2020: Paul S and his books - 1

a picture Suki made on the Bettmeralp in the Valais - first snow
It was a pretty cold morning when we left the hotel for hiking. But the day became better and we had a great view over the Aletsch glacier

Welcome back!

I am Paul from Switzerland, widower and father of three (30, 32, 34 years old) and grandfather of one (3 months old).

I work part time as a librarian and part time in a Caritas shop, selling food and stuff to refugees and low-income-people. And I work in different functions in a free church.

Hobbies are reading, photography and hiking. I also do some proofreading for wikisource, and occasionally load up a picture to wikipedia (especially photos of free book places I find, which are also to find here in LT local).

My wife Suki was a Korean from Kwangju, Cheollanamdo. She was working as a nurse in Switzerland. So I do know a little bit Korean and love Korean food. She died two years ago of cancer.

--
Lavertezzo in the Verzasca valley in the Ticino -- Staubbach water falls in Lauterbrunnen, Bern

Suki and her nieces from Korea

feeding goats in Heidiland in the Grisons. The nieces bought some food for feeding these bonsai goats - but the goats pushed them hard so they brought me the snacks and I was nearly overrun. they jumped on the bench and tried to come on my lap ...

We once made a Tour de Suisse together with our in-laws from the USA and Korea. All these pictures were made by Suki. (you may see her shadow in the corner)

Starred!

It's so nice to still see the beautiful pictures by and of Suki. I'll be following your reading progress again this year. May it be a good one for you, Paul.

A happy and fulfilling reading year ahead, Paul.

>6 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline for your friendship.
I like to look forward but pictures are always of the past :) so I start with looking back to the places we've been and look forward to visit some of them again.

>7 richardderus: Thank you, Richard for coming over and the good wishes.

Hi Paul, I'm here to read your stories!

>9 DianaNL: Thanks for looking in. Let's what there is to share in 2020

Hanging my star to follow along.

Best wishes for 2020!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Happy reading in 2020, Paul!

Happy New Year!

Happy new year Paul!

Happy New Year, Paul! I look forward to following your thread again this year.

Thanks for once again sharing photos — the goat picture and story are funny!

Happy New Year, Paul!

>11 thornton37814: thanks for coming by, Lori

>12 DianaNL: Thanks Diana

>13 PaulCranswick: 'More Sleep' sounds like a good resolution, 'More Books' will happen anyway, I am afraid

>14 Ameise1: Looking forward to the exciting books and other such events

>15 FAMeulstee: I am thankful for being able to read, Anita, and so I am pleased to read in 2020

>16 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita, best wishes for 2020, too

>17 charl08: Looking forward to it, charlotte, and wish you the same

>18 harrygbutler: Thanks Harry, looking forward to sharing some more - hopefully funny stories as well

>19 quondame: Thanks Susan, what a lovely star

1) Leben ohne Alltag : kleine Erzählungen by Wilhelm Busch. Here he tells about his experience as a Christian during the rise of the Nazis, during World War II and just after the war. He tells about the organisation of youth camps for orphans who work already as teenagers in the mines, the visits to patients in a hospital, his journeys to Switzerland (before the war) and the USA (after the war), his dealings with Christians, ignorant church-goers and foes of the Gospel. Stories of faith and trust in the Lord during hard times.



first published 1954 in German

This Wilhelm Busch (1897–1966) was the well known pastor in the Ruhrgebiet in Germany, where he was serving a community of coal miners. He was imprisoned for his faith in Jesus by the Nazis. His book Jesus unser Schicksal is one of the most sold books in Germany.

Hi Paul and Happy New Year!

I did not realize you were a grandfather - congratulations.

Wishing you a good year of reading, hiking, and photography.

>23 karenmarie: Thanks Karen --- well, becoming grandfather happened pretty recent, I am a baby-grandfather :)

Happy new year, Paul! The pictures are a wonderful remembrance of Suki! Have you bought any books for your little grandchild?

Wishing you 12 months of reading
52 weeks of laughter
366 days of fun (leap year!)
8,784 hours of joy
527,040 minutes of good luck
and 31,622,400 seconds of happiness!!

Happy New Year Paul. Like you, I lost someone I loved dearly. I am so sorry to learn of Suki's passing. I was not as active in 2019. I hope to fix that and be more attentive.

Grief still smacks me at times. It is the year of "firsts." The first spring without Will. The first fall without Will, and his love of Halloween where he not only gave one piece of candy to each trick or treater, but hand fulls to those who wore unique outfits. The first Thanksgiving was a bit challenging, and I got through the first Christmas without him. Now, it is the first New Year without him. Time goes on. I'm slowly going through his boxes of things.

I never realized what a hoarder he was. I packed, and gave away 36 boxes of clothes to the Purple Heart organization. Just when I thought I gave away all, alas I found box number 37.

As I am sure you know, the memories linger.
The happy ones are poignant, then the ones where we bickered over stupid things make me realize life is way to short for that nonsense.

I am so very sorry for your loss Paul!

>25 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. No, I didn't buy any books yet. I gave a 'Lars, the polar bear' book to his father, so he can prepare himself telling his son some stories :)

>26 Berly: Thanks Kim, especially for the 31,622,400 seconds of happiness - I am afraid I wasted some already being unhappy or asleep. But I am looking forward to some good time in 2020, too

>27 Whisper1: thanks for your kind words, Linda. It still isn't easy to live without Suki. She was always the one who was planning things :) - now I am a bit at a loss because I am slow in changing. But I am improving. Photographing things or scenes I know Suki liked them, is one thing which helps me to look forward and enjoying new things ( I hope you understand what I try to say here, I don't have all the expressions in English...)

Wishing you a happy new year, and lots of good books in 2020.

Happy New Year and Happy New Thread, Paul.
And the best wishes for your way.
May the books be with you.

>30 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda

>31 SirThomas: Danke Thomas. May the books be with you. No fear of that, I should hope, that they multiply not so fast :)

2019 Book Meme

Borrowed from other threads:

Describe yourself: The fox in the library

Describe how you feel: fromm und frau (pious and womanly)

Describe where you currently live: In der Krummgasse (in the Crooked Road)

Your favourite time of day is: Am Abend vor dem Meer (evening before the sea)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Your favorite form of transportation: Kurze Geschichte des Traktors auf Ukrainisch (short history of tractors in Ukranian)

Your best friend is: Die Vegetarierin (the vegetarian)

You and your friends are: Liebe pur (pure love)

Your worst enemy: The Lady of the Lake

What’s the weather like: Bretonische Verhältnisse (Breton conditions)

You fear: Pauline Pechfee (Pauline, the bad luck fairy)

What is the best advice you have to give: Nicht verzweifeln - beten! (Don't despair - pray)

Thought for the day: Denn am Sabbat sollst du ruhen (on the Sabbath you shall rest)

How you would like to die: In Seinen Fussstapfen (in His steps)

Your soul’s present condition: Er hat dich erlöst (He redeemed you)

What is life for you: A mercy

Your favorite pet: Die kleine Spinne Widerlich (the little spider Disgusting)

Your favorite food: The coroner's lunch

A slogan to remember: Elephants can remember

Favorite hobby: Abzählen (count out)

A good place you like reading books: Über den Wolken (above the clouds)

Something you carry always with you: My Wörtersack (my bag of words)

A last word: Tschüss zäme! (bye everybody)

some stats for 2019

books read
154

books added to my libraries
656

bookmarks added
94

books read by authors:
male 88
female 57
companies/organisations
anthologies 1

dead 57
alive 89
unknown
anthologies 1

nationalities
Switzerland 53
Germany 28
Great Britain 16
France 3
Belgium 2
Netherlands 3
Austria 5
Italy 1
Sweden 1
Finland 2
Denmark 1
Greece 1
Spain 1
Georgia 1
Bulgaria 1
Serbia 1

Kanada 1
USA 15
Brazil 1

South Korea 2
India 1
Israel 2
Afghanistan 1

countries in which the plot of the books read took place (2019)


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

authors coming from these European countries (2019)


Create Your Own Visited European Countries Map

There are still some European authors left. Good luck with this challenge.

I found this little quiz on Carmenere's thread: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/quiz/ What's your reading personality?
According to that quiz, I am a Social Reader

>37 Ameise1: yeah I know, maybe I can concentrate on Eastern European authors this year - but too much planned reading is not to my taste

I seldom make reading plans. I love Eastern European authors. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Hi Paul, I stole your link to MapLoco. I used to keep track but it's so out of date I plan on starting it anew this year. Thanks
I will also give that meme a shot sometime today.

>32 paulstalder: Sometimes I have the feeling that my books are Tribbles in disguise ;-)

>40 Ameise1: Barbara, I have so many interests in order to read, that I jump from one idea to another - so I don't plan my reading. I take what comes or if I want to take part in a TIOLI challenge ...

>41 Carmenere: There is nothing to steal, Lynda :) It's a free feature, have fun with it.
I added a few more subjects to my meme >33 paulstalder:

>42 SirThomas: I know the problem, my books always call for more fellows - and I always hear the calling of abandoned book ...

>33 paulstalder: Some good answers there, Paul!

>38 paulstalder: Thanks for sharing the quiz, Paul. I tried it, and I ended up with Devotee, which, based on the description (including "you have a firm idea of your taste...You know what you like, and you know what books aren't for you."), was fairly accurate.

I really like the maps, Paul. My geography is hopeless so I'm not too sure which ones you've missed. I'm reading an Argentinian book set in Heidelberg at the moment- an interesting mix.

>33 paulstalder: I think most of the 75ers would like to visit Mr Penumbra's! Great choice. I imagine it would make a good meetup venue.

>44 harrygbutler: Thanks Harry. It was fun to look through the titles and see where they fit :)
I was in a hurry when doing the quiz and didn't bother too much about the description. So I am still not sure if it fits me. Some of the choices were unknown to me, so sometimes I clicked the one I did (partly) understand (I don't have all the American insights the quiz plays with).

>45 charl08: I always enjoyed maps, Charlotte. As a child I could look at maps for ages and I was pretty good at (what we call) postman geography.
I missed all the Spanish speaking countries (I read a book by a Spaniard but that took place somewhere else), all African and Austral-Pacific locations. I did very good in Western European literature. Let's see if I can broaden my reading to these neglected regions in 2020.
Yeah, a meet-up with Mr Penumbra's would definitely be a highlight! But I wouldn't like that secretiveness there.

Hi Paul! Happy new year! I love those maps as a way to keep track of what countries my books take place in. Though that's not a focus of this year, so I don't have them up this time around. :)

Hi Paul, dropping my star. I took the quiz and it said that I am a discoverer whatever that means. The quote for that one was by Rosanne Cash, "I think that books make their way to you when you need them." That was strange because it was one of the possible choices for one question and I didn't tick it.

>47 The_Hibernator: Hej Rachel, it's the first time I used these maps for my books' plot places. Maybe I'll use that again this year.

>48 Familyhistorian: Hej Meg, the quiz was partly fun, but partly incomprehensible, but well, I can live with being a social reader :)

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1eerdVckR8Kvx1htwtePiLxXsagS2UrKB&a...

this map contains almost all the places I got free books in 2019

ETA: how can I make this map visible in here? I wanted to embed it but that doesn't work here. any hints?

Thanks for your visit to my thread and your New Year wishes, Paul. I'm returning the favour and have you starred!

>53 CDVicarage: Thanks for coming over, Kerry. All the best for 2020

>38 paulstalder: Thank you for sharing the link, Paul - It seems that I am an Escapist.

>55 SirThomas: and are you? what asre you escaping of?

A child's question: Where does the light go when you switch it off?

a similar one: Does the light stay in the fridge when you close the door?

>51 paulstalder: What a neat idea!

Hi Paul! Happy New Year and Happy New thread!

Hiking, books and photography all sound wonderful. I'm also reading my way around the world so it's interesting to compare maps.

I'm no help on your free books map. Perhaps you could take a screenshot and add that - although you couldn't update it. Or perhaps copy the code from of the maps you have posted and add insert the new map instead?

>51 paulstalder: Hi Paul, I suspect that embedding is not allowed by LT's system.

>56 paulstalder: The description fits me a little better than the word Escapist:

If you're an Escapist, you believe that above all, reading is supposed to be FUN. You read because you enjoy it, but also because it helps you relax, especially when your real life feels crazy. You especially appreciate a book that feels impossibe to put down.

I don't escape from something when I read, I travel to something ;-).

>57 paulstalder: See the stars in the night sky, sometimes one seems to flicker...
Then someone opens his fridge and the star lends him its light for a short time.

>58 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. I like to go to different places and look for Public Bookshelves, full of free books :)

>59 streamsong: Pleased to see you here. As Thomas writes, embedding doesn't work, apparently. Maploco has only regions on their maps, and not individual places, that's why I created a google map.
Let's see what kind of books I read this year and where the plots take place.

>60 SirThomas: Thanks for the hint, Thomas. I am afraid, too, that LT doesn't like embeddments :)
Yes, the description sounds better than the naked word. I don't escape from something when I read, I travel to something I agree fully.
>57 paulstalder: good answer. I like the flickering stars. Maybe when you put light into the fridge, you get cold light the next time you open the fridge?

I took that quiz on Carmenere's thread: I am An Explorer: The Explorer knows that a reader lives a thousand lives. This type enjoys experiencing a world of possibilities and firmly agrees that reading builds empathy. Explorers are thoughtful about what they read next. They are likely to get their book recommendations from their fellow readers and sometimes fellow travelers, the issues of the day, and their own research.

>62 Berly: I like to explore new books, new authors, new genres, but with me, that is not planned or 'thoughtful', I read what comes my way ...

>63 paulstalder: And sometimes I wish I did that more!! LOL. Maybe I can achieve balance in 2020?

>51 paulstalder: Paul, somehow it has to work because the arrivals of the Santathing books are also made with google.maps. I think you should ask the administrator of that Santathing.

Hello Paul, I have just starred you and will be following your thread with interest.

>64 Berly: Sometimes I want to read a special book and order it from the library - and then I get other books coming my way and I keep extending the loan periods of the first book till I have to bring it back - unread. So my way of 'planning' my reading is not always satisfying, but sometimes pretty rewarding.

>65 Ameise1: Thanks for the hint, Barbara. I will try again on the weekend. Maploco was easy to insert here but google maps is apparently a different story.

>66 johnsimpson: Thanks John, for coming by. I hope you find some interesting things here.

2) Das Monster vom blauen Planeten by Cornelia Funke. Gobo is a good-looking young man from the planet Galabrazolus. He has three eyes and three arms and a nice green skin. One day he travels to the blue planet in order to find a pet from another planet (as it is in to have on this planet). He finds a two-eyed monster with yellowish fur on the head only and the bleak skin covered with some rags. But this monster doesn't behave like a normal pet should and just screams and complains ... a funny story about respect and friendship with the stranger, foreign



first published 2008 in German

Das Monster vom blauen Planeten by Cornelia Funke

Gobo finds a monster on the blue planet and hijacks it


the Blue Planet's monster is sucked into Gobo's spaceship

3) Spuren im Schnee by Patricia M. Saint John. Annette and Lukas are neighbours and going together to the same school but they don't like each other. One day Lukas tries to torment Annette's little brother Dani, and Dani falls accidentally down a cliff and hurts himself so badly that he can't walk properly anymore. Lukas feels bad and suffers, but Annette's hatred grows till she even destroys Lukas' wood carving he would have won the first prize in school with ... a very good story about hatred, love and forgiveness. Through 'opening the door to Jesus' the children learn that through forgiving the other they do not let the other:: off the hook but liberate themselves from a huge burden.



first published 1950 in English

There are some things which reminded of Heidi: the plot takes place in the Swiss alps, Annette grows up with her father and grandmother who tells her of Jesus; Heidi grows up with grandfather, the grandmother of Klara tells Heidi about trusting Jesus. In both stories a handicapped child can walk again. In both stories cats are smuggled into houses :)

I took this list from Paul C just to see what I have read of these Nobel laureates ... not many

1901 Sully Prudhomme
1902 Theodor Mommsen
1903 Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
1904 Frédéric Mistral and José Echegaray y Eizaquirre
1905 Henryk Sienkiewicz
1906 Giosuè Carducci
1907 Rudyard Kipling - READ
1908 Rudolf Christoph Eucken
1909 Selma Lagerlöf - READ
1910 Paul Heyse
1911 Count Maurice Maeterlinck
1912 Gerhart Hauptmann - READ
1913 Rabindranath Tagore
1915 Romain Rolland - READ
1916 Verner von Heidenstam
1917 Karl Adolph Gjellerup and Henrik Pontoppidan
1919 Carl Spitteler - READ
1920 Knut Hamsun - READ
1921 Anatole France
1922 Jacinto Benavente
1923 William Butler Yeats
1924 Wladyslaw Reymont
1925 George Bernard Shaw - READ
1926 Grazia Deledda
1927 Henri Bergson
1928 Sigrid Undset
1929 Thomas Mann - READ
1930 Sinclair Lewis
1931 Erik Axel Karlfeldt
1932 John Galsworthy
1933 Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin
1934 Luigi Pirandello - READ
1936 Eugene O'Neill
1937 Roger Martin du Gard
1938 Pearl S. Buck
1939 Frans Eemil Sillanpää
1944 Johannes Vilhelm Jensen
1945 Gabriela Mistral
1946 Hermann Hesse - READ
1947 André Gide
1948 T.S. Elliot
1949 William Faulkner - READ
1950 Bertrand Russell
1951 Pär Lagerkvist - READ
1952 François Mauriac
1953 Winston Churchill
1954 Ernest Hemingway - READ
1955 Halldór Laxness
1956 Juan Ramón Jiménez
1957 Albert Camus
1958 Boris Pasternak (declined the prize)
1959 Salvatore Quasimodo
1960 Saint-John Perse
1961 Ivo Andric
1962 John Steinbeck - READ
1963 Giorgos Seferis
1964 Jean-Paul Sartre (declined the prize)
1965 Michail Sholokhov
1966 Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Nelly Sachs
1967 Miguel Ángel Asturias - READ
1968 Yasunari Kawabata
1969 Samuel Beckett
1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
1971 Pablo Neruda
1972 Heinrich Böll
1973 Patrick White
1974 Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinson
1975 Eugenio Montale
1976 Saul Bellow
1977 Vincente Aleixandre
1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer
1979 Odysseas Elytis
1980 Czeslaw Milosz
1981 Elias Canetti
1982 Gabriel Garciá Márquez
1983 William Golding - READ
1984 Jaroslav Seifert
1985 Claude Simon
1986 Akinwande Ouwoe Soyinka
1987 Joseph Brodsky
1988 Naguib Mahfouz
1989 Camilo José Cela
1990 Octavio Paz
1991 Nadine Gordimer
1992 Derek Walcott
1993 Toni Morrison - READ
1994 Kenzaburo Oe
1995 Seamus Heaney - READ
1996 Wislawa Szymborska
1997 Dario Fo
1998 José Saramago - READ
1999 Günter Grass - READ
2000 Gao Xingjian
2001 Vidiadhar Surjprasad Naipaul
2002 Imre Kertész
2003 John Maxwell Coetzee
2004 Elfriede Jelinek - READ
2005 Harold Pinter
2006 Orhan Pamuk
2007 Doris Lessing - READ
2008 J.M.G. Le Clézio
2009 Herta Müller
2010 Mario Vargas Llosa
2011 Tomas Tranströmer
2012 Mo Yan
2013 Alice Munro
2014 Patrick Modiano - READ
2015 Svetlana Alexievich
2016 Bob Dylan - READ
2017 Kazuo Ishiguro
2018 Olga Tokarczuk
2019 Peter Handke - READ

24 authors reads till 2019 ....
1 more in 2020

I've read even fewer Nobel laureates than you, even though I make a plan to read them all every once in a while, and read a couple of them. I need to do that again, but I have too many goals this year.

>72 The_Hibernator: I didn't actually plan to read them all, Rachel, I just wondered where I stand. Not too bad, there more than 30 books by Nobel laureates somewhere around here, so I could read some more if I bump into one of these books :) but as with you, there are too many other possibilities to read.

4) Sonnenvogel : Toms abenteuerliche Reise um die Welt by Detlef Eigenbrodt. Tom is just a 'normal' bird who flies through the world. He observes a doctor in South Africa who injects something to a child, in Egypt he flies over a hug hill of garbage where children search for 'goodies', in India he visits a school in a slum, in Rio de Janeiro observes he how a thief is forgiven ... then he comes into a storm and he is 'grounded' where he was picked up by a young man who explains him what Christians are doing all over the world for other people. An interesting children's book about Christian living around the world.



first published 2004 in German

5) The tale of Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter. Timmy is a fat squirrel who collects together with his wife a lot of nuts. Then other squirrels suspect Timmy of stealing their nuts, so they push him into a hole in a tree - and he can't get out of there because he is too fat ... a funny children's book



first published 1911 in English

6) Den hingeschlachteten Völkern! by Romain Rolland. This pamphlet was first published on All Souls' Day 1916. A fierce reproach of his contemporaries, foremost to the politicians and economical leaders who just look for their immediate gain, mainly money, but he also disapproves of the silent masses who just take care of their everyday life and do not lift up their voices against such violence and tragedies as they occur at that time. ... a dedicated treaty by this French man, written a year after he won the Nobel prize in 1915. What he wrote is still true today, there is no humanity in humanity.



first published 1916 in French

translated by Stefan Zweig

I was just reading Habakuk, one of the 12 minor prophets in the Bible and the name's etymology. Luther gives his name as 'Herzer' (heartwarming embracer), taking the Hebrew root for embace as its meaning. Okay, that's discussed, but reading Habakuk makes you think of God still embracing his people.
Anyway, a friend often sends messages saying 'hugs' 'hugging you all' etc. So we call her now 'our habakuk' (in German 'unsere Habakukin').

English is a funny language. There is the possibility to make a male noun into a female one, like god - goddess, prince - princess, heir - heiress, priest - priestess, so a female earl is an 'earless'?

>77 paulstalder: The president of the Christian college I attended for undergraduate work always quoted Habakkuk 1:5:
“Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if ayou were told. (NASB)

>79 thornton37814: Habakuk is an interesting read, always talking about judgment for sins against God but at the same time grace for those who repent.

7) Tom auf der Flucht by Detlef Eigenbrodt. Tom, the 'normal' bird flies through Germany and rests in a tree when all of a sudden two boys throw fir cones at him. He can escape but then witnesses how these two boys become friends, one being a Christian inviting the Turkish boy to come visit his family ... a children's story about friendship and sharing their faith.



first published 2007 in German

>71 paulstalder: I am happy to have the lists shared, Paul.

Only thing is that I am a more careful counter than you my dear friend as you have read 25 Laureates not the 24 you claim - please check again!

>82 PaulCranswick: thanks Paul, for the list. I did check it last year already, but this year I thought I can add the list here so as to remind me where I stand in regard to this part of world literature.

and thanks for the counting hint - I read Romain Rolland just now >76 paulstalder:, so I added READ to his name in the list but forgot to change the number. But you're right, counting is not always my most accurate doing.

>83 paulstalder: No problem Paul; I was pulling your leg a little too! I am a stats and numbers nutcase so I of course had to count them for myself!

>84 PaulCranswick: Paul, it's great to be able to count on you counting me out (or whatever English expression fits) :)

I could not resist going by some public bookshelves without listening to the call for a home by these poor books:
1) Jesus, der Jude, und die Missverständnisse der Christen by Guido Baltes
- first words: Jesus war ein Jude.
- first published: 2013 in German
2) Evie Blackwell - Tote Spuren by Dee Henderson
- Als Gouverneur Bliss das Podium betrat, vergrub Lieutenant Evie Blackwell die Hände in ihren Manteltaschen.
- 2017 in English
3) Frau Schmitt fährt mit : Fröhliche Reisegeschichten zum Vorlesen und Erinnern by Uli Zeller
- Die 83-jährige Theresa K. lebt im Altenheim.
- 2019 in German

these three books I actually bought. The first is a treatise about the Jewishness of Jesus, the second is by Dee Henderson, an author I love to read, and the third is about treating elderly people in a home.
The following books I got for free.

4) Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
- 'Our daughter looks like a South China peasant with those red cheeks,' my father complains, pointedly ignoring the soup before him.

- 2009 in English
5) Arzt am Himalaja : die Geschichte einer Berufung by Ken Anderson
- In der Tat!
- 1965 in English
6) Cheers : Feiern mit der Business Class by Martin Suter
- "Seien Sie mir nicht böse, aber ich möchte mich noch ein wenig auf morgen vorbereiten", sagt Brücker beim Apéro in der Hotelbar und erzielt damit die gewünschte Wirkung: Frau Schuler findet das Vorhaben nachahmenswert, Grüter und Schilling protestieren verzweifelt.
- 2016 in German
7) Mord nach Muster : Kriminalfälle des Richters Di, alten chinesischen Originalquellen entnommen by Robert Hans Gulik
- "Puh!" keuchte sie, als sie den zerschmetterten Kopf auf den Marmorboden fallen liess.
- 1965 in English
8) Der Meister von Petersburg : Roman by J. M. Coetzee
- Oktober 1869. Eine Droschke fährt langsam eine Strasse im Heumarkt-Bezirk von St. Petersburg entlang.
- 1994 in English
9) Am falschen Ort : Autobiografie by Edward W. Said
- In allen Familien werden Kinder und Eltern erfunden, wird jedem Einzelnen eine Geschichte, ein Charakter, ein Schicksal und sogar eine Sprache verliehen.
- 1999 in English
10) Heimsuchung : Roman by Jenny Erpenbeck
- Bis zum Felsmassiv, das inzwischen nur noch als sanfter Hügel oberhalb des Hauses zu sehen ist, schob sich ungefähr vierundzwanzigtausend Jahren das Eis vor.
- 2008 in German

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

Have a wonderful weekend, Paul.
I'm curious what you think of Heimsuchung.

>87 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas.
I just saved Heimsuchung from abandonment, so it will not be read soon (well, I may change my mind, as so often ...)

8) Die weinende Susannah : Roman by Alona Kimhi. Susannah Rabin (not a relative of) is timid and has locked herself into her own world. As long as her mother is around and protects and helps, she can survive. Then Naor, a relative from the USA, shows up and stays with them. She abhors his being around, even pees into a vase in her room in order not to be heard by him. She doesn't like her own body and doesn't eat in public - so no-one can see or hear her bodily functions (or dysfunction as she thinks). But Naor, whom she just calls 'the guest', is coming close to her and she starts to fall in love with him, basically with his way 'in the world of the living'. He helps her develop her talent for painting ... but he is not the good guy she thinks he is ... a slow read with a lot of insight into the development of Susannah's life into withdrawal and the possibility of coming out again; a life set in the suburbs of Tel Aviv



first published 1999 in Hebrew

>38 paulstalder: I enjoyed that quiz. I turned out to be a Discoverer.

>77 paulstalder: I love the idea of calling someone 'our habakuk'!

>86 paulstalder: Nice Haul!

A belated Happy New Year, Paul!

9) Kleiner Frosch ganz gross by Michael Schober. Fritze Frosch is a naughty little frog who splashes his soup all over the table, then he runs out of the house and slams the door, his mother follows him and slams the door, too, so they are locked out. How do they get back into the house ??? .. a fun little story



first published 2009 in German

Offene Bücherschränke 2019

>51 paulstalder: it works, thanks to the help of Stephen (@sirfurboy)

He gave me this help:
I am afraid it is nothing more clever than taking a screenshot of the map and uploading the image to LibraryThing. Once there (or any other hosting service) you can include it with an image tag and then wrap the image in an HTML anchor tag to link it to the google map.

>78 paulstalder: "Earless" Ha, ha!!

>91 paulstalder: Look at you already done with #9. Keep going...!

>93 Berly: Hej Kim, thanks for coming over. I like these funny language details.

I did read that froggy book >91 paulstalder: because of SqueakyChu. Whenever I see a book with a frog on the cover, I can't resist and pick it up

>94 paulstalder: Sure, blame it on SqueakyChu. LOL. I love frogs. In fact I have a few little statures and things scattered throughout my house. I get it!

>95 Berly: My aunt is a devoted frog collecteress. She has hundreds of these things from all over the world. She will probably donate her collection to the Frog Museum http://www.froggy.ch/ here

A frog museum? Who knew!! And I probably only have 10-15 froggies. Not hundreds! : )

Oh we have some quite intersting museums here. We have a Kleiderbügel (coat hanger) Musuem, too. https://dunkel-service.ch/kleiderbuegel-museum/

A dozen frogs is just a good beginning. I started out telling people that I like turtles/turtoises and since then I get such figurines and stuff quite a lot.

Quite unique museums! I would not have guessed there would be a whole museum dedicated to coat hangers!

Have a great Thursday

>99 figsfromthistle: :) it's always interesting to see what people do collect

10) Der kleine Mock : aus dem Leben eines Stadtbübleins by Olga Meyer. Hansli Mock is living with his mother in a dark apartment in Zürich. But he knows to be happy with whatever he gets. With his best friend, he can play in the sand for hours when their mothers are at work. They go together to school and then play together. A happy life. Then Seppli gets a 'job' as an errand boy in the crockery shop delivering the goods in the evening to the customers. And there he meets a mean boy who steals and blames it on Seppli, but little Mock knows everything ... can he help his friend? and does get to know his grandfather who once chased off his daughter? ... a lovely children's book from 1925



first published 1925 in German in Switzerland

Hey... Don't know if you remember me from a few years back, but I have returned :) I hope you're doing well!

Thanks for passing by, Kristy. Wish you a good time among the TIOLIs

>96 paulstalder: >98 paulstalder: Erika and I love visiting unique little museums like that. Among those we've taken in are Mister Ed's Elephant Museum (https://mistereds.com/index.php/attractions), with many elephant figurines, and the Mike Weaver Drain Tile Museum (there doesn't seem to be a website, but here's a description: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/48891).

The elephant Museum looks good.

The other link doesn't like us here. That's the message I get from roadsideamerica: The 'Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country.' What the heck? They apparently don't need Swiss tourists ... we might throw chocolate bombs ... or explain democracy

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mike-weaver-drain-tile-museum
I found it on a non-Swiss-phobic-page

Three years ago I donated some bottles to the Swiss Bottle Museum http://www.flaschenmuseum.ch/. What I didn't visit so far is the beer bottle museum https://www.schuetzengarten.ch/de/biererlebnis/bierflaschenmuseum. There is also the witches museum http://www.hexenmuseum.ch/

>107 paulstalder: If they let Mark and myself loose in that place for any length of time there could be an international incident!

>108 PaulCranswick: poor witches ...?

>29 paulstalder: Paul, I understand what you are saying. I have Will's cd collection and one by one, I am listening to them. It is a way of keeping him in my memory and remembering the good things.

Sadly, his closest friend is now in hospice. Jerry and Claire came home for Christmas, and I was fortunate to see them and spend time together. He weighed 85 pounds when I saw him. Overall, he laughed and we talked about wonderful vacations we shared together as couples.

I don't push my beliefs on others. But, I will say that I know Will is going to be greeting him when he crosses over.

All good wishes to you.

>110 Whisper1: Hej Linda, good to hear from you again.

It's always sad to see what happens to/with friends. But I think it is good to be able to share good moments at such times. Sometimes I got so strengthened when sharing beautiful memories in hospices or like places.

I wish all the strength and peace you need

11) Die zwölf kleinen Propheten und ihre endgeschichtlichen Weissagungen by Samuel Limbach. An evangelical commentary on the 12 minor prophets, concentrating on the prophetic messages for the people of Israel and gthe whole world.
Limbach starts with arguing for a chronological order of the prophets as follows: Obadja, Joel, Jona, Amos, Hosea, Micha, Nahum, Zephanja, Habakuk, Haggai, Sacharja, and Maleachi. He shows how strong God is judging his people and the same time always promises them to accept them again when they repent and tunr back. In the end will be the judgment day, the Day of the Lord, when the whole world will be judged according to their attitude towards Israel and the people of Israel will be renewed, collected from all corners of the earth, and restored.



first published 1931 in German in Switzerland

what fascinates me with the minor prophets is the seriousness and power he punishment on sin is proclaimed, and on the other hand, the same prophetes always reminds the people of the love of God and the deeds He already did for them, and that God is always accepting a repenting heart - however grave the sin was.

I also found interesting what role Serubbabel/Zerubbabel plays in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah: He is the governor, born in exile, who returns to Jerusalem in order to build the city and the temple, and then is prophesied as being 'my servant (of God)' and a 'signet ring'. Limbach takes these prophecies as being fulfilled in the future Messiah who will come 'on that day'. Debatable but an interesting interpretation. He then goes on to point out that Zerubbabel is mentioned in both genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 1 and Luke 3).

12) Ein Mensch mit Zukunft : im Gespräch mit Abraham und Mose by Peter Rüesch. Rüesch meditates over Biblical passages dealing with Abraham (when he left Haran for travelling to Kanaan; offering Isaac; looking for a wife for his son Isaac) and Moses (killing an Egyptian overseer; at the burning bush; fighting Amalek; vist of his father-in-law Jethro). He 'talks' with them and asks them about their dealings, their faith etc. And then considers how he himself experiences God's voice and how he is (re)acting in certain instances (obeying God, leaving things/land/people, offering to God, loss, sharing responsibility). A good read for church groups or for counseling.



first published 2015 in German in Switzerland

13) Das Attentat : Roman by Graham Greene. Raven is hired in order to kill an old man. He expects good money but was given stolen money of which the numbers of each bank note is know to the shops. So he is looking for revenge ... sometimes a bit puzzling, but some good passages



first published 1936 in English

fun: this is my 13th book this year for challenge #13 of the TIOLI challenges :)

statistics for January

1733 pages, 13 books,

books were written in German, in 1 English, and 0 in Swiss German

nationalities: CH 3, D 4, GB 3, IL 1, F 1

dead 7, alive 5
male 7, female 5

2 books by Detlef Eigenbrodt

oldest 1918, newest 2015 (book, my copy)
oldest 1911, newest 2015 (work, first published)

I added 0 bookmarks and 85 books to my collections

add-ons
11) Jakob der Heiler : eine Originaldrehbuchvorlage by Aldous Huxley
- Ein Auto fährt an den Ausläufern der San Gabriel Mountains entlang durch die Mojavewüste.
- 1998
12) Alex und Nelli : Roman by Andrea Gerster
- Der Jaguar schnurrte.
- 2017
13) Wasser des Lebens : Einführung in die Spiritualität des Whiskys by Wolfgang F. Rothe
- Im Frühsommer des Jahres 1494 machte sich Bruder John Cor,Mönch der schottischen Benediktinerabtei Lindores, auf den Weg, um einen denkwürdigen Einkauf zu tätigen.
- 2016
---> a gift from my older daughter

14) Die Rebellinnen von Mallorca : Roman by Eric Maron
- An einem Frühsommertag im Jahre des Herrn 1343 stürmte der Turmwächter in den Saal, in dem sich die restlichen Bewohner der Burg versammelt hatten, und blieb mit bleichem Gesicht vor dem Grafen von Marranx stehen.
- 2006
15) Der Dorfgescheite : ein Bibliothekarsroman by Marjana Gaponenko
- Ernest Herz starrte lange den abblätternden Deckenputz an.
- 2018
16) Freude in Zeiten der Bedrängnis : 12 Prinzipien, Jesus effektiv zu bezeugen - das Abenteuer einer Familie in Pioniermission by Daniel Waheli
- Ich bin in Europa aufgewachsen und meine Familie besuchte eine örtliche, evangelikale Gemeinde.
- 2013
17) Gottes Stimme hören lernen : Interviews mit: Andrea Di Meglio, Antonia Bregger, Doris Lindsay, Heike Hari ... by Marcello Corciulo
- Die Kommunikation zwischen Mensch und Gott begann - wie könnte es anders sein - im Paradies; im Garten Eden, an einem Ort, an dem noch alles völlig in Ordnung war.
- 2017
18) Ein Tag auf dem Piratenschiff by Christa Holtei
- Niklas ist acht Jahre alt und lebt auf diesem Piratenschiff.
- 2010
19) Shhh! : Lift the flaps. Peep through the holes by Sally Grindley
- Be quiet!
- 1991
20) Findus zieht um by Sven Nordqvist
- Die Morgensonne schien auf Petterssons kleines Haus.
- 2012

-- -- -- --

>116 paulstalder: Nice book haul! Have a great weekend

>117 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita. Especially Aldous Huxley and Sven Nordqvist are nice additions. Interesting, too, seems the book by Marjana Gaponenko to be, a Ukrainian who writes in German, the subtitle 'ein Bibliothekarsroman' (a librarian-novel) sounds intriguing. Andrea Gerster is a new to me Swiss author.

14) Findus zieht um by Sven Nordqvist. Findus has a great little bed - with just the right mattress for jumping early in the morning. But that's far too early for Pettersson. So Findus has to move out into his own little hut. There he jump on his bed as often and long and loud as he wants. But both feel a bit lonely without the other ... a nice Swedish children's book.



first published 2012 in Swedish

I told these stories over on Paul C's thread, but they may bring around some smiles here, too:

On the first day in London somebody asked me to give him 'a hand', since I didn't know that expression I looked at my hands and asked 'Which one?'. He stumped off muttering something English...

We were two Swiss at Wycliffe's together with a few English 'subjects' (London, Lake District, Scotland, India, etc.). When we were talking nonsense over coffee the Swiss told the host that 'she doesn't have all her cups in her cupboard' and she got up to check the cupboard ... we nearly collapsed laughing. In German the expression means, you are crazy ...

the other way: I once was not wanting to reveal something and she told me 'not to beat around the bush', and I answered angrily, that I am not talking bushes and would definitely not beat any such thing ...

>120 paulstalder: And great to read them twice, Paul. They are great stories.

Have a lovely Sunday, dear fellow.

Thanks for coming over, Paul :)

My father would have been 90 last week. This drawing was taken from his student life with the Rodensteiner's. It was common these days to make caricatures of each others. His student name was Biber (beaver), so we children were called 'Biberli' (little beaver).

>123 paulstalder: Oh, that's a great drawing. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

>123 paulstalder: they did some good caricatures at the time. I have seen a few of other students ages ago and I am afraid, most of them were thrown away.

today we heard that poem in the connection of our seminar about retirement:

Walter Vogt
Die drei Lebensalter des Menschen (the three ages of man)

da da
bla bla
ga ga

add-on
21) Guten Morgen, Goethe Nacht : Beobachtungen aus der Dreiländerecke by Hilde Ziegler
- Fahre ich im Zug von Basel nach Norden, setze ich mich immer auf die rechte Seite, zwinkere bei Weil dem Tüllinger Berg zu, dort habe ich als Kind viel Rebholz aufgelesen oder stand in Obertüllingen und schaute nach Basel, dem unerreichbaren Paradies, der Stacheldraht trennte uns, Riehen, ganz nah, lag still und menschenleer, und doch erfuhr ich später, das Boot sei voll gewesen.
- 1999 (2nd edition 2020)



This is my picture on the cover. Lenos Publisher asked me last year if they could use that picture of the Tüllinger Hügel (Hill), mentioned in the first sentence of the book, for the cover of this new edition. So I earned CHF 50 with that photo :)

I love it - short, concise, with depth.
I hope your middle age lasts long and long and long.

Maybe you know the saying about the development of philosophy ...
“To be is to do” — Socrates.
“To do is to be” — Sartre.
“Do be do be do” — Sinatra.

>128 SirThomas: No, I never heard that one, thanks for sharing it.

15) Didache = Zwölf-Apostel-Lehre. Tradition apostolica = apostolische Überlieferung ed. by Georg Schöllgen. The Didache (aka The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations) is the earliest church order, compiled around 100 AD. The second generation Christians started to build churches among the Gentile nations in the old world and wanted to establish some kind of common order among the churches. It gives the Christian ethics of the two ways (the way of life and the way of death), then deals with rituals, such as baptism, communion, fasting, then speaks of the ministry and the different offices of the church (bishops, prophets, deacons etc) and then treats the eschatology of the Antichrist and the Second Coming of Christ.

The Tradition apostolica (the apostolical tradition) is a later church order, written after 200 AD probably by Hippolyt of Rome (c. 170–235 AD). This order is far more elaborated and strict than the Didache. It is quite authoritative prescription of Church life (organization, liturgy, moral conduct). The rituals and the prayers are given pretty detailed.



first published AD 100 and 200 in Greek

Interesting reading when dealing with chruch history and such. I was surprised to see how soon the church started to outline 'proper' behavior and rituals, and so partly lost the life of the Apostolic time.

Gespräch

In Wahrheit sprechen wir nur zu uns selbst;
bisweilen aber sprechen wir laut genug,
sodass andere uns hören können.

Khalil Gibran

Conversation
In truth we speak to ourselves only
but sometimes we speak loud enough
so others can hear us.

Kritik

Wenn ich du wäre
hätte ich nichts
auszusetzen am Meer,
nur weil Ebbe herrrscht.

Critique
if I were you
I would have nothing
to complain about the sea,
just because the tide is low

>127 paulstalder: Oh congratulations on getting your photo used as a book cover. But was the book any good? The title is an interesting play on words and there seems a philosophical element to it - but what is it about?

>127 paulstalder: Congratulations, Paul. It's so nice to get a confirmation on his work.
Thank you very much for sharing your (and Sukis') pictures with us. They are beautiful.

>132 paulstalder: how true, how beautiful.

I wish you a wonderful weekend.

>133 sirfurboy: I didn't read the book yet, Stephen. I read another one by Hilde Ziegler Ich wusste, wohin die Reise geht which I found an interesting read, not so much the story but her writing style. She is a 'virtuose' with words. This book contains columns from the Basler Zeitung on local subjects. That they publish a 2nd edition is a sign that people apparently like her books.

>134 SirThomas: Thanks for the compliment, Thomas. I didn't know Khalil Gibran and I found some of his poems and aphorisms quite good. I'll probably read the whole book.

16) Käpt'n Kaos und die Schoko-Aliens by Thomas Klischke. Moritz is sitting in school, bored, and dreaming about becoming an undercover somebody, when a black limousine drives up to the school and somebody asks for Moritz to be released from school in order to go to Mallorca on board of his uncle's research vessel. His uncle is known as tough, always swearing but a good seaman, and called Captain Chaos. Later, when unattended on board, the dog leads him into Captain Chaos' cabin and there he somehow activates a thing which looks like a compass - and the ship flies off to the planet Chocokao ... there they nearly drown in chocolate. How do they escape Chocokao's police, and, more important, how do they get back to Earth? ... a bit of a slapstick adventure-fantasy YA book. Fun ideas but not to questioned too much.



first published in 2014 in German

The Basler Jugendbücherschiff (YA literatur boat) is again on the Rhine in Basel, 28.01.20 - 11.02.20



https://www.edubs.ch/unterstuetzung/bibliothek/jugendbuecherschiff

>127 paulstalder: Congratulations on the cover photo, Paul. It's beautiful.

>131 paulstalder: >132 paulstalder: Great quotes.

Happy Sunday. How was your seminar concern the retirement?

>138 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara

The retirement seminar was quite interesting. I learned about how and when to apply for the old-age pension and my pension funds from the employers.You don't get the AHV (state pension) automatically, if you don't apply for it in time you miss out ... Informative were also the information concerning the offers and courses by Pro Senectute and Benevol (offering your expertise, skills etc. and so helping others either for money or credit notes for profiting from other people's skills etc.)

Interesting was also some surveys done about 'How long is somebody young?' and 'When is somebody old?' So, when asked 14-24-year-olds they say that you are young till about 30, and after 40 your old ... 55-65-year-olds think that somebody is young till around 40, and you're old way after 70. Only the 75-year-olds consider themselves old (one is young till over 40 and old after 70).

People often speak of an "age-gender-pyramid", but which looks today more like an "age-gender-urn".

An important question is always: What do I do after my retirement? Some plan a trip around the world, others talk of learning a new language or a musical instrument. But statistic show that what you don't do before that time you usually start anew. So better start something new on a small scale and then extend it after retirement.

It's Suki's birthday today



this is an old picture on the Jungfrau - it was so foggy we didn't see anything ...

17) Zwölf jüdische Erzählungen by Adam Zieliński. 12 short stories by this Polish-Austrian author who writes in German. They are from different places, different backgounds, different times, but all are connected with this omnipresent antisemitism, sometimes in words only, sometimes in deadly actions. Good literature, thought provoking content.



first published in 2009 in German in Austria

Oj gewalt!: 1935, in a Polish shtetl: Marshall Pilsudski died, who protected the Jews, but now everybody fears for the worst. 'Wenn es den Leuten schlecht geht, sind die Juden dran schuld.' (If people are doing badly, it's the Jews' fault.)
Dolina und der Fortschritt: The Jews of Dolina (Ukraine) have internal problems: a rabbi who works wonders is coming to town, but the communist fraction is opposing him. So the local rabbi proclaims that an angel told him that those who support the visiting rabbi will be able to have a stronger virility for the next 9 weeks ... so the communist Jews brought some money and declared the importance of communism but as much is their manhood :)
Holobutow: Jakob Rosen ssends his best friend to the Ukrainian city Holobutow in order to look for a mass grave of Jews from the Nazi time and set up a gravestone there in memory of his familiy.
Stille Nacht: gerhard Kamintzky's memory is fading, so much so, that he doesn't realize that it is Christmas Eve today. But he hears Christmas music and remembers how learned to play harmonica and the Germans and Sowjets liked his play and thought him to be Arian ... his secret was his circumcision which made him live celibate.
Lemberg, Peltewna-Strasse: The math professor took a liking to the Jewish student and later helped him to leave Lemberg fo university in a safer town.
Jan war Jossele: A Jewish boy took on a 'Christian' name and was baptised as a Catholic - but that did not safe him from the Nazi killers.
Als die Russen nach Hirschberg kamen: Even the love of a young woman was strong enough against antisemitism in her family and city.
Olim - der Einwanderer: The only story which plays outside of Europe, in Petah Tikwah (gate of hope) in Israel. A Russian man accompanies his Jewish wife and son to Israel, there the son wants to be circumcised before he joins the army in order to be like all the others.
Wien, Ottakringer Strasse: After the war the Austrian government wants to pay some of the by the Nazis relocated foreign workers and therefore ask various companies who profited from this scheme, to give money (that really happened). In this story the officials asked a Jewish director ... he told them that he lost everything at that time ... and the officials had to leave, very much ashamed.
Nur in Krakau?: A Jewish teacher returns to Krakau after the war in order to educate the surviving Jews. He befriends a Polish girl, she falls in love and they want to marry - but she still has the believe that Jews slaughter Christian children for their rituals .....
Budapest, Städtischer Friedhof: A young couple in Budapest after the war, full of hope for their future live together. But one day she realizes that her man has no graves to visit, and he tries tpo explain 'Rauch lässt sich nicht bestatten. Und sie alle sind als Rauch irgendwohin entschwunden.' (smoke can't be buried. And they all disappeared as smoke into air.)
Gespräche mir Gott: A rabbi deals/argues with God: God should safe their bank accounts and therefore they would donate a reasonable sum to orphanages. His friend later tries to do the same: He would donate money and God had to rescue his girl friend from death ...

Not always easy to read but with deep feelings and strong emotional and sometimes theological discussions.

the first time I took a picture of my grandson

>142 paulstalder: He looks relatively pleased at the outcome too, Paul!

>142 paulstalder: !!! What joy !!!

>143 PaulCranswick: yes, Paul, he laughed pretty good but till I shot the picture it faded a bit

>144 quondame: well, that's true, Susan. He sits on my son's lap who is also enjoying holding him (but would never say so)

>145 paulstalder: He is a cute little fellow. :D

>146 PaulCranswick: and he is spoiled :)

>142 paulstalder: He is adorable, Paul. Wishing you a lovely day.

>148 Ameise1: yes, Barbara, he is, isn't he?

18) Shhh! : Lift the flaps. Peep through the holes by Sally Grindley. The narrator leads us into a giant's castle. Be quiet, otherwise anybody we might disturb runs to the giant and wakens him, and he will eat us. ... on some pages there are flaps on the page in order to look back and see if we passed safely so far ... a nice storybook to look at during the day, but probably not so good as a bedtime story :)



first published in 1991 in English

I read it for my own challenge: @raidergirl3 is planning a date with Jacqueline Woodson, so I thought bringing Shhh! as a gift would correspond to Woodson's book Hush :)

>142 paulstalder: A beautiful picture. I'm glad the little guy's okay.
Have a wonderful weekend, Paul.

>151 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas. We are pleased that his blood values are much better and stable.

19) Bruder Cadfael und der Ketzerlehrling : ein mittelalterlicher Kriminalroman by Ellis Peters. Elave returns from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He brings the body of master with him who died in France. But then Elave is accused of heresy and has to stay in the monastery. The next his accuser is murdered - probably by Elave who was out in the town at that time. Brother Cadfael is helping to solve the mystery. ... Interesting read, also some discussions on original sin, free will and salvation.



first published in 1989 in English

>153 paulstalder: That's a little further along in the series than I've reached in my re-read. (I'm not making great progress.)

>154 thornton37814: I do not care so much about the chronology in a series such as Brother Cadfael. It is often a stand-alone mystery anyway

(I'm not making great progress.) how many books have you already read this year? :) I am way behind

20) Heilige Wasser by Ignace Mariétan. an interesting documentation about water supply and irrigation systems in the Walliser Alps. Since the 13th century the irrigation system along the rocky walls of the Wallis are documented. There are earlier remains of such canals, called Bisses in French and Suonen in German. The water was taken much higher and then lead mainly by cut out trees - a dangerous job to install and to maintain these canals. On certain spots they integrated a water wheel which was operating a hammer. That sound was heard throughout the valley and when it stopped people knew that something was wrong and had to and repair whatever went amiss. Some Suonen are still used today, some of them are integrated into the Swiss hiking paths - a worthwhile hike (not when you are afraid of heights).



first published in 1948 in French in Switzerland

Heilige Wasser
---
a 'hanging' Suone ---- men working on a Suone (that happened every spring)

---
a water driven hammer --- a Suone on our newest CHF 100 banknote

We were hiking along different Suonen in 2006 in the Wallis

---
the water is covered by a wooden plank so one can walk on it --- near the Aletsch glacier there is this Tälligrattunnel which is used as a water canal (one kilometer long)

>157 paulstalder:

Those terrifying photographs remind me of the pictures taken when Mt. Rushmore was created.

>159 paulstalder: I don't think I would fancy that one these days, Paul.

>155 paulstalder: I think I'm up to 51. It will probably be 54 or more by tomorrow as I'm nearing completion of several.

>160 m.belljackson: There were watchmen who had to check the water channels daily. When good weather the sound of the hammers were good enough, then didn't have to climb up the Suone, but if there was some storm or landslide or such then they had to climb all the way till they found the broken piece and repair it in 'midair'.
Water brings live but it also costs lives. That's way these waters are called 'Holy Waters'.

>161 PaulCranswick: I would love to do the hike again but definitely not alone, for safety reasons. There were places I couldn't stand still and take out my camera and make pictures. Some planks were as broad as my feet (not the shoe), we had to balance carefully over such parts.

>162 thornton37814: 54 books - and you say you're making not much progress -- well my progress is much smaller

>164 paulstalder: I'd better get to reading so I'm actually at 54 completions. I have one chapter remaining in one. A children's book came in the mail yesterday so it will be easy to complete. I'm about 100 pages from the end of another. I should finish all those today. I may hunt on my Kindle for a couple of small things I can knock off. I sometimes do that on a weekend, but I may leave those for Sunday afternoon. We'll see.

>165 thornton37814: happy reading weekend

I think I'll pass on those hikes too! I'm sure the views are amazing though.

I brought some snowdrops with me - I pass them on my way to work.

>168 charl08: It was a terrific hike up there

Thanks for the snowdrops.

nettles from below

There is a new statue in the cemetery of Basel

a woman with an oil lamp on a grave

a rose on a gravestone

a grave stone with an interesting inscription

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-thomas-thetcher?utm_source=Atla...

>156 paulstalder: >157 paulstalder: >158 paulstalder: >159 paulstalder: Thanks for sharing the information about the Suonen, Paul, and the bravery and dedication it took (takes) to ensure a ready supply of water where it would otherwise be scarce. I'm not sure I'd want to hike one myself nowadays, but I like that it is possible. Have a good week!

>175 harrygbutler: you're welcome, Harry. It' such an interesting subject - economically, agriculturally, technically, and culturally. The Valaisan/Walliser are also rich in legends and tales. For example, there is the idea that the souls of the dead are in the glaciers, then at certain times there is a Gratzug (a procession of the dead) down from the glacier. One such place is Bitsch, a small village, where the river Massa (from the Aletsch glacier) meets the Rhone. Be careful on the routes the dead are taking, especially at night times - don't leave anything on these paths.

A Swiss novel which contains such ideas:
Graatzug : ein Bergroman by Urs Augstburger

Hi Paul!

Sorry it took me so long to visit again. There are always so many interesting books, photos, and other things here! I hope you're doing well.

Heh. A frog museum and a coat-hanger museum. Fascinating.

>98 paulstalder: I started out telling people that I like turtles/turtoises and since then I get such figurines and stuff quite a lot. It is cats for me.

>127 paulstalder: Congratulations! Beautiful photo, although I had to copy the image location to a new tab in my web browser to look.

>140 paulstalder: Lovely photo of you and Suki.

>143 PaulCranswick: What a cutie!

>174 paulstalder: That is an amazing stone. Thanks for the link to the story. And now I've subscribed to the atlasobscura newsletter!

>159 paulstalder: What a fun hike that must have been. Although not a mindless one as concentration would certainly be needed to maintain balance. Enjoy the rest of your week!

>177 karenmarie: great to see you here, Karen. I also have troubles to keep up with all the interesting threads around here on LT.
It is cats for me. I hope there are not too many live cats among them :)
>127 paulstalder: I changed the picture, you should see it now, hopefully
https://www.atlasobscura.com has some fascinating articles, glad you found it interesting, too

>178 figsfromthistle: We made three different hikes on Suonen, two of them had tunnels. You are right, Anita, watch your steps on these paths. When you want to look around, stop and enjoy, and then go on.

Hi, Paul. Finally tracked you down. I love your toppers. You live in a beautiful country. I have only visited Bern, for a very short time, while I was stationed in Germany. I was in the Army. This was in the early 80s. I only got a glimpse but fell in love with it, immediately. Maybe, one of these days, we can return there and visit with you and Barb. Glad to see you like hiking too.

>174 paulstalder: That must have been one heck of a drinking session or a keg of bad beer!

Have a great weekend, Paul.

>181 msf59: Hej Mar, great to welcome you here. We don't have the largeness of the USA or other bigger countries but we have a lot of beautiful spots in concentrated form - the old Helvetians layered the conquered land on top of each other instead of next to each other :)
My brother-in-law was stationed with the air force in Aviano Italy and he, too, was fascinated by Switzerland, now he is retired in lives in California - and apparently dreams of Switzerland (according to his wife).
Be welcome, let us know when you do come and we will like to take a few days off in order to show you some nice places here.

>182 PaulCranswick: Hej Paul, well, there is always the problem of too cold a beer on a hot day on an empty stomach - and together with bad beer, well, can be lethal.

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a pretty small cemetery --- the name is programme

my mother is in the hospital in Baden AG. She had bad pain in her knee and couldn't move anymore, now she has to stay for two weeks here doing therapy for her muscles and things. She is unhappy but she also afraid of getting such pain again alone at home. I stay in her flat and visit her tomorrow again.

I visited the small cemetery of Dättwil AG (not to far away from Zürich)

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sunset behind the crematorium --- a fountain

>195 paulstalder: Sorry to hear about your mother, I hope the therapy gets her moving about again with minimal pain.

>187 quondame: thanks, Susan. she will turn 90 in August. She doesn't like to be told to do things ... she has a hard time obeying in the hospital

Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear about your mother's pain. I hope she's recovering soon. Does she live in Baden? Well, I know that a hospital stay isn't great fun and when being old it's much harder I think.

It would be great fun when Mark and his wife will come over to our country one day. A meet-up is for sure.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday. Thinking of you and your mum.

Best wishes for your mother, Paul.
Have a pleasant Sunday.

>189 Ameise1: hej barbara. Yes meetup would be great. Did you meet cushla from new zealand when she was here? She told me about the tioli challenges 😊

>190 SirThomas: thanks for the good wishes thomas. I am habing lunch in the mensa of the hospital. My sister and i will meet with my mother later

No, I haven't. It's probably ten years ago that she lived in Basel. That was before the time I met her on LT.

>185 paulstalder: Best wishes to your mum, Paul.

>192 Ameise1: we met a few times here in basel, drinking coffee, I think that was in 2010

>193 PaulCranswick: thanks, Paul. She wanted to go home yesterday, but my sister and I persuaded her to stay longer ... well, let's what she tells me when I phone her later. She is sharing the room with another elderly lady who is apparently very talkative ... My mother would prefer some more quiet.

21) Liluli : mit 32 Holzschnitten by Romain Rolland. Liluli is a young woman seducing men in order to let them fight each other. Only Polichinell is resisting her temptations. The Diplomates, the Fat, the Lean, even the Good Lord, are triying to persuade everybody to wage war against each other. A French and German farmer first resist but are too weak (too stupid) to last long and they die both together. The Truth (Chirridi) is bound by the Good Lord and therefore is unable to prevent the war.... a French anti-war play written before Wolrd War I, but published in 1919, by this French Nobel prize winner.
I didn't get 'warm' with the figures, okay it's a satire, the characters are too simplistic, for example God having a human passport which allows him to change sides and dress in other uniforms and to incite hatred for the other side. Liluli (l'illusion) is not tempting the influential people, but simple men only, as if the influential warmongers don't need illusions and they will achieve their goal anyway. There is no solution or hope in the play, and that's comes when God is kidnapped to be human only. As Nietzsche stated (and others) since God died in the 19th century, Man will die in the 20th. If Man is left to him/herself there is no hope, no ethic boundary.



first published in 1919 in French

>176 paulstalder: Thank you for the extra information.

I hope your mother has a speedy recovery, Paul, and is able to get home, with restored mobility, soon.

>196 harrygbutler: you're welcome, Harry.
My mother sounded okay when I phoned her a few hours ago. She is exhausted because in the hospital she has to walk, to lay on the floor and lift her legs, sit on a chair and play ball with others etc., in order to strengthen her muscles. At home she is just walking around in her flat. What she misses most is her good coffee - the coffee there is a different brand and taste ....

22) Die Tadschiken im Spiegel der Geschichte : Band 1 Von den Ariern zu den Samaniden by Ėmomalī Raḩmon. The history of the Tajik people leads back to the old country of Bactria in Central Asia. The author, the president of the Republic of Tajikistan, shows that the cradle of the Tajik people is very old and is linked to the cultural achievements of that time. The Silk Road brought riches and trade opportunities to the region. The Tajik started to breed great horses and camels which brought them wealth. Later Zoroaster (ca. 1000 BC) lived in the area and wrote down his books (the Avesta being a part which is still available today). The Golden Age of Tajik culture was during the reign of the Samanides (around 900/1000 AD). The Arabs brought a lot of suffering along and the Tajik and other peoples there lost their independence. The Soviet Union lade created the Tajik ASSR and when the Soviet Union broke, Tajikistan become an independent state. Thew celebration of the 1100-year-anniversary of the Samanid Empire in 1999 brought a bigger awareness of the rich cultural heritage of the Tajik people.



first published in 2011(?) in Tajik

The book is a propaganda book for the old culture of the Tajik language/people/culture. He writes a lot about democracy and peace and freedom, but Tajikistan is not a democracy and very corrupt. But still a quite interesting reading about an area I know almost nothing about.

He makes Zoroaster's collection 'Avesta' into the first encyclopedia of the world (erste Enzyklopädie des Altertums; well I am not sure if that word is used correctly here) and Zoroaster the first prophet and herald of monotheism (den ersten Propheten und Verkünder des Monotheismus). He ignores the Jewish writings altogether. King David (around 1000 BC) was slightly later than Zoroaster (1500-1000 BC ?), Samuel the prophet was then a probable contemporary of Zoroaster. The oldest manuscript we have of the book of Samuel is from 2nd or 1st century BC, the oldest manuscript of something by Zoroaster is from 9th century AD, so Jewish original texts are far better documented than Zoroastrian texts. Rahmon thinks that Zoroastrism influenced Judaism. Jews may have contact with Zoroastrian ideas during their exile but it is very unlikely that they got specifically influenced by Zoroastrism.

>197 paulstalder: I can certainly sympathize with you mother on missing good coffee! It sounds like they have a good plan in place for rehabilitation.

>198 paulstalder: Sovietistan included mentions of the books written by premiers to create a glorious history for their particular people.

>199 harrygbutler: Harry, it's more the coffee brand. she has a very weak coffee at home, so almost any other coffee is too strong.

>200 quondame: Hej Susan. I think, for a politician, writing a book is more productive than twittering. The premiers got some history lessons. They should work on their writing style, though, as long as he he was referring to ancient events, it was quite readable but everything dealing with the present is very glorifying and so.

born today:

Karl May 1842

23) Mord nach Muster : Kriminalfälle des Richters Di, alten chinesischen Originalquellen entnommen by Robert Hans Gulik. Judge Di is in the plague-stricken capital of imperial China. He has to take care of peace and freedom in the capital the emperor has already left. Then a high ranking merchant, Mei, who is responsible for the food distribution falls down some stairs and dies. Then another member of the old family clans is murdered and some doubts arise about the accidental death of Mei ... interesting to see Judge Di figuring all out. A good read



first published in 1965 in English

>203 paulstalder: I've enjoyed the Judge Dee mysteries for years. This is a reminder that I've forgotten enough of some of the plots - not The Chinese Nail Murders - to visit them again!

>203 paulstalder: The Judge Dee books are quite good indeed; I'm glad you liked it, Paul. I'm rereading The Red Pavilion right now myself.

>204 quondame: >205 harrygbutler:
Yes, I like these Chinese mysteries very much, too. That was the third book I read with Judge Dee

Here in Switzerland the government banned all events for the next two weeks with more than 1000 people coming together - so no Basler Fasnacht (carnival in Basel next week), no Geneva motor show, no Basel World, no football games, ice hockey without audience, no concerts ...

statistics for February

1700 pages, 10 books,

9 books were written in German, in 1 English, and 0 in Swiss German

nationalities: CH 1, D 1, GB 2, GR 1, S 1, A 1, F 1, TJ 1, NL 1

dead 6, alive 4
male 8, female 2

oldest 1924, newest 2016 (book, my copy)
oldest 100 AD, newest 2014 (work, first published)

I added 0 bookmarks and 29 books to my collections

add-ons
22) Allein schaffe ich es nicht by Simon Jahn (Redaktion)
- Andy Moore hat vor drei Jahren seine Karriere in der Finanzbranche in London an den Nagel gehängt, um in den Metropolen der Welt ein "Festival of Thought" steigen zu lassen.
- 2019
23) Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733) ein bedeutender Sohn Zürichs : Ausstellung des Paläontologischen Institutes und des Museums der Universität Zürich by Karl Alban Hünermann
- Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Stadtarzt und Professor für Mathematik und Naturkunde am Carolinum in Zürich, war einer der bedeutendsten Universalgelehrten, die unser Land hervorgebracht hat.
- 1988
24) Hand aufs Herz : Roman by Anthony McCarten
- Am Morgen vor dem Wettbewerb sah Tom Shrift von seinem Fenster im ersten Stock aus zu, wie sein Nachbar seinen kleinen Rasen mähte.
- 2009
25) Neues Testament als Teil der universitären Theologie der STH Basel by Jacob Thiessen
- Paulus fordert in 2 Tim 2,15 seinen langjährigen Schüler und Mitarbeiter vor seiner Hinrichtung auf, sich dadurch vor Gott bewährt zu erweisen, dass er "das Wort der Wahrheit in gerader Richtung schneidet", um sich "bewährt darzustellen".
- 2019
26) Die Elster auf dem Galgen : ein Roman aus der Zeit Pieter Bruegels by John Vermeulen
- Behutsam schob der Junge das Schilfrohr zur Seite, das ihm die Sicht versperrte.
- 1992
27) Das weisse Krokodil : Roman by C. C. Bergius
- Die Bulbuls sangen bereits ihr sehnsüchtiges Lied, als die ersten Strahlen der Sonne auf die plätschernd gegen die malaiische Küste schlagenden Wellen fielen und den unter einer Palmengruppe am Ufer schlafenden greisen Tie-tie weckten.
- 1965
28) Die kleinsten, stillsten Dinge : Roman by Sara Baume
- Er rennt, rennt, rennt.
- 2015
29) Die sanfte Stimme des Bösen : Roman by Charlotte Armstrong
- Das Restaurant war fast leer an diesem Montagnachmittag im Februar, zum Mittagessen war es zu spät und zum Kaffeetrinken noch zu früh.
- 1945
30) Das Mädchen mit den grünen Augen : Roman by Edna O'Brien
- Es war ein verregneter Nachmittag im Oktober, und ich schrieb die Septemberrechnungen aus dem grossen grauen Hauptbuch ab.
- 1962

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31) Die Wunderübung : eine Komödie by Daniel Glattauer
- Wir befinden uns im Arbeitsraum eines Paartherapeuten, der hier seine Klienten betreut.
- 2014
32) Mord in Mompé : Kriminalroman by Jon Durschei
- Hei, wie ist's trotz allem jedesmal ein Genuss, ins warme Wasser zu steigen und zu baden, zu baden, dazu Zeitung zu lesen und eine Zigarette zu rauchen, dachte Gabi und blickte voller Vorfreude, bereits gänzlich nackt, die frische Unterwäsche geordnet drüben auf der uralten Kommode, zur vorsintflutlichen weissen Wanne, die mit ihren krummen Beinen mitten im für ein Bauernhaus grosszügig ausgebauten Badezimmer stand.
- 1987
33) Stella : Roman by Takis Würger
- Im Jahr 1922 verurteilte ein Richter Adolf Hitler zu drei Monaten Gefängnis wegen Landfriedensbruchs, ein englischer forscher entdeckte das Grab Tutenchamuns, James Joyce veröffentlichte den Roman Ulysses, die Kommunistische Partei Russlands wählte Josef Stalin zum Generalsekretär und ich wurde geboren.
- 2019
34) Tod im Herbst : Ein Fall für Guarnaccia ; Roman by Magdalen Nabb
- Dawn still hadn't broken and the river water lapping the sides of the black rubber dinghy was of the same darkness as the sky except for a path of moving light coming from a lamp attached to the dinghy's side.
- 1984
35) Wegen Wersai : Roman by Dagmar Schifferli
- Schon wieder hat sie mich ausgesperrt.
- 2018
36) Frei willig : Roman by Gerlinde Michel
- Leise schliesst sie die Türe und geht zum Bett des Vaters.
- 2012
37) Khalil Gibrans kleines Buch vom guten Leben : Weisheitsgeschichten, die Herz und Seele berühren by Khalil Gibran
- Vor dem Thron der Freiheit erfreuen sich die Bäume an der ausgelassenen Brise, geniessen die Strahlen der Sonne und den Lichtschein des Mondes.
- 2018
38) Die Maske : Roman by Fuminori Nakamura
- Während sich der grosse Fall einer überraschenden Lösung näherte, wurde die Tatsache kaum beachtet, dass in seinem Umfeld mehrere Menschen eines unnatürlichen Todes starben.
- 2010
39) Ein perfekter Freund : Roman by Martin Suter
- Sene Hand spürte das Gesicht, aber sein Gesicht spürte die Hand nicht.
- 2002
40) Rendezvous mit einem Oktopus : extrem schlau und unglaublich empfindsam: das erstaunliche Seelenleben der Kraken by Sy Montgomery
- An einem dieser seltenen warmen Tage Mitte März, wenn der Schnee in New Hampshire zu schmelzen beginnt und in Matsch übergeht, fuhr ich nach Boston, wo die Menschen am Hafen entlangspazierten oder auf Bänken sassen und ihr Waffeleis schleckten.
- 2015

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