JustJoey's Book Blog, part 2

Welcome to my 2nd 2011-thread.
You can find my previous thread here.



December
130. Geluk the world book of happiness : de wijsheid van 100 geluksprofessoren uit de hele wereld by Leo Bormans - 4 stars
129. De nacht voor de scheiding by Sandor Marai - 4 stars
128. Andorra by Peter Cameron - 3,5 stars
127. HHhH by Laurent Binet - 5 stars
126. No Saints or Angels by Ivan Klima - 4,5 stars
125. The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession by Andrea Wulf - 4,5 stars
124. The Line by Olga Grushin - 3 stars

November
123. Black Mulberries by Caitlin Davies - 3,5 stars
122. How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišic - 4 stars
121. De bruid van Benin (The Bride of Benin)by Anita Bokpê - 4 stars
120. Wat nu, kleine man? (Little Man, What Now?) by Hans Fallada - 3 stars
119. Peter Camenzind by Hermann Hesse - 4 stars
118. De dag dat ze Jakob kwamen halen (Einer) by Norbert Gstrein - 4 stars
117. De gifhouten bijbel (The Poisonwood Bible) by Barbara Kingsolver - 4,25 stars
116. Het bijtende gevoel van verlies (A Golden Age) by Tahmima Anam - 3 stars
115. L'Affaire Courilof (The Courilof Affair) by Irène Némirovsky - 3,5 stars
114. Een geschiedenis van België by Marc Reynebeau - 4 stars
113. Macbeth heeft echt geleefd by Pieter Steinz - 3 stars

October
112. The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths - 2,5 stars
111. Het stroeve touw (The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag) by Alan Bradley - 4 stars
110. Een goede daad (One Good Turn) by Kate Atkinson - 4 stars
109. De witte veer (The Absolutist) by John Boyne - 4 stars
108. Gebroken (Shatter) by Michael Robotham - 4 stars
107. Nachtschade (Blindsighted) by Karine Slaughter - 4 stars
106. De terechtstelling (A Place of Execution) by Val McDermid - 4 stars
105. Woensdagkind (Wednesday's Child) by Peter Robinson - 3,5 stars
104. Berichten van het Blauwe Huis by Hella S. Haasse - 3 stars
103. Een zomer zonder slaap by Bram Dehock - 4 stars
102. Het Sixtijnse geheim by Philipp Vandenberg - 3 stars
101. Terug naar Oegstgeest by Jan Wolkers - 4 stars

September
100. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann - 3 stars
99. Black Dogs by Ian McEwan - 3,5 stars
98. De wolkenbibliotheek (The Theory of Clouds) by Stéphane Audeguy - 3,5 stars
97. Alles is taal geworden by Willem van den Berg en Piet Couttenier - 4 stars

August
96. Terug tot Ina Damman by Simon Vestdijk - 3 stars
95. Eline Vere by Louis Couperus - 4 stars
94. Het derde huwelijk by Tom Lanoye - 3,5 stars
93. De Wetten (The Laws) by Connie Palmen - 3,5 stars
92. Bint by Ferdinand Bordewijk - 3,5 stars
91. Eenzaam avontuur by Anna Blaman - 3,5 stars
90. Beatrijs - 3 stars
89. Mijn kleine oorlog by Louis Paul Boon - 4 stars
88. Zot van boeken over boekengekte als levensdrang - Jan Van Herreweghe - 2 stars
87. Een boekenkast vol geesten (Phantoms on the Bookshelves) by Jacques Bonnet - 3,5 stars
86. De Avonden by Gerard Reve - 3,5 stars
85. Act of the Damned by António Lobo Antunes - 4 stars
84. The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden - 3 stars
83. Altijd weer vogels die nesten beginnen by Hugo Brems - 4,5 stars
82. Geleende levens (Borrowed lives) by Bernlef - 4 stars

July
81. Blood Atonement by Dan Waddell - 4 stars
80. Oude zaken (Case Histories) by Kate Atkinson - 3,5 stars
79. Het land waar je nooit sterft (The Country Where No One Ever Dies) by Ornela Vorpsi - 4 stars
78. Pretmakers in een berglandschap (Headlong) by Michael Frayn - 3,5 stars
77. Nemesis by Philip Roth - 4,5 stars *
76. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín - 3 stars
75. Nazomer (L'arrière-saison) by Philippe Besson - 4 stars
74. Het lange eind (The Long Stretch) by Linden MacIntyre - 2 stars
73. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones - 4 stars
72. Urania by J.M.G. Le Clézio - 3 stars
71. Het voetspoor van de duivel (The Devil's Footprints) by John Burnside - 4,5 stars *
70. De zin van het duister by Michael Cox - 4,5 stars *
69. Het Franse testament by Andreï Makine - 4,5 stars *
68. Een onbewaakt ogenblik by Philippe Besson - 4 stars *

June 2011
67. Misleid by Sarah Smith - 3 stars
66. De man van de blauwe cirkels by Fred Vargas - 3 stars
65. Het goud van de waarheid by Iain Pears - 3 stars
64. De kleine vreemdeling (The little Stranger) by Sarah Waters - 2,5 stars
63. Het portret (The Portrait) by Iain Pears - 4,5 stars *
62. Een betrouwbare vrouw (A Reliable Wife) by Robert Goolrick - 3 stars
61. Het verloren kind (The Vanished Child) by Sarah Smith - 3,5 stars
60. De Steppewolf (Steppenwolf) by Herman Hesse - 4 stars
59. De meester van Brugge (The Master of Bruges) by Terence Morgan - 2,5 stars
58. De reis van Hector, of De zoektocht naar het geluk by François Lelord - 3 stars
57. Van acquit by Pietro Grossi - 3 stars
56. Aan het einde van de wereld (Leaving the World) by Douglas Kennedy - 4 stars *

May 2011
55. De regen voor hij valt (The Rain Before It Falls ) by Jonathan Coe - 3,5 stars
54. Hector & Hector (Petit Hector apprend la Vie) by François Lelord - 4,5 stars
53. Refrein van de honger by J.M.G. Le Clézio - 3,5 stars
52. Een vorm van leven by Amélie Nothomb - 3,5 stars
51. De verborgen geschiedenis van Courtillon (Johannistag) by Charles Lewinksy - 4,5 stars *
50. Veranderend licht by Jens Christian Grøndahl - 3 stars
49. Kalme chaos by Sandro Veronesi - 4,5 stars *
48. Het geheim van de Hoffmans by Alejandro Palomas - 4 stars
47. De Middagvrouw by Julia Franck - 3 stars
46. Het onderzoek by Philippe Claudel - 3 stars
45. In de ban van mijn vader (The Force of the Past) by Sandro Veronesi - 4,5 stars *
44. Bittere bloemen by Jeroen Brouwers - 3,5 stars
43. Het leven gaat verder by Hans Keilson - 4 stars
42. Met angst en beven by Amélie Nothomb - 3,5 stars

April 2011
41. XY by Sandro Veronesi - 4,5 stars *
40. Zonder mij by Philippe Claudel - 4 stars
39. L'Horizon by Patrick Modiano - 3,5 stars
38. Bonita Avenue by Peter Buwalda - 4,5 stars *
37. De omweg by Gerbrand Bakker - 4 stars
36. Rituelen by Cees Nooteboom - 3 stars
35. De kunst van het wachten by David Nolens - 3,5 stars
34. Duel by Joost Zwagerman - 4 stars
33. Geschiedenis van mijn puurheid / (Storia della mia purezza) by Francesco Pacifico - 4 stars
32. Publieke Werken by Thomas Rosenboom - 4,5 stars
31. De tweede man by Doeschka Meijsing - 4,5 stars *

March 2011
30. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton - 4 stars *
29. De bewaker by Peter Terrin - 3,5 stars
28. De kleinzoon (The upright piano player) by David Abbott - 4,5 stars *
27. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut - 4,5 stars *
26. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë - 4 stars
25. Het papieren huis by Carlos Maria Dominguez - 3 stars
24. Gezicht uit het verleden door Fiona Mountain - 3 stars
23. Tegenstroom (A necessary end) by Peter Robinson - 3 stars
22. De collectie van de geograaf by Jon Fasman - 4 stars
21. Dichterbij dan je denkt (Unspoken) by Mari Jungstedt - 3,5 stars
20. Alles waar ik spijt van heb by Philippe Claudel - 4,5 stars
19. Wie de wolf vreest (He Who Fears The Wolf ) by Karin Fossum - 4 stars *
18. Nachtlicht (A Dedicated Man) by Peter Robinson - 4 stars *

February
17. Tot de woede is geluwd (Until Thy Wrath Be Past) by Asa Larsson - 4,5 stars *
16. Kijk niet achterom by Karin Fossum - 4 stars *
15. Het familiekapitaal (Blood Count) by Robert Goddard - 3,5 stars
14. Eva's oog by Karin Fossum - 4 stars *
13. De schilder en het meisje by Margriet de Moor - 3 stars
12. Dreaming Of The Bones by Deborah Crombie - 3 stars
11. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - 4 stars *
10. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - 2,5 stars
9. Vlaams landschap met nonnen by Liliane Wouters - 4 stars

January
8. Doopvont van de duivel (Devil's Baptismal Font) by Viktoria Platova - 4 stars
7. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - 4 stars *
6. Restless by William Boyd - 3,5 stars
5. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell - 4 stars
4. Zwarte tranen by Tom Lanoye - 3 stars
3. Notes from a small Island by Bill Bryson - 3 stars
2. Skylark by Deszo Kosztolanyi - 4 stars
1. De tweeling van de Sinaï by Janet Soskice - 5 stars *

I thought reaching the 75 books-goal was a good moment to start a new thread.

Am I here first? That never happens to me. Got you starred and I am enjoying reading your reviews, you choose such interesting books.

A carry over from your last thread, but I wanted to say that I read Last Summer of Reason last year on your suggestion and found it extremely powerful.

Congrats on the new thread!

Checking into your new thread, Monica!

logging on so I can find your thread more easily! I'm enjoying The Upright Piano Player by the way...still haven't finished The Last Summer of Reason - I left it behind when I left on my trip to give myself a break.

Thanks for joining me here.
Hi Leonie, thanks for doing me the honour of starring this thread.

Hi Lisa, I'm glad to find you here again. I'm also lurking on the CR-threads. I think the reviews are more in depth over there, while the 75-ers are more chatty. I'm not sure if I'm able to achieve the high standards of reviewing in the CR-group because I find my English is not well enough to really convey my thoughts on some books. Well, at least I find my vocabulary is too limited. But since there are no equivalents to any of these groups in my language, I (and you all) have to put up with my poor ramblings in English.

Hi Patrick, I'm so glad you like Abbott's book better. I wouldn't like to be the one who gives you awful reading time!

And thanks to the person who added my 2nd thread to the wiki :-) I'd forgotten all about it late last night but by the time I got to it this early morning, it was already done! Very nice of you.

76. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín - 3 stars

This book has been praised for its gentle and subtle tone but I thought it was a bit too gentle, even trite to be called great literature. The story is about a young, Irish woman who emigrates to America to work in a shop (good, honest work), who takes courses in book-keeping to better her prospects and meets a nice Italian man who she rather likes and gets married to, although she's not really sure she sees a future with him.
Along the way, she meets good and bad people, she's homesick, does some charity, has to come to terms with the sudden death of her perfect sister in Ireland, returns to Ireland where a man notices her as a a potential wife and undergoes a difficult relationship with a distant mother. Added to that are added a few flavours of racism, jealousy, seduction in all shapes and sizes.
This may all sound exciting and it could have been. However, it was all a bit too shallow to really grab me. Furthermore, the main character Eilish seemed a bit numb to me. She let events and people decide for her all the time, although I don't think the author did this on purpose.
I think this book comes very close to being a chicklit-book and I think it's amazing that it was written by a man.
However, many people seem to like the book for what it is and everybody needs a book like this now and then. Now, I can go on to other books, seriously...

#8: I am one of those who did not care overmuch for Brooklyn either, Monica. I loved Toibin's The Master but Brooklyn was a disappointing read for me.

#9 - Well, I'm glad you're with me on this one, Stasia. I just read some reviews in well-established newspapers and they are over the moon about this, what I call, trite book and seem to glorify it specifically because it's so trite and because this Eilish-woman is so passive. I just don't get it. What's so great about it? I could understand that people who are into the chicklit-genre will enjoy it and I cannot blame them because everyone's entitled to have their own tastes, but seriously, is this Literature??? Can anyone enlighten me then why this book is sublime while e.g. Barbara Cartland's books are not?

#10: There are a lot of people in the group who loved Brooklyn. I do not get it either. Oh well. To each his own, I guess.

I loved the book up until the last 50 pages or so when I read it. I lowered my rating when I got to that point because I was extremely disappointed in the turn of events and the manner in which it ended.

77. Nemesis by Philip Roth - 4,5 stars

Okay, Philip Roth, I have heard about him, I've read a couple of his books which I rather liked, I've read about the commotion about the Man Booker IP and I saw an interview with him on British television (which I rather liked either). Opinions on him are quite strong so when I had the opportunity to pick up Nemesis in the library, I thought, okay, this is my chance to form my own opinion.
And now, I'm so glad I read this book. I won't give any details because I'd like people to be able to enjoy this book without me giving away too much. Let me just say it's about Bucky Cantor, it's about the image of a hero and above all about the impact of chance or God or fate and what we do with it.
I like this kind of books because it makes me ponder on the essence of life. I've heard that critics say Roth repeats himself over and over again, but first, I've read three of his books and I thought they were all different and second, I think the essence of life is important enough to keep on writing about.
Besides, I loved the way in which Roth portrays Bucky Cantor. He is such a character with his flaws and talents, unlike that mediocre character of the previous book I read. Mind you, this has not got anything to do with me liking or disliking the characters if I were to meet them in real life, so to speak. It's all about the way the author gets into their souls. And it's all the more amazing because the point-of-view of Bucky Cantor is not personal, but third person.
Okay, my conclusion is that I highly recommend this book to ayone who shares my book-tastes (what are my book-tastes?) and I feel very tempted to read mr. Roth's other books and see if or how soon I get tired of them. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for your candor in your book reviews, Monica. As someone who does share your taste in books, I like to know which ones I should probably avoid, as well as those I might like.

P.S. I sent you a PM about CR.

#13: Philip Roth is just not an author for me. Something in his style just does not work for me. *sigh*

# 14 - Hm, "candor", that's a good thing, right? :-) I guess subtlety in expressing oneself is the first thing to go when not using a native language.
# 15 - I know the feeling, Stasia, I have the same with a highly praised Dutch author who most people seem to like very much. His books don't work for me either. My problem is that I want to find out why: why do others like him so much and why don't I. Am I missing something?

#16: I always feel that way when an author is praised and I am going 'Huh?' I want to know why some people like the author so much and I just do not.

#17 - Hm, there should be sound arguments why some people like and other people dislike a writer but I guess, it's like real life.
It reminds me of a quote I once picked up and always remember when this sort of like-dislike-discussion comes up:
"Why, I cannot tell, I do not like you, mr. Fell".

#18: Well, if we all liked the same things, books included, life would most certainly be dull.

Please think of and support Bente (Apolline) from Norway who's having a hard time with the disaster that happened yesterday:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/105010.

Hi Joey - indeed, I do love Karin Fossum books -and Kate Atkinsons books, which I've just discovered are wonderful! I started with the first book in the " Jackson Brodie" series of Kate Atkinson's books Case Histories is the first in the series. Do try them if you get a chance. I can give you the order of the 4 books in the series so far - great mysteries with a number of threads in each one, and Atkinson does really well with devoloping characterisation, and psychological insight.

I'm just going to visit Bente as you suggest. Such a sorrowful and shocking event in Norway.

78. Pretmakers in een berglandschap (Headlong) by Michael Frayn - 3,5 stars


An entertaining read about a young husband who is convinced he's found an unknown painting by Brueghel in his neighbour's house. He goes at lenghts to obtain the painting without arousing his neighbour's suspicion and goes digging into the history of the painting and the painter, which is basically the history of the 16th century of the Low Countries. The tone is light, humorous (the fooler fooled) and quite cozy. Recommended, although at times a bit too long-winded to my taste.

I too visited Bente's thread. Thank you.

Hmm, I've Brooklyn standing here on my shelves and have to get to it. Maybe I should wait a little.
For Phillip Roth, I've only read The plot against America which I really disliked, so it make take a while of forever before I get to one of his books again, although I know a lot of his fans also didn't like this particular book.

Okay, I'm rather intrigued over where I will fall with the Philip Roth situation so I've added a couple of titles of his to my wishlist and I'll find out in due course. Thanks for the heads up on Bente, I'm off to visit her thread as well.

#22: I do not have to add Headlong to the BlackHole as it has been there far too long. Some day I may actually get my hands on a copy.

79. Het land waar je nooit sterft (The Country Where No One Ever Dies) by Ornela Vorpsi - 4 stars


Due to some discussion on Lisa's (labfs39) CR-thread, I was reminded of my Reading Globally-thread that I had enjoyed so much last year. The plan then was to alphabetically visit every country of the world, either through a book by a native writer or a book set in the country, preferably both. However, I got stuck in the Bahamas and Bahrein and let go. So this discussion rekindled the flame and I decided to continue where I left off, although I've decided to not be so dogmatic on reading alphabetically if a book is not available right away. I also decided to add the European countries which I'd left out first, because I 'd also started a European challenge (which I also may take up again, later). So, when trying to find a suitable book about Albania, this one came up and it was just perfect.
Ornela Vorpsi is an Albanian writer and in this book, more of a novella, she writes down her impressions of what it was like to grow up in Albania, one of the strictest communist regimes in the world. I can't imagine what it must have been like then and there, but the way in which she tells the story, subdued and cynical, makes it all very visible and tangible. There's a certain distance in her writing and yet it's very confronting at the same time. It would be strange to say I liked this book because it's a very bitter story (rather a collection of memories and impressions) but I did like it, because to me it conveyed perfectly the feelings of despair and bitterness that surrounded Vorpsi when growing up as a young woman in this harsh, very male society. Recommended if you feel up to reading the more serious stuff.

Thank you for the shout out, Monica. I too should revisit Reading Globally. I just have trouble managing more than one thread at a time!

I've added The Country Where No One Ever Dies to my wishlist. I see it's published by Dalkey Archives, one of the sites on our nascent list.

Although I have never visited Albania, I did do some hiking in an Albanian-speaking part of Yugoslavia (back when there was a Yugoslavia and I was an impressionable, ignorant college student). I passed through villages that looked as though they were holdovers from the Middle Ages. At first I was accosted by young boys throwing rocks because I was wearing hiking gear, not a skirt and head covering. My partner and I came across a couple of adolescents who spoke French and Russian, and we were able to converse. They invited us back to their home for Turkish coffee (my first). Their home was a single room above a room used to house their livestock (their body heat rose and helped warm the room). Bedding was rolled up and stored on the sides of the room during the day. The older of the boys was telling us proudly that he had a girlfriend at the foot of the mountain: a modern girl, one who wore blue jeans. Although, he added, he would marry a girl from the village. I think it was that day that solidified my interest in pursuing East European studies in graduate school in addition to a lasting interest in the lives of Muslim women.

I went to add The Country Where No One Ever Dies to the BlackHole and discovered it is already there. My local library still does not have a copy yet though.

Thanks for your message, Monica. I am Dutch. I am glad to gradually discover that there are several Dutch and Belgian readers on Club Read, so my entries on Dutch and Flemish authors are not entirely lost. Besides, for many French and German authors there often are Dutch translations, while English translations have not yet, or may never come out.

It seems we share an interest in many authors. In July you read two novels by Philippe Besson, which I haven't read yet. Brooklyn is on my tbr. I have not yet been able to buy a copy of Philip Roth's Nemesis.

Roth is one of my life-long favourite writers. The first novel in English I read at high school, I must have been 15 or so, was The Professor of Desire; Since then I have bought nearly all, and read most of his novels, and collect them in first editions. His late novels (now) tend to be a bit shorter, but are still excellent.

You are not the first to spot my harsh criticism of books. It comes with my style of buying. Living in China, I cannot get all the books I want. I often buy randomly what is available; I am an impulsive buyer; I often follow suggestions from members on LT or reviews in the media; I often pick up a number of books short-listed for various prizes, and for a number of languages, I am at keeping up a comprehensive overview / knowledge of what is going on in the literature in that language (the 6 languages I can read).

This means that I buy and read a lot of books which I actually do not like very much. When I was younger, I would make more careful choices.

I have starred your list, and will follow your progress. You read a lot, too!

Hi Monica - sorry I've not visited for ages, interesting to see what you've been reading. I've got Brooklyn in my pile, knowing nothing about it - I'll be interested to see whether I find anything more substantial in it, or whether I'll end up agreeing with you. I did read Headlong a few years back, and probably enjoyed it more than you - I loved the way he conveyed the situation escalating out of control (a 'headlong' fall).

I'm off to visit Bente's thread now - such an awful thing for the whole country to deal with...

I've been reading your reviews on Reading Globally, and I've decided that I either need to apply for a second job, so that I can afford to buy the gazillion books that you've added to my wish list, or quit my current job, so that I have time to read these books.

# 28 - That's quite a story, Lisa. I think I woudl have run as fast as I could, but then, I'm not so brave. Your story reminded me of the television-series a Flemish philosopher / artist made. The first one was a few years ago. He then travelled to islamic countries in search for the islam and wrote down his experiences (De weg naar Mekka) . Although he's very open-minded and positive, he often was shocked to see how people and mostly women were treated and abused both physically and mentally. He concluded that democracy stops where a woman cannot walk around by herself without being harassed. His most recent journey was from Ethiopia to Europe, following the trail of our ancestors to Europe. He made his way up through Sudan, Egypt, Israel, the Balkan, etc. Although he undertook this trip last year or so, it sometimes felt as if he had time-travelled to the Middle Ages. It's incredible to see how many people live under very primitive condidtions in 2011.

# Hi Stasia, thanks for visiting. I think that ever-expanding black hole will eat the universe, one day :-).

# 30 Thanks Edwin and no, your entries on Dutch and Flemish authors are most welcome as well as all the other reviews on books that never make it to the English-speaking market. There are quite a few Dutch and Flemish members on LT but I seldom see them in the threads, although they read the books I like too. Such a pity. So I'm so glad you started a thread.
Yes, I recently discovered Besson. I like his style, although I can imagine he might become a bit tedious in high doses. I prefer Claudel, although I thought his most recent book that appeared here (Het onderzoek) wasn't nearly as good as most of the others of his I've read.
I don't mind the harsh criticism. At least you're honest. But 6 languages, how do you do that, both the reading and the keeping up-to-date on what's going on. I wish I had read more books when I was younger, but I had a chronic book-indigestion for over twenty years after high-school because of all the crap they made us read back then and only slowly have recovered. I soooooooo have to make up for lost time!

# 31 - Hi Genny, so nice to see you again. I've been away from most threads for too long so it's great to meet old friends again. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Brooklyn. I did like Headlong, especially the way in which the author depicted the "poor rich" neighbours and the way the main character looked at himself.

# 32 - Hi Darryl, thanks for visiting. You make me blush. You've been an inspiration to me too, with all the international reading you've been doing. It's always a pleasure to read your excellent reviews... but also very dangerous, both on time and money. When complaining I had too little time to do all the reading I wanted, my brother once said to me that "only the retired, the chronically ill, the imprisoned and the very rich have enough time to read". As I'm not in either of those categories (the first three by fortune, the fourth by misfortune), I just have to use all the time that's left in a day.

#33: I think that ever-expanding black hole will eat the universe, one day

I hope not! :)

80. Oude zaken (Case Histories) by Kate Atkinson - 3,5 stars

After all the glowing reviews on some threads I decided to pick this one up when I saw it in the library.
Jackson Brodie is a somewhat naive, good-natured former policeman, now detective who gets three assignments to solve cold cases. In the end everything merges into one big solution that more or less solves everyone's problems. I found this a somewhat deceiving book. Underneath the varnish of the over-the-top-humour are some bitter stories concerning child-abuse, neglect, jealousy, despair on top of all the seemingly mild but devastating harassment within families.
Although I should have been underwhelmed by the "and they lived happily ever after"-way things evolved, I did like the book. It may not be one of my favourites though, because there was just a bit too much humour and sorrow at the same time to really feel comfortable. I don't know if this makes sense. I do like a bit of humour in a sad book or a little sadness in a humorous book, but this felt like an overdose of two main ingredients in the same book. As if you'd mix P.G. Wodehouse with Thomas Hardy...

#35: I preferred the third book in the series to the first two, Monica. I hope you continue on with them.

81. Blood Atonement by Dan Waddell - 4 stars

When an actress is killed and her daughter goes missing, it becomes obvious that motives should be looked for in the past. So when the police, helped by a genealogist, goes digging, the crime turns out even more complex than thought before.
This is a solid, quite original police-detective with a genealogist as one of the main characters and in which genealogy plays a major role in solving the problem. Excellent, well-written story for a lazy sunday.

#33 I was fortunate to be traveling with a male friend. Again I was so naive. I only saw one woman the whole day. She was a sister to one of the boys who invited us to coffee. She came out of somewhere, made the coffee, served us, and left, without once looking us in the eyes or speaking. On the streets of the little village, I saw men sitting on their heels, smoking long pipes or drinking coffee, but no women. I was too astonished and embarrassed to be adequately afraid. The stupidity bravery of the young!

The first book in Dan Waddell's series has been on my wishlist for a while. I'm always on the lookout for books with a genealogy angle. This sounds like a really good series. I'll have to see if I can bump it up on my TBR list.

82. Geleende levens (Borrowed lives) by Bernlef - 4 stars

As it's a book written in Dutch, I've commented on it on my Dutch thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/121351#2854119).
For those of you who don't understand Dutch and still want to know what it's about: it's three novellas about identity and the role we're playing. Very well-written food for thought.

# 38 - Well, there's a thin line between stupidity and bravery which is easily crossed, whichever way. I'm sure it was an experience to never forget.
# 39 - I'm pretty sure you'll love Blood atonement. It is part of a series, but you can read them seperately.

#37: Rats. My local library does not have any of Waddell's books.

83. Altijd weer vogels die nesten beginnen door Hugo Brems - 4,5 sterren
.
An impressive, very interesting, 792 page history of Dutch and Flemish literature from 1945 to 2005. It's part of a series about Dutch and Flemish literature from the Middle Ages onwards. The final parts will be published in 2012. Who would have thought there's so much to be written about Dutch and Flemish literature...
You can find my review in Dutch here: http://www.librarything.com/work/1181755/reviews/75672325

Thanks for that review - it's good that you are putting links to your Dutch reviews. Sounds like a very comprehensive series indeed - are you going to read any of the earlier ones, or will you be too busy following up all the ideas for reading that this one has given you?

#42: I am sure it is a wonderful review. If only I could read Dutch :(

# 43 - Thanks Genny. I'm so thrilled about finally having found a comprehensive series like this about my native literature. Many books finally make sense to me after having read this book and I'm looking forward to reading many more which I was a bit hesitant about before. I'll order the tome about the 19th century asap. The tome about 1900-1945 will be completed in 2012. That's basically my main scope, although I may end up buying all of them just for the sake of being complete. It may seem strange that the series isn't published chronologically but I guess that may have something to do with the fact that different specialists work on it and some are quicker than others. The first tomes were published in 2006, so the information is all pretty up-to-date.

# 44 - Well, Stasia, basically this is a glowing review in which I advize everyone who's interested in Dutch lierature to read the book. I only needed a few more words to say that :-)

#45: I am interested in Dutch literature, since I know absolutely nothing about it. I guess I should learn to read Dutch. I do not see that happening.

84. The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden - 3 stars


This is the fictional story about the Bhutanese woman Tsomo from early childhood, growing up, getting married, migrating to India, etc. until she finally finds her destination and becomes a bhuddist nun. It's a rather straightforward story, told by Tsomo herself (though in third person). I wasn't particularly taken by the story and found it at times a bit long-winded. I also was a bit disappointed because I expected to learn more about Bhutan but as the story only evolves around Tsomo from her limited point-of-view, the reader doesn't really get an insight into life in Bhutan and what is unique about that country. And it was such a s l o w read. It felt it took me forever to finish it.

85. Act of the Damned by António Lobo Antunes - 4 stars

A whirlwind of a book about a Portuguese family in the 1970's, gathering together by the death-bed of the patriarch of the family, when their own world of wealth as they knew it is falling apart. With a vivid street-party in the background, the family's own disasters are taking place. The strength and beauty of this book especially lies in the extraordinary way in which Antunes writes. E.g. when one person thinks, you follow his of her way of thinking to the extreme, with thoughts tumbling, falling over one another in turmoil and chaos. The storyline is not as important although it's biting and sarcastic as to emphasize the tone.
This was not an easy read but very rewarding in the end. If you like Garcia Marquez, you might give this one a try. It certainly is very different from anything I've read lately (and ever)...

#47: Skipping that one. . .

#48: And that one. Garcia Marquez and I do not get along :)

Seven volumes describing Dutch literature, wow, that's really comprehensive. I agree that it is very interesting and useful to read books like that. Most of the time, I can find my way around a nation's literature pretty well, but these books invariably point at new authors, or authors which were overlooked or rediscovered. Besides, they may tempt you to read authors against whom you have developed an irrational dislike. As you mentioned I avoid authors like Giphart, Grunberg and Brusselmans because I think I won't like them. A comprehensive introduction might be useful.

The biggest disadvantage of living abroad is that you cannot keep up with what is appearing and being published back home. Dutch bookstores also offer a very varied and good choice of English literature. Fortunately, I can read about new publications here on LT. Thanks for bringing these books to our attention.

#50 Another benefit of a comprehensive overview is that it can show relationships between authors and trends between works. I have been cherry-picking my way through literature lately, and not reading enough works from any one country to warrant this sort of detail, but I wonder if I shouldn't try to find a guide to literature of the Middle East. I would love to bring the literature of that region together in some way.

Thanks for visiting everyone.
One of the (many) reasons why I read this volume was exactly because I wanted to get a thorough and academic overview of my native literature. After having read quite a bit of Dutch literature, I felt I was drifting about too much and thought it would be useful to at least try to understand more of its background. This may have something to do with the fact that I'm a historian but I need some solid foundations to build my own opinions on, instead of the babbling I sometimes felt like I was doing. And although I still don't like Grunberg etc. very much, at least I can place them now and understand better why these authors are just not my cup of tea while others (some of them I've yet to discover) are. It also became quite obvious that I grew up "in the worst of times" literaturewise because Dutch authors were then either experimenting to their hearts' content or writing extremely depressing books about everything evil that could happen to a person. One publisher even specialized in this sort books (and haven't I felt that!). This felt like such a relief because it turns out I wasn't making this up or doing some "Hineininterpretierung" . Literature at that period was just rubbish and few of the books we had to read stood the test of time.

My next step is to a) go back further in time in Dutch literature and b) try to compare Dutch literature to English and American literature. I've come across some "old" trends in Dutch literature that were presented as very original in contemporary Anglo-American literature here on LT. I'd like to find out now if it's really that original or just a lack of historical literary insight. (Hm, the historian is really taking over now :-)).
So Edwin, if ever you want to read all about Dutch lit, I can heartily recommend the series to you. You can find the list of what's been published already here: http://www.librarything.com/series/Geschiedenis+van+de+Nederlandse+literatuur
And Lisa, if you feel like reading something that makes it all come together, just go for it. It's very rewarding.

So if anyone can give me some advice on which books to read on Anglo-American literature, I'd be very grateful.

Well, forgive me for being late, but I've found and starred your new thread! :)

RL caught up with me, which kept me from posting. I've done some reading though, which I'm now speed-posting. It'll take me a while to get everything the way I want it, so bear with me:

86. De Avonden by Gerard Reve - 3,5 stars

A major Dutch classic, one of the most famous post-war novels about a young man who's almost bored to death. Not very uplifting but very relevant to sketch both the zeitgeist and the literary period.

87. Een boekenkast vol geesten (Phantoms on the Bookshelves) by Jacques Bonnet - 3,5 stars

Short chapters on personal bibliophilia. Quick, enjoyable read for bibliomaniacs.

88. Zot van boeken over boekengekte als levensdrang by Jan Van Herreweghe - 2 stars

More of the same by a Flemish librarian, but a lot less interesting.

89. Mijn kleine oorlog (My small war) by Louis Paul Boon - 4 stars

Breath-taking avalanche of indignation, disgust, irony in which Boon skilfully dissects the motives and means of the ordinary opportunistic man during and after the second war, in which he steals, cheats en changes sides to survive. Realistic, biting and raw, it's hard to define who's good and who's bad and that's what makes this book so incredibly beautiful, relevant and important. Boon was one of the more important Flemish writers and after having read this book, I can see why.

90. Beatrijs - 3 stars

A medieval so-called "Mary-legend" dating back to the 1200s. One of the Dutch (Flemish) classics.

91. Eenzaam avontuur by Anna Blaman - 3,5 stars

A Dutch post-war classic, best known because of its lesbian theme which shocked the society then. However, it's less about lesbians than about the relevance of relationships as the main characters are a husband and wife whose marriage is falling apart. The woman leaves her husband for another man with a totally different character and the husband feels betrayed. However, this story partially being told through the eyes of a non-practising lesbian, made a lot of noise back then and IMO clouded the actual meaning of the book.

92. Bint by Ferdinand Bordewijk - 3,5 stars

Another Dutch classic by a famous Dutch author about a teacher who's very strong-willed and set to make his class obey. Rather strange book, which I'm not sure what to think of. I think I'm missing something as it's a classic but I cannot see why.

93. De Wetten (The Laws) by Connie Palmen - 3,5 stars

And yet another Dutch classic (translated) about a female philosophy-student looking for the meaning of life and telling us about her meeting the men that shaped her life: an astrologist, an epileptic, a philosopher, a priest, a physicist, an artist and a psycho-analysist. She grew up in a catholic environment, discovered Sartre and existentialism when she was 14 and then went on to discover Foucault and Derrida. This book is filled with philosophical insights that can be quite boring and at times ridiculous when not in the right mood.

94. Het derde huwelijk (The Third Marriage) by Tom Lanoye - 3,5 stars

Reading Lanoye is always an experience. The man knows how to write and he easily mixes drama, humour and every sentiment in between like few others can. But the very explicit homo-erotic passages that often appear in his work make it somewhat less obvious. I cannot help but feel that he really doesn't need all the sex to make his literature world-class, but who am I to judge an artist like Lanoye. That being said, I enjoyed this book in which an older gay, poor, sick man agrees to marry a black woman in order to get her a visum which will enable another man to marry her after a divorce. I know this sounds pretty over the top, but Lanoye does get away with it. He touches some really interesting topics like immigration, fake marriages, hypocrisy, clashing cultures and personalities and does it so well. On top of that he manages to grab the typical, slightly absurd Belgian way of life. Like I said, reading Lanoye is always an experience.

95. Eline Vere by Louis Couperus - 4 stars

This is a little gem, a literary classic from a great Dutch author. Situated in the late 1800s , Couperus portrays the life of the upper-class in Den Haag, which was quite something at the time. He focusses on Eline Vere, a 20-something girl who lives with her sister and brother-in-law and who regularly falls in and out of love but never can seem to find what she's looking for in this empty life of hers. She's surrounded by family and friends who also try to make somethong of their lives, some of them who succeed, others who don't. I thought it very interesting to see how Eline developped from a young innocent, slightly spoiled girl to a hysterical wreck and how her surroundigns reacted to her. This is a very beautiful, elegant, bitter-sweet study of 19th century mores and I believe translated into English.

96. Terug tot Ina Damman - 3 stars

Another Dutch classic by a famous Dutch author. This one is about a 13-something year old boy who's harassed at school and who's rescued by the adoration he feels for Ina Damman, a pretty but cold girl who he falls in love with. Although this book is highly praised, it didn't work for me. I thought it all a bit too long-winded to keep my attention.

97. Alles is taal geworden by Willem van den Berg en Piet Couttenier - 4 stars

Another part of the literary history of Flanders and the Netherlands focussing on the 19th century. Very insightful and interesting.

98. De wolkenbibliotheek (The Theory of Clouds) by Stéphane Audeguy - 3,5 stars

And finally this surprising book about a Japanese man who asks a French librarian to catalogue his library on meteorology and clouds. Ever since reading that book, I often watch the sky and follow the weather-reports with more attention. The things that are being told about the history of meteorology I found really interesting and in the end it becomes obvious why the man is so obsessed with it all. Believe me, after having read that book, you'll never look at the clouds the way you used to.

Great reading, and update after your backlog.

Glad you are back!

Hey, you are over your target... Don't stop now... or join the bulk readers on "Club Read".

Thanks, Edwin, glad to be back. And yes, the target... I think I'll stick with the 75-ers for the rest of the year though. It would be such a shame to cut this thread to pieces. Although it' a bit weird to discover that many, if not most, people who post reactions here belong to the Club Readers. Maybe I just chose the wrong group :-)?

I was on the 50 Book Readers for a while, and it was a quiet bunch. Now that I've switched over to the 75-ers (I've already done 75 for this year and on track to go over 100 again), I've found a lot more interaction which has led to far more recommendations for my wishlist. I don't even know what Club Read is, so I'm sure there are other places people lurk, but I'm glad you're with the 75 group - you've done some serious damage to my wishlist

Well, thanks Patrick, as long as the 75-ers don't kick me out, it's a nice place.

Btw, I think the recent Group Zeitgeist-feature where you can see which books are characteristic and most-held is pretty revealing.

Glad you're back!

Great reading list.

99. Black Dogs by Ian McEwan - 3,5 stars

I always find McEwan a pleasure to read. And I always have to check twice because I can't believe he's the same writer who wrote "the other book". I find his versatility highly refreshing.
This book is basically about a couple who were fond of each other at the beginning of their marriage but broke up because their personal beliefs and views were irreconcilable. The story is narrated by their son-in-law who himself has lost his parents at a very young age and who has planned to write a biography of his mother-in-law. The personal lives of the main characters are interwoven with big issues and historical events.
Despite the fact that I love McEwan's style and versatility and despite the fact that I think the themes he touches in this novel are extremely relevant, I think it was a bit too superficial and a bit too much to be told in this relatively short book. It sometimes felt like an abstract of another book that has yet to be written. Other than that I cannot help but feel that McEwan often creates characters around characteristics and themes rather than creating characters and giving them their complex personalities. I mean that I think he's creating characters the other way round.
However, this book leaves a lot to be thought about and I did enjoy it. I only wish it would have been a bit longer as it would not have been a chore to read it.

Btw, it's good to be back.

Another fan of Ian McEwan here! Even though you don't really recommend Black dogs I guess I will read it sooner or later :)

p.s. I'm also glad you're back!

Hi Monica, that's a lot of reading, and none of the books familiar to me so I can't make any intelligent comments. But I too am glad to see you back on your thread again!

We are glad you are back and we would NEVER kick you out! :)

Thanks everyone, for visiting.
I just finished
100. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann - 3 stars

I was slightly underwhelmed by this classic novel. It's a huge book in every meaning of the word, but I have read better books than this one.
The story is a family-saga that concentrates on the evolution, or rather the fall of a well-off German family over four generations. However, I thought there were far too little characters and most of them were too shallow to justify the length of the book. Not much happened and if it did, it was all told a bit rush-rush, which would have been ok if it had served a major purpose, which it didn't.
In the beginning I had high hopes that it would lead somewhere but it just never happened. Afterwards I read that Mann was in his twenties when he wrote this book and I think that may be part of the explanation. It felt immature and there were far too many loose ends and things that could have been done with this theme, set in this interesting place and time. Now it just felt like a modern soap that goes on and on and on where nothing really happens and if so, you don't really care. I wonder if this is the kind of book that would qualify as a very good one just because it's so long.
I may be a bit over-reacting. It wasn't all bad. It had its flashes of brilliance e.g. in some descriptions, but overall, it was disappointing. A few weeks ago, I read Eline Vere which more or less touches the same topics (although a lot shorter), but which I found of a much higher standard.
Ah well, it's another one off the 1001 books I should have read before I die, so that should make me happy at least :-)

Just catching up on your thread. I've added a couple of your recent reads to my wishlist. Eline Vere sounds interesting, and I couldn't resist The Theory of Clouds since one of its characters is a librarian.

I've been away for a while, but I'm back now. I've listed all the reading I've done since my last visit to LT. I'm currently in my" detective and thriller-mood", so it's mainly murder and mayhem...

101. Terug naar Oegstgeest by Jan Wolkers - 4 stars

Famous autobiographic novel by a Dutch author in which he reminisces about his youth in a poor, conservative family in a small Dutch village. Interesting to see how times have changed. Nice, gentle read, but it did not blow me away as I'd thought it would. I guess the "shocking" bits critics warned about in the old days are far less shocking nowadays.

102. Het Sixtijnse geheim by Philipp Vandenberg - 3 stars

A Vatican mystery-book, very entertaining and not much effort needed. Excellent read when having influenza like I did at the time.

103. Een zomer zonder slaap by Bram Dehouck - 4 stars

Surprisingly good novel by a young Flemish novelist about a man who cannot sleep because of the noise of the windmills. This results into disaster that involves half the village. Dehouck is an author I'll further investigate.

104. Berichten van het Blauwe Huis by Hella S. Haasse - 3 stars

I don't know what this book was all about. Well, it's about two middle-aged sisters who return to their childhood-home in order to sell the house. The sisters haven't seen each other for decades and the difference between the extravert and the introvert sister is supposed to make the story interesting. I like Haasse's style, but there wasn't much of a story. Quite disappointing.

105. Woensdagkind (Wednesday's Child) by Peter Robinson - 3,5 stars

The next book in the Inspector Banks-series which I planned to read. Entertaining as always.

106. De terechtstelling (A Place of Execution) by Val MCDermid - 4 stars

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller which turned out differently than I'd thought, which I always find a good thing in a novel. Recommended.

107. Nachtschade (Blindsighted) by Karine Slaughter - 4 stars

First in the Sara Linton-series which I'm not sure I'll pursue. I liked it at the time but it's not that I'd bend over backwards to get my hands on the next one in the series. However, when I'm under my detective-and-thriller-spell, I'm sure I'll read it. A bit too gritty at times, to my taste.

108. Gebroken (Shatter) by Michael Robotham - 4 stars

Intelligent thriller, third in the Joseph O'Loughlin-series which is always a treat to read. Robotham's main characters are always interesting, there's mild humour, tension, surprising turns... everything one can hope for in a good detective. Recommended.

109. De witte veer (The Absolutist) by John Boyne - 4 stars

110. Een goede daad (One Good Turn) by Kate Atkinson - 4 stars

Second in the Jackson Brodie-series which grows on me. I like the humour and the twists and turns. Entertaining book-candy.

So this concludes my book-log from October till now.
I have a question. I seem to be reading books in "waves" for days or weeks on end: detectives, international literature, Dutch literature, classics,... and when I'm in this mood, I cannot imagine me ever reading anything else again (although I know I always do). This probably creates problems for people who meet me in one mood and then discover that I've switched to something entirely else. I wonder if anyone else experiences the same because if I read your blogs, you all seem pretty consistent in your book-choice. Or am I wrong?

Hi Monica,

Wow, quite a number of good thrillers you read! Een zomer zonder slaap especially seems to be my kind of book.
I seem to be reading in 'waves' (three books in a week and then one book in three weeks...), but I don't seem to have those 'genre swings'. But I'm not sure if I don't have that or that I don't allow myself to do so...

Dropping a star! Be back later! :)

Hi Boekenwijs, I think you'd like Zomer zonder slaap. IMO, it's Flemish literature at its best.
I recognize the "wave-reading" too :-)

Thanks Deborah :-)

Ah ! Checked Wiki and your real name is Monica? Hi Monica! Thanks again for all of fabulous suggestions.

I'm just looking over your book selections on this thread. We have a number in common. I love Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series and have very much enjoyed them. I've tried Karin Slaughter too, and I was not thrilled with her either.

I do envy you your ability to write and speak in at least two languages so well.

If you like, I can give you ideas of Canadian Literature. One thing that you have to keep in mind with Canada, is that as we are a very young country, our literature is really quite young, but I think that there is plenty of talent.

I'm just listening to Atonement by Ian McEwan. So far, so good.

As far as Canadian Literature goes, Margaret Atwood is probably one of our well known authors. Personally I don't care for her, but you might like her. She's written a number of books , and she writes what she calls " speculative fiction" aka science fiction as well as dystopian literature , like A Handmaids Tale. I'll think a bit about who else I would recommend as Canadian. There are plenty of them.

# 93 - Hi Deb, thanks for visiting and yes, my name is Monica. Just Joey's my favourite rose:

We seem to have somewhat similar tastes. I would love to receive Canadian book-suggestions from you! Thanks for the offer. I have read a few books by Canadian authors (Latitudes of Melt and No Great Mischief which I both liked. There's something about Canadian literature that I find particularly appealing, a sense of solitude, calm, melancholy, peace,... I cannot really describe it in one word. I have been meaning to read Margaret Atwood's books, but I've been reluctant because I don't really like (really don't like) dystopian and SF-novels. So maybe I should keep away from Atwood's books.
I wonder which Canadian books are your favourites. There's a very high chance I'd like them too.
And I hope you continue to like McEwan!

Hi Monica! Nice to see you. I hope you are feeling better now. I'm on week five of a bad case of bronchitis. Urgh. Hard to read when you can't breathe and are tired all the time.

Anyway, I too sometimes have runs of books, but mine tend to be linked books, not necessarily, although usually, of the same genre. For instance, I recently had a run of WWI and post-WWII books. They seemed to connect one to the other, although I didn't really plan it that way.

Although I'm not Canadian, I have read some Canadian authors in the last year that I enjoyed. First and foremost is Jacques Poulin. He writes small but very well done books like Translation is a Love Affair (one of my favorites for last year) and Spring Tides. I also enjoyed Joseph Boyd's Three Day Road, which I still haven't written a review for, although I didn't like it as much as Translation is a Love Affair.

Hi Lisa, nice to see you too. Sorry to hear about your bronchitis. I too am still coughing like a dog but it's getting better every day (the barking gets quieter, so to speak).
I can relate to the runs of books (I've noticed on your thread too :-)). I feel my thriller-mood is slowly wearing off and I'll get to the more serious stuff again soon which I think will be more to your taste than the average thriller. You're not really into this kind of book, are you?
I've added Translation is a Love Affair to my wishlist. This sounds like a book I'd like, but then you already know that . I remember I read about it last year on your thread and I probably didn't wishlist it back then because it was not available here. Now, I just add it and hope it will be available sooner rather than later.
I'll hop over to your thread and see what you've been up to lately, although it's bound to inflate my wishlist even more.

Hi Monica, didn't remember your name, sorry, and called you Joey... But now I found your thread again and I realized how seldom I was reading threads in the last few months

Wolkers' book is translated into German and I ordered it now from the library. I visited Oegstgeest years ago and stayed a few days in a friend's home there.

Hi Paul, thanks for visiting. Don't worry about my name. I chose it, so I have to live with the consequences, no big deal :-). And I know you had far more important things (and esp. people!) on your mind, so don't worry about reading the threads either.
I'm looking forward to hear what you think about Wolkers' book. I think it will be interesting for you to compare reality with the book.

Hi Monica! What beautiful rose ! So that's how you got your screen name! That is fascinating.

To tell that truth, I don't especially like Margaret Atwoodeither, and I don't care for dystopian novels, nor Sci Fi! We do have a lot in common there!

Annabel by Kathleen Winter was quite a lovely book. Some of of my favourites are The Jade Peony, Lullibies for Little Criminals, Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. . Annabel takes place in Labrador and is the story of child born as a hermaphrodite. It's quite beautifully told. The Jade Peony takes place in my city and is the story of a family that has immigrated to Canada from China back in the 1920 's or 1930's. Lullibies for Little Criminals is a fascinating story of a young girl being brought up in Montreal by her father, a fellow who is addicted to street drugs. It's quite gritty but well told and overall quite optimistic. Motorcycles and Sweetgrass is a modern day story of life on an Indian Reservation in Canada and it was very humourous as well as very insightful. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields is another well told story of a womans life spanning over about 80 years. I'll keep thinking on more of my favourites.

If you look at my reviews, you'll get an idea of which are Canada books and what they are about. I'm not sure how available they would be to you - maybe if you tried the Book Depository?

Hi Deb, I wish I could send you the smell of a Just Joey-rose as well, because that's what really makes this rose spectacular, along with the colour and size. Thank you for your recommendations. Judging from what you tell me, I think I'd prefer The Stone Diaries, but I'll check out the others as well. Much appreciated!
As a matter of fact it seems I've just finished a book by a Canadian author. I only found this out when I read the acknowledgements.

111. Het stroeve touw (The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag) by Alan Bradley - 4 stars

This was fun! Although I would be scared to death (literally) with someone like Flavia de Luce in my family or neighbourhood, I think these series are excellent. All throughout the book, the reader lives in the brilliant, wacky head of 11-year old Flavia who's bullied by her older sisters, neglected by her father and indulged by the rest of the village. She's very much into chemistry and solves a murder along the way. It's all very improbable but so much fun. And although Flavia often means to do things that aren't right, she actually rescues and helps people in real life. I also think the way she cares for people like the old butler is touching. In fact she's a very lonely, gifted girl and she acts accordingly. This sounds serious, but actually, it's very entertaining brain-candy.

Hello! This series sounds quite interesting! I just picked up A Red Herring without Mustard at a library book sale and I didn't realize it was a series! I guess I should start at the beginning!

Hi, I guess you could read the books separately but in the first book you get a better understanding of what Flavia and her family are all about. I can assure you reading the series is not a chore!

Yes, I think that many people have read Stone Diaries and it's definitely a Canadian Classic! I just realized that on LT that Comedy in Minor Key by Han Kielson, I believe a dutch writer, has really made the rounds here on LT. I've read it and loved it, and I've got The Death of Adversary by Hans Keilson in my TBR pile.

Another rather wonderful Canadian novel that I thought was quite fabulous was Where White Horses Gallop By Beatrice MacNeil. It's a very touching story of the 4 young men ( aged about 17 ) decide to go to WW11 , and though a bit of the story takes place at the front, most of it is about how the parents feel about them going, how their siblings feel , as well as the post-traumatic stress that they suffer after.

One book that I thought was plain magical was The Birth House By Ami McKay. It's about a midwife back in the 1920's or 1930' , who assists women in childbirth and generally helps women . Mean while a Doctor is setting up a clinic with twilight sleep. It's a bit magical and just a lovely read, and it gives a great idea of Nova Scotia in the 1920's.

I've got to read about Flavia!! :)

Oh! I have Three Day Road in my TBR pile. It's supposed to be very good. If you want a wonderful page turner, The Birth House is yout ticket! ;)

Hi Monica
Just saw your 98th book on clouds and weather and happen to have this book on my desk: Wind und Wetter : die Ikonologie der Atmosphäre, edited by Alessandro Nova a collection of papers on wind and weather in the art of Turner, Leonardo da Vinci, Poussin, and others, and in the poetic descriptions of Goethe and others. Interesting pictures and findings.

Hi Deb, thanks for all the Canadian recommendations. It certainly will be useful because apart from the 75'ers I've set myself some other goals (some more succesful than others). One of them is to read one book from each country in the world in alphabetical order (http://www.librarything.com/topic/92759#2018844). I started last year and have "travelled" to Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, (conveniently "forgot" Andorra), Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria and Azerbaijan and read some amazing books, but now I got stuck in the Bahamas and especially Bahrein. I put more pressure on myself because I wanted to read alphabetically and I wanted books either written by a native author (preferably a significant one) or about the country and preferably both. So an Agatha Christie set in Egypt won't do (however much I love my A.C. from time to time!). Books on some countries with that criteria seem hard if not impossible to find.
However, I think I may have to give in and omit those countries till something comes up and head to the next country instead. So, I may get to Canada quicker than I think :-). And when I see your suggestions, there are far worse places to travel to!

Hi Paul, where do you find all these great books that turn up on your desk :-) Thanks for mentioning that one. I'm very glad I read Audeguy's novel because it still makes me look differently to the clouds and to the weather in general. I wonder if anyone who read the book has the same experience. I forgot to mention it in my earlier post, in case anyone wants to read it, be prepared for quite a bit of explicit sex. I put up with it because the rest is so beautiful, but IMO it could have done with a lot less.

Oh wow, Monica! Reading around the world!! Good for you! No easy task. There is group - Reading Across Canada - or something, where we read at least one book that took place in each province and territory -and most of us read 2 books per area. It was quite an interesting introduction into Canadian fiction/non fiction. Sometimes it was a challenge to find a decent book that takes place in a particular province. But you've set yourself a much more ambitious plan!! Best of luck - I'll be interested in keeping up with you!

Hi Monica! The Oestgeest book interested me: I used to live in the next village and my Dad lived in Oestgeest itself for a while so I know it well. Perhaps it is time to challenge myself to another book in Dutch.

On Canadian writers, I'll add my encouragement to try Carol Shields. As well as Stone Diaries, Unless is one I really enjoyed. But unlike others, I also love Margaret Atwood, and am surprised at how few people in this group seem to have read her or like her. Most of her books are not sci fi distopian, though the latest two are. Others are mostly set in contemporary Canadian cities, and are about women's lives and struggles with a strong feminist ethos.

Hi Deb, thanks for your support. It is a big challenge and since it's not even the only one I set myself, I sometimes think I may have overdone it a bit. But then, nobody's chasing me and it is a lot of fun! I'm also trying to read more Flemish and Dutch literature as I think I owe it to my roots. I never knew literature from my own country would be so great (at times) after all the horrible books we had to read in our teenage-years.

Hi Genny, I think you might like the Oegstgeest-book, especially since you know the place. I read it when I was down with flu so it's not a very difficult book to read "als je je Nederlands wil afstoffen" :-)
You made me have second thoughts on Atwood. Maybe I should give her books a try. Which ones would you recommend, if you take my SF and dystopian reservations into consideration?

I remember particularly enjoying The Robber Bride; Cat's Eye not quite so much. Slightly different is Alias Grace, historical fiction based on a true crime - that was also very good.

And I loved The Blind Assassin which consists of a narrative covering both the modern day and the past, but also a book-within-the-book as one of the characters has published a book called 'The Blind Assassin' and we get to read extracts of that too. The genre of that inner book is a kind of potboiler sci-fi, but you are not expected to enjoy that genre in order to appreciate what Atwood is doing in her book.

Monica, there is actually an " Atwoodians" group here on library thing, so well loved is she by many. From what I read about her in various reviews, she is one of those authors that people either hate or love - and not much inbetween! ;) Genny is giving you some good advice on Margaret Atwood. She's quite a feminist too - Atwood that is.

Best wishes on your Around the World Challenge. Even though no one is chasing you - if you are like me, you probably chase yourself! ;)

Thanks for your advice on Solar by McEwan. It looks like -from LT's tags that is more about global warming, but more than anything, philandering. I can't say that I'm loving Atonement. It's okay and I've got about 30% to go, according to my kindle. I felt that I did not really care for the characters in the first part and felt that they were a bit histrionic, and I kept wanting to tell them to behave and also to speak up about things... and then in the second part I was a wee bit bored since I recently read All Quiet On The Western Front and a graphic novel about ww11 Two Generals - and I've felt - been there done that.. and now I've just started part three with Briony in working in the hospital. All in all, I'll just be glad to be finished the book.

What sort of literature did you have to read in high school? We did a lot of Canadian Literature ,a smattering of Shakespeare and a lot of dystopian lit , like 1984,Lord of the Flies and poetry by T.S Eliot. I did well in school but I can tell you that I did not care for the dystopian stuff, nor the CanLit - -though I love CanLit now.

Hi Deb, I've decided to give Margaret Atwood a chance and have Alias Grace on my "very soon to be read" -pile. And yes, I'm the one who's putting the pressure on myself. So many books, so little time :-)

If you want, you can check out my notes on Solar that I made right after I'd read it, late december last year (http://www.librarything.com/topic/98999#2405360). As I pointed out there, I had to check if MacEwan was the same author who wrote Atonement. If your tastes are a bit like mine, I think you'll prefer Solar too. In retrospect, I thought there was a lot of "gravitas" in Atonement.

In high-school, we had Dutch, French, English and German literature in the respective language-classes (we also had Latin and Greek, but that's a different league). I preferred the English lit. because we had to read all those wonderful books like Oliver Twist, The Catcher in the Rye (our American exchangee student was shocked when she heard that :-)), The Grapes of Wrath, Animal Farm, Uncle Tom's Cabin. We also had Shakespeare and the poets like Byron, Shelley and Keats. I also liked French lit. with authors like Voltaire (Candide was great), Camus, Ionesco, etc. German lit. was ok with authors like Goethe and Grass. Dutch lit. however was very grim and dull, but I recently found out, through a wonderful series of books about Flemish and Dutch literature from the Middle Ages up till now, that I grew up in the "wrong period", literarywise. So now I'm catching up and I must say I'm surprised to see how many beautiful books there are in my own language (which were considered obsolete in the 80s) and how literature had evolved since my high-school-years. Authors have finally outgrown the experimental, vindictive and depressing books and many write far more readable literature. I didn't mind the dystopian books at the time, but I can't have too many.

#112 Rats, my library doesn't have Two Generals.

Hi, people, I'm wrapping things up for a couple of days. I'm off on a hiking-trip to La petite Suisse luxembourgeoise. The weather-reports are excellent, my bags are packed and I'm very much looking forward to this little trip to a wonderful part of Luxemburg. I've been there quite a number of times but it never tires, especially in the fall. The only downside is that I probably won't get too much reading done but you can't have it all, can you.

Sounds heavenly! Have fun and maybe you can squeeze a small book into your pack, just so you don't go through withdrawal. ;-)

Hope you are having a great time - even if you are not reading much!

Thanks for visiting Lisa & Genny. I love it when you visit my thread!
The trip was fabulous, the weather was wonderful (60-65°F instead of the normal 40° F for this time of the year), the company was great and the hiking strenuous but very rewarding. Along the way, we also visited a couple of interesting places like Beaufort Castle dating from the 13th-16th century.
(The following photos come from the internet, but it shows parts of the track I walked).
............

As expected, I did not read much, but I managed to finish...

112. The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths- 2,5 stars

This book is the second one in the series featuring Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist. I rather liked the first book when I read it a couple of years ago, but I wasn't taken by this one. There were far too many coincidences (I won't go into details in order not to spoil it for anybody who wants to read the book), the plot was far-fetched and the characters flat. Griffiths' fluent and elegant prose, the intrinsic potential and the setting of the story make up for a lot of these flaws, but it's quite obvious she is elaborating on a prolonged series which leaves the storyline and espcially the characterization in this particular book far too thin. How often should one be reminded of Ruth's morning-sickness, evening-sickness, backpains and craving for food ...
I'm not sure if I'll go out of my way to pick up the third book in the series if it comes my way.

Maybe, just maybe, my "thriller-and-detective-mood" is fading away ... for now...

Your trip must have been beautiful! I'm glad the weather was cooperative for you: autumn can be tricky when it comes to weather, but when it is nice, it is my favorite season. I love it when the sky is blue and the air is crisp.

Hmm, if your thriller-detective mood is on the wane, where do you think you will head next?

Hi Lisa, yes the weather was extremely cooperative. Ususally it's freezing, rainy or foggy, this time of year. But now, it felt more like summer (like the one we did not have this year).

Indeed, this was probably my final thriller-detective for a while and I seem to crave for some history. I really want to read Congo, een geschiedenis by David Van Reybrouck. Obviously, it's about the history of Congo, the former Belgian colony. It won both the AKO-literatuurprijs, the most important prize for best novel of the Low Countries (Flanders and the Netherlands) and the Libris Geschiedenisprijs, the most important prize for historic fiction in 2010. With 600 + pages, it's a chunkster. I heard the author speak a while ago and if he writes anything like the way he talks, I'm embarking on a lovely tour to Africa.
I also found this little book De Oude Belgen ("The old Belgian"), referring to the Celtic tribes who lived here a couple of thousand years ago. I'm not expecting too much of it because it doesn't look very professional, so maybe, my historic heart will ache, but it'll be fun to immerse myself into ancient times.
And finally, I want to read Marc Reynebeau's Een geschiedenis van België (A history of Belgium). It was published in 2009 and a must-read for me, if only because I'm Belgian and I'm a historian.
So, do you agree that I seem to head to history this time?

Hej Monica
These pix from the Luxembourger Switzerland looks great, a good place for hiking. Well, maybe one day ... I didn't know about that part of Luxembourg.
How is Belgium fairing with the new government? Any improvement there? And, yes, you seem to get historical. Let us know about these historical excursions.

Hi Paul, indeed, it's a great hiking-area, but you have the "grande Suisse" to enjoy. I don't really know to which part of the real Switzerland the Luxemburg area is referring to. I visited Wallis and the Vierwaldstättersee-area and I didn't really find much similarities. But it's lovely, so who cares about the name?
And no, still no government in Belgium, but they're still negotiating and claim that they're making progress. One might expect so after 1,5 years...
I'm very excited about my Congo-read so far. I managed to read the first 100+ pages today and I think it's absolutely brilliant so far. I had the same feeling with (here we go again) The Sisters of Sinai. I'll post my review asap, but I have over 400 pages to go, so it may take a while.

I loved Sisters of Sinai, so I'll be anxious to hear your final comments on Congo. It may need to go on The List.

Most of what I know of the history of the Congo (20th century at least) is from Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, which I loved. Have you read that one?

Hi Lisa, from what I can tell, based on what I read so far, Congo will be recommended. The English translation-rights have been sold to Harper Collins, but I can't find confirmation from that on their site and it seems the book is not yet available in English. However, it seems it will be and that's what counts.

Hi Genny, I haven't read The Poisonwood Bible, but I added it to my wishlist, since it looks like Everybody loves it (at least the people who more or less share my tastes, like you and Lisa), I'll let you know when I read it. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

Just another plug for The Poisonwood Bible! It's fascinating! Gorgeous pictures! Glad you enjoyed your hike and the weather cooperated!

I loved everything about the Poisonwood Bible except the last couple of chapters which are about the characters in the future after the main story ended. I thought that part could have been edited out. But yes, do read this American novelist's perspective. I would love to know what you think!

Okay, thanks for the advice and persuasion everyone. I went to the library just now and came home with the Poisonwood Bible. However, I seem to have started far too many books (kept on far too many places) lately and I really need to finish some of them before I can take on another one. And I want to finish the non-fictional Congo before I read Kingsolver's book. But that's another good thing about books... they don't go anywhere on their own.

Actually, I'm beginning to think that Congo sounds quite interesting. Hmmm... Another book for the wishlist!

As long as books are not from the library, then , yes, they don't go anywhere! ;) Good point!

Hej Monica
Just got Belgisch Congo belge by Gérard De Boe from the University Library here. A booklet about movies about Congo, texts in Dutch, English, and French. Contains two dvds with 15 old movies (I listed all the movies on the work's page - but the anchor doesn't work, so I give you the link here
http://www.librarything.nl/work/book/79673711
Looks like an interesting work

Thanks for your message of congratulations on my thread. I think I know what you mean about The Sweetness at the Bottom Pie being hit or miss. I've tried to start it more than once, because so many people seem to be keen on it. I'm still trying to decide on my next book. I'ver read about 25 pages into The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and I'm still not sure that it's for me.

113. Macbeth heeft echt geleefd (Macbeth has really lived) by Pieter Steinz - 3 stars

The subtitle of this book is "a tour through Europe in the footsteps of 16 literary heroes" and that's just what Pieter Steinz did. He did research on the historical facts and geography of 16 men and women who are legendary but who have actually lived or who may have been the instigators of a legend. So Steinz travelled all over Europe to find out about Wilhelm Tell, Macbeth, pope Joan, Frankenstein, Saint-Brandan, king Arthur, Robin Hood, baron von Munchhausen, etc. Along with the"tourist-information", he also sums up in which books, poems, movies, etc. the legendary person played a part.
I liked the concept very much but was disappointed and underwhelmed with the dry style in which the stories were told. This could have been such an adventurous, interesting book. However, I found it rather dull and uninspired. I wonder what someone like Bill Bryson would have done with it.

An intriguing premise, Monica, sorry it didn't pan out.

Hi Paul, again an interesting suggestion you made there, thanks. I added it to my wishlist.
I must admit that, although I'm Belgian, I never was particularly interested in the history of Congo. That's probably because unlike many - if not most - other Belgians, I did not have family, friends or relatives who lived in Congo. So, Congo was just another foreign country to me. I notice that people who have been to Congo or have an interest in the country share something that is very hard to understand as an outsider. However, the Congo-book is very enlightening and I'm pretty sure I'll read other books about the country.

Hi Deb, thanks for visiting. I remember I wasn't particularly taken by Flavia when I first started, but once I stopped taking her or the book too seriously, I thought it was entertaining. However, I must admit, she really grew on me in the second book. Or maybe, it just was better timing...

Hi Lisa, yes, indeed, this was a book that "I would have liked to have liked".

Hiking in Luxembourg, cool! I think I was about ten when I went there and I remember the castle of Beaufort. And I remember that bridge, I guess our campsite in Berdorf wasn't far from there. Should go there again...

I also never dared starting Margaret Atwood. I have The blind assassin here, but backed of starting it when I found out that Atwood has some scifi in her works.

I'm interested in the books about Belgian history you mentioned. Maybe I should start with Belgie voor beginners by Bert Kruismans, as I have it and it sound funny. Do you know it? And on Belgian literature, I just received the new "Boek" magazine, which now has a special edition on Flemish authors!

Sorry the literary heroes book didn't work out.

I was wondering about the English translation you gave to the title - not wanting to be critical as I'd find it nearly impossible to get a correct idiomatic translation from English into Flemish myself - but just fascinated by the problems of accurate translation... 'Macbeth has really lived' doesn't quite work idiomatically, we wouldn't use 'have' in that phrase in the same way that 'heeft' is used, although it would seem logical. But 'Macbeth really lived' - without the 'have' - would also not quite convey the meaning that this person was not just a literary character but a real-life person too. Perhaps we would have to re-write it more as I've just done: 'Macbeth was a real person' or something like that.

Anyway, not really worth bothering about since you are not recommending the book and perhaps it's not likely to be translated if most readers have the same reaction as you have had!

Hi Boekenwijs, the book on Belgium I'm reading is quite different from the one by Bert Kruismans. The first one is written by a historian, the second one by a stand-up-comedian :-) But I guess both have their merits. And I know, sometimes Belgium is so surreal that the difference between history and stand-up-comedy is very small.
And wow, a whole issue on Flemish authors... the world is changing :-)

Hi Genny, that's a very interesting remark you made about translating the title. I never realized that it didn't work, but I guess my linguistic feeling for foreign languages is not as well developed as it should be. But it made me think how a wrong or awkward translation can really give a different meaning to a sentence or a message. (I dare not think what nonsense I have already written here on LT because of that :-)).

I'm also a bit wary of recommending or not recommending a book lately (although I know I use the word "recommend" far too often), because it's merely based on my personal opinion and I'm not a professional critic. I had Steinz' book at my parents' house and my mother phoned me because she had read part of the book and she loved it. She has visited some of the places Steinz mentions in the book and it had brought back so many happy memories. She wasn't bothered by the style because her focus was on the contents. So who am I to judge a book. It's just my opinion and anyone else might have a totally different opinion. I'd hate to see someone miss out on a beautiful book just because I didn't like it that much.

I dare not think what nonsense I have already written here on LT because of that :-)) Your English is very good, and you have a pretty good feeling for it to be able to post so often and so accurately in English (reading regularly in English must help) - I have certainly not spotted any nonsense! But those subtle idiomatic usages are the hardest thing to get exactly right. As I said, I would never manage anything approaching sense if I was trying to write in Flemish - my understanding is reasonable, but that's a much more passive thing than trying to actually write.

Don't worry about the recommendations thing - we all do this and we all understand that it is just the personal view of the person reviewing the book. But I guess we get to trust the responses of people with whom we have agreed on other books. For example, you said Sisters of Sinai was wonderful, and it was. So if you found the Steinz book dull and uninspired, I'm inclined to think I might also find it so, and won't rush to read it!

I'm also a bit wary of recommending or not recommending a book lately (although I know I use the word "recommend" far too often), because it's merely based on my personal opinion and I'm not a professional critic.

I value your personal opinion. I trust that if you say a book is good that there is a higher likelihood that I will like it than if I read some stranger's review. And often, a book you recommend is also recommended by another LTer with whom I'm friends. I follow the threads of those who read the same types of books that I do, and often they agree on good or bad books. So in my wishlist right now I have 6 books that you have recommended (there were more, but I delete the tag once I've gotten the book), and 3 were also recommended by another LT friend. Please don't stint on your comments good or bad, I for one find them very helpful. And maybe someday you'll convince me to break out of my comfort zone and try some of those thrillers!

Ditto on Sisters of Sinai!

Thanks, Genny and Lisa, for the "votes of confidence". I too value both your personal opinions on books!

114. Een geschiedenis van België (A History of Belgium) by Marc Reynebeau - 4 stars

This is an interesting survey of the history of Belgium, starting in 1830 (the year Belgium became independant) till 2009. The author focusses primarily on political and social evolutions and knits together all major changes and topics in Belgian society. I thought it was a very well-written, well-balanced overview that is enough for anyone who's slightly interested in the country and a very good stepping-stone for further reading and investigating for anyone who wants to delve into the history of this intriguing country.

115. L'Affaire Courilof (The Courilof Affair) by Irène Némirovsky - 3,5 stars

A relatively short book, more of a novella, staged at the beginning of 20th century Russia. A young revolutionary gets an assignment to kill a Russian minister. In order to do that, he has to work his way into the minister's life and gain his trust.
This book is less about history than about psychology as the young man starts to feel sympathy for the man he's supposed to kill. I thought this was an interesting premise, but I was slightly disappointed in the book because the story was too thin and improbable to support the psychological insights. However, I give it 3,5-stars because it did make me think about the danger and relativity of black-and-white-views and because Némirovsky's prose is so beautiful.

116. Het bijtende gevoel van verlies (A Golden Age) by Tahmima Anam - 3 stars

Every now and then I come across a book that seems to have everything I want from a book: a well-written, well-plotted story with interesting characters, but in the end leaves me with a feeling of disappointment. A Golden Age is that kind of book. The book is set in Bangladesh and tells a gripping story of a country and a people, seen through the eyes of a mother. However, it took me weeks to finish it. I actually had to start again again twice because the book could not hold my attention. In the end I finished it with a sigh of relief. I had slightly similar feelings about some other books and I'm trying to find the pattern here.
So, this probably is a good book, just not for me.

Hi, Monica, long time no visit! Hope all is well with you. I was really interested in Een geschiedenis van België, because I lived in Brussels for a few years in the early '90s, and my first daughter was born there. But I see there is no English translation, nor French, so I will have to wait, because I don't think my Dutch/Flemish is up to it (by which I mean I have only the smallest smattering). Oh well.

Hi Janet, great to see you here again! And yes, I'm afraid the Belgium-book hasn't been translated yet. I doubt if it will be because it's probably written with a Belgian audience in mind. I thought it was rather enlightening because Reynebeau implies that the differences between the Flemish and the Walloons may have more to do with a different socio-economic history and mentality than with the language. I never really gave it too much thought, but after 1,5 year of negotiating about forming a new governement, I tend to agree.

Oh my Monica, you have been very busy reading. Sorry that MacBeth has Really Lived did not work out for you. I completely believe you when you say that it was dry and you wonder what Bill Bryson could have done with it.I'm currently reading a historical biography and I confess that I am finding it somewhat dry -but as I wish to learn more about Canada's beginnings, I'm determined to see it through. I'll get there slowly but surely!

117. De gifhouten bijbel (The Poisonwood Bible) by Barbara Kingsolver - 4,25 stars


Why I read this book?
Because I'm reading a non-fiction-book on Congo and Genny, seconded by Lisa and Deb, recommended it to me. So I decided to read it "for company".

One-sentence-summary
In 1960, a radical American baptist minister, taking his wife and four daughters with him, goes to spread the word of God in a small village in the wilderness of Congo, a country in the middle of the turmoil of independance, and finds that his ways are totally inadequate.

My personal thoughts
I really liked the book. I'm still pondering whether I should give it 4 or 4,5 stars, so I guess 4,25 is what I really want to give.
To me, the strongest point about the book is the perfect mix between personal, national and international events. The author cleverly uses the 5 different point-of-view of the five women accompanying the minister to point out issues like religious fanatism, poverty, racism, discrimination, feminism (or the lack of it), inter-racial relations, health, personal loss, etc. A country that became independant overnight after having been abused for decades makes the perfect background.
The second part of the book more or less reads like a sequel, but I thought it was interesting to see how the women, deeply affected by their stay in Africa , each developed differently. It touches on the fact that no matter the circumstances, people all react differently to the same circumstances.
There's a lot more to be told about this book, but it would take too long to elaborate. I liked the structure and the fact that the mother's point-of-view was presented as flash-backs which gave it a poignant extra dimension. I would have liked to have seen more depth in some other characters, especially the father, but I understand the premise of the very personal points-of-view diminish the ways in which an author can elaborate on the characters and personalities of other people. You can't have it all.
The book is very well-written. It's a "comfortable" read despite the very serious issues. Maybe the way in which Very Serious Issues are handled, with a touch of humour and light-heartedness, is what makes a good book special. Because after all, in real life, humour is often a way to survive the hardships and struggles of life and to be able to weave that into a book is a very delicate operation because before you know it, it becomes either ridiculous or merely comical.
So, a well-deserved 4,25 and a big thanks to Genny, Lisa and Deb for having encouraged me to read this chunkster.

118. De dag dat ze Jakob kwamen halen (Einer) by Norbert Gstrein - 4 stars


Why I read this book?
On my European Endless Challenge, I've arrived in the Alps. The book I had planned to read for Switzerland is currently unavailable so I switched to Austria first. I chose this one because it's a debut-novel by a contemporary Austrian author, written over 20 years ago. The fact that it's set in an Austrian mountain-village added to the appeal.

One-sentence-summary
Jacob grows up in a small Austrian mountain-village where everyone lives off tourism, but as he doesn't seem to fit in, he starts to behave and be treated as a harmless lone-wolf, until eventually something happens.

My personal thoughts
This was an impressive book all throughout its 120-something pages. The story circles round the youth and memories surrounding Jacob and is told by his brother. We are left in the dark about what's really happened but it's obvious Jacob is different from the other villagers who earn their money with tourism. Jacob is not cut out for this kind of life and gradually becomes more isolated. The story made me think about the predestination of one's own life. About what it's like if you're born in a society that you don't feel comfortable in and if you don't have a chance to break away or if people continue to see you as "one of them" although you don't feel related to "them".
This definitely is a heavy yet subtle and thoughtful book that might not be appreciated by everyone, but is very rewarding if you're willing to take your time and give it some thought.

Hej Monica, interesting reading times: at 1.52 am you finished Poisonwood Bible and at 1.32 pm you finished Einer off... Well, I guess you tend to read different books at the same time. I received the Poisonwood Bible last year and it's still waiting to be read. And thanks for pointing out Norbert Gstrein, I didn't know him but I surely will look at our library if there are books by him.

Hi Paul, it took me several days to read PB and finished it yesterday, but Einer is more of a novella which I read in one session today. It only took me a couple of hours. I actually wanted to read a Swiss book for my European Challenge first, but the book I had chosen (Melnitz by Charles Lewinsky) and which has been available in the library for over three months now, has been checked out by another reader. Too bad, of course, but I try to console myself that at least I still have something to look forward to now :-).

119. Peter Camenzind by Hermann Hesse - 4 stars

Why I read this book?
I have read Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse earlier this year and I liked his style, so when I stumbled on this one when looking for a book published in 1904 to match my Reading-Through-Time-Challenge, I didn't hesitate.

One-sentence-summary
A classical Bildungsroman about Peter Camenzind who grows up in a remote Swiss village, tries to find a purpose in life, gets lost in culture, love and drink but eventually returns home because he realizes it's the best place to be.

My personal thoughts
I liked this book for more than one reason. The beautiful, elegant prose is one of them. His ode to nature is simple and beautiful and maybe a bit corny and old-fashioned at times. I probably liked it even better because it brought back many happy memories of my travels to Switzerland and I wonder if it's a coincidence that the village he refers to as "Nimikon" very much reminded me of Sisikon.
I thought this was a soothing, accessible read. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of old-fashioned, Walden-like prose.

It's a coincidence that I've read two books about lone wolves in Alpine villages in two days. The first one was seen through the eyes of his relatives, the other one was told from a personal point-of-view. I wonder what the books would be like if both points-of-view were switched...

151> Nimikon: Probably Vitznau (where Hermann Hesse lived at the time he wrote Camenzind) or, more likele, a neighboring village Gersau (there are still many Camenzinds living there). But you are right, they are all on the Vierwaldstättersee (lake of the Four Cantons or Lake of Lucerne). Your connection is not far off.

>152 paulstalder:: Well, I guess if you're familiar with the area, it would be easier to define the village: "Our village Nimikon lies on a triangular space at the lake,, in between two mountain-stretches. One way leads to a monastery, the second to a village that's 4,5 hours off. The other villages at the lake can only be reached via the water."
I liked his descriptions of the nature and the weather, especially about the Föhn. I experienced that a little when I wanted to cross the lake, all of a sudden it became very dark, very windy and the water was very choppy (after a beautiful sunny day). The locals on the boat said it was a bit like the Föhn. Very spectacular, that was. Ah, happy memories :-)

Einer sounds very interesting, Monica... Thanks for visiting my thread! Yes, it was so worth it to finish up my history/ biography/ Canadian politics non-fiction book, John A ;The Man Who Made Us - even if I had to chomp through a few oatmeal cookies and some chocolate to energize my brain! ;)

Now , yes I am onto an escapist read - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag - another fun Flavia de Luce mystery! ;) I need a little fun!

Oh! I"m so glad that you enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible . I know what you mean about wanting to put a 4.25 or 3.75 for a book. One of the things I best remember about the book, is that the mother took along Betty Crocker Cake mixes so as to make birthday cakes for the daughters in the Congo. It was a very moving book, but well done. As you say, the humour or lightheartedness that accompanied the heavy material dealt with in the book made it so much more palatable, as it does in real life.

Hi Monica - just read through your thread and noted a few great looking books to add to my reading list, My Little War and Eline Vere both caught my eye. You've read some interesting books this year and I was impressed with how many classic Dutch/Flemish titles you managed to read. I'm trying to read more books from my own part of the world but seem to get easily distracted.

120. Wat nu, kleine man? (Little Man, What Now?) by Hans Fallada- 3 stars

Why I read this book?
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada has been on my wishlist for a while now so when I read a glowing review in a Flemish magazine and found the book between the new acquisitions in my local library on the same day, I decided to take it with me.

One-sentence-summary
The young newly-weds Johannes and Emma try to survive during the economic depression in Germany in the 1930s, but things go from bad to worse

My personal thoughts
Fallada uses a very simple style which is a good way to convey the mentality and actions of the somewhat simple and naive couple. The story lacks highlights, a plot, something that really keeps it going. Little happens, people cross their paths, events take place but overall, there's this eerie sense of powerlessness.
For me it was just a bit too simple. Earlier this year I read Das Leben geht weiter by Hans Keilson that was written one year later, in 1933 and dealt with more or less the same theme and issues and I must admit that I prefer Keilson's book. That's probably because Fallada's characters are somewhat emblematic, while Keilson has really given his characters depth and set them off. I guess it's a matter of taste. On the whole, I thought this was a good book which I mildly recommend. I will read Fallada's other book though, because I'm curious to see how he evolved from 1932 to 1947.

>154 vancouverdeb: - Thanks for visiting, Deb. It's always a pleasure to see you on my thread (and on yours too of course :-)). It's obvious you also like to vary your book-reads. Another thing we have in common.
>155 avatiakh: - Hi Kerry, thanks for visiting. I'm always surprised that people find me here in my own little - maybe not so mainstream - LT-corner. And yes, I have been reading quite a bit of Flemish and Dutch literature. I felt a moral obligation :-) to catch up with my own literary background. I hope someone will eventually be interested to read the Flemish and Dutch literary high-lights. They may be few, but they're worth it.

Hi Monica! Thanks for the beautiful Rose on my thread, and the hunky Gerbrand Bakker! Hey - we've got more in common!! Maybe I should move to your to the Netherlands - is that where you live? Anyway, I've read Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson and I've got The Death of the Adversary by Kielson in my TBR read pile. I think that second title must be the same as Das Leben geht weiter although maybe I should check. I've been looking at Every Man Dies Alone at the bookstore, but I keep thinking that is looks quite long and depressing, so I'm glad to hear that the The Death of the Adversary is the better read. Comedy in a Minor Key was quite the thing thing here on LT!

Yes, we do vary our reads . I confess I used to read mostly mysteries but since starting to read Canadian Lit and then finding LT I'm much more varied in my reads. Great to chat with you!

Hi Deb, I'm living in Flanders, the Flemish (northern) part of Belgium, but as we share our language with the Netherlands, we share our literature too (although I suspect Belgians read more Dutch authors than vice versa. Mind you, that's only a feeling!. I guess Canadians read more American literature than the other way round too?)
I'm afraid Das Leben geht weiter ("Life goes on") hasn't been translated to English yet which is sad for you, but hey, you pointed out two books for me to check out now, so this is a good thing. Thanks!
And another thing we share: I used to primarily read mysteries too (Robert Goddard, Agatha Christie, and I'm almost afraid to admit, Mary Higgins Clark, etc.). I've upgraded my reading-habits and although I still occasionally read mysteries, I prefer the more "in-depth-books". LT has opened a whole new world to me, not only because of the books but also because of friendly people like you.

Hi Monica - sorry to be absent from your thread for so long.

#89 Going way back to msg 89 and reading in 'waves' - I think I always have so many books I'm trying to fit into TIOLI challenges that I don't read in waves as much as I used to. And I think I am a little bit worried that if, as an example, I only read fantasy novels for a month then I would put off some people who might read my thread and find they're not interested in that type of book. But sometimes I think I should read more for my current mood and worry less about what people might think and about planned reads :-)

#101 That one does sound like fun. It's another series on my 'must read one day' list.

#118 What beautiful scenery! Glad you had good weather. I need to get fit again so I can go on walks and hikes more often.

#112 More coincidences in the second Griffiths book? That was the problem I had with the first book but I'm glad the writing is good.

Adding my recommendations to the many for The Poisonwood Bible! Just scrolled down to see that you read and enjoyed it already :-)

A non-fiction Congo related book I have in my TBR pile is Blood River by Tim Butcher. It was recommended by other people in the group so I snapped up a second-hand copy when I saw one. From the book description page:

"Journalist Tim Butcher chronicles his attempt to recreate Henry Morton Stanley's voyage along the Congo River. In so doing, the author weaves his personal story with the bloody colonial and recent history of the Congo, as well as with those he meets along his journey."

Don't know if that's of interest in your Congo reading?

Hi Heather, thanks for visiting. I so recognize the feeling ...then I would put off some people who might read my thread and find they're not interested in that type of book.... This is a fast world and I sometimes notice that I'm not visiting some threads any longer because I'm not really interested in the books people read during a certain period of time. I suspect some people have stopped visiting my thread for that reason, which I regret, but on the other hand, I can't blame them because I react exactly the same way. But on the other hand, I sometimes rediscover some threads which is always a pleasure.

I'll probably read more on Congo after I finished this one (which I plan to do this weekend), so I'll keep Butcher's book in mind. The problem with my current book is that it's so breathtakingly beautiful and interesting that I really want to spend quality-time on it and not the snatched time during lunch-break or before bed-time. But quality reading-time is so hard to find these days.
Anyway, thanks for having paid a visit to my thread. It's always a pleasure to see you here.

121. De bruid van Benin (The Bride of Benin) by Annette Bokpê - 4 stars

Why I read this book?
On my alphabetical tour of the world, I've arrived in Benin.

One-sentence-summary
A German woman marries a man from Benin and she finds herself in a whole new and very different world.

My personal thoughts
I must admit I was a bit reluctant to read this book and I only started it because it was the only book about Benin I could locate. However, "forced reads" like this often hold very pleasant surprises, so after half a page, I was totally wrapped up in this autobiography and in the engaging style of Annette who married the modest, hard-working engineer Maurice she met in Germany who later became a prince in his own country Benin. Annette soon finds out that Benin is a country ruled by voodoo-rituals and although her husband tries to escape the traditions, he finally goes back to his roots.
I thought this was a magnificent book. Bokpê writes beautifully and vividly. She warmly embraces the Benin-culture and her new Benin-family and friends and undergoes events with a lot of open-mindedness. However, she manages to keep her identity and self-esteem, which cannot have been very easy in a culture that's so different from hers.
I must say, quite unexpectedly, I've learned a lot about Benin. The book's originally written in German and translated to Dutch. Highly recommended, but I don't think it's available in English.

Hi Monica.. Well, if if my mistake pointed to you to another book, I guess that's good. I think in general many Canadians read more American books because of course so many books come out of the US , compared to Canada. However, since starting here on LT and trying a read across Canada challenge , as well as my son and his girlfriend each taking a Canadian Lit Course at university, I've become far more aware of the talent in Canada, and read far more Canadian books that I used too.

I have to confess I'm totally taken with Flavia de Luce of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and I've read the second in the series, and purchased the other two on my kindle!!;)

A guilty pleasure....

Thank goodness for wonderful LT friend like you!

122. How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišic - 4 stars

Why I read this book?
Temporarily skipping a few countries on my alphabetical tour of the world, I've arrived in Bosnia.

One-sentence-summary
The story and memories of the Bosnian war, seen through the eyes of the boy Aleksandar.

My personal thoughts
This is a remarkable book. I had expected a somewhat conventional memoir but I was bowled over by a flood of fantasy, images, memories, flash-backs, personal histories and tragedies in which the Bosnian war plays a major role without being prominent. It's hard to describe the book, but it's very fresh and unusual and I recommend it to anyone who's not afraid to break away from conventional story-telling.

I'm preparing for next year. Please take a second to answer the poll at the beginning of this thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/120927#2829172.

Monica! Of course I will visit you! I so value your friendship and your great input as to various books, some of them being Dutch/ Flemish and other books! You are a valuable member of Library Thing! I'll visit you wherever you go on Library thing. hugs to you, Monica.

I always visit your thread! The only bad part is the books not translated into English (yet), but I love your reviews, and can hope to someday be able to read the untranslated works that interest me.

>165 Trifolia: next year? Do you plan to sneak out of here unnoticed? How many nos or yes' do influence your plans?

I will visit your thread next year (that's a threat). But I do I darkly remember a few promises I did last year and just didn't fulfill this year. So, if you promise to stay, I promise to come by (provided a few little assets like life, health, computer...)

I will have to start PMing you if you try to get away! If you are just moving to a different thread, however, then I'll just star you there.

Thank you very much to everyone who reacted to my poll. I feel privileged that you took the time to vote and some even comment. I really appreciate this!
The reason why I organized the poll was that I'd be wondering if I should switch to Club Read or not. Both groups have their focus and threads I like to follow. I had considered a move this summer but decided to postpone my decision till the end of the year. So now it's decision-time...

Hi Deb, thanks for your sweet reaction. I'm sure I'll get a lot of ideas from your inspirational thread. I'm so glad I discovered you among the 993 members of this group!

Hi Deborah, thanks for visiting. I also appreciate your threads and your tastes in books. I know I've overdone it a bit with my Dutch reads this year, but I had a lot of catching up to do. And on the other hand I think that if a book is good enough, it'll get translated eventually. In other words, if it isn't, you're not missing out on too much.

Hi Paul, no I wasn't planning on sneaking out unnoticed. Organizing a poll is hardly unnoticed, is it :-)? So I am planning to stay, but I don't want you to feel obliged to visit my thread if you don't feel like it. But who will give me these surprising recommendations but you? Ich habe gesehen dass ich ziemlich viel auf Deutsch (übersetzt) gelesen habe. Vielleicht ist dass nicht zufällig? Nun nur noch auf Deutsch lesen und rezensieren :-) Ich denke dass es schon mehr als 20 Jahre gewesen ist dass ich noch etwas auf Deutsch gelesen oder geschrieben habe. Vielleicht kan ich es mahl versuchen in 2012?

Hi Lisa, well, you tempted me to leave now, because I love those little bright yellow messages that pop up when having received a PM. And as I explained earlier, I mainly held the poll to make up my mind about joining you in the CR-group. But since you visit this thread here and I visit your thread there, I think I'll stick with the 75-ers (if they continue in 2012, that is). After all, I think the CR-group-level is a bit out of my league as I'm not much of a reviewer. I just want to add how much I appreciate your solid and thoughtful reviews and ideas on books.

So let me conclude by stating that I'll stick with the 75-ers.

Great, thanks for staying with us. Ich freue mich auf weitere interessante Titel in Deinem Thread und vielleicht findest doch etwas Spannendes bei mir. Ich kann leider kein Flämisch schreiben (google will ich nicht für so was gebrauchen). Ich habe mich über Deine Deutscheinlage gefreut. So, let's finish off the old year

if they continue in 2012

Oh, we most definitely will! I'll start up the new group sometime in the last half of December. But I'm not telling exactly when! :)

Hurray! I thought you were contemplating leaving LT altogether. Phew. Disaster averted. :-)

Like 173 - I was worried that you were thinking of leaving LT altogether!!! Phew!!Just when I getting to know you!!!

Hi Monica. Popping in to say hello and drop my yes on the poll.
I lurk here a lot, but sometimes don't comment :)

> 171 - Thanks Paul, I'll be looking forward to following your thread.
> 172 - Great news, drneutron, thanks!
> 173-174 - No, no, Lisa and Deb, you won't get rid of me so easily :-)
> 175 - Hi, thanks for stopping by. You're very welcome to lurk and comment if you feel like it.

OK, back to business books:
123. Black Mulberries by Caitlin Davies - 3,5 stars


Why I read this book
Continuing my alphabetical tour of the world, I've arrived in Botswana.

One-sentence-summary
The story of a family from Botswana that's torn between tradition and progress.

My personal thoughts
This book has a lot of potential: a fluid style, interesting perspectives, interesting characters, interesting issues but IMO it lacked some depth, some drama and tension. We get to meet three generations of women and two nationalities. There's the personal luggage of the mater familias who's raised her family rather succesfully in somewhat difficult circumstances after her husband died. There's the grand-daughter who has a special connection with her grand-mother. There's the beautiful daughter who has a carreer in modelling and there's the female neighbour-journalist who has a crush on the brother. The interaction between those women against the beautiful backdrop of Botswana gives plenty to write about. However, there are far too many loose ends, far too many easy-way-outs, too many gimmicks to make me overenthusiastic. In fact I had the same problem with this book as I did with Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. It's not exactly chicklit but it's coming close. On the other hand, if you liked Brooklyn, I'm pretty sure, you'll love this one. I liked it, didn't love it.

late to the voting, but I'm glad to hear you are staying. You are one of the threads I look forward to reading, and my wishlist has become far more diverse thanks to your posts. If I weren't such an American and could read another language, I would have even more items on my wishlist...

Thanks for stopping by, Patrick. Yes I've noticed some books that I read were popping up on your thread. I'm flattered with the idea that I'm a real LT-tag as well :-)

You are very ambitious to read all around the world!! That's going to be some very diverse books!

Hi Deb, indeed, Reading Globally and The Endless Europe Challenge "force" me to read books I'd never have looked at otherwise. Some of them are real gems. It's a huge challenge (and a lot of fun) to find books on all the countries. I prefer to read fiction by native authors who are integrating their country in their book. If that isn't possible, I try to read either a native author or fiction about the country. If that fails, I switch to non-fiction. I started last year but left some gaps because some countries, like Belize, Bahrain and Liechtenstein are real challenges. However, I finally managed to find books that suit my challenge on all the countries I left out so far. I'm pretty excited because I'll have to brush off my German in order to read the Luxemburg and Liechtenstein-books which I ordered today. We'll see how that goes :-)

Thanks for popping in on mine. I came here about 10 days ago, but left no comment. we have a lot of overlap in reading, viz. your oct./nov. lists. I am totally caught up in my work, so while reading goes on (also at a lower speed), I have absolutely no time to keep up my thread, and now have a back log of 20+ books, since end Oct.

124. The Line by Olga Grushin - 3 stars


Why I read this book
I skipped Russia on my Europe Endless Challenge because I'd thought of doing a mini-challenge for Russia. But since this is not likely to happen any time soon and since I don't like the gaps in my initial reading-plan, I decided to go back and fill the gaps I made so far.

One-sentence-summary
A husband, a wife and their son, each having their own reasons, wait in line to try to obtain a concert-ticket day after day, for months on end, along with hundreds of other people.

My personal thoughts
This book infallibly conveys the feeling of hope, despair and meekness that's typical of an oppressed society. It shows how bureaucracy is able to control people and make them do things a person normally wouldn't do, like waiting in line for weeks and weeks for an uncertain goal. However, I was slightly underwhelmed. The story never really grabbed me and neither did any of the characters. They remained too foggy, too distant and I didn't care about them (except maybe the mother of the wife). This book made me think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, at least the part in which Charlie's trying to get the golden ticket. It also reminded me of Quiet chaos in which the main character camps in his car outside his daughter's school for weeks on end. The difference with these books is that I remember I felt empathy for the main characters, something I never felt for these characters. I wouldn't call this book a miss, it's just that I prefer stories with delineated characters and/or a more gripping story. I guess if this had been a novella, it would have been ok with me.

Sorry you didn't enjoy The Line as much as I. Better luck with your next read.

125. The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession by Andrea Wulf - 4,5 stars


Why I read this book
I'm a historian and a keen gardener, so books about garden-history always interest me. This particular book was recommended to me by Paul (paulstalder) (thanks Paul!) and I actually read it at the beginning of the year. Browsing through my catalogue, I noticed I'd never made any notes about it, so I'm adding it now.

One-sentence-summary
The fascinating story of the men who radically changed the appearance of English gardens in the 18th century.

My personal thoughts
When reading history-books, one often gets the idea that change just "happens" as the fruit of an evolution. One rarely thinks about those individuals who set the spark to the flame. In this book, the author focusses on those men who, activated by the atmosphere of the Enlightenment, really changed the image of the English garden: a few dedicated gardeners, merchants, adventurers, scientists and garden-enthusiasts who all had their own reasons for participating in this process and who probably were unknowing to the fact that they played such an important role in English garden-history.
Apart from the fact that this is a fascinating story, it's also a very well-documented and very well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's either interested in history or gardening or botany.

I'm sorry that The Line was a disappointing read. I'll move it lower down my TBR list.

184 I am pleased that you liked The Brother Gardeners. I made the recommendation also to the Garden Library at the Bibliothek für Gestaltung here in Basel - and they bought it, too.

Yes, it's definitely one of the best books I've read this year! Thanks again for the recommendation.
Well, I ordered two books in German yesterday, which I hope to read for my European challenge: Herkules Kasch by Roger Manderscheid (Luxemburg) and the non-fictional Von der Unendlichkeit der Ränder by Hans-Jörg Rheinberger (Liechtenstein). Do you know any of these? I'll probably read them at the beginning of next year, but I'll keep my dictionary with me too :-)

No, I don't neither of them. I have heard about Rheinberger but wasn't aware that he is Liechtensteiner. wikipedia says he was born in Switzerland (Grabs, St. Gallen). the title sounds complicated... but maybe he is a good writer. Tell me, when you read it.

Monica, I'm just 75 pages into Out Stealing Horses but I feel pretty confident already that you would enjoy the book... I'll be finished it in a couple of days if you want the final verdict -but it is quite enthralling! Christmas and birthdays are taking up a bit of my reading time!

Hi Paul, I'll definitely let you know when I start the Liechtenstein-book. It's supposed to be an essay on Liechtenstein so I guess, I won't find anything more Liechtensteinian than this book.
Hi Deb, ooh, Out Stealing Horses sounds tempting. I hope you find the time to read in between Christmas and birthdays.

126. No Saints or Angels by Ivan Klima - 4,5 stars

Why I read this book
On my tour through Europe, I've arrived in the Czech Republic.

One-sentence-summary
A middle-aged dentist, her daughter and her boyfriend are trying to give meaning to their lives in Prague in the 1990s.

My personal thoughts
One of the great things about my European challenge (as well as the global one) is that I get to read books I would never have picked up otherwise. Most of the times, the books are ok because I do evaluate them a bit beforehand, but sometimes I find a book I'll gladly classify as a favourite. No Saints or Angels is one of them. I know the one-sentence-summary sounds awful and not very appealing but it's very misleading because it's actually a story told from three different points of view that gives insight into what life is all about, the insecurities, the search for happiness, the lies, self-esteem, confidence, trust, etc. It also deals with the history of a family and a country. Klima is a great writer. He manages to portray characters in a few lines and to convey the feelings that ordinary human beings have without being heavy-handed. There's no real beginning and no real ending to this story but there are so many thoughts and insights that make it wortwhile. It's a brilliant mixture of humour and food for thought and that's more than enough for me. Highly recommended if you like my kind of books.

Pow! Shot by book bullet. Rushed off to add No Saints or Angels to my wishlist. I studied in Prague for a while in grad school. I wish I could say my Czech was good enough to read even the first page in the original. :(

127. HHhH by Laurent Binet - 5 stars

Why I read this book
I picked up this book in the library because of its weird title which is referring to "Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich" (Himmler's brain's named Heydrich).

One-sentence-summary
A reconstruction of the true history of the life, impact and death of the nazi-official Reinhard Heydrich and Operation Anthropoid.

My personal thoughts
There are books that are very good, there are books that are fascinating, and then, there are books that are beyond words. I've rarely read a book that bowled me over the way this one did. The story in itself is fascinating but the way in which the author constructs his story is exquisite. Binet wants to tell the true history and is obsessed to not let his imagination fill in the gaps. Obviously a lot has already been written about this horrible man who was the chairman of the Wannsee-conference during which the Endlösung was planned but the way in which Binet lets his assassins, the Czech people, the politicians, etc. be heard is outstanding and breath-taking. He often interferes in the story with sharp remarks, his doubts, his dilemma's. He takes sides, which usually is not done, at least not openly, but the way in which he does it makes this a very genuine, extraordinary book. It gives a beautiful insight into the work of a historian who sees himself faced with the immense difficulty of reconstructing a reality which he can never fully grasp. He does not see himself as the objective observer but places himself amidst this history of humanity, of mankind. This probably is a more genuine way to write history than the academic way in which historians try to give their reconstruction of what really happened without adding any passion to it. The way in which Binet wrote this book, this combination of scrupulous historical research without allowing fiction but adding personal comments and insights, allows the reader to take sides or disagree but above all, to see where Binet's coming from. I think this is an important insight. On a personal note, as a historian, I'm aware that as I get older, I tend to walk away from the idea I used to have that history can be an objective reconstruction of reality and leave the historian out, so to speak. First of all, I come to realize that the choice you make as a historian is already subjective, whether you want this or not and secondly, "à quoi ça sert", i.e. what's the point? What's the use of history if it doesn't trigger something to you or your reader, if it doesn't make people think. Of course objectivity should always be a goal but as a historian you cannot but "contaminate" the story. I really think Binet's way of telling this history is not only very moving but also very genuine and probably the highest goal a historian can ever achieve. It didn't surprise me that Binet won both the "Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman" and the "Meilleurs livres de l'année, catégorie Découverte France"-prize in 2010.

So, in case anyone wonders... I really, truly, highly recommend this book. It's already available in French (originally) and Dutch, but according to Amazon, it will be published in English on April 24, 2012. And I really hope a lot of people wil read this book.

two more onto my wishlist (adding two more "justjoey4" tags into the ether)

Monica, I've just finished off Out Stealing Horse and I definitely recommend it for your Norwegian read! It's excellent!

I love your review because it tells so much about the perspective of the book. I think it is too easy to think as you say, that history is factual truth, and not a construct by a historian/society/culture. It sounds excellent, and I've added it to the wishlist pile.

Monica, in case you are interested, I created a review on the main page for Out Stealing Horses , and I have some further comments on my thread. I'm afraid my review is not as wonderful as you create so often.

Hi Lisa, I think you'll love both Klima's and Binet's books. Being a fellow-historian, I'm curious to hear what you'll eventually think of Binet's approach. Some people seem to dislike the fact that he mixes his personal thoughts in the book but I thought it was refreshing. Plus he's mentioned a few books that I want to check out too.
Hi Patrick, thanks, I hope you'll like them as much as I did!
Hi Deb, thanks for visiting. I'll definitely read the book once I get a copy of it. Thanks for your kind words on my "review" too. I don't actually consider it a review. It's more like a personal note. I hate to give away too much about a book because it might spoil it for others, but I really want to convey to others why I liked / disliked a book and what made it special to me.

Monica, The Devil's Footprints has gone right onto my wishlist and soon to be purchased booklist. Thanks so much for the recommendation! I enjoyed your comments on your previous page.

As for Per Petterson, I certainly plan to read another book by him.

128. Andorra by Peter Cameron - 3,5 stars

Why I read this book
Andorra was on my list of both my Reading Globally-challenge and my European challenge.

One-sentence-summary
A man moves to Andorra to start a new life, but what secret does he carry and who are the people who cross his path.

My personal thoughts
The story is set in the idyllic but fictionalized mini-state of Andorra (in reality landlocked in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, in this novel conveniently situated at the sea). The story slowly unwinds as the main character moves to Andorra and meets some people who influence his new life. It all leads to a climax that was interesting though a bit underwhelming. The beauty of this book primarily lies in the wonderful, dreamy setting and the elegant prose, minus points were the characters who were a bit too gimmicky, their stories a bit too plain and predictable. It felt as if the author forgot what he wanted to do with the story and suddenly decided to put an end to it. But all in all, a relaxing, enjoyable read.

Fabulous review of HhhH, Monica!

Yes, I enjoyed your review of HHhH too and have asked my library to purchase it.

Shame on me, I totally neglected Librarything and your topic the last month. But of course I will come back! You've got quite some good reading done!

Great to see that you enjoyed The poisonwood bible. I read it a few years ago with a book group on LT and enjoyed it as well, although I wasn't to fond of the last part.

@159 I'm afraid your suspicion about Dutch people reading Flemish authors is right. Somehow they don't really get promoted here 'in the north'. Which is shame, as we share our language but our cultures sometimes seem so different, and therefor even more interesting.

Very nice to see your tour through Europe and the world. It seems you found some accidental gems.

I was a little bit worried if I would like to read Hhhh, but now I've read your review, I definitely should.

Thanks for visiting, Darryl & Kerry. I'm looking forward to the reactions here on LT when the English version is released.
Hi, Boekenwijs, it's been a while. I agree that are cultures are quite different :-) I wonder if people not speaking our language would notice the difference. I don't really know why Flemish authors are not so popular in the Netherlands, but I guess the Dutch already have more (and very good) writers and they don't feel the need to look over the border.
What was it exactly that worried you about Hhhh? Maybe I can help in finding out whether you would like the book or not.

129. De nacht voor de scheiding (Válás Budán) by Sandor Marai - 4 stars

This book, first published in 1935, deals with 12 hours in the life of a middle-aged Hungarian judge who prepares to settle the divorce of an acquaintance and his wife he briefly met years ago. In the first part of the book, we get to know the judge, his life, his history and his formal way of thinking, in the second part, we see his encounter with his acquaintance, a doctor, who pays him a nightly visit.
Basically this book deals with the universal themes of ratio vs. feelings, old vs. new, man vs. woman. Marai wraps this up in beautiful prose and razor-sharp observation which turn this book into a brilliant psychological novel. Highly recommended.

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Marai and would like to read this as well, but I don't think it's in English yet, is it?

Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas Monica!

Merry Christmas, Monica! I will certainly continue to follow your thread in 2012, as I appreciate your reviews of books and mention of authors who are unfamiliar to me.

Thanks for your wishes, Chelle, Heather and Darryl. I hope you enjoy your Christmas as much as I did!

Hi Lisa, I don't think Válás Budán is available in English yet, although IMO it deserves a translation. Which other books by Marai would you recommend?

I'm not getting much reading done these days, being busy with the holidays and so, but I'm looking forward to the moment I'll be able to snuggle up with a book in my comfy chair for a couple of hours without having to cook, bake or even eat food. One can only have as much sole meunière, sorbet, duck à l'orange, chocolate-cake, tiramisu, syllabub, etc.

(picture: http://girlinawhimsicalland.tumblr.com/post/12542121606/want-to-know-a-secret-it... )

What a wonderful photo! I want to go there. I need some time alone with books, and that looks like a good place to find some. Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas. Cheers!

#210 That looks wonderful! Hope you have managed to get some good book time.

130. Geluk the world book of happiness : de wijsheid van 100 geluksprofessoren uit de hele wereld by Leo Bormans - 4 stars

What better way to finish this year with a book about happiness that a dear friend gave to me for Christmas. This book is an initiative of a Belgian who contacted 100 professors and researchers from 50 countries all over the world to write about what they think makes people happy.
Although the book doesn't contain too many new insights (at least not to me), it's very interesting to read all those thoughts on happiness by people who have "specialized" in happiness. I consider myself a fairly happy person and having read this book, I better understand what enhances feelings of happiness and what I can do to elaborate on happiness. Of course, there's no recipe for happiness and you won't find it in this book either. But it may be a way of finding out what can make you happy or happier.

After having read the book, I found out it has been translated from the Dutch and is available in French, English, German and Korean.
I also found out that Herman Van Rompuy, Chairman of the European Council, has decided to send out an (English) copy of the World Book of Happiness to all (200) world leaders. I think that's a very nice gesture from Mr. Van Rompuy who may appear to be a bit stern and enigmatic but who I think is a very intelligent, philosophical man with a huge sense of responsability, compassion and wit who does not let the madness of times get to him.
You can find more about this book here: http://www.theworldbookofhappiness.com/

So this book concludes my reading for 2011.
Out of my long list of books that I enjoyed over the past 12 months, my top 3 of favourites of 2011 are:
- De tweeling van de Sinaï by Janet Soskice
- The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession by Andrea Wulf
- HHhH by Laurent Binet

In retrospect, I learn (surprisingly) that I like (if not prefer) non-fiction over fiction, so I think I'll explore the world of non-fiction a bit more in 2012. Also, I'm looking forward to continue my global and European travels through books and maybe participate in a few challenges. And of course I'm looking forward to meeting old and new LT-friends on the threads. I'll start a new one for 2012 asap.

I thank everybody who visited my threads during this past year. I really enjoyed you suggestions, ideas and comments and I hope to see you back in 2012.
Meanwhile I wish everyone
a very happy new year!

Happy New Year Monica - the happiness book looks like a good book to finish off one year and start the new with. I really like the idea of 200 world leaders receiving a copy.

A blessed new year 2012 to you, Monica!

You are very busy already this here - your counter says that you put already 16 books in your catalog!

I enjoyed reading (parts) of your threads and the suggestions for some of the books you have read. I got some very interesting hints. Thank you for sharing them.

Hi Heather, I also thought it's a very good idea. Let's hope some of them will read it too!

Hi Paul, thank you, the pleasure's all mine. And yes, you caught me. I'm having a mild "Merovingian infection" right now. When I studied history, way way back and had to choose a time-period, I doubted between 19th century history and the early middle ages. For various reasons, I chose 19th century history (a choice I do not regret), but my heart's still somewhere with the Franks and Gauls and the rest of the barbarian bunch. So after 20+ years, maybe it's time to take this up again, just for the fun of it. I have the skills, all it takes now is a bit of time :-) I've already found out the historiography and archeology of this period have taken giant leaps forward, so I'm very much looking forward to this. And yes, I went a bit overboard earlier today, adding those books to my wishlist.
I'm off to look for your thread now and star it of course!

I'm now closing this thread and have opened my new "75 Books in 2012-challenge" here

I hope you'll join me there.