Diana (Wilkiec) loves to read in 2014, Page 6

This thread is mainly about books and sports.





It's day 5 of the Olympic Games and the athletes are doing great. Tonight the ice-hockey tournament for men will start!

My reading in 2014:

January

1. The Path Between the Seas - David McCullough 8/10, 702 p.
2. Liever rechtop sterven dan op je knieën leven - Abraham Moszkowicz 6/10, 272 p.
3. Don't Look Back - Karin Fossum 8/10, 432 p.
4. Dust and Shadow - Lyndsay Faye 6/10, 352 p.
5. Opperlans! - Hugo Brandt Corstius a.k.a. Battus 7/10, 676 p.
6. The Redeemer - Jo Nesbo 8/10, 592 p.
7. Er ist wieder da - Timur Vermes 4/10, 400 p.
8. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel 6/10, 674 p.
9. Toen ik je zag - Isa Hoes 8/10, 284 p.
10. The Snowman - Jo Nesbo 9/10, 586 p.
11. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides 6/10, 288 p.
12. De Verenigde Staten in de Twintigste Eeuw - Maarten van Rossem 7/10, 514 p.

Pages read in January: 5672

February

13. Jack Sheppard - William Ainsworth 8/10, 584 p.
14. The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach 7/10, 724 p.
15. Imperium - Robert Harris 9/10, 496 p.
16. Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear 8/10, 320 p.
17. The Rehearsal - Eleanor Catton 5/10, 336 p.
18. MS van binnenuit - Ad Bakx 2/10, 144 p.
19. The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny 6/10, 512 p.
20. Het Marco-effect - Jussi Adler-Olsen 7/10, 512 p.

Pages read in February: 3628

March

Pages read in March:

April

Pages read in April:

Favourite reads 2014:

Fiction
- Imperium - Robert Harris
- The Snowman - Jo Nesbo
- Jack Sheppard - William Ainsworth

Non-fiction

- The Path Between the Seas - David McCullough

Welcome!

Being first is always so much fun! I love David McCullough - there isn't one of his books I haven't devoured! Then I'm always saying, in conversation, "In this book by David McCullough I read all about that..... bla bla bla....." I have a friend who just visited Panama, so I had a recent chance to to do just that!

Lucy, you're very fast!
This was my first David McCullough, but I have a couple in my Mountain TBR and on the wishlist. You sound wise in your conversations :-)

Ah the interest is so wonderful for that, for making a person have the chance to appear wise. In reality..... who knows! I have my moments at either end of the spectrum!

That's perfect for the balance!

16. Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear
320 p.

This was my first book in the Maisie Dobbs series. The story tells about World War I and there's not much emphasis on the mystery part. It's very well written and I loved it more than I expected before.

8/10

It's almost time for speed skating. Today it's 1000 m for men, and there are four Dutch contenders:

1. Stefan Groothuis
2. Michel Mulder (yep, the gold medal winner 500 m)
3. Koen Verweij
4. Mark Tuitert

There's a possibility for more Dutch medals, I certainly hope they'll do great!

The American Shani Davis is favorite for gold.



Or will this man, Stefan Groothuis, be the best?

Just to jump in on the McCullough conversation: he's one of my faves, discovered in the US Presidents Challenge. I'd read a phonebook he put together. :)

Have fun with the speed skating, Diana!

Diana - Nice new thread. I really haven't been watching the Olympics. Maybe I'll get caught up this weekend.

Nice review of Maisie Dobbs; it's a good series, and I agree, the mystery isn't central.

Congratulations on your latest thread and for joining the 1000 posts on a thread club for 2014 - the 8th to do so.

Hi Diana, congrats on your new thread. It looks like we are still in the Olympic fever.

Yes, Gold and Bronze!! Stefan Groothuis en Michael Mulder.

Congratulations!!!! :-D

Again!!

Jim, that's a perfect recommendation for David McCullough!

Thank you, Beth :-)

1000 posts, Paul. That's a lot.

Connie, they did it!

Barbara, it doesn't get boring, does it? :-)

Never :-D

Barbara, your country won two medals in women's downhill today. Congratulations!

Thanks Diana, we are very happy :-D

We get these broadcasts later in the day than you do. I'm hoping to see this race tonight. Nice to see so much orange on the podium again.

Diana, you are really a wizard in getting these pictures of our boys on your thread so quickly!

Barbara, I bet you are!

Becky, is it a problem that you know the outcome before you see it?

Connie, I think they deserve to be seen by our international friends :-)

>35 wilkiec:. No, not at all.

Ok Becky, that's great :-)

>35 wilkiec:, 37, 38. Diana, I love your enthusiasm for the Games! I frequently miss an event that I wish I'd seen, so knowing the Dutch boys did well reminds me to tune in. Such fun!

Great new thread and love the Olympic enthusiasm here!

Congrats on the new thread, Diana, and another stellar performance by the Dutch athletes! This Olympics is going to be happily remembered by you and your compatriots for a long, long time, I'm sure.

Becky, you can be sure I remind you :-)

Hi Lori, I'm glad you love the enthusiasm. Big sports fan here.

Joe, you're right. The Netherlands will remember this Olympics for a long, long time!

I'm loving the Olympics even though we are not likely to win much, it's the taking part that counts.

Like I said before, it's the Dutch Olympics! Bravo!!

John, you're right. The Netherlands is no wintersports country either, it's only the speed skating. I love watching, with or without Dutch contenders.

Richard, we have trouble believing all these medals. It's still unreal.

Hi Diana- Congrats on the new thread. I am not watching the Olympics, so nothing to add there, but I am reading. I see you are back in Three Pines. I am due for a visit.

Hi Mark! Reading is always good :-)

Yes, I'm back in Three Pines, the fifth in the series this time.

Hi there, Diana! Congratulations on your medal worthy new thread! I've been watching a lot of the Olympics too, or at least, trying. Our network is showing the best stuff at night and I just can't keep my eyes open. I've been loving this slope style stuff. So exciting and no matter what sport it is, I scare my family with my loud gasps when an athlete takes a tumble.
Only a week left :0( - but it's so nice that there are Olympics every two years!

Hi Lynda! Ain't that slope style stuff amazing? I'm glad you're enjoying the Olympics as much as possible; it's difficult with the time zones of course.

In 45 minutes, there will be speed skating again! It's the women's 1000 m today. Two American women, Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson, have done great this year.

Fortunately, we have 4 Dutch contenders, too ;-)

1. Ireen Wüst
2. Margot Boer
3. Lotte van Beek
4. Marrit Leenstra

The two American ladies will probably skate very fast. Maybe Ireen Wüst can get a second medal?

And don't forget Lotte van Beek, she's been fast, too. Here she is:

>54 wilkiec:. Very cute, Diana.

Cute indeed, Diana. Good luck to Ireen today!

Yeah!! Silver and bronze!

Hello Becky and Richard, I liked it too :-)

Gold is for Chinese Hong Zhang, silver for Ireen Wüst and bronze for Margot Boer. Twelve Dutch medals...

>53 wilkiec: I just became a big Ireen Wust fan! First openly gay athlete to win a medal at the Sochi Olympics -- and she had an audience withPutin. Huzzah!

Marianne, Ireen Wüst is not gay, she's bisexual. She had a girlfriend, but at the moment she has a relation with a man. But she's awesome, so please stay fan! :-)

Here they are:

Yes, we did it again!!

Ha Connie, it's unbelievable!

Ohh! lovely!

>54 wilkiec: I like that one, Diana. :-)

Woo, speed-skating dominance. What an Olympics for the Dutch speed skaters!

It is, Connie!

Me too, Joe :-) My Mountain TBR is so high with paper books, no time to move to ebooks.

#65 is lovely!

The dutch speed skaters are dominating this year! Congrats! Its so much fun to come to your thread and see your excitement. We continue to enjoy the Olympics here as well. The only event we don't really care for is curling.

Hi Heidi! Dutch television doesn't broadcast curling. If we want to watch it, we have to choose the BBC channel or an internet stream. However, I love all the other sports too much, so no time for curling.

17. The Rehearsal - Eleanor Catton
336 p.

After a teacher has an affair with an underage student, a group of teenage girls gains a new awareness of their own power to attract and manipulate, and when a local drama group turns the story of the affair into their year-end show, reality and drama merge.

Why write in an easy style if you can go for difficult? It seems as if Eleanor Catton had this thought when she wrote the novel. She can certainly write, but the style of this book didn't appeal to me.

5/10

Happy Valentine's day, Diana.

Thank you, John, you too.

I have yet to delve into The Rehearsal...I'm a little afraid to, since I liked The Luminaries so much. Now...well....

Richard, I've seen many reviews of The Rehearsal that praise the book. It's just the way she tells the story that doesn't grab me, but the praise is often about that same style :-)

Hmm. Well. I dunno. Still a bit skittish about the whole idea.

I understand, Richard. That's why I decided to read The Rehearsal first, after reading all these stellar reviews of The Luminaries. Building towards a climax.

This Friday there's no speed skating on the Olympics. There are no sports with Dutch athletes today, so we don't win medals.

Fortunately, tomorrow the speed skating will continue!

Happy Valentin's day, Diana. Switzerland was lucky today - 2 gold and 1 silver medal :-D

My mistake about MS. Wust's sexuality. This is what I get for relying on the internet for my news... Never fear, I'm a huge fan no matter what. She was tremendous.

Interesting review of The Rehearsal. Think I'll give it a pass.

Thank you, Barbara. Switzerland had a fantastic day!

Hi Marianne! Ireen Wüst has gold and silver now. Tomorrow she'll be back for another distance.

At the moment there's shorttrack. The two Dutch women just went through to the semifinals in the 1500 m and there's one Dutch man in the semifinals in the 1000 m.

In three hours, there will be speed skating again, 1500 m for men. The Americans seem to get permission to skate in their old suits.
There are four Dutch contenders:

1. Koen Verweij
2. Stefan Groothuis (gold medal 1000 m)
3. Mark Tuitert
4. Jan Blokhuizen (silver medal 5000 m)

There are roughly twelve favorites here, this will be so exciting!

Wow You Nederlanders are pretty nifty on your skates!

Have to disagree somewhat about your bi-sexual skater. She is of course gay. Gay as can be that she has just won a medal at the Olympics.

When I grew up (probably several months ago) and realised there was little possibility of sleeping with all the world's array of beautiful ladies (notwithstanding that SWMBO would be standing by with a sharp knife and a balloon) - I decided that sexuality really doesn't matter a jot does it so long as it is not imposed on another unwillingly (hetero included)? It is great when you can be friends with someone for the fact that you find them a really great person and the genitalia stuff doesn't get in the way.
Just a thought, is it a coincidence that genitalia ends in "italia"?

Have a lovely weekend.

Paul, I agree with you about the genitalia stuff, and so does Ireen Wüst. Her comment: "I love people and when I love someone, it doesn't matter to me if it's a man or a woman."
I don't think I see the italia-connection.

Jorien Ter Mors reached the final in the 1500 m for women, shorttrack!

Sorry Diana - It was a joke at the expense of the Italians and their famous libido - not a very good joke either.

Then I did understand you; I just thought:huh, but the Italian libido is so famous. Lol!

Sjinkie Knegt reached the final in the 1000 m for men, shorttrack!

Dutch athletes never won an Olympic medal in shorttrack, but they have a chance now.

Jorien ter Mors is 4 in the final.

Sjinkie Knegt won the bronze medal in his final!

And now we are skating again and 'we' are doing very good.

I never learned how to skate!

Koen Verweij won the silver medal!

Fourteen medals now.

Verweij is not happy, the difference with gold is 0,003 seconds...

Diana, I've seen the race and the waiting has been dramatically.

But nevertheless, congrats on the two medals :-D

So sorry for Koen! This is really ........

But another silver medal is great. Although he doesn't think so yet!
And the bronze for Sjinkie is a yeah!!

Have been enjoying all the skating today. Congrats on all the lovely medals...

@65 I want that living room!!! And that view. Lovely. The Rehearsal sounds like one to pass. Thanks for taking the hit on this one.

Diana, I wish you a lovely Sunday

Hi Diana, Have a nice sunday! with new medals for the ladies!

Barbara, the waiting was awful, yes. I hope he's been able to sleep last night.
Happy Sunday to you, too!

Marianne, I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Today will also be spectular!

Katie, I'd love to join you in that room!

I'm afraid I did Eleanor Catton wrong with my comments, it was only a personal disliking of a good style.

Hi Connie, happy Sunday to you, too! Ready for the women today :-)

Happy Sunday, Diana!

>99 Ameise1: That is an awesome image, Barbara!

Happy Sunday, Darryl!

Yes, Diana, i'm! I will do some ironing while watching the women skate. Rigth now I'm trying to work my way through the threads here.

That's a big job, Connie ;-)

Today's speed skating is the 1500 m for women. We have four Dutch contenders again:

1. Ireen Wüst
2. Lotte van Beek
3. Jorien ter Mors
4. Marrit Leenstra

I think Ireen Wüst will be capable to win this. Lotte van Beek should be able to get a medal, too.

In 75 minutes, it will start and we're already excited!

And Jorien skated the fastest race before the break!

I agree with you about Maisie Dobbs. It felt more like historical fiction than a mystery. I also enjoyed it very much and gave it 8 stars, too!

Ha Morphy, I like it that we had the same experience and the same rating!

!, 2, 3 and 4

How about that!

Connie, not only before the break ;-)

1500 m women:

1. Jorien ter Mors - gold
2. Ireen Wüst - silver
3. Lotte van Beek - bronze
4. Marrit Leenstra - no medal, but fourth place!

I guess that makes seventeen medals!

It's great, Connie!

Wow...

And #4:

Yes I know Diana!

I really am flabbergasted by all the succes.

And we still have some skating to do!

Diana & Connie, congrats on your fabulous and magical ladies.

Me too, Connie.

Thank you, Barbara!

SEVENTEEN MEDALS. SEVENTEEN!! This will go down in history as the Dutch Olympics for sure, now. Seventeen! How wonderful!

And we are not finished yet!

Wow, simply wow. The Dutch skating team is really something special!

Not caught up at all... but skimming, it looks like you are a fan of the Olympics. One more week to go! Hope you continue to enjoy it :)

Richard, SEVENTEEN! And we're such a small country.

Connie, tomorrow is the 10.000 m. Indeed, not finished yet.

Becky, I guess we're flabbergasted too!

Hi Kath! it looks like you are a fan of the Olympics LOL

I'm a big sports fan, yes. Cycling is my favorite, Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, the classics in spring and autumn...

Here's to hoping the medal count grows!

Ditto, Richard! xx

Seventeen medals.... That is AWESOME!!!! *Whoot! Whoot!*

Lori, it is!!

18. MS van binnenuit - Ad Bakx
144 p.

This is a book about Multiple Sclerosis and the experiences of patients. There are many poems and a couple of very short stories. The poems are akward and I sense much self-pity. Meh.

2/10

Stopping by - so glad the Dutch are having a great Olympics!

Thank you, Lucy, so are we!

19. The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
512 p.

There's a dead man, without a weapon, a motive or a suspect. Another book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.

The mystery is, in relation to the others in the series, somewhat weak in my opinion. There's not much question about the culprit.

6/10

The 10.000 m speed skating for men is under way. No Dutch athletes yet, they skate in the last three heats.

There are three Dutch contenders:

1. Sven Kramer
2. Jorrit Bergsma
3. Bob de Jong

Bob de Jong just skated his race and his time is not very strong. I think Sven Kramer and Jorrit Bergsma can be 1 and 2, but Bob's race could be too weak for third place...

Oh no! No...

1. Jorrit Bergsma
2. Sven Kramer
3. Bob de Jong

Gold, silver and bronze, that's twenty medals.

But Sven Kramer didn't win... :-(

Yes another sweep!

And I think Sven has got to keep in mind that there will be someone to take over as he gets older.

He, Diana. We can watch the cycling together this summer ;-))

Sven was injured, now I understand.

I'd love it if you watch cycling too, Connie! :-)

Congratulations!!!!!! Well done!!!!!!

Thank you, Barbara. I feel so sorry for Sven Kramer, but another clean sweep is nice.

O Connie, Bergsma is two months older than Kramer :-)

He, I did not know that!

TWENTY!!! This is the best Olympics in my memory for the right people/teams winning medals. Very happy for all the Dutch medalists!

Good morning Daina. I wish you alovely day

Connie, Bergsma is 28 and Kramer will be 28 soonish.

Richard, I love your enthousiasm for the Dutch athletes. Thank you, dear!

Thanks, Barbara. No snowflakes here, it's a rather cloudy day. I'm watching snowboard parallel giant slalom for women, with Nicolien Sauerbreij.

No medal for Sauerbreij, she's out in the 1/8 finals with 0.05 seconds difference.

That's a pity.

And there is some more speed skating this afternoon!

Yes, speed skating! It's 5.000 m for women today. There are three Dutch contenders:

1. Ireen Wüst
2. Yvonne Nauta
3. Carien Kleibeuker

Obviously, Czech Martina Sablikova will win. Will there be a Dutch woman in the first three?

It has been a good winter Olympics for the Dutch Diana, I have really enjoyed watching your speed skaters.

John, I don't think the Dutch will ever have such a good winter Olympics again. It's quite exceptional.

I have hopes for one medal this afternoon. And the Dutch speed skaters should be able to win a medal in the team pursuit for men and for women, but that's always a risky thing because there are many falls.

Your winter Olympics is like our London success, not sure it will be replicated.

Yes John, your London success was fantastic! Those were such wonderful Games.

Well, Diana, I guess we have to take the wins where we can get them. Last night our network didn't even show the 10,000M speed skating race, which is sad. I would have loved to have seen it, but maybe I can find it on YouTube. However, we did get to see the snowboard cross, an event I've never seen before. Such fun, and our guy, Alex Deibold, got Bronze. That was fun to watch, and it made my day.

Hi Becky! I saw Alex Deibold winning bronze, congratulations! Snowboard cross is wonderful to watch, I agree.

Tomorrow there'll be another cross, freestyle skiing. That should also be spectacular.

Wow, they did better than expected on the 5.000 m.

1. Martina Sablikova - gold
2. Ireen Wüst - silver
3. Carien Kleibeuker - bronze

That's twenty-two medals...

Yeah!!! I just saw the last 3 races. I was working and was on the way home for the first 4 or so.

But we did very well again!

Connie, the Dutch athletes did! Well, we have two team pursuits to go, with finals on Saturday :-)

Russia...Russia!!...is tied with HOLLAND at 22 medals...six each on golds.

Russia. A gigantic, rich country with a long long long history of Olympic winter sports.

You GO Dutch folk!! *happy dance*

OMG, another two medals. Congratulations!!!!

Richard, it's weird to see that Russia has just as much medals :-)

Thanks, Barbara.

No medal, but a fantastic achievement: bobsleigh women, 2 persons, Netherlands was 4!
We have no mountains, no facilities whatsoever. Well done!

20. Het Marco-effect - Jussi Adler-Olsen
512 p.

This is the newest (fifth) in the Q series, not yet translated in English, and I enjoyed it. Again!

7/10

Glad to see that you are still having so much fun with the Olympics :)
Oh a book. I have to try to read one of those... soon.

Hi Kath! Please try a book some time ;-)

Well, only three days of Olympic Games to go. It will be thrilling days with many finals.

I love these Games, but two weeks is really enough. Next Monday there will be more time for reading again!

Agree on next week. I haven't done much reading during the Games ;-).

Hi Diana, I wish you a lovely day.

A lovely day for you, too, Barbara!

The 1/4 finals team pursuit for women were very good: they proceed to the semi finals tomorow, yeah!

The 1/4 finals team pursuit for men were also good: they proceed to the semi finals, that will take place in a moment. Yeah!

The Dutch men won their semi finals! This means tomorrow there will be gold or silver, nice :-)

More medals for the Dutch! Yay! Even if it stays at 23, it's an amazing Olympics for y'all, and an exciting one too. Happy weekend!

Richard, the women could win medal 24, they should win their semi finals. This afternoon we'll know about the men and women :-)
Happy weekend to you, too! xx

Getting ready to watch the pursuit races, Diana? Have a happy weekend.

Good afternoon Diana.

Hi Diana- Just checking in. I am sure you are sad that the Olympics are wrapping up. Hey, more time for reading, right?
Glad to hear the latest Dept Q book was a good one.

Congrats on all you're counties success at the Olympics, Diana!
I just don't get the US speedskating team this year. Could they actually blame it on the suits their wearing? I don't know. If so, why weren't they a whole lot better when they wore the old suits? Then there's the hard ice, soft ice controversy. *shrugs*
So sorry that it's almost all over :o( Oh! but wait, we'll be starting baseball season soon after and that we'll keep our nights filled.
Have a good weekend!

Wow. Gold, gold, gold, gold, gold and gold!

Good afternoon, John :-)

Hi Mark! I'm not sad that the Olympics will be over on Monday, it's enough ;-) It was great!

Diana & Connie, congratulations!!!!!

Hi Lynda! I don't know what's wrong with the US speed skating. I don't much believe in the suit-story, but it's sad. Hopefully, the US (and Canadian and Norwegian) speed skaters will be back on full speed soon.

Connie, men: gold, women: gold!!!!!

Barbara, thanks, it's great. We finish these Olympic Games with 24 (TWENTY-FOUR...) medals, 8 of which are gold. This is a dream...

I know! ** Happy dance ** Congrats Diana!

Thanks for all the fun we could share.

Now let's get some cycling done!

Yes, happy dance! Party Connie!

Speaking about cycling, it's just a month until Milan-San Remo. * another happy dance *

Oh yes, I'm in for the cycling season :-D

Great Barbara, I love to discuss it with you all :-)

The golden men:

We will be ready for that one, Diana!

Okay Connie!

The golden women:

Twenty-four!! AMAZING! And very memorable. Much happy smiling around my house for the excellent Dutch athletes.

What an Olympics for the Dutch. 8 gold medals, too. Wonderful, Diana!

Hi Diana :-)

*waving* at Diana

Diana, I wish you a lovely Sunday

Richard, amazing, yes!

Joe, these Olympics were wonderful, indeed!

Hi Stephanie :-)

* waving back * at Stasia. Hi dear!

Thank you, Barbara, I wish you the same. Do you have to work again tomorrow?

I'll open a new thread, please follow me there.