Chrischi__HH's 2015 Category Challenge thread

So here we go, my first ever participation in a reading challenge. I typically read 20-30 books a year, so there's no chance competing in e.g. the 75 books challenges. But the category challenge seems to be a good choice, as I can combine my modest amount of books with some interesting topics. There will be books, that fit into several categories, but they will only be counted in one. However, I will list them in both to get an overview for myself of what I have read.
And don't get confused by the different titles, I like to read books in German, English and Danish, so there will be books in these three languages. I will try to add the English or original titles as well to make it easier to follow internationally.

These are my choices for 2015 (and the status of how many I wanted to read and have read):

Local Heroes (0/2)
Travel the World (3/4)
Bio & Non-Fiction (2/2) - completed
Sporty (1/2)
Series (4/4) - completed
New Books (1/2)
Classics / 1001 books (4/3) - completed
GroupReads (1/2)
Miscellaneous (3)

Happy reading! :)

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Book bullets
I feel I need to track this, so these have ended on my list:
1. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively (Ikernagh)
2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (LittleTaiko, Tournament of Books) / COMPLETED
3. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (LittleTaiko, Tournament of Books)
4. Zoo Station by Davis Downing (Hanneri) / COMPLETED
5. The Lake District Murder by John Bude (rabbitprincess)
6. The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (christina_reads)
7. The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine (christina_reads)
8. Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin (cbl_tn)
9. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris (cbl_tn)
10. Daughters of the Samurai by Janice P. Nimura (inge87)
11. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott (Mysterymax)
12. The Angry Island by A.A. Gill (mstrust)
13. Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion by Various (Roro8)
14. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt (japaul22)
15. Half-Broken Things by Morag Joss (DeltaQueen50)
16. Wife of the Gods by Kewi Quartey (Ikernagh)
17. Red or Dead by David Peace (rabbitprincess)
18. The Amber Room by Steve Berry (Hanneri)
19. The Darkest Hour by Barbara Erskine (Roro8)
20. To My Daughter in France by Barbara Keating (DeltaQueen50)
21. The Windup Girl by Paolo Gacipalupi (Paruline)
22. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (majkia)
23. Ashfall (trilogy) by Mike Mullin (DeltaQueen50)
24. Battle of Kings (Merlin trilogy) by M K Hume (Roro8)
25. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (DeltaQueen50)
26. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lajiri (sturlington)
27. The Iron Necklace by Giles Waterfield (Roro8)
28. The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne (Roro8)
29. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (deep220)
30. Stasiland by Anna Funder (Hanneri)
31. Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (Hanneri)
32. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (deep220)
33. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (Roro8)
34. A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff (DeltaQueen50)
35. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer (DeltaQueen50)
36. The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland (Roro8)
37. The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones (RidgewayGirl)
38. The Tamarind Seed by Evelyn Anthony (inge87)
39. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (VivienneR)
40. A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston Churchill's Youngest Child by Mary Soames (VivienneR)
41. The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville (VivienneR)
42. Little Red Lies by Julie Johnston (mamzel)
43. Katherine by Anya Seton (DeltaQueen50)
44. Tale for the Time Being by Ruth L. Ozeki (sturlington)
45. Maude by Donna Foley Mabry (deep220)
46. The Crime of Father Amaro by Jose Maria Eca de Queiros (avatiakh)
47. The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma (avatiakh)
48. Fagin the Jew: A Graphic Novel by Will Eisner (avatiakh)
49. Five by Ursula Poznanski (DeltaQueen50)
50. Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (DeltaQueen50)
51. The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring (Roro8)
52. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (cbl_tn)

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Currently reading:
Giulia Enders - Darm mit Charme (Cat.: Bio & Non-Fiction)
Alexandra u. Jobst Schlennstedt - 111 Orte in Lübeck, die man gesehen haben muss (Cat.: Local Heroes)
Anthony Doerr - All the Light We Cannot See (Cat.: New books)

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Read:
1. Malte Laband - 111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben
2. Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian
3. Tommy Jaud - Millionär
4. Jo Nesbø - Marekors (Engl. The Devil's Star)
5. Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
6. I J Kay - Mountains of the Moon
7. Petra Oelker - Die zerbrochene Uhr
8. Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven
9. Thomas Mann - Tonio Kröger
10. Hape Kerkeling - Ich bin dann mal weg: Meine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg (Engl.: I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago)
11. T.C. Boyle - The Tortilla Curtain
12. Isabel Allende - Mayas Tagebuch (Engl. Maya's Notebook)
13. Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic to the Stars
14. Antonia Michaelis - Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist
15. David Downing - Zoo Station
16. Joachim Meyerhoff - Alle Toten fliegen hoch: Amerika
17. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Der kleine Prinz
18. Jerome K. Jerome - Three Men in a Boat
19. Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird

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Statistics:
Pages read: 6608
Books from TBR (before 2015): 8
Books bought: 6
Books borrowed: 4
Books re-read: 1
Read in German: 10
Read in English: 8
Read in Danish: 1

Local Heroes (> 2)



Books that are set where I live (or nearby) or that are about people from here. „Here“, in my case, is Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg in Germany.

Possible books:
Johannson, Lena - Das Marzipanmädchen
Oelker, Petra - Die zerbrochene Uhr

Read:
(Petra Oelker - Die zerbrochene Uhr) counted in cat: Series
1.

Travel The World (> 4)



Books that are set in other countries and on other continents. And not only set there, the location should also play a certain role in the book, e.g. by rather precise descriptions of the area or due to cultural backgrounds. I will list the countries travelled to here as well.

Possible books:
Boyle, Tom Corraghessan – The Tortilla Curtain // L.A., USA
Kostova, Elizabeth - The Historian
Leine, Kim – Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden // Greenland
Allende, Isabel – Mayas Tagebuch // Chile
Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi - Americanah // Nigeria
Hosseini, Khaled - And the Mountains Echoed // Afghanistan
Nayeri, Dina - Ein Teelöffel Land und Meer (A Teaspoon Land and Sea) // Iran

Read:
1. Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian // US, UK, Netherlands, France, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria
2. T.C. Boyle - The Tortilla Curtain // US
3. Isabel Allende - Mayas Tagebuch (Engl. Maya's Notebook) // Chile, US

Countries visited: (countries visited with my other categories are included)
Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, US

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Bio & Non-Fiction (> 2)



Bigraphies by/about famous or interesting persons and incidents. Plus any other non-fiction book. I have not read much of this category in the past, but there are books both on my shelves as well as on my wishlist. So it's time to get started!

Possible books:
Enders, Giulia - Darm mit Charme
Kerkeling, Hape - Ich bin dann mal weg

Read:
(Malte Laband - 111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben counted in cat: Sporty
1. Hape Kerkeling - Ich bin dann mal weg (Engl. I'm Off Then)
2. Joachim Meyerhoff - Alle Toten fliegen hoch: Amerika
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Sporty (> 2)



Books related to sports, can be biograhies, but also other non-fiction and even fiction books. There are a few that have been on my shelves for quite a while, maybe this category helps me picking them.

Possible books:
Laband, Malte - 111 Gründe den Hamburger SV zu lieben
Teuffel, Friedhard – Timo Boll: Mein China – Eine Reise ins Wunderland des Tischtennis
Anonymous – The Secret Player

Read:
1. Malte Laband - 111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben

Series (> 4)



I have three series ongoing and more on my list, so I definitely need to continue here.

Possible books:
Kinsella, Sophie - Shopaholic to the Stars
Nesbø, Jo - Marekors
Nesbø, Jo - Frelseren
Oelker, Petra - Die zerbrochene Uhr
Oelker, Petra - Die ungehorsame Tochter

Read:
1. Jo Nesbø - Marekors (Engl. The Devil's Star) / Harry Hole #5
2. Petra Oelker - Die zerbrochene Uhr / Claes & Rosina #4
3. Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic to the Stars / Shopaholic #7
4. David Downing - Zoo Station / John Russell #1
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New Books (> 2)



Books as fresh as the first spring flowers. However, as I read mostly paperbacks it will not necessarily be brand new books. But the paperbacks should be from 2015.

Possible books:
St. John Mandel, Emily - Station Eleven (January 2015)
Tremayne, S.K. - The Ice Twins (January 2015)
Gorelik, Lena - Die Listensammlerin (February 2015)
Nayeri, Dina - Ein Teelöffel Land und Meer (A Teaspoon Land and Sea) (February 2015)
Valentine, Genevieve - The Girls at the Kingfisher Club (May 2015)
Doerr, Anthony - All The Light We Cannot See (December 2015)

Read:
1. Emily St. John Mandel - Station Eleven

Classics (> 3)



Real classics and books from the 1001 books list, as I haven't read that many yet. Long way to go...

Possible books:
Austen, Jane - Emma
Dickens, Charles - Oliver Twist
Mann, Thomas - Die Buddenbrooks
Mann, Thomas - Tonio Kröger

Read:
1. Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
2. Thomas Mann - Tonio Kröger
3. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Der kleine Prinz
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4. Jerome K. Jerome - Three Men in a Boat
(Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird) counted in cat GroupReads

GroupReads (> 2)



I will participate in the GroupRead here and also with another group, at least when I have the time and like the suggested book. Let's see what comes out of it.

Possible books:
Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird (planned for June)
Austen, Jane - Emma (planned for July/August)
Christie, Agatha - TBD (planned for August)
Finder, J. - Goldjunge (?)

Read:
1. Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
2.

Miscellaneous



Other books I've read that don't fit into any of the other categories. I expect some chick lit here in the end, because this is something I do not plan to read, but read anyway just to relax once in a while.

Read:
1. Tommy Jaud - Millionär
2. I J Kay - Mountains of the Moon
3. Antonia Michaelis - Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist

Additionally I follow a reading challenge with another group. As many do with the BingoDOG here, I will not focus on it, but see what fits in during the year, and I might also move them around within the different categories along the way. For this, books from my other categories are allowed as well. Here are the 49 options:
*a book with more than 500 pages
*a classic romance
*a book that became a movie: Oliver Twist
*a book published this year
*a book with a number in the title: 111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben
*a book written by someone under 30
*a book with nonhuman characters: Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist
*a funny book: Millionär
*a book by a female author: Die zerbrochene Uhr
*a mystery or thriller: The Devil's Star
*a book with a one-word title
*a book of short stories
*a book set in a different country: The Tortilla Curtain
*a nonfiction book
*a popular author's first book: To Kill a Mockingbird
*a book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
*a book a friend recommended: I'm Off Then
*a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
*a book based on a true story
*a book at the bottom of your to-read list: Mountains of the Moon
*a book your mom loves
*a book more than 100 years old: Three Men in a Boat
*a book based entirely on its cover
*a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
*a memoir
*a book you can finish in a day: Der kleine Prinz
*a book with antonyms in the title
*a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
*a book that came out the year you were born
*a book with bad reviews: Shopaholic to the Stars
*a trilogy
*a book from your childhood
*a book with a love triangle
*a book set in the future: Station Eleven
*a book set in high school: Alle Toten fliegen hoch: Amerika
*a book with a color in the title
*a book that made you cry
*a book with magic
*a graphic novel
*a book by an author you've never read before: Zoo Station
*a book you own but have never read: Tonio Kröger
*a book that takes place in your hometown
*a book that was originally written in a different language Maya's Notebook
*a book set during christmas
*a book written by an author with your same initials
*a play
*a banned book
*a book based on or turned into a TV show
*a book you started but never finished
*a book that scares you: The Historian

Welcome to the challenge!

Welcome to the challenge. We are not in competition with each other, only ourselves so I think you've found a home! have a great year of reading!

Welcome to the challenge, and have fun! :)

Welcome! Enjoy your reading challenge.

Great setup! Welcome to the challenge!

Welcome!! Looks like you have a great set-up going on!

Thank you! I hope I have some time soon, to check out your threads as well. Had only a quick look so far to find out how to set this up, but I think I will spend a bit more time on that, as I saw some realy interesting threads already. :-)

How do I add pictures to my posts? And how can I mark text in bold/italic?
EDIT: Found it!

Here is a link to a thread that explains some basic HTML coding that does a better job explaining things than I can. ;-)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/104943

Welcome and have fun!

Welcome to the 2015 Challenge, looks like you are ready to get off to an awesome start!

Welcome! Love the pictures!

>20 MissWatson: >21 DeltaQueen50: >22 paruline: Thank you! :-)

I have not yet had the time to read much, but soon I will be done with the first book of the year and add the first review here.

Hi, I saw your question about the review stars over on my thread and thought I would pop over here to post the response! The stars used in the LT rating system are just a series of gif images, numbered 1 through 10.

To make a , you use this basic html code - {img src="http://static.librarything.com/pics/ss1.gif"} - replacing the {} with the pointy brackets.
To make a , replace the 1 in the code with a 2, to make a , replace the 1 in the code with a 3, and so on up to 10 which will give you .

>24 lkernagh: Cheers Lori, thanks for the explanation. There's a lot to learn here for me, as I have never used the forum until now...

>24 lkernagh: Ooh, thanks for that! I've added the post to my favourites for quick reference :D

I just added an additional challenge to my Miscellaneous category. Someone in my reading group suggested it, and even though I will never be able to fill all 49 categories with my 20-30 yearly books, I think it will add some extra fun - and give a better home to those books, that otherwise would end up as just "Miscellaneous". :)

My first book will be finished by the middle of the week, and the second hopefully next weekend. I am enjoying both of them, but with all these nice categories I can hardly wait to start the next books. :D

Those 49 categories look like a fun way to sort your miscellaneous reading.

Indeed, those 49 categories should offer very diversified reading. I think I'll pinch them for another year!

Very fun list! Great use of the miscellaneous category.

Book #1:
111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben by Malte Laband, published 2013
Paperback, 249 pages, German
Source: owned / tbr
Cat: Sporty
The 49: a book with a number in the title
Rating:

I read this non-fiction book during almost a year, taking it in in small bits. It consists of 111 reasons why one has to love the sports / football (=soccer) club HSV, written by four young guys I have known personally for quite a few years. I used to travel to home and away games, watched Bundesliga games all over Germany and international games in Spain, England, Hungary and other countries. So yes, I loved the club. All the reasons written down in this book are wonderful and full of memories. Some made me laugh, a few even made me cry. In May 2014 a lot happend in the club politics and fan world, so that I stopped following from one day to the other. This made it sometimes hard to go on reading this book, because all the good memories now also hurt, because they are from the past and will not continue into the future in the same way.

For me it's a clear 5 star book, although I will be careful with recommendations. This is for fans only, others might find it rather boring.

>28 DeltaQueen50: >29 MissWatson: >30 LittleTaiko: Thanks! :) Next year the extra 49 categories will get their own post, because also books from the other categories will fit in, just as the one just posted. But I guess that's the newbie mistake. :D

>32 Chrischi_HH: I keep thinking "6 aus 49" (for non-Germans: that's a way to refer to the state lottery), there must be some way to use this for random reading. Jeez, January isn't over yet and here I am thinking about next year's challenge!

>33 MissWatson: Haha, "6 aus 49" now also comes to my thoughts whenever I look at my thread. Had not thought about it before you mentioned it though. Sounds indeed useful for next year's challenge, I also keep getting ideas once in a while. I should never have started this. :D

Another thing with participating here is the book bullets. They certainly keep flying in, although I'm not even taking the time (yet) to follow all threads and to read all reviews. I am up to five by now, and started listing them in the very first post. (next newbie mistake: reserve a separete post for bbs) I really like to learn about books I otherwise might not find, but I have no clue where they will end on my reading list. Wishlist? TBR? Or maybe read very soon?

Edit: Did I say 5 BBs? I'm up to 7 now, oh dear...

Yes, BBs are a health hazard on this thread. I've got an extra category this year just for those!

Finally found your thread! I love your idea of tracking BBs on your thread. I'm a little scared to try it myself!

And you're in Germany! My brother travels to Germany frequently for his work. He stays in a town near Hannover, which I know is in a different state but it looks reasonably close to you on the map.

>36 cbl_tn: Thanks for stopping by! :) I am not sure if I should be scared as well. It's my first year doing the challenge, so I have no idea what I got myself into yet. But I thought it might be interesting to follow the BBs also...

Hannover is not too far away, you're right. Maybe 2 hours by car. (Germany is a small country compared to the USA...) It's a nice area, I have some friends there. Does your brother travel all the way from the US? That's a long business trip then, especially if he does it frequently.

>37 Chrischi_HH: Last year my brother and sister-in-law were in Germany from mid-January to the end of May. My brother made another 2-week trip in June and then a 3-week trip in November. Three years ago they were there for the whole summer. A friend and I went to visit for just over a week while they were there. We decided to do our sightseeing in places that were easy to get to by train without transfers. We stayed in Hildesheim and we made day trips to Hameln, Braunschweig, and Celle. We spent the weekend in Berlin. It was a great trip!

>38 cbl_tn: Staying for a few weeks is reasonable then. I was afraid that you would say it was only short business trips, that would probably have been hard with the jetlag... Good to hear that you enjoyed your trip! Sounds great, and I haven't been in Hameln or Celle myself yet - put on the list. :)

Book #2:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, published 2005
Paperback, 816 pages, English
Source: owned / SantaThing 2014
Cat: Travel the World
The 49: a book with more than 500 pages
Countries visited: Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, UK, USA
Rating:

Propelled by the discovery of an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters, a young woman plunges into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an unconceivable evil: the dark reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe (…).

The book is told by different narrators, the „young woman“ and her father, and consists to a large part of letters. Some might find this repeated shift of perspective confusing, for me it was ok. I also really liked the idea and story as such, but in my opinion the book was simply too long. Had it been 500-600 pages, I might have loved it, but the 816 pages were too much. Despite fantastic parts which I enjoyed or even made me scared (there are a few parts I recommend not to read around midnight), the book was at times too descriptive and lengthy.

Overall 3.5 stars, because I still enjoyed the story.

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This first book led me to quite a few countries. To make it visible in an easier way, I added a map to my Travel the World category post above.

I love the idea of tracking book bullets! But I think I'm afraid to do it.

The map is great!

>41 _Zoe_: When I started, I though it will be interesting. But now, just a few days later, I start becoming afraid, too. Just added no. 9..

>42 MissWatson: Thanks!

I'm back from a short business trip to Copenhagen, with two new books moving in on my shelves: the next two in Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series, i.e. the 5th (Marekors/Das fünfte Zeichen/The Devil's Star) and the 6th (Frelseren/Der Erlöser/The Redeemer). I already started the 5th on my way home, as I finished the book I had with me last night.

Book #3:
Millionär by Tommy Jaud, published 2007
Paperback, 292 pages, German
Source: owned / tbr
Cat: Miscellaneous
The 49: a funny book
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Tommy Jaud is a German „comedy author“, and this is his third book. The first one was hilarious, a story about a young man dealing with his friends, women, his job and life in general. This one was the follow-up, the man now unemployed and unsatisfied, but unwilling to do something about it. Then, a rich woman is moving in above him and after a friendly start annoys him more and more – until he makes the plan to buy the house and throw her out. But how to earn 1 million Euro within two weeks, being the unmotivated, unemployed person he is?
I found the first part of the book way too flat, I did not laugh much, not even grin a bit. The second part was a lot funnier and I enjoyed it much more. Overall I give the book 3.5 stars. It's the type of book where you expect some easy entertainment without depth and this is what I got in the end.

Note: this has only been published in German.

>44 Chrischi_HH:
Ah, the main thing I miss about not living in Europe anymore - the short trips that will take you to a whole other country. I can get to Mexico in 2 hours, but any other country is hours and hours and hours away. :(

> True, it's just so easy! From Lübeck to Copenhagen it takes me 4 hours by train, with Sweden just on the other side of the bridge. I like travelling across the continent and see different places and visiting my favourites all over again. :-) How long have you been in the US then? And where in Sweden do you come from?

Just being able to take a weekend trip to Amsterdam or London or even Brussels is so great and I miss that enormously! I've been in California over 20 years now (gosh, doesn't time fly!?) and I do love it (and its weather!), so I'm not complaining about that. I'm from a small town about 25 kilometers north of Gothenburg, called Kungälv. And I just bought my tickets to go visit in May, so currently all is right with the world. :)

>48 -Eva-: 20 years, wow! I just moved back to Germany after 4 years in Denmark. I have unfortunately not yet been in Gothenburg, but we spent last year's summer holiday in southern Sweden. So beautiful! And we really had great summer weather, I enjoyed it very much.
The "downside" of being in Europe is that it's so easy to travel within the continent, that I haven't been anywhere else yet. :D

Book #4:
Marekors (Engl. The Devil's Star) by Jo Nesbø, published 2003
Paperback, 424 pages, Danish
Source: bought
Cat: Series
The 49: A mystery or thriller
Countries visited: Norway
Rating:

A serial killer taunts Harry Hole in Nesbø's fifth crime novel to feature the Oslo police detective. Still suffering from alcohol-fueled demons and obsessed with hunting for evidence against a clearly dirty cop, Hole grudgingly agrees to help look into the murder of a woman whose finger has been amputated and a red diamond stuck under her eyelid. More bodies follow, with the murderer leaving identical five-pointed diamonds (the titular devil's star) at each crime scene. At first the killings appear to be random, but Hole soon discovers an ominous pattern.

I liked this one so much I could hardly put it down. The detective and crime part is intertwined in a smart way with Harry Hole's private challenges - the alcohol, old memories and his girlfried - as well as with another crime story from earlier books in the series, where he suspects a colleague to have murdered another colleague. Thrilling story, definitely recommended! However, even though the Harry Hole series is meant to consist of stand-alone books, I recommend to read in publishing order.

>49 Chrischi_HH:
Well, my "problem" now, that I live so far away, is that every time I go on holiday, my family insists I come to Sweden, so I don't really get to go anywhere else either. I obviously don't mind going to Sweden and get pampered by family and friends, but it'd be great to get to see something new. :) Perhaps I'll try and squeeze a little Copenhagen trip into this year's Sweden-trip...

>51 -Eva-: I fully understand. It was the same for me when I lived in Copenhagen. When I travelled, it was mostly home to friends and family. But as you say, it's so easy to travel within Europe, so why not try to fit it one or two days in Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Budapest...?

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I have not had that much time for reading the last couple of days, work is really taking over this week. I'm halfway through Oliver Twist and am enjoying it quite much, but hope to finish it soon to be able to start with the next book. I collected another book bullet and got three new books for my shelves. I also made two small amendments to my categories:
1. I added non-fiction to my biography category, I would like to focus a bit more in that direction.
2. I deleted "Continuing" from my series category. It's not just about continuing, but also starting. Agatha Christie is for sure on the list.

Speaking of Agatha Christie: Does it matter in which order I read the books? Can anyone maybe recommend a starting point, if the order does matter?

Found your thread! Looking forward to following your reading.

>52 Chrischi_HH: Regarding Agatha Christie, in my opinion the order doesn't matter at all. There are a few occasions where a character will refer to an earlier case, but there are never any spoilers. My only advice would be to leave Curtain (the last Poirot book) for last. I believe my first Christie novel was Murder in Retrospect, which is somewhere in the middle of the Poirot novels, but I had absolutely no problem following along!

>52 Chrischi_HH: & >54 christina_reads: - Overall I agree that it really doesn't matter about the order, except as noted to leave Curtain until the very end. I'd also recommend reading The Sleeping Murder towards the end as that is Miss Marple's last book. Also, Nemesis is best read after A Caribbean Mystery.

Also, don't start with Passenger to Frankfurt as that is my absolute least favorite of all of hers! Maybe I'll enjoy it more when I get to it again as part of my reread of her works, but found it incredibly boring when I was younger.

Pretty much agree with all of the other suggestions about where to start with Agatha Christie (and where NOT to start, per >55 LittleTaiko:). The first book of hers I read also happened to be the first she wrote: The Mysterious Affair at Styles. That was a coincidence, but I did like the book.

>54 christina_reads: >55 LittleTaiko: >56 rabbitprincess: Thanks! It's not so easy to get a specific (English) copy from German bookstores without pre-ordering, but now I know that I can more or less just go and buy what they have available at that moment. :)

Book #5:
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, published 1838
Paperback, 442 pages, German
Source: bought
Cat: Classics
The 49: a book that became a movie
Countries visited: England
Rating:

This was on my „to read“ list for many years - a good used book deal finally made me read it. (I had a German translation from the 1970s). In the beginning I had to get used to the language, which is so different from contemporary authors, but absolutely wonderful. It's a compelling story, often told with a fine ironic tone, with well developed characters and a nice set-up with separated chapters, each with kind of a headline. However, sometimes Dickens loses himself in very detailed descriptions while the ending is filled with too much information within very few pages. Another thing being unusual and probably inconvenient for today's readers are the anti-semitic references throughout the book, reflecting the attitudes during Dicken's times.
All in all a classic that everybody should read, and one that clearly is enjoyable.

This was my first book by Dickens, and I think the next will be in English so I can compare the language.

-----------------------------------------

Next one will be I J Kay - Mountains of the Moon which I bought 1.5 years ago, because it seemed so shiny at Waterstone's. Then I lost interest somehow, but it seems the right time for me to pick it up again.

The book bullets keep hitting me. 17, and it's only mid February. With my maybe 30 books I read per year this could be a challenge of its own! :D

I'm soon finishing book no. 6, buying something new today (I hope they have Station Eleven available) and am getting ready for my next business trip to Copenhagen next week. Life is not so bad actually. :)

Have a nice weekend everybody!

Nice picture! Will you have time to enjoy Copenhagen on the private side a little?

Ooh, I love that mug! Enjoy your trip to Copenhagen.

Thanks! >61 MissWatson: Maybe a bit in the evenings, but I guess that depends a little on the working days and the weather. I would like to go for a walk and take my camera with me, but with rain or heavy wind I will rather stay inside. Let's see what's possible.

And yaayy, they had Station Eleven, so now I'm ready for the March RandomCAT. (and as one book is not enough, I also bought And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini which has been on my wishlist for quite a while already)

Book #6:
Mountains of the Moon by I J Kay, published 2012
Paperback, 350 pages, English
Source: owned / tbr
Cat: Miscellaneous
The 49: a book at the bottom of your to-read list
Rating:

After ten years in a London prison, Louise Adler (Lulu) is released with only a new alias to rebuild her life. Working a series of dead-end jobs, she carries a past full of secrets: a childhood marked by the violence and madness of her parents, followed by a reckless adolescence. From abandoned psychiatric hospitals to Edwardian-themed casinos, from a brief first love to the company of criminals, Lulu has spent her youth in an ever-shifting landscape of deceit and survival. But when she’s awarded an unexpected settlement claim after prison, she travels to the landscape of her childhood imagination, the central African range known as the Mountains of the Moon. There, in the region’s stark beauty, she attempts to piece together the fragments of her battered psyche. (amazon.com)

I bought this in England two years ago, just because it looked so shiny and interesting, but soon forgot about it. Now I finally got myself to reading it. I had a hard time getting into it, because the story is told in fragments, jumping from present to past, further back in the past and to present again. For quite a while it was unclear to me what really happened and what the book is about, I was confused with all the characters. But the more I read, the more I could see the story unfold, see the links between the life stages developing. This is a challenging book, but worth the effort. It is beautifully written with clever use of language and the story itself was interesting and quite uniqe.
This one can be recommended to readers who are up for a challenging, complex and somewhat different book. But if you don't like jumping back and forth in time and having many fragments, then you should clearly stay away.

I'm back again from Copenhagen, besides work there was time to kind of live my old life with meeting friends in the evening and joining my former sports club for a training session. Lovely days! Later today I'm leaving for a very short holiday at the German North Sea coast, which I'm also very much looking forward to. (including reading time on the train!)

Currently I am reading two books, both in German, one historic mystery set in 18th century Hamburg and one non-fiction travelogue set in Spain (Camino de Santiago). When I finish these, I will move on to some RandomCAT reading for March: Station Eleven and Buddenbrooks, to see what the buzz is all about. They will perfectly fit my own categories as well, one shiny new book (the Station Eleven paperback was just published in January) and one German classic. :)

Enjoy your weekend, spring is coming closer!

Oh, I loved Buddenbrooks when I read it last year. One of my 5 star reads.

>66 japaul22: I'm happy to hear that! I'm really looking forward to it. I've seen one of the movies and I live in the town of Lübeck, so there's not too much that can go wrong. :) But Station Eleven will be first.

Book #7:
Die zerbrochene Uhr by Petra Oelker, 1999
Paperback, 421 pages, German
Source: bought
Cat: Series
The 49: a book by a female author
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Die zerbrochene Uhr is the fourth book in a historic crime series, set in Hamburg at the end of the 18th century. It is not the typical crime story with the police hunting a murderer. The investigations are done by the local police man, an honorable merchant and a woman being part of the at that time controversial actor group, which gives the stories an extra twist. They are also well developed with lots of background from the old Hamburg, neat descriptions and maps to support the reader.
I found the first three not too easy to read due to the historic parts and the partly sophisticated language, but they were interesting enough for me to continue. This fourth book was much easier to read and I enjoyed it a lot. There are a few more in this series and I'm looking forward to some entertaining and at the same time informative stories.

Note: This has only been published in German language.

Reading has been slow the last few days, there was so much to do. Short weekend holiday with my sister, lots of work, family birthdays and a flea market (not for buying, but for selling which went quite well). This week now will hopefully be a bit more quiet, so I can get to reading a few more pages again. I started Station Eleven on Saturday and find it very promising!

LT is not only good for book bullets, but also for learning. I wasn't aware of that in the US the time change is that early. In Europe we have a few weeks left until moving on to summer time.

A weekend holiday with your sister, birthdays and a flea market.... sounds like a wonderful weekend to me (minus the lots of work, that is)!

I really resent day light savings and the fact that we flip over so early. My morning commute to work is now back in the dark for three more weeks after a month of beautiful morning sunrises. I am choked I tell you, choked about day light savings. ;-)

I prefer the darkness in the morning, myself. Late, light afternoons make me happy.

Absolutely hate day light savings time - I've been in a sort of fog today. It makes no sense to me - it was starting to be lighter in both the morning and at night. Now, it just shoves all light to the end of the day. Back to exercising in the dark for a few weeks. I did see that our state is considering passing a bill so that we opt out in the future. Really hope that goes through. Okay, enough of my pity party - tomorrow is another day!

I agree with Mamzel, I prefer light afternoons/evenings to light mornings. Although I must admit that getting up in the dark is much harder than with daylight floating my room... I am glad we have a few more weeks until the time thief shows up, then there is more daylight overall, which means I might be lucky to have daylight when I have to get up anyway. :)

The first spring impression:

>73 Chrischi_HH: Gorgeous!

Lovely!

>74 MissWatson: >75 lkernagh: Thank you. :)

I've been two years on LT today. Most of the time only to collect my books visibly and in a structured way, since beginning of the year also here in the Category Challenge group. And I really like it. I've learned that the tradition is to buy some books, so I did that already yesterday:
Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic to the Stars (to catch up with the only chick lit series I have ever read)
Lena Gorelik - Die Listensammlerin (a German book about a family with a soviet past)
Dr. Oetker Die besten Salate von A-Z (a "cook"book for salads)

Happy Thingaversary! Like you, I was just looking for a place to keep track of my books and found so much more. Mostly books to read!

Happy Thingaversary! I like your celebration purchases!

I've had Internet troubles for more than a month so I'm behind on my thread reading. I hadn't heard of Mountains of the Moon before, but LT thinks I will probably like it so I'll keep an eye out for it. The historical mystery set in Hamburg sounds like my kind of book! Hopefully it will be translated into English at some point. Otherwise, I'll have to get busy learning German if I want to read it. ;-)

Happy Thingaversary! I'm glad you celebrated appropriately.

Happy Thingaversary! May there be many more.

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary! Hope you enjoy your books.

Woo hoo, happy Thingaversary! :D

Thanks for all your wishes! :)

>77 MissWatson: You are so right! Just look at the numbers of BBs in my first post. 27 (and some of them are kicking of series) in less than 3 months...

>78 cbl_tn: I don't really expect the historic Hamburg mysteries to be translated. They are not the newest and they are qite specific. But well, who knows! I would say they are worth the effort, as I am also very much looking forward to reading the next book. If you want to read them in German you might need a little help. In the German version there is a section with explanations of names, persons and some words which does help, especially at the beginning of the series. But I'm not sure how specific some of the other words in the text might be to someone who did not grow up in the area or Germany. I will try to pay attention to that when I read the next one. :)

----------------------------------
Reading is still a bit slow, just a few pages progress. Instead I went to a seminar for getting my (table tennis) coaching license during the weekend - and came back injured yesterday. I feel fine, but with a strain in the right calf walking is not an easy task. I will need to rest quite much the next few days, I guess. Unfortunately this does not necessarily mean more reading time, because I'm working remotely from home anyway, so no excuses here...

Instead of the next book review you will get another spring picture. All the pictures in my thread (except the book covers) are taken by myself, by the way, I love walking around with my camera. This one is from May 2012:

Happy Thingaversary! And congrats on the shopping - that's always a good thing!

Happy thingaversary! I like your spring photos. We are just into Autumn now, though you wouldn't know it as it is still around 30degrees everyday.

>85 -Eva-: Thanks! >86 Roro8: Thank you. I think I will keep on posting a picture once in while throughout the year. :)

-------------------------------------------



Book #8:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, 2014
Paperback, 333 pages, English
Source: bought
Cat: New Books
The 49: a book set in the future
Countries visited: Canada, USA
Rating:

Book Bullet from LittleTaiko

Much has been said about Station Eleven already, so I will keep it short. Dystopian novels are normally not exactly my cup of tea, but I got caught on the first few pages already. Then I got a bit confused with all the different strings and characters, but this was quite quickly resolved when the connections unfolded throughout the following pages. This book is absolutely beautifully written and, at least to me, somehow everything in it makes sense. I enjoyed reading it very much and will keep it for a future re-read.

I also read this for the March RandomCat.

Book #9:
Tonio Kröger by Thomas Mann, 1903
Hardcover, 111 pages, German
Source: TBR
Cat: Classics
The 49: a book you own but have never read
Rating:

Tonio Kröger is a German classic written by Thomas Mann. It was a gift from the school principal when I left high school almost 12 years ago – but I could never get myself to reading more than the school principal's hand-written dedication.
The short novella follows Tonio Kröger from being a school boy in Lübeck to being an adult in Munich and on a journey to Denmark. He experiences a conflict of art and bourgeoisie throughout his life, feeling superiour to the bourgoise people around him, but envying them for their enjoyable lives at the same time.

The philosophical topic of the novella is not for me, so there were a few pages (a discussion with a friend) which I just skimmed. But I liked the writing style and enjoyed the descriptions of Lübeck and Copenhagen at that time, and therefore still give the novella 3 stars. And I look forward to getting to the next Thomas Mann work – Buddenbrooks – later this year.

Happy reading weekend to all of you!

Some sweetness:
Cats that need your attention the exact moment you start reading

>89 Chrischi_HH:, I'm not a cat person, now I know why - they interfere with reading ;-)

>89 Chrischi_HH: Great link! I loved the first cat best though. Awwwwwwww! So much cute!!

>89 Chrischi_HH: - Awe..... now I want a kitty again! I miss having a cat lying across my work. ;-)

I've never had a cat, and never will: the boyfriend is allergic. But they are so beautiful animals!

Book #10:
Ich bin dann mal weg (Engl. I'm Off Then) by Hape Kerkeling, 2006
Paperback, 345 pages, German
Source: borrowed
Cat: Bio & Non-fiction
The 49: a book recommended by a friend
Rating:

Overweight, overworked, and physically unfit, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make the arduous pilgrimage across the French Alps to the Spanish Shrine of St. James, a 1,200-year-old journey undertaken by nearly 100,000 people every year. But that didn’t stop him from getting off the couch and walking. Along the way, lonely and searching for meaning, he began the journal that turned into this utterly frank, engaging book. Simply by struggling with his physical limitations and the rigors of long-distance walking, he discovered a deep sense of peace that transformed his life and allowed him to forgive himself, and others, more readily. He learned something every day, and he took to finishing each entry with his daily lessons. Filled with quirky fellow pilgrims, historic landscapes, and Kerkeling’s self-deprecating sense of humor, I’m Off Then is an inspiring travelogue, a publishing phenomenon, and a spiritual journey unlike any other. (amazon.com)

Hape Kerkeling is a popular German entertainer mostly known for his comedy shows. In 2001 he walked the Camino de Santiago and his diary finally became a book. Written in small pieces (one chapter per day) it was perfect as bedside-book, but often I had to force myself to stop reading. It's a wonderful book which I really enjoyed. It has something of everything: spirituality, honesty, humour, loneliness, friendship, nature, sorrow and joy. Hape Kerkeling perceived his surroundings in a great way, and combines those with the experiences he makes on the way, meeting people from all over the world.

Country visited: Spain

As many others, I'm also off for a few days, to visit my family and to relax at the Baltic Sea. Preparations for Easter are finished:



Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you too! :D

Happy Easter to you. I hope you have lots of lovely Easter treats.

Happy Easter and enjoy your Easter vacation!

Happy Easter and have a great trip!!

Thank you all! We had a wonderful long Easter weekend. Our trip to the Baltic Sea was great. The wellness hotel was definitely one of the better ones and the food was amazing. Also the weather was much better than expected, so I could go for a walk at the beach each morning. After that we had some nice family get-togethers, yesterday we even sat outside in the afternoon sun.

Tonight I will hopefully finish book #11, The Tortilla Curtain, while the boyfriend is watching football. :)

Book #11:
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, 1995
Paperback, 355 pages, English
Source: TBR
Cat: Travel the World
The 49: a book set in a different country
Country visited: USA
Rating:

When Delaney Mossbacher knocks down a Mexican pedestrian, he neither reports the accident nor takes his victim to hospital. Instead the man accepts $20 and limps back to poverty and his pregnant 17-year-old wife, leaving Delaney to return to his privileged life in California. But these two men are fated against each other, as Delaney attempts to clear the land of the illegal immigrants who he thinks are turning his state park into a ghetto, and a boiling pot of racism and prejudice threatens to spill over. (amazon.com)

T.C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain presents two colliding worlds in parallel: the clean and rich world of Delaney and his family, living in a suburb of L.A., and the dirty, poor world of the illegal Mexican immigrant Cándido and his young wife. While the immigrants have to fight for survival every day, the American family feels increasingly unsafe with more and more legal und illegal immigrants from the south. The story starts with Delaney hitting Cándido with his car, and this accident is only the beginning of a story of two completely different lives somehow being interwoven.
The book tackles a serious and still prevailing social issue in a very lively, entertaining way. Also, it is not "teaching" the reader, but carefully encouraging to think about the topic. I enjoyed reading the book a lot, the topic and the writing style kept me focused right to the end.

I've been wanting to read something by Boyle for a while. You've nudged him up a few notches.

This one was definitely worth it. I haven't read any of his other works yet, though.

I have about 100 pages until finishing Isabel Allende's Maya's Notebook and must say that I love this book. It is my first Allende book, so I can't compare it to any of her other works, but so far it is a really good read.

This weekend, there is "Lange Nacht der Museen" in Hamburg, where museums are open from 6pm to 2am, with one single ticket for all of them and including a bus shuttle service as well as a varied programme with workshops, music, food, short films and much more. The last years I couldn't make it, but this year I'm going with some friends. We haven't decided yet which ones we'll visit (there are 57 to choose from!), but at midnight we will most likely go to a concert in the Town Hall, which you can see in the picture below.

Enjoy the weekend!

Have a great night at the museums!

>105 Roro8: Thank you!

---------------------------------------



Book #12:
Mayas Tagebuch (Engl. Maya's Notebook) by Isabel Allende, 2011
Paperback, 445 pages, German
Source: TBR
Cat: Travel the World
The 49: a book that was originally written in another language
Countries visited: USA, Chile
Rating:

Maya has to hide from her past and moves to a small Chilean island. There she writes down how she settles into this new life, filled with tranquility and traditions. Here she learns about herself, about the history of Chile and about the people around her. But she also looks back into her past, starting with a happy childhood, which is disrupted by her grandpa's death and leads to her losing herself into a world of crime and drugs.
This book has so much in it: historic non-fiction about Chilean history, a crime story, the story of drug addiction recovery and a family drama. Next to some scenes with hard brutality, there are beautiful scenes with love and friendship, too. Weakness and strength. But most of all survival. The characters are well developed and I found it very hard to put it down. 5 stars!

I'm still catching up on threads after a single week away. I'm glad you liked Station Eleven. Like you, I'm not a huge fan of dystopian lit (in fact I've been toiling away at one well-written book for several weeks now. It will be longer as my SO just started reading it) but Station Eleven grabbed me.

I've had T C Boyle on my radar for years now and I really should read something by him.

The Kerkeling book sounds interesting. The first time we lived in Germany, we had a friend who was planning to make that pilgrimage. He wanted to bring a donkey. I had told him at the time to keep a journal, because it sounded like such an interesting experience.

I'm glad you had a good family vacation. Last year, we went north, up to the northwestern edge of the Netherlands and had a wonderful, if windy, time. This year, we did what every single Bavarian does and went south to Italy, which was also wonderful, but entirely different. One of my favorite things about Germany (and Europe in general) is that the minute the weather looks hopeful, all the restaurants and cafes put tables and chairs outside. I had a coffee at a cafe I regularly take visitors to last week and realized that I'd never sat inside before.

And how is your leg feeling? Are you fully recovered?

>104 Chrischi_HH: The museum night sounds like fun! I would love to do something like that. Which museums did you see?

>104 Chrischi_HH:
What a great idea! And then end with a concert at midnight. *Some envy over here...*

>107 RidgewayGirl: That's also something I really love (and do myself a lot): just go outside when the sun is out, sit down and read or have a cup of coffee and walk/cycle along green paths or the water. So nice! My leg is much better, I can walk normally again. Just sometimes I can feel it and I haven't re-started sports yet (but will do so soon).

The museum night was fun! We went to four museums:
- Ballinstadt, which shows the history of emigration from Europe to North and South America (Hamburg was kind of a European emigration centre due to its location and its harbour) - very interesting!
- Deichtorhallen / House of Photography - There are changing exhibitions, and this one wasn't really for me, so this was a short visit.
- German Customs Museum - Impressive what ideas people have for getting illegal stuff across boarders...
- Town Hall - There we saw the midnight concert of Miu, a German newcomer pop/soul/jazz singer. This was a real highlight, her beautiful voice in these historical surroundings. A wonderful location!



Left: Ballinstadt / Middle: Town Hall (with hip hop music and later on a DJ) / Right: Town Hall midnight concert

Museum Night sounds amazing!

>110 Chrischi_HH: I'm really sorry I missed this, but I had a friend staying for the weekend and other plans. Next time!

>111 lkernagh: It was! :)
>112 MissWatson: I can really recommend it. Might there be something similar in Kiel? I don't know how many museums there actually are, to be honest. In Lübeck they have a similar event in August.

On the reading front it's going slow, I'm still reading Shopaholic to the Stars. Normally chick lit is a quick read, but this one has more than 500 pages... *sigh* I think I have about 160 left.

>113 Chrischi_HH: Yes, we do have a Museumsnacht in Kiel and this year it takes place during my summer vacation. Second miss in a row.

>114 MissWatson: Vacation sound like a pretty good alternative. ;)

-------------------------------------------



Book #13:
Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella, 2014
Paperback, 504 pages, English
Source: bought
Cat: Series
The 49: a book with bad reviews
Country visited: USA
Rating:

Becky is back again in the 7th installment of the Shopaholic series. This time the family moves to LA because her husband Luke has a Hollywood star as a new client. Becky is dreaming of a new life hanging out with celebrities and walking on red carpets, while she is trying to make it as celebrity stylist, but this is not as easy as she expected and there is still her family she should care for.
This one is the weakest in the series. One thing is that I feel too old for this kind of story by now, I just don't find all the shopping-celebrity-naivety-selfishness funny any more. I enjoyed the earlier books, but this one was just too much. And the second point is that this one is not a stand-alone novel. It has a huge cliffhanger at the end, which kind of destroys the reading experience and which seems unnecessary for a book with more than 500 pages. So there will be another Shopaholic book, but right now I don't think I will continue the series.

Book #14:
Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist by Antonia Michaelis, 2003
Paperback, 219 pages, German
Source: TBR
Cat: Miscellaneous
The 49: a book with nonhuman characters
Country visited: UK
Rating:

Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist is a German spin-off of Dickens' Oliver Twist. Michaelis tells the story of Oliver, an orphan boy trying to escape, who meets Twist, a speaking dachshund. The dog says he was stolen from the writer Charles Dickens, who cannot write without him. Together, they travel across England, traced by another mad author and a mysterious girl in a white dress.
This is a lovely story, with lots of truth (the dog complains about the long sentences his owner, Dickens, uses for his stories) and lots of magic. A quick and easy read which I finished in one sitting. The book is recommended for children aged 10 and above, but adults will enjoy it, too. Unfortunately this book has not (yet) been translated to other European languages.

I started reading Zoo Station by David Downing, which was a BB from Hanneri. I'm not that far yet, but I think I will like it.

For the April Cooking KIT I baked Black & White Chocolate Muffins - perfect for chocolate lovers!
Enjoy the weekend, and have some feel-good-treats for yourself (be it with or without chocolate)!

I love chocolate and those muffins look absolutely delicious!

Nice looking muffins!
I also have Zoo Station on my to read list now thanks to Hanneri. I look forward to seeing what you think of it too.

YUM! Those look amazing!!

>118 DeltaQueen50: >119 Roro8: >120 rabbitprincess: Thank you! They do not only look delicious, they ARE delicious. :)

Roro, I'm on page 72 (out of 310), so this will take some more days. On Monday I'm going to Copenhagen again, I guess there will be time to read on the train.

Book #15:
Zoo Station by David Downing, 2007
Paperback, 310 pages, English
Source: bought
Cat: Series
The 49: a book by an author you've never read before
Country visited: Germany
Rating:

The English journalist John Russell lives in pre-WW2 Berlin, being a witness to the brutality of the Nazi regime. Through an old acquaintance he is asked to write some articles for the Soviets, and soon finds himself in an espionage spiderweb for the Soviets and the British – always under the eye of the German Gestapo. As if this weren't enough, he also has to deal with an endangered Jewish family as well as his German family, forcing him to compromise his ideals to protect himself and his loved ones.
Downing manages to combine a thrilling espionage story with thourough descriptions of Berlin in 1939. Even though I found the espionage story quite „slow“, it had so much tension and so much around it, that I enjoyed reading Zoo Station a lot, and more than once found myself pausing to take in what I just had read. The story is set in harsh times, so be prepared for some discomforting lines.
The only thing I found a pity is that a few German expressions and eben geographical names were spelled wrong, but if you're not a German native this will probably not bother you.

I will put the second installment high up on my „need to buy soon“ list to see how John Russell's life goes on.

-------------------------------

By finishing Zoo Station I also completed my first category: Series. I planned to read at least 4 books in it, which I now have done. But I am pretty sure that this wasn't the last in my Series category. :)

Congratulations on filling a category!

>122 Chrischi_HH: I enjoyed Zoo Station when I read it last year. Still haven't picked up the 2nd in the series so thanks for the reminder on that score. The overall tone of the book reminded me quite a lot of the Alan Furst books that I've read so they might be worth checking out if you want to try something similar.

>123 MissWatson: Thanks! I am reading more than I had thought I would, which is nice. :)

>124 AHS-Wolfy: You're welcome! :) And thanks for reminding me of Alan Furst. I read the name elsewhere a while ago, but forgot about it. I'll put one of his books on my wishlist now.

It's time for a picture again, this time no spring flowers, but a summer pic from Hamburg, with a view over the Alster. Such a nice place!

Another good review for Zoo Station. I am going to get to that one eventually.

>127 Roro8: It's worth it!

I completed the next category, Bio & Non-Fiction, earlier than expected. I came across Alle Toten fliegen hoch when I visited my parents in April. I had heard a lot about it and had it on my wishlist - so I was happy to borrow this autobiographical book from them.

Book #16:
Alle Toten fliegen hoch: Amerika by Joachim Meyerhoff, 2011
Paperback, 321 pages, German
Source: borrowed
Cat: Bio & Non-Fiction
The 49: a book set in high school
Country visited: Germany, US
Rating:

Alle Toten fliegen hoch: Amerika is an autobiographical book set in the 80s, being about love, loss, living in a foreign country, freedom and growing up. The narrator is a young man who comes from a small town in northern Germany and applies for a year abroad in the US, with the dream of playing basketball in a high school team. Already at the first meeting with the other applicants he feels that he is different from all the others, who grew up in the big city, Hamburg. But he is accepted and spends a year with a family in Laramie, Wyoming, goes to high school and discovers a quite different life than the one at his German home. But then, a call from his family makes him go home again, at least for a while.

This book is a great read. I got pulled in very quickly and enjoyed following the life of this young man. The story is enriched with sensitivity, self-irony and subtle humour, it is smart and with depth.
It is supposed to be the first of three books, and I look forward to read the other two. The third has not been published yet, but the second Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war is waiting at my parents's shelves, so I'll pick it up when I visit them at the weekend. :)

Note: This has only been published in German, as far as I know.

On Saturday I finally registered at our local public library. I had planned to do so for a while, but now I really needed some books for my master's thesis. I was surpised how big the library is, even in some beautiful old buildings. They are offering tours once per month, and I will certainly join one soon just to see more of this great location. I also made a first check on books, they have quite a few from my wishlist and my (growing...) BB list. So I am definitely ready for the coming months!

At the moment I don't have much time for reading, because I need to focus on my thesis. I could count the marketing books I read for that, but I prefer to keep this challenge a fun challenge.
I have started two books, anyway:
- Darm mit Charme (German only), a non-fiction book about the gastrointestinal tract and everything related. This might sound boring, but it is written in a modern, not-scientific, fun way which makes it easy to read. I am only on page 60, but I have already learnt quite a bit.
- Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden (Danish, Engl.: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord), a book set in 18th century Greenland and Denmark. With more than 500 pages this will take me a while.

Some more blossoms for you:

>130 Chrischi_HH: Thanks for reminding me of the library tours. One of my colleagues did her training there and highly recommends them. It's a pity they do them in the middle of the week when us poor folk are working.

>131 MissWatson: Great to hear that the tours are supposed to be good. And yes, the timing makes it a bit complicated. I only live 10 minutes from the library, though, that should help. :)

In what area will your master's be? I bet studying in a library like that will be very inspiring!

Hamburg is next on my list of places to visit.

And I keep running into Darm mit Charme. I'm listening to Gulp by Mary Roach intermittently, so I haven't picked it up, but I am tempted.

>133 mamzel: It will be about B2B marketing, more precisely branding/awareness/image.

>134 RidgewayGirl: Let me know if you need recommendations for what to do and where to go. :)

That sounds very modern and interesting. Best of luck!

I guess it is modern, there is not too much literature about it. Thank you! :)

I gave up on Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden - at least temporarily. I liked the beginning more than expected, but with the setting and Danish language it is too heavy for me right now, besides the thesis stuff.

I'll continue with Darm mit Charme and will probably look into lighter and/or shorter reads for June.

I needed something short to get the feeling of finishing a book again, so I returned to one of my favourites:



Book #17:
Der kleine Prinz by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943
Hardcover, 127 pages, German
Source: owned (reread)
Cat: Classics
The 49: a book you can read in a day
Rating:

I have first read Le petit Prince in French classes at school, and have loved it ever since. I have both a German and a French copy at home and am reading both once in a while. It is such a lovely story of the little prince, how he travels and meets all the different creatures – and learns what really is important. The book has so many beautiful lines, the most popular probably being: One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes. The book also contains lovely illustrations by the author which makes it even more enjoyable.
If you have never read this, I recommend to do so soon. :)

And by that, I have finished my third category: Classics / 1001 Books. Hurray!

Yeah another category down! You're doing well.

>138 Chrischi_HH: One of my all time favorites! Have you seen the animated version coming out in France this summer?

Profeterne i Evighedsfjorden sounds really interesting (albeit a little "heavy") - putting it on my Swedish wishlist. NOT reading in Danish, thank you. :)

>139 paruline: Thanks! In June there will not be much more, because the books I'm planning to read mostly fit the categories that already are completed. :D

>140 mamzel: No, I haven't seen it, but thanks for mentioning it, I will definitely check that one out! :)

>141 -Eva-: I hope you'll like it! And well, I would not want to read it in Swedish. Although I find reading other Nordic languages much easier than listening to them.

I'm off to the library in a bit and hope they have Three Men in a Boat for the RandomCAT and To Kill a Mockingbird available. And that they can get the two marketing books I need to order quickly...

This is what May looked liked at the Baltic Sea coast just around the corner:

>142 Chrischi_HH: What a lovely picture, makes one long to talk a walk along that path.

>142 Chrischi_HH: Lovely picture! And Three men in a boat is available for free from Project Gutenberg. I just read it.

Congrats on completing your third category and good luck with your thesis!

>143 DeltaQueen50: It does indeed. And it's worth it. In May it is extra beautiful with the shiny yellow rapeseed, but I like the area all year long.

>144 MissWatson: The library had it, which is good for me. I prefer paper books to electronic reading. :)

>145 lkernagh: Thanks a lot!

June is a VERY slow month, I don't find much time for reading. I'm trying to read one chapter of Three Men in a Boat per day, but not even that works. I have 80 pages left, and then To Kill a Mockingbird is waiting. Besides all the other books I would like to read... I'm hoping for the next few days, when my boyfriend is out travelling and there's not so much planned in the evenings.

Book #18:
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, 1889
Paperback, 185 pages, English
Source: borrowed (library)
Cat: Classics & RandomCAT
The 49: a book more than 100 years old
Country visited: England
Rating:

I read this little classic for the June RandomCAT. Three Men in a Boat is a combination of a travel book, with descriptions of the surroundings and historic information, and a very humorous story of those three men's tour along the Thames. I liked the tone the book is written in and also liked the humour, but somehow this did not really work for me. It was a bit too „slow“, or maybe I read it at the wrong time, being busy with so many things. Overall 3 stars.

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Besides Darm mit Charme, which I put aside for a while, I started 111 Orte in Lübeck, die man gesehen haben muss, a German non-fiction book presenting 111 places in the town I live in which are worth visiting. Great preparation for the summer, because I really want to get to know the city. And tonight I will start To Kill a Mockingbird.

Book #19:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960
Paperback, 309 pages, English
Source: borrowed (library)
Cat: Classics & GroupReads
The 49: a popular author's first book
Country visited: USA
Rating:

I am glad I finally read To Kill a Mockingbird. What a great book! It gives the reader an impression of what life in the South in the 1930s was like, and follows the story of the judge Atticus and his two children, growing up with open minds but being confronted with racism.
It is a strong book, very sensitive and with a great morale. Unfortunately, more than 50 years later still a morale, that should be much more prevailing than it is in real life. The characters are well developed, and I enjoyed following Atticus, how he raises his children and how he acts in court, as well as I enjoyed following the young girl Scout, with her open-minded observations. A real classic, which I will happily recommend to everybody who has not read it yet.

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Concerning my extra 49 in the Miscellaneous Category: The person who started (i.e. found) the challenge made a mistake. When copying the categories from the internet one category was lost. She now realized that there should have been a 50th one: a book that scares you. I will re-arrange my books a little, and count The Historian for that instead of for a book with more than 500 pages. So there's another chunkster to be read this year!

This week summer is supposed to really arrive: up to 34°C towards the weekend! I'm very much looking forward to spend the days outside on my balcony (or at least afternoons and evenings, because that's when the sun's gone from there again), working, writing the thesis and reading. And enjoying the flowers I have planted. I love summertime!

>148 Chrischi_HH: So glad you enjoyed TKAM. The movie is equally as excellent so I hope you look for it.

I was just noticing The Historian on my book shelf this morning. Hmmm! Wonder if I can get to it this month and get it off my shelf.

>148 Chrischi_HH: Interesting that it should have been a 50-books-challenge. But I think I'll stick with the 49 next year just for the fun of playing it like a lotto.

>150 mamzel: I will look for the movie - at some point of time. My tv is more of a decorative item than actually being in use, but the movie certainly is on my "to watch" list.

>151 MissWatson: I added the 50th category, but will keep calling them "the 49", just for the name's sake. :)

1ST HALF SUMMARY

I'm not reading as many books as some others around here, so instead of monthly recaps I'm doing a recap now, being half through the challenge. I am doing pretty well, I think. I had planned to read 20-30 books, and after only six months I've already managed to read 19. :) I'm wondering where this year will lead me, also because I will have to look for a new job after summer. If it's close to where I live, the amount of books will certainly be different from if the job makes a longer commute necessary. Let's see what will happen!

books read: 19
- books from tbr (before 2015): 8
- books bought: 6
- books borowed: 4
- books re-read: 1
languages of the books: 3
- books in German: 10
- books in English: 8
- books in Danish: 1
pages read: 6608
book bullets: 52 (2 of them read)
3 out of 8 categories completed

Favourite books (5 stars):
111 Gründe, den Hamburger SV zu lieben - because it held so many memories from my own past
Maya's Notebook - because it's a gripping story of love and hope
Die wunderliche Reise von Oliver und Twist - because it's a lovely magical tale for children and adults
The Little Prince - because I can read it again and again without ever getting enough of it
To Kill a Mockingbird - because it's a touching story with a great morale we still can learn from

Next up:
All the Light We Cannot See for the July RandomCAT, the next (German) book by Joachim Meyerhoff Wann wird es endlich wieder so, wie es nie war, for the holidays maybe a romance chunkster, and Emma for the Jane Austen GroupRead.

Enjoy the holidays and good luck with the job hunt!

You're doing great with your challenge! I am also impressed by your keeping track of all the book bullets :)

Good luck with job hunting!

That's the silver lining to having a long commute - you can get some books read/listened to!

>154 MissWatson: >155 rabbitprincess: Thank you! Luck might be needed.
>156 -Eva-: Yes, exactly. You just need to pick the positive sides of everything!

I opened a new thread for the second half of the year, com join me over there. :)