Barbara (Ameise1)'s reading tour (1)

Hi everybody!

Welcome on my reading tour and other tours in 2016. It's the third time I'm taking part in this gorgeous group and and I am curious what will 2016 bring us. I'm living in Zürich, Switzerland. At the moment it looks very much like Holiday Season in the streets of Zürich. Some impressions you can see below.

____

January
# 1 The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill (4 stars)
# 2 The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (4 stars)
# 3 The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (4½ stars)
# 4 Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth (3 stars)

American Author Challenge 2016

British Author Challenge 2016

January
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill read in German (2016-01-03)
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth (2016-01-19)

Take It or Leave It Challenge


January
1.:Read a book whose ISBN has at least one number in its correct numeric position
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth (2016-01-19)
9.: Read a book you already owned on 1 January 2015, but haven't yet read/finished
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (2016-01-07)
17.: Read a book in which the first line answers the question: 'When did it happen?'
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton (2016-01-16)
21.: Read a book that mentions tea somewhere in the text
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill (2016-01-03)

currently reading



currently listening

Nice new thread, Barbara! I love the photos of Zürich; it must be especially beautiful there at this time of the year.

>7 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. It's always beautiful in Zürich but you're right with all the Christmas illuminations it's really beautiful.
Being first a speciality from Zürich: Zürcher Ratsherrentopf

That looks great! What's in it? I did a Google search for "Zürcher Ratsherrentopf", but all the links were in (I think) German. :-)

Hi Barbara just swinging by I second Darryl love the pictures. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

I'm hungry already!

Welcome back for Year 3!

Hi Barbara! I love the photos of Zurich!

Lovely to see the most prolific continental european poster back for a third round!

I will be along to enjoy the fun on a regular basis as always.

>9 kidzdoc: Darryl, I suppose it was in German. Well the 'Ratsherrentopf' dates from the time when the guilds, the city ruled. That's some couple of years ago (500 years). They were the only ones which could afford meat and rich food. They still eat this dish as a tradition when they have there meet-ups.

Here it is the recipe (Sorry but I've to translate it, so I hope I do it right):

Ingredients

500 Gramm potatoes cut in cubes
butterfat
500 Gramm fresh peas
10 carrots cut in wheels
1 big chopped onion
chopped parsley
broth
4 small slices fillet of veal
4 small slices fillet of beef
4 small slices fillet of pork
4 small slices sweetbreads
4 small slices veal kidneys
4 small slices of veal liver
4 thin slices of bacon
salt
pepper

Potatoes soft fry in butter. Steaming vegetables separately, deglaze with a little broth, cook until tender.

Salt potatoes and arranging everything nicely.

The meat briefly fry on both sides, season well and arrange on the plate vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley and serve topped with a few pats of butter.

>10 BBGirl55: Welcome Bryony and thanks so much. It's nice to have you here. Wishing you a wonderful Merry christmas, too.

>11 thornton37814: Ha, Lori, got you :-). It's lovely to have you here.

>12 drneutron: Thanks so much Jim, can't think of a life without the 75-ers. This is a fantastic group.

>13 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie, thanks so much. This morning I was in the historic centre and it felt more like spring than christmas.

>14 PaulCranswick: Ah, Sir Paul, it's great to have you here. looking forward to your visits.

Hi, Barbara! Gorgeous photos up top!

>17 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber. It's great to have you here. I love our 75 family.

>18 Ameise1: Me, too!!

>19 scaifea: :-)

Thanks for posting the recipe, Barbara. I could see in the photo that it had different types of meats, but I wasn't sure which ones. It sounds great, especially the veal fillets and the sweetbreads!

>21 kidzdoc: You're welcome, Darryl. :-)

Hi Barbara! Now I'm hungry by just reading your topic :-)

>23 DianaNL: Bon appetit, Diana. It's great to have you here. Tonight we have 'table barbecue'. My father is coming for xmas. He is flying to Thailand on Thursday.

Why is it when I come to your thread I get hungry :)

>25 BBGirl55: Well, that can happen from time to time ;-)

Beautiful photos of Zurich! I look forward to your reading choices this year, and more pretty photos of your city.

>27 mstrust: Thanks so much for stopping by, Jennifer. Zürich is a lovely cosy town. I'm also very curious what I'll be reading the upcoming year. With all the challenges, BBs and books from my local library there will be no boredom. :-)

Always a bit strange when we are starting our new threads for the next year... not yet 2016 but already stepping in ;-)

Starred!

>29 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, it's lovely to see you here. So true, I've a lot of starred threads with the 2015 and 2016 ones.

Hi Barbara, stopping by to check out your new 2016 digs!

>31 lkernagh: Welcome, Lori. It's great to see you here.

Hi Barbara! I loved Land of Marvels and adore the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill.

#15 - Yummy sounding.

Happy New Year!

>33 karenmarie: Thanks so much, Karen. I'm looking forward to the 2016 readings.

Happy new thread Barb! Beautiful toppers! Glad to see I'm not the only one who reads that many books at once. :)

>35 The_Hibernator: Welcome, Rachel, glad to have you here. Because I read a lot of books from my local library and due to all challenges I need to pick them early. Therefore my book haul looks in the beginning of a month always that impressive.

Taking a seat and some of those peas and carrots and potatoes, please! :)
Happy New 2016 thread, Barbara. I hope you'll read many great books.

>37 Deern: Thanks so much, Nathalie. It's a pleasure to have you here.

Lovely pictures Barbara. Will be back at the start of January, still have to set up my new thread.

>39 charl08: Thanks so much, Charlotte snd welcome. It's nice to have you here. Now, I watch out for your thread.

Hi Barbara, I have starred you again my dear, hope you are well and having a good break.

>41 johnsimpson: Hi John, it's so nice to have you here. Yes, I enjoy my break very much.

Lovely photos, as always, Barbara! Dropping off my star...

>43 Crazymamie: Ah, how lovely to have you here, Mamie.

Hi Barbara! Happy new thread for 2016 :-)

>45 susanj67: Thanks so much, Susan. It's wonderful to see you here.

Jeepers! I haven't even thought of what to do with my 2016 threads, and you're already drawing a crowd! :-)

>47 AuntieClio: Yeeeh, Stephanie is here. I'm so happy to see you. :-)

Here's to a good year of reading, Barbara!!

>49 catarina1: Thanks so much, Catarina. It's great to have you here.

>51 DianaNL: What a beautiful pic, Diana, thanks so much. Wishing you a Happy 2016, too. I'll make my LT tour later.

>53 mstrust: Thanks so much, Jennifer. Wishing you a wonderful 2016, too.

Hi Barbara, wishing you and the family a very Happy New Year my dear and sending special love and hugs from Karen and I.

>55 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John. Love and Hugs for both of you. xx

Happy New Year Barbara.

>57 BBGirl55: Thanks so much, Bryony. The big bangs are incredible and it's only twenty past ten.

Dropping off my star on folks' 2016 threads now that 2015 is in its waning hours.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, BARBARA!!!

>59 EBT1002: Thanks so much, Ellen. I'm very happy to have you here.

Barbara, I'm wishing you and your family much joy in 2016. May all your books be good ones! I'm so glad you're part of this group and give us so many smiles with the beautiful images you post.

Stopping by to drop a star and wish you a Happy New Year! It's probably 2016 where you are already but we have an hour to go here.

Howdy! Happy New Year, has it happened for you yet? I am nearly at bedtime on day one of 2016, and it was a great one. Early evening BBQ with friends and kids, cricket on the lawn, 6 pizzas and snacks galore. oh, and sun!
I hope you have a good one.

>61 Donna828: Thanks so much, Donna. This is a fantastic group. I love it so much.

>62 Familyhistorian: Welcome, Meg and thanks so much. We are more than 10 hours into 2016. So our time differenc must be 11 hours. Wow.

>63 LovingLit: Thanks so much, Megan. The time difference to you must be 12 hours. I got up an hour ago and have breakfast now. Wishing you goodnight.

Happy New Year to you and yours Barbara!

>66 FAMeulstee: Thanks so much, Anita. Wishing you the same.

Happy New Year and God's blessings to you and your family in 2016, Barbara.

Happy New Year, Barbara! I hope 2016 is a great one for you.

>68 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. I keep my fingers crossed that it will be a good year.

This morning I was searching for impressionistic paintings because I'm going to start my month long art project with students. I choose paintings from Miró, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall and Jesus Fuertes. The students can choose a painting and will copy it. In late spring we'll have a private view for their families. It's than when my colleague and I will say goodbye to their families because after the summer holiday we'll get new students.

>69 susanj67: Thanks so much, Susan. I hope it's a good one for everybody.

>70 Ameise1: That project sounds great, Barbara. I've seen and enjoyed the works of Miró, Klee and Chagall in exhibitions of their works in past years, but I haven't heard of Jesus Fuertes, so I'll have to look him up.

>72 kidzdoc: I love Fuertes' paintings very much. When you're next time in Spain you should be able to see some original paintings of him, Darryl.

>73 Ameise1: I just looked up Fuertes on Wikipedia, and I was surprised to learn that he was born in Madrid. I don't think I've seen any of his works in Barcelona or Catalunya, but the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid does have a collection of his paintings. A visit there is in my plans for this year, so I'll be sure to see them.

Happy New Year, Barb! And Happy New Thread! Love the Zurich toppers!

>74 kidzdoc: I'm always happy when I can introduce something new to you. You'll like the Museo Reina Sofia. It has some great art.

>75 msf59: Ah, welcome Mark. It's wonderful to have you here. Happy New Yrar to you, too.

>70 Ameise1: Fun project!
Count me as a Miro fan. I've had a couple of his hanging in my hallway for years.

Happy New Year, Barbara. I look forward to following your reading this year.

I love the Museo Reina Sofia. It's the perfect size and has great art.

Happy New Year, Barbara! Those are lovely photos of Zurich at the top of the thread!

>77 mstrust: Jennifer, at our Kunsthaus (art musrum) we have actually a Miró exhibition with lots of paintings from privat collections. It's a wonderful exhibition.

>78 BLBera: Thanks so much, Beth. I'm currently reading The Vows of Silence for the BAC 2016. It's very gripping.
Indeed, I love Museo Reina Sofia, too.

>79 tymfos: Thanks so much, Terri. I took those photos in early Decmber when I was strolling through the historic centre.

Happy New Year, Barbara!

>81 Crazymamie: Thanks so much, Mamie. Wishing you a fabulous 2016, too.

Lovely top photos, Barbara. Here to wish you and yours a happy and healthy 2016.

Happy new year Barbara, may it be lovely and full of wonderful books.

Happy New Year!

>83 tiffin: Thanks so much, Tui. Wishing you the same.

>84 evilmoose: Many thanks, Megan, zhe same to you.

>85 ronincats: What a beautiful star, Roni. Thanks so much. Welcome on my thread.

Have a wonderful bookfilled 2016, Barbara, dear. xx

>87 PaulCranswick: Thanks so much, Paul. I love the gif.

We just made it back home from my elder daughter's new place. It's a beautiful flat they have and lunch - chilli con carne - was delicious.

Happy Saturday, Barb. I hope you are enjoying your day.

Oooh, chili con carne sounds really good right now!

>89 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. We were at our daughter's new place for lunch snd had a fab zime.

>90 scaifea: Amber it was delicious. She is cooking wonderful. It's so fantastic to visit our daughter at her own place. Gosh, time is runnig. I can remember well when she was a toddler and now her last year at the university begins.

Happy Sunday, Barbara! I hope that you have a good day ahead of you.

Gorgeous pictures, Barbara! Here's to a wonderful 2016 ! Looking at you thread, I am reminded of my sister's son, who is studying at Cambridge in the UK and heading to Amsterdam for Jan 3 for a 2 week conference . I know you are in Switzerland, but from Canada, it seems a wee bit closer to me! :) Oh! Love Susan Hill. Enjoy Vows Of Silence.

>92 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. I just finished all my preparation for going back to work tomorrow. Soon, I'm going to prepare the vegetarian lasagne which we'll have for dinner. After that I should have enough reading time.

>93 vancouverdeb: LOL, indeed Amsterdam is closer to us than to your place but it still takes 8 hours by train to go there. We all love Amsterdam. My daughters are much more there than my husband and I. They usually are going with friends.
Oh yes, The Vows of Silence is gripping. I should be able to finish it today.

>94 Ameise1: Sounds good. I decided to fly back to Atlanta last night instead of today, so that I could cook a couple of meals, do a load of laundry, and prepare to go back to work on Monday. I'll be able to finish My Struggle: Book One by this afternoon.

>95 kidzdoc: Good choice to spend your day this way. I post some pics when doing the lasagne so you get some clue the way I make it. It's easy and you cam freeze it when there is some leftover.

>96 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I look forward to seeing your photos. I'll post photos of Bhindi Masala and Deborah's Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices as well.

Happy New Year Barbara! I've just started Land of Marvels, and The Various Haunts of Men will be my next audiobook as soon as I finish the one I'm in the middle of. I'll look forward to your comments on The Magnificent Ambersons. It's on my TBR list because my mother's side of the family is from central Indiana.

>98 cbl_tn: Happy New Year to you, Too, Carrie. As you know, I always post my thoughts about books. Next one will be Land of Marvels when I've finished my currently reading. I'm looking forward to your thoughts about that book.

Here we go, Darryl. More or less step by step how I make the vegetarian lasagne.

Ingredients (You could also take zucchini, aubergine etc.)


Chop the vegetables, also the ognion and press the garlic.


Put some olive oil in a pan and start stewing the ognion and pressed garlic. After a while you add the vegetables. When the vegetables have fallen together add a soup spoon of tomato paste, pepper, salt and chili and stirr it for 10min. Than add the tomatoes (chopped in a can) and vegetable broth and season it with rosemary, oregano and thyme. Let it simmer for at least an hour, when needed add some more broth.


I make always a light bechamel (without butter): 600ml cold milk, three soup spoon flour, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Give everything into the cold milk and stirr it all the time when heating it until it is thick.

When everything is ready than start with the 'puzzle': The first layer is bechamel.


The next one is lasagne sheets (not cooked)


Next layer is the vegetable


Followed by bechamel


Then go on with pasta - vegetables - bechamel. Usually I have three layers of pasta in the end.

After the last time bechamel you put some parmesan on the top (I take Sbrinz, it is similar to parmesan but I like it better)


Now it's ready to go into the oven. 30min - 200C.

That looks great, Barbara! Thanks for posting those photos and descriptions of the process. May we see the finished product as well?

>101 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. Can't promise it ;-)

Happy New Year Barbara! Starred you for 2016.

Oh! I might have to try that lasagna, Barbara! It looks delicious!

>103 SandDune: It's so wonderful to see you here, Rhian. Welcome.

>104 Crazymamie: Mamie, I beam some over to you when it comes out of the oven ;-).
BTW it's easy to make it.

You've inspired me! It looks really good!

>106 mstrust: Thanks so much, Jennifer. Everybody loves it.

book 1 Read in German

 The Vows of Silence
BAC 2016

This was my first reading of the Simon Serrailler series even though it's the fourth book of the serie. It was a gripping reading. Simon has his hands full. Not only has he to find a killer who brutally shoots young newly married women but also in his family there too are major problems. His brother-in-law suffers from a brain tumor and the survival prospects look bleak. In addition, he learns that his father has a new girlfriend. He can not get used to the fact that somebody else takes his dead mother's place. He gets no rest and sleep while he hunts the murderer. Furthermore, there is a side story, in which a widow finds a new partner. Her son is not at all agreed and draws his personal consequence. On the emotional level all stories are interrelated.
I like the story and will read more of this series.

Glad you liked it, Barbara! I love the series, and especially like all the side stories and family stuff with Simon and his sister and father.

>109 karenmarie: The side stories are really fascinating, Karen. I'll definitely will go on with the series.

Happy Sunday, Barb. Hope you are enjoying your day. I am relaxing with my books and watching a little football.

>111 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark. For me it's time to go to sleep. It's 22.44pm and tomorrow I'm going back to work. Wishing you a lovely Sunday.

What beautiful photos of Zurich. I've only ever stopped off briefly on the way through, and never at night. You make me want to go back and see the city properly. Maybe one day, on that longed for skiing holiday where I have time to travel by rail and see all sorts of places on the way.... ahhhh, dreams....

That vegetarian lasagne looks delicious!

I wish you a very wonderful week, Barbara!

Looks like everyone is enjoying their Susan Hill read so far!

#100 Barbara that looks very good. Very hungery now!

Happy New Year Barb!

>100 Ameise1: I made an asparagus/leek/shitake mushroom lasagna as a side for Chrismas dinner, a recipe one of my high school chums shared with me, and it was delicious. It was the first time I'd used those "no-precook" lasagna sheets.

>113 eclecticdodo: Thanks so much, for stopping by. Yes, I'm looking forward to go skiing but it definitely needs much more snow. Well, the forecast says that it will be snowing in the Alpes the whole week.

>114 EBT1002: What a beautiful photo, Ellen. Thanks so much. The lasagne was indeed delicious.

>115 thornton37814: I always liked Hill's books. This was just the first of the Serailler series for me. I hope you'll read a Hill book, too and will enjoy it.

>116 BBGirl55: Thanks so much Bryony, there is some leftover which will be fine for tonight.

>117 The_Hibernator: Happy New year to you, too, Rachel. What a joyful photo.

>118 ronincats: Oh, that sounds very delicious, Roni. It's so easy to make lasagne with this 'non-precooked' lasagne sheets.

Hope 2016 is a great year for you and thank you for all that you add to the 75ers!!

Oh my, vege lasagne. Mine looks similar, but I slow roast an eggplant and red pepper (bell pepper) to stir into the sauce as well. It seems to thicken it too, if it sometimes ends up too watery.

Tonight I made potato and chick pea casserole. With a heap of mushrooms, it is delicious. I have it on rice and add chilli sauce til the cows come home :)

Your vegetarian lasagna looks delicious! Didn't know you could do Bechamel without the butter, might try that next time! Do you use dry lasagne pasta or the fresh one from the cool shelf?
And I love Sbrinz! It's been years since I saw it, back at the time when my dad was working for that Suisse company.

Happy first week of work! :)

I hope your first day at school was a good one!

Yummy looking veg lasagna!

Love the veggie lasagna. A friend did one with spinach and mushrooms which was delicious - and I like the sound of your butterless white sauce.

>121 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim. It's so lovely.

>122 LovingLit: Megan, eggplants into a veggi lasagne is good, too. Your chicken oea casserole sounds delicious.

>123 Deern: Hi Nathalie, i like the Bechamel much better without butter. It's indeed much lighter. I use dry lasagne pasta. I have them always at home as well as vegetables, milk and Sbrinz. Therefore, all the time ready to make a lasagne.

>124 DianaNL: Hi diana, the first day back at school was a good one. The kids were terribly tired but this normal after the holiday season. They eat too much and are only watching TV etc. and they have too little exercise.

>125 vancouverdeb: thanks, Deb. It was delicious.

>126 charl08: The butterless bechamel is gorgeous, Charlotte. Give it a try when you make one the next time. The best thing with lasagne is that you can fill it with whatever you like.

Hi, Barbara! I'm glad to hear that your first day back was a good one - Charlie's was, too, it seems. He was so excited to get back to school this past weekend. Ha!

Hi, Barb! Hope the week is beginning well. Always tough to get back in the groove.

Happy new year Barbara! Glad to hear your first day back at school went well.

>129 scaifea: I'm glad to hear that Charlie had a good start after the holiday season. It is always difficult to have a good start for children after the holidays.

>130 msf59: Hi Mark, myownself has already found the groove but the pupils are miles behind. Ha!

>131 souloftherose: Thanks so much, Beth. Tormorrow, the two new students from the university who will be teaching at my class in spring, are coming for their first visit in our class. Later my colleague and I we'll give them the tasks what they have to do during their teaching time.
I'm always so excited to meet new students. I hope they are two wonderful ladies.

Glad you are off to a good start and hope your two newbies are great--we are on our second day of school cancellation due to ice!!!

>133 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim. I'm looking forward to getting to know these two young women.
Ha! What a start into the new year. No school due to ice. That would never happen here.

Happy New Year, Barbara! You've been quite busy on your post already! Looking good! ** starred **

>135 michigantrumpet: Thanks so much, Marianne. It's fabulous to have you here.

Hope your students enjoy their teaching practice Barbara. That must be a steep learning curve!

>137 charl08: Charlotte, yesterday it was just a first meeting and giving them all the tasks what they should do when they definitely are starting to teach after Eastern.
I have a good feeling. I had a positive first impression of them.
They're coming on the 18th of January for another meet-up. There are a lot of things we have to discuss with them and later they're calling us for help.
So, yes, off we go for good work until the end of May.

book 2 ♫

 The House of Silk

This was a wonderful Sherlock Holmes listening. There were several locations where the murder of people and thefts had to be solved but Holmes came to pass in danger and was arrested. Therefore it was Dr. Watson's turn to manage a part of these puzzles on his own. A part of this story was a sad subject about sexual abuse of boys and when reading or listening about it, I always get very angry. Pedophilia is something of the most terrible that there is and it is never a gentleman offense.

Hi Barbara. Just wanted to quickly wish you Happy New Year!

Zurich looks beautiful

>140 humouress: Thanks so much, Nina. I wish you a wonderful 2016, too.

>139 Ameise1: Just got through House of Silk this past year. Did you know the author also was a writer for the WWII TV serial Foyle's War and wrote a book a la Ian Fleming's James Bond? I like that he has such a good ear for style and dialogue that he can convincingly write as a late Victorian, WWII country detective, and a '50's playboy!

>142 michigantrumpet: Thsnks for those informations, Marianne. No, I didn't know it. It was the first book of him I've read. I only saw one episode of Foyler's war.

Enjoy!

Happy weekend, Barbara! Will you have snow in Zuerich? Here they keep promising it, but it has been dry again all week and mostly sunny - but now very very cold!

Happy Friday, Barb! Hope the work day goes quickly, so you can start that "reading" weekend. Smiles...

>144 DianaNL: LOVE it, Diana. Thanks so much. I wish you a great weekend, too.

>145 Deern: Since yesterday, we've got a lot of rain. In the Alpes it's snowing and the avalanche danger is on a high mark. Here in Zürich it's still too warm, so no snow for us, Nathalie.

>146 msf59: Ha, Mark! The pupils just left the classroom. So I'm soon on my way back home and hopefully will get enough reading time. :-)

Hi, Barbara! Happy Weekend!!

>148 scaifea: Thanks so much, Amber. I feel very tired. Just have read a few pages. I suppose I need to sleep early this evening.

Happy Weekend Barbara! Hope you do something interesting!

I have House of Silk on my TBR pile, were it's been for a few years even though it gets such good reviews. Each time I read about it, I think "that's sounds so good, why haven't I gotten to it?" This will be the year!

>150 michigantrumpet: Thanks so much, Marianne. I've to do some work for school. Within the next four weeks we have to write the reports for the pupils. It's every time a busy thing.
Tomorrow I do the shopping on the local farmer market and a visit to the library is also planed.

>151 mstrust: Jennifer, The House of Silk was for three years waiting to be listened. As you can see also for me it took some time to listen to it.

I went to the library to take some audios as

• Buddhaland Brooklyn by Richard C Morais I saw the author Morais on Marianne (MichiganTrumpet)'s thread
  
• The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
  

#142 and 143 - We've watched quite a bit of the TV series Foyle's War and found it fascinating.

Happy Weekend, Barbara!

Happy Saturday, Barb! Get plenty of R & R in, okay?

>154 karenmarie: Thanks so much, Karen.

>155 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. Will try to do so. Unfortunately there is also work to do for school.

Happy Saturday, Barbara!

>157 Crazymamie: Thanks so much, Mamie.

Have a lovely weekend, Barbara.

>159 BLBera: Thanks so much, Beth. I was able to read 100 pp in Land of Marvels. So far I'm not quite sure what I should think about the story. It's about an argeological dig and a railway which is built and will go straight into this site. Well, I'm looking forward what will hapen.

Happy weekend, Barbara!

Happy Saturday! I will keep an eye out for The House of Silk. It sounds like the type of book I usually like. I hope you're not disappointed with Land of Marvels. I'm coming to the conclusion that Land of Marvels is more of a character study than anything.

>161 ronincats: Thanks so much, Roni. I hope you'll have a good one, too.

>162 cbl_tn: Carrie, that's the word 'character study'. I do have the same feeling. Well, usually I don't mind such books. I only hope it will swing into a move.
I hope you can find a copy of The House of Silk. It's a good story.

>139 Ameise1: I've never heard the term 'gentleman offence' before. But, I agree, it must have been disturbing to read about pedophilia.

Hmm, do let me know what you think of The Bookseller of Kabul and The House of Silk. Both titles interest me quite a bit! Happy weekend, Barbara!

Happy Weekend!!

oh, my post disappeared. It wasn't very interesting. Just to say the man The Bookseller Of Kabul is based on tried to sue the author for ruining his reputation. I thought it was an excellent book and showed his good side too.

A reading weekend? Hope it goes well!

>164 LovingLit: Well, Megan, I just tried to translate a expression we use in our language into English. Here in Switzerland we have a special group within the police which are looking out for pedophilia delicts. I suppose that is a very demanding job.

>165 vancouverdeb: Will do so, Deb. I've heard a lot about this book and finally I found it in the library. My thoughts of The House of Silk you can read in (>139 Ameise1:).

>166 BBGirl55: Thanks so much, Bryony.

>167 eclecticdodo: Thanks so much for your thoughts, Jo. I'm looking forward to the listening.

>168 drneutron: Ha, Jim, unfortunately not 100% filled with reading time but it will be plenty of it.

Happy weekend, Barbara. Thanks for the Susan Hill review - she is a new author for me and I'll have to be on the lookout for her books. And your lasagna looks wonderful - I'm going to give it a try.

>170 catarina1: Thanks for stopping by, Catarina. I hope you'll find some Hill books. The lasagna is very easy to make it.

Just finished a Susan Hill standalone about the 1914-18 war and was impressed (if sad- not a happy book, Strange Meeting). I'm thinking I will try and get to her detective stories too, given all the enthusiasm for them!

Hope you have a good Sunday.

>172 charl08: Charlotte I've read two standalone books by Hill earlier. The Beacon (in 2012) and A Kind Man (in 2012). Both books are completely different to the Serailler series but nevertheless I liked them.

Happy Sunday, Barb! Did you get your school work done? I sure hope so.

>174 msf59: Just finished all that stuff and now it's reading time, Mark. :-)

Happy Sunday, Barbara! I hope that you have a relaxing and quiet day to read. I'll make carrot ginger coconut shrimp soup shortly, and then "hit the books".

>176 kidzdoc: Your soup sounds delicious, Darryl. I should give it a try. We have raclette for dinnrr, tonight. Happy reading.

Hi Barbara, following the Brecht mention on my thread - if I start (re-)reading his works, what would be a good order in your opinion? No hurry with the answer, I have loads of TBR left. Just thought I might better have a planned approach for that "project".
Raclette - yum! :)

Hope your weekend was filled with time to read your books!!

>178 Deern: Ha, Nathalie, that's not an easy task you have given to me, but I try to do my best.

To get into Brecht's thinking it would be best to read his poems and I don't mean reading them all at once more like when you are in the mood for it. Sometimes I just read one and its meaning will last for a couple of days. There is a poem collection of him Poems 1913–1956. One poem is frequently used at our home Fragen eines lesenden Arbeiters namely when people brag about what they have done, even if it was only financially, is our answer: War nicht noch ein Arbeiter dabei? / Was not a worker doing it?.

Brecht wrote a lot of great short stories. This could help you get started in his works also.

For his epic theatre I love the following

• Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder
  
• Der gute Mensch von Sezuan
  
• Die Dreigroschenoper
  
• Die Gewehre der Frau Carrar
  
• Leben des Galilei
  

I've read them and saw the plays in Zürich and Vienna.

I hope I could help you a bit.

>179 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim. I was able to read about 200 pages this weekend.

I wish you a wonderful week, Barbara, with lots of enjoyable reading!

Hope you have had a good weekend Barbara and I hope you have a really good week my dear.

>182 EBT1002: What a cuty, Ellen. Thanks so much. I probably won't get reading time until next Sunday. Too much to do at work.

>183 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John. It will be filled with work but on Wednesday afternoon I'll be at the Kunsthaus (art museum). I'm looking forward to it.

Great to see you still posting at last years levels Barbara. Hope the rest of Sunday treats you kindly. xx

Hope you had a great weekend Barb!

>186 PaulCranswick: >187 The_Hibernator: Thanks so much, Paul and Rachel. I'm soon on the way to work. Wishing you a good start into the new week.

>180 Ameise1: thank you so much Barbara! I didn't read any poems by Brecht and I might indeed start with those. I'll check what my library offers.
Of your list at school we read Der Gute Mensch von Sezuan (I believe that was the first one), Die Dreigroschenoper and Das Leben des Galilei (those two were great and we were older then). Also Der Kaukasische Kreidekreis at a very young age and I don't remember a thing. Wasn't that the one with the Kolchose and no-one had an idea what that was? Hm.. blurry memories, time for a refresh! :)
Have a good week!

>189 Deern: Glad I could be a kind of help.

Der kaukasische Kreidekreis: It is said that a woman during the chaos of war leaves behind her son. The maid takes over the care and upbringing of the child. After the war raises the birth mother that she is entitled to her son. Here, a very special court procedure starts

>177 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. The carrot ginger coconut shrimp soup is one of the easiest recipes in my repetoire, and it tastes great.

I had to look up raclette, as I hadn't heard of it before. It looks very tasty!

>191 kidzdoc: Darryl, I'll definotely give your soup a try. Raclette is somehow a national dish. Next to Fondue we're eating it regulaty during winter time. It's vety delicious and we always take special cheese for it.

>180 Ameise1: Brecht :-)
I saw plays of Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder and Die Dreigroschenoper and loved them!

>193 FAMeulstee: Glad to hear that there is another Brecht fan, Anita. I love his epic theatres but also his poems. Wishing you a wonderful week.

>194 Ameise1: And forget to mention, as is appropiate today, I also loved David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht’s Baal... maybe now it might finally come out on CD...

So true.

Stopping by to get caught up and to wish you a lovely week, Barbara!

>197 lkernagh: Thanks so much, Lori. I hope you have a great week, too..

Hi, Barbara. Thanks for your good wishes over at the cafe. Have a happy week!

>199 jnwelch: You're welcome, Joe. Tomorrow morning I attend a further training and in the afternoon I'm going to the Kunsthaus (art museum)

The Kunsthaus and Brecht? It's all very classy over here Barbara. Hope you have fun (the children too of course).

>200 Ameise1: The Art Museum! Suzanne (Chatterbox) was visiting from Providence, Rhode Island, and we went to the Museum of Fine Arts on Sunday. We saw an exhibit: "Class Distinctions: Dutch Painting in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer." In addition to those two painters, we also saw Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch and Gerard ter Bosch.

Quite interesting! Here's the link to the exhibit. http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/class-distinctions

Hope you have a good time visiting your museum!!

>201 charl08: Charlotte, that's all without the kids. They have no school tomortow that's fun for them.

>202 michigantrumpet: Thanks so much, Marianne. I will definitely enjoy tomorrow afternoon. I saw a fab exhibition about Dutch paintings from the 17th century two weeks ago at zhe Kunsthaus. My colleagues will see the Miró exhibitions. I've already seen it in October, therefore I will probably see the Tomi Ungerer exhibition which will only be until the end of January.

Miro! I adore Miro!

>204 Ameise1: I love his art very much. A lot od the exhibits are from privat collections. There are some wonderful paintings and sculptures.

This afternoon I visited 'Tomi Ungerer Incognito'. What a gorgeous exhibition. He is said to have influenced everyone - as an illustrator, a storyteller, a sculptor, a butcher, and as an activist: driven by an inexhaustible inspiration, the "sharpest line in the world", as the today 84 is sometimes called, has scattered his commentaries to the world.

Already as a kid I loved his storybook very much. Here some photos from the exhibit:

                      

Wow, What a wonderful illustrator. Many thanks, as always for posting such lovely images.

Happy 2016 to you!

>208 Whisper1: Thanks so much, Linda for this beautiful painting.

I love Ungerer's way of seeing the world.

Great photos from the Tomi Ungerer exhibition, Barbara! Thanks for posting them for us to see.

>210 kidzdoc: Thanks so much, Darryl. He is a very special person. I always loved his art and books. I enjoyed this afternoon very much.

Happy Wednesday, Barb! Hope the week is going well. I like the Ungerer artwork. Thanks for sharing.

>212 msf59: I'm glad you like it. It's going to be very icy the next few days. Therefore I won't go to work by car. I'll take the bus.

Glad you had a good visit to the gallery. I love the man with the snail.

>214 charl08: That's a fab one, isn't it? I should put a copy of it in my classroom. I suppose my pupils can't listen so well because they have such a snail tunnel in their ears. ;-)

I think my favorite is the legs/no leg photograph in the top middle.

I know Tomi Ungerer as a children's book illustrator. I had no idea he had this kind of range and imagination. Thanks for posting these, Barbara.

>216 jnwelch: This is one as cross as two sticks thinking of all the poor people which are losing legs during wars.

Ungere is like a chameleon. He has a lot of facets. He can bring messages with a minimum of lines.

>207 Ameise1: I like this a lot! Some of it reminds me of the work of German artist John Heartfield, who used photomontage too.

Thanks for posting from the Ungerer exhibit, Barbara. Beautiful.

>218 mstrust: >219 BLBera: I'm glad you like the Ungerer oeuvres, Jennifer and Beth.

I was hoping for "some" pics and you gave us so many, thank you!

>221 Deern: I'm glad you enjoy them, Nathalie.

>207 Ameise1: Thanks for sharing the pictures of the Ungerer exposition, this one caught my eye:

>207 Ameise1: Great photos from the exposition, Barbara. Thanks. And I also love that ^ one.

Have a lovely weekend!

>223 FAMeulstee: >224 EBT1002: Thanks so much ladies. Isn't this a gorgeous picture? I love it too.

>225 DianaNL: Oh, this is cute. Thanks so much, Diana.

Not so much of a free weekend. Tomorrow I'll attend a BLS-AED (Basic life support to include automated external defibrillation) course which will be from 9am to 4pm. I suppose I'll be pretty much worn out after 7 hours of this kind of work out.

Good for you for taking that life support course, Barbara. Is that expected in your profession, or are you doing it for other reasons?

Hope you have a good weekend even with that challenge tomorrow.

>227 jnwelch: Well, when you will do the driving licence everybody here in Switzerland has to do a life support course. This is obligatory. Furthermore it makes sense to do a refreshing course from time to time. Because I haven't done a course how to use a defibrillator I desided to do it now. Of course, I need all that also for my profession, too.

>228 Ameise1: Jeez, you're way ahead of us on that one. What a good idea to require doing a life support course.

>229 jnwelch: Joe, we have the life support courses linked to get the learner's licence since more than fourty years. That's just very normal here. I'm astonished that you haven't something like that in the USA.

Happy Friday, Barb! I hope you have a nice weekend planned.

>230 Ameise1: We struggle with agreeing to have government mandates like that.

>231 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I've some 'work' - see above.

>232 jnwelch: Sorry, to hear that, Joe. Here, it's not so easy to make the driving licence and I think that's good so.

We also had to have those life support courses to get a driver's licence in Germany. Here in Italy they wanted me to do another one when I started my company. They have extreme safety regulations here, you need to hire a security firm and pay a yearly control, etc. I convinced them that in a one person company with no visiting customers there was no-one who'd need my assistance and I got an exception.
But you're right doing a refreshing course, I should do that as well. However they haven't started yet putting up defibrillators in public places here as they did in Germany and certainly in Switzerland. It's currently being discussed.

I wish you a good class and overall a nice weekend!

>234 Deern: Thanks so much for the update in Germany and Italy, Nathalie. It's interesting how countriea handle the fact of life support courses for the driving licence.
I'm looking forward to the task with the defibrillator today.

The Egyptian driver's licence examination was the best. Travel between cones set up in a question mark forwards and then backwards without knocking any of them down and then the licence is yours.

Have a splendid weekend Barbara. xx

Hi Barbara! Best wishes for a wonderful weekend. Thanks for sharing the work of Tomi Ungerer. Fascinating man. He designed the Dr. Strangelove movie poster. Live and learn.

>236 PaulCranswick: Ha, Paul, that's one reason why there are countries I would never drive a car.
I wish you a wonderful weekend, too.

>237 karenmarie: Hi Karen, thanks for your kind weekend wishes. Thanks so much for the poster information. I just googled it. Great poster.

book 3 ♫ Listen in German

 The Secret Keeper

This was a fantastic listening. I love stories which are switching between times. In this book the story of Dorothy and Vivienne are told in the times of WWII (1939-1941) and nowadays. Laurel the eldest daughter was a witness to a terrible murder when she was a teenager. Now, as her mother is dying and Laurel is remembering her life with her, she suddenly remembers at this insident and would like to know more about it. Her mother is too weak to answer the questions, but Laurel feels that the past keeps her mother very stressed. With the help of Laurel's brother, a lot of documents and interviews with descendants and witnesses it is possible for her to solve the mystery.

Hi Barbara, the photos from the exhibition are wonderful my dear and I would love to see the art museum. I hope you are having a lovely weekend my dear, we have Amy and Andy staying overnight and have had a good day with them. Sending love and hugs to you all, Karen says hi.

>240 johnsimpson: Hi Kohn, thanks so much. Say hi to all three. It's great to hear that you have Amy and Andy over night.

I attended the whole day at a BLS-AED course. I was most time on my knees for the cardiac massage and now have really sore kneees. But I got a good feedback the my 'pushing' is steadily and fast during a long time. I suppose tomorrow I'll be feeling my work also in the arms.

That is amazing that you have life support classes attached to getting your Driver's License in Switzerland . A great idea, but not one that we have in Canada. We do have graduated Driver's Licensing program, where the first 18 months of driving you are restricted to one passenger and only certain hours of the day. Initially you have a Learners License, during which you may only have your driving instructor with you, or a driver who driven for more than 10 year and has a full drivers license, like most parents do. Then when you pass a test , you go one to " New Driver" where you are restricted to one passenger, and only to drive during certain hours and no alcohol at all. Eventually you take your final Driver's License course, all of which can take quite a while. I think my eldest was 20 or 21 before he was free of his "New " designation My younger son was likely about 19 when he was able to get rid of the New Designation.

I hope your arms are not too sore. Happy weekend.

Hi Barbara! I hope you're having a pleasant weekend. You've provided another reminder that I want to read something by Kate Morton.

>242 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb, for the insight 'how to get a driver's licence' in Canada. Here, you have to do first the life support course and a theory course followed by theory exam (road signs, traffic rules etc.) before you can apply for a learner's licence. With this licence you're only aloud to drive (like at your place) with an instructor or someone who has got his licence for ten years and more. Next step is a practical driving test. After passing a test you get a 'new driver' licence for two years. During this time you have to take part at two daylong courses. There are also some restrictions with this licence. Here you must be 18 to start with the whole procedure and it mostly takes you close to four year to finish every step.

I feel still a bit sore and tired.

>243 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie, I'm glad that I could be a kind of help.

Here, too , you must take a written exam ( actually on a computer now ) prior to getting your learners licence. But no life support exam is attached. That is such a great idea. Sorry you still feel sore and tired.

>245 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I'm doing some work for school and later, hopefully, I get some reading time.

Happy Sunday, Barbara! I hope that you find time to read today.

>247 kidzdoc: Only a coffee break at this moment, Darryl. Still have to do some work for school.

Hi Barbara - The Secret Keeper sounds good. I have a Morton waiting for me at the library, The Lake House. Have a lovely Sunday.

>249 BLBera: Beth, my local library has a copy of The Lake House. I'm looking forwatd to your review.

Happy Sunday, Barb! I hope you finished your work and can now focus on Books & coffee. Smiles...

>223 FAMeulstee: I love that drawing! The Ungerer exposition has me intrigued, definitely someone I want to learn more about.

>239 Ameise1: The Secret Keeper looks like a good book. Kate Morton seems to be popping up everywhere I look, lately.

>251 msf59: :-( still no reading time on sight, Mark.

>252 abergsman: Thanks so much, Alisia. I love art and Ungerer is a fantastic artist.
I like Kate Morton's books because she is hopping between different times. That makes her stories so lovable.

>207 Ameise1: - What a wonderful exhibit! I do have to say that the picture of the 'planted legs with heels pointing to the sky' and the one-legged man walking down the path really caught my eye.

I see some Kate Morton love! ;-)

Given that the weekend is pretty much over where you are, I hope it was a lovely one, Barbara!

>254 lkernagh: Thanks so much, Lori. The picture with the leg is a gorgeous one but also a sad one.

Ah yes, I love Morton's stories.

It was a busy weekend with no reading.

Sorry to hear no reading. Hope you have some relaxation planned for next weekend.

>256 charl08: Charlotte, this is the time when we write the reports for the pupils. It's always very busy. My husband and I have planned to visit the Kunsthaus next Sunday morning. There is an exhibition with the title 'Me/Not me'. I'm looking forward to it.

Glad you enjoyed The Secret Keeper so much! Hope you had a great weekend!

>258 The_Hibernator: Thanks for stopping by, Rachel. I wish you a good start imto the week ahead.

Fascinating talk about the differences in obtaining your driver's license. My youngest just got his Learner's Permit. In Oregon you have to be 15 to take the computer test, which has about 40 questions. If you pass, you can only drive with someone who is over 21 and you are only allowed to drive with family in the car. No distracting friends allowed! Then at 16 you can take the permanent test. If you either took a driver's ed information class, with behind the wheel training, or have documented 100 hours behind the wheel it helps lower the cost of insurance, so that motivates parents to get their kids to practice.

Love all the pictures from Ungerer. I recognized some of them, but had no idea he had such breadth to his work. So cool! Thanks.

And I am wishing you a lovely week. : )

>260 Berly: Thanks so much, Kim, for adding your version of 'how to get a driver's licence'. I'm glad that we start here at 18 and not earlier.

Ungerer is a great artist, isn't he?

book 4

 Land of Marvels
BAC January

This wasn't really my kind of reading. I have to addmit that Unsworth's writing style is lovely but the story didn't catch my interest. It's more a kind of characteristic of the individual protagonists, which are by geographical events at the same time and same place, and therefore try to make out the best for their own interest. The characters and their interests can not be more different, and this makes the contact between them not simple.

I took a life support class years ago that the Red Cross offered. They do want you to take refreshers from time to time, but I moved and somehow never checked into times offered by the local chapter for the next city. That's an interesting requirement for a drivers license though.

>263 thornton37814: It's also very helpful, so you have a clue how to act when needed. We do have refresher courses, too wh7ch I make from time to time. For the cardiac massage and defibillator the refreshing course every second year is a must.
Wish7ng you a lovely day, Lori.

Happy Hump Day, Barb! Hope the week is going well.

Hi Barbara. Just whizzing through quickly and waving.

>142 michigantrumpet: Horowitz is a prolific YA and children's author, too.

>207 Ameise1: The Ungerer pictures made me smile.

>236 PaulCranswick: Did you get an Egyptian license, Paul?

I got my first license in the UK, and when I came to Singapore, I only had to take the theory test. As it's based on the UK system, it wasn't too much of a struggle. After living here so long, though, I am semi-psychic; I just know when some idiot is going to cut in front of me with no warning.

>265 msf59: Thanks so much, Mark. So far the week is going well. The road conditions are precarious due to ice and snow. That's why I'm traveling by public transport at the moment which gives me lots of time listening an audio book The Cuckoo's Calling.

>266 humouress: Thanks so much for stopping by, Nina. The talking 'how to get a drver's licence' is deffinitely interesting here. Thanks for sharing your view. I'm glad you' like Ungerer's pictures.

This morning I was with my class in the public library. Three times a year the librians offer some special lessons there. Todays task was: What can I find out about a book using a blurb? The librian selected lots of books for my pupils age. Then each pupil got a note where a name of a colleague was written down. They had to choose a book this colleague might enjoy to read. When to books were handed over to the colleague, every body got a paper where they hat to write down the following: author, title, characters, where does it take place, when and what will happen. After everyone had finished the writing they presented their books to the rest of the class. It was great fun. during the task I got a free minute and went to the box with the free books. I picked for myself Sister of my Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

I loved The Cuckoo's Calling on audio - that is how I revisited it last year. LOVE those books. And they just keep getting better.

That library assignment sounds like a lot of fun!

On my way home I made a stop at my local library and got the following:

• Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips Audio in German (BB from Lori {lkernagh})
  
• That Old Cap Magic by Richard Russo (in German) AAC February
  
• Nine Lives by William Dalrymple (in German) BAC February
  

>269 Crazymamie: Mamie, I love the listening so far very much. The second one I have already on my mp3. Indeed, these library assignments are wonderful. It starts with the kids when they are in kindergarten and go on until they are 14 years old. Each pupil has his on library card and can go to the public library also private. We also have a gorgeous school library where we go with the kids weekly.

>270 Ameise1: I loved Nine Lives (and should revisit it some day)!!
I like the idea of library projects for schools and >268 Ameise1: this one really sounds like fun!
Still no snow here. This morning when I came to the Office I would have placed a bet on it, but around 10am all the snow clouds had gone west (vs Switzerland I just realize) and the sun was shining again.

>272 Deern: Nathalie, we had a gorgeous morning. The kids had selected perfect matched books for their colleagues. I'm looking forward to Nine Lives but there are two other books waiting to be read before.
I suppose there will be some more snow and ice days here but yeeeeh that means more time to listen The Cuckoo's Calling :-D.

I look forward to your comments about Nine Lives, Barbara.

>274 kidzdoc: You'll have to wait a while, Darryl, because I have to read two other books before.

>270 Ameise1: Now THAT'S a nice haul of reading! Have fun!

>276 michigantrumpet: Thanks so much, Marianne. The next two week won't be reading weeks due to work but later I'll definitely will enjoy it.

Sounds like you will be busy in February Barbara. I have ordered mine from the library for the challenges, but am not sure if they will arrive in time...

Love the sound of your library project with the class. Did anyone pick a surprising book for their classmate?

>278 charl08: It's especially January which is very busy, Charlotte. No, not realy, they've chosen what was obvious.

The Secret Keeper is now on the tbr pile. Thanks for your excellent review.

>280 Whisper1: I'm glad I could inspire you, Linda.

Please join me on my new thread.