Carsten (ctpress) Take and Read 2020

Photo taken from my favorite walk near my place.

I'm living in Copenhagen, Denmark. Working as a journalist and I'm almost always reading some classic. But new literature will slip through.

Haven't been much around LT last half year of 2019. Hoping for a better year of reading in 2020.

Currently reading:

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Confessions by Augustine
21 kyrkofäder by Peter Halldorf (21 Church Fathers)

Read

March
1. The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy (1972) (audiobook) 5/5
2. Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (1949) (audiobook) 4/5

July
3. Det Fædrene Ophav by Peter Hälldorf (1990) 4,5/5 (21 Church Fathers)

Welcome back!

Thanks, Jim.

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

Thanks. Sounds great, Diana. I hope to read and share more books than in 2019.

Happy 2020 and do you have Link to your journalism?

Thank you.

Our grocery delivery man is from The Netherlands -
my daughter celebrated his tradition by adding Stroopwafels to our stocking.

#7 - I'm mostly an editor these days at work. Not writing that much myself anymore. Working at DR which is like the BBC in England (public tv/radio in Denmark). Working on the online news - our site is dr.dk.

Ha, ha - Stroopwafels in your stockings. I haven't heard of this before but it sounds like a great tradition.

Nice to see you Carsten. Look forward to your reading posts for 2020.

Thanks, Mary. Looking forward to more reading in 2020 - and to spend time on LT.

Reading plans for 2020? Sure! I got this pile I'm looking forward to enjoying:

Best wishes for 2020!

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

Thanks Diana - wishing you a happy new year.

Thanks Paul - a lot of resolutions - but of the very good kind. Wishing you a happy new year.

>14 ctpress: You too Carsten. I hope you are able to be more active here this time around as we missed you last year.

I sure hope too, Paul. That is one new year resolution.

Happy New Year Carsten!

Thanks, Rhian - and a Happy New Year to you.

Happy reading in 2020, Carsten!

Lovely to see you back, Carsten. Wishing you a great 2020.

Thanks, Anita, and happy reading to you.

Charlotte - Feels good to be back and I hope to be more on LT this year. Happy New Year you.

Enjoy your 2020 reads!

Hope our Danish correspondent is well and enjoying a splendid weekend.

My daughter has been offered a job in Denmark so, if she takes it, we may have to arrange an LT meet-up.

#22 - Thanks, Lori - and happy reading for you too.

#23 - Paul - I really hope she's taking it, so we can arrange an LT meet-up. Is that in Copenhagen she will be working or another place?

>24 ctpress: I think it is in Copenhagen, Carsten.

Carsten, I'd love to see you here on LT! Just picked up a new Danish scandi crime today. The Tenant by Katrine Engberg. It is described as " very danish" - whatever that means. Hygge maybe? :-) I have a niece and nephew living somewhat near to you. My nephew, who I tried to convince he wanted to be a footman for the British Royal family, as he got his PhD at Cambridge, has moved on to some sort of research position in Amsterdam. My niece is doing her first year of university in Berlin. Her mom is from Germany, so she has picked up German, and she decided on the Free German University( or something ) for her studies. She lives with her uncle and 1 st cousin. She is having fun, but I think mom and dad and her younger brother miss her. If only I could fly! The total flying phobic here.

Great to see you on LT again, Deborah. "Very Danish" - yeah that could mean a lot of things :) I visited Berling two or three years ago. Fascinating city. I don't think I've been to Amsterdam - but I've wanted to go there for the art museums and Dutch painters.

1. The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy (1972) (audiobook) 5/5



This memoir or drama based on his own experiences is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. About Conroy's two years of teaching on Yamacraw Island (Daufuskie Island), South Carolina. The black students are very ignorant; most can't read, and they no next to nothing about the rest of the US - let alone the world. Conroy enlightens the students about the outer world, classical music, history with his unconventional teaching methods - doing everything he can to grab the interest of the children - it's a fascinating story.

Here's a little video about the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19yTAFrgVjA

My goodness, it is Carsten, our Danish Correspondent. I'm glad you enjoyed The Water is Wide. I'm going to watch the little video that you linked. ETA I just watched the video and it looks very interesting. Perhaps a book that I should try. Thanks Carsten.

Deborah - Ha, yes, a coronavirus-correspondent. I was in Liverpool last weekend "covering" a football-match :) Interesting how differently we handle the virus - here everything is shut down. No gatherings over 100 people - all schools, all sports events, cinema etc. shutting down. Tonight the border is closed. Nobody comes in or out - almost. In Great Britain, the approach is the reverse almost. A few schools are shutting down in some areas, some football matches cancelled, but no significant steps to avoid the virus from the government. It's the typical british stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on mentality. I'm not sure what is best.

2. Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (1949) (audiobook) 4/5



An incredible humorous story by Tolkien - and Derek Jacobi does a great job narrating. Farmer Giles scares a giant away from his village and gets famous - when a wily dragon named Chrysophylax is destroying the countryside farmer Giles is forced to reluctantly seeking up and fighting the dragon.

Interesting that Denmark has closed it's border for now. Canada has not done so, and the government here has urged Canadians to fly home ASAP before one cannot fly out of a country. Each province is handling the Covid 19 virus differently it seems. In Alberta, all of the schools are closed for the rest of the term, whereas here in BC schools are still open. They've cancelled all of the sports gatherings here as well, and many churches are only doing virtual services. I' read that in the UK, they are planning to tell those that are over 70 that they must quarantine themselves for 4 months! I'm not sure if that will go through and though I understand the reasoning, I think many seniors would go crazy with such a long quarantine time. My mom is 78 and she is out and about every day. I can tell she would not handle a 4 month quarantine well at all. She is the sort that likes to be out every day.

My parents (80+) are only going out shopping and have cut off all other social activities. It's difficult - my father has lung problems, so he is staying in for the moment. Four months is a bit premature to guess on - but surely it's not going to blow away next week. Maybe your mom has to consider her outdoor-lifestyle if the virus gets more serious in your area.

Tonight Europe is also closing the borders, so it seems everyone is trying to isolate themselves. Difficult to know what to do. Right now, it seems prudent to be very strict and take precautions. In Denmark, we are now only testing sick people, and not everyone under suspicion. The number we look for now is people in intensive care. So far, it hasn't been that bad, but I guess the number will climb.

>33 ctpress: I hope you and your parents stay safe, Carsten. I saw a stat recently that 2/3 of the deaths to date have been male so we especially have to be vigilant.

Yes Paul. At least the safety measures seem to have worked here as we haven't yet seen the numbers surge dramatically. Yet. Hopefully it stays that way.

Have a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Carsten.

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Carsten.

Thanks Paul - I wish you and your family a Happy Easter, too. Or spring - whatever you celebrate.

Missing you around here, Carsten.

Thanks, Paul - I'm beginning to resurface - and reading some again.

3. Det Fædrene Ophav by Peter Hälldorf (1990) 4,5/5 (21 Church Fathers)



Short but vivid biographies of 21 Church Fathers. It's so exciting to read about the early church life, what was central to the Christian faith, what was peripheral. How they described the essential beliefs of Christianity and their struggles against heresies.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) 3/5 (audiobook, narrated by Alex Munro)

Hmmm. I just realized this was my third reading of this American classic, and I still don't think it's that great. It was better this time as an audiobook - got more into it. But I really can't figure out why it's THE quintessential American novel. But then again - if I keep come back to it, there must be something there :)

Good to see you back, Carsten. I, for one, have missed you.

Thanks, Paul - hope to be more active on LT. I read more now so that's should do it.

Look here - it's CARSTEN!!! So great to see you back!! Get cracking on the reading, because I've really missed you, old friend. Great idea to travel to Iceland in the fall. Watch out for all of the crime there, though, Carsten. Apparently this idea that Iceland is a super safe place to be is not as advertised, according to the Scandicrime that I read. ;-)

I've only read The Great Gatsby once and that was during high-school, I think. I've no idea why it is such a lauded American Classic either.

I am going to be on the welcoming back committee too! Great to see you Carsten! Like Deborah I have only read The Great Gatsby once and it too was in high school. No plans to re read it as I am not really a re-reader! Hope you are enjoying summer!

Deborah - Great to hear from you again. Ha, ha, I will keep my guard in dangerous Iceland - I might call Erlendur if I come across something suspicious. I find my joy in reading again, so I hope I can continue with that.

Mary - thanks for the welcome :) The Great Gatsby is not the best choice for young people in high schools. There must be something a little more interesting to read that will instill a love for literature. I'm enjoying the summer - mostly working - but one week vacation here in Denmark in a summer cabin near the sea. In autumn I will have my real vacation. In autumn, I will have a real vacation.

>46 mdoris: I agree with Mary, Carsten, in that I don't often re-read books. Old thrillers that I loved when I was younger; poetry collections, Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Rings but otherwise there are just too many books I HAVEN'T read.

I hope you get some of those at least, Carsten, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

Miss you around here.

Merry Christmas, Paul. Yes, I hope for a better 2021 as well. And more time on LT.

Would be nice to see you back.