Anita (FAMeulstee) reads on in 2018 (1)

I am Anita Meulstee from Lelystad, the Netherlands, where I live with my husband Frank. We both love modern art, books and dogs.

I joined the 75 group in 2008, but have not been been active in 2013 & 2014 because I could not read much as a side effect of an anti-depressant (Paxil). In 2015 I was able to wean of the Paxil and I regained my ability to read. 2017 was my best reading year ever with 452 books read!

I read (almost) everything, from childrens and YA books to more serious literature, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy and I try not to forget to throw some non-fiction into the mix.

I wish everyone happy readings in 2018!

total books read in 2018: 25
10 own / 5 library / 10 BolKobo+

total pages read in 2018: 6,954

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books read in January 2018 (25 books, 6,954 pages, 10 own / 5 library / 10 BolKobo+)
book 25: De laatste zomer (The last summer) by Helen Griffiths, 153 pages, TIOLI #16, (msg 273)
book 24: Een studie in rood (A study in scarlet) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 267 pages, TIOLI #10, (msg 270)
book 23: Naar Moskou! Naar Moskou! by Willem Oosterbeek, 163 pages, TIOLI #15, (msg 264)
book 22: Lof der zotheid (In Praise of Folly) by Desiderius Erasmus, 183 pages, TIOLI #4, (msg 261)
book 21: Wolvensaga by Käthe Recheis, 444 pages, TIOLI #5, (msg 255)
book 20: Doldwazen en druiloren (Fruitloops and dipsticks) by Ulf Stark, 115 pages, TIOLI #13, (msg 227)
book 19: Het heksenkind (Witch fear) by Helen Griffiths, 138 pages , TIOLI #16, (msg 226)
book 18: Woutertje Pieterse by Multatuli, 758 pages, TIOLI #4, (msg 225)
book 17: Majesteit, Uw ontbijt by Sjoerd Kuyper, 88 pages, TIOLI #14, (msg 224)
book 16: De rode hengst op de renbaan (The Island Stallion Races) by Walter Farley, 224 pages, TIOLI #4, (msg 220)
book 15: Sacha, de russische blauwe kat (Russian blue) by Helen Griffiths,137 pages, TIOLI #15, (msg 215)
book 14: Kaas en de evolutietheorie by Bas Haring, 159 pages, TIOLI #14, (msg 214)
book 13: Waarom ik lees (Where I'm Reading From) by Tim Parks, 239 pages, TIOLI #7, (msg 211)
book 12: De vergeten geschiedenis van mijn grootvader Sulayman Hadj Ali by Meltem Halaceli, 248 pages, TIOLI #6, (msg 197)
book 11: De reizen van Gulliver (Gulliver's Travels) by Jonathan Swift, 352 pages, TIOLI #11, (msg 195)
book 10: Een handvol sneeuw (The End of Days) by Jenny Erpenbeck, 268 pages, TIOLI #9, (msg 184)
book 9: A van alibi (A Is for Alibi) by Sue Grafton, 223 pages, TIOLI #13, (msg 180)
book 8: De oorlog heeft geen vrouwengezicht (The Unwomanly Face of War) by Svetlana Alexievich, 384 pages, TIOLI #3, (msg 175)
book 7: Het vierkant van de wraak (The Square of Revenge) by Pieter Aspe, 301 pages, TIOLI #12, (msg 135)
book 6: De abdij van Northanger (Northanger Abbey) by Jane Austen, 272 pages, TIOLI #2, (msg 134)
book 5: Twilight (Twilight) by Stephenie Meyer, 383 pages, TIOLI #8, (msg 119)
book 4: Reizen zonder John (In America: Travels With John Steinbeck) by Geert Mak, 575 pages, TIOLI #10, (msg 106)
book 3: De hond van Rafa (Rafa's dog) by Helen Griffiths, 121 pages, TIOLI #1, (msg 105)
book 2: Onafhankelijke mensen (Independent people) by Haldór Laxness, 604 pages, TIOLI #4, (msg 74)
book 1: Het gouden oog by Hans Hagen, 155 pages, (msg 47)

Reading plans in January 2018:

TIOLI January 2018: Januari sweep done (sweep= read a book for each challenge)

Reading plans in 2018

I have a large collection of mostly awarded childrens & YA books. At the moment I am reading the books I haven't read since joining LT, mostly alphabeticly, to decide wich to keep. The ones not to keep are donated to a library in Rotterdam (where we lived until 2005).
I start in 2018 with 703 childrens/YA books, of those 352 to be read.

I keep trying to read more of my own books, of the 452 books I have read in 2017 238 were my own.

I join the TIOLI (Take It Or Leave It) challenges each month.

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My readings in previous years

452 books (110,222 pages) read in 2017/1, 2017/2, 2017/3, 2017/4, 2017/5, 2017/6, 2017/7, 2017/8, 2017/9, 2017/10, 2017/11, 2017/12, 2017/13
252 books   (72,474 pages) read in 2016/1, 2016/2, 2016/3, 2016/4, 2016/5, 2016/6
  29 books   (10,079 pages) read in 2015
  17 books     (3,700 pages) read in 2014
  13 books     (3,692 pages) read in ROOT 2013
  50 books   (18,779 pages) read in 2012/1, 2012/2, 2012/3
  82 books   (29,387 pages) read in 2011/1, 2011/2
120 books   (37,668 pages) read in 2010/1, 2010/2, 2010/3, 2010/4
  78 books   (22,698 pages) read in 2009/1, 2009/2
130 books   (39,901 pages) read in 2008

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Other lists

My best of lists on the WikiThing

Series I read, mostly mysteries, a list to keep track

Armand Gamache by Louise Penny 4/4 (others not translated)

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr 4/11
1 Een Berlijnse kwestie; 2 Het handwerk van de beul; 3 Een Duits requiem; 4 De een van de ander; 5 Een stille vlam; 6 Als de doden niet herrijzen; 7 Grijs verleden; 8 Praag fataal; 9 De man zonder adem; 10 De vrouw van Zagreb; 11 De schaduw van de stilte

Broeder Cadfael by Ellis Peters 6/20
1 Het heilige vuur; 2 Het laatste lijk; 3 Het gemene gewas; 4 De kwade knecht; 5 De eenzame bruid; 6 De kille maagd; 7 Het vege lijf; 8 De duivelse droom; 9 De gouden speld; 10 Een wisse dood; 11 Een hard gelag; 12 De ware aard; 13 Een witte roos; 14 Het stille woud; 15 De laatste eer; 16 Het rechte pad; 17 Een zijden haar; 18 Een lieve lust; 19 De heilige dief; 20 De verloren zoon

De Cock by A.C. Baantjer 44/70

Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith 3/3

DCI Banks by Peter Robinson 21/21 waiting for next books in translation

Erlendur Sveinsson by Arnaldur Indriðason 14/14

Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham 2/2

Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley 2/5
1 De smaak van venijn; 2 Het stroeve touw; 3 De kunst van het liegen; 4 De show van je leven; 5 Slotakkoord voor een moord

Floris V by Renée Vink 2/3
1 Floris V en de Schotse troon; 2 De laatste dagen van Floris V; 3 De wreker van Floris V

John Rebus by Ian Rankin 2/18
1 Kat & muis; 2 Blindeman; 3 Hand & Tand; 4 Ontmaskering; 5 Zwartboek; 6 Vuurwerk; 7 Laat maar bloeden; 8 Gerechtigheid; 9 Door het lint; 10 Dode zielen; 11 In het duister; 12 Valstrik; 13 Lazarus; 14 Een kwestie van bloed; 15 De rechtelozen; 16 Gedenk de doden; 17 Laatste ronde; 18 Cold case;

Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum 3/12
1 Eva's oog; 2 Kijk niet achterom; 3 Wie de wolf vreest; 4 De duivel draagt het licht; 5 De Indiase bruid; 6 Zwarte seconden; 7 De moord op Harriet Krohn; 8 Een andere voorkeur; 9 Kwade wil; 10 De waarschuwer; 11 Carmen Zita og døden (not translated); 12 Veenbrand

Kurt Wallander by Henning Mankell 7/12
prequel De jonge Wallander; 1 Moordenaar zonder gezicht; 2 Honden van Riga; 3 De witte leeuwin; 4 De man die glimlachte; 5 Dwaalsporen; 6 De vijfde vrouw; 7 Midzomermoord; 8 De blinde muur; 9 Voor de vorst; 10 De gekwelde man; 11 Wallanders wereld

Mijn strijd (My Struggle) by Karl Ove Knausgård 6/6

Nic Costa by David Hewson 10/10

Pieter Vos by David Hewson 1/4
1 Poppenhuis; 2 Het verkeerde meisje; 3 Het derde zusje; 4 De stenen engel

Rechter Tie by Robert van Gulik 17/17

Reders & Reders by Jan & Sanne Terlouw 6/6

Sir Balwin by Michael Jecks 4/8
1 De laatste tempelridder; 2 De heks van Wefford; 3 De gehangene van Dartmoor; 4 Het mooie lijk; 5 Het lijk zonder hoofd; 6 Het zevende gebod; 7 De dood van de erfgenaam; 8 Moord in het klooster

Yashim Togalu by Jason Goodwin 4/4

Books aquired in 2018: 10

January 2018
2314 by Philip Akkerman
Doodgewoon by Bette Westera
De Bosatlas van het Nederlandse voetbal
Amerikaanse pastorale by Philip Roth.
Liefdesliederen by Hadewijch
Middlemarch by George Eliot
De avonturen van Alice in Wonderland & Achter de spiegel en wat Alice daar aantrof by Lewis Caroll
Het Gilgamesj-epos
Bekentenissen van Zeno by Italo Svevo (replacment for a damaged bok)
Het rood en het zwart by Stendhal
Anton Heyboer : het goede moment by Doede Hardeman ea

Books culled in 2018: 7

best books in 2017 all 5*
Het einde van de rode mens (Secondhand Time) by Svetlana Alexijevitsj
Tussen de wereld en mij (Between the World and Me) by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hou van die hond (Love that dog) by Sharon Creech
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Morgen ga ik naar China by Imme Dros (picture book)
De blikken trommel (The Tin Drum) by Günter Grass
Schildpadden tot in het oneindige (Turtles all the way down) by John Green
Leven en lot (Life and Fate) by Vasily Grossman
Aardzee (The Earthsea Trilogy) by Ursula LeGuin
Soldaat Peaceful (Private Peaceful) by Michael Morpurgo
De ontdekking van de hemel (The Discovery of Heaven) by Harry Mulisch
Max Havelaar by Multatuli
Waar het licht is (All the Bright Places) by Jennifer Niven
1984 by George Orwell
Dokter Zjivago (Dr Zhivago) by Boris Pasternak
Jan, mijn vriend (Johnny, my friend) by Peter Pohl
De adelaar van het negende (The Eagle of the Ninth) by Rosemary Sutcliff
Een koning voor de Dalriaden (The Mark of the Horse Lord) by Rosemary Sutcliff
De aankomst (The Arrival) by Shaun Tan
In de ban van de ring (Lord of the Rings) by J.R.R. Tolkien

That is it, first 2018 thread is open :-)

Hi, Anita! Happy new thread for the new year! I'll be following along once again.

Welcome back!

Dropping by to leave a trail of breadcrumbs.

Dropping a star, Anita! I love your topper - you both look so happy.

Happy new year and new thread Anita! Love the lists.

Hi Anita, happy new year and happy new thread.

Your reading plans are looking good.
I'm intrigued by the title of Guus Kuijer Hoe een klein rotgodje God vermoordde:-)

Dropping a Star, Anita. Welcome to 208!

Happy New Year, Anita !

Happy New Year! I wish you to read many good books in 2018.

HI Anita, Wishing you amazing reading in 2018. I will be visiting your "best of lists"!
Lovely picture in >1 FAMeulstee:.

Happy new year, Anita. What a great thread topper photo.

Wow, that WikiThing List in >4 FAMeulstee: is FANTASTIC! For sure it is bookmarked with thanks. Congrats on the 452.

Back to my own thread, after doing the rounds in the 2018 group :-)

>9 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry, happy to see you as my very first visitor!

>10 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>11 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. I have seen some breadcrumbs here and there, leading me to other threads :-)

>12 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie, that picture was taken a few years back. It is still one of my favourites.

>13 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte, where would we be without lists?

>14 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella, the same to you!
That is why I downloaded that book on my e-reader :-)

>15 swynn: Thanks, Steve, it IS is typo, isn't it? I wouldn't want to go back that far ;-)

>16 cindysprocket: Thanks, Cindy, the same to you and yours!

>17 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel, at last I am able to look at dogpictures without tears...

>18 mdoris: Thanks, Mary, I will keep on reading. The picture was taken a few years back and still is one of my favourites.

>19 cameling: Thanks, Caro, it is the best recent picture of Frank and me.

>20 mdoris: You are welcome, Mary, it is a work in progress.

Happy New Year, Anita!


(sunrise at Newgrange, Ireland)

Hi have a * & Happy New Year🎉

Happy new thread, Anita!

>25 majleavy: Thanks, Michael, the same to you! Nice picture, I would like to see that IRL :-)

>26 BBGirl55: Thanks, Bryony, Happy New Year!

>27 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

view from Zürich's landmark mountain Üetliberg

>29 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, that is a beautiful picture.
Wishing you and your family all the best for 2018!

--

I am going to call it a day on LT, in 40 minutes the New Years starts. I am going to read a bit and then off to bed :-)

Happy New Year to you and Frank, Anita!

Found you! Happy New Year to you and Frank, Anita!

Happy 2018 reading!

Dropping off a
And wishing you

Happy New Year
Happy New Group here
This place is full of friends
I hope it never ends
It brew of erudition and good cheer.

>31 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry, the same to you and yours!
Thanks for that beautiful New Year card!

>32 cushlareads: Thank you, Cushla, the same to you and yours!

>33 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori, may 2018 be filled with wonderful and happy reading!

>34 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, a happy New Year to you, filled with great reads!

>35 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, this is a great place. Glad we all found our way to the 75 Books Challenge :-)
Happy New Year, I hope it will be gentler to us than 2017 was...

Happy New Reading Year, Anita!

Happy Reading, Anita & Frank!

Hi Anita! Happy new year to you. I wish you a year of fantastic books and good times.

>38 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda, 365 happy days would be great :-)

>39 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Kathy, the same to you!

>40 msf59: Thank you, Mark, reading & following the threads will keep me busy enough ;-)

>41 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, the same to you. We could use some good times!

Hello Anita, I hope you got some sunshibe too. I enjoyed it very much because forecast is telling us that terrible weather will be arriving soon.

Happy new thread and new year, Anita :-) Your thread is so organised! Do you think you'll beat last year's total for books read?

Happy New Year Anita :)

>43 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, sadly we had no sunshine. Glad you enjoyed some. But it is dry now, we had a lot of rain last night.

>44 susanj67: Thank you, Susan, happy New Year!
I have set my goal a little bit lower, at 400. I did neglect my house keeping duties a bit in the last month, trying to stretch my reading as far as possible. Noe a bit more attention and time for housekeeping, and rewarding myself after that with reading ;-)

>45 BekkaJo: Thank you, Bekka, the same to you and yours!

book 1: Het gouden oog by Hans Hagen
own, Dutch, YA, awarded, Zilveren Griffel 1992, no translations, 155 pages

Historical fiction, 2500 BC in a village near the Euphrates, Yarim lives with his family. One night a lion threathens his fathers herd, and Yarim manages to kill it. He got wounded, and his arm is lame now. His father can't pay the landowner, as it has been a very dry year. So Yarim is sold as a slave and has to go to the city of Kish (south of Irak).

>47 FAMeulstee: I hope his father got a good price for the lion-killing kid!

Happy New Year, Anita, and wow! a book finished already?

Hi Dear Anita. I am most impressed by the number of books you read in 2017. I will retire in September of 2018 and I do hope that I will have more time for reading. I'm going to try to read books I own rather than bringing home piles from the library. I hope to stay away from book sales, but that is a tough habit to break.

I wish you and Frank health and happiness.

>48 richardderus: Not really, Richard, as the kid had a lame arm. But it ends well :-)

>49 PawsforThought: Thank you, Paws, the same to you!
Yes one down, more to go. I am nearly halfway into Independent People by Laxness.

>50 Whisper1: Dear Linda, so happy to see you!
I never knew I could read this much in a year. Own books are often neglected, I know, but like you I try to do better this year. I have slowed down buying books, only 33 were added to my library and 65 culled!
Wishing you and Will all the best in 2018!

I knew I had forgotten something... up at >7 FAMeulstee: my best of 2017 list is now added.

>51 FAMeulstee: Anita, I am in awe that you only accumulated 33 books. That is a goal to aim for.

>53 Whisper1: You can do it, Linda!

Happy New Year, Anita!

>55 LauraBrook: Thank you, Laura, the same to you and yours!
I saw you in the ROOTS group too :-)

Happy New Year, Anita! May you have some great reads in 2018.

>57 kgodey: Thank you, Kriti, may 2018 bring great reads for you too!

Happy 2018, Anita!

Woo, you sure made up for those couple of years when your reading was limited. 452 books is awesome.

Happy New Year, Anita!

I will be following along with you again this year Anita to see if you can match the great reading you did in 2017!

Life and Fate, The Discovery of Heaven and The Tin Drum are all favorites of mine too, and potential rereads at some point in the future.

>59 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe!
When the reading came back, I was really "hungry" for books to read. That feeling has slowed down a bit now.

>60 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary, the same to you!

>61 arubabookwoman: Thanks, Deborah, I hope I can do it again ;-)
Life and Fate was the best of the best last year, I bought my own copy for a re-read someday.

I will be gone for the rest of the day, for a visit to Museum More and diner in Hoogeveen.
Tomorrow we will return home and I will be glad to have my own fast internet connection back!

Good morning, Anita. We have some stormy days ahead.

Dropping a star - happy reading in 2018, Anita :) I see you have already made a lot of plans and list for the new year.

Good to see LOTR on your best of the year list. It will always be there, whenever one reads it, I guess :) Currently rereading the trilogy at the moment.

Happy New Year to you and Frank! That's a lovely picture in the first post!

Happy New Year! You and Frank look so happy in your photo. What an impressive number of books in 2017! I hope you have a wonderful 2018 full of good reads.

What a great photo for a topper, Anita. I'm dropping my star to follow along in 2018.

Happy new year, Anita, and what a great photo of you and Frank!

Happy New Year Anita and welcome back for another year here.

>64 Ameise1: Good evening, Barbara, it was very stormy this morning when we drove home.

>65 ctpress: Hi Carsten, it was a re-read, I am not sure how many times I have read it. Probably more than 10 times, one of my all time favourites. I plan to re-read The Hobbit soon, as I saw the movies recently.

>66 Deern: Thank you, Nathalie, happy New Year to you!

>67 libraryperilous: Thank you, Diana, halfway 2016 my reading went up big time. And luckely that continued in 2017, I hope this year will be as good ;-)

>68 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg, the picture was taken in 2014 in the sculpture garden of museum Kröller-Müller.

>69 banjo123: The same to you, Rhonda, it is one of my favourite pictures of Frank & me.

>70 RBeffa: Thank you, Ron, we just keep on going with this group :-)

Happy New Year, Anita! I see you've got a book on the list already.

book 2: Onafhankelijke mensen by Haldór Laxness
from the library, translated from Icelandic, 1001 books, Nobelprize winner, English translation Independent people, 604 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: The WIKI Rolling Challenge: read a book with 'w', 'i', 'k', 'i' in the title

Iceland in the early 20th century, shepherd Bjartur has finally obtained his own small farm and wants to live an independent life. The land is said to be haunted, but Bjartur doesn't believe anything he can's see. He looses his first wife, while searching for a lost sheep, but her child is saved by his dog. His second wife gives him many children, but only three boys survive. It is a harsh life. The World War gives some wealth to the poor farmers of Iceland, as prices rise, but that is only a short lived wealth. Because he only values his independency, Bjartur looses a lot through time. Besides, only sheep do count.

The heroic battle of Bjartur against the harsh circumstances of the land is told with irony and subtile humor.

>73 humouress: Thank you, Nina, I just reviewed my second book :-)

>74 FAMeulstee: A deeply depressing read, like all Halldor Laxness books. Beautiful, though, even in translation. Glad it impressed you, Anita.

>76 richardderus: Not only depressing, Richard, the madly stubborn main character has a funny side at times ;-)
I am very glad I read it, I equally loved The Happy Warriors.

Happy New Year, Anita. I hope 2018 is a year full of wonderful books.

Good evening, Anita. Glad to hear that you made it safely back home. How was your museum visit?

>78 BLBera: Thanks Beth, wishing you the same!

>79 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, the museum was great. Tomorrow I will post some pictures of the museum and our visit to Bourtange.

Hi Anita! 452 books last year! Oh gosh! I am curious about people who read so much (and clearly very fast). Do you think you retain a good idea of what the book was about? Whenever I read books quickly I feel that I don't perhaps remember them so well, but maybe that's just me!

>81 HanGerg: Hi Hannah, to me that was also a whole lot of books read in a year ;-)
I do remember roughly what each book was about, but one book impresses more than others, so I have more vivid memories of the books I really loved. I have a lot of time to read, that is part of the reason why I can read so much in a year.

Hi Anita! Congrats on two books read so early in the year. I am glad that Independent People was a 4.5 star read for you. It was for me, too.

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

Onafhankelijke mensen sounds intriguing. I don't think I have ever read anything by an Icelandic author.

>83 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen, last year I finished my second book on the 5th. But that was the second part of War and Peace ;-)
I like Laxness, will look out for other books by him.

>84 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi, happy New Year!

>85 PersephonesLibrary: It was an intriguing and interesting read, Kathy. I read one other book by Laxness: The Happy Warriors, that was as good.

Your review of Independent People has intrigued me . .and also hit me with a book bullet. Off to the near exploding wish list it goes.

On Tuesday, the last day of our vacation, we visited Museum MORE in Gorssel. This museum is dedicated to 20th century realistic Dutch painters. The have work by Carl Willink, Jan Mankes, Charley Toorop, Pyke Koch and Co Westerik, to name a few. There was an exhibition with works by Hermanus Berserik.
A few pictures, my friends on Facebook can see more, as I took many pictures ;-)

Left: Carl Willink: Landing on Mars (1969); right: Jan Mankes: Still life with buffalo scull (1918)
 

Left: Jan Beutener: Ripe (2005); right: Co Westerik: Criminal (2003)
 

Left: Philip Verkerk: no title (self portraits 1986-2008), Frank bought the book with 2314 self portraits; right: Herman Berserik: Self portrait (1952)
 

Left: Herman Berserik: Advertising posters Post (1950s, left don't make riddles for the post, right don't hide let your aquaitances know when you move); right: Herman Berserik: Self portrait with poor eyesight (2001)
 

>87 cameling: That is part of the charm of this group, Caro, ever growing TBR lists ;-)

>88 FAMeulstee: How wonderful! I love looking at art that doesn't travel outside its native land. Gives me a better, deeper sense of Dutch culture to see them.

>88 FAMeulstee: Oh, I love that Mars Landing one! It's beautiful.

>90 richardderus: Thanks, Richard, I saw many very good paintings and a few really great ones.
You can see 60+ pictures at my Museum MORE album at FB.

>91 PawsforThought: Willink was a great painter, Paws. The museum has a second location with only works by Willink. Hopefully we will visit there this year.

Hope you are having a wonderful start to your new year!

>93 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle, the same to you and yours! We went away for a week vacation after Chrismas.

Thanks for posting those pictures Anita.
I like the Willink as well! I've never heard of that museum before.

Happy New Year, Anita! Wishing you another wonderful year! Lovely that you got away . Wonderful photos!

Hi, Anita. Dropping a star



Great photo of you and Frank!

>88 FAMeulstee: I love the Herman Berserik advertising posters and self-portrait. How whimsical!

Happy New Year, Anita! You're starred. I hope you have a wonderful reading year! Your 2017 total just astounds me!

>88 FAMeulstee: Love the paintings. Thanks for sharing them. Good morning, Anita.

Wow, more great art (just visited. Barbara's thread), just what I needed to see, thank you for sharing, Anita!!!

>95 EllaTim: You are welcome, Ella.
The MORE museum is a fairly new museum, founded by buisinessman Hans Melchers. The main part of this collection is the art he bought from the bankrupt estate of Dirk Scheringa (DSB Bank). It has two locations, the main museum in Gorssel and most of the Carl Willink collection in castle Ruurlo.

>96 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah, happy New Year!
We had a nice week, despite Frank having two work nights in the middle.

>97 rretzler: Thank you, Robin, Berserik did a lot of posters and book covers, nearly always with a funny note.

I'm glad to hear that you had a good week Anita and that you did well on your own with Frank working.

>98 AMQS: Thanks, Anne, the same to you!
I surprised myself by the numbers, it was only halfway the year that I realised I was going to have a incredible reading year.

>99 Ameise1: Good evening, Barbara, happy to share some of the art we saw in museum MORE.

>100 Deern: Glad to provide what you need, Nathalie :-)

>102 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, we changed the plan and that worked out well. Originally Frank would stay in Lelystad for a two nights, but I got a bit nevous about that, so he came back after work, like he always does. That was only half an hour extra, so it wasn't to hard on him either.

book 3: De hond van Rafa by Helen Griffiths
own, YA, translated, original title Rafa's dog, 121 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book having a title which includes an animal with exactly three letters in its name

Rafa and his little sister are send from Madrid to the countryside, their mother soon will give birth to a third child. Rafa befriends a stray dog, named Moro, and they have a lot of fun together. The others in town don't like Moro and chase his away. Rafa has to leave Moro behind when he returns to Madrid.

I loved all books by Helen Griffiths when I was young, over the years I collected all her Dutch translated books. Now I like her earlier books more than the later ones, those are more of the same and miss the sparkle that is found in her earlier books.

book 4: Reizen zonder John by Geert Mak
BolKobo+, non-fiction, Dutch, English translation In America: Travels With John Steinbeck, 575 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book that has a relation to an other book

In 2010, fifty years after John Steinbeck traveled through the USA with his dog Charley, Geert Mak and his wife travel the same journey as described in Travels with Charley. He is not the only one who is traveling in Steinbeck's tracks, he meets two other writers who are doing the same.
Like in his best known book In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century, we get besides his travelogue a lot of history of the United States and hear about other European travelers in earlier centuries. For me the most memorable quote was, in the present time of "fake news", "The truth has become a social symptom, not something that must be researched".

Geert Mak taught me a lot about John Steinbeck, USA history, the oddities and todays USA.

>106 FAMeulstee: You got me with that one, Anita. I loved Travels With Charley. And thanks for sharing the museum visit with us - I think my favorite is the very last one.

Hi Anita my dear, just stopping by to star your thread dear friend and look forward to reading about your reading exploits this year. Sending love and hugs to you and Frank.

>107 Crazymamie: I did read Travels with Charley last year, Mamie, so when I saw this one, I had to read it.
That last one touched me too, it is sad when a painter slowly looses his eyesight. Somehow he captured that in the painting.

>108 johnsimpson: Thanks John, I also wonder how far my readings will go this year... Love and hugs back to you and Karen.

>106 FAMeulstee: Oh heck. Another thread I can't come to visit without my blue-blocking glasses!

>110 richardderus: LOL, Richard, didn't know blue-blocking glasses DO exist :-O

>101 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the explanation Anita. Ah, the old Scheringa collection. Castle Ruurlo, maybe nice for in the summer.

Happy Friday, Anita. In America: Travels With John Steinbeck sounds like a lot of fun. I am a big fan of Travels with Charley.

Have a great weekend.

Lovely photos of the artwork. I especially liked the Berseriks. Thank you for posting the photos.

Travels with Charley is one of my favorites. Steinbeck's a favorite of mine. Someday I'll make it to Steinbeck country.

>88 FAMeulstee: marvellous art! I must go back to our local gallery, in fact, why have I not already!!??!

Happy Saturday, Anita.

>112 EllaTim: You are welcome, Ella. It is good the Scheringa collection found a Dutch owner.

>113 msf59: Thanks, Mark, last year I became a fan of Travels with Charley.
Happy weekend, no work today?

>114 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana, before this exposition I only knew some of Berserik's graphic work.
I am slowly (re-)reading Steinbecks works. I had to read a few at school, but didn't like them back then. Now I like him a lot better!

>115 LovingLit: I don't know why you haven't yet, Megan, just go!! I enjoy art, and leave almost always with a feeling of happiness.

>116 Ameise1: Happy weekend to you, Barbara, enjoy the last days of your vacation.

I love John Steinbeck and Travels with Charley is on my tbr list. So is In America: Travels with John Steinbeck now.

book 5: Twilight : een levensgevaarlijke liefde by Stephenie Meyer
from the library, YA, translated, original title Twilight, 383 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a popular or best-selling book that you've always assumed you wouldn't like

Bella just moved to Forks and falls madly and completely in love with Edward. But Edward had a secret, he shouldn't fall in love with Bella....

Romance and vampiers, two genres I usually don't like, so it was a perfect book for this TIOLI Challenge.
Despite the original twist on vampiers, I didn't like this book. It is well written, and I can understand its populairity. So in this case my assumption was right ;-)

>118 PersephonesLibrary: I would advise to read Travels with Charley first, Kathy.

Sorry to see that you did not enjoy Twilight. I don't normally like romance either but I love vampire books and really enjoyed the whole series.

Happy New Year, Anita! I see you are off to a great start with 5 books read already! I will pass on Twilight. I'm pretty sure that I would't like it, and there are too many other books that I think I would like better. :-)

>119 FAMeulstee: I don't think I would be a big fan of the Twilight series either, Anita. Ever since I read Dracula in 4th grade and then 'Salem's Lot in 7th grade, I've had a very irrational fear of vampires! 😜

Happy Sunday, Anita.

Hi Anita. Just found your thread and caught up. A vampire book I liked more than Twilight was Sunshine by Robyn McKinley.

Happy New Year!
I wish you:
A Happy new Thread
Be Happy with a lot of good books

I am
Clearly Happy to be part of this group

>119 FAMeulstee: I read the first in the series and felt much the same - I finished it, so it wasn't execrable, but sparkly vamps? Really? No, just no. Also, I'm not a fan of YA angst, and this book was oozing with it.

>125 avatiakh: Oh, yes! Sunshine is really good! I always wished she'd write a sequel but so far this is a stand-alone.

>121 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle, I do understand what others like about Twilight. It is just that vampires, werewolves, zombies are not really my kind of thing. Once in a while it DO like a book from that genre, like the zombie book The girl with all the gifts. So I keep on trying.

>122 cbl_tn: Thanks, Carrie, the same to you!
With my present reading rate I don't mind to read a lesser book once in a while. Reminds me what I do like!

>123 rretzler: Hi Robin, Dracula remains on mount TBR, just because it is a classic. I read Frankenstein last year and liked it better than I thought I would.

>124 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, I hope your weekend was good.

>125 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry, I will look for that one.

>126 SirThomas: Hi Thomas, good to see you back!
I will stop by your thread tomorrow, as it is nearly bedtime for me.

>127 Storeetllr: Glad I am not the only one, Mary. I have trouble with scary and brutal violence.

Hi Anita, doing a quick catch up on your thread and the links to your five star reads from last year (and how glad I am to see that you are reading so much again after those bad couple of years). I spotted the Earthsea trilogy there - that was one of my favourites in my childhood, and remains so. Have you read anything else by Le Guin? I've just recommended The Left Hand of Darkness to a friend, and want to re-read it myself in consequence...

>128 FAMeulstee: Anita, I thought Frankenstein was wonderful. I read it along with Dracula in 4th grade. I always felt a lot of sympathy for the Monster, I don't think he was treated the way he deserved, and I thought the book was very powerful from that standpoint. It always made me want to try to see the good in others. I'm not always successful... On the other hand, Dracula as a character was just pure evil, and that book affected me on a totally different level.

Anita, I will definitely read it in that order. :-) I read the first Twilight book before the whole hype came up. I thought it was a nice YA love story for girls from age 12 and up - not more, not less. I was honestly a bit shocked when I saw how all those "grown-up"women in their thirties started hyping it. That was a Lltle bit disturbing.

But I grew up with Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc - so I prefer my vampires to be dark and rather evil. Dracula is an amazing book - very adventurous and vivid - and I read it every other Halloween. Frankenstein was good as well, though it has been a while since I have read that. But I got a lovely new Edition - so I might reread it this year.

>130 gennyt: Hi Genny, glad you are back with us, and hope you can keep up ;-)
I had read Gifts in 2010, and had been looking for more books by Ursula Le Guin. I hope to read the 2nd Eartsea trilogy this year. I will look what other books are at my library.

>131 rretzler: Yes, Robin, I felt pity for the Monster in Frankenstein. I didn't read many "classics" when I was young. Mandatory reading in high school killed my pleasure in reading for years.
I try the same, to see the good, and if that is difficult I try to understand why someone acts like he does.

>132 PersephonesLibrary: My husband used to watch Buffy, Kathy, while I was sitting next to him with my laptop. So I did get a bit of it. I am no fan of vampiers, werewolves etc. So occasionally (when it fits a TIOLI Challenge) I read books like that, and once in a while I am pleasantly surprised ;-)

book 6: De abdij van Northanger by Jane Austen
1001 books, BolKobo+, translated, original title Northanger Abbey, 272 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book with a gothic theme

A nice satire on 18th century Gothic novels. Catherine travels to Bath with an elderly childless couple. There she meets Henry. After some misunderstandings and "horror" mainly from own fanatasy, we sail to the happy end.

Besides the mentioning of many books, the main character reading, it was much fun to hear one of the male characters bragging about his horse and carriage, exactly the same way some can brag about cars or other motorized vehicles ;-)

book 7: Het vierkant van de wraak by Pieter Aspe
from the library, Dutch, mystery, English title The Square of Revenge, 301 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with a geometric shape in the title

First book about Pieter Van In, police officer in Bruges, Belgium.
He is confronted with a very strange burglary at a jewellery shop, nothing is stolen, but all precious metal is put in aqua regia, an acid. It looks like personal revenge, but the owner keeps police involvement off.

A nice first encounter with Pieter Van In and the other main characters. Looking forward to the next books.

>134 FAMeulstee: I've a shiny new copy of this one waiting for me to reread it in 2018. I was a bit disdainful of it when I read it in college.

>135 FAMeulstee: This sounds like a fun read.

>135 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita! Aqua regia played a part in my first book of the year, a mystery/thriller, Gold Brick Island.

>135 FAMeulstee: A new series! How exciting. I hope it stays just as good for a long time.

Hi Anita!

You're already doing so well this year! Congratulations.

Hi just swinging by.

>88 FAMeulstee: The painting are loverly.

>119 FAMeulstee: I liked the first Twilight book, could not get in to the second so gave up with the serise. My Sister loves this.

>134 FAMeulstee: Northanger Abby is my favourite Austin book. I relate so much to Catherine and any book that mentions books is a win in my book.

Just to let you know there is a vote going on on my tread.

Finally found you!! Happy 2018. I can't believe you read 452 books last year. You are my hero! I want to read the next one after The Girl With All The Gifts this year...loved that one. Anyway. I have you...

I think I might like your husband. :-) Werewolves and vampires are not too dominant in my reading - I just like spooky stories and hereby the classics and older tales.

>136 libraryperilous: Hi Diana, I tried to read Austens Emma long time ago, but didn't like her then. This time I liked he better.

>137 harrygbutler: That is a coïncedence, Harry, both reading a book with aqua regia in it.
I will read this months Black Stallion book near the end of this month, have you started it?

>138 richardderus: Good morning, Richard dear. I only started reading mysteries in 2016, so there are many to discover. The next two seem a bit less, looking at the reviews, but the series picks up after those. There are 38 of them :-)

>139 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, my plan was to read a bit less. Not sure I can do that ;-)

>140 BBGirl55: Hi Bryony, can't say Northanger Abbey is my favourite Austin, as it was the first I finished.
Thanks for letting me know about the vote. I am gone for the rest of the day & most of tomorrow, so I might have missed it.

>141 Berly: Thank you, Kim, glad you found me :-)
I want to read The Boy on the Bridge, but haven't seen a Dutch translation yet.

>142 PersephonesLibrary: LOL, Kathy, so do I ;-)
For years I could not handle anything that was a tiny bit scary, but I have become better with that the last few years. Still my husband watches a few series without me, as I find them way to scary. In books I can handle it a little bit better.

It has been a busy start of the year for us.
After returning from our vacation on the 3rd, we looked at the program for the next 3 months in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. The concert that we liked both was last Saturday, so we bought tickets for the modern classical music performance of "I Solisti" from Mauricio Kagel and "The State" from Louis Andriesen. It was a great evening, we both enjoyed.

And today we leave for a night in Rotterdam, where Frank and his friend Wilco have their evening at "The Six Days of Rotterdam", the annual six-day indoor track cycling races in Ahoy. And I decided to go with Frank (not the cycle event), as I would be all alone at home now.

I haven't been able to visit the threads the last days as much as I used to do last year. I will try to catch up when we are back home on Wednesday.

Happy new year. Off to a great start again I see. I have just starred this thread. :)

Have a nice time, Anita!

Oh, Frank likes the Buffy series? :D
I loved it, but somehow fell off the train before season 7. Got all the DVDs and rewatched seasons 1-3 with the original Scoobies several times, but not much of the others. I liked Dracula as well, but the Twilight series with the sparkling and nice vampires went against me. Once watched all the movies on Sky on a rainy weekend and hated them all except for the first one which I thought was okay for teenagers. However they were SO addictive in a strange way, so I couldn't stop watching and being annoyed with myself for it, and I guess it's the same with the books.

>143 FAMeulstee: Yes, Emma is my least favorite Austen. I didn't care for Mansfield Park either. I might feel differently upon a reread, but I probably would have quit on Austen if I'd started with either of them. I binge read her books in publication order about a decade ago. Since then, I've periodically reread the three I loved, but I've avoided the other three.

>149 libraryperilous: I feel the same about Emma, and though I like Mansfield Park slightly more, it's still probably my second-to-least favorite.

>149 libraryperilous: Ditto for me. P & P, Persuasion, S & S, and Northanger Abbey have all been re-reads, the first two on a regular basis. I did re-read Mansfield Park just because (I can't remember why, although it's pretty good). I'm mystified by the many people who love Emma.

I'm a fan of her written at a young age Lady Susan, which I found very funny. It was made into a good movie a couple of years ago (misnamed "Love and Friendship") with Kate Beckinsale as Lady Susan.

Wishing you a lovely time in Rotterdam. Your concerts visit sound gorgeous.

From me too Anita. Any good bookshops in Rotterdam?

Happy Rotterdammerung!

>145 FAMeulstee: I hope you have a good trip to Rotterdam, Anita!

I didn't know that indoor bicycle races were still something that happened. I once saw a Joe E. Brown movie that had such an event as its central feature, 6 Day Bike Rider.

Bon voyage, as they say :)

Hi Anita!

I'm glad you and Frank are having so many exciting adventures so far this year.

Bill and I are serious Buffy fans and re-watch the entire 7 seasons about once every three years or so - looks like it's time soon since you reminded me of it.

I've found your new thread at last! Happy New Year to you and Frank! I love the photo of you both at the top of the thread.

I hope that 2018 is a good year for you in life and in books, and that perhaps we will meet up in person again.

Enjoy your time in Rotterdam! Please, keep us informed about book shop recommendations and new acquisitions!

>146 sirfurboy: Thanks, Stephen, and a happy New Year to you!

>147 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, we did have a good time in Rotterdam :-)
More about our short trip will follow soon.

>148 Deern: Yes he does like Buffy, Nathalie, although it is years back when he watched the series.
I haven't seen any of the Twilight movies, sounds like I didn't miss much ;-)

>149 libraryperilous: >150 foggidawn: >151 jnwelch: Thanks, Diana, Misti and Joe, for sharing your thoughts about Jane Austen.
I had no idea back then that Emma was not the best book to start!
Happy to hear I might find some unexpected good reads with Jane Austens other books :-)

>152 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, we had a good time in Rotterdam. The concert last Saturday was great.

>153 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. The best bookshop in town is Donner, and yes, we did go there, and yes, we found some books that really begged to come home with us ;-)
I will list our aquistions later (and the books we ordered online today...)

>154 richardderus: LOL, Richard, nice wordplay :-D

>155 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry, we had a good time. Frank and Wilco enjoyed the cycling.
Between 1988 and 2004 the event was gone, but a since a succesfull restart in 2005 it is an annual event again. There are more indoor bicycle events in Belgium and Germany.

>161 FAMeulstee: Anita, Suggest you have a look back through some of Lyzard's tutored reads. She did an Austen last year and is currently hosting Northanger Abbey. I had been reading them very straight and without the wry point of view. I'm by no means converted to an Austen fan, but I enjoyed it more than I had done previously.

>156 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan, we traveled uneventful both ways ;-)

>157 karenmarie: It was a great way to start the year, Karen, can't remember doing this much in a short time.
Have fun re-watching Buffy!

>158 Sakerfalcon: Thank you, Claire, and happy New Year to you!
We had a good start into the new year, travel, reading, buying books :-)

>159 PersephonesLibrary: Thanks, Kathy, we had a good time and found some books.
We lived for 25 years in Rotterdam before we moved to Lelystad. I enjoy my visits again, we left because I couldn't handle living in a big city anymore. Rotterdam will always be my favourite city in the Netherlands.

Goedenavond! I have been to Amsterdam last year for a few days and I enjoyed it a lot: many nice people and interesting sights - and LOTS of bookmarkets! I haven't been to Rotterdam - not yet, at least.

>165 PersephonesLibrary: If you ever want to visit Rotterdam, Kathy, Frank and I would gladly give you a tour :-)

Book haul in bookshop Donner:


Frank bought De Bosatlas van het Nederlandse voetbal (Atlas of Dutch soccer) and Amerikaanse pastorale by Philip Roth.

I bought Liefdesliederen by Hadewijch (Middle Dutch love poems, translated to Dutch), and Dutch translations of Middlemarch by George Eliot and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll, all three in hardcover Perpetua edition, a publishers series of 100 classics, many in new translation. The covers:
  

And today we ordered 3 more from the Perpetua publishers series: Het Gilgamesj-epos, Bekentenissen van Zeno by Italo Svevo and Het rood en het zwart by Stendhal

>167 FAMeulstee: Nice haul, Anita! When you are ready to read the Hadewijch, let me know, as I might be up for a shared read using the English translation I have.

>168 harrygbutler: I will let you know, Harry, not sure when it will be yet.

>167 FAMeulstee: Nice haul, Anita.

That's an interesting publisher, doing all new translations of classics?

I'll be interested in your opinion on the Hadewijch poems.

>167 FAMeulstee: Atlas of Dutch Soccer sounds interesting. Our family are big fans of Oranje (although we do admit to being slightly bigger German soccer fans.) So many great players over the years! Who is Frank's favorite?

Good start of the reading year, Anita. I'm not much drawn to vampire stories, but Dracula was really great. I think I will read it again at some point.

Ah, how to rank Austen-novels? Let me see: Persuasion, P&P, Northanger Abbey, Emma, Mansfield Park, S&S. At least until I reread one of them and it's pushed up and then I read another one and it's pushed up...

Wow, good classic haul - I also have a new translation classic series I buy in Denmark, but it's not so many they've put out yet. Actually, the Danish ones are also with a very minimalistic simple cover design in different colours.

>170 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella, it wasn't easy to keep it at this ;-)
Publisher Athenaeum - Polak & Van Gennep started the Perpetua reeks in 2007 and the 75th book (of 100) comes next month.

>171 rretzler: Frank was happy when heard about the soccer atlas, Robin, he can name the soccer club from nearly every Dutch village and in which competition they play. So now he has all this information together in one book :-)
Frank is a Feyenoord fan, like his father and his grandfather were. Coen Moulijn, Willem van Hanegem and Dirk Kuijt are some of his favorites through the years.

>172 ctpress: Thanks Carsten, the last few days reading was bit slow, but I hope to pick up today.
Northanger Abbey was my first, so I will se how I like the others.
I checked the Perpetua reeks, they slowed down the publications due to the ressesion and big mergers between publishers, so the 75th book comes out next month. They still intend to publish the 100 that were planned.

Sweet Thursday, Anita. I have not read Jane Austen in a couple of years. I NEED to catch up.

book 8: De oorlog heeft geen vrouwengezicht by Svetlana Alexievich
BolKobo+, non-fiction, translated from Russian, English title The Unwomanly Face of War, 384 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book that is on a list of best or notable books of 2017

A collection of stories told by woman from the Soviet-Union, who served in the army or the resistance in WWII. From cooks to snipers, from pilots to truck drivers, they all tell their own story. Most of them had not spoken about the war for decades. After the war only the official "heroic" stories were told and cherished.
They were all committed to free their motherlnd of the Nazi's, some went great lengths to be able to serve. Some witnessed the cruelties of the Germans when their village (including the inhabitants) were set on fire. Others lived through German prisons, being doubted back home, as Stalin did not trust anyone who had been a Nazi prisoner.

Again an impressive book by Alexievich, this is the third book by her I have read within a year, and they were all great reads.

>174 msf59: Thanks, Mark, almost missed you, as I was crafting a review ^ ;-)
So many books, so little time, are Austens books available for you on audio?
Happy Thursday to you!

>169 FAMeulstee: Sounds good, Anita. I'll see about tracking down my copy.

>167 FAMeulstee: I really like those Perpetua covers, Anita, classy and understated yet still invitingly designed.

>175 FAMeulstee: I haven't read anything by her, I don't think, and she's the 2015 Nobel Laureate in Literature. Shame on me! I'll go look this one up.

>177 harrygbutler: Good luck finding your copy, Harry ;-)

>178 richardderus: I like the covers too, Richard, sadly I am not rich enough to buy them all. So I limit myself to those titles we don't own in an other edition.
Oh, yes, read Svetlana Alexievich, I am a fan!
Maybe I liked Secondhand time even a tiny bit better. The other I have read was Voices from Chernobyl. Somehow her way of working, interviewing witnesses and writing their words down without comment, works very good with these subjects.

book 9: A van alibi by Sue Grafton
BolKobo+, mystery, translated, original title A Is for Alibi, 223 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book (play, graphic novel, picture book, etc.) by an author OR illustrator we lost in 2017

After spending 8 years in prison for a murder she did not commit, Nikki Fife contacts Kinsey Millhone to find out who DID kill her husband Lawrence. Kinsey takes the case and soon finds out a woman was murdered the same way only days after Lawrence was murdered. When she digs deeper an other woman is killed. Someone is getting nervous about her investigations....

This is the first book in the Kinsey Millhone alphabet mysteries. Not sure yet if I want to read more books about Kinsey Millhone. I will see how easy I can get copies of the next books without my Kobo+ subscription.

>173 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the link Anita. I searched through google but couldn't find a link to the series on the web, weird.
Some good stuff there, like Don Quixote that I was planning to read. They are expensive though.

Good luck with the Kinsey Milhone series, I've read a number of them.

Hi Anita!

>180 FAMeulstee: At least you liked it, even if you don't continue with the series.

>181 EllaTim: I found the Perpetua reeks brochure online at: https://issuu.com/uitgeverijathenaeum/docs/overzicht_100_facebook
We bought Don Quichot and some others in our wealthy years, 2 hardcovers in a box from the Gouden serie van Athenaeum - Polak & van Gennep.

>182 karenmarie: Yes I liked it, Karen, but not that much that I would buy them ;-)

book 10: Een handvol sneeuw by Jenny Erpenbeck
from the library, translated German, English title The End of Days, 268 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book that contains more than one beginning

Beautiful book that plays with what if... the posibilities of death and life.

A baby dies early 20th century, in a village in Galicia (Eastern Europe), because of her death her jewish mother and catholic father grow apart and her father starts a new life in America. What if the baby had not died and grew into a teenager in post WWI Vienna? She might have been killed by a depressed young man, who she only just met. What if she had taken an other way through Vienna that night and did not get killed? She might have died in a labor camp in Siberia, as she became a member of the Austrian Communist Party and went to Moskow to become a victim of the Great Purge. What if she did not end up on the wrong side of the Great Purge? She might have become a great and respected author in the DDR and mother of a son. She might have slipped on the stairs, in the 1960s and die. What if she had been more careful going down the stairs? She might have lived to be 90, witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, erasing everything she believed in...

Beautiful book, both in the story of the 20th century in Eastern Europe, as in the line of thought of declining possibilities as life goes on.
Recommended!

Stopping by to say hi, Anita! Nice classics haul! When I was much younger I enjoyed the Sue Grafton series, and I read the first 7 or so, but now that I am older, they do not resonate with me the way they did when I the same age as Kinsey Milhone. I got older and she didn't ;-)

I will be in Rotterdam in July, but just to catch a ferry. But I will come back to you! :-) I have recently bought Tschernobyl by Alexievich on a bookmarket and I am looking Forward to it... if looking forward to serious topics like that is possible. And there is an unread Erpenbeck on my shelves, though this might stay unread.

>184 FAMeulstee: Adding this to the wishlist! Great review.

>185 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah, the next three classics we ordered came in today :-)
Sometimes we grow out of a series.

>186 PersephonesLibrary: Allright, Kathy, looking forward to your plans :-)
In a way you can looks forwward to a serious book like that one, there are a few I haven't read yet, but certainly will read someday.
I want to read more by Jenny Erpenbeck, next one will probably be Gehen, ging, gegangen, I added it to mount TBR after reading EllaTim's review.

>187 charl08: Thank you, Charloote, I hope you like it as much as I did.

Today the next 3 classics in Perpetua edition arrived at my place:
  
Dutch translations of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo and The Red and the Black by Stendhal.

We aquired 33 books in 2017.
With these three books added our total in 2018 is 10 books aquired... so no more book buying until May!

>173 FAMeulstee: Unfortunately we don't get to see too much of Feyenoord in the states - we seem to see more Ajax and PSV for some reason, even though Feyenoord is just as big. We have good friends whose son trained with and tried out for NAC Breda a few years ago. I don't know whether he was not offered a position or whether he wanted to come back to the US. He currently plays for a team on the west coast.

>189 FAMeulstee: I really like these covers - they are so simple and elegant.

>189 FAMeulstee: The epic of Gilgamesh has to be one of the oldest books in the world?

>184 FAMeulstee: Good review, Anita. I have Jenny Erpenbeck on my radar!

>151 jnwelch: I remember reading her juvenilia when I was a teenager and really liking it. Time to revisit, perhaps!

>184 FAMeulstee: Lovely review.

>190 rretzler: >173 FAMeulstee: It is a bit better here, Robin, last year Feyenoord finally took the Dutch Championship again after 18 years.
I went every 2 weeks to see them in the early 1990s, when the club was doing very bad. We were there with about 7,000 to 8,000 others in a stadium that could have 50,000+. I stopped going when it was getting to crowded for me, but I was happy for the club.
>190 rretzler: >189 FAMeulstee: So do I, and they are printed on quality paper with a nice font.

>191 EllaTim: It certainly is one of the oldest, Ella. There are older clay tablets in a pre-sumerian language that are not deciphered yet.
Thanks, I hope to read more books by Jenny Erpenbeck.

>192 libraryperilous: Thank you, Diana.

>189 FAMeulstee: so no more book buying until May!

*bwaaahaaahaaa*

book 11: De reizen van Gulliver by Jonathan Swift
1001 books, BolKobo+, translated, original title Gulliver's Travels, 352 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book that has been (or is going to be) adapted for film or television

18th century political satire / fantasy, best enjoyed if you know some British history of that time.
I never read this book before and was surprised that the well known parts, where Gulliver finds himself with very small people and giant people, are followed by two more adventures.

There are funny parts, there are dry parts, overall I thought it was very readable for a nearly 300 year old satyrical book.

>194 richardderus: LOL, Richard!
At least we can try!

book 12: De vergeten geschiedenis van mijn grootvader Sulayman Hadj Ali by Meltem Halaceli
BolKobo+, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 248 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book you acquired in December 2017, but NOT as a gift

It sounded promishing, the memoirs of the writers grandfather, who served in the Ottoman army in WWI.
The part about Sulayman, an Alawite (not Alevit!!) also called Arabian Alawite from the South-East of what is now Turkey. Being a memebr of a small minority, his life was not easy. He was called into militairy service when Turkey got into WWI and fought in Gallipoli. Got wounded and lost his best friend. When his wounds were healed he was sent to Palestina, became a prisoner of war and was taken to Egypt by the English, only to be released long after the war.

In between the writer tells her own story, ending up in Beirut to find out how if feels after (civil-) war. And how ther grandfathers manuscript ended up in her posesion. These parts feel a bit forced.
I did learn some about WWI in Turkey and the Middle East & now understand the difference between Alawites and Alevism.

>74 FAMeulstee: As always, a great review!!!

>184 FAMeulstee: Great review for a book I loved as well, but found emotionally hard to get through. Erpenbeck writes beautifully, but tends to make me very sad. In a good way, but I need breaks between books. My favorite of hers is Heimsuchung. Gehen, ging, gegangen is unread on my shelf since it was published. I might make it a ROOTs read.

Happy Sunday, Anita. You did some good reeading. Nice book haul.

Happy Sunday, Anita!

>195 FAMeulstee: I've just started A Diary of a Plague Year and thinking sinilar thing about how well it has aged.

so no more book buying until May! But that's so far away!! :-p

Happy Sunday, Anita. Looks like another winner by Alexievich. I really want to read her Chernobyl book.

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

>198 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda, it was my second Laxness, loved them both.

>199 Deern: It didn't make me very sad, Nathalie. I loved her descriptions of death/dying, how the last thoughts slowly faded.
I will look for a copy of Heimsuchung (called Huishouden in Dutch).

>200 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara, I hope you have a good start of your workweek tomorrow.

>201 PersephonesLibrary: Thanks, Kathy!
Yep that could be me :-)

>202 charl08: Some books age very well. Those that didn't have probably vanished in time.

>203 ChelleBearss: Yes it is, Chelle. But I hope we can do it, first hurdle will be the natinal book-week in March, that is always hard to resist.

>204 msf59: Her Chernobyl book was also a good one, Mark.
Thanks, we had a nice and quiet weekend :-)

>167 FAMeulstee: I recognise the Philip Roth title, even in another language!

>195 FAMeulstee: one of those ones we know about, but haven't necessarily read!

Hi Anita!

Happy Monday to you and best of luck in not buying any more books 'til May. *smile*

Interesting that you started the Sue Grafton books right after she died. Is that a coincidence? I think it's so sad she finished before publishing Z.

>207 LovingLit: Yes, you did, Megan!!! (It wasn't very hard, I guess...)
I can say that I have read it now :-)

>208 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, it is going to be tough, but I will try! *grin*

>209 The_Hibernator: No coincidence, Rachel, I read it for a TIOLI Challenge. It was the first Sue Grafton book I have read.

book 13: Waarom ik lees by Tim Parks
BolKobo+ and e-library, non-fiction, translated, original title Where I'm Reading From, 239 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book that has been on your e-reader for at least 6 months (Oh, the shame!)

Tim Parks is an English writer, living in Italy. This book contains essays, that were originally published in the New York Review of Books. It is all about reading, how we read, literature, translating, cultural differences in reading, writers and publishing.

An enjoyable read, glad I knew more than half the books he mentioned ;-)

>211 FAMeulstee: That always adds a little something extra to a collection of essays, familiarity with the source material. The other best feeling is complete and utter UNfamiliarity with the source material and therefore the possibility of discovery!

>211 FAMeulstee: Oh, that one sounds good! Adding to the list...

book 14: Kaas en de evolutietheorie by Bas Haring
own, YA, non-fiction, awarded, Gouden Uil 2002, no English translation, 159 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: Rolling challenge: Answer the questions with a book title you read

Evolution explained to older children. Clear explanations of genes, Darwin's finds, evolution, DNA and species. As it was written over 15 years ago some recent findings contradict what is written here.

book 15: Sacha, de russische blauwe kat by Helen Griffiths
own, childrens/YA, translated, original title Russian blue, 137 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with a title that contains the letter u at least twice

When Artie finds a beautiful, blue cat, he knows he can't keep it. Pets are not allowed in the building where he lives. But the owner is advertising, she even offers a reward. So his mother forces him to bring the cat back to the owner. On his way the cat escapes and gets wounded. What to do now?

I loved all Helen Griffiths books when I was a kid.

>212 richardderus: Yes, it does, Richard. And yes, I did write down some titles, that I want to read now :-)

>213 scaifea: Hi Amber, glad I could add one ;-)

You read a book per day so far this year! :O
BB for >211 FAMeulstee:, I read some other Tim Parks in the past, and you remind me there's a very unfinished one which I could ROOT.

>217 Deern: Yes, finished the next one today :-)
My goal is 400 books, I will read faster when I get back to my own books. Now I have some e-books from my Kobo+ subscription that I should finish before the 25th, as my subscription ends that day.

We have a copy of the Dutch translation of Tim Parks' A Season With Verona. I never thought I would want to read it (it was aquired by Frank), but now I am curious.

I'm a fan of A Season With Verona. It's not really about football. I've gone off him since because of his personal life. It makes no sense, but there it is.

book 16: De rode hengst op de renbaan by Walter Farley
own, childrens/YA, translated, original title The Island Stallion Races, 137 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: The WIKI Rolling Challenge

In 2014 I re-read the first 10 Black Stallion books. Some other 75 group members are reading them together, and I join them for the books I didn't re-read back then. Last year we read 10 books and this year the remaining titles. If you want to join us go to The Black Stallion Series Relaxed Shared Read thread

Steve is alone on the island Azul, he dreams about racing with Flame. Then aliens land near the island and they can make his dream come true.

I prefer the Black Stallion books over the Island Stallion books. This is probably the worst of the series, really horse loving ALIENS..?..

>219 charl08: If you are a fan, Charlotte, that is one more reason to read it :-)
Any chance you change your mind about his other books?

>189 FAMeulstee: I don't think I could stop my book buying for that long. You have much more willpower than I do.

>222 rretzler: I didn't say I would succeed, Robin ;-)
But at least I can give it a try!

book 17: Majesteit, Uw ontbijt by Sjoerd Kuyper
own, childrens/YA, Dutch, awarded, Vlag en Wimpel 1989, no translations, 88 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: Rolling challenge: Answer the questions with a book title you read

King Donald might be the only one who believes his wife Rosamonde will return. She disappeared in a stormy night, leaving the King and his daughter Iris behind. In each chapter he tells a story to his missing wife, to keep her alive.

Sweet book, each chapter is based on a existing fairytale.

book 18: Woutertje Pieterse by Multatuli
BolKobo+, Dutch, 19th century, classic, part of the Dutch Literary Canon, no English translation, 758 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: The WIKI Rolling Challenge

Multatuli never intended Woutertje Pietersen to be a seperate book, he wrote this story as integral part of his Ideën (=Ideas). His readers wanted the book, so after Multatuli's death his widow allowed the first publication of Woutertje Pietersen.

Coming-of-age story, set in early 19th century Amsterdam. Woutertje Pieterse is a very nice, inteligent and charming boy surrounded by serious and religious family and friends, who don't understand his adventurous and imaginative character. He falls in love with Femke, a very down to earth washwoman, who keeps Woutertje from getting lost in his imagination. The story is hilarious at times. Sadly the writer never finished the story, so the ending is abrupt.

book 19: Het heksenkind by Helen Griffiths
own, childrens/YA, translated, awarded, Zilveren Griffel 1978, original title Witch fear, 138 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book with at least a two-word title, but no prepositions

Somewhere in Europe, 16th century, a very young girl wanders into a village. No one knows where she came from. A married couple, who lost their little daughter, take the girl in. The girl can't make contact, she has witnessed something very fearfull and hides inside. When she finds a little cat, she slowly comes out of her shell. Then rumours go through the village that the girl is a witch and should be burned.

book 20: Doldwazen en druiloren by Ulf Stark
own, childrens/YA, translated from Swedish, awarded, Zilveren Griffel 1986, English translation Fruitloops and dipsticks, 115 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book (play, graphic novel, picture book, etc.) by an author OR illustrator we lost in 2017

Twelve year old Simone is moving to an other part of town. She does not want to leave her old neighborhood, but her mother wants to move in with her boyfriend. When Simone arrives late at her new school, the teacher thinks she is a boy called Simon. Simone decides to live on as a boy at school, wich is more trouble than she anticipated. Meanwhile her grandfather comes to stay with them, spending his last months with his daughter and granddaughter.

Despite some heavy content, anticipating the death of a grandparent, the story is funny and cute.

>221 FAMeulstee: I read quite a lot of his books about living in Italy. They're good.

>228 charl08: Thanks, Chalotte, I will look out for them.

Thanks to Amber, who reminded me by putting her meme on her thread, here is my meme:

Describe yourself: The girl with all the gifts
Describe how you feel: One step behind
Describe where you currently live: The wild places
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Neither here nor there
Your favorite form of transportation: Turtles all the way down
Your best friend: A dedicated man
You and your friends are: Children of the book
What's the weather like? In a dry season
You fear: Crime and punishment
What's the best advice you have to give? Seven brief lessons on physics We should all be feminists
Thought for the day: Some rain must fall
How I would like to die: Talking to the dead
My soul's present condition: Grief is the thing with feathers

Thinking of you and all Dutch people. I hope Fredericke wasn't too terrible at your place. Saw pics on the news. It must have been terrible.

>230 FAMeulstee: Lovely answers!

>231 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, we are fine. After Frank came back from work this morning, we stayed inside all day.
Luckely our house and garden survived the storm undamaged, only a little bit of water came through the roof of the shed.
Many others were not so lucky...

Checking in. Interesting chat about Tim Parks, whose personal life is terra incognita to me.

>232 foggidawn: Thanks, Misti, it is always fun to find titles for the meme.

>234 richardderus: It was the same to me, Richard. A quick search only revealed a divorce in 2012...

Charlotte, can you tell a bit more?

>233 FAMeulstee: Good that you and Frank are fine, Anita!

My back garden has lost two trees unfortunately. One went down, the other will have to be cut, it's not safe anymore.

Your reading is still going strong! And you finished Woutertje Pieterse.

>230 FAMeulstee: Nice meme answers. I especially liked your description of you and your friends.

>230 FAMeulstee: That's great! I loved your advice.

>230 FAMeulstee: You and your friends are: Children of the book
Excellent!

Great work with the meme, Anita! I had not read of all of the damage in the Netherlands, so I am glad that you and Frank are doing okay today.

Good to read you're fine, Anita, what a storm that was! My parents were lucky as well, their part of Hesse was missed.

Tim Parks got a divorce?!? I'm just reading his book about Italian families where he has to promise everyone "not to run off with a silly young thing and abandon i bambini". Okay, the bambini are very mature adults by now (born around 1987/1989 and wiki says there's a third one) and we don't know why they seperated, but it will be a different read with that knowledge.
I got the sample of the book you reviewed, but bought and started the one about Italian literature first, A Literary Tour of Italy. I like his style a lot, I might read my way through his works.

Hi Anita!

I didn't realize there was such a bad storm in the Netherlands and most of Northern Europe. Glad to hear that you and Frank are okay with only a bit of water through the roof of your shed.

Happy Friday, Anita! I've got A for Alibi on my TIOLI schedule this month and I'm hoping to get to it very soon. If I like and I can purchase more of the alphabet for $2.99 or less I'll continue the series.

I had not heard of the terrible storms hitting your area but I am happy to know things are good for you and your husband.

Love how you're chugging out those reads! Looks like you generally read a book a day! I'm so very impressed.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi, Anita! Glad to hear the storms had relatively little impact on you and Frank. Have a great weekend!

Anita, I am another who had not heard of the storms in your part of the world. I am relieved to hear that you escaped harm and much damage. Mother Nature sure is asserting herself everywhere these days!

>236 EllaTim: Sorry about the trees, Ella. No damage at your allotment?
Our cedar tree lost a big branch in a storm two years back, and two small branches in the storm of January 3rd. I worried it might get damaged again, but it stood fine this time.
I am glad I finished Woutertje Pieterse, the first half was worth 5 stars.

>237 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori, I already knew when I was reading it, I could use it for the meme.

>238 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda, it is always fun to do the meme.

>239 LovingLit: Best description of all my friends here, Megan ;-)

>240 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deborah, the meme is always fun.
It was the worst storm over here in 25 years.

>241 Deern: Thanks, Nathalie, the storm went right over here.
My next Tim Parks will probably be A Season With Verona and then I will se what I can find at the library.

>242 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen, when the storm was at its worst, I was looking out the window and saw our fence moving a lot, and thought it might fall. For now it still stands. A lot of fences in our neighborhood came down, a few trees and some rooftiles. Elsewhere it was worse, some houses even lost their roof!

>243 Carmenere: Happy Friday to you, Lynda! That is a bargain for the alphabet books, I am not sure yet if I want to continue with the alphabet series.
The storm was the worst in 25 years, a lot of damage through the country and even two people died...
I am aiming for a little over one book a day, finished book 21 today, so I am on track.

>244 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry, we were very lucky. Happy weekend to you!

>245 jessibud2: We are used to storms, Shelley, but this was a very bad one.
I have been watching some video's of empty trucks falling, a roof flying up in the air, and people nearly escaping falling trees. I hope Mother Nature calms down now.

A very late Happy New Year, Anita!

I'm glad you escaped most of the damage from the storm.

Good review on The Unwomanly Face of War. I've read the Chernobyl book and should read more by Alexievich. Your review of this one makes it sound much more interesting than Amazon does!

As a kid, the Island Stallion book with the aliens was my very favorite. At that time, having a horse seemed like a fantasy, so a few aliens thrown in only made it more intriguing. If that sort of adventure could happen to Steve, maybe it could happen to me! How sad though, that no girls or women (other than Alec's mom) appear in the books, until almost the very end of the Black Stallion series.

>246 FAMeulstee: My husband has been checking today, but everything was oké, one willow tree has been uprooted, but they are so hardy, he will just push it upright, and leave it to root itself again.

Glad your cedar has survived. Both trees in the backyard are gone now, and I'm looking into a big empty hole, and then directly at the neighbours opposite:-(

Those photos of storm damage were unnerving. It was no patch on 1953, of course, but it worried me until I remembered you've been posting without problems!

>249 streamsong: Thank you, Janet!
The water in the shed came from a rooftile that had moved an inch. A neighbor was so kind to move it in place again.
I think Svetlana Alexievich is a great writer, maybe someone at Amazon doesn't think so?

Funny how likes and dislikes can differ ;-)
By the time I got to this one for the first time, I was well into my twenties. So that gives a completely other experience ;-)
Only twelve books were available in translation when I was young: Black Stallion (Dutch), the others were translated in the 1980s (including the one with Pam).

>250 EllaTim: Good to hear all was okay at the allotment, Ella. Willows are easy with roots, you stick a branch into the ground and you have a tree in a few years.
Oh, that is sad and annoying, are the houses very close to eachother?

>251 richardderus: Yes they were, Richard. I think the wind wasn't less than in 1953, it was an other angle, it was from the West. Besides since 1953 many dams were build to keep the water out.
The storm before this one, on Januari 3rd, came from the dangerous side (North-West), and then it was the first time all removable dams were closed.

>235 FAMeulstee: I think Nathalie covered it! He wrote so much about his family, and created this image of himself as fixed in the community, that I bought into that.

>253 charl08: So he disappointed you in real life, Charlotte.

book 21: Wolvensaga by Käthe Recheis
own, YA, fantasy, translated from German, no English translation, 444 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book that you did not select (eg gift, subscription, book club choice)

The wolfpack of Palo Kan and Akuna live in harmony with Waka (nature's law), when a giant wolfpack from the North takes over every pack around. They deny Waka, try to establish a perfect wolf-world by chasing away every other predator. Palo Kan is killed in the fight with Sjogar Kan, the leader of the giant wolfpack, his partner Akuna barely survives the fight.
Their one year old son, Sjiriki had visions since he was a cub. After a short time with the giant wolfpack he is thrown out, with the remains of his parents pack he travels south. According to old Bear on the Mountain Sjiriki will be the one who will defeat Sjogar Kan. After two winters Sjiriki returns to the giant wolfpack...

Very good animal fantasy, the wolves act true to their nature and are only minor humanised. The wolves live in a time before human dominance. In Sjiriki's visions you can sometimes see the world how it is today.



With this book I have completed this months TIOLI sweep.

>255 FAMeulstee: Congratulations on your first sweep of the year, Anita!

>252 FAMeulstee: Neighbours are close of course, but i've seen a lot worse. Still, those trees harboured a lot of birds.

>255 FAMeulstee: Good for you, Anita, and with a book you liked!

>256 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry, it is always fun to find books for the challenges.

>257 EllaTim: The birds will find other trees, Ella, but your view won't be restored easy :-(
Thank you, Wolvensaga surprised me in a good way.

Happy Reading!

>259 Berly: Thanks Kim!

I had not much reading time last Sunday. We went to The Hague to visit my parents and went to the Gemeentemuseum ther to see the exposition of Anton Heyboer. I will write more about the exposition later.
Frank bought the catalogue, so that is one more book aquired this year, making a total of 11 books aquired in the first month of this year... Not buying books isn't working well ;-)

book 22: Lof der zotheid by Desiderius Erasmus
BolKobo+, translated from Latin, 16th century, classic, part of the Dutch Literary Canon, English translation In Praise of Folly, 183 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: The WIKI Rolling Challenge

Erasmus wrote this satire in the early 16th century, his view on humanity still stands.
Folly praises herself, as there is nothing in life that can be without her. She critiseces everyone, from merchants to churchleaders, and everything, from government to war.

I read a recent translation and had an older translation from Project Gutenberg, with the famous drawings by Hans Holbein the Younger, next to it.

Best meme answers ever, Anita! Glad you came through the storm in decent condition.

>262 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, I had many titles to choose from ;-)

book 23: Naar Moskou! Naar Moskou! by Willem Oosterbeek
BolKobo+, Dutch, non-fiction, history early 19th century, no translations, 163 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with a title that contains the letter u at least twice

Jean François Dumonceau was a Dutch soldier, who was serving in the King's guard of Lodewijk Napoleon, Napoleon's younger brother, who was the first king of the Netherlands from 1806 to 1810. In 1810 The Netherlands became a part of France and Jean François was transferred to Napoleon's Imperial guard in Paris.
The Imperial guard went with Napoleon when he invaded Russia, Jean François kept a diary and wrote his memoires later in life. This book is based on these memoires and describes the war from the French point of view.

An interesting read, although I would have liked more quotations from the original work and less comments by the writer.

It is difficult to keep up with you. As always, I am amazed at how many books you read! And, your intelligence!
I'm stopping by simply to say hello!

>261 FAMeulstee: I like that cover!:-;

Hi Anita!

>261 FAMeulstee: I'm intrigued with this, and will try to track it down.

>265 Whisper1: Thanks, dear Linda!
The reading seems to slow down a bit compared to last year, still very decent numbers.

>266 EllaTim: I like the idea, Ella, to replace the Holbein illustrations by cartoonists illustrations.

>267 karenmarie: I hope you can find a copy, Karen. It was written 500 years ago, but didn't feel that dated. I probably had a very good translation.

>264 FAMeulstee: That sounds like a most interesting book. The subject fascinates me...the Napoleonic map of Europe will always fascinate, I think.

book 24: Een studie in rood by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
BolKobo+, translated, mystery, original title A study in scarlet, 267 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book that has a relation to an other book

My first Sherlock Holmes, and I liked it :-)
Not much to add to all the existing reviews. My edition contained besides the longer A Study in Scarlet, some other cases in shorter stories.



I am glad I finished this book, as my BolKobo+ subscription ends the day after tomorrow, and I could not find a copy elsewhere. I will continue reading the Sherlock Holmes books, but not immediately, as I want to go back to reading mainly my own books.

>269 richardderus: It was interesting, Richard, as I read War and Peace last year. Although War and Peace is fiction and this book is non-fiction, they describe the same events from the opposite perspective.

Looks like you are back to your reading pace of last year, Anita. Keep up the good work.

book 25: De laatste zomer by Helen Griffiths
own, YA, translated, original title The last summer, 153 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book with at least a two-word title, but containing no prepositions

Spain, 1936, eleven year old Eduardo didn't do well at school and failed the exams. Instead of having vacation with his morther in the north, he goes with his father to the family farm near Sevilia. He is supposed to study hard, and when his father is statisfied with his progress, he will be allowed to join his mother.
At the farm lives an old mare, Gaviota (means seagull). She belonged to his aunt, after his aunt died, no one ever did ever ride her again. Then the Spanish Civil War breaks out and Eduardo looses his dad and many others are killed. He fleds together with Gaviota, who becomes his most steady companion in his way...

>272 Familyhistorian: Nearly back at that pace, Megan, only a few books behind. I am still grateful I am able to read this much!

>274 FAMeulstee: What is even more amazing is that you are not only able to read that much, Anita, but also able to keep up on LT!

>275 Familyhistorian: That is the hardest part, Megan ;-)

>270 FAMeulstee: Oh, I love *all* of the Sherlock Holmes stories! I'm glad that you liked this one!

>277 scaifea: I will get to the others someday :-)

Not sure how you fell off my radar Anita, had a quick skim. Glad you liked >106 FAMeulstee: Mak on America, and >175 FAMeulstee:, The Unwomanly Face of War, I have both on the shelves.

Off to graze part 2.