Kathy's reading list 2014 (PersephonesLibrary)

Talk75 Books Challenge for 2014

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Kathy's reading list 2014 (PersephonesLibrary)

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1PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 2, 2014, 10:45 am

Saturday, March 1 2014
I had to neglect my reading life and reporting about it quite much since half a year.
I slowly try to get back to you - step by step. But for the begining I won't have time to do more than enlist my reads. Hopefully I can expand, soon.


Sunday, March 2 2014
I read a lot of newspapers which took a lot of time. I will try to stick with that in a less extreme reading habit: I will try to read at least one "DieZeit" per month and it will count as one book with 500 pages, as it is almost a full time job (for me) to read it.

What kind of books can you expect?
I read a lot of different books: Classic literature is on my reading list as the latest publications (I get a lot of free reading copies - job-related). I read about history, art and social issues. Though I usually choose fiction and non-fiction I will try to read more of the latter. I read Fantasy and brain candy.
What you might going to miss are a lot of thrillers, "chick lit" and young adult literature. I read them from time to time but they don't dominate my reading life.

If you want to get an impression of my reading habits, here are the links to my previous challenges:
- In 2011 I didn't reach my goal with only 63 books (http://www.librarything.com/topic/105560).
- In 2012 I read 78 books (http://www.librarything.com/topic/129658).
- In 2013 I stopped my report at book 43 but I read about 55 books during the whole year. (http://www.librarything.com/topic/147173)

Wow, is this actually the fourth active year on LibraryThing? Time really flies by.



My goals for this year is to reach 75 books until December 31.
I will go less strict on myself with reaching it because that was one of the reasons why I suddenly stopped last year: Too many challenges, too much to report. - You have no idea how much time it takes for me as a "not native speaker" to write everything down on LT. :)
If you comment in my thread I will always come to yours to look what you're up to.

So, now I will stop the blabbering - let the reading begin.

2PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 2, 2014, 9:55 am

Books read in 2014




Pages read in 2014



3PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Aug 2, 2014, 4:31 pm

CURRENTLY READING:




Books read in 2014

JANUARY & FEBRUARY (5 books)

1. Verdorbenes Blut by Geoffrey Girard **
2. Elchscheiße by Lars Simon **1/2
3. Die Simpsons und die Philosophie by William Irwin (library book) ***1/2
4. Die Zeit for January
5. Die Zeit for February

MARCH (4 books)
6. Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse by Thomas Meyer **1/2
7. Seide by Alessandro Baricco ***1/2
8. Die Zeit for March
9. Der See by Banana Yoshimoto **

APRIL (10 books)
10. The Music Makers Tom Waits by Cath Carroll (library book) **
11. Grübeln by Tobias Teismann ****
12. Lindbergh by Torben Kuhlmann ****1/2
13. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol ***
14. Die Lieben meiner Mutter by Peter Schneider ***1/2
15. Willkommen im sonnigen Tschernobyl by Andrew Blackwell ****
16. Black Butler, Band 1 by Yana Toboso ***
17. Black Butler, Band 2 by Yana Toboso ***
18. Black Butler, Band 3 by Yana Toboso ***
19. Fish! by Stephen Lundin, et. al. ***

MAY (6 books)
20. Hamburg by Dorothea Heintze ****
21. I am a Hero, Band 1 by Kengo Hanazawa ***
22. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff ****
23. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin ***
24. 1928 Eine Hamburger Geschichte by Matz Mainka ***
25. Die sonderbare Buchhandlung des Mr. Penumbra by Robin Sloan **

JUNE (19 books)
26. Die Wunderübung by Daniel Glattauer **
27. Spirou und Fantasio Abenteuer in Australien by Franquin/Tome/Janry ***
28. Tim und Struppi Der Sonnentempel by Hergé ***
29. Tim und Struppi Im Reich des schwarzen Goldes by Hergé ***
30. Tim und Struppi Tim in Tibet by Hergé ***
31. Tim und Struppi Der Blaue Lotos by Hergé ***
32. Tim und Struppi Die Krabbe mit den goldenen Scheren by Hergé ***
33. Tim und Struppi Tim und der Haifischsee by Hergé ***
34. Das Schweigen unserer Freunde by Long/Demonakos/Powell ****
35. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin ****
36. Carl Hagenbeck by Haug von Kuenheim *****
37. Die Zeitfalte by Madeleine L'Engle ***
38. Die Liegenden by Michele Serra ***1/2
39. Hafenlichter. Stories by Jens Eisel ***1/2
40. Stichkopf und der Scheusalfinder by Guy Bass ****
41. Die Zeit for June
42. Albert Ballin by Susanne Wiborg *****
43. Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander ***
44. Vampir by Joann Sfar *****

JULY
45. Übungen und Spiele für Schauspieler und Nicht-Schauspieler by Augusto Boal ***
46. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton ****
47. Trigger by Wulf Dorn ****
48. Knights of Sidonia 01 by Tsutomu Nihei ***
49. Highschool of the Dead 01 by Daisike Sato **1/2
50. Kalte Stille by Wulf Dorn ***
51. DieZeit for July

AUGUST
52. Theaterhandwerk by Alan Ayckbourn *****
53. Another 01 by Aikito Ajatsuji ****
54. Ecos July
55. Tsumitsuki by Hiro Kiyohara **
56. Sonate des Schicksals by Kaoru Ichinose ***
57.

4drneutron
Mar 1, 2014, 1:00 pm

Welcome back!

5PersephonesLibrary
Mar 2, 2014, 9:41 am

Thank you, Jim!

6PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 2, 2014, 11:24 am



1. Verdorbenes Blut by Geoffrey Girard **

Great, first I claim that I don't read a lot of thrillers and now this... But if it wouldn't have been a free reading copy I wouldn't have touched this one.

The most brutal and perverted serial killers in history have been cloned: The teenage versions of John Wayne Gacy, Albert Fish, Ted Bundy and others break out the research facilty / education facilty where they were raised and leave behind them an enormous trail of blood...

The basic story sounded so weird that I thought "Hey, it will be either very good or very bad". The author missed the great opportunity of character study and instead gets a vicarious thrill out of the descriptions of bloody violence. Actually there was only thing that made me finish the book: The glimpse of discussion if we have to realize / repeat the "evil potential" that lies in our genes. The rest is a quite typical hunt where the "bad cop" (a military veteran who stands kind of "outside the law") hunts the murderers.

7PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 2, 2014, 11:24 am



2. Elchscheiße by Lars Simon **1/2

Brain candy at its best.
This was another free reading copy and I took it home to have something to read in the bathtub.
(If it fell in the water there wouldn't be much harm done.) So you see the expectations I had towards the book. But the novel itself was suprisingly entertaining.

The protagonist is left by his girlfriend for his psychiatrist and learns about his inheritance at the same time: His aunt has left him a farmhouse in Sweden. He decides to take his chances and moves up there only to learn about his "nice" new neighbours - and that the farmhouse is already occupied...

The book itself is not as vulgar as the title might make you think. (In English the title would be "Elk Sh*t" which is obviously an every-day curse in Sweden.) The novel itself has a softer tone and the humour is - though quite previsible sometimes - not obscene. Only the "great final" gets over the top, but all in all it was a nice brain candy. And I didn't drown it in the bathtub.

8PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 2, 2014, 11:35 am



3. Die Simpsons und die Philosophie by William Irwin ***1/2

As I don't already have enough "owned" unread books at home I felt the need to borrow something from the library...

It's a collection of philosophical essays whose authors try to explain basic philosophical questions with the assistance of the characters of The Simpsons . You can either read it as a first light introduction or as a fun read to repeat those concepts. It is not too challenging but a very quick read - and I usually read it before going asleep at night.

Entertainement with real content.

9rosalita
Mar 2, 2014, 3:28 pm

It's so great to have you back on LT, Kathy!

10PersephonesLibrary
Mar 2, 2014, 4:05 pm

I'll give my best not to totally cut the connection again. :)
Looking forward to all the reads and all the new people.

11PiyushC
Mar 2, 2014, 6:05 pm

Ah, so you joined back just now, no wonder I hadn't got your thread starred.

12Deern
Mar 3, 2014, 11:53 am

Yay, what a great surprise! Welcome back!
I believe I read that Simpsons book in English, many years ago, and I'm afraid I don't remember a thing :(

13PersephonesLibrary
Mar 3, 2014, 1:33 pm

Nathalie! How are you doing? Thank you so much - I'm happy to be back. I haven't found your thread yet.... Do you participate in the 75-challenge this year?

14Deern
Mar 3, 2014, 1:44 pm

yes, I just started my 2nd thread. I'd post the link but haven't yet learned to mark and then copy/paste with the ipad... embarrassing, I know.. :)

15PersephonesLibrary
Mar 3, 2014, 1:47 pm

Wait a sec...

16PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 7, 2014, 12:35 pm



Another harsh week with a lot of overhours is finished and I'm quite tired.
BUT there's a light at the ending of the tunnel: Tomorrow I'm going to a book flee market! (Yay!) I have been there several times before and it's almost impossible to come back home without having bought anything. I'm already so excited!

My Friday night will be quite calm and basically look like the picture above. Only that I will start the weekend with a nice, relaxing bath.
I might continue with the book about the early years of cinema and I think I'm going for one of the free reading copies I got.

Are there still readathons on LibraryThing? I'd love to do one again!

17PersephonesLibrary
Mar 7, 2014, 3:15 pm

I just thougt: "Hey, why do you check on some of the other LibraryThingers' threads... Now, just where could I start? :

18paulstalder
Mar 8, 2014, 5:41 pm

Hallo Kathy, I am very pleased to see you back on LT.

How was your visit to the book flee market? Got many interesting trouvailles?

19PersephonesLibrary
Mar 8, 2014, 6:04 pm



After a busy week today was just perfect: We (a group of four crazy book lovers) made a day trip to Ravensburg, Germany.
There's a quite huge library where "sales" are organised regularly. They don't only sell used library books, DVDs and CDs but also books other people bring to them. I have been there several times and it is impossible to find nothing.

This time it wasn't different, so here is my haul:
1. Seide by Alessandro Baricco (1001-books-challenge!)
2. The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi (1001-books-challenge!)
3. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (1001-books-challenge!)
4. Die Glasglocke by Sylvia Plath (1001-books-challenge!)
5. Der Mann der seine Kinder liebte by Christina Stead (1001-books-challenge!)
6. Der Traum der roten Kammer by Ts'ao Chan (1001-books-challenge!)
7. Eine gute Partie by Vikram Seth (1001-books-challenge!)
8. Der Schleier im Main by Alexandre Dumas
9. dark water by Kôji Suzuki
10. Sonetschka und andere Erzählungen by Ljudmila Ulitzkaja
11. Bhagavadgita
12. Expressionismus Lyrik mit Materialien by Wilhelm Große
13. Weisheiten der Völker by Karl August Fritz
14. CD: soundtrack of the movie "Vatel"


This is the library building - a former grain storage:



Apart from checking the one or another shop we also went to the local art museum. They showed an exhibition about Egon Schiele and his early years. I've already seen it once and the second time was still fantastic. I like Schiele a lot. That's why I decided to finally buy the exhibition catalogue. (By the way: If you know any good biography about Schiele or book about his time I'd love to hear about it!) I also like the museum building itself:




Our little group will go back to Ravensburg in July when the next library flee market is scheduled.

20PersephonesLibrary
Mar 8, 2014, 6:06 pm

> 18: Good evening, Paul! I'm pleased to be back. I was really missing all the LibraryThingers and the talk about books, etc. The trip was great. Just what I needed. :) I did a little summary with some pictures one message earlier.

21PersephonesLibrary
Mar 8, 2014, 6:58 pm

Here are some impressions of the exhibition. Unfortunately I can't find all the ones online I liked so much...

22PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 9, 2014, 11:24 am



6. Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse by Thomas Meyer **1/2

Mordechai Wolkenbruch is a 25-year-old Jew living in Zurich, Switzlerand - and under the regime of his dominant mame who wants to see him finally marry a good, Jewish girl and make many little Jews with her. There's only one problem: His fellow student Laura and her nice but not-Jewish tuches...

Usually the publishing house Diogenes stands for intellectually stimulating but entertaining literature. This time they have lowered their standards a bit. It's a nice "boy meets girl"-story but nothing special apart from the language (The author uses a lot of Yiddish terms). We get the typical clichés, forseeable jokes and a quite abrupt ending. Nothing you must read.

23PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 9, 2014, 1:33 pm



7. Seide by Alessandro Baricco ***1/2

South of France, 1861. To save his village's income the protagonist Hervé Joncour travels to countries far away to buy silkworm eggs. While most of these journeys seem to be quite monotonous, his trip to Japan changes everything. It's the fascinating wife of his Japanese business partner who enchants him...

It will sound weird but this book reminded me of Die Vermessung der Welt and Das Parfum, although it's totally different storywise. Maybe it was the readability and the historical setting.
It uses an unspectacular, calm narration with beautiful descriptions....where the pictures mirror the inner life of the protagonist.

24paulstalder
Mar 9, 2014, 5:29 pm

>19 PersephonesLibrary: well done with the books and thanks for the pictures - the museum has an interesting architecture - but Schiele is not exactly my favourite, well maybe I saw the wrong exhibiton: his nudes.

25DorsVenabili
Mar 10, 2014, 7:17 am

Hi Kathy! I've starred your thread. It sounds like you had a lovely weekend, what with the book sale and art museum.

>21 PersephonesLibrary: - Thanks for sharing!

26PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 10, 2014, 3:10 pm

> 24: Thanks for stopping by, Paul! I'm quite happy with my literary finds.

If you had asked my five years ago about Schiele I wouldn't have been too enthusiastic about him myself. But since I tackled that time (beginning of the 20th century) and developments a bit I get a feel and understanding for his paintings and their "Körperlichkeit".
This exhibition was quite interesting because it focused on Schiele's early years. Some pictures were so suprising because they don't have much in common with his famous nude pictures. I liked this one in particular (sorry about the bad quality):

27PersephonesLibrary
Mar 10, 2014, 3:15 pm

> 25: Kerri, it was really a very nice weekend. Spending some time with friends and the books sale and the art museum. :)
You're welcome. I felt the need to share the pictures. Schiele seems to be mostly famous for his nudes but his early works are worth to be seen, too. (Oh my, "early years" seems so cynical when you realize that he died being 28 years old.) Thanks for visiting my thread!

28applebook1
Mar 13, 2014, 2:18 am

It's so nice to run into a non-native speaker in the LT! (I'm Korean.) I hope you will be able to meet your challenge this year!

29paulstalder
Mar 13, 2014, 4:38 am

>28 applebook1: anyonghaseo ! we are all native speakers: we all speak LT :) But you are right it is nice to have non-English speakers around here. $

>26 PersephonesLibrary: That picture looks interesting, maybe I should look at Schiele's earlier paintings.

30PersephonesLibrary
Mar 17, 2014, 8:06 am

> 28: Yes, it's great to see how many nationalities come together on LT! I hope to meet my challenge, too. Last year I was quite close but couldn't finish. Maybe 2014 will be another 75-books year. All the best to you and your challenge, too!

31PersephonesLibrary
Mar 17, 2014, 8:09 am

> 29: I couldn't have said it better, Paul! LibraryThing is our language. :)
And about the Schiele picture: It was fascinating because it was so fragile. I don't think there are many paintings like that as he started with the nudes quite early. But they are definitely worth a look!

32PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 17, 2014, 8:47 am

The past week was quite busy because we moved a bookstore to another location and celebrated its re-opening. As we were only three people (or four at maximum) and the whole computer system didn't want to work (and still doesn't) it were some stressful and long days. I didn't find much time to read and was even too tired to switch on my laptop after work.
But it was worth it and the new bookstore looks awesome!

When I came home on Saturday I saw the spring finally arrived in my garden:

___

Today I enjoy a day off work. I actually should clean my apartment, wash clothes, etc. It'd be really necessary after two weeks of working overhours. But I decided to seize the day by reading in my sunny garden. I need the break.

On my reading schedule is still Banana Yoshimoto's Der See and I bought the latest edition of the weekly newspaper DieZeit. This time it is all about reading and the book fair in Leipzig (which happend last weekend). So it fits perfectly into my challenge.

33PersephonesLibrary
Mar 18, 2014, 3:11 pm

At the moment I try to enjoy as much sun as I can get. Today after work I was at the terrace with newspaper (still working on DieZeit) and a cup of coffee.

Der See by Banana Yoshimoto is still on my reading list and I've read a little bit more than half of the book. It's a very calm narration - and a quite depressing one. Yoshimoto does something I don't like: She always writes down directly what she wants to say. Not much to read in between the lines, not much room for interpretation. She just smashes her message in the reader's face. Well, maybe it is just the part of a something bigger...

Somehow I feel the urge to read Das Nibelungenlied and I'm looking for a nice edition with a good translation. I think I will get the Fischer edition - two volumes in paperback including the original text and the translation. I already like the covers:
___

34paulstalder
Mar 18, 2014, 5:35 pm

Nice garden flowers you have there, lovely ... and this Nibelungenlied edition looks terrific. I think I never read the whole thing, we read parts of it in school.

35PersephonesLibrary
Mar 20, 2014, 8:16 am

Thanks - more and more are blooming every day. It's a pity I have always to work so long, but the weekend is nigh. Then I can fully enjoy it.

Yes, I like this edition of The Nibelungenlied very much. But I've just seen that the first volume is out of stock at the moment but will be reprinted in 2014.... We have only read a re-telling of the story but not the original text in school. Even in the newer edition I was intriguied by the character of Hagen. I couldn't see him totally as the "evil opponent". Now, I am curious how this is described in the original version.

36PersephonesLibrary
Mar 20, 2014, 8:58 am

Reading time a.k.a. weekend is only a day away.
What are your plans? Will there be a readathon?

37PersephonesLibrary
Mar 22, 2014, 10:51 am

As it was such a beautiful day I spent some time at the lake.
Originally I planned to do some reading, but I ended up enjoying the calm and the sunshine.

___

While I finally finished the weekly newspaper, I am still reading the Banana Yoshimoto book. I will try to get done with it today.

38paulstalder
Mar 22, 2014, 5:12 pm

What a lovely site - I like the clouds and the reflection of them in the water.

39PersephonesLibrary
Mar 23, 2014, 4:48 am

Paul, it was such a nice afternoon. The mood was very...particular because Spring needs some time to arrive at the lake. I just love being near water.

40PersephonesLibrary
Mar 23, 2014, 5:04 am



9. Der See by Banana Yoshimoto **

The female protagonist Chihiro is a popular mural painter and tries to save a building with one of her paintings. She gets to know Nakajima, her shy neighbour from the apartment building next to hers. A calm love story starts to develop during which Chihiro has to find out about Nakajima's dark past.

It's a novel about different and difficult childhoods. About how those early experiences form our characters and how we have to put them behind ourselves to live a "normal live".

The story with its magical elements focuses very much on both main characters. Yoshimoto even manages to mirror their inner life in the objects, buildings and sites. Still I couldn't connect with them until the ending. Maybe that's why I wasn't caught up in the story and it took me so long to read 220 pages (in large prints). I already mentioned Yoshimoto's habit to shout out her messages and don't leave much to read in-between-the-lines.

This was the first book by Yoshimoto I've read. I still plan to read Kitchen for the 1001-challenge, but I am less enthusiastic about it now.

41PaulCranswick
Mar 23, 2014, 7:12 am

>37 PersephonesLibrary: I think even I could manage Banana Yoshimoto in such a divine setting.

Have a lovely weekend.

42PersephonesLibrary
Mar 23, 2014, 9:55 am

Thank you for stopping by, Paul. The setting actually kept me from reading... :) Have a great weekend yourself!

43scaifea
Mar 23, 2014, 4:56 pm

Hi, Kathy! Gorgeous photos you've got here!

44PersephonesLibrary
Mar 23, 2014, 5:54 pm

I'm glad you like them, Amber! Thank you for stopping by!

45DorsVenabili
Mar 24, 2014, 3:24 pm

I think it would be fun to participate in a readathon, but it never seems to work out for me...

>37 PersephonesLibrary: - That is a lovely lake!

>40 PersephonesLibrary: After reading your review, I'm not enthusiastic about it either. :-)

46PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Mar 25, 2014, 4:18 pm

Kerri - how are you doing? :) I'd love to participate in a readathon again because now I could read the whole night through as I'm not disturbing anybody. And usually I manage some reading - despite of being on LT to lurk and watch what others are reading.

I agree - the Lake of Constance is a beautiful spot. It is a shame that they want to start fracking there!

Sorry, I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it. :)

47PersephonesLibrary
Mar 25, 2014, 4:15 pm

I started with Hyperion by Friedrich Hölderlin today. But I didn't manage many pages as I felt the urge to read the text aloud to get a better feel for the language. As I was sitting in a restaurant that might have given a weird impression.

At the moment I am quite tired all the time and I don't know if I'm generally exhausted or just getting the flu. That's why my evenings mainly take place in front of the laptop where I watch some series. (sigh, I know - what a shame.) That's why I still read not as much as I would like to.

I am actually thinking about taking the bus to work. It would take me about three times as much time as with the car - but I would have some time to read. :) But I guess it has to get a bit warmer before I seriously consider it.

48PersephonesLibrary
Mar 26, 2014, 1:33 pm

As I felt like about 3 trillion unread books are not enough I went to our local library today.
It is such a beautiful building and I like very much to simply stroll around.
I couldn't resist and took home with me about two bags full of books about the most diverse topics - painting, physics, screenplay writing, music, etc.





49paulstalder
Edited: Mar 26, 2014, 6:20 pm

you call the Vorarlberger Landesbibliothek your local library? You are lucky to have such a library nearby!
It is really a beautiful library - I'd like to work there and have access to all their books

Thanks for the nice pictures

50applebook1
Mar 26, 2014, 7:11 pm

That's such a beautiful library.. I wish there are libraries like that around here too.. :p

Thanks for sharing such a nice picture :)

51PersephonesLibrary
Mar 27, 2014, 4:26 am

> 49: Hi Paul! Well, to be totally honest - there would be an actual "local" library in my village. But as it takes me almost as much time to go there (where they have got far less books and most of them I already own) as to the Landesbibliothek, I prefer the latter. I like the area, view and building a lot - not to mention the great choice of books. I wrote my share of school and university papers there. :)

So, have you already been there? It is really worth a visit - with the lake nearby, etc.

52PersephonesLibrary
Mar 27, 2014, 4:29 am

> 50: Yoona, how are you doing? :) Yes, it's a beautiful spot, dedicated to books. Especially the "Kuppelsaal" (the hall with the cupola) is impressive!

53paulstalder
Mar 27, 2014, 5:37 am

>51 PersephonesLibrary: No, I haven't been there. I have never been to Bregenz apart from driving by by car or train. But I guess it would worth a visit

54scaifea
Mar 27, 2014, 7:23 am

>48 PersephonesLibrary: Holy. Moley. That's gorgeous! You lucky thing, you.

55PersephonesLibrary
Mar 27, 2014, 7:54 am

> 53: Paul, if you decide to visit one day I'm offering my services as a guide.

> 54: Amber, it is very romantic in winter when everything is packed in snow. And wonderful when everything starts blooming in summer. And the cupola hall has just its own very special atmosphere.

56paulstalder
Mar 27, 2014, 7:02 pm

> 55: Very much appreciated, I will come back to that offer, thank you very much

57PersephonesLibrary
Mar 30, 2014, 10:14 am



I'm spending a quite calm weekend and I feel like my energy is slowly coming back to me.
Apart from family visits I sleep a lot. And as usual I have got more plans than actual time to realize them.

I haven't finished any of my books yet, but started an additional one. It's short biography/discography about the singer/songwriter Tom Waits whose music I love very, very much. Usually I don't like the term "fan" but in this case I'd do everything... ok, a lot to see and hear him live just once. My Saturday night was filled with his music and lyrics. As he's a great story-teller you could actually count him for the reading challenge. :)

Apart from reading and enjoying music I'm digging deeper when it comes to my drawings and my writing. Because of a lack of time there's not much progress but I will work on it.

Have a happy Sunday!

58PaulCranswick
Apr 1, 2014, 6:06 am

Kathy - Your weekend sounds like it was wonderfully relaxing. Hope the week ahead will be similarly kind to you.

59thornton37814
Apr 4, 2014, 9:44 pm

I am absolutely jealous about your beautiful library. They don't make them like that here in the U.S.

60PersephonesLibrary
Apr 5, 2014, 7:19 am

> 58: Paul , it was but just a little bit too short. And the past week was... well, quite normal. I intended to take more time off work because I've got so many overhours. At least I read two books. :)

> 59: Lori , thank you very much for stopping by. Yes, we are very lucky to have such a great library in such a beautiful building. I guess the main reason is that we in Europe have got enough buildings with a lot of history. This one was as far as I know finished in 1916 and was used as a monestary and later as a school. In the 80s it was made a library.
In the US you usually have to build new buildings - and one like the Vorarlberger Landesbibliothek wouldn't be affordable today. So we are really very lucky. :D

61paulstalder
Edited: Apr 5, 2014, 7:38 am

Hej Kathy, I hope you have an even more relaxing and quiet weekend this time.

62PersephonesLibrary
Apr 5, 2014, 7:50 am



10. The Music Makers - Tom Waits by Cath Carroll **

I already mentioned that I am a big fan of Tom Waits and his music. That's why I decided to read something about him/it. I already own two biographies and one about him as a storyteller. Nevertheless I took three books at home from the library trip I wrote about two weeks ago.

I started with this one - honestly, because it was the thinnest. I wanted to get an overall impression about his life first. - Like you are first checking Wikipedia before you buy a biography. And comparing this book to Wikipedia isn't all too wrong....

First the positive aspects: It gives an overview about his life and his music. The first half of the book is a very compact biography, the second half is an extended discography with summaries of the songs' plots.
Now the negavtive aspects: The writing sounds like a fan wrote the whole thing - not an expert. The writing style is less than average and the author tries to be funny... well, she tries. Especially the subtitles to the photographies are sometimes ridiculously stupid. Instead of telling when and where it was taken the author describes it with an empty generalization.

Moreover the includes a lot of redundancies. There's a small part about Waits' legacy and she actually just repeats a lot of things she wrote in the biographical part.

In a nutshell: A half-hearted "It's ok" - but nothing more.

63PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Apr 5, 2014, 8:31 am



11. Grübeln by Tobias Teismann ****

The title gives away what this book is about: "Grübeln" means "to brood over something".
This self-help book is for people who think too much - who start to brood and find themselves in a loop of negativity where they can't escape. It's not about an objective reflection of one's options, where the goal is to find a solution; but about self-destructive thinking of "why" things happen to oneself. The brooding usually leads to thoughts of harsh self-criticism - and in a longer term to psychological illnesses e.g. depression.

The first part of the book contains mainly of a scientific exploration of the mechanics of brooding: What is brooding? Brooding vs. reflecting. How does brooding reflect one's mood, one's mind, one's capabilites to solve problems, etc.? Reasons for brooding.
The second part shows possibilities and ways to overcome depressive brooding.

Grübeln is written very clearly and is based on scientific studies. It gives a very good impression about the whole logics of brooding. I haven't yet tried out the proposed solutions but I am going to. They look like they could actually work - also in an every-day surrounding.

64PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Apr 5, 2014, 8:32 am


Well, as you can see I slipped in those two titles above... I love to overthrow reading plans. :)
I am still reading Hyperion by Friedrich Hölderlin and haven't started Die Lieben meiner Mutter yet. They are on my reading list for this weekend.

As it is kind of cloudy and cold at the moment it's the perfect condition to stay at home and read.... and draw... and write.... and maybe watch an episode of the TV series Game of Thrones.

65PersephonesLibrary
Apr 5, 2014, 8:30 am

ARJOUNI APRIL



For April I plan in general to re-read some books by Jakob Arjouni.
He was a German author who died with 49 years because of cancer in January 2013. I like his books quite a lot and also had a very nice talk with him at one of his readings some years ago. To learn about his death was troubling. He wrote novels and crime novels with anti-heroes, with protagonists who are usually “lost” somehow. They always fight with the several sides of moral behaviour.

These are the books I own - I don’t think I will be able to read all of them in April but at least some:

Kismet
Magic Hoffmann
Idioten. Fünf Märchen
Ein Freund
Happy birthday, Türke!
Cherryman jagt Mr White
Chez Max
Der heilige Eddy
Hausaufgaben

66PersephonesLibrary
Apr 5, 2014, 8:33 am

> 61: Good afternoon, Paul! Thank you very much. I hope you're spending a happy weekend as well! Thank you for stopping by. :D

67PersephonesLibrary
Apr 14, 2014, 11:22 am



12. Lindbergh by Torben Kuhlmann ****1/2

The streets of Hamburg have become dangerous for little mice at the beginning of the 20th century. Threats lurk at every corner - owls, cats and mouse traps. Gradually the flock of rodents disappears. But where have they gone? To America? An outstanding little mouse with technical knowledge decides to dare the flight to New York...

I fell immediately in love with the illustrations of this picture book which combines traditional narration with graphic novel elements. The illustrations are so well done - with much love for every detail. Not only kids will love the cute story about the flying mouse. Grown-ups will enjoy the lovely pictures, too.

68PersephonesLibrary
Apr 14, 2014, 11:38 am



13. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol ***

Anya, a teenage girl with very low self-esteem and with not too many friends, falls down a well. There she meets the ghost of a girl who fell into the well when she fled the murderer of her parents 93 years ago. First this new acquaintance looks promising and the Anya and the ghost become friends. But there are still some dark secrets to discover...

This graphic novel is a nice story with spooky elements for readers aged 12 and older. I saw this book lying in our bookstore and it just tempted me with its drawings. I liked those a lot, as I did the story. It was a reward after a long Saturday at work - a quick read that was entertaining and not strenuous.

69PersephonesLibrary
Apr 14, 2014, 11:55 am



14. Die Lieben meiner Mutter by Peter Schneider *** 1/2

Based on the letters of his mother Peter Schneider creates an interesting portrait of a woman that stands between several men. His mother raises her four children through the years of Word War II and starts an affair with her husband's best friend. Schneider describes very well her inner life, her hopes and fears - the excessive demand in every possible way a woman (or every human being) had to face at that time.

Honestly, I would have never touched the book if it wouldn't have been for my real life reading group. I have to be "in the mood" for War literature and I have got phases when I read quite a lot about this topic. At the moment I was not in such a phase. Anyway the books surprised me in a positive way: What I loved most about it was the language. But the story itself was quite appealing, too. If you're going to like or dislike the book is probably a question of generation. I am sure I would have enjoyed the book more if I were older.

70PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Apr 14, 2014, 12:16 pm



As I am totally in the mood for continuing with A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin now, I think I will read the next book in the series. I've read the first three books so far. Hence next on my reading list is A Feast for Crows.

On my list is also a guide book for Hamburg and one for Berlin, as I am going to visit those cities in May.

I still need to finish Hyperion by Friedrich Hölderlin. It's waiting on my bedside table.
And I am not so sure about my "Arjouni April" - I don't think I manage it this time as I have got so many new books and free reading copies. We'll see...

71PiyushC
Apr 14, 2014, 4:30 pm

Yay for A Song of Ice and Fire. Now if only that lazy old man would finish the series!

72PersephonesLibrary
Apr 14, 2014, 4:54 pm

Piyush, well didn't he just publish the first chapter of "Wind of Winters"? Embrace yourself, because book 6 is coming. :) I try to postpone reading the books as long as possible so that I don't have to wait so long for the next one.

73PiyushC
Apr 15, 2014, 11:03 am

>72 PersephonesLibrary: I had been trying to do that as well, but time caught up with me, by book 5...and then the wait began...

74DorsVenabili
Apr 15, 2014, 2:23 pm

>70 PersephonesLibrary: - I was just thinking that I might start the audiobook of A Clash of Kings next. So very long though, which is what has been keeping me from starting it. :-(

75PersephonesLibrary
Apr 15, 2014, 2:30 pm

Sooner or later that will happen to me as well. :)

But Martin will have to hurry up for book 7 anyway... How would they make the TV series otherwise? Even if they split every book in two season he's got only about 5 years to write and publish number 7. So, 2019 it is. :)

Have you read the Hedge Knight book that takes place 100 years before "A Song of Ice and Fire"?

76DorsVenabili
Apr 15, 2014, 2:53 pm

> 75 - Oh, no. I had not heard of the Hedge Knight book. Should I have read it first?

77PersephonesLibrary
Apr 16, 2014, 3:40 am

Hi Kerri, I don't think it's necessary to read the book before "A Song of..." According to the descriptions it only takes place in the same world. I'm not sure if we would meet any familiar faces or names from "A Song of..." It sounds more like your typical "poor boy becomes knight" story... But I haven't read it. Maybe I will give it a try, but not this year.

78DorsVenabili
Apr 16, 2014, 9:54 am

>77 PersephonesLibrary: - Ok - got it.

79PersephonesLibrary
Apr 16, 2014, 2:59 pm

Oh, I just saw your message about A Clash of Kings.... Sorry - I was just writing to Piyush when you sent it. I can't imagine to listen to a full audiobook... Do different people read it or is it one person? I liked the second book in the series. And even though all the books have got quite a lot pages they are quickly read. There I manage the unusal number of more than hundred pages per day... :)

80DorsVenabili
Apr 16, 2014, 3:13 pm

>79 PersephonesLibrary: - Ha! That's funny, as your answer sort of worked for both of us. One guy narrates the first one - Roy Dotrice? He does a good job and makes the voices distinct.

81PiyushC
Apr 16, 2014, 5:02 pm

>80 DorsVenabili: I thought the message was for the both of us too! I haven't read The Hedge Knight either. And I am yet to experience listening to an audio book as well, I can't imagine being able to sit through or concentrate for the entire duration of the audio book, I am more than reasonably sure my mind would wander away in less than 5 minutes. Audio books are perhaps for the concentration elites!

82PersephonesLibrary
Apr 27, 2014, 4:25 am

>80 DorsVenabili:: Kerri, I have to look for a piece to listen into that. Though my favourite voice choices from the TV show would be either Iain Glen (who plays Jorah Mormont) or Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister). But maybe it's wise to not mix up the books and the series too much.

~*~

>81 PiyushC:: Piyush! I can only find the graphic novels of the The Hedge Knight in English. And in German there's a book where the three stories are published. But I can't read that because in Germany there's the bad habit of translating EVERYTHING: Jon Snow becomes Jon Schnee, King's Landing is Königsmund, Greywater Bay becomes Grauwasser Wacht. As I am used the the English terms I just can't stand that.
What keeps me from listening to audio books in general is that I can't easily re-read something. If I go back in a book I am still in the reading mode, but if I have to rewind I am totally out of that mode. And my thoughts tend to drift of as well. :)

83PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Apr 27, 2014, 1:11 pm



15. Willkommen im sonnigen Tschernobyl by Andrew Blackwell ****

I liked this one a lot. Andrew Blackwell presents a "special" travel guide to the most polluted places in the world. He travelled to Tschernobyl, to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, to the Oilsands in Canada, etc. He critically shows how humanity destroys nature but he also explains that sometimes the most polluted places have got some kind of beauty. Blackwell deconstructs typical pictures presented by media and different institutions to overcome them and to find something that's...maybe not reality but much closer to it. He uses dark humour as well as cynicism - but without some humour the reader would tear the book apart in anger about what we are doing to the world.

Recommended.

84PersephonesLibrary
Apr 27, 2014, 1:11 pm

__

16-18. Black Butler Volume 1-3 by Yana Toboso ***

My first attempt to read manga last year was a bit disappointing. But I found this series in my bookstore and decided to give the genre another try. After having read the first half of volume one I bought the first three volumes and it was definitely a better reading experience. I'm even thinking about continueing with the next volumes in the series.

This manga is about 12-year-old Ciel Phantomhive and even more about his multi-talented butler Sebastian Michaelis in Victorian London. Ciel's parents died in a fire when he was ten. The boy grew up to be the Queen's Watchdog: He stands at the top of the British underworld as well as he helps to solve the crimes plaguing the city - with Sebastian always on his side. And it's made clear right from the beginning that Sebastian isn't only there to teach Ciel good manners.

I don't want to go any deeper into the story as it would only give away the climax of the first volume. What I can tell is that it's a story with fantastic and supernatural elements which doesn't take itself too seriously. I can bear the two main characters very well. What I don't understand is why the writer would give away the murderer that would be revealed in the other two volumes already in volume one. I think it was meant as a "subtle" hint... All in all it was a nice read - a great brain candy for the weekend.

85PersephonesLibrary
Apr 27, 2014, 1:37 pm



19. Fish! by Stephen Lundin ***

If it was really necessary to publish a book for the message I don't want to decide. The book itself is written like a fairy-tale. The talented female leader had to face private problems and now has to lead the most un-productive and un-popular department in the whole company. Nobody wants to work and everybody seems to hate his/her job. She doesn't know what to do until she visits the local fishmarket. The nice salesman there teaches her the four main steps:
- Choose your attitude.
- Play at work
- Make someone's day.
- Be present.
And the miracle starts working...


I can imagine that if you follow those steps it actually could work to motivate yourself and others.

But excuse me now for being feminist for a moment: After all the choosing, playing, making and being the book ends with the fisherman proposing to the leader and the leader happily bursting into tears. ...What the what?
This single page robbed the whole book its potential to be taken seriously. Because...sure, one's professional success doesn't mean anything without being married, does it?

So, you can read the book and get some ideas for motivation out of it.
And I am going to glue the picture of a lovely sunset on the last page. :)

86PiyushC
Apr 28, 2014, 7:26 am

Mangas are great, but finding the right genres for you (yes, Mangas have different genres too!) and finding the right mangas in those genres is very important.

87PersephonesLibrary
Apr 29, 2014, 5:28 am

The offer of different mangas is massive, I know. That's why it's so difficult to get some orientation. But at least I've already got to know shojo and shonen. :) But then it gets difficult.

I don't like too romantic mangas or stuff like One Piece or Naruto. The Black Butler series is quite entertaining and I think I'll continue reading it. I also found one that's called Sonate des Schicksals by Kaoru Ichinose which I want to try.

In general I am looking for dark manga. The first one I read last year was Deadman Wonderland which was quite dark as well, but still I didn't like it...

88PaulCranswick
May 11, 2014, 3:32 am

Kathy, I don't know whether mittel Europe celebrates Mother's Day today but I'll wish you a happy one in any event.

Kyran, my son, is an expert in dark manga. Good luck with that and come back soon to let us know how you get on with it.

89Deern
May 29, 2014, 5:35 am

Hi Kathy, I just realized I never read Das Nibelungenlied. We talked about it in school and did the usual translation of the first lines (es ist in alten maeren wunders vil geseyt or similar...) into modern German, but it's quite a shame I never really read it. I tried once maybe 10 years ago, but it was the horrible yellow "Reclam-Heft" edition, those are no fun at all to read and I quickly gave up.

Oh dear - I MUST travel to the Vorarlberger Landesbibliothek! Can't be too far away from Merano, I guess! How absolutely beautiful!

90PersephonesLibrary
May 29, 2014, 6:15 am

Paul, thanks for stopping by. In Austria in general, there is a Mother's Day. But my mother never liked it so we don't celebrate it in our family. Thank you anyway for you wishes. I hope that you had a lovely day, too!

Concerning the mangas I will still have to get around some barriers - there are simply too many of them to get a quick overview. But Rome wasn't built in a day neither... ;)

~*~

Nathalie, we didn't even do that translation. We only talked about the Nibelungen, the Rolandslied and other early texts on a very superficial basis. The Reclam editions are ok for studying or for school, but elsewise they aren't really tempting. BUT during my holidays I got lucky! I found the edition I wanted in a bookstore in Hamburg!

Yes, the library is definitely worth a visit! And as I offered to Paul - I'm always glad to show you around when you're in Vorarlberg.

91PersephonesLibrary
May 29, 2014, 6:44 am

What a month! I wasn't online for such a long time, but it had its reasons.
The first half of the month I had holidays and went abroad to Denmark and Hamburg.
When I came back I fell ill. I couldn't work for 1,5 weeks and I haven't still not fully recovered. So please excuse my silence.

Hamburg was awesome and of course, I took a look at the local bookstores and got the one or another book to read. As I was there for almost two weeks it was very relaxing and I could get a feeling for the city. I decided that Hamburg might be a place where I could imagine to live. All the people were extremely friendly and open-minded. You could start a talk with almost everyone. The city itself has got it's charms: the harbour, the Kunsthalle (huge art museum), theaters, the Speicherstadt (old storehouses for corn and other food; now there are apartments and offices), the Alster, and many other things. It's a very young city with a lot of young, hip and creative people. And areas as the in/famous Reeperbahn in St. Pauli are not as bad as I imagined.
You already notice - I fell a little bit in love with the city.

___



____

92PersephonesLibrary
Edited: May 29, 2014, 7:40 am



20. Hamburg by Dorothea Heintze ****

Marco Polo and Baedeker are the two main publishers of travel guides. While Baedeker is usually used for long trips the Marco Polo guides are useful for shorter trips, e.g. a weekend to a week. This guide about Hamburg gave a good overview about the whole city and the main sight-seeing places. It's compact and well researched. It's structured by districts and presents tips for every need. All in all a good guide to get a good first impression.

93PersephonesLibrary
Edited: May 29, 2014, 7:47 am



21. I am a Hero Band 1 by Kengo Hanazawa ***

I found this one in a graphic novel shop in Hamburg. It's about a Mangaka (creator of mangas) who dreams of his own succesful manga. He's got a girlfriend and nice but weired coworkers. Everything seems to go it's way... until the zombie apocalypse breaks loose...

It's the first volume of the series and took its time to develop the story (this one deals mainly with presenting the characters). The characters are relatable, the panel composition is good... and there will be zombies involved. I will get the second volume, as the main events only start to happen.

94PersephonesLibrary
Edited: May 29, 2014, 7:56 am



22. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff ****

This is a lovely exchange of letters between Helene Hanff, an US-American book lover, and Frank Doel, an antiquarian bookseller in London. Hanff is looking for someone who can sell cheap, well-made classics in good condition and reacts to an advertisment of Marks & Co., the company Frank is working for. They begin to write letters to each other in 1949. This is the starting point of a 20-year-old friendship in letters.

It's an unspectacular, calm epistolary "novel" which is going to make you smile. A quick read which I am going to re-read for sure.

95PersephonesLibrary
Edited: May 29, 2014, 8:06 am



23. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin ***

This is the fourth book of A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin. Luckily I didn't know that it only covers half of the characters involved in the story. I guess the book would have felt even longer than it's nearly 1000 pages. Again I liked the realistic approach to fantasy, the fact that Martin doesn't exaggerate the use of fantastical elements, and that he focuses on the political/strategical developments. There's not so much going on in this book as it did in A Storm of Swords which I loved. The characters are mainly trying to survive the consequences from the previous events.

Needless to say that I got started with A Dance with Dragons right after having finished this one.

96PersephonesLibrary
Edited: May 31, 2014, 7:46 pm



24. 1928 by Matz Mainka ***

Ten years after they fought in and survived World War I together three comrades meet each other in Hamburg again. But they are working for different parties now and the political upheavals of the time force them to fight against each other...

I found this graphic novel in a comic book store in Hamburg. The story isn't bad but that panel construction / narration could have been better. Also there are typos - which must be careless mitakes (considering the low amount of text). It makes the impression that the author could have done way better by simply revising the whole thing just one more time.

97thornton37814
May 29, 2014, 9:28 am

>94 PersephonesLibrary: That one is on my TBR list. Glad you enjoyed it.

98applebook1
May 29, 2014, 9:07 pm

What lovely pictures...I wish I could go there in person some day... thank you for posting those!

99Deern
May 30, 2014, 4:22 am

Ohh... Hamburg! Love it!! Munich is a great city, no doubt, but since I first went to Hamburg (an ice-cold February weekend with snowy drizzle) I am enchanted! Snow on the Landungsbrücken, unforgettable! And in summer it's just fantastic with all the canals and rivers. And the north sea and the islands being so close *sigh*

100scaifea
May 30, 2014, 11:55 am

Oh, gorgeous photos - thanks for sharing!

101PiyushC
May 31, 2014, 11:31 am

Yes, yes, finish A Dance with the Dragons, and join us hapless readers, waiting on the whims of Monsiuer Martin for providing us with the next installment.

102PersephonesLibrary
May 31, 2014, 7:12 pm

>97 thornton37814:: Lori, it's a really lovely story about friendship and the passion for books. Please let me know what you'll think of it.

~*~

>98 applebook1:: Yoona, thanks for stopping by. If you'll get the chance seize it. It's a lovely city with a very relaxed atmosphere. Cool and elegant at the same time.

~*~

>99 Deern:: Nathalie, I know how you feel! I love every place with some kind of "water". But in Hamburg the mixture is quite particular. And even the rain doesn't disturb the atmosphere. I could actually imagine to live there for a while.

~*~

>100 scaifea:: Amber, you're welcome. I wanted you to get an impression - and a feeling why I'm so enthusiastic about it.

~*~

>101 PiyushC:: Piyush, how are you? I still try to restrain myself a little bit. I've read the first 170 pages so far but read other books as well. To postpone the (temporary) ending. Though it is always very difficult to stop reading as the strong characters e.g. Tyrion and Dany are narrating again. But maybe "Wind of Winters" will be published next year? Let's keep our fingers crossed.

103PersephonesLibrary
May 31, 2014, 7:31 pm



25. Die sonderbare Buchhandlung des Mr. Penumbra by Robin Sloan **

Clay, a former webdesigner, gets a job in Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore and works there during the nightshifts. The stock of "normal" books to sell is small and so is the number of regular customers. Instead Clay has to face the weird members of some kind of obscure book club. They never buy a book but only lend them. And those books can't be called regular neither as they don't include any "readable" text but only columns of letters...

Unoriginal and shallow story, unrelatable and annoying characters, too much product placement.
Luckily this was a free reading copy. And one that I'm not going to re-read.

104PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 1, 2014, 3:47 pm



26. Die Wunderübung by Daniel Glattauer **

I am really sorry for criticizing harshly again... Somehow I am not lucky in choosing the right books at the moment.

Die Wunderübung is a play in two acts about relationship problems and reverse psychology: A not-so-happily married couple wants to solve its problems by consulting a therapist. The reader/viewer witnesses their session where they're talking and trying different exercises...

The author uses stereotypical characters, stereotypical problems and even the ending is forseeable in the middle of act one. The story seems like you've heard it thousand times before, it's like an old, stale joke about marriage counselling.

The good thing about the book: It won't need any space on my shelves as I'm going to give it away - and it won't be missed.

105PaulCranswick
Jun 8, 2014, 7:22 am

"Unoriginal", "shallow", "stereotypical characters".....

Wish you better look with your next books Kathy!

Have a lovely Sunday.

106Deern
Jun 11, 2014, 8:51 am

When it Comes to Mr Penumbra, I can't decide if it is one of those new computer-generated stories or if it was written by someone from Google. I don't trust that book, too many calculated feel-good components.

Have a great week!

107PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 12:17 pm

> 105 Paul, I'm sure I'll catch another one soon that will impress me again. :) Sometimes there are just phases where you're unlucky. That's the risk of reading new, unknown (and maybe hyped) authors.

> 106 Nathalie, it was actually written by someone who worked for Twitter, so... "I don't trust that book"... My feelings exactly. Hope you had a nice weekend!

108PersephonesLibrary
Jun 29, 2014, 1:25 pm

______

27. Spirou und Fantasio Abenteuer in Australien by Franquin/Tome/Janry ***
28. Tim und Struppi Der Sonnentempel by Hergé ***
29. Tim und Struppi Im Reich des schwarzen Goldes by Hergé ***
30. Tim und Struppi Tim in Tibet by Hergé ***
31. Tim und Struppi Der Blaue Lotos by Hergé ***
32. Tim und Struppi Die Krabbe mit den goldenen Scheren by Hergé ***
33. Tim und Struppi Tim und der Haifischsee by Hergé ***


I got this bunch of comics for free. It was quite fun to read them though they didn't know much about P.C. back then. :) But I always wanted to read some of the "Tim & Struppi" (Rintintin?) comics so I took this chance.

109PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 3:12 pm



34. Das Schweigen unserer Freunde by Long/Demonakos/Powell ****

Graphic novel about the meeting of and friendship between a black family and a white family during the 1960s, about the civil rights movement, about prejudices, about justice and the courage to stand in for each other. Recommended.

110PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 3:24 pm



35. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin ****

Finally I have to suffer with everybody else who has reached the ending of the fifth book of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. Considering all the books of the series so far I like the first, third and fifth books best. In my opinion that narration slowed down quite a bit when Martin split up the story of books four and five. If he had managed to cut out a few second character point of views (not all, but a few) and to tighten the narration I would have dared to call it a masterpiece of fantasy writing. Now, it's only "good and solid". Don't get me wrong, I still love the story - but it could have been told better with lesser pages.

Looking forward to The Winds of Winter.

111PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 3:36 pm



36. Carl Hagenbeck by Haug von Kuenheim *****

When I was in Hamburg I went to the Hagenbeck Zoo where I bought this biography about the founder. The time when he lived is quite fascinating for me - and also how he made his way and his career. The biography doesn't only praise him but also takes into consideration that the way animals where treated at the beginning wouldn't be acceptable nowadays. What I liked about the biography as well was that it isn't overloaded with numbers (years) but it presents a good impression of the time and the character.

112PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 3:38 pm



37. Die Zeitfalte by Madeleine L'Engle ***

What the what? I think I will have to re-read this some day because I didn't really get the story. Or rather I didn't get into the story. The three stars are earned by the drawings.

113PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Jun 29, 2014, 4:02 pm



38. Die Liegenden by Michele Serra ***1/2

It's a story about the differences and the distance between generations - in this case between a father and his son. The father doesn't understand why his son passively lies around all day - with the TV running, the laptop on his belly typing into his cellphone. He imagines that a war between the Young and the Old the first would be overrun by the latters. And he tries to get his son the climb a mountain with him... an impossible task it seems.

Die Liegenden is an amusing piece with a lot of irony and sarcasm trying to bring the generations together. First I was a bit annoyed because the author seemed to generalize the whole youth - blaming the young for the different upbringing their parents did. But the story develops a quite loving tone as well. Recommended.

114PersephonesLibrary
Jun 29, 2014, 1:34 pm



39. Hafenlichter by Jens Eisel ***1/2

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

115PersephonesLibrary
Jun 29, 2014, 1:35 pm



40. Stichkopf und der Scheusalfinder by Guy Bass ****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

116PersephonesLibrary
Jun 29, 2014, 1:38 pm



42. Albert Ballin by Susanne Wiborg *****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

117PersephonesLibrary
Jun 29, 2014, 1:39 pm



43. Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander ***

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

118drneutron
Jun 29, 2014, 3:19 pm

Oh, that Bruce Alexander series is good!

119johannes_reiter
Jul 5, 2014, 9:33 am

Hi! "Tim und Struppi" = "Tintin" - Have a nice weekend!

120PiyushC
Jul 16, 2014, 11:22 am

>110 PersephonesLibrary: Welcome to the club!

121PersephonesLibrary
Edited: Aug 2, 2014, 1:08 pm



44. Vampir by Joann Sfar *****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

122PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:08 pm



45. Übungen und Spiele für Schauspieler und Nicht-Schauspieler by Augusto Boal ****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

123PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:10 pm



46. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton ****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

124PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:12 pm



47. Trigger by Wulf Dorn ****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

125PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:13 pm



48. Knights of Sidonia 01 by Tsumotu Nihei ***

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

126PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:14 pm



49. Highschool of the Dead 01 by Daisuke Sato **1/2

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

127PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:15 pm



50. Kalte Stille by Wulf Dorn ***

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

128PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:16 pm



52. Theaterhandwerk by Alan Ayckbourn *****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

129PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 1:18 pm



53. Another 01 by Yukito Ayatsuji ****

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

130PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 4:29 pm



55. Tsumitsuki by Hiro Kiyohara **

~*~ Under construction. ~*~

131PersephonesLibrary
Aug 2, 2014, 4:30 pm



56. Sonate des Schicksals by Kaoru Ichinose ***

~*~ Under construction. ~*~