Wilkie in 2013, Part 4

Holland, nation of flowers. Everything in the pictures is made of flowers.

My reading in 2013:

January

1. The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins 9/10, 438 p.
2. PAAZ - Myrthe van der Meer 9/10, 351 p.
3. A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel 7/10, 873 p.
4. The Man Who Forgot His Wife - John O'Farrell 8/10, 393 p.
5. And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic - Randy Shilts 8/10, 630 p.
6. Sans Famille - Hector Malot 8/10, 406 p.
7. Defending Jacob - William Landay 8/10, 421 p.
8. Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson 7/10, 720 p.

Pages read in January: 4232

February

9. An Utterly Impartial History of Britain - John O'Farrell 7/10, 588 p.
10. Op zee - Toine Heijmans 6/10, 192 p.
11. The Expats - Chris Pavone 5/10, 500 p.
12. Growing Up Amish - Ira Wagler 6/10, 270 p.
13. No Name - Wilkie Collins 7/10, 762 p.
14. Devil's Peak - Deon Meyer 8/10, 409 p.
15. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher - Kate Summerscale 6/10, 372 p.
16. Verzamelde gedichten - M. Vasalis 9/10, 196 p.
17. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach 9/10, 304 p.
18. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby 7/10, 278 p.
19. Gedichten - Judith Herzberg 6/10, 75 p.

Pages read in February: 3946

Currently reading:

Welcome!

9. An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge - John O'Farrell
588 p.

From 55 B.C. to 1945, An Utterly Impartial History of Britain informs, explains, but most of all laughs at the seemingly incomprehensible rollercoaster of events that make up the story of Great Brittain. Packed with great characters trapped in impossible dilemmas, this true-life drama will have you on the edge of your seats thinking 'I wonder which of them dies at the end?' (Well, they all do, obiviously, it was ages ago.)

I love history and I sometimes like it if some humour is put in. But I have to confess, in this book the humour is too much for me. However, the book is very informative and there are good jokes too, so don't let this frighten you.

7/10

Ha, ha - great Holland-flower-crazy-shots! Like the cover and title of your current read - "utterly impartial" - you can safely believe anything you read, Diana :)

Thank you Carsten! I strongly doubt the "utterly impartial"- part, though. :)

Look, a book-bed!

I love the purple flower house at the top!

As a non-fantasy and SF reader, I asked Mark (who knows everything about fantasy) if I should try A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. The series of A Song of Ice of Fire is in my mountain TBR, I don't know why it arrived there.

Mark told me to go for it, here I go! :)

Thank you Rhian, I think these colours are beautiful.

"I asked Mark (who knows everything about fantasy)"! LOL. Actually, I am a novice. Sure, I've read some fantasy and some great stuff too but not nearly enough to qualify for any lofty position. Joe is much more in line there.
Love the new thread and love ShakesBear too! Go Diana! Go Diana!

Found your new flowers, äh, thread

The history of Britain sounds tempting but if it's over the top with the humor (or if it's humor that just doesn't work) it wouldn't be so much fun.

When/where is the parade? Do you know that we have a parade here (Pasadena, CA, not San Diego) on New Year's Day that has floats that are completely covered with organic material (so seeds, bark, etc. as well as flowers). My family often went to watch it when I was a child and I still watch it on TV every year. It's been going since 1890.

Mark, you didn't sound like a novice ;)

Thanks again for your Swiss flowers, Paul!

Reba, it is a good book, it really is. Maybe my timing wasn't great, because I do like dry British humor. Perhaps you could give it a chance.

I think the first picture is in Hillegom, the parade of the Bollenstreek. The second picture would be in Zundert, close to Belgium. Those are not pictures I took, but I've visited both parades several times.

Your parade sounds great! I'd love to see the seeds and bark materials, that must be beautiful. I had to think twice about a parade on New Year's Day. What a wonderful idea, to have flowers, seeds and bark in January! I should have known, because I read about your fresh strawberries too ;)

Here's an example. The donkey will have been made with some seeds or perhaps cinnamon. There are more photos on google at "images for pasadena rose parade 2013".

I'd love to see the Dutch parades life some time. Are they in spring?

Well, the New Year's Day parade is in Pasedena, California which is very warm. The average temperature on parade day is 68F/20C.

Your review of An Utterly Impartial History of Britain compels me to search it out.

Diana congratulations on your 4th thread and for keeping the momentum going as you started!

Reba and Morphy, that donkey is beautiful! Seems like a great parade to me.

The Dutch Bloemencorso Bollenstreek is in spring, this year it will be 20 April. The Bloemencorso Zundert always is the first Sunday of September.

Thanks Paul. I think you´ll like An Utterly Impartial History of Britain :)

My computer has technical problems, I hope they will be solved tomorrow night. In the meantime I miss you all.

After 3 days of trying to unravel all personages in A Game of Thrones, I reached page 105 and quit. I think I'll be back in this book in summer, because I want to retry.

I'll start a new book tonight, The Expats by Chris Pavone.

Hi Diana -- sorry about your computer problems. I get so frustrated when that happens to me.

I still need to do much catching-up on your last thread, but for now I'm checking in here. I'd love to have one of those book beds, maybe with some nice quotes on those white covers?

I just ordered the sample of An Utterly Impartial History, I could do with some humorous history.

Hi Diana - I just had a lovely time getting caught up on your many threads! Books, tulips, and Dutch food - what more can one ask for?

Great reading in January - I really do have to read a Wilkie Collins book one of these days and Paaz sounds great, although it doesn't appear to be available in a language I'm able to read.

Hi Reba, my frustration should be over in a couple of hours, I'm trying to be zen ;)

Hi Nathalie, the covers could use some quotes, I agree. I hope you'll like An Utterly Impartial History.

Hi Kerri, I'm glad you had a lovely time! I think Paaz deserves to be translated, but there's no sign that it's going to happen yet.

10. Op zee - Toine Heijmans
192p.

This book is about a father, a daughter and a sailboat trip. I can't tell more, because there would immediately be spoilers in it.

Toine Heijmans is a reporter with his own column for my daily newspaper, de Volkskrant. He's a good reporter, but I didn't care much for the story in the book. It's translated in German, not in English, and I'd recommend it only cautiously.

6/10

Diana, The Expats is a fun read. I hope you enjoy it. I must look out for the history of Britain one - that sounds like my sort of thing too!

Hi Susan, I only read 4 pages of The Expats yet, and those were good.

And YES, it works. I'm computerized again, hooray!!

World's Smallest Bookstore in Canada, near Kinmount, Ontario

nice bookstore

love the tiny bookstore!! Glad you're reconnected.

Hi Paul and Reba, me too.

The floating library on the Celebrity Solstice. The library shelves are beautifully lit so that they appear to glow in a golden light.

Good to see you're back on line, Diana! I lost my broadband for a very short time at Christmas and wondered what on earth I would do if I couldn't fix it. What did we do before the internet?!! That is a very cute little bookshop in past 32.

Susan, I can't imagine life without internet. We don't want to miss it, do we?

i think i might have to search out a copy of An Utterly Impartial History of Britain might be a nice break for all the serous history i have been reading.

Bakabaka84, welcome! What kind of serious history did you read?

Hi Diana- Love the floating Book Porn! Very nice. I read/listened to the ExPats earlier last year. It was a good, fun read.

Hi Mark, I'm 20 pages in the book, so far, so good.

Currently slowly finishing up Storm of Steel and eagerly reading Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History so this years a little lighter. However almost all of last year I was reading heavy history topics for my grad classes such as the Holocaust, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Anti-Semitism, The Butcher's Tale, Imperial exploration of Africa, King Leopold's Ghost (on reading hiatus), and the French Terror, The Terror (also on hiatus). While they were all great books, I think I could use some levity after reading about so much human misery.

Glad you're back online - and thanks for the great pictures!

Bakabaka, looks like great history reading, but now you definitely need An Utterly Impartial History of Britain :)

You're welcome Laura!

I'm having difficulties reading at the moment, because the MS gives troubles. Still trying to read The Expats.

Hope the MS gets under control soonest. One of my aunties has the condition and struggles to do anything at all when it is playing up. x

Thank you, Paul. x

11. The Expats - Chris Pavone
500 p.

Can we ever escape our secrets?

In the cobblestone streets of Luxembourg, Kate Moore's days are filled with playdates and coffee mornings, her weekends spent in Paris and skiing in the Alps. But Kate is also guarding a tremendous, life-defining secret - one that's become so unbearable that it begins to unravel her newly established expat life. She suspects that another American couple are not who they claim to be, and her husband is acting suspiciously.

As she travels around Europe, she finds herself looking over her shoulder, increasingly terrified that her past is catching up with her. As Kate begins to dig, to uncover the secrets of the people around her, she finds herself buried in layers of deceit so thick they threaten her family, her marriage, and her life.

The spy thriller is a genre outside my comfort zone. This book is well-written and clever, I think it's a good read for lovers of the genre. It didn't work for me personally, all this paranoia.

5/10

Good Morning Diana -- hope you're feeling better soon.

Good morning dear Reba, thank you.

Wilkie Collins is my favourite author. :) Have starred your reads. :)

Interested in which Wilkie novels rank among your favourites?

Mirtrione, I can't tell you yet, I still have to read more books by Wilkie :)

Did someone else have problems with LT? I tried to reach the site and visit threads, but it didn't work for many hours.

Meanwhile, I'm reading Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler.

Yes. When I got up this morning, LT was down. And then I had trouble opening threads for an hour or so.

Thank you Morphy, we can call it LT trouble then. I was not sure if my computer and internet were doing crazy things.

He, could be me ;)

Me too. I've had a bad habit of reading while walking since elementary school days. Fortunately, I have pretty good peripheral vision so I don't trip much. :)

Me three use to be how i got most of my non school related reading done in my HS and junior collage days.

I used to drive my mother crazy. She'd ask me to set the table and I would comply...all the while continuing to read. (OK I admit I probably drove her crazy in many more ways but that was one I was aware of).

Jim and Bakabaka :)

Reba, as a child, I also did everything while continuing to read :)

12. Growing Up Amish - Ira Wagler
270 p.

One fateful, starless night, seventeen-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2:00 AM, packed all his earthly belongings in a little black duffel bag, left a scribbled note under his pillow, and walked away from his home in the Old Order Amish settlement of Bloomfield,Iowa, into a world much wider and more foreign than he could ever have imagined.

Wagler paints a vivid portrait of Amish life - from his childhood on the family farm and his Rumspringa rite of passage at age sixteen to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish church for good at age twenty-six.

Wagler's style of writing doesn't appeal to me, in my opinion he's not a great author. But I liked all the information I got about a culture I knew almost nothing about, and I learned new things.

6/10

The abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands didn't surprise me, because we have that tradition. I just read that Pope Benedictus XVI will resign on 28 February, and that does surprise me!

Diana- I liked the ExPats a bit more than you. Not an earth-shattering story but an entertaining one. The Amish book sounds good too!

Hi Mark, I'm glad you liked The Expats more than I did. The Amish book is good, if you don't mind the religious and spiritual passages, and it's very informative.

#64 It surprised me as well! Didn't even know popes were allowed to resign!

Rhian, I just read that there were 2 popes who resigned, both in the Middle Ages. The last one was in 1412, so we're not used to it in the past 600 years.

I'll start a very ambitious read tonight. Bij nader inzien by J.J. Voskuil has 1200+ pages. I'll combine it with No Name by Wilkie Collins, almost 800 pages.

Two of my favorite authors with two fat chunksters, I'll be busy for a long time :)

I really wish that we had more information on the Amish prior to this century. I have Amish ancestors, and when you think about it, they would not have been nearly as different as their neighbors in the 19th century when no one had electricity. Certainly they had some strange practices, but the outward differences would not have been quite so marked. Every now and then, I try to find information in 19th century books about them -- sometimes I'm more successful than I am others in finding information. I should probably expand it to the 18th century when they immigrated to what would become the U.S.

Lori, that's interesting. Do you know where they lived? If you didn't read the book yet, maybe it could be something for you; although I guess you already know most of the information in the book.

They started in Berks County, Pennsylvania; then Mifflin County; then Wayne County, Ohio; then Knox County (failed settlement); back to Holmes County; then over to Williams County; eventually they went to McLean County, Illinois. My great grandfather stayed there while his father and mother went back to Howard County, Indiana. His mother died in Howard County. His father moved up to St. Joseph County, Michigan and then out to McPherson County, Kansas (where he eventually died and is buried in the Amish Cemetery). So - they lived all over!

They have seen half the country!

I'm a mess in following threads this week. Can't.keep.up.

Nice review of Growing Up Amish, Diana. I'll probably read this, after reading your comments about it and those of Katherine (qebo). She lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (PA), which has the largest population of Amish in the state. It's relatively common to see Amish people selling baked goods in and around Philadelphia, as Lancaster County is close to the city (~80 miles away), and (as Lori mentioned) Berks County is even closer (~50 miles away). I visited Lancaster County (Lancaster, Bird-in-Hand or Intercourse), the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, several times when I was in high school in Bucks County, PA, on school or church trips; these cities are popular tourist areas, and we would visit farms, shops that made furniture and family style restaurants (there was one in particular that Katherine probably knows about). I've wanted to read a book about the Amish from an insider's view, and although Growing Up Amish may not be the best written of books, it still seems like a valuable one.

>72 thornton37814: Interesting information about the origins and travels of the Amish, Lori!

>(back to) 64 The Pope's resignation was a complete surprise and a massive news story in the US as well. Here's the front page of today's Late Edition of The New York Times; the large type of the main headline is only used a few times per year for the most significant news stories, the last time being when President Obama was re-elected in November. The paper I received today (National Edition) is slightly different, but the headline and layout of the main article are the same.

Hi Diana, hope you're feeling better. Growing Up Amish sounds interesting. It's a group that surprises me from time to time. For example, in Sarasota,Florida (where my sister-in-law lives) there is a whole neighborhood of them in the city. Some stay there year-round and operate businesses catering to the general population but others come only for the winter or retire there! That's so different from how I understood their beliefs. Also, a couple of years ago we were on a cruise to Hawaii and there were about 30 Amish aboard. Some were even frequently to be found in the computer room. We talked to a few of them and turned out they hadn't known each other before the trip and had bought their tickets from an "Amish travel agency". Who knew?!?

#75 Darryl I read today that the Italian reporter who broke the news could do so because she understand Latin whereas the rest of the press present had to wait for the official translation to be made of the announcement. I thought that was quite funny.

Dear Darryl, Reba and Rhian, thanks for the very interesting information!
I love reading your experiences.

This is a tough one for your books...

For your books in the kitchen.

Now those are two wild and crazy bookcases!!

13. No Name - Wilkie Collins
762 p.

After the tragic deaths of their parents, Norah and Magdalen discover the devastating news that they are both illegitimate and not entitled to any inheritance. Norah is forced to become a governess to earn her keep but Magdalen has grander plans and embarks on an elaborate scheme of revenge against her cold-hearted relatives.

Collins has written excellent characters in a sometimes far-fetched plot.

7/10

Hello Diana, finally catching up on your thread as well :). Love your pics, as usual very well choosen. Thank you for the interesting review on Growing Up Amish the book is gone straight onto my wishlist.

Hi Bianca, thank you. I hope you'll like the Amish-book, it's very interesting :)

I like this garage.

Fun garage door but I do hope it's wallpaper because I would hate to think of books being treated that way.

The swooping bookshelf is a good one! Great image, it'd look so cool in a book shop, or an art gallery.

Glad you liked your latest Wilkie Collins!

Reba, yes it's wallpaper, you can see the structure of the door.

Megan, Wilkie Collins is just wonderful!

I'd forget to sleep :)

Diana, you find the BEST images -- love this!!

Thank you dear :)

I've started Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer. LT makes me read books I didn't touch before :)

Hi Diana- Those rubber bookshelves can be a hassle sometimes! I have had Devil's Peak on my WL for ages. Enjoy the weekend.

Hi Diana, I hope you will enjoy the book. :) Agree with you - same here - due to all the recommendations and the book talk and do go quite often for books I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

I hope you will have a relaxing weekend with your family. BTW Love the book porn *smile*

Hi Diana! Thanks again for the wonderful images!

Devil's Peak is on my wishlist as well. I believe due to Paul.

Have a lovely weekend!

Great photos, Diana!

Thank you Mark, Bianca, Kerri and Darryl!

I didn't have time to read a lot, but I'm in Devil's Peak now. So far, so good, I like it.

What about a window of books?

#99 I could guarantee I would want to read one of the books at the bottom!

The Dutch have always had wonderfully wide window ledges which would make this possible. Wouldn't let much light in but is a good tease from the outside (and a nice change from plants and copper pots, although I love them) and would definitely add interest from the inside.

#99 that looks like the floor in front of my bookshelf

Good Morning!

Hi Heather, Reba and Baka. I love the fact that the titles of the book are on the inside of the room :)
Won't copy it though.

It's a cold and sunny day, no snow, no rain. Excellent!

14. Devil's Peak - Deon Meyer
409 p.

Former freedom fighter Thobela Mpayipheli has finally achieved his dream of a peaceful life. But then his beloved son is taken away from him. In that moment, he unleashes himself upon a corrupt South Africa. His victims are those guilty of crimes against children. He goes by the name of Artemis.

Benny Griessel, a fading policeman on the brink of losing his job, family and self-respect, is assigned the case. Benny knows that this is his last chance - both his career and the safety of Cape Town are on the line.

But then Benny meets Christine, a young mother working as a prostitute, and something happens. The world will never be the same again for Benny, for Christine, or for Thobela.

Deon Meyer wrote a gripping South African thriller. I finished the book last night, I couldn't put it down and had less than 3 hours of sleep :)

8/10

What a crazy day.

The car broke down. The electric wheelchair broke down. Youngest Son had a flat tyre in his bike. Etc, etc, etc.

Hopefully the car will be alright in a short while, because Oldest Son has to present a thesis-thing tonight, with both parents. I'm listening if Husband can fix it in time.

#107 Ugh, sympathies for the crazy day - I hope you can get things fixed for tonight.

Oh dear Diana -- hope it all gets repaired in time and that #1 son's presentation goes well.

Thank you, Heather and Reba.

The car was repaired in time, pfff, so we made it to the presentation. I'm so proud. My big son stood there and talked. His autism is an almost unbearable burden to himself, but he did it!

Good morning Diana,

great to see that you could sort your car out in time and congrats to a wonderful son, who despite his problems managed to give a presentation in front of people.

You are so right to be proud of him. *big smile*

Hi Bianca. Yes, and I love my boys to pieces, I absolutely do.

There's something strange in their perception. I've always been a mother with rules in the education. I wanted to teach my sons the value of people, to become tolerant, well-behaved, caring grown-ups. They tell me they didn't notice my strict rules and they seem to remember all kind of good things.
At 18 and almost 17, my sons are such wonderful persons and I learn a lot, just being their mother :)

Hello Diana! I've been lurking for some time and I do enjoy your threads. I think you've hit me with Devil's Peak. On to the wishlist it goes. Congratulations to your eldest for making his presentation.

Roberta

>112 wilkiec: -- what a lovely thing to be able to say. Congratulations on your success as a mother. Congratulations to your son, also. Is he finishing secondary school?

Roberta, welcome! i hope you'll like Devil's Peak; I certainly did.

Reba, thanks, but I don't know about my influence in having such wonderful sons. I'm a lucky parent :)
My son is finishing secondary school this year, he's a history and languages guy. All the final exams will be in May and in June we'll have the results. My youngest son will finish secondary school next year, he's our science guy. It's funny to see the humanities side (my own background) and the science side, with which I'm less familiar.

15. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
372 p.

It is midnight on 30th June 1860 and all is quiet in the Kent family's elegant house in Road, Wiltshire. The next morning, however, they wake to find that their youngest son has been the victim of an unimaginably gruesome murder. Even wore, the guilty party is surely one of their number - the house was bolted from the inside.

As Jack Whicher, the most celebrated detective of his day, arrives at Road to track down the killer, the murder provokes national hysteria at the thought of what might be festering behind the closed doors of respectable middle-class homes.

This true story has all the hallmarks of a classic gripping murder mystery. A body, a detective, a country house steeped in secrets and a whole family of suspects - it should be the original Victorian whodunnit.
I had high hopes for this non-fiction work. I like the Victorian period in literature, I love reading about history. This is a very well researched book. My 'problem' is that Kate Summerscale describes every detail, and for me it became somewhat boring. But that's just personal taste and she had to compete with my beloved Wilkie Collins. Maybe that's not fair.

6/10

>Nice review - you can't be fair, can you? when Wilkie Collins always lurks in your head ...

I agree, Paul, so people have to sort out for themselves ;)

16. Verzamelde gedichten - M. Vasalis
196 p.

M. Vasalis, real name Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans, was a Dutch child psychiatrist and poet, who died in 1998. She wrote just 4 poetry collections: they are all together in this edition.

I know you can't enjoy her poems, because there are no translations and that's a pity.

9/10

I'm still struggling to properly appreciate poetry so probably shouldn't tackle it in Dutch. Besides, I've not had much luck getting copies of Dutch books in the original in the U.S. :(

Reba, Vasalis wrote very readable poems in clear language. I could send you a copy if you like?

What other Dutch books are you trying to get, Reba?

Thanks Diana, how sweet of you, but I wouldn't want you to have to do that. I'm not looking for anything in particular right now but about in the past I've run across things that sounded interesting and couldn't get them, even on Amazon. Since then, however, Paul has mentioned another mail-order place he uses and which I haven't tried -- might work there.

My daughter (seasonsoflove) loved The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Diana, but she's a real true crime aficionado. I suspect my reaction might be closer to yours.

Ok Reba, let me know if you change your mind.

Joe, I can understand your daughter too. For me, the details became too much, the story got a bit dull. But it certainly is well written and a paradise for true crime aficionados :)

Thank you again, Diana -- if there's something I'm really anxious to read I may take you up on it.

Hi Diana- The LT love for Devil's Peak continues! I NEED to find a copy very soon, so I can find out for myself what all the fuss is about.

Good Morning!

Yes Mark, you NEED to read Devil's Peak, I hope you'll love it.

HI Diana, just stopping by to wish you a good morning. Unfortunately, I am not soo much of a crime fan. However, I put Devil's Peak in my Black Hole. I have made a crime category for the 13 category challenge, so I have something to put in there :)

Hi Bianca, good morning to you. Before LT, I didn't care for crime fiction either. My comfort zone reading is historical fiction, fiction, non-fiction. I hardly ever read fantasy, SF, thrillers and never horror or graphic novels.

Now I have to admit that thrillers can actually be fun. Sometimes. Not all of them. But Devil's Peak was good, I can't help it :)

Hi Diana. I know what you mean about the detail in The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. I liked it a lot depite that, I think because of all the links she gave to detetctive fiction of the time (like The Moonstone by the other WilkieC) and people's attitudes towards crime at the time etc.

Hi Heather, I can understand your reasons to like The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher a lot. I'm glad you did :)

I've just started Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

Wow, this is excellent non-fiction!!

Diana I read Stiff last month. What a great read it is. Dare I say it was even fun. That is the nurse in me talking because I'm sure folks would think I'm loony for thinking cadavers as a subject matter are fun. Her writing style is quite fun. The footnotes had me laughing out loud. Mark, msf59, is a huge fan and has recommended her other books.

Roberta, you're right, it is fun. I'm afraid I'm not a nurse, and also laughing out loud.

Mary Roach could easily become one of my favorite authors. I don't have any of her other books in my Mountain TBR yet.

You will Diana, you will have her books on Mountain TBR! :)

Read it in public and have all those people wondering...

I'm stunned...and tempted. A "great read" -- you wouldn't kid a girl now, would you?

I hope I will, Roberta :)

Reba, I'm serious: I really love Stiff! My only problem is, it reads too fast, I don't want it to end.

Reba - I "kid" you not. Mary Roach's footnotes are enough to sell the book.

Diana - you are correct, it does read very fast. High praise for non-fiction I think.

OK, I couldn't resist. It's on the iPad.

I hope you'll enjoy it, Reba.

Wonderful photos! I'm going back to your older threads. I posted a summary of the details about the murder at Road Hill House and it's effect on mystery fiction. It's details from Summerscale's book but put together in a more linear format as the murder relates to mystery fiction. If you are interested it is at - h ope the link works -

http://booksmoviesandgames.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-murder-at-road-hill-hous...

Hi Max. Thank you for your Road Hill House-link, that's interesting! I'll definitely read it.

A very Dutch picture:

oops

Love the landscape. All that's missing are the cows and tulips :-)

Reba, that's a difficult one, but look what I found:

There you are: cow, tulip, windmill, all in one :)

In case you're missing the sheep now

lol -- love it!!

I want them all: sheep, cows, tulips and windmills.

There's only one solution, Ren: come visit the Netherlands :)

Book love

immersed in words - have a good Sunday

Hi Diana- I am glad you are enjoying Stiff. Roach is such a hoot and she is so smart too! My favorite is Packing for Mars, with Stiff a close second. She has a new book coming out soon, called Gulp. I'll be there!

She is indeed immersed in words, Paul :)

Mark, Mary Roach is certainly fantastic! All her other books will be on my wishlist.

Diana thank you for stopping by my thread. I hope your weekend has been lovely.

Beautiful photos of the Netherlands. One of my dearest friends is going home in April to see the festivities for Queen Beatrix. I'm so excited for her. She gets to see her 90+ mom too. That is always a wonderful blessing.

Glad you are enjoying Stiff.

Roberta, it's so wonderful that your friend has the chance to see her 90+ mom!

The festivities for Queen Beatrix' abdication and the start of King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima will be exciting. Holland is planning parties throughout the country on April 30.

In relation to Texas it's not much, my country is just as big as a very small part of Texas: we're very mini :)

17. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach
304 p.

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

This book is educational, entertaining, fascinating. It is weird, but always respectful. Mary Roach has a new fan!

9/10

I'm having another fast read: The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornsby. I'ts a book about reading and it's fun :)

Royal Mail's Jane Austen-stamps for the Bicentenary of Pride and Prejudice

18. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree - Nick Hornby
278 p.

This is not really a book of reviews. This is not a book that sneers at other books. This is a book about reading - about enjoying books wherever and however you find them.

Nick Hornby is first and foremost a reader and he approaches books like the rest of us: hoping to pick up one he can't put down. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is a diary of sorts, charting his reading life over two years. It is a celebration of why we read - its pleasures, it's disappointments and its surprise.

This is a collection of columns that Hornby road for Believer. Although I didn't know most of the books he mentions, his story of the universal love for reading provided a nice read.

7/10

Diana you find the most amazing pictures providing me with a parade of delighted smiles and chuckles!! I LOVE the chaise. I can fully imagine having it in my house (if there was room).

Thank you Reba :)
I would break my chaise to take the books out and read them.

Don't try this at home!

Love the Austen stamps and the fanciful book posts, Diana! My wife loved Stiff, too, and is a Mary Roach fan.

Thank you, Joe! Did you also read Stiff yourself or did you leave it up to your wife?

Good Morning!

I'll start The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue.

#161 Glad you enjoyed that one. I read Roach's Packing for Mars a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it but for some reason haven't got round to any of her other books.

#163 And I like the stamps :-)

#171 I really liked The Sealed Letter - looking forward to your thoughts.

Isn't Hornby great? I read all 4 of his books on books and they are all highly entertaining and add mercilessly to the wishlists!

Hi Heather.

I guess I wanted The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher to be followed by a fiction book with similar themes, and so I picked The Sealed Letter. Of course I'll write down my thoughts afterwards :)

Hi Mark.
Yes, Hornby is highly entertaining! The other 2 of his books on books are on my Mountain TBR, I'll get to them in the future.

There are 2 orders with Bookdepository that I didn't receive yet.

1:

- Here be Dragons
- Falls the Shadow
- Time and Chance
- When Christ and His Saints Slept
- The Reckoning
- Devil's Brood
- Iron House by John Hart

I already own Lionheart and The Sunne in Splendour and I had to buy more Sharon Kay Penman.

Order 2:

- Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
- Bonk by Mary Roach
- Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
- River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh
- Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
- Doc by Mary Doria Russell
- The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann

Yeahhh!

Now those pillow I would have room for...

Looks like two reaaly good book orders there. Hope they come soon.

If I had an ereader, I'd certainly miss the smell of my book. But there's a solution!



LOL, I love it.

Me too, Reba!

I went to bed early and now I'm back, can't sleep.

I should go back, grab my book or count sheep. Good night!

I have that same pillow! LOL.

>154 wilkiec: WOW- I love that image!!
Ill be back to comment on the other cool images I saw as I scrolled down hurredly to comment on the word one.

Eta: Love the book stamps and the second pillow too, not to mention the deck chair! COOL.

I hope all the flat tyres, mechanical failures for car and chair are mended already, what a hassle.

Mark, I opened your thread and thought: I know that pillow!

Megan, there's so much cool stuff with books and words and libraries :)

19. Gedichten - Judith Herzberg
75 p.

A Dutch newspaper, Trouw, has edited a small collection of the work of Judith Herzberg, Dutch poet.
She writes rather depressing poems and I recognize her skills, but it was a difficult read.

6/10

I LOVE the cat!! It gave me a great morning chuckle.

It's a somber and depressing day today. The weather suits my emotions perfectly, February 28 is a day that I'd rather skip.

Reba, I'll go find more cats, they are lovely.

Poor February - if you skip the 28th it's getting even smaller....

Paul, February will get used to it, eventually.

I love the visuals you come up with, Diana! I wonder whether we'll see a "Book Hoarders" show on TV any time soon. I might watch that one.

Thanks Joe! If there'll come a "Book Hoarders" show on TV, I hope we can watch it in Holland too :)

By now your Feb. 28th is almost over. I hope it was better than you expected and that March 1 will put a smile on your face, as the kitties did on mine.

Reading cats? I'd be very pleased if our cat would show more interest in serious stuff ... it is just complaining about the food and scratches me *sigh*