trisweather's 2013 atuagaq

Well I wasn't that good at keeping my 2012 thread up to date, but am planning to be better this year.

2012 was a busy year for me with work and studies, so I didn't have the energy to read much fiction for my self. But have desided that 2013 will be better. I only have one paper (the big one) left for my master, so I should be finished this summer. So at least after June I will have more time for´reading for pleasure.
With friend and hopefully new friends I have made a reading group, so at least one book a month will be a joint reading. Looking forward to read more books for adults. Due to my job I read alot of children's and young adult books, so sometimes I forget to find myself a good adult book. The reading group will help me remember the good adult books too.

At the moment I am reading A fabulous kingdom a nonfiction SantaThing book, which so far are very interesting. For the reading group I am about to start Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden a fictional retelling of real events in Greenland. It is a Danish book

Tris - it's good to see you back :0)

and wishing you strength, good luck and anything else you need for the Big Paper.

*starred*

I wish I was more proficient in Danish. Norwegian is OK but Danish... I manage, but it is real slow going. Graphic novels is just about what I can do.

I laugh in the face of those proclaiming Swedish, Norwegian and Danish to be the same language!

#4 I remember in school when we had to read some luckily short texts in Swedish and Norwegian. Very hard work. I can understand all three languages, but to read Swedish and Norwegian is work for me

I'll be stopping by! :o)

Good luck with keeping your thread up to date! I fell behind on my Green Dragon thread last year, too.

I received my last SantaThing book today. It is a picture books so I read it right away even though I am at work. It was Very Last First Time It has a very interesting story and the most beautiful illustrations of snow, ice and Canadian Inuit life. The illustrations of the girl under the frozen sea is breathtaking. I could spend a long time just looking at those illustrations and let my fantasy wander. It has right away become one of my favourite picture books and certainly one of my most beautiful picture books

Good luck and happy finish to the paper.

Back to lurking...

We had to change the books in my reading group since Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden were sold out in the bookstore right now, so we will read it next month instead. This month we will read The Great Gatsby I just turned in a paper today, so I will take a couple of weeks of to do some pleasure reading, before starting my master thesis. Am hoping The Great Gatsby will ve pleasure

Saturday I read The Great Gatsby for my bookclub in the evening. As a describtion of a time period and of upper class life I found it interesting. The words painted some great pictures. But I dislikes all the persons in the book, so I couldn't feel for them or care for them. An interesting time period book, but not one I will read again

I felt the same way about The Great Gatsby. I just couldn't enjoy a book with such unlikable characters.

For me, the prose is the best thing about Gatsby, that and the descriptions of the ash yard with the giant painted eyes looking over all.

Third the not liking The Great Gatsby. I couldn't get past the unlikable characters either.

I suddenly don't feel too bad about never having read The Great Gatsby.

#15 I'm with you, sandragon.

I didn't want to comment until you had read it, but I did not enjoy "The Great Gatsby", either. For the same reasons. One of those books which is good to read as a cultural study, but not for enjoyment. I did enjoy the prose, just as I enjoy Steinbeck's, but it is a joy with a bitter bottom.

11-17 - good, that's another book to leave off the list of things I'd really like to read.

#18 I think this is cause to celebrate. How often does one manage to take a book off the tbr or wish list due to commetns on LT. I don't know about you, but usually I end up adding books to the list.

Oh, how wonderful is the relief of never having to read The Great Gatsby.

:-)

Glad to hear that I am not alone in my opinion about it

I just finished A Fabulous Kingdom which was a SantaThing book. It is a very good and interesting look at the exploration of the Arctic from before the Vikings to today. It is only 240 pages long, so it is a good place to start to get a overview of the exploration in the Arctic. Afterwords one can pick what to read more about. I only have one fault with it. Knud Rasmussen isn't mentioned at all. His Fifth Thule expedition, on dogsledge from Greenland over arctic Northamerica to Siberia, should have been mentioned.

I have read A family apart, Caught in the act , In the face of danger and A place to belong The first books in The Orphan Train Adventures. A children's series I haven't read since a was a child. They are still interesting and good. The first time I read them I could only read the first five, because the last two wasn't translated into Danish. This time I have bought them in English so I am looking forward to read the end of the series.

In Denmark there are a travel book series called Turen går til... which translated means The trip goes to... Well I just read Turen går ad helvede til which translate into The Trip are going to hell. It is a book with a collection of travelstories about trips that didn't go well. An interesting and funny book.

Yesterday I finished En flænge i himlen by John Green. Original titel is The fault in our stars. It is a very good book about a young girl with a deathly decease, who feels like a granate about to explore. A girl waiting for death. Waiting and not living. But that changes when she falls in love for the first time. A very good book that feels very real. We hear about the real feeling. It is not a book about people noble suffering, but a book about people being angry, sad, depressed, happy and the whole spectrum of feelings

The Fault in Our Stars was the best book I read last year. It was hard for me to find the next book to read after that, because nothing else could live up to it.

It was my best book of 2012, too. Just fabulous.

I read Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden for my book club. It was very well written. I was transported to Norway, Denmark and Greenland in the 1700s. The sounds, smells and so on. But the author's version isn't really my cup of tea. Everything was so bleak and depressing. Nothing ended good. Pretty much everything was bad. And I know that there were good people at that time also. So a very well written book, but just too depressing for my liking.

So to get over the bleakness I am now rereading The Persian Pickle Club

At the moment I am reading The Collegium Chronicles by Mercedes Lackey One of her Valdemar series that I haven't read before. I have just started book three

Saturday I finished Marco effekten by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Book 5 in a for me new crime series. I read it for my book club. Very good. If one are into the Nordic crime authors then give Jussi a try. I know he has been translated into several languages.

Yesterday I received a package from Amazon, so I am now reading Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey. I really like Mags and his friends

I finished Redoubt a couple of days ago. The Collegium Chronicles is turning into being one of my favourites of Lackey's series. The wait will long to October for number five in series.
Yesterday I read Danmarks mindste mand . Translated the titel will be Denmarks shortest man. It is an autobiography by of course Denmarks shortest man. It isn't great literature, but it is a interesting account about how it is to be that short (he is 98 cm). He tells it all very honestly and straight forward. He covers all from buying food, playing sport, meeting girls and so on.

Yesterday I finished the last of the Pierre Bourdieu I was reading for my master thesis, so now I am ready for my vacation which I start on wednesday. I will fly from Greenland to Denmark and then take the train from Sealand to Northjutland, so I will have alot of traveltime. I will bring The Treasury of Oz as my travelbook. It should last me for the whole trip

Monday I came home from my very long combined vacation and work trip to Denmark. I went to some very interesting conferences, had some great times with familly and friends in Denmark and also took some nice lazy days.
I also got some reading done. I read:
Me before you which I loved. A book about love and choices. About the right to make you own choices.
The little lady agency a fine chicklit, which fit in with my lazy time at that time.
Elegance a good book with a fine idea, which could have been used more in the book. I would have like to get to know the persons a bit more.
Victoria Line, Central Line and Dublin 4 Two books by Maeve Binchy which I hadn't read before. Both books are short stories. They were ok, but I liked her novels much better.
Olive Kitteridge a good book with not always nice people.
Then come you a chicklit, which I liked, but I think everything was resolved a bit too quick and nicely in the end.
The antenatal group a chicklit with interesting and different women. Each with their own issues.

I have just been sick, so I got some reading done. Mostly from my shelves and rereads:

Min ven Thomas , translated titel would be My friend Thomas. I think it is one of the best Danish young adult books ever written. It is from 1987 an I have read many, many times. It is about a boy in his late teens and his life over two years. It is about friendships, family, love and homophobia.

Var det kærlighed? , tranlated Was it love?. It is about a girl from Min ven Thomas and about choices, roots and family. Also a reread.

Jesus, pengene og livet , translated Jesus, money and life. An interesting autobiography about the first 30 years of the author's life and about her family's history. Her first years was ruled by Jesus and lack of money.

A Dangerous Promise book 5 in The orphan Train Adventures and the last of the series that will be a reread for me. The last two I haven't read before.

Quest for a babe One of my all time favourite children's books. Read many times before.

My best friend's girl Also a reread, but not as good the second time around. Something was lacking for me this time.

I have just read Se mig, skub mig, grib mig by Mathilde Nærland . Translated the titel would be See me, push me, catch me. A good book about four very different girls getting ready for adult life. Very interesting girls that feels very real.

For our library's website I read two picture books.
The first was Lilja lader det se. The original German titel is Lilli lässt es schneien. It is written by Heinz Janisch and illustrated by Søren Jessen It is a very poetic story about a little girl and her imaginative snow world. Love the illustration, which are beautiful and suits the poetic story.
The second was Den store bog om følelser. Original titel is The great big book about feelings It is written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Ros Asquith The book does a really good job with describing through words and illustrations all the differents feelings one can have. How they feels and how to talk about them. A book we have been missing at the children's library.

Aagin I have done some rereads:

Babyville by Jane Green A nice chicklit about having or not having babies.
Whiter than snow and New Mercies by Sandra Dallas . I love all her books except one.
Squire by Tamora Pierce Kel is one of my favourites of Pierce's heroines.

And I have done one new read:
Hver dag, hver time by Natasa Dragnic The original titel is Jeden tag, jeden stunde It is about a boy and a girl who first meet when they are small children and becomes soulmates from the start. The books follows them until they are around 50 and how and why they are seperated and meet again from time to time. It is very well written and I really like 3/4 of it. But the author isn't that good at writing adult people. She holds them in teenage patterns of thinking and acting. So in the end I really didn't like the two main characters. Too bad because I really like it, before the persons was supposed to be real adults

Some rereads:
Lady Knight and The will of the empress because I can always enjoy some Tamora Pierce

I have been waiting to finish The Orphan Train Adventures series until I had them all, so after finally receiving book seven I read Keeping secrets and Circle of love by Joan Lowery Nixon. They are book 6 and 7 in the series and I have only read 1-5 before, so it was really nice to finally finish the series. I really liked the books, but I wouldn't have minded, if they were longer, so to learn more about their lives.

The bookstore here had a sale friday and one of the books I bought was The Perks of being a wallflower which I have been meaning to read for some time now. Glad I did, because I really like it. A different take on life in high school...how life is like when you are an observer

Last week I finally got to read Inuusuttut - nunatsinni nunarsuarmilu . It is a compilation of short stories written by young Greenlanders. It was a project called Allatta (translated it means We write). Allatta was a joint project by NAPA (the Nordic institution in Greenland), NUIF (a youth organisation in Nuuk), milik publishing and Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia (the library where I work). The project goal was to find the new young literary voices in Greenland. The resulting book of the 10 best short stories was launched June 14nd. The translated titel of the book is Young in Greenland - Young in the world. So stories are about cutting, love, secrect, identity, a qivitoq, finding your place in the world, sickness, parental neglect and other things.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the short stories. Some very powerful and moving Greenlandic voices. I hope in the future to read more by Tukummeq Danielsen , Rosine Kreutzmann , Niviaq Korneliussen , Miiannguaq Olsvig , Johannes Lars Therkelsen , Paninnguaq Boassen , Maaliaaraq H. Nielsen , Gerda Berthelsen , Pivinnguaq Mørch and Sørine Steenholdt .

It is bilingual in Greenlandic and Danish. A Greenlandic and Swedish version will be published this year also

The last couple of weeks I have had trouble findings books I really wanted to read, but I finally seems to be having more luck, because two good books have been read.

Vores ø, original titel On the Island , which were a nice and easy entertaining book. Normally I am not a big fan of shifting perspektives, but in this book it was really good. There are 14 years between the two charactors so it was really interesting to have two very different views on the same situation. I liked it.

Rigets frue by Maria Helleberg is a historical novel about Margrete I. Margrete I is one of my heroines, so I have read alot about her. I really liked this book. Helleberg did a great job at making all the persons feel full and real eventhough she must at times have had very few informations to go by. Margrete I lived from 1353-1412. The title translated would be someting like The Country's mrs. She was technically never queen regnant of Denmark, since queen regents wasn't used, but she was chosen as full wife and husband and guardian of the Danish empire. At her death she ruled over Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

I have never read The Jane Eyre before, but started it a few days ago. So far I like it, but it feels very dated sometimes. I know how old it is, but to me even for a book of that time Charlotte Brönte's way of looking at things comes across as very conservative and at times snobbish. Am hoping it will change

I have now finished Jane Eyre. It is an interesting story, but to me the author's limited life experience shows too much. It is clear that she has only experience very little of the world and of different classes. The person Jane Eyre is well written, but the rest of the persons to me feel fleshless. Like Charlotte Brönte didn't have the experience to make them into real and full persons

This weekend I re-read The fault in our stars for my bookclub tomorrow. I still love it and it was great re-reading it, because this time I noticed more suble things and some truely beautiful sentences

The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books I've read in the last few years. I intend to re-read it soon—it seems like one that would get even better each time you read it.

SilviaC read it again. I was surprised at how much extra I got out of it the second time

I think I'll do that right now. Thanks!

I am finishing some library books before August and Off the shelves start.

Yesterday I read a young adult novel called Brødre. The original title is Geb and it is written by Ted van Lieshout. A translation of the Danish title is Brothers. And the book is about what brothers means. Lukas's younger brother Maus is dead, and the book is about his grief. Is he still a brother now that his brother is dead? Was he a good brother and so on. The book is Maus's diary from his last year and Lukas's thoughts as he is reading it and adding to it. It turns out that they had the same secret. A very good book about grief and brothers.

Today I read Hovedet i skyerne A Danish book by Caroline Ørsum. A light read about Simon, who is starting in 3. g (third year in the Danish gymnasium (year 13 in the school system)) in a new school. He soon becomes a part of the popular kids. But to his own surprise he starts to prefer Daniel over Julie. Is he gay? It is a fast read and good read, but could have been longer and deeper

Still finishing of my library books.

This weekend I read Det værste hun gjorde. The original title is The worst thing she ever did and is written by Alice Kuipers. Agood young adult book about a young who are having big problems handling her grief. She just want to forget. In the book we are through her diary slowly let into her grief and her memories.

Most of the weekend's reading were spent on a book for my master thesis. It is great finding a book that is just right for ones thesis.

Today I returned all my library books, so I am now ready for my off the shelves month. I am starting with Det blå lys A biography in fiction form about Marie Curie. I have been hearing great things about it, so am looking forward to it. Have been saving it for August

Well the first finished book for the Off the shelf challenge became Jakob Stegelmanns Troldspejlet The titel will only mean something to Danes. In 1988 Jakob Stegelmann started Troldspejlet. A tv show about fantasy, sci fi, all things computer, comics and so on. Pretty much everything adults have frown upon. The show is still running and he is a legend in Denmark. The book is about all the things that he has talked about. The history of those things. I learned alot of new things about for examble the history about manga, 3D films and Tintin. A real nerd book saluting a real nerd show

last week I received Couldn't I start over? which I had ordered a couple of months ago. I have read before in a Danish translation. In my teens I had a period, where I swallowed all the books of Jean Thesman I could get my hands on in my local library. This one was one of my favourites. And luckily I still really liked it.

Over the weekend for my bookclub tomorrow I read Vinterstorm. It is a collection of short stories taken place in bygder in Greenland before internet and cell phones. They were all good, but short stories simply isn't for me. I want to know more, read more. Short stories are simply too short for me

Last week I borrowed a book from the library forgetting that I wasn't supposed to. It was a very fast read because it was a book of previously unseen photos of Margrethe II. Very interesting, sometimes funny and always storytelling photos. The book was Dronningen

Yesterday I finished 1001 movies you must see before you die I have been reading the books for some time, since it is a great book to read during commercial breaks, but not really a lot to read in one setting. I really liked the different small pieces about each movie. Reading the book added alot of movies to my amazon wish list.

I also finished Som svalen A Danish biography written by Anne Marie Ejrnæs like a fiction book about Thomasine Gyllembourg, a female writer in the 1800s. The pictures Ejrnæs writes are so full and beatiful. A poetic biography

Have reread Exile's honor , Exile's valor , Nick and Norah's infinite playlist , Brudeskibet and since number five in the series is coming this month I also reread Foundation , Intrigues , Changes and Redoubt .

I have also done some new reads. I have read the Danish book Tyreposen which I didn't like. On the back it sounded like a story about a man finding out he was and finding love. But to me it felt like a story about violent relationships and s and m porn.
Another new read was Black Jesus which I liked, but I would have liked it to be longer to learn some more about the different charactors

I doesn't seem to get much reading done this month.
For my reading groupwho met saturday I read the Danish book Se på mig which was really well written, but the two main charactors were really annoying. I just wanted to hit them, and tell them to grow up. So a very interesting book, because it really brought out my feelings.

This month I have also read Bastion the last one The Collegium Chronicles. The series and Mags have become one of my favourite of the Valdemar series. I think it was great to experience the other side of the heralds. What heralds do when they aren't shining and perfect heroes.

Since I am working on my master thesis I haven't really read much the last couple of month. I am planning on having my thesis done on monday. I can't wait to be finish and able to enjoy christmas vacation without having to think about a paper.

One book I have read. The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas I liked it

Good luck with finishing your thesis!

oh how wonderful to have the end in sight! I hope you'll celebrate afterwards and have a wonderful rest of the month!

Just finished Fallen women by Sandra Dallas I really liked it. There were some intersting personalities

after turning in my master thesis December 18th I finally had some reading time.
While in Denmark I read Fiskerne by Hans Kirk It is a Danish classic and chapters from it is often used in the Danish gymnasium (grade 11 to 13). It is about some fishermen from indremission (don't know the English word, but it is a form of christianity) who moves from the sea to the fjord. It is about their life in new town and their strugle to live and to teach the right way to themselves, their children and the townsfolk. It was written in 1928 and the author was critical towards religion with shows in the book. The book is wellwritten and interesting. Indremission was very big in Denmark at that time, so it is interesting to read a book about a subject and a time that are different from today's life.

I also read Den hemmelige datter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. A book about an Indian woman forced to give up her to adoption and about the American woman adopting her. The book follows the two women and the daughter through twenty years. I really liked it. Lots of interesting things about choices and identity

Tris - huge congratulations on completing the thesis! Well done - a great accomplishment.

#57 thanks

Just before new years eve I read How to fall in love I really like it. It is about a woman who gets two weeks to show a man that life is worth living. It is about life, choices and living

#58 Ooo, that sounds good!

It is very good. Cecelia Ahern is one of the few authors whose books I buy as soon as they come out