MissBrangwen goes on a reading adventure

Hi, I am Mirjam and I have been a LibraryThing member since March 2012. This is my third year in the Category Challenge. I live in the north of Germany close to the North Sea, together with my husband. We are both college teachers and besides reading, we love traveling and are happy to do so now that it is possible again.

I love this group because it allows me to meet so many other readers, having friendly chats and being inspired all the time, and also because the categories make me pick up books from my shelves that I have sometimes overlooked for years.
Like many others, I plan to read mainly from Mount TBR in 2023, and I plan to participate in several CATs and KITs, but not in all of them. If I don't have a book that fits a prompt, I will not participate in that month.

Books are eligible to count for multiple challenges.

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I don't have a dedicated theme, but decided to use pictures from my travels from last year that have a connection to books. I cheated a little bit, though, because the pictures from the Trinity College Library are from 2017 - we visited in 2022, too, but there was some scaffolding, so the older pictures are much better.

The pictures are:
1,2,4,5,6,9 - Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland
3 - Copy No 1 of "Ulysses" at the Museum of Literature, Dublin, Ireland
7 - Artwork of James Joyce at Eason's Bookshop, O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland
8 - The Opium & Study Room, Pinang Peranakan Mansion, Georgetown, Malaysia
10 - The Winding Stair Bookshop, Dublin, Ireland
11 - Kinokuniya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
12, 13 - H.S. Sam Book Store, Georgetown, Malaysia

~~~

I thought about this thread title because while I was quite happy with my overall reading in 2022, I definitely wish to read more Tolkien in 2023!

~~~

My reading year runs from Dec 24 to Dec 23!

Currently Reading

Chronological List - First Quarter of 2023

1. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
2. Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. Die kleine Seenadel - "Jeder ist wichtig" by Nicole Bernard
6. Where The Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen
7. In Distant Fields by Charlotte Bingham
8. Nachts ist es leise in Teheran by Shida Bazyar
9. Bunburry - Murder at the Mousetrap by Helena Marchmont
10. The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham
11. Dunkel by Ragnar Jónasson
12. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
13. Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius by Cornelius Hell
14. Letters of Note - Music ed. by Shaun Usher
15. Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon
16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
17. A Collection of First World War Poetry ed. by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
18. The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James
19. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
20. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
21. In The Shadow Of Wolves by Alvydas Šlepikas
22. The High House by Jessie Greengrass
23. Spare by Prince Harry
24. Bunburry - A Murderous Ride by Helena Marchmont
25. Gedichte - Eine Auswahl by Johannes Bobrowski
26. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
27. Die Schattenfrau by Åke Edwardson

Rereading Fiction
This category is reserved for fiction! Non-fiction rereads are not included.

Doorstoppers
All books that have more than 600 pages, or more than 500 if the print is tiny.

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling (542pp.)
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling (620pp.)
3. "In Distant Fields" by Charlotte Bingham (602pp.)

J.R.R. Tolkien
All books connected to J.R.R. Tolkien in any way.

Classics
All books written before 1973. Notice Thomas Lefroy of Jane Austen fame in the picture!

1. "A Collection of First World War Poetry" ed. by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
2. "The Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James
3. "The Moving Finger" by Agatha Christie
4. "Gedichte - Eine Auswahl" by Johannes Bobrowski

Nonfiction

Politics | Critical Theory

Buddhism

Health

Travel
"Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius" by Cornelius Hell

Autobiography | Memoir
"Spare" by Prince Harry

Others
"Letters of Note - Music" ed. by Shaun Usher

Poetry
I used to read a lot of poetry in the past and hope to get into it again.

1. "A Collection of First World War Poetry" ed. by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
2. "Gedichte - Eine Auswahl" by Johannes Bobrowski

Short Reads
Single short stories and articles (when I do not read the whole collection) read for leisure - texts read for work are not included.

Short stories and other prose

Articles and essays
1. Ted Nasmith: Introduction to the Tolkien Calendar 2023

Series

Ongoing Series

Miss Marple by Agatha Christie (reading in order)
- The Moving Finger (3/12)

Erik Winter by Åke Edwardson (reading in order)
- Die Schattenfrau (2/13)

Armand Gamache by Louise Penny (reading in order)
- A Fatal Grace (2/18)

New series

Chief Inspector Barnaby by Caroline Graham (reading in order)
- The Killings at Badger's Drift (1/7)

Bunburry by Helena Marchmont (reading in order)
- Bunburry - Murder at the Mousetrap (1/16)
- Bunburry - A Murderous Ride (2/16)

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
- The Golden Compass (1/3)

Finished and up-to-date series

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (reading in order)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (6/8)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (7/8)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (8/8)

Other Challenges
There are so many historical novels and even more classics on my Mount TBR and I hope that these challenges will help me to finally read them. Books listed here are allowed to overlap with other categories or challenges, but not within these three.

Historical Fiction Challenge
(From Katie Lumsden)

1. Set in the country you're from
2. Set in a different country: Where The Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen
3. Set in your favourite historical period
4. Set in period you're less familiar with
5. Historical fiction with a speculative element
6. About a real historical figure or a specific event: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
7. A classic work of historical fiction
Bonus: a work of historical fiction of over 500 pages: In Distant Fields by Charlotte Bingham

1900 - 1950 Challenge
(via kac522)

1. Author from your country
2. Author not from your country
3. Classic in its Genre
4. Not a Novel
5. References WWI or WWII: A Collection of First World War Poetry ed. by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
6. 1900 - 1910
7. 1911 - 1920
8. 1921 - 1930
9. 1931 - 1940
10. 1941 - 1950: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

Classics Challenge
(via kac522)

1. A 19th century classic: The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James
2. A 20th century classic:
3. A classic by a woman author
4. A classic in translation
5. A children's classic
6. A classic crime story
7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction
8. A classic with a single-word title
9. A classic with a colour in the title
10. A classic by an author that's new to you
11. A classic that scares you
12. Re-read a favourite classic

1. A topic you don't usually read:
2. Next in a series you've started: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
3. A book that taught you something: Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius by Cornelius Hell
4. Switched/Stolen identities: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. A book on the cover:
6. 4+ LT rating: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
7. Set on a plane, train or ship:
8. A bestseller from 20 years ago:
9. STEM topic: The High House by Jessie Greengrass
10. Features an inn or hotel: Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon
11. Features a journalist/journalism:
12. Small town/rural setting: Where The Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen
13. Read a CAT: Dunkel by Ragnar Jónasson
14. Number/quantity in title:
15. Local or regional author: Die kleine Seenadel - "Jeder ist wichtig" by Nicole Bernard
16. Author is your zodiac sign: Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
17. A popular author's first book: Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
18. Art or craft related: The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham
19. Author under 30: Nachts ist es leise in Teheran by Shida Bazyar
20. Memoir: Spare by Prince Harry
21. Features a member of the cat family: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
22. Involves an accident: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
23. >1000 copies on LT: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
24. Plant in the title or on the cover: In Distant Fields by Charlotte Bingham
25. Features music or a musician: Letters of Note - Music ed. by Shaun Usher

ClassicsCAT

February: Before 1900
"The Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James

SeriesCAT

January: A Series That Is New To You
"Bunburry - Murder at the Mousetrap" by Helena Marchmont

February: A Series In Translation
"Dunkel" by Ragnar Jónasson

March: Child and YA Series
"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

GeoCAT

January: Central & Eastern Europe
"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

February: A Place You Would Like To Visit
"Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius" by Cornelius Hell

KiddyCAT

January: Picture books
"Die kleine Seenadel - 'Jeder ist wichtig'" by Nicole Bernard

MysteryKIT

January: Movie and TV detectives
"The Killings at Badger's Drift" by Caroline Graham

February: Classic Settings
"Murder at the Dolphin Hotel" by Helena Dixon
"The Moving Finger" by Agatha Christie

March: Paranormal Mysteries
"Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch

SFFKIT

January: Cobwebs and Dust
"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

March: To The Dark Side With You!
"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

AlphaKIT

January: I-S
"Into The Water" by Paula Hawkins
"In Distant Fields" by Charlotte Bingham
"Die kleine Seenadel - 'Jeder ist wichtig'" by Nicole Bernard
"Nachts ist es leise in Teheran" by Shida Bazyar

February: F-J
"Dunkel" by Ragnar Jónasson
"The Moving Finger" by Agatha Christie
"The Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James

March: A-G
"Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch
"In The Shadow Of Wolves" by Alvydas Šlepikas
"The High House" by Jessie Greengrass
"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
"Gedichte - Eine Auswahl" by Johannes Bobrowski

Yearlong: X-Z

RandomKIT

January: Hidden Gems
"In Distant Fields" by Charlotte Bingham

February: Second or Two
"Letters of Note - Music" ed. by Shaun Usher

March: Water, water everywhere
"Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch
"The High House" by Jessie Greengrass

Hosting Commitments:

MysteryKIT: February - Classic Settings
GeoCAT: June - South Asia and South East Asia
RandomKIT: November

Welcome to my thread - please join me in my reading adventures!

What gorgeous and inspiring pictures! I really must get to Dublin, it's so near but I've only ever driven through it having got off the ferry there, I really should explore the city. Anyway - I hope you have a wonderful and inspired year of reading!

Excellent pictures. Hoping to follow along for another year of interesting reading.

>14 MissBrangwen: I think Kathy, kac522, was the person who first posted these, and am looking forward to seeing what new challenge Katie Lumsden comes up with in May.

Happy challenges and reading adventures in 2023!

Great pictures! I'd love to see Trinity College Library. Our neighbor's grandson (great-grandson?) is going to Trinity College and they went over there in September and loved it.

Good to see you all set up and ready for 2023!

Welcome back! Love the pictures of Trinity College :)

Oh, those pictures are giving me itchy feet. I'd love to go to Dublin. Trinity College looks like a cathedral for books. I'll gladly follow your reading adventures.

I hope you have a good reading year.

I made the mistake of listing a ‘doorstopper’ as being more than 800 pages and challenged myself to read 4 this year. A couple of them ended up being a real chore. 600 pages is a far better idea.

>27 Jackie_K: I hope you get to visit Dublin one day! I always think that it is a little crowded and hectic, but I love the historic atmosphere and all the literary connections. I have been there three times and there are still sights to see and things to do!

>28 Helenliz: Thank you, Helen!

>29 pamelad: Thank you for pointing that out! I first saw them on your thread, but I have changed the post now. I have not come across Katie before, but have watched a few of her videos this morning and really enjoyed them.

>30 dudes22: Wow, that must be such a great experience for that young man! Trinity College is probably my favourite place in Dublin. Five years ago I slept in the student's quarters because the rooms not occupied were rented out to tourists over the summer (it was much cheaper than staying in a hotel, especially because I was traveling on my own - I did this in London and Edinburgh, too, sometimes, because single rates in hotels were outrageous). I enjoyed the atmosphere so much, even if it was between terms. Just walking through the gates onto the front square feels like walking into another world.

>31 DeltaQueen50: Thanks for visiting, Judy!

>32 rabbitprincess: Thank you, RP!

>33 MissWatson: Oh yes, a cathedral for books it is! I'm happy to have you on board and I hope you get to travel to Dublin one day!

>34 Zozette: I was thinking about the number of pages and 600 seemed like a good goal, a challenge but still achievable so as not to put me off. I still have only read three such books this year (I'm working on the fourth), so I hope that I will have more success in the coming year.

I love the picture of the bookstore. Looks like they do a lot more than just sell books! Good luck with your 2023 reading.

Fabulous set up! I will be watching the J.R.R. Tolkien thread with interest. I am currently rereading Letters From Father Christmas. Maybe next year I will read all my Inklings books in more depth.

Love the pictures. I won a set of J.R.R. Tolkien boks from my local library challenge. Good luck with your 2023 challenge (s).

>36 Tess_W: They do, and the owner was so friendly!

>37 JayneCM: Oh, that is one that I haven't read so far! I'm looking forward to your comments.

>38 mnleona: What a good win! And thank you.

Good luck with your 2023 reading

Thanks for sharing the photos! Good luck with your reading in 2023.

>40 lowelibrary: >41 markon: Thank you both!

Lovely photos! Wishing you a wonderful year. And lots of good books.

>43 majkia: Thank you!

Stopping by with best wishes for your 2023 reading!

Wonderful pictures! Wishing you the best reading in 2023.

>45 lkernagh: Thank you for visiting my thread!

>46 VivienneR: Glad you like them! Thank you!

I changed my thread a little bit and added a category for short reads, like single short stories or articles, to keep track of them when I don't read the whole collection. I saw this on Sally Lou's thread and also in a few other threads in other groups last year. This year I read quite a lot of single short stories when I was searching for good ones to teach, and I also mean to read more articles from the journals of the two Tolkien Societies that I am a member of. These don't go into the chronological reading list and don't count towards the numbers, but I want to track those reads somewhere.
I am sure that other short reads will come my way that I do not think of right now!

My new reading year starts on Christmas Eve because that is my favourite day of the year, and because my husband and I have made it a tradition to both start a new book that day. So it is nice to start with a clean slate then, and ring in the new reading year a bit earlier.

I will not finish anything else today, so that means that my reading year 2022 is officially done and from tomorrow I will post in this new thread!

Carry overs from 2022:

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne
Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
Der Buddhismus by Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer
Anxiety rx by Russell Kennedy

>49 MissBrangwen: - I like that idea of starting a new book on Christmas Eve. I read an article an article a couple of years ago about a town in Finland (?) where everyone gives books on Christmas Eve and then spend the rest of the night reading. Or something like that.

>51 dudes22: I don't know about Finland, but that's a tradition (called Jolabokaflod) throughout the whole of Iceland. I've just taken part in a Jolabokaflod Secret Santa, so opened my gift today (I feel very decadent, I'm normally an absolute stickler for nothing being opened before Christmas Day!).

>52 Jackie_K: - You'te right. Now that you say it, it was Iceland I read about.

>51 dudes22: >52 Jackie_K: Oh yes, I remember reading about that tradition, too! It sounds wonderful.

In Germany, the presents are given on Christmas Eve, too. Most people have a nice meal (traditionally after visiting church) and then gather around the tree where the presents are waiting. Christmas Day and Boxing Day are then spent visiting more relatives, with Christmas Eve usually reserved for the closest of kin. To me, Christmas Eve is almost as magical as it was when I was a child, that is why I love it so much.

>49 MissBrangwen: I do the same thing! My reading year is Dec. 24 thru Dec. 23! Great minds;)

Hello and enjoying your new thread! I had heard about Trinity College's library and your photos are truly awe-inspiring. How on earth did you get out of there within one lifetime??

Looking forward to your reading adventures in 2023.

Hope your 2023 reading goes well!

>55 Tess_W: Ha! :-)

>56 threadnsong: Oh, I did spend ages there for sure!

>57 thornton37814: Thank you!

My first book of the new reading year! I wanted to start with a novel that was easy and that I could just sink into, but something that was still special and not too shallow. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny was just right!
This novel was also published as Dead Cold.



Book No 1

"A Fatal Grace" by Louise Penny
Series: Armand Gamache (2)
First published in 2006
Hodder
ebook, 408pp.
Rating: 5 stars - *****

BingoDOG: Involves an accident
My own categories: Series - ongoing series

I read "Still Life", the first of the Gamache novels, last year and enjoyed it very much. "A Fatal Grace" is even better! I loved this novel from the first to the last page!
The plot is quite interesting, although it is nothing completely new: A woman who only moved to the village of Three Pines a year ago is murdered during the Christmas curling match. She was not liked particularly well, so there seem to be many suspects. Gamache travels to Three Pines to investigate and of course he meets many people he knows from the last case, as well as a few he hasn't met before. The murder was quite gruesome because it was done by electricity - but how could that happen in such a public place?

While the case kept getting more exciting throughout the course of the novel, what appealed to me most was the community of Three Pines, the different characters, their background stories. Every single detail just felt right to me and when I had finished the novel, I did not want to leave. There is a magic about it, about Penny's style and the people she creates. I am already looking forward to reading the third book of this series.

I have owned Into The Water by Paula Hawkins for several years, although I don't remember when or where exactly I bought it. I decided to read it during the last few days because we were traveling to visit family and I like to read thrillers when out and about - I think I need something that is gripping, yet easy to read and not too emotional.



Book No 2

"Into The Water" by Paula Hawkins
First published in 2017
Black Swan
Paperback, 435pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: January AlphaKIT - I-S
BingoDOG: Author has your zodiac sign

"Into The Water" is a dark novel that deals with secrecy, disappointment, lies, false beliefs and complicated relationships. Every character in this novel - and there are a lot! - is flawed.
At the centre of the plot there is Jules, a woman living in London who travels to Beckford, the village in northern England where she grew up, because her sister Nel has just died and she needs to look after her teenage niece. Apparently, Nel has committed suicide by jumping into the water in a bend in the local river, into the "Drowning Pool" as it is called, as many women have died there since way back in history. The odd thing is that Nel was writing a book about the history of the pool, asking questions around the village and trying to get the locals to talk, so why would she decide to kill herself the same way as all those women?

This novel is told from more than ten perspectives, which sounds laborious and confusing, but I did not have any trouble keeping them apart. I think that this novel gained from it because I enjoyed the puzzle, piecing all the information together, getting to know all the different points of view, the specific memories, the distinct angles. Much more than the mere question of What happened? I was occupied with the relations between the villagers, their feelings and their life stories. I enjoyed unraveling this web and trying to get to the core of it.

However, I do think that the novel is a bit too long and a few plot points and complications could have been left out, making it 50 or 100 pages shorter. I also had the persistent feeling of reading a novel taking place in the US - somehow it just did not feel British, and Beckford did not seem structured like a British, or even European, village. Although the river was described so often, I would have wished for more of a sense of place and more descriptions of the village itself.
The ending was a bit of a let down, too, because I just thought that it would be more exciting. I cannot believe that the murderer in the end just confessed without putting up more of a fight.
Apart from this, I liked reading this novel very much. Due to the short chapters it is an easy and fast read, and I could not put it down.

>60 MissBrangwen: A BB for me already this year!

>61 Tess_W: Many reviews are not that favorable, but I liked it much more than I expected!

Best wishes for a great reading year! I'm glad to see you liked Still Life. I've just finished her newest book, the 18th and I'm still thinking it over. Like all series, I've liked some more than others but overall enjoy them.

>63 clue: I‘m really looking forward to continuing with the series!

Short Reads

I read the introduction to the Tolkien Calendar 2023, published by HarperCollins. It was written by Ted Nasmith and he explains a little bit about the history of the Tolkien Calendar (the first one was published in 1973) and its meaning for Tolkien artists in the early days, who did not have many publishing opportunities. Nasmith than introduces each of the six artists featured in the calendar: Emily Austin, Jenny Dolfen, Spiros Gelekas, Justin Gerard, Donato Giancola and Kip Rasmussen. I have only seen pictures by Jenny Dolfen before (she is from Germany) and I love her beautiful art! But all the other pictures are stunning, too. I have bought the Tolkien Calendar each year since 2014, but this is one of my very favorites to date. The introduction was an interesting read, especially so because Nasmith is one of the most popular Tolkien artists himself and I was interested in his words. I plan to read an edition of The Silmarillion illustrated by him later this month.

Happy New Year to all of you!

We had a very quiet New Year's Eve, reading for most of the evening (I read one third of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and my husband read half of Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki). Today we will continue in exactly the same way!

I hope you all have a good start to 2023 and I am looking forward to visiting everyone's thread and discovering what you read in the beginning of the new year.

Ooooo gorgeous artwork! I usually get a rabbit calendar every year (surprising nobody).

>67 rabbitprincess: Your comment made me smile :-)

Have a wonderful 2023 with lots of great books. I like the way you are spending your New Year day!

>65 MissBrangwen: I love Ted Nasmith's art, and how lovely that he mentioned how important the 70's and 80's were for Tolkien artists. I used to have the Hildebrandt calendars and like you, bought many Tolkien calendars for many years.

>69 hailelib: Thank you for visiting! Yes, I couldn't think of anything better :-)

>70 threadnsong: He explicitly mentions the Brothers Hildebrandt in his text! I have a book featuring their art that I hope to read thoroughly one day, too. I think it is so cool to meet someone here who had their calendars and who appreciates this kind of art! Yay!

For my third book of the reading year I decided to continue with my Harry Potter project: Reading all of the novels before my husband, my younger cousin and I will go to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Hamburg in mid-February. We bought the tickets in August 2019 and now it will finally happen!
I started my project with a reread of book 3 in early summer last year and then continued with the novels I had not read so far at all. I left books 6 and 7 for this month and read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince within two days on New Year's Eve and New Year.



Book No 3

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter (6)
First published in 2005
Bloomsbury
Paperback, 542pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

BingoDOG: 4+ LT rating
My own categories: Doorstoppers, Series - Ongoing series

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by this book because after what happened in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", I had expected much more action. About 3/4 of it just seemed to ramble on, the pacing felt oddly off to me. Once again, some aspects that I was not that interested in were dealt with in detail, while other aspects seemed to be neglected (for example, I would have expected the atmosphere in Hogwarts to be much more serious and tense considering what was happening in the wizarding world). I did enjoy it, but still had a feeling that it could have been better.
But then - the last quarter of the novel. Oh my. I was prepared for it, but still it hit me, made me cry, and gave me a serious book hangover. I seriously dreamed of the cave and the inferi in the night!

Now, straight on to book 7!

Glad you are having fun with Harry Potter!

Happy New Year Mirjam! You have had a good start to your reading year!

>73 Tess_W: Thank you, I am indeed!

>74 VivienneR: Thanks for stopping by! I am very happy with how the year started.

Just popping in to say I will be following along this year. I love your pictures of libraries. I went with family to look at the Book of Kells many years ago, but don't remember much about the library itself. A good reason for another visit, perhaps!

Happy New Year and best wishes for your 2023 reading!

>76 charl08: Thank you for visiting, Charlotte! It sounds like a perfectly good reason! As I wrote in my last 2022 thread, the place is currently renovated and I believe that the whole experience is updated, so it will be quite different (and hopefully better) when that process is finished.

>77 mathgirl40: Thank you, and the same to you!

>72 MissBrangwen: Has it really been 2005 since this book was published?? Wow, how time flies.

And is this the book that spends over 150 pages on Harry's first week back at Hogwarts? It's been a while since I re-read that series, and I remember, whichever book it was, wanting to have a nice little chat with the editor about how much it dragged on.

>79 threadnsong: Yes, it's unbelievable, isn't?

This is not the one, it starts at Malfoy Manor. I don't know which one you mean because they start to blur together a bit right now. However, I feel like all of them, end especially the later ones, start veeeery slow and the editor should have indeed done something about that!

Short Reads

I am preparing a short sequence on parables for this month, so I started by rereading "Vor dem Gesetz" (Before The Law) by Franz Kafka. It has been ages since I last read Kafka. Apparently, this text later was also included in Der Prozess (The Trial), which I have yet to read.

I have finally done it - I read the (original) Harry Potter series! Earlier today I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and after a break I feel ready to phrase my thoughts.
This is not a real review - more like a small retrospect reading diary with a lot of rambling!



Book No 4

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter (7)
First published in 2007
Bloomsbury
Paperback, 620pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

BingoDOG: Switched/Stolen Identities
My own categories: Doorstoppers, Series - Ongoing series

Although I have some points of criticism, on the whole I loved this book, and I think it is a worthy finale. Many aspects that I had hoped for are there: Characters returning, exciting fights, emotional scenes, friendship and love. I had dreaded some of the events that I had known about (The many deaths!) and while Dobby's death made me sob so hard that I don't remember ever crying so much over a book, the others were "ok-ish" because they are not described in so much detail.
I must say that the first half of the novel was very slow reading for me, it seemed to drag. This was broken up by a few more exciting chapters, but on the whole I could not keep from wondering why the story unfolded as it did. I was happy when I read the reason for this towards the end. However, I still think it would have been preferable if some of this space had been used for other aspects, because I would have liked the ending to be a bit more fleshed out, more loose ends tied up. What happened to Hogwarts after the battle? I wished for an energized speech held by McGonagall about rebuilding the castle! What happened to Hermione's parents and the Dursleys? Luna's father? Did Draco and Harry ever speak to each other again? I also would have loved to read about another encounter between Harry and Ginny, Kreacher to be praised for leading the elves into battle, and another appearance of Moaning Myrtle. But no, nothing of that - instead, chapter on chapter about how dreary life in the woods is.
Ok, rant over - apart from that, I did love this book, and I cried several times more, I started the second half yesterday at about 08.00pm and did not stop, apart from getting some sleep, until I had finished at lunchtime today. I loved Ron's return to Harry and Hermione, Neville taking charge of the DA and him killing Nagini, the silver doe and Narcissa saving Harry - and I had a hard time returning to reality when I closed the book.
But now, I am also somewhat relieved and glad that I made it!

>82 MissBrangwen: The Harry Potter series is one I would like to reread soonish. I do remember that the books got rather long as the series progressed and I've thought that the first ones were so popular that the publisher let Rowling do what she wanted rather than closely editing her manuscripts.

>83 hailelib: "I've thought that the first ones were so popular that the publisher let Rowling do what she wanted rather than closely editing her manuscripts."
That is what I assume, too.

>83 hailelib: That seems to happen a lot. Reginald Hill springs to mind. His Dalziel and Pascoe novels got longer and longer until they were unreadable.

Short Reads

More parables: "Der Kreisel" (The Top) by Franz Kafka and "Weise am Weisen ist die Haltung" (What's wise about the wise man is his stance) by Bertolt Brecht.

I came across the title Die kleine Seenadel - "Jeder ist wichtig" (The little pipefish - "Everyone is important") by Nicole Bernard a few years ago and told my husband how cute I thought it was (just the words of the title - I had not seen the book itself). My husband gifted it to me in 2020, but I did not read it in that terrible year. Now KiddyCAT was the perfect reminder!



Book No 5

"Die kleine Seenadel - "Jeder ist wichtig"" by Nicole Bernard
Series: Die kleine Seenadel (1)
First published in 2009
fischlandverlag
Hardcover, 24 pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

CATs & KITs: January KiddyCAT - Picture books, January AlphaKIT - I-S
BingoDOG: Local/Regional author

The little pipe fish wakes up one day and realizes that she has been washed into the harbor of a small village by the tide. At first she is frightened, but then she sees that there is no danger in this new world, but that it is very interesting. Still, she wants to go home into the open North Sea and starts her travels, meeting new friends along the way. Finally, she learns something from the busy lugworm, who looks obscure but who is responsible for the health of the tidal flats: Everybody is important!

Apart from this essential message, children learn about the tidal flats and about walking in these flats (a popular activity in Northern Germany). The pictures are beautifully done and capture the essence of the German North Sea coast.

I did not like the ending, though. The lugworm and the pipe fish see a granddad and his grandchildren who are walking in the tidal flats. The granddad explains the message (Everybody is important!) to his grandchildren, then the story ends. I would have liked to read about the pipe fish arriving at her home instead of the book ending during her trip, it feels a bit unfinished and some children might be concerned about that.

Short Reads

Another short story read for work that I haven't used before: "Vera sitzt auf dem Balkon" by Sibylle Berg. I like this one and would love to read more by this author in the future.
I don't think it has been translated to English. It deals with a couple and their failing relationship, characterized mostly by the things they do not do, like touching or talking about what is important.

Where The Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen was a BB from NanaCC in the end of December and I finished today. Although the author's name was vaguely familiar, I had not really encountered her before, but somehow I just felt like trying this story as an audiobook.



Book No 6

"Where The Sky Begins" by Rhys Bowen
First published in 2022
Audible
Digital audiobook, 11h 11min
Rating: 4 stars - ****

BingoDOG: Small town/rural setting
Other challenges: Historical Fiction Challenge - Set in a different country

The story starts in 1940 in London. Young Josie Banks has a sort of freedom for the first time in her life because her controlling husband is away with the army. When she has just started to make a little life for herself, she loses her home in the Blitz and is left with nothing. A kind nurse secures her a spot in an evacuation program and so Josie moves to Lincolnshire, into an old country manor where she is confronted with a staunchly traditional old lady and her equally intimidating Irish maid. But Josie is determined to find a little luck in a her life at last and also to make the lives of those around her better during those dark times.

I had a little trouble with this story in the beginning because Josie just seemed too kind-hearted, too naive. But after some time, I really warmed up to her and rooted for her, and I also loved all of the supporting characters. There is a love story and also a mystery, and while some of it is foreseeable, it was still exciting and I just wanted to listen on. The details about life in Britain during World War Two seemed mostly authentic.

The narrator, Emma Griffiths, does a wonderful job. She excellently performs different characters and actually does sound like different people, but without overdoing it or sounding artificial. I loved her various accents and voices.

I am sure that this will not be my last book by Rhys Bowen!

>1 MissBrangwen: Congratulations on your 2023 plans. I'll be following along!

>90 beebeereads: Thank you! I'm glad to have you on board.

>91 MissBrangwen: My 2023 thread is Here. if you are interested.

>92 beebeereads: Thanks! :-)

>89 MissBrangwen: I find Rhys Bowen an author that is easy to read; light and enjoyable! I've read a couple and I'm sure I will read more.

>94 Tess_W: I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

I just love these photos. Hope you enjoy your 2023 reading.

>7 MissBrangwen: I was recently discussing with some friends how old a book needed to be to qualify as a classic. When I saw your '1973' I thought that seemed so recent and was going to ask how you came up with that year before being a little startled to realize that was 50 years ago! o_0

>96 madhatter22: Thank you!
This definition (that a book needs to be 50 years old to be defined as a classic) is one I encountered first in this group, so it was not my own idea. I do understand your initial reaction! Although I was born in the 1980s, it feels crazy to me that books from the 1970s, when my parents got married, are now considered classics.

>96 madhatter22:, >97 MissBrangwen:

1973 for a classic seems even crazier for me as I was in my twenties then.

>98 hailelib: I can imagine!

I bought In Distant Fields by Charlotte Bingham in a secondhand bookshop on Ko Tao, Thailand, simply because I liked the cover and the blurb. I had never heard of the author. That was back in 2016 and I have always meant to read it, but you all know how it goes! Now I finally did, prompted by Reading Through Time's quarterly theme.



Book No 7

"In Distant Fields" by Charlotte Bingham
First published in 2006
Bantam Books
Paperback, 602pp.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: January AlphaKIT - I-S, January RandomKIT - Hidden Gems
BingoDOG: Plant in title or on cover
Other challenges: Historical Fiction Challenge - A work of historical fiction of over 500 pages
My own categories: Doorstoppers

When I had read the first few pages of this novel, I had to check back and look at the publishing date. Yes, it really is 2006, which I first found hard to believe since it seems much more old-fashioned both because of the style and the content.

The story is sweeping, told at a large scale. While the blurb makes it sound as if it is primarily a novel about World War One, the war only starts after about half of the story. Before that, we accompany young Kitty Knowle while she makes her way up into better society. Although she is a member of the upper classes herself, her chances of marrying someone suitable are small since her father is a notorious gambler. When her best friend from school, Lady Partita, invites Kitty to spend Christmas with her at her family's castle in the countryside, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime.
Through Kitty's eyes, the reader experiences the luxurious lives of the aristocracy, including love, friendship and heartbreak, adventures, hopes and jealousies, until all of that comes to an expected, yet sudden stop when the war begins.

The second half deals mainly with the experiences of the women during the war, working as nurses in London or at the castle, which has been transformed into a hospital for convalescents. But there are also occasional chapters featuring the men, fighting in Belgium and France. The story features historical events such as the sinking of the Lusitania and the Battle of Loos, as well as many details of life in England. However, while there are many emotions, it is all told from a distance, and somehow it seems to be neither one thing nor the other. There are so, so many characters (not only Kitty, Partita and their respective love interests, but also a whole set of friends as well as some of their parents!), and the story spans several years, so despite the length of 602 pages, some chapters feel rushed. I think that it should have been longer to do more justice to the characters and not to cut out so much that was important, or the author should not have included quite so many characters. The distant point of view added to the feeling of reading about these people without being really close to them.

Nevertheless, I actually did enjoy this novel, and I felt with the characters, rooted for them, and was touched many times. I loved the descriptions of life at the castle before the war, which made the contrast to later events even stronger. Although I am not convinced of the distant point of view of the narration, I loved the writing style itself. I am not sure if I will read anything else by the author, but I do not regret reading this.

>100 MissBrangwen: I used to read a lot of Charlotte Bingham books before I joined Library Thing and widened my choices. I still have a number of her books on my shelves but she doesn't call out to me as loudly as she used to. I will eventually read them but I don't think I will actively be searching for her books.

>101 DeltaQueen50: I understand and feel similar about this book. I liked it a lot, but still not enough to look for more, although I wouldn't be against reading another one if it comes my way.

I read Nachts ist es leise in Teheran by Shida Bazyar for the new course that I am teaching, Narrated Identity. As far as I can see, there are Dutch and French translations, but no English one so far. The meaning of the title is At night it is quiet in Teheran. The author, whose family has a similar background, was only 28 years old when the novel was published.



Book No 8

"Nachts ist es leise in Teheran" by Shida Bazyar
First published in 2016
Kiepenheuer & Witsch
Paperback, 275pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: January AlphaKIT - I-S
BingoDOG: Author under 30

This novel consists of four parts, each concentrating on a different member of one family, and each ten years apart. The story starts with Behsad, who is a communist revolutionist in 1979 Teheran, but whose hopes and ambitions are shattered. In the next part, told from his wife Nahid's perspective in 1989, the reader learns that the couple had to leave Iran and start a new life in Western Germany, struggling to come to terms with the cold language, the strange neighbors, the memories that hurt so much. Fast forward to 1999, there are reforms and new hopes in Iran, and through Laleh's (the daughter's) eyes the reader experience's her first visit back to Iran after she had to flee when she was just four years old. There is a wild mix of emotions, of feeling both like belonging while still being an outsider. Clashing expectations make this visit difficult, as well as questions about her own identity. And in 2009, there is Laleh's brother Mo who has only ever known Germany while still being read as non-German by most of the people he meets. He does not feel a connection to Iran until he is suddenly glued to his screen, watching YouTube streams and Facebook posts of the Green Revolution. When he sees his fellow students in Germany protesting against tuition fees and feeling smug about it, he cannot help but feel estranged from them, knowing that his relatives in Iran risk all they have for their protests, as did his parents in the 1970s.

The author includes a lot of aspects in this novel, she touches upon many subjects. The structure of four decades and four characters enables this, but it is also restricting because it means that some points of view are excluded. I would have liked to know more about how Behsad and Nahid felt in the end of the story, but this does not play a big role anymore in the end. While all characters are strong, Nahid was my favourite and I would have liked to learn more about her. I feel like I am craving more of a conclusion, but maybe that is not the point of the novel.

In the end, there is another short chapter, told from the youngest sister, Tara, who was born in Germany. There is no given year, but it is simply called an epilogue. Tara and her niece - the third generation of the family - return from holiday and learn that there has been a new revolution that has finally succeeded, and the novel ends in euphoria. Thinking about the current situation in Iran, this scene hit deep. It is a utopia, as this chapter must take place around 2030. I have no words except that I hope that it will become true, as soon as possible.

>87 MissBrangwen: What a sweet title! And a nice message for children too, that everyone is important. Let's hope the message and the appeal of walking in the tidal flats will compensate for the abrupt ending.

>104 VivienneR: Yes, that title really caught my eye, it is so sweet and unusual!

Short Reads

Two short stories that I reread for work: "Justin Finds A Way" by Sheila Paynter and "The Visitor" by Christine Pinsent-Johnson. I really like these and the students usually do, too. The last time I used them was two years ago, so they needed a proper reread.

I hope to add some short reads soon that are not related to my work, but so far it seems like I am mostly using this category for that!

ETA: I forgot another one: "An manchen Tagen" by Nadja Einzmann.

I had a lot of work to do this week and did not read much, and I did not really have time to delve into the threads here, so I am incredibly far behind. But well, I will get around to everything eventually :-)

Tomorrow my husband and I will go to Berlin for a long weekend and I am looking forward to that very much. The last time I visited there was exactly twenty years ago as a school trip!
I don't know yet if I will read much, but I hope to resume my usual reading schedule after that.

>107 MissBrangwen: Have a great trip!

>108 rabbitprincess: Thank you, I did!

I did not finish any physical book or ebook for more than a week, on the one hand because I did not read much, on the other hand because I have started too many. I did at least finish an audiobook, though: Bunburry - Murder at the Mousetrap by Helena Marchmont.



Book No 9

"Bunburry - Murder at the Mousetrap" by Helena Marchmont
Series: Bunburry (1)
First published in 2018
Lübbe Audio
Digital audiobook, 3h 29min
Rating: 2 1/2 stars - **°

CATs & KITs: January SeriesCAT - A Series That Is New To You
My own categories: Series - New Series

The first installment of the Bunburry series has all the important ingredients of a cosy mystery: A small, picturesque village, a set of people who have known each other for ages, two lovely elderly ladies, and a host of secrets. The main character is Alfie McAlister, a middle-aged man who travels to Bunburry because he inherited a cottage there from an aunt he barely knew. He quickly becomes acquainted with his aunt's two best friends, Marge and Liz, who gently force him to take part in the rehearsal of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", which is traditionally performed by the village's drama group every year. The group is one member short because someones accidentally died shortly before Alfie arrived in Bunburry, but of course the trio soon suspect that it might not have been an accident.

I loved the beginning of the story, it was set up very well. I soon lost interest, though, because the story rambled on. It was hard to distinguish the characters, the plot moved incredibly slow sometimes, and there was not much excitement overall. I did like the main character and the nods to Agatha Christie. The audiobook is narrated by Nathaniel Parker who does it well.
As I have already downloaded books 2 and 3 of the series I will listen to those (I got all three for one credit in a bundle), but if they are not considerably more interesting, I will stop after that.

I absolutely relate to not finishing a book for weeks because I have so many going at once. And then I'll finish a bunch all at once.

>111 RidgewayGirl: You have just described my current (and hopefully near-future with the finishings) life.

>111 RidgewayGirl: >112 Jackie_K: I'm glad I'm not the only one :-)

Inspector Barnaby is a popular TV series in Germany, too, but I first encountered it on a trip to the UK when I was watching TV in my hotel room. I quite liked it and started buying the DVD sets, and it has since been one of my favourite TV series. Of course it is not great art, but it is a real comfort watch to me, and I watched it together with my husband for several months when we went through a difficult time at work and did not have any energy to read or do anything else. During that time I also bought the first three books of the original book series, but it took me until now to start reading them.



Book No 10

"The Killings at Badger's Drift" by Caroline Graham
Series: Chief Inspector Barnaby (1)
First published in 1987
Headline
Paperback, 275pp.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: January MysteryKIT - Movie and TV detectives
BingoDOG: Art or craft related
My own categories: Series - New Series

This 2016 edition contains an introduction by John Nettles, who played Barnaby in the TV series, in which he stresses the cuts and changes that need to be made in order to adapt a novel to the screen. Therefore I was prepared for the book to differ from the TV series. I was surprised, though, that the plot has been kept very faithfully. The characters have not, though - Sergeant Troy, whom I really like in the TV series despite his obvious flaws, is thoroughly loathsome in the novel. Barnaby's daughter Cully is quite different, too, and Barnaby himself is not really a contrast to his TV personality, but a deeper character, with more background and, coming with that, more difficulties. I must admit that I did have some problems with that because while on the one hand it was interesting to learn more about him, not all of it matched the fatherly and calm figure I am used to on the screen.

Now to the story itself: I have watched the first episode four times and thus reading it was not that exciting. I knew all the twists and turns, and it might be unfair to really rate this novel. Still I must say that I found it rather slow in the beginning, the characters felt exaggerated, and I just wished the plot to progress. However, it still became a page turner towards the end of the book, and then completely drew me in. It is well written, Barnaby is a sharp and funny character, and I appreciated the crafting of the case maybe even more than when watching it.

>110 MissBrangwen: I read the first book in the series, rated it a 2.5 and have not ready any more

>111 RidgewayGirl: Exactly! That's why it appears that I read two 600 page books in 3 days...not really.....just been reading each for 3-4 weeks!

>110 MissBrangwen: I quite liked The Killings at Badger's Drift but not enough to chase up the rest of the series.

>115 Tess_W: It is nice to know that your rating of the book was the same!

>116 pamelad: I am not sure whether I would read on if I hadn't already bought books 2 and 3! But like this, I will continue with those and then decide.

My husband bought Dunkel by Ragnar Jónasson in 2020 and I immediately knew that I wanted to read it, too. Well, we all know how it goes sometimes with new books - I have read it only now, and he still hasn't!
This was published as The Darkness in English, the original, Icelandic title is Dimma. The German version was translated from the English text, not the original one.



Book No 11

"Dunkel" by Ragnar Jónasson
Series: Hulda / Hidden Iceland
Original Title: Dimma
First published in 2015
btb
Paperback, 367pp.
Rating: 3 stars - ***

CATs & KITs: February SeriesCAT - A Series In Translation, February AlphaKIT - F-J
BingoDOG: Read A CAT

I am only lukewarm about this novel and will not continue with this series. There were some aspects that I enjoyed, most of all the wonderful descriptions of the landscapes of Iceland, which made we want to jump on a plane and travel there instantly. The main character, Hulda, a police officer who is just about to retire and is offered to look into one last cold case, is unusual and interesting. She chooses the death of a young asylum seeker which was quickly written off as a suicide. The book is a page turner. I read it very fast because I wanted to know what happened. The case itself was not the most gripping, but not boring either.
However, there were also a few aspects that were off-putting to me. Hulda is a difficult character and it was often hard to sympathize with her and to understand her actions. I also think that her character was not round and there are some contradictions which made the novel less credible. The most off-potting point, though, was the ending. Apparently Hulda dies in the end, the investigation comes to nothing, her body is not found. It is so frustrating! As far as I can see the trilogy moves backwards and the next book takes place fifteen years before, and the third one even further in the past. Why would I like to read more about a character who I know will meet a terrible end, and whose life held almost no joys? I learned online that there is a new series about her successor and that readers hope that there will be a book where he will find out what happened to her - maybe even find her alive somewhere - but as of now there is no real hint to that. I can see myself googling these spoilers in the future, or looking for them on LT, but I do not think that I will read more of this series, if anything by this author, although I have heard that the "Dark Iceland" series is supposed to be better.
I see that many readers love this book, but because of what I mentioned above, it is just not my cup of tea.

>118 MissBrangwen: I had a hard time getting into that one, too. I liked the Dark Iceland series better. Or if you want to try a stand-alone, I liked The Girl Who Died.

>119 rabbitprincess: I read your review when I checked for other readers' opinions! Thank you for pointing out The Girl Who Died, I have not heard of that one.

We have booked a trip to Lithuania for April, so I have been looking for books about this country and came across Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.



Book No 12

"Between Shades Of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
First published in 2011
Penguin Books
Paperback, 344pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

CATs & KITs: January GeoCAT - Central & Eastern Europe
BingoDOG: A Popular Author's First Book
Other challenges: Historical Fiction Challenge - About a real historical figure or a specific event

"Between Shades Of Gray" was written by Ruta Sepetys, a Lithuanian-American author who did extensive research while working on the novel. It is classified as Young Adult, which is apparent in the language and the perspective of the main character, Lina, but this did not diminish the reading experience. In contrast, I felt that the character's voice was stronger and more authentic because of this because it was in line with her age.

Lina, her younger brother and her mother are deported from Kaunas in Lithuania to a work camp in Siberia. The novel relates the long journey in a cattle train to the camp, the events in the camp and more - I am not describing the further plot to avoid spoilers.
This book will stick with me for a very long time because of its characters, but also because I learned so much about the events under Stalin at the time. Of course I learned about it at school, but that was almost two decades ago, and the focus was not on the Baltic countries.

I read this almost in one sitting, within one day, because I just couldn't stop! The reason that it is not quite a five star read is because the ending felt a bit abrupt and I would have liked to meet Lina for real once more, and not only through the capsule that is found in the 1990s, although the afterword explains this choice. I also felt that sometimes Lina was a little bit too brave and adventurous to make it credible, and these were instance where it did indeed feel strongly like YA, but it is only a minor point of criticism in an otherwise excellent novel.

>121 MissBrangwen: Glad you liked it. It's on my TBR and I hope to get to it this year!

>122 Tess_W: I accidentally posted when I had not finished the review, but it is added now!
I really enjoyed reading this (if enjoying is the right word) and strongly recommend it. I am looking forward to your thoughts!

>121 MissBrangwen:> I'm putting this on my list. I'm not at all familiar with Sepetys and I'm surprised to see my library has several of her books (I think that's called arrogance) including a graphic novel of Between Shades of Gray.

>121 MissBrangwen: I liked this one but I enjoyed Salt to the Sea more and recommend it.

>124 clue: I had a similar experience! I had not heard of the author before researching books about Lithuania, and then realized that she is popular and has published several books.

>125 VictoriaPL: Thank you, I will put it on my WL! I am also interested in the particular topic it deals with, so that is another incentive.

I decided not to list short reads from work in my thread anymore - it is too much and I don't know where to draw the line! I read and reread so many articles, stories and excerpts almost daily and I have increasingly asked myself: Should I add this? But this thread is for fun and I don't want to stress over it, so I decided to only list short reads read for leisure from now. That does not apply to proper books, though.

Another book I read for the upcoming trip to Lithuania: Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius by Cornelius Hell. It is part of a publisher series that I like and I have read two other books by this author that I enjoyed very much, so I was looking forward to this one.
Unfortunately the titles of the series are all quite awkward, this one translates as The iron wolf in the baroque labyrinth - Vilnius awakening.



Book No 13

"Der eiserne Wolf im barocken Labyrinth - Erwachendes Vilnius" by Cornelius Hell
Publisher Series: Lesereisen
First published in 2009
Picus Verlag
Hardcover, 132pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

CATs & KITs: February GeoCAT – A Place You Would Like To Visit
BingoDOG: A book that taught you something
My own categories: Nonfiction - Travel

This book is part of the publisher series Lesereisen ("reading journeys") by the Austrian publisher Picus Verlag. The series contains many, many books on different places in the world, all of them feasible travel destinations, and each book containing essays or short reports about the place written by one contemporary author. I like this series a lot and although it is not my aim to collect all of the books, I often buy books about places I have already traveled to or plan to visit in the near future.
This one was even better than most others because the author, who is from Salzburg, has strong ties to Vilnius as opposed to only having traveled there a few times. He moved there in the 1980s to teach German at the university, learned Lithuanian, and has since then worked as a translator, traveling there at least once a year. His love for Vilnius and Lithuania shines through every page, although he also talks about negative aspects and is not shy to criticize when that is due. Weaving his personal experience over the years into the history of the city, telling stories about close friends while describing buildings, streets and other points of interest, he creates a vivid impression of the city. It was wonderful to read this book and learn about Lithuanian history as well as the Lithuanian language, the architecture of Vilnius and its culture. Sometimes the namedropping of the author became a bit much and I would have liked to learn a little more about the city in general than about his life, but that is just a minor point. I am glad that I read this and am now looking forward to the trip even more!

I came across the Letters of Note project when I was browsing Audible. I had never heard of it, but it is wonderful and I plan to read and listen to a lot more of it. Collections of letters, first compiled online and then published as books and audiobooks that became so popular that there are live events that fill places like the Royal Albert Hall? What's not to love?
On a whim, I decided to listen to Letters of Note - Music. The editor is Shaun Usher.



Book No 14

"Letters of Note - Music" ed. by Shaun Usher
Series: Letters of Note
Collection first published in 2020
Canongate Books
Digital audiobook, 2h 30min
Rating: 5 stars - *****

CATs & KITs: February RandomKIT - Second or Two
BingoDOG: Features music or musician
My own categories: Nonfiction - others

This collection features letters spanning almost 200 years, by famous musicians and composers, but also no names who happened to write letters that are noteworthy for one reason or the other, such as the letter by a Beatles fan who wrote to Nike, being outraged when they used a Beatles song for a commercial. There are letters by Leonard Cohen, Richard Strauss, Tschaikowski and Keith Richards. There is one by Helen Keller who wrote about her experience of feeling music by touching the radio, and one by a doctor who wrote to David Bowie after the famous singer died. Each letter is unique, be it sad, earnest, passionate or funny.
Listening to this meant that the letters were brought to life by such accomplished readers such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry and Miriam Margolyes. I really savored it and tried to listen to not too many at a time, in order to be able to really take them in. I loved this listening experience, although I think that reading the letters as a book, including, as I understand, facsimiles and pictures, must be wonderful as well.
I am looking forward to exploring more of these collections!

>127 MissBrangwen: I also read a lot for work as a history prof; sometimes an entire book, sometimes just chapters, sometimes just an article (s). I, too, have often pondered where to draw the line! I think that for "work" book, in my mind, I made the cut off 50 pages; so most articles do not get included.

I snatched up Murder at the Dolphin Hotel by Helena Dixon as a free kindle book last year because I thought it sounded interesting, and now was the perfect time to read it for MysteryKIT.



Book No 15

"Murder at the Dolphin Hotel" by Helena Dixon
Series: Miss Underhay (1)
First published in 2019
Bookouture
ebook, 250pp.
Rating: 2 stars - **

CATs & KITs: February MysteryKIT - Classic Settings
BingoDOG: Features inn or hotel

This is the first book of the Miss Underhay series that takes place in early 1930s Devon. Kitty Underhay and her grandmother manage the Dolphin Hotel in Dartmouth. Kitty, who has never known her father, has lived at the hotel since she has been six years old, when her mother suddenly disappeared. Now her grandmother leaves for Scotland to take care of an aunt who has injured herself, but because the hotel has received a series of anonymous letters, she employs Captain Matthew Bryant as a security officer. Of course, the events start to speed up once Kitty is in charge of the hotel all by herself, and the first murder happens.

Although I love hotels as settings and the premise sounded promising to me, I felt this novel to be a slog. The setting is the beautiful Devonshire coast, yet I never got a sense of place. The hotel and its guests did not come to life for me, and I did not get the feeling of really knowing the characters, they remained oddly lifeless. To my mind, the story is constructed and over the top, and I did not enjoy how it developed. The language is overall too modern and casual, to the effect that this did not feel like a story of the 1930s.
The reason I gave it two stars and not one is because I still wanted to know the ending, and towards that ending, and during the final showdown, it improved a little. Moreover, the character of Matt Bryant was a little more fleshed out than the other ones, so I liked some of the chapters featuring him. I will not continue with the series, though.

>129 MissBrangwen: I've listened to a number of these collections, they are a delight, aren't they? I think they work really well in the audio format and the readers they choose are excellent.

>127 MissBrangwen: Extending kudos to you for making the decision to keep LT for your enjoyment reading. Too often the boundaries between working and doing what you love can get blurred, especially since you do a lot of reading for work. Which you seem to love as well.

And what great titles you are finding! In Distant Fields, Nachts . . . in Teheran, and Letters of Note - Music all looked fascinating.

>129 MissBrangwen: I have watched some of the letters read at events as clips on YouTube, some of them are hilarious. I didn't realise audible had released them as an audio, sounds like a great option.

<129 - Looks like our library system only has one of these - Dogs. Still, I might give it a try.

>132 Helenliz: Yes, the readers are truly excellent and enhance the experience so much!

>133 threadnsong: I am happy with what I have been reading this year so far! There were some good surprises. Thank you for your kind comments!

>134 charl08: Oh, I have watched some of those clips, too, because my husband has started watching them after I was so enthusiastic about the audiobook!

>135 dudes22: The one about dogs might be one of the next ones I'll try, too.

We finally went to Hamburg to watch Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! The week before was very busy and on top of that I got sick (not covid) shortly after, but the experience was fantastic and now I finally feel like writing about it here.
Is it worth the exorbitantly high ticket price? For me it was because I went there with my husband and my younger cousin, and we had an amazing day. My cousin is one of the biggest potterheads out there - she is 26 now but went in full Hufflepuff gear and really stood out because her costume was so beautiful, wand, coat and all! - so it was a great bonding experience for the three of us. As I have explained before, we had bought the tickets in July 2019, and it was just wonderful that it finally happened. I was nervous until the last minute because the weekend before, two performances had to be cancelled due to illness.
The play finished about 05.00pm and after that we had a delicious meal in a cat café (yes, there really were cats!) and then drove back to Bremerhaven (it is about two and a half hours from Hamburg).



Book No 16

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
Series: Harry Potter (8)
First published in 2016
Little, Brown
Harcover, 343pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: January SFFKIT - Cobwebs and Dust
BingoDOG: > 1,000 copies on LT
My own categories: Series - Finished and up-to-date series

I decided to watch the play first and read it afterwards, which I did yesterday, and I think it was a good decision. I knew that many people were disappointed by the book, so my expectations were not high. Yes, it is probably not the best story and the plot could be better, but the production was amazing, and like this I was able to read the book and really see it all before my inner eye.
I understand that reading the book first would probably be a bit disappointing because it might be hard to envision it all. The descriptions of some of the rapid changes in the beginning, of the time turner or even some of the props would be hard to imagine without seeing them, I think. To me, watching it first and then reading it was the perfect way because while reading, I was able to take in all the words, to reread passages and ponder them, while having the scenes from the play fresh in my mind - while the play was fast paced at times and sometimes it was hard to catch everything. Moreover, the play was in German and some of the translations just don't sit right with me.

I like the way the story starts: Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny see their children off to Hogwarts, so it is a direct connection to the last chapter of the last Harry Potter novel. I expected a cosy and heartfelt story about Harry's son at Hogwarts, but it is very different: Harry's son is not like you would expect him to be, and the two have difficulties. The boy tries to find his own way out of this, and adventures follow. I am not saying more to avoid spoilers for those who still wish to read it or to watch the play.
Although some aspects of the plot are unexpected, and there are some I did not like at all and frankly think are quite bad - Voldemort has a daughter with Bellatrix? Come on, you really weren't able to think of anything better than that??? - , I overall enjoyed the story. However, what made it really special was the production. The visual experience is simply superb - the stage design, the costumes, the visual effects. Yes, there really is magic, there are potions and spells, and dementors fly above you. And although the story is not as good as the novels, there are some intense moments. Reading the play, I was able to savour these even more - and some of them for the first time because we watched the one part play that has been shortened, which was ok for us because three and a half hours at a play is enough!

True, most of the moments I truly loved involve the golden trio and their friends from their childhood days, and not the new characters. But I don't care, I will cherish those. Malfoy being all his old arrogant self, but finally somewhat bonding with Harry and the others when they have to rescue their sons. Ron and Hermione being in love even in alternate histories, and being kissed by dementors to save a better future. Dumbledore's portrait! And most of all, the dreamy memory of Hagrid picking up baby Harry from the ruins of his parents' house. It had me sobbing. Poor nostalgia? Yes, but it made these millennials happy for a weekend and a bit.

>137 MissBrangwen: I'm so glad you finally got to see it, and that it was worth the wait!

>138 christina_reads: It definitely was!

I haven't been to the theatre since before covid but your account of the HP play reminds me just how enjoyable it can be. Glad you were able to reschedule.

>140 charl08: This was my first theatre visit since before the pandemic, too.

I first learned about First World War poetry at school and vividly remember my English teacher reciting Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier" in the class room, a poem that has stuck with me ever since. When I was a trainee teacher and saw A Collection of First World War Poetry on the shelves of a teacher shop in Cologne, I bought it because I expected to teach these poems myself soon. I haven't done so because in the state of Bremen they have not been on the curriculum since I have worked here, but I kept the book and now Reading Through Time's quarterly topic has given me the incentive to properly read it.



Book No 17

"A Collection of First World War Poetry" ed. by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
This collection first published in 2013
ELi Readers
Paperback, 137pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

Other challenges: 1900 - 1950 Challenge - references WWI or WWII
My own categories: Classics, Poetry

As explained above, this collection has been compiled for students, but it reads like any other poetry collection. The poems are not simplified or abridged, and I like the beautiful cover that does not scream school book to me. There are four pages of exercises that I skipped, and eleven pages of historical context that were interesting to me. I knew about most of the facts mentioned there, but it was helpful to be reminded of them in a concise way.

Now on to the poems themselves: If I counted correctly, the book features 37 poets, eight of them female. Each one is introduced by a very short biography and a picture (if available - sadly there are no pictures of some of the female writers), followed by one or more poems. There are famous writers such as G.K. Chesterton, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Frost, Edward Thomas and John McCrae, but also lesser known ones (I think) such as Nina Macdonald.
What I specifically like about the collection is that it does not only include poems illustrating the life of soldiers and the horrors of the front, but other war experiences, too: Life on the home front, the loss of loved ones, work in the factories or as a nurse. It also gives an overview of the different artistic forms, ranging from traditional to experimental. Thus, reading these poems was interesting throughout. Some are clear and beautiful, some are witty or even funny, while others rage with emotions. Some are elaborate, some are simple. There are poems that are just a few lines, while others span several pages. What most have in common is that they provide an individual insight into that terrible time, and sometimes reading them almost felt like time traveling, sharing the sentiments and experiences of people from more than a hundred years ago.

I purchased The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James as a Penguin Little Black Classic on a trip in 2018 or 2019, but I didn't add it to my LT library at the time, which is why I cannot exactly remember where or when it was. I decided to read it now because it was a perfect fit for this month's AlphaKIT.



Book No 18

"The Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James
First published in 1896
Penguin Little Black Classics
Paperback, 56pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: February ClassicsCAT - Before 1900, February AlphaKIT - F-J
Other challenges: Classics Challenge - A 19th century classic
My own categories: Classics

"A Figure in the Carpet" by Henry James is sometimes considered a short story and sometimes a novella. The narrator is a writer employed by a newspaper who is tasked with reviewing his favourite author's latest novel. After meeting said author, who tells him that his works include a secret, a kind of truth or particular point, the writer becomes obsessed with finding out what this secret is.
It was a pleasure to read this story because of the fascinating plot and the compelling writing style. Every sentence is on point and this made for an enjoyable reading experience. So far I have only read "The Bostonians" and "The Beast in the Jungle" by Henry James, which I liked both, but I enjoyed this one even more. The only aspect that was negative to me was the ending as it felt too constructed and too tragic. It was one unfortunate instance too many, and I would have wished for a bit of closure at least. Apart from that it is a great story and it has shown me once again that I wish to get to the other works of Henry James.

I read so many Agatha Christie novels between 2017 and 2021 that last year I needed a break, but now I felt like reading one again and chose The Moving Finger. In contrast to the Poirot novels, I am reading the Miss Marple ones in order and this was the next one.



Book No 19

"The Moving Finger" by Agatha Christie
Series: Miss Marple (3)
First published in 1942
HarperCollins
Paperback, 243pp.
Rating: 3 stars - ***

CATs & KITs: February MysteryKIT - Classic Settings, February AlphaKIT - F-J
BingoDOG: Next in a series you've started
Other challenges: 1900 - 1950 Challenge - 1941 - 1950
My own categories: Classics, Series - Ongoing series

While some parts of this novel were satisfactory, all in all it is not my favourite Christie.
It is narrated by Jerry Burton, who moves to the small town of Lymstock together with his sister, in order to recover from an injury. The doctor prescribes some peace and quiet, but of course Lymstock offers the opposite, and the siblings realize this as soon as an anonymous letter arrives.
The novel kept me guessing, and as always I had no idea who the murderer was. The plot was crafted well as were most of the characters. Many readers criticize that Miss Marple only makes an appearance in this towards the end, which I did not mind that much, because it is a good story in its own right. To me it feels much more modern than most other Christie novels I have read, mainly due to the attitudes of the siblings, who are outsiders in the town and bring with them London airs and another frame of mind. Initially I liked them a lot, but that changed during the course of the story because of how they treat some of the other characters. The atmosphere of it all becomes so negative that at some point I just wanted it to be over. On top of that, the love stories that are included are just too silly and incredible. Because of all these reasons, I was a bit disappointed in the end because the novel started out so well but did not hold its promise.

>129 MissBrangwen: I'm taking a BB for Letters of Note. Unfortunately, my library has it only in print and not as an audiobook.

>145 mathgirl40: Although I loved the audio, I think that the print version might have its merits, too!

I can't believe that I haven't finished a book in two weeks! I have just been so busy, but I hope that things will calm down a bit now.
I have now finished Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, which I have wanted to read almost since it was published - in 2012 I traveled to London for the first time and saw it all over the bookshops everywhere I went. I read my husband's copy because he is a huge fan of the early books of the series.



Book No 20

"Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch
Series: Peter Grant (1)
First published in 2011
Gollancz
Paperback, 392pp.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: March MysteryKIT - Paranormal Mysteries, March AlphaKIT - A-G, March RandomKIT - Water, water everywhere

If I remember correctly and did not forget any book, this was my first foray into urban fantasy. I adored the beginning when Peter Grant, just starting his career in the London police, suddenly meets a ghost who wishes to make a witness statement regarding a recent murder. Ghosts, vampires and magic, a police department taking care of otherworldly crimes, and London locations and folklore on every page - what's not to love? That is what I thought, and it is all great, but to me, it was a bit too crazy, and the plot and pacing suffered from it. Towards the end, it was a labour to reach the finish line, which is why I won't continue with the series. I still think that this is a fantastic book and I appreciate the author's ideas and work, but it is not really for me.

On my search for Lithuanian books, another one that frequently came up was In The Shadow Of Wolves by Alvydas Šlepikas. It was translated from Lithuanian to English by Romas Kinka.



Book No 21

"In The Shadow Of Wolves" by Alvydas Šlepikas
Original Title: Mano vardas - Marytė
First published in 2011
Oneworld
ebook, 146pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: AlphaKIT - A-G

This novel deals with the wolf children - Wolfskinder, German children who lived in Eastern Prussia shortly after World War Two and crossed into Lithuania to find food to survive, or even to bring back to their families. The story starts with one such family, a mother and her five children, who try to survive the first winter after the end of the war. They are under constant thread of starving or freezing to death, of being raped or killed. While at first the reader gets to know the situation mostly from the mother's point of view, the story then follows some of the children who go to Lithuania, crossing the wilderness and meeting locals to find food and shelter. Some are welcoming, others are not. While at first Lithuania seems like some kind of paradise, it soon becomes clear that the locals have their own problems, too.
Chapter after chapter loosely follow each other, and there is no considerable structure, which mirrors the existence of the characters who live from day to day because they cannot look further. The writing is beautiful in parts, reminiscent of a fairytale, but it is sparse and harsh in others. The author first intended this to become a documentary, and it still shows - I could imagine the scenes as a film, it is cinematographic in its descriptions, evoking haunting images in the reader's mind. The ending comes very sudden, which left me wanting more. Likewise, some characters just disappear from the story and the reader does not learn anymore about them. While this is unsatisfying, I think that again, it mirrors the experience of the characters, who lost family members or friends, sometimes by sheer accident, without any chance to learn about their fate.

>148 MissBrangwen: That sounds pretty harrowing, although an important story.

>148 MissBrangwen: Always looking for good books from that geographical region that has been translated into English. Goes on my WL!

>149 Jackie_K: Yes, harrowing is a fitting description!

>150 Tess_W: I'll be interested in your thoughts when you get to it!

Despite my inclination not to by too many new books this year (don't laugh! I haven't bought any this month so far!), I instantly purchased The High House by Jessie Greengrass when I read about it on JayneCM's thread. One reason was that her review captured my interest so much, and the other one was that it was perfect to use in a course I am currently teaching and for which I was looking for texts dealing with climate change (I used an excerpt of two chapters and it worked very well).



Book No 22

"The High House" by Jessie Greengrass
First published in 2021
Swift
Paperback, 279pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: March AlphaKIT - A-G, March RandomKIT - Water, water everywhere
BingoDOG: STEM Topic

This novel was my first venture into CliFi. The story is set in the future - it is not specified when exactly - and the world suffers the consequences of climate change. Caro and Pauly, the children of a climate scientist, arrive at the high house where everything is prepared for them to survive. There is a barn full of supplies, there are chicken and plant beds, the house features a mill and it is located by the sea, but on high ground. It is tended to by Sally and her grandfather, who was the village caretaker and possesses many skills that are forgotten by most, but are crucial now.
Soon, these four are cut off from the rest of the world and have to come to terms with each other, but also with themselves and their memories. It is a microcosmos of emotions, of memories, hopes and desperations, all driven by the need to survive and by the relationships between these characters.
Despite some heavy topics, it is a slow and quiet novel that lives from the descriptions of the natural world that surrounds the high house. The story felt rather depressing to me, but it also has some beautiful moments, and the characters seemed real and raw.
However, the criticism I have is that it all seems rather improbable to me, which is why I have to take one star off my rating. I don't mean climate change itself, but the way the people deal with it in this novel - on a large scale, but also on a small scale. The high house does not seem like the best place to survive, nor does the way it is equipped make much sense. But I do think that to be realistic in a practical sense is not the foremost goal of this novel, but rather to show how different characters might react under these circumstances.

Stopping by to say hello!

>148 MissBrangwen: You've been one of this group who has inspired me to pull Maisie Dobbs off of my shelf to finally read because of the increased discussion about books from the Great War. Love the iconic image on the front of this book, too.

>158 MissBrangwen: What an interesting novel, and new subgenre, CliFi. In reading science fiction and speculative fiction for years, the area of climate change is touched on.

Nice to see you!

>153 threadnsong: The increased discussion happened because World War One was the quarterly topic in the group "Reading Through Time". Some members did read a lot more than I did, but I was very happy with the two books I read! I'll be interested in your thoughts on Maisie Dobbs! The iconic imagery of that war always stays with me.

Science Fiction is a genre that I am not very well acquainted with, but I liked this one.

>152 MissBrangwen: Clifi! Was not aware of such a genre!

>152 MissBrangwen: I agree that it did seem slightly improbable to me also, in that the world had altered so drastically yet they seemed to take it so calmly and with relatively minor disruption. I liked it as unlike most cli fi I have read, it is gentle and calm rather than everyone ripping each other to pieces over the last food items in the supermarket!

>156 JayneCM: Yes, I liked the calm atmosphere as well. I could really sink into it and it provided a fitting backdrop for the feelings and relationships of the characters.

I was on the fence about reading or listening to Spare by Prince Harry because while I was initially liking Harry and then also Meghan, I became weary of the omnipresence during the last years. The Oprah interview, then the Netflix series, and now a book?
But still I was curious. I enjoyed the Audible sample and the first LT reviews were positive, so I decided to go for it despite my reservations. I am so glad I did!



Book No 23

"Spare" by Prince Harry
First published in 2023
Penguin Audio
Digital audiobook, 15h 37min
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

BingoDOG: Memoir
My own categories: Nonfiction - autobiography | memoir

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook very much, if enjoying is the correct term considering some of the contents. I do think that listening to it might be a better experience than reading because Harry has a pleasant voice and reads it well, and like this it feels more personal than reading the written word. It is very easy to listen to it, and the tale is told well.

The memoir starts with Diana's death and ends a few days after Queen Elizabeth's death. It consists of three parts: Harry's childhood and youth, his bachelor years, largely influenced by charity work and the army, and his relationship and marriage to Meghan. I will not write more about the content because his life is widely known.

Two aspects that appear consistently are his grief for his mother, and his experiences with and hate of the media. Some have written that it is a whine fest and that he should stop complaining, but for me, the very treatment of the book proves that he is right, and that is one reason why I am glad that I read the book. After it was published, so many incidents were written about in the media, dissected in instagram posts, analyzed and criticized. With the exception of maybe the chapter about killing Taliban (I cannot judge if the criticism of Harry including this is justified because I am not knowledgeable about this topic), I can say that all of these articles and posts are exaggerated and biased. Most of the incidents are only described in a few sentences in the book and were totally blown up just to generate scandals and therefore clicks. Moreover, while Harry of course makes clear that he feels like a victim of the media and also of his family, he tries to stay fair when it comes to his father and William. Most of the time - until the end, when he writes about Meghan's suicidal thoughts, racism and the break of the family - he tries to paint a balanced picture and to show empathy towards the family, to present their point of view, too. Of course, nothing of that was mentioned in the yellow press, which treated the book as if Harry was just throwing everyone under the bus.
This was what ultimately made me want to read "Spare": To see for myself, and I am happy I did.

Yes, Harry is a privileged person, and he could acknowledge this a bit more, but I was surprised to listen to his criticism of the colonial history of the UK. I learned a lot about the power of the yellow press, and about how the 'firm' works, how it is to grow up in such a position, and despite all the money and the perks, I would never want to be in their shoes. While of course keeping in mind that this is Harry's perspective and that it is a depiction of what he wants the world to know, I could not help but feel empathy for him and Meghan and their decision to prioritize their health and their freedom of choice. And even if you don't support this decision, I am sure there is nothing to justify the sheer hate and vitriol that is continually displayed towards these two.

>158 MissBrangwen: - While I have little interest in reading or listening to this, I appreciated your comments about the content. It certainly is a different perspective than what is pushed by the press.

I listened to the first installment of the Bunburry series earlier this year and was skeptical about it, but as I had bought and downloaded the first three books in a bundle and it was not totally terrible, I decided to go on with it. It was good that I did because I liked the second book much better.



Book No 24

"Bunburry - A Murderous Ride" by Helena Marchmont
Series: Bunburry (2)
First published in 2018
Lübbe Audio
Digital audiobook, 2h 35min
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

My own categories: Series - New Series

The Bunburry series is a typical cosy mystery series: It is set in a small, picturesque village in the Cotswolds, most of the characters have known each other for ages, there are two lovely elderly ladies who like to solve crimes, and everyone has secrets.
The main character is Alfie McAlister, a man in his forties who moved to Bunburry three months earlier because he inherited a cottage there from an aunt he barely knew. In the meantime, he has made friends with a few of the villagers, mainly his late aunt's two best friends, Marge and Liz. In the beginning of this story he discovers that in addition to the cottage, he has inherited a vintage car, and he takes it to a garage in order to be inspected. Unfortunately, the car is soon used as a murder weapon, and of course Alfie is the prime suspect...

I enjoyed this installment much more than the first one. The scene was set, I knew all the important characters, and so it was much more straight forward. The reader learns more about Alfie's past life, and in fact the case only gets going until a substantial part of the story has already been told. There is only very little actual case solving involved. But I did not mind because I like Alfie as a character so much, and I was just fond of the story. The actions of the police are totally unrealistic in this one, and the plot is thin, but it is all good fun and that was what I wanted.

>159 dudes22: Yes, I was astonished by it! Thank you for visiting my thread!

>158 MissBrangwen: I've been on the fence about reading this. You have pushed me over--Harry, here I come!

>160 MissBrangwen: I, too, bought the book bundle and was underwhelmed by the first installment. However, I think I will put it in the que and see if I like it any better.

>162 Tess_W: Yay! I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of both of these books.

I read some of Johannes Bobrowski's poems when I was studying, but had always planned to read this whole edition. I know that I loved them back then, but otherwise couldn't remember them. Reading Globally's quarterly topic made me think of Bobrowski again, so I did not hesitate but picked up the book.



Book No 25

"Gedichte - Eine Auswahl" by Johannes Bobrowski
This edition ed. and publ. by Eberhard Haufe in 1990, poems written between 1941 and 1965
Reclam
Paperback, 131pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: AlphaKIT - A-G
My own categories: Classics, Poetry

This edition of Johannes Bobrowski's poems was published in 1990, in the still existing GDR, by Eberhard Haufe, who chose around 150 poems and also wrote an illuminating afterword.

Johannes Bobrowski was a German writer who was born in Tilsit/Sowetsk, a town close to Königsberg/Kaliningrad, now on the Lithuanian border. He was from a Christian family who were opposed to the Nazis, but still, he became a soldier. He served on the campaign in Russia and was later imprisoned there until 1949.
Because of these experiences, Bobrowski's main topic was the European east, its natural world, but also its history. Most of his poems deal with the Lithuanian/East Prussian landscape of the region where he grew up, or with the Russian landscape around Nowgorod, where he was stationed during the war. Bobrowski moved to Berlin after he returned from prison and lived there until his death, so with the exception of a few poems that were written in the 1940s, he wrote about the east from memory, and created a magical and unreal region. This was supported by his usage of the ancient name Samartia - a poetic version of the land, but not a perfect one, because there are the shadows of the war and of the holocaust. There are people who go to their death, buildings that are destroyed and decayed, there is a cold and dangerous feeling that disturbs the often lyrical descriptions of nature. Emotions of loss and guilt - both Bobrowski's personal guilt as a soldier, as well as Germany's collective guilt - influence these poems.

During his lifetime, Bobrowski was one of the few authors who were equally read and respected in both German states, despite dealing with the politically and morally difficult topics mentioned above, which were treated differently in the two Germanys. Bobrowski himself wanted to be just a 'German' writer and did not wish to pledge allegiance to one of the two, and he was successful in that. He was a friend of some of the most important writers of the time, such as Günter Grass, Uwe Johnson and Paul Celan.

Bobrowski's poems are often not easy to understand, as they are full of metaphors and images, as well as deeply intertextual. Some are dedicated or written in response to other writers (alive or long deceased), others reference myths and legends. His continuous use of enjambement, of neologisms and inversions creates a special rhythm that does not always feel natural. Despite the often dreamlike quality of his poetry, it is firmly rooted in reality, often being connected to specific places that are mentioned or described. The language often includes prefixes used in a surprising way and an unusual syntax, which builds an atmosphere that makes the reader feel that despite the beautiful nature, something is wrong. For sure, I have only scratched the surface of Bobrowski's work with these poems.

In 2019 my mom gave us a gift card from the German bookstore chain Thalia for our birthdays (they are not even two weeks apart, so we frequently receive one gift together), and we decided to use it for a beautiful boxed set of His Dark Materials, written by Philip Pullman. I had never read the series but had always wanted to. My husband read the first book in German about twenty years ago, but does not have that book anymore and anyway, we both mostly read English books in their original language now.
This month I decided to finally go for the first part of the series!

The Golden Compass was originally published as Northern Lights in the UK, but I am using the American title since it is the title of the book I read and since it is Der goldene Kompass in German, so it is the one I first became familiar with when I heard about it years ago.



Book No 26

"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Series: His Dark Materials (1)
Original Title: Northern Lights
First published in 1995
Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover, 399p
Rating: 5 stars - *****

CATs & KITs: March SeriesCAT - Child and YA Series, March SFFKIT - To The Dark Side With You!, March AlphaKIT - A-G
BingoDOG: Features a member of the cat family
My own categories: Series - New Series

Oh my, why did I wait so long to read this? I loved, loved, loved it!
For the first few chapters I did not really know what to make of it, but then I totally became immersed in this world. The writing, the characterization, the world building - everything is just perfect. It was one of those books where I couldn't wait to see how the story would play out, but simultaneously did not want it to end, did not want to leave these people and this world.
Five stars!!!

This evening we are traveling to Lithuania for a week, so I won't be online much. I am looking forward to exploring Vilnius and its surrrounds, and I also hope to be back with some reviews, since I plan to read quite a bit in the evenings and have downloaded quite a lot of books to my kindle!

>166 MissBrangwen: Happy travels!

Have a great trip!

>166 MissBrangwen: Have a wonderful trip, I'm very jealous! Vilnius looks lovely.

What a great way to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Have a great time!

Oh wonderful! Have a great trip and enjoy Lithuania. We will be here to hear all about your adventures when you return. I'll be interested to hear if Bobrowski's poetry captures what you see when you are taking your trip to the area he described (if you will be in the Nowgorod region).

Hope you are having a lovely trip (and plenty of reading!)

>167 MissWatson: >168 rabbitprincess: >169 Jackie_K: >170 DeltaQueen50: >171 threadnsong: >172 charl08: Thank you all! We had a wonderful and very interesting trip and I am so glad we did it.

>171 threadnsong: We did not travel to any of the places that Bobrowski described specifically, apart from Vilnius, but even that city is different now compared to when Bobrowski was there. I would love to visit the region again in the future to see more of the natural world.

As said above, we had a great trip and it was one of the most interesting ones I have had so far. Vilnius is a beautiful city! We also did a day trip to see Kaunas, Trakai Castle and the holocaust memorial at Paneriai.

Now I am looking forward to catching up on LT :-)

The first book I read on the trip was Die Schattenfrau by Åke Edwardson, the second book of his Erik Winter series. I usually read crime novels when I travel since they work best for me then, and after I had liked the first installment of that series so much, I was eager to read the next one. Unfortunately I was quite disappointed!
This book has been published in English as The Shadow Woman.



Book No 27

"Die Schattenfrau" by Åke Edwardson
Series: Erik Winter (2)
Original Title: Rop från långt avstånd
First published in 1998
List
ebook, 599pp.
Rating: 2 stars - **

My own categories: Series - Ongoing series

The case is interesting enough: A young woman is found murdered on the shore of a lake in Göteborg, and there is no clue about who she is. Erik Winter, a wealthy investigator in his late thirties, is drawn into the case immediately and does his best to find out who the woman was, but it is proving to be very difficult. The stakes are even higher because the autopsy shows that the woman has given birth, so somewhere there might be a child in grave danger.

So yes, the premise is intriguing, but after a while the story just dragged on and on and I just hoped that something would happen. Moreover, I don't mind reading about the private lives of detectives, but in this novel it is too much, especially because it is equally depressing as the case. I know that this is nordic noir, but still, there must be something that creates a spark and that makes me want to read on. There are a few points where the plot does become more gripping, but as it evolves, it is taken over by the background story of a bank robbery and that did not interest me in the least. After 599 pages, I was just happy that it was over.
Having said that, I still somewhat like Erik Winter as a character, although I liked him much more in the first novel.

I will read the third book for three reasons: First, I enjoyed the first one immensely and am not ready yet to give up on this series. Second, my husband owns the third book as a physical copy and because of that I started reading this series, wishing to read it in order. Third, from that book onwards the series has been translated by another German translator who, according to the reviews, does a much better job and makes the books more readable, so I am curious about that.
If I don't like the third book considerably more than this one, I will abandon the series.

Looking back at the first quarter I am quite happy with my reading this year so far. I read books in most of my categories, although there are a few that are still empty, but that is ok. As a goal, I particularly aim to read more classics in the time to come. I have had many five and four star reads, and especially The Golden Compass was a highlight towards the end of the quarter. Now - onwards!

I have opened a new thread for the second quarter, so please join me there.