from the historic ones in the war to the actual ones (or London is a more weird place then i can imagine, although i also spend some time there, which stays of course a different thing then living in the city) ... Still, weird.

and number 21: Land van glas by Alessandro Baricco, a very nice read again from Baricco, absurd and surreal at the same time, Baricco stays for me a trip, a hallucination without having to take some heavier drugs that normally cause these effects, as i was told ;-)
Continuously amazed by how the authors takes some ideas, elaborates them beyond expectation and in plus finds a way to link them to one another and make a story out of all this. A truly gifted air monger.

Reasons for reading so few ... very active holidays, walking through the Dolomites, Italy. Playing chess in the evening instead of reading. Back home : finalise driving lessons for my daughter, every evening +1 hour of practise ....
But hey, i will get back on reading ... if possible ;-)

Disruptions in reading are to be expected.... My August is a complete bust for reading and I am okay with that!

Ooohh..... Baricco. I loved both Silk and Emmaus. I have City waiting for me to get to it. Looks like I will be adding Lands of Glass to my For Later reading!

To Ikernagh: thanks for giving me some courage ! Try to find Ocean Sea as well from Alessandro Baricco, for me one of his better works. Dreamy like Silk.

My local library has Ocean Sea.... hold placed, thanks!

Oops, i'm back : In Europa by Geert Mak, a long winding (+1100 pages) story about the situation in Europe in the 20th century. A lot of attention for the Jewish, the wars and Eastern Europe. A lot less for the rest. History is one of my interests but in this book you rather get snapshots of situations and only now and then a historical insight.

and 23 : Laura by Elia Barcélo, a short story, the first from this author for me. Pretty soon you see the twist in the story and even some "luck" is needed to complete it. Weak. A supposed short triller, but the only trill i got came from ... nowhere.

24 : Van Acquit by Pietro Grossi, a little gem about a simple man, with a dedication to his wife, his work and his hobby, billiards. When everything around him changes, his simplicity keeps him going on. Grossi uses very well found symbols to depict the why and the what in this modest but brilliant little book. Amazing.

I am reading In Europa too. Finished part one, and found it interesting. Part two is waiting. Other things to read first (as always).
Glad you liked Van acquit :-)

25: Mr Gwyn by Alessandro Baricco, a true jewel, like all Baricco's books this is like dreaming with your eyes wide open. A fantastic story about solitude, friendship, going your own way and taking turns in life. In my humble opinion it's about finding yourself and about creating possibilities different then the classical ones, to achieve the necessary target of finding yourself. As often, one will first see and apply these methods as if they were fit for the people around him, but this is off course a distraction, you end up with yourself. I read this book twice, it's the book you wish you wrote it yourself. For a very personal reason it overwhelmed me with emotions and inspired me to change something in my own life. Dear Mr. Baricco, thank you for this book.

Great review of Baricco's Mr Gwyn! I love his writing style and every book of his that I have read has surprised me with how skillful he is at conveying his story. Sadly, my local library doesn't have that one so I will be adding it to the list I take with me when I visit my usual book haunts!

Dear Ikernagh, thanks for your comment. On your local library, i checked on Amazon and it seems this book is not yet available in english, oops. This is a pity, i do hope for you that it will soon be translated and available. It's a real gem. Have a nice reading festive period.
Lunarreader

not yet available in english

That would explain why the library doesn't have a copy. No worries, that just means it is a book I can look forward to when it is translated into English! ;-)

Stopping by to wish you a happy holiday season and all the best in the new year!

Dear Ikernagh, thanks for the best wishes and please accept the same best wishes, a good reading year, and most of all a good health for you and all your family, your friends and people you care for.

26th book of this year and maybe the last one: Door Spinoza's lens by Tinneke Beeckman : a non-fiction book, written by a female philosopher explaining that the philosophy of Spinoza (17th century) can still be used today to look at the world and determine ones place, reactions and behaviour in this current world. Very interesting read, the content is really top for me but the awkward typo's, wrong phrased sentences and editor mistakes diminished my pleasure.
The editor should really get a good corrector.

I round up the challenge here. Thanks to all of you for following my reading journey this year. I didn't make it (by far), but after 4 years i have to be honest and reading a book takes me one to two weeks and there is always a "non-reading" period in a year or a period where professional reading takes over.
And i'm perfectly happy with this ... it's my life.
Next year i will start a list, but no longer in the "challenge" type. Once i created it i will post the link here, for those interested.
Again, many thanks for all your support and good luck with the reading in 2013 for all of you ! ;-)

Thanks, Lunar!

Even if I don't comment often, I've enjoyed reading your thread and look forward to many book bullets from you next year!

Hello Paruline,
always nice to see that people care. Thanks a lot. Have a good bookyear and an overall healthy & happy 2013 for all your beloved ones.

Hi,
if you want to follow my reading in 2013.... this is the place to be http://www.librarything.com/topic/147462
see you !
Lunarreader