Connie53 - Starting a new challenge in 2014 - part 7

My husband Peter, daughter Eveline, her boyfriend Cyrille, me, son Jeroen and his girlfriend Rianne

Illustration by Marit Törnqvist from Ik blijf altijd bij je by Sjoerd Kuyper, a Dutch children's book.

Read books in 2014







01. Lucretia Grindle - Villa Triste - 470 pages - 3 points for ROOT -
02. Ruth Newman - Schaduwkant - 302 pages -
03. Raymond E. Feist - Reis door de nacht - 349 pages - 5 points for ROOT -
04. Ransom Riggs - De bijzondere kinderen van mevrouw Peregrine - 378 pages - 3 points for ROOT -
05. Ruth Newman - Oogcontact - 304 pages -
06. Naomi Novik - Tong van de draak - 300 pages - 3 points for ROOT -
07. Peter James - Schijndood - 396 pages -
08. Raymond E. Feist - De toorn van een waanzinnige god - 477 pages - 5 points for ROOT -
09. Jan Siegel - De kinderen van Prospero - 314 pages - 6 points for ROOT -
10. Emma Donoghue - Een kus voor de heks - 192 pages -
11. Jan Siegel - Drakendwinger - 320p. - 6 points for ROOT -
12. Guy Gavriel Kay - Tigana - 594p. - 5 points for ROOT -
13. Anthony Ryan - In de schaduw van de raaf - 671 pages -
14. Robin Sloan - Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore - 288p. -
15. Guy Gavriel Kay - Een lofzang voor Arbonne - 490p. - 5 points for ROOT
16. Susan Hill - De vrouw in het zwart - 99p. -
17. Jan Siegel - Heksenkoningin - 288p. - 6 points for ROOT -
18. Kate Morton - De vertrouweling - 431p. - 2 points for ROOT -
19. Kate Atkinson - Oude zaken - 289p. -
20. Michael J. Sullivan - Wintertij (Riyria 5) - 339p. -
21. Fiona Higgins - Het zwarte geheimenboek - 235p. -
22. Lucretia Grindle - De verloren dochter - 420p. - 2 points for ROOT -
Roger Zelazny - First Omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
23. De negen prinsen - 176p.
24. Het vuur van Avalon - 199p. -
25. Het woud van de eenhoorn - 170p. -
Roger Zelazny - Second omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
26. De hand van Oberon - 170p. -
27. Hoven van Chaos - 143p. -
28. Het spel van Merlijn - 167p. -
Roger Zelazny - Third omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
29. Bloed van Amber - 199p. -
30. Een teken uit Chaos - 187p. -
Roger Zelazny - Fourth omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
31. Ridder van Schaduw - 194p. -
32. Prins van Chaos - 182p. -
33. Neil Gaiman - De oceaan aan het einde van het pad - 256p. -
34. Juliet Marillier - Ravenvlucht - 318p. -
Ursula LeGuin - First omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
35. Machten van Aardzee - 161p. -
36. De tomben van Atuan - 127p. -
Ursula LeGuin - Second omnibus containing - 6 points for ROOT
37. Koning van Aardzee - 184p. -
38. Tehanu - 186p. -
39. Ransom Riggs - Omhulde stad - 435p. -
40. Kate Atkinson - Een goede daad - 404p. -
41. Harlan Coben - Ik mis je - 363p. -
42. Stella Gemmell - De Stad - 606p. -
43. Isa Hoes - Toen ik je zag - 278p. -
44. Kate Atkinson - Wachten op goed nieuws - 340p. -
45. Kate Atkinson - Vanochtend vroeg vertrokken - 337p. -
46. Megan Lindholm - De windzangers - 303p. - 3 points for ROOT -
47. Megan Lindholm - Het domein van de Limbreth - 288p. - 3 points for ROOT -
48. Simon Beckett - Klem - 334p. -
49. Megan Lindholm - Gelukszoekers - 303p. - 3 points for ROOT -
50. Veronica Roth - Inwijding - 348p. - 3 points for ROOT -
51. Veronica Roth - Opstand - 365p. - 2 points for ROOT -
52. Veronica Roth - Samensmelting - 380p. -
53. Linwood Barclay - Een tik op het raam - 383p. -
54. Patrick Ness - De kraanvogelvrouw - 313p. -
55. Robert Louis Stevenson - Schateiland - 193p. -
56. Nicci French - Wachten op woensdag - 492p. - 2 points for ROOT -
57. Nicci French - Donderdagskinderen - 379p. -
58. Carlos Ruiz Zafón - Marina - 206p. -
59. Susan Hill - De kleine hand - 109p. -
60. J. K. Rowling - De vertelsels van Baker de Bard - 119p. - 5 points for ROOT -
61. Simone van der Vlugt - In mijn dromen - 268p. - 4 points for ROOT -
62. Robin Hobb - De Moordenaar van de Nar - 624p. -
63. Erik Vlaminck - Suikerspin - 286p. -
64. Robert Galbraith - Koekoeksjong - 519p. -
65. Jason Mott - De teruggekeerden - 377p. -
66. Robert Galbraith - Zijderups - 541p. -
67. Erik Vlaminck - Miranda van Frituur Miranda - 88p. -
68. Michael J. Sullivan - Percepliqius - 518p. -

* Currently reading

Books bought in 2014




01. Joanne Harris - Vijf kwarten van de sinaasappel
02. Benny Lindelauf - De hemel van Heivisj
03. Anthony Ryan - In de schaduw van de raaf
04. Benny Lindelauf - Negen open armen
05. Brandon Sanderson - De held van weleer
06. Peter James - Schijndood
07. Rachel Hore - De droomtuin
08. Bronja Hoffschlag - De dode kamer
09. Eleanor Catton - Al wat schittert
10. Emma Donoghue - Een kus voor de heks
11. Lauren Beukes - Stralende meisjes
12. Isa Hoes - Toen ik je zag
13. Tommy Wieringa - Een mooie jonge vrouw
14. Elizabeth George - Verloren onschuld
15. Ransom Riggs - Omhulde stad
16. Robin Sloan - Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore
17. Veronica Roth - Samensmelting
18. Nicci French - Donderdagskinderen
19. Michael J. Sullivan - Wintertij
20. Connie Willis - Experiment
21. Fiona Higgins - Het zwarte geheimenboek
22. Kate Mosse - De bruidskist en andere verhalen
23. Henriette Lazaridis Power - De erfenis
24. Tess Gerritsen - Incendio
25. Joanne Harris - De lessen van Loki
26. Harlan Coben - Ik mis je
27. Simon Beckett - Klem
28. Patrick Ness - De kraanvogelvrouw
29. R.J. Ellory - Een inktzwart hart
30. Nele Neuhaus - Wie wind zaait
31. Linwood Barclay - Een tik op het raam
32. Karin Slaughter - Veroordeeld
33. James Dashner - De labyrintrenner
34. Lucretia Grindle - De duivel van Florence
35. Claire North - De eerste vijftien levens van Harry August
36. Unni Lindell - Suikerdood
37. Deborah Harkness - Het boek des levens
38. Kelly Armstrong - De Darkest Powers trilogie
39. Kate Atkinson - Leven na leven
40. Tatiana de Rosnay - Overspel
41. Jilliane Hoffman - De snijkamer
42. Michael J. Sullivan - Percepliquis
43. Diana Gabaldon - Met het bloed van mijn hart deel 1
44. Diana Gabaldon - Met het bloed van mijn hart deel 2
45. Brandon Sanderson - De wet van staal
46. Anthony Ryan - De torenheer In de schaduw van de raaf deel 2
47. Robert Ludlum - De hades factor
48. Robert Ludlum - Het cassandra verbond
49. Ted Dekker - Adam
50. Verhalen voor na het donker -various authors
51. Michel Faber - Onderhuids
52. Tess Gerritsen - Sterf twee keer

Italic means Read

This is my ROOT challenge 2014.

ROOTs that will count are books that have been on my shelves for more then 12 months. Books bought in december 2012 will count if I read them in januari 2014 or later in 2014. Re-reads will count too.










This is my points ticker. I will give points to books I've read and the longer my book has been on the shelves, the more points it gets.

2013 - 2 points
2012 - 3 points
2011 - 4 points
2010 - 5 points
2009 and older - 6 points

ROOT books:

01. Lucretia Grindle - Villa Triste - 470 pages - 3 points -
02. Raymond E. Feist - Reis door de nacht - 349 pages - 5 points -
03. Ransom Riggs - De bijzondere kinderen van mevrouw Peregrine - 378 pages - 3 points -
04. Naomi Novik - Tong van de draak - 300 pages - 3 points -
05. Raymond E. Feist - De toorn van een waanzinnige god - 477 pages - 5 points
06. Jan Siegel - De kinderen van Prospero - 314 pages - 6 points -
07. Jan Siegel - Drakendwinger - 320 pages - 6 points -
08. Guy Gavriel Kay - Tigana - 594 pages - 5 points -
09. Guy Gavriel Kay - Een lofzang voor Arbonne - 490 pages - 5 points -
10. Jan Siegel - Heksenkoningin - 288 pages - 6 points -
11. Kate Morton - De vertrouweling - 431 pages - 2 points -
12. Lucretia Grindle - De verloren dochter - 420 pages - 2 points -
13. Roger Zelazny - First Omnibus containing - 6 points
a) De negen prinsen - 176p.
b) Het vuur van Avalon - 199p. -
c) Het woud van de eenhoorn - 170p. -
14 Roger Zelazny - Second Omnibus containing - 6 points
a) De hand van Oberon - 170p. -
b) Hoven van chaos - 143p. -
c) Het spel van Merlijn - 167p. -
15) Roger Zelazny - Third Omnibus containing - 6 points
a) Bloed van Amber - 199 pages -
b) Een teken uit Chaos - 187 pages -
16). Roger Zelazny - Fourth Omnibus containing - 6 points
a) Ridder van Schaduw - 194 pages -
b) Prins van Chaos - 182 pages -
17). Ursula LeGuin - First omnibus containing - 6 points
a) Machten van Aardzee - 161 pages -
b) De tomben van Atuan - 127 pages -
18). Ursula LeGuin - Second omnibus containing - 6 points
a) Koning van Aardzee - 184 pages -
b) Tehanu - 186 pages -
19). Megan Lindholm - De windzangers - 303 pages - 3 points -
20). Megan Lindholm - Het domein van de Limbreth - 288 pages - 3 points -
21). Megan Lindholm - Gelukszoekers - 303 pages - 3 points -
22). Veronica Roth - Inwijding - 348 pages - 3 points -
23). Veronica Roth - Opstand - 365 pages - 2 points -
24). Nicci French - Wachten op woensdag - 492 pages - 2 points -
25). J. K. Rowling - De vertelsels van Baker de Bard - 119 pages - 5 points -
26). Simone van der Vlugt - In mijn dromen - 268 pages - 4 points -

27). George R.R. Martin - Een feestmaal voor kraaien - 748 pages - 3 points - *

* Currently reading

Welcome friends! Glad you found me again.

HUH, somehow post number 2 is missing!

Happy New Thread, Connie. What a lovely family phpto.

Thanks Barb. That is made in the same place like the one in thread number 6 but five years later.

And now we have two mumber 6 and lost post number 7???? Mysterious things are happening here.

Howdy Connie! What a beautiful family you have.

Thanks Roberta! I like them too ;-))

Connie, post number 7 is my one. It seams perfectly fine. You did a number 1 in post two just as you reserved it for you.

Now everything is al right again! And I'm going to put some bookish picture in post number two. Just to fill it up!

That's an absolutely wonderful bookish picture!

Hi Connie, lovely new thread my dear and what a gorgeous photo of the family, hope you have a lovely weekend my dear.

Oh, what a gorgeous family you have, Connie! I just love that photo!
And Happy New Thread!

Wonderful picture, Connie!

>1 connie53: Nice family photo! Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

>2 connie53: I love the illustration. If only I had bookshelves that tall I could climb on! :)

>3 connie53: Good job on your books so far. You'll make it to 75 without a doubt.

Hi Connie, have a lovely Sunday my dear.

Happy Thingaversary, Connie.

Happy New Thread, Connie! I love the family topper, although you look a bit to serious. LOL. Hope you are having a great weekend.

Congrats on the new thread. I wish you a lovely week!

Thanks Sara, John, Barb, Mark and Monica.

Do I have a Thingamedingdong? Really?

Yes I do, I checked. 5 years of LT means 6 books to buy. Maybe I will get to that in this month. I have 2 books pre ordered and I spotted some books I might buy too. So maybe I will get to six this month. I'm not promising anything though.

Do I have a Thingamedingdong? Really?
Well, yes, you do. You joined LT on Nov 9, 2009, so today, it's your 5th anniversary on LT. And according to the "rules", you can buy yourself 5 books + 1 extra now :-).
Congratulations!

Cross-posting again, Monica!

So I have finally read all posts in my starred threads! No new messages at all.

Happy new thread and happy thingaversary Connie!

Thanks Heather!

I'm a little behind, but Happy Thingaversary! :) I had no idea you could have an excuse to buy books. Great idea! And enjoy you buys, Connie. :)

Hi Connie, happy new thread and Thingaversary! Lovely family photo!

Aw, Happy Thingadingy, Connie!!

Happy Thingaversary, Connie! And congrats on the new thread. Good-looking family you have there, and I like the illustration in >2 connie53:.

Woot! Happy New Thread and Happy Thingaversary!

Can't wait to hear what you decided to buy for your Thingaversary present.

Happy new thread and Thingaversary Connie! Treat yourself to something extra special to celebrate! :)

I must add some books I've been reading or are reading right now.

Read:

In mijn dromen by Simone van der Vlugt



A Dutch writer. The title would translate into In my Dreams

It's was enjoyable but not very good. About a girl who has dreams that predict some event in the future, in this particular case a plane crash. She stays home but her boyfriend dies in the crash. In her dreams it was not a regular plane crash but an attack. She gets a lot of support from a Moslim man she has befriended and you might guess the end


De moordenaar van de nar by Robin Hobb



I loved, loved, loved this book! Robin Hobb can surely write! This is the 13th book in the series, so don't go and read this one if you have not read the other 12.



Suikerspin by Erik Vlaminck a Belgium author.



Erik has been a guest at our school and I'm attending a couple of workshops he is giving and we had to read this book for those workshops.
It was a nice read about the fairs in the 1890 to 1920. About 4 generation of men: great grandfather, grandfather, father and son who all were connected to fairs. The GGF had a fairground attraction in which he showed bearded ladies and midgets. The story is mainly about how he mistreated the Siamese twins he was showing. And how the past of someone's ancestors comes back to haunt you.



Reading right now:

Koekoeksjong by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling



Not a review but the text on the back cover

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

This is surely going to be one of this years favourites.

De teruggekeerden by Jason Mott



Not a review but the text on the back cover.

Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time.... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep-flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end.

I did buy a few books for my Thingaversary today.

I have four books pre ordered. They will arrive at the end of the month.

The book I bought today are:

Deborah Harkness - Het boek des levens
The translation of The book of live, part 3 in the All souls series.



This is the blurb not a review!!
After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness's enchanting series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew's ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they reunite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches--with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Kelly Armstrong - De Darkest Powers trilogie



The books in this omnibus: Bezwering , Ontwaken en Afrekening

Nice book haul, Connie.

YAY! Congrats on your 5th Thingaversary! Glad you are doing the absolutely mandatory thing and buying the proper amount of books (6) to celebrate :-) Enjoy.

>1 connie53: Great kids! Great photo.

I've just finished Koekoeksjong by Robert Galbraith and thought it was a very good book. for sure and maybe a bit more. The story was not bloody or gruesome at all. It was more of a story about family dysfunctions (for more than one of the personages) and the difference between rich and poor families. And there was one suspicious death off course, but that happened before the story starts.

I loved it and picked up part 2 about Cormoran Strike immediately.

Zijderups by Robert Galbraith, DUH.



This is the blurb not my review!!!

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days-as he has done before-and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives-meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.
When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

Hi Connie, just popping by to say hello and Karen would like to say a big thank you for the card you sent her, it came today and Karen loved it. She thought it was so lovely that you took time to send her this lovely card and it cheered her up. You are a lovely lady Connie and I am so glad that I am a friend of yours my dear.

Catching up on threads. Happy Thingaversary (a bit late), congrats on the new(isn) thread and I love your topper photo.

Hi Connie. I have the Robert Galbraith books on my shelves, maybe I need to bump them up my TBR a bit as you enjoyed them so much. Hope you are well :)

Thanks everyone!!

>39 johnsimpson: I'm glad Karen liked the card. It was meant to cheer her up a little, so my plan worked. ;-))

>40 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks for all the compliments, Reba

>41 NicolePatrick: It would be worth your while, Nicole. Let me know what you think when you get to reading them. I know how high those TBR piles can get.

Three books came in today! I will add them tonight or tomorrow.

I spend the whole morning cleaning, ironing and such. And now I'm going to shower and we are of to celebrate the birthday of my brother in law, Hay.

Connie, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Ohh, that's a beautiful place to relax, thanks Barbara!!

I'm a member of a online-bookshop for almost 40 years. The deal is: You buy books in every quarter of the year for a set amount of money. Yesterday afternoon the catalogue arrived and I ordered my 3 books. This morning the postman ringed the doorbell and handed over 2 parcels with the books. I was surprised how fast this was going. But you won't hear me complain.

My three books;

Kate Atkinson - Leven na leven



This is the blurb, not a review!!!

What if you could live again and again, until you got it right? On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war. Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can -- will she?

Jilliane Hoffman - De snijkamer



This is the blurb, not a review!!!

The body of a student who went missing from a Florida nightclub is found in a dumpster. A horrifying scene, but nothing compared to what she had to endure before her murder. She was drugged and tortured - all broadcast live for the twisted pleasure of a snuff club. THEY WAIT. Detective Manny Alvarez works the homicide alongside young hotshot Assistant State Attorney Daria DeBianchi. The media spotlight shines on the accused, a privileged playboy seen leaving the club with the victim. But without cast-iron evidence, Daria and Manny must dig deeper to crack the case. THEY TAKE WHAT THEY WANT. The investigation exposes a terrifying connection between numerous unsolved murders and abductions stretching across the country. Their only lead is through notorious serial killer William Bantling, who knows the sinister society's secrets first-hand. But Bantling won't show his hand for free - he wants off Death Row. For Manny and Daria, the nightmare is just beginning. And the only thing more devastating than this case's past is what lies ahead...

Tatiana de Rosnay - Overspel



No description available in English.

It's about a woman who has a one night stand and the man she has it with drops dead in the bedroom. And then everything goes wrong.

Awesome buys & reads! :) I especially love the cover of De snijkamer; that's beautiful. I hope you have a fun time at your brother-in-law's birthday party! :)

Thanks, Sara. The birthday party was nice, but rather small people-wise. But we had a good time.

Oh, it doesn't matter the size, just the quality of friends and good energy! :) I'm glad you had fun.

Lucky you, Connie, to have Kate Atkinson's Leven na leven on your reading-pile. I read it earlier this year and thought it was an excellent book.
Have a lovely Sunday!

Thanks Monica. I will put it high on the TBR!

Happy Sunday, Connie! I love all the book activity over here. I hope you like Life After Life. It was a good one. I heard she was writing a follow-up.

That sounds good, Mark! I will keep an eye open for it!

With a plot-line like Life after Life, I guess it's possible to write follow-ups forever :-) I'm already looking forward to it!

Connie looks like you have been reading some good books lately and I definitely want to read the Comoran Strike books.

Giving ourselves books is the nicest gift!

Happy Monday, Connie. Hope it was a good weekend. Loving all the wonderful reading you've been doing!

Thanks Roberta and Marianne!

Today we got some good news. Peet has had some painful tests in the hospital and today we heard that everything was okay. No cancer, just some minor problems. He has got a prescription for medication that should mend all complaints he has. So it's party time!

That's definitely a great reason to party, Connie! So glad the news was good.

What a relief! Indeed, that calls for a celebration!

That's wonderful news and I'm sure you must be relieved!
Double yay for getting books in the mail. One of my favourite things in the world ;)

I have Life after Life on my TBR mountain as well and can't wait to read it since it's getting such good reviews. :)

>56 connie53: Oh Connie, great to hear the good news. Wishing you both a wonderful evening.

I thought Life After Life was topnotch, Connie. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks guys and girls.

And good news about Leven na leven too. Up the pile it moves.

Hi Connie, that is good news for Peet and hopefully that is the last of the illnesses for quite a while my dear, hope you had a good weekend and a good Monday.

>56 connie53: I'm sorry the tests were painful, but WOOHOO! I'm glad he's free and clear of cancer. My best to you guys! :)

Connie, glad to hear that there is good news for Peet. I am sure that is a huge weight off your shoulders. I hope you have the most fantastic week ahead :)

Oh, congrats on the good news for Peet - that's wonderful!

We are so relieved! And yes, John. We have had our share of illness this year. It can only get better, I hope!

>67 connie53:, Connie, things will definitely be better over the next year or so, I can just feel it in my bones. Hope you have had a good day, love and hugs to you and the family my dear.

Thanks John,

And I hope everything goes well with Karen next Thursday! (in case I forget to tell you tomorrow!)

Hooray for Peet's news!!

Thanks Reba!

Last night, or rather early this morning I finished De teruggekeerden by Jason Mott. And I'm not really sure what to think about this book. Lots of loose threads in the end and I'm not really sure what the purpose of those returned people can be.
I think I would be happy to dream about my parents who died when I was much, much younger, but it would be very weird if they should return the age they were when they died (42 and 57) as I am now 61. I would be older then my parents!!


And I bought a new one! My third Thingavesary book!

Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan. This is part 6 in the series about 2 men, scoundrels with golden hearts, and I loved the earlier 5 books.

Hi Connie, Karen's op went well and the surgeon is very pleased with it and hopefully she will be home on Sunday, love and hugs to you my dear.

>71 connie53: Oooooh, I like the looks of that cover and your pithy description of the series... I may have to add this one to my series withlist...

>72 johnsimpson: That's good to hear John!

>73 scaifea: I could not find an English description anywhere, so this is all I could do, Amber.
I don't know about the UK or US covers.

hi :=)

Hi right back at you, Steph!

Connie, I wish you a lovely weekend.

Hi Connie, hope you are having a good weekend my dear, Karen is ok but it looks like it could be Monday or Tuesday before she comes home. She text me this morning to say one of the drains had come out and so that may set her back a bit. The drains are filling up too quickly so they want to see what happens over the next few hours before they make a decision on when she can come home. Love and hugs to you and the family my dear.

>78 johnsimpson: O John, one more day for her in the hospital. So sorry to hear that. But better safe then sorry, I would say. Drains are such funny things. Tell her I am thinking about her often. And I hope tomorrow will be the day she may come home.

Happy Sunday, Connie! I hope you had a nice weekend. Did you get some reading in?

>79 connie53:, Thanks Connie for these lovely words, hopefully tomorrow she will be home. Love and hugs to you my dear.

>80 msf59: No as much as I would have liked, Mark. I had a lovely weekend with my friend Vera, going there by train (reading) lots of talking (and I mean lots!!!!), a nice lunch outside in a restaurant, a walk through the fields nearby (my walking ability is zero, due to my knee), dinner out (delicious) some more talking, wine, going to bed at 03.30 in the morning, breakfast, some more talking (we really don't stop talking once we see each other) and then on the train back home some reading again.
I'm now halfway Zijderups by Robert Galbraith and really enjoying the book.

>81 johnsimpson: I hope Karen is home by now. I will go and visit your thread now!

Wow, what a gorgeous weekend you had.

I loved it too. It's always fun being with Vera. We have been friends for 35 years or so. And always have a good time!

Connie, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Thanks Barb.

It was a weekend but I would not call it fabulous. The weekend before that I went and spend a night at my best girl friends house. She had some serious trouble with her boyfriend and beside doing fun things we talked a lot about the relationship. And on Sunday after I left she ended the relationship. So she was a real down and Peet and I asked her to come over to us for some pampering and some more talking. It was really busy in my head when she left and I was really tired. But I'm glad I could do this for her.

I added some more books to my Thingaversary pile

Met het bloed van mijn hart part 1 by Diana Gabaldon
and
Met het bloed van mijn hart part 2 by the same writer

The translation of Written In My Own Heart's Blood



A total of 1175 pages!

I give the blurb in a spoiler because it might give away things people don't want to know because they did not read the first 7 books

1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington's troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie's wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces. The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland, or not. In fact, Brianna is searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family's secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself

De wet van staal by Brandon Sanderson

Part 4 of the Mistborn series and part 1 in the Cosmere series.



This is the translation of The Alloy of Law

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds. Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history--or religion.Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in thefrontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice. One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with hisAllomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

And

De torenheer by Anthony Ryan
part 2 in De schaduw van de raaf series



The translation of Tower Lord

Vaelin Al Sorna is tired of war. He's fought countless battles in service to the Realm and Faith. His reward was the loss of his love, the death of his friends and a betrayal by his king. After five years in an Alpiran dungeon, he just wants to go home.
Reva intends to welcome Vaelin back with a knife between the ribs. He destroyed her family and ruined her life. Nothing will stop her from exacting bloody vengeance - not even the threat of invasion from the greatest enemy the Realm has ever faced.
Yet as the fires of war spread, foes become friends and truths turn to lies. To save the Realm, Reva must embrace a future she does not want - and Vaelin must revisit a past he'd rather leave buried.

I'm done now buying books! At least for this week.

I have The Alloy of Law on my TBR mountain. I am waiting for the cheaper paperback version of Written in My Own Heart's Blood before I purchase it. Can't wait! :)

You are a sweet friend, Connie and I'm sure your friend appreciated your kind and thoughtful gesture when she is going through a tough time!

>85 Ameise1: Beautiful picture! :)

>87 connie53: I'm done now buying books! At least for this week. -- So next week maybe some more? ;)

Hi Connie. How nice you're there for your friend. Ending a relationship is hard and it's great she has you to talk to.

My hubby and I are busy planning a trip for next summer and are thinking we'll be in Maastrict for a couple of days in August. We'll be traveling by train so would like to have a hotel near the station. We like a comfortable room but don't need a lot of luxury or "services". Is there any place you would recommend?

Hi Reba, What a fun idea! We could meet up for lunch or something. Maastricht is only half an hour by train from Roermond, so you will pass through my little town or I could meet you in Maastricht. August sounds real good to me. summer break and so on...
I will ask my SIL about a good hotel near the train station. He is born and lived in Maastricht his whole live and he will know for sure. I'll make a note of it to ask him.

Hi Connie, I'm sorry to hear about your friends broken relationship. I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Thanks Barb! Such a beautiful path! lovely.

I finished another book today Zijderups by Robert Galbraith. I really liked this one very much. Defenitly worth and a bit more.

Now I'm reading Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan for the December challenge on my book club. The theme is: read a book published in the Netherlands in 2014. So I did not have to look very far for a new book. I just took one from my thingaversary pile.

>91 connie53: Thank you, I'll look forward to the hotel info. Also, I would love to meet-up. It's looking like the weekend of Aug 15-16. (I just love planning trips :))

I will write the date down, Reba!

Hi Connie,

I would like to ask your help in spreading the word. I hove no health insurance and surgery for my broken wrist.

My surgery support fund raiser is here: http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-stephanie-pay-for-wrist-surgery.... if you can't help financially, thoughts, prayers and messages of encouragement are also welcome.

Hi Stephanie! I sure would like to help. You are in my thoughts and I will be cheering for you all the way. Of course I can help. I'm going to donate now. It will be a small amount but every little bit will help.

Edit: My Paypal account seems to be not working any more. So I have to figure out how to donate now. something with my telephone number which does no longer exists.

Hi Connie, hope everything is well with you and the family my dear, we are fine and Karen is progressing well, love and hugs to you my dear.

Thanks John. I'm doing fine, all things considered. My hips are playing up all the time (arthrosis) and my knee is not getting any better. But I'm busy at work and at home. There is a tree standing in the living-room waiting to be decorated (tomorrow after groceries and a trip down town for Christmas cards (Thank you for yours) and some underwear for Peet).

Trust that you have a pain-free (as much as possible) and relaxing weekend Connie. Hani has asked me to get a tree also this weekend and celebrates the Christmas festivities with more ardour than I do. xx

Thanks Paul. We are toning down the Christmas decorating a bit each year. I now totally understand my MIL and FIL when they, when they were still living, decided not to have a tree and just placed some pine branches with silver balls in the room. A tree is one of the things I like the best and there should be a Christmas crib, but all the other things are optional.

Have a great Christmas with Hani!

Happy Saturday! Everyone seems to like the Robert Galbraith series. I will have to check these out at some point. Enjoy the weekend.

You do that, Mark. They are certainly worth your while!

Connie, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Thank you, Barb. Today I decorated the tree and made a beginning with the decoration of the room. Tomorrow we are going to The Hobbit part 3. We are: My brother Martin and his girlfriend Karin, Jeroen and Rianne, Eveline and Cyrille. Peet doesn't like going to the movies so he will stay home and do some correcting work on exams.

I wish you the same. Have a lovely weekend full of fabulous.

I haven't visited you since November! Reminds me how quickly the days go by.

>101 connie53: Connie, I could not agree with you more. Seems as my little guy becomes not so little anymore we just do the minimal, ok, maybe a little bit more than that, but simple is my way to do it. The putting up is fun and everyone joins in, the dismantling is sad, depressing and everyone deserts me to do it on my own, boo woo.

I've seen only part 1, so I'm not sure if I would like to see more. Nevertheless I wish you much fun.

Part three was nice but a few to many battles. But I liked the scenes that were kept little. A few tears were shed. There were some moving moments too. And we had a lovely outing that ended in a restaurant for coffee and some chatting.

Hi Connie. Thanks for the info in your message. I've responded more there but we've changed our plans -- trying to be sensible. Hope you have your decorating all done and that aches and pains are better.

Thanks, Reba! I slowly a getting the decorations done. Just a few more final touches and we are good.

Today was a bit of a strange day. Yesterday there was a big fire at the other side of the town. Two big sheds, where yachts were put for the winter time, caught fire. Not very remarkable, just very bothersome for the owners. This morning we heard that asbestos had come free in the fire and a big part of down town was closed for everybody except for the people who live there. The asbestos had settled down there and it was unsafe for people to go and shop for Christmas presents or other shopping. My son and his girlfriend are living there and he stayed home. His work allows him to do so. Rianne went to work in the town hall on foot. I would have stayed home, but they told her it was save to come in and just bring an extra pair of shoes, so she could change them when she came in the building.

At school a few pupils did not show up, but most of them did. Cars, bicycles and everything rolling were hosed down by the fire brigade going out of the restricted area. It will take days to clean the city totally. All the shops and the train station are closed until Saturday.

Oh Connie, so sorry to hear about this awful incident. It has to be taken care about this material. It's so dangerous.
I hope your family is safe so far. xx

Oh my, what a crazy day for your town! Here's hoping it all gets cleaned up quickly!

Oh that can be quite the scary situation. Glad to hear you and yours and are safe though!

Hi Connie, hope you are well my dear and thank you for the Christmas card, it arrived today and is on the mantelpiece with all special Christmas cards. Have you finished at work for the Christmas holiday period? Are you ready for the festive season my dear?

I agree with you about down-sizing the Christmas decorations. I hate to do it, but just don't have the energy any more.

Connie, I wish you a lovely weekend and Merry Christmas.

Hi all,

Today we went down town. It was cleaned of all/most asbestos particles. (they did not clean the balcony of Jeroens apartment yet, so...)
We did get all the presents but one. I still need to get something small for Eveline, like a scented candle or something, but there are four more days to go and find something. The room is almost finished.

The three, the crib and some of the table pieces









We still have to decide on what to eat. The children will be here on December 26. That's our real Christmas.

Hi Connie, love the photo's my dear, all the decorations are absolutely lovely. The fire sounded awful and the fact that asbestos particles were about is scary, glad most of it has been cleaned up and I hope Jeroen's balcony gets done quickly. You have got the kids on the 26th and we have them on the 25th, we will both have special days my dear. Love and hugs to you.

You are such a dear friend, John. Thanks for all your kind words.

Hi Connie, you are a dear friend to me as well and I always try to be good with my comments and I am so glad we met up on here and a friendship has blossomed. Your lovely messages over the last eighteen months during bad times have been a blessing to the both of us. One day we will get over to see you and that will be lovely, have a wonderful Sunday my dear. Love and hugs to you and the family.

Yeah, isn't it so true, when the kids are there, that's the real Christmas! Enjoy the 26th to the fullest!!! Your decorations and tree look so warm and welcoming.

Such beautiful decorations! I know you'll have a wonderful time with your kids.

Oh, your decorations are lovely, Connie!

Beautiful decorations, Connie. Hope you've been having a relaxing Sunday.

Thanks john, Joe, Amber, Janet and Lynda

I try to use branches from the garden and I have some boxes with Christmas balls and garlands and such. I don't want to overdue it. That's not the Dutch way. Just lots of candles and the decorated plates for the dining room table and the living room. Today I made something for the garden table, that table is placed against the sliding doors in the dining room.

I'll make some more pictures tomorrow when it's light outside.

@ John. Meeting you would be lovely!

Hi Connie (waves from gloomy Boston)!

Hi Glenn!! (waves from an even gloomier Roermond)

Today I finished book 68 for the year. So I'm sure I will never reach 75 books. I have chosen a big book again



Met het bloed van mijn hart by Diana Gabaldon. This book is a very large one so in the Netherlands they split it up in two parts.
Part 1 is 549 pages on its own. That is a lot and it will take me a long time to read that one in between Christmas celebrations (and preparations) and New Years Eve and the birthday of my daughter in January.

I don't want to spoil the story for others who want to read this book, this is part 8 in the series.

Merry Christmas, Connie!

Thanks, Christina!

Merry Christmas, Connie! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday. Hugs!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Connie, to you and your family! :)

Connie, you are such a positive influence on our group. Thank you.
It's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Thanks Mark, Sara and Roni!

Hi Connie, just posting to wish you and the family a very Merry Christmas and have a fabulous day my dear from John and Karen. Sending love and hugs to my dear friend.

Merry Christmas Connie!

Thanks John and Lynda!

Hi Connie! I just wanted to pop by and wish you a Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by my thread this year and keeping it moving when I was being a slowcoach. I wish you and your family a lovely end to 2014 and a great start to 2015!

Thanks, Hannah!

Wishing for the happiest of holidays for you and yours, Connie!

From our family to yours!

Thanks Amber and Valerie!

That snowman is just adorable!

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Connie.

Thanks, Judy

Connie, I'm so happy to have made your acquaintance this year. You bring so much cheer. Your encouraging words to me mean a lot. I'm so grateful to have you in my life.

Merry Christmas, Connie. Wishing you a gorgeous feast tomorrow with your family.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Connie!

Merry Christmas Connie, I hope you and yours have a wonderful time.

It has been lovely making your acquaintance this year, Connie.

Thanks guys!
I had a lovely day yesterday. The children were here and we had coffee and 'Kerststol' (a very big image)



Then there were the presents. We don't overdo it. Just some small presents. We all bought something for the other five.
I got a very nice festive black top (a very small image)



Some glass candle holders and smelling tea lights to fit them

And, and, and........tadadada

The puzzle of the game of thrones in 3d/4d !!!!





This last image is rather big! Sorry for that, but that will make it clear what the puzzle is about. I was so glad with this present. That was all that I had on my wish-list

So NO books at all, but I have books enough and I did not ask for any.

Then we ALL made diner. At least the other five. Rianne and Jeroen made filled French pastries (delicious) as the entree. Peet and Jeroen made Pork fillet with herbs and pancetta ( kind of bacon) with carrots and pea pods, a dandelion salad with fried bacon, string beans and spring onions and red potatoes. For dessert we had tarts with whipped cream and scoops of ice cream (Eveline and Cyrille). I did all kind of things: laying the table, cleaning up after dinner, filling and clean out the dishwasher. And we had wine and snacks. But the most important thing is that we were together and we had fun.

Connie, I wish you a lovely weekend.

That was a lovely description of your Christmas with family, Connie. I'm glad that all of you had such a nice time together!

Happy Sunday, Connie! I hope you are having a fantastic weekend and getting in plenty of reading.

I'm completely into the Game of Thrones puzzle right now, Mark. I did not read a letter today.

Belated Christmas wishes and a Happy New Year, Connie.

Oooooo, I'm drooling over your Game of Thrones puzzle! Will you be working on it yourself or will others pick up a piece or two?

Your Christmas sounds lovely! Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year, Connie!

Happy Holidays, Connie! Glad you're having such a good time with the Game of Thrones puzzle.

>158 Carmenere: I do it all on my own until now. Peet is not much of a puzzle maker.

Here are some pictures I made while unpacking:

The box with the lid off



What is inside the box



One day of work

Ha Connie, winter has started. You are back on your puzzles. I'm looking forward to all those fantastic photos.

Oh, that's cool!

I'm jealous Connie! I love puzzling!

Hi Connie, just a quick post to wish you, Peet and the family a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year my dear and have an enjoyable reading year in 2015. xx

May all your wishes come true.

Dear Connie



Happy New Year from your friend in Kuala Lumpur

And a very good 2015 to all of you too, John, Barb and Paul! And for all friends on LT.
May this new year bring you and your families all things you wish for and then some!

Hi Connie, I hope to see you soon posting in the 75th group 2015. I wish you a fabulous weekend full of reading.

Oh, yay for puzzle season! I so enjoyed following your puzzle progress last year!

Happy New Year, Connie! Glad to see you're having fun with your puzzling again. Sidenote: My local library branch has a jigsaw puzzle table; anyone can take a box ~ no checking out, just on the honor system ~ and bring it back when they finish the puzzle. I have been tempted, but so far have had to pass, as I really have no surface on which to set one up. I do think of you, though, when I see the puzzles.

>170 Storeetllr: Oh, what a cool idea!

More puzzle pictures:

Layer 1







Layer 2







Together





Finished

Wow! Love the puzzle!

Hope you are having a Happy New Year, Connie! And I hope the year is filled with wonderful books.

>168 Ameise1: I don't know if I will join the 2015 group with a thread, Barb.
Keeping track of threads takes so much of my time. I hardly have time to read.
Now I'm thinking I only do a ROOT thread this year and star some threads in the 75 group of the people that are not in the ROOT group and who I still want to follow. But I'm still thinking about that idea.

>174 connie53: Fair enough and I can understand you fully.
I love your puzzle. Will you post them on your ROOT thread in the future?

I will post everything I read and puzzle and other pictures in my ROOT thread, Barb.
and use it just like a diary ;-))

Sounds great :-)))

Wow! That's a totally awesome puzzle, Connie!
You are so right about time consuming threads. I'm beyond impressed with those who can manage visits while also reading tons of books. I rarely have time to visit many threads and my threads scant amount of visitors backs that up. I'll see you in ROOTS where I also will keep track of the off the shelfers

I'm looking forward to see you there, Lynda!!!

WOW!! Coolest puzzle ever!!

That's so true, Amber! It was a challenge to make too. But very rewarding.

^^You don't like me anymore??

>182 msf59: Of course I like you Mark! Sorry to neglect you like that.

Hi Connie, I just love the Game of Thrones puzzle my dear, hope you have had a good weekend my dear.

Yes, very good, John. One day of partying at Eveline's for her birthday and the Sunday was a nice quiet one, with reading and LT-ing and in general doing nothing.