Diana (Wilkiec) loves to read in 2014, Page 9

Finally Spring, please?

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 8/10, 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.
21. Overleverigheid - Leo Vroman 8/10, 142 p.
22. Het andere heelal - Leo Vroman 8/10, 238 p.
23. The Secret Speech - Tom Rob Smith 8/10, 690 p.

Pages read in February: 4698

March

24. Bush is dom en 37 andere clichés over Amerika - Frans Verhagen, 6/10, 208 p.
25. Big Brother - Lionel Shriver, 9/10, 488 p.
26. Macbeth heeft echt geleefd - Pieter Steinz, 7/10, 240 p.
27. Bury your Dead - Louise Penny, 7/10, 652 p.
28. Trackers - Deon Meyer, 6/10, 736 p.
29. Whatever you Love - Louise Doughty, 8/10, 384 p.
30. Beijing Coma - Ma Jian, 6/10, 670 p.
31. The Sleepwalkers - Christopher Clark, 9/10, 736 p.
32. A Left-Handed History of the World - Ed Wright, 6/10, 256 p.
33. Agent Zigzag - Ben Macintyre, 8/10, 384 p.
34. Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer, 4/10, 352 p.

Pages read in March: 5106

April

35. The Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman, 8/10, 658 p.
36. Australians: Origins to Eureka - Thomas Keneally, 10/10, 760 p.
37. Voodoo Histories - David Aaronovitch, 5/10, 372 p.

Pages read in April: 1790

May

Pages read in May:

June

Pages read in June:

Favourite reads 2014:

Fiction

- Big Brother - Lionel Shriver
- Whatever you Love - Louise Doughty
- Imperium - Robert Harris
- Jack Sheppard - William Ainsworth

Non-fiction

- Australians: Origins to Eureka - Thomas Keneally
- The Sleepwalkers - Christopher Clark
- The Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman

Welcome everyone!

Happy new thread, Diana! Looking forward to your thoughts on Agent Zigzag as it's been getting such good reviews here on LT and I've been dying to read it.

Hi Diana, nice new thread my dear.

>11 PawsforThought: Thanks Paws! I think I can finish Agent Zigzag tomorrow or maybe Thursday. Do you have it on your Mountain TBR?

>12 johnsimpson: Hi John, thank you. I hope your back is not too painful.

Hej Diana, congtratulations on your new thread - we had spring last week, now winter came back. Friends of us who had been half an hour south of Basel had to clean their car from snow.

Diana, this is just for you. It's a flashmob recreation of Rembrandt's The Night Watch. For all of you who don't "do" political current events, Diana posted a picture on her previous thread of Barack Obama and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte shaking hands in front of this painting. Obama is attending the two-day Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.

This is so much fun! Onze helden zijn terug! (Our heroes are back!)

ETA: The reference to "heroes" has nothing to do with the two men shaking hands in front of the painting--just so no one gets the wrong idea. The title is the YouTube video title, celebrating the re-opening of the Rijksmuseum.

>16 labwriter: Great video.

Morning Diana -- love the little spring green leaves :)

Hi, Diana! Happy new thread!

>15 paulstalder: Hi Paul! We have also cold again, with frost in the nights. The weather forecast for coming weekend is good though.

>16 labwriter: Becky, I never saw that, it's fun! Thank you for posting this! xx

All the world leaders are leaving the Netherlands now, the Summit is over. Here's another picture of Obama with the Night Watch:

>17 Oberon: Ditto Erik!

>18 RebaRelishesReading: Me too, Reba. I'm still in awe when I think of you seeing so much Spring at the Linge.

>19 tymfos: Hi Terri, thank you!

13. At the moment I only have it on the TBR list; I don't actually have the physical book in my possession. However, I am just about to finish a book order and am considering putting it in my basket.

21. What a gorgeous painting! I need to bet my arse down to the Netherlands so I can visit the Rijksmuseum. I visited Nationalmuseum in Stockholm a couple of years ago when I was down there and they have a couple of Rembrandts. Fantastic works - I could spend all day looking at them.

on your new thread. I love the photo from the top post.

>16 labwriter: that's a great video - thanks for bringing that to our notice

Hi Diana, Happy new thread! They predicted some kind of rainy snow for tomorrow

>16 labwriter: Very great video

Such a pretty picture you opened with, Diana. I am also very interested in what you think of Agent Zig Zag as I am hoping to read it later on this year.

>16 labwriter:
I love that video! Such fun.

Happy new thread to you! Do you think that spring has sprung?

>25 PawsforThought: Paws, I have only 20-something pages left to read and will post my comments later today. Quick recommendation: you can order, it's good!

The Rijksmuseum has always been famous for its wonderful collection of Dutch masters and after the re-opening it has become an even better, awesome place. I hope to be able to visit this year.

>26 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara :-)

>27 paulstalder: Paul, I agree that Becky has done us a great favor with that funny video.

>28 connie53: Thank you, Connie.

I certainly hope there will be no snow included today. It's getting dark outside though.

>29 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy, we need nature to give us fresh leaves and buds, don't we?

I guess Agent Zigzag won't be a disappointment for you.

>31 AMQS: Ha, Anne. I love language! :-)

In the Netherlands, Spring has definitely sprung, but these days it has some difficulties to keep up. However, the weather forecast for the weekend is promising!

Hi Diana- I've been wanting to read Agent Zigzag for months. Maybe, you'll give me the nudge I need. Thanks!

>37 msf59: Mark, I'll try to warm your enthousiasm :-)

33. Agent Zigzag - Ben Macintyre
384 p.

Blurb:

One December night in 1942, a Nazi parachutist landed in a Cambridgeshire field. His mission: to sabotage the British war effort. His name was Eddie Chapman. but he would shortly become MI5's Agent Zigzag. Dashing and louche, courageous and unpredictable, inside the traitor was a hero, inside the villain a man of conscience; the problem for Chapman, his many lovers and his spymasters, was knowing where one ended and the other began.

Ben Macintyre weaves together diaries, letters, photograps, memories and top-secret MI5 files to create the exhilarating account of Britain's most sensational double agent.

Agent Zigzag: a true story of Nazi espionage, love, and betrayal is non-fiction that you could not have imagined in fiction. The style is fast and fluent with much excitement. I had a great time reading it.

8/10

Obama got a lot closer to the Night Watch than I did! I was at the Rijksmuseum in August, and it was beautiful (and crowded). But honestly, I didn't care that much about getting close to the painting - it's certainly big enough to see from a distance. Also, my daughter and husband both got close, and my husband was able to tell me about the details I missed. :) I was more interested in seeing the Vermeers, since there are so few of them.

>16 labwriter: Fabulous video! Thanks so much for sharing it, Becky!

Happy new thread, Diana! You have hit me with a book bullet already - adding Agent Zigzag to my list. Nice review.

>40 ursula: Ursula, I think it's nice to view such a big painting from a distance, to have a good overall picture.

In the Rijksmuseum, Obama told that his favorite painting is Vermeer's Het Melkmeisje (The Milkmaid). I'm happy for him that he was able to see it in reality.

It was fun living along the Linge. We lived in a small village (only time in my life I've done that) and got to know the farmers in the neighborhood. I would take my milk can down the road a little way and buy milk directly from the farm. We were one of 12 new houses built at the edge of an orchard. The main part of it was just over our back fence. After we moved away the entire orchard was built upon so the experience would be very different now.

>41 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie! Nice to hear of the book bullet; I aim to please :-)

>43 RebaRelishesReading: That sounds absolutely wonderful, Reba. N and I made trips along the Linge in springtime, before we got children. He was on his motorbike with me in the sidecar.

>39 wilkiec: Nice review Diana - looks like one I would like too.

Congratulations on another new thread - they are coming thick and fast in 2014!

>46 PaulCranswick: I think you'd like Agent Zigzag, Paul. It's a good narrative, not too complex but very entertaining.

Great knowing that Agent Zigzag gets the thumbs up from you too. I won't order it this time though, the book haul ended up being pretty big anyway. Next time, definitely.

Lovely green thread topper! Yes, please, let's have it be Spring!

Happy new thread, Diana! I love your thread topper! I hope spring will show up to stay!

>48 PawsforThought: Next time then, Paws. I'll look forward to your thoughts about it.

>49 Storeetllr: Mary, has Spring finally arrived?

These are tulipfields in the Netherlands today:

>50 TinaV95: Thank you Tina! Spring will definitely start here tomorrow, with fairly warm and sunny days. Yeah!

52. Meanwhile, we still have snow out.

>52 wilkiec: o wow, what a colorful view!

>52 wilkiec: Oh, poor Paws.

>55 paulstalder: It is, Paul. There's a region, called Bollenstreek, where all bulb fields are concentrated. There are many buses filled with tourists that cause traffic jams while sight-seeing :-)

>39 wilkiec:- You definitely warmed my enthusiasm. I will move Agent Zigzag up the pile. Thanks!

>57 msf59: That's great news, Mark :-)

56. 'Tis life when you live a smidge too close to the North Pole. We've actually had an incredibly warm winter and an unusually early spring this year. The amount of snow we have left now is what we would normally have in the middle of April.

What a pretty thread topper! And beautiful tulip fields. I sent a similar photo to my daughter lst week :)

>59 PawsforThought: :-)

>60 mckait: Thank you, Kath. It's always beautiful to see al these bulb fields.

>52 wilkiec: Wow, Diana, this photo is like apainting. It's so colourful. I love it. Hugs xx

Amazing tulip picture!

>62 Ameise1: >63 banjo123: Barbara, Rhonda, enjoy the photo. It is real :-)

34. Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer
352 p.

'I simply wanted to know - for myself and my family - what meat is. Where does it come from? How is it produced? What are the economic, social and environmental effects? Are there animals that it is straightforwardly right to eat? Are there situations in which not eating animals is wrong? If this began as a personal quest, it didn't stay that way for long'.

This book is part memoir and part investigative report. It gets very positive reviews. I'm afraid it wasn't my cup of tea.

4/10

Finally time to read The Guns of August.

I like Barbara Tuchman's books a lot. I hope you enjoy The Guns of August, Diana. I read it sometime in the early 1970s. I think it's time to read it again.

I probably won't get to The Guns of August until next month.

>52 wilkiec: Holy freaking WOW!!!

>67 labwriter: >68 thornton37814: Becky, Lori, I think 2014 is the perfect year to read or reread The Guns of August, because of all activities of the Great War.

>69 TinaV95: If you say so, Tina :-)

Yes, it's really beautiful.

>52 wilkiec: simply amazing. I thought the various stripes had been photoshopped in. So glad to know there are places like that out there to discover. Thanks for sharing. It made my morning.

>72 michigantrumpet: I love making your morning, Marianne. And there's no photoshopping involved :-) The Netherlands in Spring can be quite beautiful.

Diana,

Thanks Barbara, I love the bicycles in pastel tones!

74. That's a really cute photo.

Hi Diana, looking forward to Gent - Wevelgem tomorrow even though Cav is out.

>69 TinaV95:, I couldn't have said it better....

:) Hi Diana!

I'm in the "hoping hard that you like The Guns of August club," Diana. It gets very dense indeed. The book really is amazingly easy to read, though, for the amount of learning it offers.

Hi Diana, I'm having trouble keeping up with threads (Who doesn't? ) But I finally arrived here! Happy sunday.

>76 PawsforThought: Hi Paws :-)

Hi Diana- Hope you had a fine weekend. I just added Agent ZigZag to my iPod, so I think that will be my next audio. See, sometimes it just takes a little nudge?

>77 johnsimpson: At this moment, there's still 75 km to go in Gent-Wevelgem, John. It looks good!

>78 mckait: Hi Kath :-)

>79 richardderus: Richard, I've already read a really big part of Guns of August now, and I can make you happy: I'll definitely be in the like/love it group!

>80 connie53: Me too, Connie, I was busy reading :-) Happy Sunday to you, too!

>82 msf59: Mark, I think with a good narrator Agent Zigzag will be very nice on audio. I really hope you'll like it!

Gent-Wevelgem won by John Degenkolb in the sprint.

But what a misery with so many crashes. Many men have been brought to the hospital, I hope there's nothing to serious.

Wow. That photo of the tulip fields.

There is progress happening here - mostly in the form of puddles. The snow has become this weird mush - just barely hanging together as snow, but it is still over a foot deep in places! The pond has a great puddle of water on it and is turning a sort of gray on top, different from the surrounding snow on the banks. I have a vase full of daffodils on the sill and that is helping.

>89 sibylline: Oh Lucy, a foot deep! I hope it will melt real soon. Meanwhile, a bit of Spring to help extra:

What a beautiful photo, Diana! I wish I was looking at that outside my window ... but instead, it's raining. Still, the good news is the rain is melting away the last of the winter's snow from my yard. Yaaaay.

Happy Sunday!

>91 cameling: At least that's good news, Caro ;-) Any chance of a fast weather change for you?

Happy Sunday to you, too!

In this weekend, the clock moved forward an hour and now we have 6 months of 'summertime'. We can see it right away: it's 7.30 pm and it's not yet dark outside.

Diana - It has at least started to warm up a little this weekend, a nice change that I hope indicates that Spring is actually here at last and that we can leave this year's horrific Winter behind at last.

I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed!

Hi Diana, it is 6.35pm here and it is still light, what a change this is, will soon be able to sit outside and read in warmth.

Hi John, it really is a change, isn't it? Did you enjoy Gent-Wevelgem? I read that André Greipel seems to have his collarbone broken, Ian Stannard has yet unknown injuries.

I did enjoy the race although I missed the last 20km as I had to go out, it was just a shame that there were a number of incidents, a shame for Greipel and as you say unknown injuries for Stannard.

Happy new thread, Diana!

>52 wilkiec: - I love the colours in that picture, even though I cannot see the tulips. High altitude pictures really do give a different perspective on things.

>99 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori. It is difficult to make out separate tulips, I agree. The colours made it a bright picture to share.

Today will be a evaluation point at physical therapy. My Multiple Sclerosis is causing more and more problems and I keep on falling all the time. I don't want to give up my walking (a couple of steps with rollator) or just being able to stand, but the falling and collapsing gets a bit dangerous :(

I don't want to hear I have to give up, but I fear the worst.

>101 wilkiec: Diana I am sending you my best wishes that you are able to have a physical therapy plan that will help retain your independence. Fingers crossed!

Bam! I've been hit with a book bullet, Agent Zigzag!

>52 wilkiec: OMG! what a gorgeous sight! those tulips. Nice eye candy!

Oh dear ... I wish you a very positive prognosis with the physical therapy, Diana. One of my colleagues has MS and there are good days and bad days, but fortunately, her girlfriend also works in our company, so if anything were to happen at work, she's the go-to person for medical instruction. She's had a couple of falls at the office, but nothing major, thankfully.

I hope your evaluation goes well. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to give up mobility like that, but I agree that it's dangerous to risk falling.

>101 wilkiec: I will be thinking about you today my dear. Really hope the prognoscis is a positive one. I'll also be thinking of that picture in >90 wilkiec: above. Beautiful.

Hi Diana, hope the prognosis was good for you.

Diana, adding my good wishes to the pile.

So sorry ... sending all good wishes your way.

I am also sending positive energy your way! It is amazing what PT can do, so I am hopeful for you.

Diana, I keep my fingers crossed that everthing turns to the better side.

Roberta, Caro, Ursula, Paul, John, Stephanie, Reba, Rhonda, Barbara: Thank you so much for your thoughts, this means a lot to me.

There was just half of the evaluation, tomorrow we'll move to the legs and walking/standing part, because of a last neurologist consultation.

My right arm has been written off and I didn't see that one coming. The only possibility for the arm is trying to ease the pain, but that's all. At least I'll stop to break all tableware.

I'm sad and I'm afraid for tomorrow. But you all mean the world to me, thanks.

35. The Guns of August - Barbara Tuchman
658 p.

Not much to say about this masterpiece. It's good and if you want to read just one book about the beginning of World War I, please pick two; this one and The Sleepwalkers will broaden your knowledge significantly.

8/10

>113 wilkiec: A much easier read than Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War which was a little too much of an apologia for the German war machine. Enjoyed them both but Tuchman's made a more convincing narrative. xx

Hoping things are going well, and the the new month brings you great news and soft days.

I'm sorry to hear about the test results and your arm. My wish is that your test today is much better.

Best wishes for your tests and news today.

>114 PaulCranswick: I also enjoyed them both, Paul. These were great reads.

>115 mckait: Thank you, Kath. Well, we do have a couple of beautiful Spring days.

>116 Morphidae: Thank you, Morphy. Tomorrow I'll hear more.

>117 markon: Thank you, Ardene. I hope there will be positive signs to work on.

No good news today. We'll fight to retain the possibility of making transfers, i.e. between chair and toilet or chair and bed. We're not going to practise walking anymore, but we'll try to slow down the fast deterioration.

Sorry to hear about the bad news, Diana. I hope you'll be able to fight the deterioration as much as possible.

Hi Diana- I am LOVING Agent Zigzag. I was expecting it to be good but not THIS good!!

I'll have to get to The Guns of August at some point.

ETA- I am so sorry to hear about your continuing medical issues. How sad. Big hug from America!

>122 wilkiec: I hope so too, Paws. I'll fight for it.

>124 msf59: Mark, I KNEW you'd love Agent Zigzag! Yeah, I gave you a decent book bullet.

Thanks for the American hug.

Correction: You gave me a Great Book Bullet! I will have to track down his other work.

"

36. Australians: Origins to Eureka - Thomas Keneally
760 p.

Blurb:

This is good news, this first volume of a history of Australia.

Convicts and Aborigines, settlers and soldiers, patriots and reformers, bushrangers and gold seekers, it is from their lives and their stories that he has woven a vibrant history. The story begins by looking at European occupation through Aboriginal eyes as we move between the city slums and rural hovels of eighteenth-century Britain and the shores of Port Jackson. We spend time on the low-roofed convict decks of transports, and we see the bewilderment of the Eora people as they see the first ships of tuaraga, or 'ghost people'.
We follow the daily round of Bennelong and his wife Barangaroo, and the tribulations of warrior Windradyne. Convicts like Solomon Wiseman and John Wilson find their feet and even fortune, while Henry Parkes' arrival as a penniless immigrant gives few clues to the national statesman he was to become. We follow the treks of the Chinese diggers - the Celestials - to the goldfields, and revolutionaries like Italian Raffaello Carboni and black American John Joseph bring us the drama of the Eureka uprising.
Were the first European mothers whores or matriarchs? How did this often cruel and brutal penal experiment lead to a coherent civil society?

This is absolutely the best non-fiction I've read this year.

10/10

>127 msf59: I stand corrected, Sir :-)

Hi Diana, I'm so sorry to hear about your setback. I really hope that they are able to slow down the fast deterioration.

>130 Ameise1: That's a beautiful text, Barbara, thank you.

(((((Diana))))) So sorry. Keep on fighting.

>131 wilkiec: You're welcome. Hugs xx

Diana it breaks my heart to know what your going through. Not personally myself, but witnessing my mom have less control over her life as the days march on. She amazes me with her outlook on life and you my friend do too. I keep you wrapped in kind thoughts and send healing prayers your way.

I'm so sorry to hear about your bad news. I imagine you are grieving now. My thoughts are with you.

Stopping by with hugs for you Diana!

{{{HUGS}}}

Keep on fighting Diana my dear, our thoughts are with you at this time and we send love and hugs to you.

I am sorry Diana. Fight on!

>122 wilkiec: I'm very sad to learn your news, Diana. My strongest whammys for slowing the fast deterioration are ongoing!

*smooch*

Diana, so sorry to hear about your physical deterioration. Sending hugs and best wishes!

Reba, Barbara, Roberta, Morphy, Lori, John, Stephanie, Richard, Rhian: Thank you so much xx

Dear Diana your constant positivity amid the difficulties of your physical condition is a wonderful example to all of us. Nary a complaint, almost always a kind word and a written smile.
I wish the world was stocked full of people like you, my dear, it would be a far better place to be.

As other of our friends have said and which you will clearly do - keep fighting, keep your chin up and continue to receive the love and admiration of the people here who have come quickly to appreciate you so. xx

^what he said.

So sorry that you didn't have better news about your mobility. Really, it's a rotten disease. ((((hugs))))

Like the others, I'm sad to hear that your news was not better. Praying for you.

>142 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, you make me blush and now I'm staring at the screen and again counting my many blessings. Thank you for your beautiful words. xx

I do have the most wonderful husband N. and my most precious sons R. and B. and I'm blessed with my parents. I'm so fortunate to have made friends on LT, who don't feel like 'just internet', but very real. And I'm glad I don't have a talent for pessimism :-)

>143 drneutron: Well, thank you Jim.

>144 banjo123: Thanks for the hugs, Rhonda.

> 145 Thank you, Lori.

Diana, I wish you Hapyy Weekend.

>148 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, what a beautiful serene picture. Have a happy one yourself!

Stopping by and wish you a lot of strength and peace for this weekend.

diana, you're welcome. hugs xx

>146 wilkiec: That's the Gal! When I am down in the dumps simple counting of blessings will put things in perspective and make the hard things to bear a lighter burden. xx

>150 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul, I hope you'll have a good weekend too.

>151 Ameise1: Hugs back at you, dear. xx

>152 PaulCranswick: That's how it works, Paul :-)

I've only read magazines for a couple of days, but now I'll start a new book. It's The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. This is Volume 1 in the Cazalet Chronicles.

>146 wilkiec: Not having "a talent for pessimism" is a wonderful thing. It helps to make you the wonderful you you are.

>146 wilkiec: Oh, thank you Reba! xx

I think it's my way to survive, I wouldn't know any other way. Besides, I haven't changed, only my physical situation changes.

>158 wilkiec: exactly!!

>159 RebaRelishesReading: En ik weiger geraniums te kopen om achter te gaan zitten :-)

Hi Diana, I am so sorry to read of your test results, and I am amazed at your positivity and braveness. You are truly an inspiration to others.

I hope you enjoy The Light Years, I read the series a number of years ago and was very taken by it.

>Hi Judy, thank you for your nice words.

I think I'll enjoy The Light Years, it's a slow read, but it has a wonderful atmosphere!

The Tour of Flanders has begun and there's much happening. Again many falls, a couple of cyclists are out already. Belgian Johan Van Summeren hit a woman in the public; the woman seems to be seriously wounded.

Live coverage will start in 5 minutes!

Still 40 km to go in the Tour of Flanders. It's very interesting, but way too many heavy falls today.

And Fab wins again! Winner of Tour of Flanders today is Fabian Cancellara.

Wowowowow, our Swiss hero won. That sounds fabulous :-D

Congratulations Barbara :-)

Didn't you watch? It was a very good and thrilling race.

Diana, I was watching TV stereo because I had to see the Tour of Flanders and the Davis Cup (Switzerland-Kazakhstan). Stan Wawrinka won his match two minutes after Cancellara crossed the finish line. Now, it's Roger Federer's turn.

>168 Ameise1: Barbara, I see :-) Roger Federer can't be a problem, he'll win his match.

I do hope so.

>170 Ameise1: ;-)

Yikes. I hope that the spectator is okay.

I'm very sorry to hear about your test results, Diana. As others have said, though, your joie de vivre is inspiring to me, and I look forward to many years of witty comments, good humor and friendship from you!

I too am sorry to hear about the test results and want to add my voice to those who support you and admire you.

>172 kidzdoc: Darryl, I'm afraid the spectator is not okay. She has had brain surgery and is in a coma now...

Thank you for your kind words, and I too look forward to many years of friendship! I wasn't planning on going anywhere else :-)

>173 sibylline: Thank you, Lucy. I get humble by hearing that I inspire people or that you admire me, it fills me with gratitude!

>160 wilkiec: Nor should you!!

Hoping the new week ahead will be full of good things for you, dear Diana the Red.

I'm another one who was quite taken by The Light Years, Diana. I hope you have a good time with it. I need to get to the rest of the series!

>176 RebaRelishesReading: Do not fear, Reba, I won't!

>177 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear. xx

>178 jnwelch: Joe, I think The Light Years is right up my alley. I need to take it slow because of the pace of the book, it's quite relaxing.

Good morning Diana, hope you have a good week my dear.

>182 johnsimpson: Good afternoon John, hope the same for you and Karen.

37. Voodoo Histories - David Aaronovitch
372 p.

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History was written in 2009. The author sees a pattern in the ideas of conspiracy in, e.g., Pearl Harbor, the assassination of Kennedy, the death of Princess Diana and 9/11. He tries to disprove them all sceptically. I think he does a reasonable job.

5/10

Today's the first stage of the Tour of the Basque Country in Spain, Ordizia - Ordizia. Many top cyclists are in this race, so it could be very interesting. We still have 65 km to go today.

Any updates on the woman that was hit by the bicyclist in yesterday's Tour de Flanders?

>186 kidzdoc: She's still critical, Darryl.

>187 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana. I pray that she makes a full recovery.

>188 kidzdoc: I do, too, Darryl. I'll keep you informed.

And an impressive win by Alberto Contador. Man, if he stays in this form, the Tour de France won't be very exciting this year.

Just stopping by to say hi and wish you a wonderful week!

Hi Mary. I wish you the same!

>186 kidzdoc: Today's update on the woman: nothing's changed.

>193 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana. You read my mind.

>194 kidzdoc: You're welcome, Darryl. It keeps me busy, too.

Second stage was won by Toni Martin. Alberto Contador stays leader in the GC.

>186 kidzdoc: kidzdoc: Today's update on the woman: nothing's changed.

Still 58 km to go in today's stage.

Michael Matthews won this stage. Alberto Contador stays leader in the GC.

The Scheldeprijs in Belgium was won by Marcel Kittel for the third time in a row.

Please follow me to the next thread :-)