MissWatson shuffles her ROOTs

Hello my fellow ROOTers, I'm in for a new year and my goal is to read 75 ROOTs. Everything I owned before January 2, 2022 counts.

I'm Birgit, I work in a library for economics and haven't had much time to read economic history during my lunch breaks because of all that working from home. Still, I have my ROOTs to keep me busy at home.

I have nicked a challenge idea from Jean (Majkia) and will use a deck of cards to randomise my reading. It's a nice occasion to use a deck I bought in Moscow, a long, long time ago.
Every week I'm going to draw a card from the deck to decide what genre or what author to pick from the shelves.

I just realised I need a place to list the ROOTs!
January
1. Die Welt im 16. Jahrhundert
2. Tanzpause by Vicki Baum
3. Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh
4. Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
5. Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel
6. Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
7. Catherine the Great : a short history by Isabel de Madariaga
8. My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
9. Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky
February
10. Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
11. Dead Reckoning by C. Northcote Parkinson
12. Menschenwerk by Han Kang
13. The man in the wooden hat by Jane Gardam
14. Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? by Lizzie Doron
15. L'argent by Émile Zola
16. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
17. Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
18. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
19. The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins
20. Ellernklipp by Theodor Fontane
March
21. Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch
22. Cox oder der Lauf der Zeit by Christoph Ransmayr
23. Milchgeld by Klüpfel/Kobr
24. Slaves and obsession by Anne Perry
25. Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg
26. Арктур – гончий пес by Jurij P. Kazakov
27. The Perpetual Curate by Margaret Oliphant
28. Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann
April
29. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
30. Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir
31. Still midnight by Denise Mina
32. Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin
33. A rogue's life by Wilkie Collins
34. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
May
35. Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe by Alina Bronsky
36. Lorettas letzter Vorhang by Petra Oelker
37. Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell
38. Cakes and Ales by W. Somerset Maugham
June
39. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
40. Ode to a banker by Lindsey Davis
41. Der Untertan by Heinrich Mann
July
42. A mind to murder by PD James
43. Der stumme Tod by Volker Kutscher
44. Unwiederbringlich by Theodor Fontane
45. Der Hund aus Terracotta by Andrea Camilleri
46. Das Haus Baden am Bodensee by Casimir Bumiller
47. La guinguette à deux sous by Georges Simenon
48. Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac
49. Les quatre vies du saule by Shan Sa
50. Im Schatten des Turms by René Anour
51. Der 35. Mai by Erich Kästner
52. Bugles in the afternoon by Ernest Haycox
August
53. Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
54. Le petit Nicolas a des ennuis by Goscinny/Sempé
55. A place of greater safety by Hilary Mantel
56. Epitaph for a spy by Eric Ambler
57. The pursuit of love by Nancy Mitford
58. Still Life by Louise Penny
59. Stine by Theodor Fontane
60. El misterio del eunuco by José Luis Velasco
61. Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell
62. Histoire de la princesse de Montpensier by Mme de Lafayette
63. Maria Stuart by Stefan Zweig
64. Maria Stuart by Friedrich Schiller
65. Speaking from among the bones by Alan Bradley
66. Chronique du règne de Charles IX by Prosper Mérimée
September
67. Mord auf dem Wilhelmstein by Bodo Dringenberg
68. The dead in their vaulted arches by Alan Bradley
69. Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim by Sophie von La Roche
70. Der Gärtner von Otschakow by Andrej Kurkow
71. Iron Kingdom by Christopher Clark
72. Churchill m'a menti by Caroline Grimm
73. Chatterton Square by E.H. Young
74. Die großen Erzählungen by Leo N. Tolstoj
October
75. Shadows of the pomegranate tree by Tariq Ali
76. The tales of Peter Parley about Europe by Samuel G. Goodrich
77. Der Wald der gehenkten Füchse by Arto Paasilinna
November
78. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
79. Death of a stranger by Anne Perry
80. Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent
81. Brother Jacob by George Eliot
82. The dead secret by Wilkie Collins
83. Rendezvous in Paris by Vicki Baum
December
84. Goldstein by Volker Kutscher
85. 1913 : Der Sommer des Jahrhunderts by Florian Illies
86. Queens' Play by Dorothy Dunnett
87. The siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell
88. Der verzauberte Wanderer by Nikolaj Leskov

Ticker

Diamonds



The genre is Fiction.
2: Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky
3: Les quatre vies du saule by Shan Sa
4: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
5: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
6: Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir
7: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
8: The dead secret by Wilkie Collins
9: The pursuit of love by Nancy Mitford
10: Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell
B= Heinrich Mann Der Untertan
D=Jane Gardam The man in the wooden hat
K=Amitav Gosh Sea of poppies
A=Alina Bronsky Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe

Hearts



The genre is history and historical fiction.
2: Im Schatten des Turms by René Anour
3: Das Haus Baden am Bodensee by Casimir Bumiller
4: Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann
5: Bugles in the afternoon by Ernest Haycox
6: Dead Reckoning by C. Northcote Parkinson
7: Shadows of the pomegranate tree by Tariq Ali
8: Cox oder Der Lauf der Zeit by Christoph Ransmayr
9: Mord auf dem Wilhelmstein by Bodo Dringenberg
10: El misterio del eunuco by José Luis Velasco
B= The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
D= Queens' Play byDorothy Dunnett
K=Iron Kingdom by Christopher Clark
A= A place of greater safety by Hilary Mantel

Clubs



The genre is mysteries.
2: Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg
3: Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell
4: Ode to a banker by Lindsey Davis
5: Speaking from among the bones by Alan Bradley
6: Still midnight by Denise Mina
7: The dead in their vaulted arches by Alan Bradley
8: Still Life by Louise Penny
9: Milchgeld by Klüpfel/Kobr
10: Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch
B=Volker Kutscher Goldstein
D=Anne Perry Death of a stranger
K=Eric Ambler Epitaph for a spy
A=PD James A mind to murder

Spades



The genre is classics.
2: Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
3: L'argent by Émile Zola
4: My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
5: Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
6: Der 35. Mai by Erich Kästner
7: A rogue's life by Wilkie Collins
8: Maria Stuart by Friedrich Schiller
9: Histoire de la princesse de Montpensier et autres nouvelles by Mme de Lafayette
10: Chronique du règne de Charles IX by Prosper Mérimée
B= Guy de Maupassant Bel-Ami
D=George Eliot Brother Jacob
K=Theodor Fontane Stine
A=Elizabeth Gaskell Mary Barton

Is it safe to visit? Hi Birgit, I'm so glad to see you here too. Really lovely. I'm curious as to how this card thing will work.

Happy New Year and Happy ROOTing in 2022.

>7 connie53: Hello Connie, welcome! Yes, come in! I'm not working today so I have all the time I need for visiting threads and setting up my reading challenges. There will be pictures...

Ha, pictures, lovely.
I decided to have a lazy day. It's pouring outside and I don't have to visit Peet in the care centre today. I need to do some things in the house but I do not feel like it at all. So I will read, hang around on LT, do some jigsawing (I have an escaperoom jigsaw on the go and have to solve the riddles now, which is hard)

The weather is bad here as well, it just started raining. Have fun with your riddles!

This week's draw is the King of Diamonds, so I will be reading Sea of poppies later.

A Happy New Year of reading, Birgit.

I am intrigued by your cards. Are you only counting court cards and aces? What happens if you draw a number card?

And how do you select your books and pair them with a card?

>12 Robertgreaves: Thank you, Robert. If I draw a number card, I will read a book from the genre that strikes my fancy at the time, I'm not much for planning ahead.

>13 connie53: I looked at my TBR and just chose a few authors I think I ought to read, but I'll save the selecting of a specific book for the time of the draw.

Happy reading and ROOTing in 2022, Birgit!

Clever idea to draw cards :-)

Thanks, Anita. I'm a bit worried because my chosen authors have written some very fat books...

Great idea to use cards to help you choose what to read next! At the moment I'm using a random number generator to pick my audiobooks, and I'm starting to read my print or ebook ROOTs from oldest to newest, based on when I first added the book to my Goodreads TBR (which is sometimes years before I bought the book).

I'm also reading a Dorothy Dunnett right now :)

In my ongoing quest to understand more about languages other than English, can you tell me what the BDKA stand for in your cards posts? I am guessing they are the German translations of jack, queen, king and ace from English, but I'd love to learn the German words!

In Dutch it's Boer (Jack), Vrouw (Queen), Koning en Aas.

Hi Birgit, Happy new year of reading. Lovely to see you here again and I hope I can be a more frequent visitor this year.

I like your card theme, the categories and the authors in the draw - don’t know some of them but I’m looking forward to finding out!

Hello Birgit, it's good to see you again! I'm happy to see so many familiar names, if not faces! (one day, hopefully!) Hope the card theme works well for you!

Hi Birgit, just dropping by to put up a star. Your card theme sounds really fun - a nice way to combine a bit of structure with a bit of whimsy. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in the cards for you!

>17 rabbitprincess: I'm looking forward to the next in the Lymond series.
>18 rosalita: Yes, that's right: Bube, Dame, König, Ass (in the new spelling, which is also, by lucky coincidence, the abbreviation for Germany's oldest manufacturer of playing cards, Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik).
>19 connie53: I didn't know that, thanks!
>20 floremolla: Hello Donna, nice to see you here!
>21 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie. I hope so, too.
>22 Caramellunacy: Hi! I hope there will be a nice sequence of short and long books to balance things out.

Good to see you back. Good luck with your randomized challenge - sounds fun!

>23 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit! Now I know 5 words of German, if you include schadenfreude. :-)

>24 Henrik_Madsen: Thanks, Henrik!
>25 rosalita: Always glad to help!

ROOT #1 is Die Welt im 16. Jahrhundert

This is part of a series of global history. I started last year but didn't finish it in time. Most of the essays read as if they had been recycled from earlier material, and there was little truly new to me, so I will part with this.

ROOT #2 is Tanzpause by Vicki Baum

A Christmas gift from my sister, a novella in a small, exquisitely produced volume. A young woman meets her former lover at a dance and runs off with him to Italy. Or not?

And now I am reading my first random draw book.

You're off to a great start!

Maybe a naive question: Is it common for decks of cards to have a "1" vs "A" (Ace) card? If yes, is there a way for the "1" to also be the highest value card?

>29 detailmuse: Thanks!
As to your question: I don't know and haven't really thought about it. I just laid them out with the ace first because they all have a single symbol in the middle, it looked like a natural progression. As for the value, I guess it depends on the rules of the game you play, doesn't it? We ususally play our own, very relaxed version of rummy.

I’m looking forward to following along with your reading, however you select your books!

>31 rocketjk: Thanks, Jerry!

ROOT #3, King of Diamonds is Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh

There are so many characters and so many things going on that it is hard to summarise: the time is 1838, the first Opium War is looming, and a ship is making ready for a trip from Calcutta to Mauritius with a cargo of Indan contract labourers. The most challenging, but ultimately also most satisfying, thing about the book is the language, rich in various dialects and Indian languages.

The next draw is the 2 of spades, and I'll be reading Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland, because it fits the Shakespeare Category over in the Category Challenge.

ROOT #3, 2 of Spades is Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew

Well, this was much shorter than expected and, well, very Russian. It has a landowner giving over his estate to his daughters and then being neglected, but somehow it doesn't have the drama that Shakespeare offers. I also wondered a bit about the translation, maybe I will take a look at the orginal.

So now I have time to read the book we're going to discuss in my French reading group, meeting again after so many months in a fortnight: Paris-Brest, which is also a ROOT.

The next draw will take place as soon as I have finished that.

Hi Birgit, I have a question about a German word in the book I'm currently reading. Met het bloed van mijn hart, deel 2 by Diana Gabaldon. William grey meets a group of German soldiers and they say: "Er spricht Deutsch. Er gehört." They translate the last two words to 'He heard us talking (about desertion)." But I thought 'gehören' means to belong somewhere. No I'm curious who is right.
I hope you can give the answer.

Hi Connie, I think she meant to write "Er hat uns gehört." which would mean "He heard us (talking)". From hören = to hear. It could also have been "Er gehört zu uns." which would be "He is one of us", from gehören = to belong.
I think John Le Carré is the only English-speaking author I know who writes correct German. Everyone else gets grammar or words wrong.

ROOT #5 is Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel

This is another short book, at 174 pages, but you have to pay close attention. It's written in a kind of monologue as a young man reminisces about his family and slowly unveils the events that made him leave for Paris.

And the third draw is the 4 of Diamonds. I think I will read Carpentaria next, if I can get at it without toppling over some piles...

>36 MissWatson: Thanks for explaining, Birgit. I thought the first option you give might be the right one. But I wanted to get the right info from you as our 'German' expert ;-)).

I would think the translator could have corrected this for the Dutch translation. But sometimes things are unnoticed.

>38 connie53: These days translations of bestsellers are published so soon that the translators must be working overtime. No wonder they miss things occasionally.

Stopping in to say hi and wish you good reading!

>40 enemyanniemae: Thanks, and a good reading year to you, too!

ROOT#6, 4 of Diamonds, is Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

It took me much longer to read this because I had to look up so many things: plants, animals, strange words. This is completely outside my own experience, so I can't really comment. But it was a rewarding read.

The next draw is the 4 of Spades, so another classic. Hm. Something short so I can squeeze in something else first...I'll be back later.
ETA: I'll be staying in Australia with My brilliant career.

Hi Birgit, just popping in to see what you are reading.

Hi Connie, thanks for dropping in. I'm trying to catch up with my reading plans, watched too many gorgeous docmentaries lately about Versailles, Chambord, Chenonceaux, the Loire valley...how I long to go visiting abrad again.

ROOT #7 is Catherine the Great : a short history by Isabel de Madariaga

A potted history of Catherine's reign as Empress of Russia, aimed at a general audience in the UK/US. Not footnotes (boo!), but very readable and full of surprising stuff. It gives you a very good idea how Russia suddenly turned into a Great Power in the 18th century.

And I am now halfway through my random shuffle book...

ROOT #8, 4 of Spades is My brilliant career by Miles Franklin

This has been lurking on my Kobo since I bought it and downloaded all manner of public domain classics from Gutenberg, and that was it. Somheow I never got into the habit of e-reading. I'm trying to mend my ways, though, seeing that I have no more space for tree books.
That said, I was underwhelmed by the book. It is an Australian classic, and I can see why, but for me there was too much teenage waywardness in it.

The wind is rising, I got almost blown off course when I came home from the market, and we're in for a proper winter storm. Perfect weather to stay indoors and read.

Draw #5 is a joker, and I'm using it to read a fiction book: Der Hals der Giraffe.

ROOT #9, 2 of Diamonds is Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky

I'm usually wary of best-selling books, and this one was on all the lists when it was published. A school year seen from the POV of biology teacher Inge Lohmark who lives and teaches in a small town in Western Pomerania. The school is being wound down, not enough children in the area, and Inge observes on of her last classes. She is a relic herself, a product of the GDR and its teaching methods, and feels increasingly out of place.
I probably missed a lot in this, for instance the feelings she develops for one of her students which is advertised in the blurb and which totally passed me by. The title is also baffling, as the giraffe appears somewhere on the last twenty pages and I didn't really make the connection to the rest of the book. Ah well, can't win them all. The best thing about the book for me was the design, which the author created herself.

Draw #6 is the Six of Hearts, and I haven't made up my mind yet- Georgette Heyer is calling to me...

A very good start to the reading year, Birgit!

Sea of Poppies my first BB of 2022.

been busy reading, glad you're back!

love the card idea!

>48 floremolla: Hi Donna! I strongly recommend checking out the glossary he compiled for the book: https://www.amitavghosh.com/chrestomathy.html It certainly enhances the enjoyment of his use of different languages.

>49 cyderry: Thanks, Chèli!

ROOT #10 is Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins

He is one of my favourite authors and this one does not disappoint. Comparatively short, it features two remarkable women characters. The number of protagonists is small, so the plot is pretty predictable, but I enjoy how he manages to build suspense nonetheless.

>51 MissWatson: I've been meaning to read some Wilkie Collins, Birgit. Is there one in particular you recommend? I think I own a copy of The Woman in White but I'm sure the library has others.

>52 rosalita: I'm not overly fond of The Woman in White because in my opinion Walter Hartright marries the wrong woman at the end. Still, it's Collins at his spooky best. Armadale has one of the best "bad" women ever in Lydia Gwilt. And I very much liked No Name because of the passion with which Collins tackles his subject of illegitimacy. Frankly, the only one that should be avoided is his ghastly foray into historical fiction: Antonina, or the Fall of Rome. That is simply awful.

>53 MissWatson: Thanks for the recommendations! I'll look for the ones you recommend.

ROOT #11, 6 of Hearts is Dead Reckoning by C. Northcote Parkinson

Reading about the Portuguese in Asia last year and Sea of Poppies earlier this year often reminded me of this book, set in the same region and featuring Captain Richard Delancey of the Royal Navy who spends a very long time in the East Indies with his decrepit frigate. It was much shorter than I remembered and far more focused on the captain. Reading this again after several decades makes me appreciate how outstanding O'Brian's Jack Aubrey series is. But it is still a keeper.

Draw #7 is the Queen of Diamonds, so I'll go looking for The man in the wooden hat.

ROOT #12 is Menschenwerk by Han Kang

This was very short but it packs quite a punch. She follows a few young people during the Gwangju uprising (which I didn't really know about before I read this) and it is harrowing. Gorgeously written, though, deceptively calmly, but the pain and the horror linger in your mind long after you've put it down.

ROOT #13, Queen of Diamonds is The man in the wooden hat by Jane Gardam

This shows the Feathers marriage from Betty's side, and I found her a bit improbable. There's noit enough information on her early years to make her actions comprehensible to me. But well worth keeping.

ROOT #14 is Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? by Lizzie Doron

It is Tel Aviv in the sixties and little Elisabeth finds it difficult to explain to herself why her motherbehaves so oddly. From the names i think it is largely autobiographical, and the author is very good at maintaining the child's view for these early scenes, while later making sense of what went on.

This was a very short read, so I can choose something fatter for my next book. Draw #8 is the Three of Spades, so a classic. Maybe the next Rougon-Macquart in line: L'argent.

Today is my tenth Thingaversary and the years have been wonderful, full of books and new friends. So thanks to my fellow LTers!

In keeping with tradition, I have acquired a few books to mark the occasion:
Flood of fire because I want to finish the series
Süß und ehrenvoll because it sounded intresting
Orchis because of thegorgeous cover
The Stranger Times a BB from Jackie
I capture the castle because everyone else seems to love it
The private world of Georgette Heyer I finally found it
Vernon Subutex tome 1 because of good reviews
Exerzierplatz for sentimental reasons
Bin nebenan the author also wrote one of the funniest comedy shows on German TV
Das amerikanische Hospital because of a review
Gridiron for curiosity

And one to grow on:
Hybris it's a subject I want to know more about

And to round off a nice day, I also found the last arrow in the treasure hunt. Yay!

Off to finish my ROOT!

>59 MissWatson: Congratulations on reaching your tenth Thingaversary!

>59 MissWatson: Happy Thingaversary! I hope you enjoy The Stranger Times - did you get the English or German edition?

>59 MissWatson: Congratulations, Birgit! That's a very fine book haul to celebrate.

Happy Tningaversary, Birgit.

>60 si: Thanks, these ten years have been very pleasant.
>61 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie! The Engish version. It was displayed very prominently at the bookstore, and I remembered the title.
>62 rosalita: Thanks, Julia. Now to squeeze them into the reading schedule!
>63 Robertgreaves: Thanks, Robert. I love to spend time here.

ROOT #15, 3 of Spades is L'argent by Émile Zola

Here we meet Aristide Saccard again, who made and lost a fortune in La curée with real estate and now, a decade later, turns to banking. The financial shenanigans are described in much detail, too much, for my taste. And the unadorned sexual violence casually inflicted is rather shocking, just like the rampant antisemitism. It offers a good view into the mindset of the time (late 1860s).
After this, I need something nice and heat-warming, so I have taken Black Sheep off the shelf and will indulge in some sparkling dialogue before I draw my next card.

ROOT #16 is Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

I just love her books. These will never leave the house. Just what you need for a rainy evening with the storm howling outside.

Draw #9 is the Jack of Spades which means I'll be reading Bel Ami by Maupassant next. A happy coincidence, because it was mentioned in the afterword of L'argent as also being inspired by the crash of the Union Génerale.

>66 MissWatson: I love Heyer too, Birgit. And Black Sheep is one of my favorites.

>67 rosalita: She's the best.

ROOT #17, Jack/Knave of Spades is Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

This was another pleasant surprise, a good, easy and satisfying read. The story is mainly told from Georges' perspective, so we do not learn much aboutb his first wife Madeleine, whom I found most interesting. Where did she get this interest and knowledge in politics and journalism? And I'm quite sure she is already planning Georges' downfall!
My copy disintegrated during reading, so it's off to the recycling bin. But this is public domain, so available for re-reading anytime.

Draw #10 is the 10 of Clubs, so a mystery. I'll be finishing a couple of other reads first before deciding.

ROOT #18 is My Ántonia by Willa Cather

This has some amazing descriptions of the landscape. The people were also from a different, mostly vanished world, I think.

Nice ROOTing so far! Interesting idea with the card-drawing. And I really need to read a Georgette Heyer book. I've wanted to for years.

>71 readingtangent: Happy to *see* you!

ROOT #19 is The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins

This has been on my Kobo for years. Ten short stories wrapped into a lovely little tale of three brothers trying to amuse a young lady long enough so that the son of the youngest can get home and propose to her.

ETA: One of the stories was familiar, and so I went to the sheves. Found two books with short stories that are also contained in my ebook collections, so I can remove two brittle paper copies from the shelves. The type is way too small for aging eyes, too.

ROOT #20 is Ellernklipp by Theodor Fontane

I recently found a newer edition in the remainders bins and bought it with the intention of replacing my ancient and yellowed copy. Turns out it doesn't hve the detailed endnotes that I appreciate so much when reading Fontane, so the old one stays.
The story is based on a true crime committed in the 18th century the Harz mountains, and Fontane tells it with his usual deceptively calm style.

And now I am ready for March and a fluffy mystery: Flucht übers Watt.

ROOT #21, 10 of Clubs is Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch

I was hoping for something fluffy, and the author delivers. A failed art student steals some paintings from the Nolde museum in Seebüll, is surprised by the cleaning woman, panics and takes the ferry to the island of Amrum, a favourite tourist spot in Germany. The author obviously knows the island well and pokes some gentle fun at the locals and their guests. There are some fatal accidents, though, and our hero has to leave the biggest painting behind. Years later he returns with his American wife to retrieve it...

ETA: Draw #11 is the 8 of Hearts, and I'll be reading Cox oder der Lauf der Zeit after my current non-ROOT.

ROOT #22, 8 of Hearts is Cox oder der Lauf der Zeit by Christoph Ransmayr

Four Englishmen travel to Beijing to build clocks for the Emperor Qiánlóng in the late 18th century. The main character is inspired by a real person, but this is very much a fairytale China and most of all a reflection on time, how it is experienced and how to capture it.

Draw #12 is the 9 of Clubs, so a mystery.

ROOT #23, 9 of Clubs is Milchgeld by Volker Klüpfel and Michael Kobr

This is first in a series of mysteries, set in the Western Allgäu, renowned for dairy farming. And the case involves a scandal in a dairy factory. Lots of local colour, and not too much goriness. I will read the next one if I meet it in my charity shop. The book fell apart during reading, so not a keeper.

I am now reading a brand-new book and will draw my next card when I'm finished with it.

ROOT #24 is Slaves and obsession by Anne Perry

I picked this for reading before the series leaves the house and realised that I must have read this before – it was disappointing and that's why I put the series in hold.

Draw 13 is the 2 of Clubs.

ROOT #25, 2 of Clubs is Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg

This was a pleasant surprise found in the bargain bins a few years ago. Nice setting, believable characters.

Draw #14 is the 4 of Hearts. Hmm, this needs thinking about, as I'm not in the mood for serious history...

ROOT #26 is Арктур – гончий пес by Jurij P. Kazakov

This is only a short story, but since I haven't read Russian for ages, it took me some time. A lovely, unsentimental tale about a blind dog who follows his hunting instinct.

And I think instead of history I'll pick some undemanding historical fiction...

ROOT #27 is The Perpetual Curate by Margaret Oliphant

This is part of the Carlingford Chronicles and has been on my Kobo for years. It took me quite some time to get into the story, and two weepy females were a bit much, but I ended up liking it a lot.

ROOT #28, 4 of Hearts is Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann

This was sold as historical fiction and features Alexandre Dumas on the run from French and British police for fostering revolution from the pages of his journal "Le Mousquetaire". The real culprit is a weird hypnotiser whose powers are enhanced by Egyptian amulets, and the whole story wandered into a barely credible alternate history. I gave up on this after 259 pages.

ETA: Draw #15 is the Jack (Knave) of Hearts and I've taken The Anarchy off the pile.

After some non-ROOTs I have finally started The Anarchy, and since this is serious history (meaning one hundred pages of footnotes) I don't think I can finish it in March.

ROOT #29, Knave of Hearts is The Anarchy by William Dalrymple.

This is a long book with one hundred pages of endnotes, and tells the fascinating tale of how the East India Company took over from the Mughal Empire. The author uses Mughal sources who see things differently from the English, so there was lots I didn't know before. And now I want to go off an re-read Flashman and Sharpe in India, and Amitav Ghosh, and, and, and, ...

Can't make up my mind yet. Draw #16 is the 6 of Diamonds, so it's fiction next. Now that is a wide field...

ROOT #30, 6 of Diamonds is Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir

So, quick decision, as I needed something for the Category Challenge. This is the debut novel of a German journalist of Turkish descent. The first-person narrator, Hazal, lives in Berlin and looks forward to her 18th birthday. She wants to celebrate in a club with her girlfriends, but they are not admitted, and things go awry when they get into a confrontation with a young man in a subway station. Everyone's blind drunk, and the young man is shoved onto the tracks. Panicked, Hazal takes a plane where she knows a young man she met on Facebook. Of course, things are little better there and the young man not at all what she hoped for.
Adolescence is a difficult time, yes, and probably the most self-centred phase of our lives, but I still couldn't find much sympathy for Hazal. And her decision to stay in Istanbul, alone, with all the shooting and repression going on, was even less plausible to me.

Draw #17 is the 6 of Clubs. So many mysteries to choose from...

ROOT #31, 6 of Clubs is Still midnight by Denise Mina

This fell flat for me, I didn't like the main character and the whole case peters out, I have no idea what actually happened.

Draw #18 is the 7 of Spades, haven't chosen my classic yet...I'm looking for something short.

ROOT #32 is Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin

First in a series with a very dark tale of revenge.

The bags are packed, and I'm off for my annual Easter break at my sister's. See you all next week.

>90 MissWatson: Safe journey, and have a lovely break!

>91 Jackie_K: Thanks, Jackie, it was almost perfect! The apartment below my sister's is being renovated and the electrician managed to cut power in the living room three times yesterday.

ROOT #33, 7 of Spades is A rogue's life by Wilkie Collins

This one was short and very funny. Frank recounts his adventures in the criminal life, until he falls in love and mends his ways, sort of. He gets transported to Australia for counterfeiting money, his adoring wife follows him and together they become successful. Not your usual Victorian fare.

Draw #19 is the 7 of Diamonds.

ROOT #34, 7 of Diamonds is Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Another short one, and from an author I had never heard of before. The last part of the book was confusing me, I'm not sure I really "got" it, but the writing is wonderful.

Draw #20 is the Ace of Diamonds, so I am going to look where Alina Bronsky's books are hiding ...

Hi Birgit. Thank you for visiting my thread. I've been neglecting LT for a time and every time I tell myself I really have to visit the threads and all the posts that I dit not read. That is an impossible job. So I just drop in here and will pay more attention to your thread (and others).

I'm glad to see you had a lovely week at your sisters.

Big hug!

Hi Connie! I hope you're reading great books.

ROOT #35, Ace of Diamonds is Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe by Alina Bronsky

This one is short and features an old woman who returned to her native village near Tchernobyl to be independent on her minuscule pension, living mostly on her garden. She's an amazing character, just a little snarky. I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

Forgot to draw a new card last night...

Draw 21 is the 7 of Clubs, so another mystery. I've got Lorettas letzter Vorhang lined up. A historical mystery set in Hamburg.

ROOT #36, 7 of Clubs is Lorettas letzter Vorhang by Petra Oelker

Third in a series of historical mysteries, set in Hamburg in the second half of the 18th century. This time we learn a lot about printing cotton cloth in the East Asian manner, and one of Rosina's colleagues at the theatre is the victim. I like the details of life in Hamburg in those days. Haven't been there for almost two years now, but next month we're being offered cheap local transport tickets (an incentive from the Federal Government to use public transport instead of our cars) and I may catch a train...

Ah yes, almost forgot: draw 22 is the Ten of Diamonds, and I have already started Sylvia's Lovers.

ROOT #37, Ten of Diamonds is Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell

It's taken me much longer than I expected to finish this, real life and work have encroached on my reading time too much. It is a slow story with lots of unrequited love and people quietly getting on with their lives. Everyone speaks Yorkshire dialect, and it took me some time to get used to it. She creates some truly remarkable female characters.

Draw 23 is the 5 of Spades.

ROOT #38, 5 of Spades is Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham

The month is getting away from me again, so I'm picking short books, and since Cakes and Ale features on the 1001 list, I think I can claim it as a modern classic for the classics category. I didn't really know anything about it when I started, but liked it a lot in the end. I own this as part of a hardcover containing six of his novels, and I'll probably read the other ones soon, but in order of publication.

ETA: I have reached the midway point of my goal, yeah. And I'll be spending the rest of the week at my sister's, so I will be offline for a few days.

>101 MissWatson: Have a good few days break!

>102 Jackie_K: Thanks, we've got tickets for some classical music concerts and we are so excited!

Draw #24 is the Ace of Spades, so I'll be reading Mary Barton.

>103 MissWatson: Oh yes, I'd be excited too!

>105 Jackie_K: And we enjoyed them immensely!

>106 MissWatson: How lovely! What was on the programme(s)?

>107 Jackie_K: It's a small festival for Baroque music, and the theme this year was Arcadia. Some Händel, lots of Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, Caldara, Marais, Lully etc. My personal highlight was a recital with arias by Barbara Strozzi and Claudio Monteverdi, the soprano was really good.

I haven't really had time for ROOTing these last few days, but today I'm going to spend some time on the balcony after work with a book. The weather is lovely today.

Hi Birgit. I've been neglecting the ROOTers for some time. Live, sunny days, babysitting the grandkids and doing volunteer work for the library at Lonne's school. And reading of course. Today is a rainy day with some thunderstrokes. A perfect Sunday for reading al those neglected threads.

Yes, I know this post starts with a text I copied and pasted in several threads. But I try to add some personal things too.

Congrats on reaching the halfway-point with one month extra for the other half.
Good to see the visit at your sister's was a good one.

Hi Connie! I'm glad to see you're busy in real life. How big is the library at Lonne's school?

I just spent three lovely hours in brilliant sunshine at the monthly fleamarket. And found two books, so I'm off to read...

>110 MissWatson: It is not that big. It's in a smaller quarter of the town. Maasniel used to be a small village but Roermond expanded and it's now part of the city. The people almost always marry someone from the neighborhood and stay there. So the school is not that big and the library is small too. I joined the group of volunteers last month and Lonne loves seeing grandma in 'her' school.

You have brilliant sunshine!?!?! I'm so jealous.

Happy reading!

Hi Connie! The sunshine was rather shortlived, alas. Today we're back to grey clouds. I can't quite make up my mind to start washing the windows, it seems such a waste to do it with rain showers imminent...

>112 MissWatson: I hope you did not wash the windows. That is really a waste of time. Here is has been raining on and off yesterday and today.

>113 connie53: I am happy to report that it started raining before I had made up my mind to it. And there's more rain on the way, so it's a good excuse to stay in with a book. But I would much prefer a bit of sun for summer.

>114 MissWatson: Yes, I would too. Yesterday I was in and out of the garden whenever the sun was out for a short period. At last I gave up all hope and stayed indoors behind a window (unwashed) where the sun was shining through whenever it would reappear.

>115 connie53: We're having a summer party at the library where I work, it's to be outside and I really hope it won't rain. It's our first face-to-face meeting with colleagues from our Hamburg branch since Covid, and it would be sore disappointment if it's cancelled.

ROOT #39, Ace of Spades is Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

A few minor irritations apart, such as some characters being introduced and then forgotten, it was a good read and a surprisingly realistic story about life among the working class of Manchester. And the author really understands the psychology of women.

Draw #25 is the 4 of Clubs, and I'll read something from my numerous historical mystery series.

>116 MissWatson: I hope the weather will be nice enough to be outside! Enjoy.

ROOT #40, 4 of Clubs is Ode to a banker by Lindsey Davis

Competent historical mystery set in Ancient Rome. This time we learn about publishing and banking.

Draw #26 is the Knave of Diamonds, and I'll be reading Heinrich Mann, probably Der Untertan in a new, annotated edition.

ROOT #41, Knave of Diamonds is Der Untertan by Heinrich Mann

This was a big book at 684 pages, and it felt longer, because of the detailed notes. They identify the speeches of the Kaiser which Mann used for his protagonist. It is supposed to be a satire, but felt much too close to reality.

>120 MissWatson: I have it on the shelves, Birgit, a lot shorter (without annotations) only 351 pages. Would you recommend it?

>121 FAMeulstee: If you are prepared to spend time with some thoroughly disagreeable characters (the kind who bow and scrape to their superiors and tread on their inferiors), it gives an unvarnished look at the mindset of the German bourgeoisie in the 1890ies. Antisemitism is rife among these people and their worship of money reminds me a lot of our present times. It was an uncomfortable read for me because we know where this led to, and there is no mention of people whose values and ideas were different.

Draw #27 is the Ace of Clubs, so I'll be reading A mind to murder as soon as I can find it on the shelves.

>122 MissWatson: Thank you, Birgit. I will leave it where it is, somewhere in the middle of mount TBR. Although it might turn up someday in my decicated "by someone of the Mann family" reads.

ROOT #42, Ace of Clubs is A mind to murder by PD James

This one is short and not much actual sleuthing going on: a murder is committed in a psychiatry clinic, and we get a lot of the interaction between the staff before the police arrive, the interviews held on the premises and then we follow some of the staff home, and then we have a solution...which left me wondering if I had overlooked something.

Draw #28 is the Knave of Clubs, so I'll be reading Der stumme Tod next.

Hi Birgit! Just dropping in and waving!

>126 connie53: Waving back!

ROOT #43, Knave of Clubs is Der stumme Tod by Volker Kutscher

The second book in a series of historical mysteries set in 1930s Berlin. Well researched, comptetently written, but still lacking somehow in that certain quality that makes them memorable or engaging.

Draw 29 is the 3 of Hearts, but I haven't made up my mind yet about the book.

ROOT #44 is Unwiederbringlich by Theodor Fontane

This is the kind of book you can put down several times because there's almost no plot. Just people having civilised conversations about all and nothing, while a marriage slowly and inevitably breaks. You either like this kind of book or you don't, and I happen to like them once in a while.

ROOT #45 is Der Hund aus Terracotta by Andrea Camilleri

Second book in the series, which I read more for the Sicilian setting than the murder investigations.

ROOT #46, 3 of Hearts is Das Haus Baden am Bodensee by Casimir Bumiller

This is a companion guide to an exhibition held at Castle Salem in 2012, showing the relation of the once-ruling family to the Castle. A quick read full of interesting things I didn't know about and to keep in mind for our upcoming third visit in August.

Draw #30 is the 3 of Diamonds, I'll pick something tonight.

>131 MissWatson: I would be happy to see pictures from your visit! I remember going to the castle once or twice as a child, but nothing particularly clear...

>132 Caramellunacy: I'll try to take some.

ROOT #47 is La guinguette à deux sous by Georges Simenon

This was an unintentional reread, but spending time with Maigret is always agreeable, so I finished it.

Hi Birgit, Just popping in to say HI.

I hope you have a very nice stay in August. Are you going to yours sisters again?

>135 connie53: Hi Connie, thanks for dropping in. I'll be quite busy over the next few weeks, my sister and my best friend are coming this weekend for some concerts, we've got two more concerts booked for the first weekend in August, and we'll go to Lake Constance together later in August.
I guess there won't be much ROOTing.

Ahh, nice things to look forward to. ROOTing will come later. Enjoy your weekend and all the other nice things.

>137 connie53: Yes, indeed! Hopefully the temperatures will go down a bit, so we can do things outside.

ROOT #48 is Modeste Mignon by Honoré de Balzac

I've been reading this, on and off, in my lunch breaks since last year and finally finished it. I've had this idea of reading the Comédie humaine in the sequence suggested by Balzac, and those first works have not exactly blown me away. Not to mention that there is frequent reference to characters from other books, there's a sense of missing out on something. I guess reading it chronologically makes more sense.

ROOT #49, 3 of Diamonds is Les quatre vies du saule by Shan Sa

The author won awards for her poetry in China at a very young age, then moved to France and now writes in French. This books is hard to sum up, there are four episodes of love not being found or lost, and the connecting thread is the weeping willow which makes an appearance in all episodes. Very lyrical writing, but it leaves you wondering.

I'll draw my next card tonight.

Draw #31 is the 2 of Hearts, and I have embarked on Im Schatten des Turmes, a historical fiction book about the first asylum for the insane built in Vienna by the Emperor Joseph II. It's rather meh, so far, alas.

ROOT #50, 2 of Hearts is Im Schatten des Turms by René Anour

It didn't improve, there's too little about the asylum, and the romance is tedious. The only interesting bit is when the hero is impressed into the campaign against the Turks and ends up with a light infantry regiment that reminded me strongly of the Rifles. Now that would be a book I'd love to read!

Draw 32 is 6 of Spades. I'll inspect the shelves this evening, after doing a little housekeeping. My sister and our best friend spent the weekend, we attended four concerts and had lots of fun.

ROOT #51, 6 of Spades is Der 35. Mai by Erich Kästner

Okay, this was a quick re-read of a German children's classic. I was in the mood for something whimsical, and that's what it is.

Draw 33 is the Ace of Hearts, and I'll be reading A place of greater safety. It's a doorstopper. See you in August!

Well, well, I'm twenty pages into my doorstopper and procrastinating already. This is not going smoothly. I have sneaked a new draw, the Five of Hearts, and I am counting my last read for this.

ROOT #52, 5 of Hearts is Bugles in the afternoon by Ernest Haycox.
I have owned this for ages and took it down because I couldn't make up my mind for my other challenges. This was a pleasant surprise, but since it is falling apart, it will clear a few millimetres of shelf space.

ETC

ROOT #53 is Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth

I first read this in 2017 and then replaced it with a OUP edition, because my old one didn't have any notes or the glossary the author added. I picked it up now because a recent review of Belinda made me realise how little I remembered of the story. The introduction and notes were helpful and made me appreciate the novelty of the book in its time, which is hard to recreate for a modern reader. And it was a nice break from the shenanigans of the French Revolution.

>145 MissWatson: I think the first I heard about Castle Rackrent was when I was reading Milkman and the narrator mentioned reading it (though also insisted it was *not* a political choice, which I was dubious about given its subject matter). It sounds like when I get to this one, I should look for a version with notes!

>146 Caramellunacy: Definitely a version with notes. It is much more understandable if you know about English colonialism in Ireland. Because that's what it was.

ROOT #54 is Le petit Nicolas a des ennuis by Goscinny/Sempé

Sempé passed away on Thursday, just a few days before his 90th birthday, and I picked this one from the shelf in his memory. They're always such fun, these stories.

>148 MissWatson: Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. He created so many delightful New Yorker covers.

>149 detailmuse: Yes, they were lovely.

ROOT #55, Ace of Hearts is A place of greater safety by Hilary Mantel

Time to face reality: this isn't working for me. I'm on page 426 and bored to tears. Maybe if you've got the chronology of the French Revolution at your fingertips you can recognise people and events, but I just can't be bothered with who's feuding with whom. There's not enough meat in this. So it's a DNF, and because I read half of it it's counting as a ROOT.

Draw #34 is the King of Clubs, so Epitaph for a spy by Eric Ambler is next.

ETC

ROOT #56, King of Clubs is Epitaph for a spy by Eric Ambler

An early espionage novel from an author who was a master of the genre. Unfortunately, my copy from 1973 was falling apart, and I reluctantly put it in the bin. I'll probably replace this if I come across a good copy.

Draw #35 is the 9 of Diamonds, and I am now reading Scherbenpark by Alina Bronsky.

>151 MissWatson: Sorry the Mantel didn't work out. Hope I didn't plant a seed of doubt with my earlier comment.

>153 si: No, I already had problems with Wolf Hall, as I am not overfond of using the present tense in historical novels.

I have just realised that Scherbenpark was acquired this year, so it's not a ROOT. Still a wonderful book, though.

ROOT #57, 9 of Diamonds is The pursuit of love by Nancy Mitford

This has been on the shelf for ages and I can't say that I enjoyed it very much. These people feel like complete aliens to me.

Draw #36 is the 8 of Clubs, so a mystery. I'm thinking Still life, but can't say yet how things will work out. It turns out that my nasty cough is more than that, the Covid test was positive today, and I'm feeling a bit under the weather after three sleepless nights. The really annoying thing is that I meant to go Lake Constance tomorrow. That's off, but I'm still hoping I can catch up with my sister and our friend in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

hope you're feeling better soon...

Hope it's a mild bout and you feel better soon

Wishing you a full and speedy recovery!

Feel better soon - may you have minimal symptoms and fast recovery!

>156 si: >157 Robertgreaves: >158 rabbitprincess: >159 Jackie_K: Thanks for the good wishes, they do brighten up the day!
After three days of cloud cover we're having a scorching day again, and it doesn't help with running a mild temperature. But I can still read, so I won't complain.

ROOT #58, 8 of Clubs is Still Life by Louise Penny

This was just the right book for me at this point in time, a nice, quiet, almost cozy mystery set in Canada. Although I did get annoyed with Clara for acting so stupidly at the end.

Draw #37 is the King of Spades, Theodor Fontane. Perfect, just what the doctor should order: comfort reads!

Be well soon -- thank goodness for comfort reads!

>162 detailmuse: Thanks! Where would we be without comfort reads!

ROOT #59, King of Spades is Stine by Theodor Fontane

This a sort of companion piece to Irrungen, Wirrungen as they both feature a love story between a working class girl and an aristocratic officer, but the one is bright and summery, while Stine has lots of sunsets and ends tragically. It's very short, too, which helps when your mind is partly elsewhere.

Draw 38 is the 10 of Hearts, and I am reading a historical mystery in Spanish: El misterio del eunuco.

I'm glad you're able to keep reading through your illness, Birgit. It's a pity about having to cancel your vacation, though. I hope your recovery is quick and uneventful.

>165 rosalita: Thanks, Julia. I hope so, too.

ROOT #60, 10 of Hearts is El misterio del eunuco by José Luis Velasco

A historical mystery for young adults, set in Moorish Córdoba. Rather predictable, but the unusual setting makes up for it.

Draw 39 is the Three of Clubs, and I've chosen Gallows Thief.

ROOT #61, Three of Clubs is Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell

It's not billed as a mystery, but since our hero is charged with proving the guilt of a convicted murderer, and he finds out who really did the nasty deed, it sure is one. Set in Regency London, our hero is a former captain fallen on hard times who also plays a lot of cricket. Nice, but not a keeper.

Draw #40 is the Nine of Spades, Haven't made up my mind yet...

ROOT #62, Nine of Spades is Histoire de la princesse de Montpensier et autres nouvelles by Mme de Lafayette

This contains two novellas, one of them very short, and an excerpt from Zaide. The story about the princesse de Montpensier was beautiful, event though the sentiments of these people are very remote from us. We are among France's highest aristocracy and in the midst of the religious wars of the 16th century. Our heroine is married for political reasons but still in love with the Duc de Guise, has more admirers, and there's much hiding of true feelings at court. Surprisingly readable in modern spelling.

Zaide apparently is a number of loosely connected episodes of romance in tenth century Spain, and the piece we are given in this book is related by Alphonse, one of the most self-centred narcissists I've ever come across. If this is typical of the book, I don't need more. Histoire de la princesse de Clèves sounds much more appealing now.

All three novellas are also contained in my copy of La princesse de Clèves, so I'm parting with this.

Draw #41 is the Eight of Spades, and I am dithering between more Lafayette and Mérimée's version of the religious wars...

ROOT #63 is Maria Stuart by Stefan Zweig

I was hoping for some informatuion about the Guise family, given that Mary's mother was a Guise and she spent her first years in France. It was not to be. The book is not entirely satisfactory, the first part drags, and his view of history is dated. But once Mary fell for Darnley, he paints a very vivid and creditable psychological portrait of her.

ROOT #64, 8 of Spades is Maria Stuart by Friedrich Schiller

Zweig mentions it a lot in his book, so I went back to this. We had to read this in school, and I find I'm still not overly fond of drama. But now I need something different, and it's a good thing that Draw #42 is the Three of Clubs. A mystery will suit me fine.

ROOT #65, Five of Clubs is Speaking from among the bones by Alan Bradley

Somewhere along the way I made a mistake, as the Three of Clubs has just been filled. Never mind, I've got a slot among the mysteries available and so I read the next of the Flavia de Luce mysteries. Not the best, I'm afraid.

Draw #43 is the 10 of Spades.

ROOT #66, Ten of Spades is Chronique du règne de Charles IX by Prosper Mérimée

This is historical fiction about the French religious wars of the 16th century, where two brothers find themselves on opposite sides. Surprisingly easy and enjoyable to read. I was also intrigued to learn that Mérimée translated Turgenev into French...

Draw #44 is the Nine of Hearts, and the book is Mord auf dem Wilhelmstein, because last night I watched a curious TV show where the reporter takes a 1914 Baedeker for Northern Germany as his guide and tries to find what is left of some of the landmarks mentioned. One of them was the artificial island of Wilhelmstein in the Steinhuder Meer, which once was a fortress and school of artillery, and I thought, wait, you've got a book about this....

ROOT #67, Nine of Hearts is Mord auf dem Wilhelmstein by Bodo Dringenberg

This was a mess, the less said, the better. One for the paper recycling bin.

Draw #45 is the Seven of Clubs, and I'm reading The dead in their vaulted arches.

>174 MissWatson: Ooof. It's never a good sign when the best thing a reader can say about a book is that it's suitable for recycling!

>175 rosalita: I was afraid it wouldn't be good, most of these local historical mysteries are mediocre, but this one was a real stinker.

ROOT #68, Seven of Clubs is The dead in their vaulted arches by Alan Bradley

It would seem that Bradley planned the story arc for the series in advance, but I have to say that I do not like the direction it is going. I don't think I'll continue with this.

Draw #46 is the King of Hearts and I'm planning to read The Iron Kingdom.

ROOT #69 is Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim by Sophie van La Roche

I'm not yet in the mood for serious non-fiction, so I compromised with serious fiction. This was first published in 1771 and was a bestseller in its day. It is also counted as a milestone in the history of German novel writing, but this is hard to understand from a modern point-of-view, the novelty of it has worn off. Still, it was fun to see how much the German language has changed since then.

>178 MissWatson: Sometimes milestones are disappointing as a whole. Maybe the novelty of a book is actually only a few pages surrounded by lots of traditional writing or it's a new style which only reached its more interesting fulfilment later.

>179 Henrik_Madsen: The afterword was very helpful in explaining what exactly made the book so novel in its time. Of course, we who have read hundreds of novels over our lifetime cannot repeat the sensation of reading a book that is one of the first of its kind.

ROOT #70 is Der Gärtner von Otschakow by Andrej Kurkow

The author appears on most lists of recommended reading from Ukraine, and this is a pleasant story of an idle young man sponging on his mom who gets involved in the shady past of their newly hired gardener. There's time travel to 1957, and it's not entirely clear if this is real or just happening in his head.

Hi Birgit. Catching up on threads and I am so sorry I didn't visit sooner. I missed your getting Covid, however mild it was, and your trip with sister and friend. I'm feeling bad about that. How are you now and did you plan another vacation?

Hope you are well.

>182 connie53: Hi Connie, thanks for stopping by. I'm feeling a bit off-colour again and I am at home on official sick leave until Wednesday. But the GP reassured me and so I am taking things easy. Spending too much time on the TV with the BBC coverage of Queen Elizabeth's passing, to be honest. But it feels like such a momentous event, and it made me think about my emotional link with her country, which seems to have grown unnoticed, just by reading in her language.

>183 MissWatson: Oh, I hope you feel better soon. The variants of covid that are going round at the moment are so nasty, do take it easy and don't feel bad about taking time off. It's interesting, isn't it, the impact of reading and/or otherwise immersing yourself in another language? I feel similarly about Romania, and I've been so pleased that I can read well enough in Romanian to keep up that emotional link even though it's been several years since I last visited.

>185 MissWatson: Thanks! And yes, reading in another language gives a new and different dimension to life. English has always been the closest emotionally, for some reason. Maybe because they are so visibly related...

Nice thoughts about the link we have with a country through its language. I always had a thing with English, even wanted to study it after highschool. But my mother died and it was decided I was to take care of the household and my siblings for a year before I could go to college in Utrecht. But I never did, which I now regret. But I started to read books in English to keep my level steady. And that really never changed.

Take care Birgit, I hope you feel better each day.

>186 connie53: Thanks, I'm taking things slowly, and thankfully work isn't too busy. And I plan to do very little on the weekend, except reading.

ROOT #71, King of Hearts is Iron Kingdom by Christopher Clark

It's taken me quite some time to read this, and it's been very interesting. Really concentrates on Prussia, so every time European politics played a part I had to take a moment to gather my wits.

Draw #47 is the Queen of Hearts and I will read Queens' Play, the next book in the Lymond Chronicles.

ROOT #72 is Churchill m'a menti by Caroline Grimm

This is a grim tale of the German occupation of Jersey, based on real events and probably real people, but fictionalised, which turns out be rather problematic. One for the bin.

ROOT #73 is Chatterton Square by E.H. Young

We meet two families who are neighbours, one happy, one unhappy, and over all of it hang the gathering clouds of World War II. My favourite part of it is the friendship between Rosamund Fraser and Agnes Spanner.

My sister has arrived (after an atrocious drive of eleven hours that normally takes five) to spend the long weekend, so I won't be finishing any more ROOTs this month. And I'll be offline for a few days. See you on Tuesday.

Have a good time with your sister! That sounds like a hair-raising drive for her.

>192 MissWatson: That sounds really awful! I hope you had a nice long weekend together to make up for that trip.

>193 rabbitprincess: >194 connie53: Thank you! We had a lovely time, shopping for yarns and books and the year's last fleamarket. And the weather turned really sunny which was the best surprise of all.

>195 MissWatson: Yarns! Are you going to knit or crochet?

Good to hear you had a great and sunny time.

>196 connie53: I knit, and I made a jacket for one of my teddy bears while pondering what to do with my newly bought wool. It's going to be a sweater, I think. We're going to need them if we have to turn down the heating this winter. But right now we're having lovely sunshine.

>197 MissWatson: Ahh, that's sweet. A sweater will come in handy.

>199 MissWatson: Hi Connie! I've got quite a lot of knitted sweaters and cardigans laid by against the cold. But so far the lovely and unusually warm weather holds.

ROOT #74 is Die großen Erzählungen by Leo N. Tolstoj

This contains four novellas, the best of which is Der Tod des Iwan Iljitsch. While I admire his descriptions of unhappy marriages and his psychological portraits of the spouses, the religious self-torturings of the males are just not my cup of tea. This will go to a new home.

And I am still procrastinating over Dorothy Dunnett's Queens' Play. I am just not in the right frame of mind for 16th century language. I think I'll put this on hold and choose something else instead for the Seven of Hearts (Draw #48).

>200 MissWatson: I had a similar problem with The Ringed Castle last year and haven't gone back to it yet!

>201 rabbitprincess: Yes. I keep hoping the world will slow down a bit so I can lose myself in these books.

ROOT #75, Draw #48 is Shadows of the pomegranate tree by Tariq Ali

This tells the effects of the fall of Granade in 1492 on a family of Moorish nobility. A very interesting look at the other side of events, with some irritating anachronisms. Still, I will read the other books in the series.

And this means I have reached my goal! I may even decide to count all my books as ROOTs from now on...
Only five more cards in my deck to go, and of course the Dunnett book, which I find a bit daunting. Ah well, there are a few weeks left in this year. Although I am not quite sure where the last one went.

ROOT #76 is The tales of Peter Parley about Europe by Samuel G. Goodrich

This is a very ancient ROOT. My friend received this as promotional give-away when she worked in a bookstore, way back in 1982, and gave it to me. Quite entertaining, actually, but not a keeper.

>203 MissWatson: Well done on making it to 75, Birgit!

>203 MissWatson: Congratulations on reaching your goal, Birgit. Well done.

>205 rosalita: >206 Robertgreaves: Thank you, Julia and Robert! It feels good.

ROOT #77 is Der Wald der gehenkten Füchse by Arto Paasilinna

The author can be relied on to provide some much-needed chuckles. This is one of his earlier books, from the eighties, and like most of them features clueless men having adventures in the Finnish wilderness.

Draw #49 is the Queen of Clubs, so it should be Anne Perry. Unfortunately, the next book in the Monk series has gone AWOL. Maybe I'll just work off the last cards one by one with something that takes my fancy...

Hooray, well done for hitting your goal!

>209 Jackie_K: Thank you, Jackie!

77 now, congratulations!!

>211 detailmuse: Thanks! I am slowly crawling towards 80. Too much distraction from new books, alas.

ROOT #78 is The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe Written by Himself by Daniel Defoe

It also serves as the Five of Diamonds, as I'm filling the last slots in my random challenge. I last read this in a children's version decades ago, and I was surprised how vividly I remembered some of the scenes. The early voyages and all reference to slave-trading had been excised from that, so there was lots of new stuff to discover. A truly remarkable story.

ROOT #79, Queen of Clubs is Death of a stranger by Anne Perry

This is the 13th book in the series and it feels a bit tired, as if she had run out of ideas. The first part drags, there's too much repetition and the case is solved abruptly and unconvincingly by Rathbone in the final court session. We learn more about Monk's past, but his mental torments and agonising are a bit too much. I've got one more on the shelves, but I won't continue with the series after that, I think.

ROOT #80 is Tregaron's Daughter by Madeleine Brent

I read this in my teens and I adored it. It's still very likeable. The author has a penchant for strong heroines and unusual settings, and since it is his birthday on Monday 14, I may indulge in another.

ROOT #81, Queen of Spades is Brother Jacob by George Eliot

I wasn't quite up to one of her fat novels, so I was happy to discover this novella on my Kobo. It's written in surprisingly snarky language and very enjoyable.

ROOT #82, 8 of Diamonds is The dead secret by Wilkie Collins

This is a nice piece of Victorian Gothic, but a little too predictable to be outstanding.

Congratulations. Great job.

>218 mnleona: Thank you!

ROOT #83 is Rendezvous in Paris by Vicki Baum

A fascinating glimpse at life in Berlin and Paris in the early 1930s. This really makes me want to read more from the author.

ROOT #84, Jack of Clubs is Goldstein by Volker Kutscher

This is the third in a series of historical mysteries, set in Berlin during the upheavals of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis. At 574 pages it's too long, and the on-off relationship of the hero and his lawyer-to-be girlfriend take up too much room. But it has atmospheric descriptions of Berlin and its underworld.
Which only leaves Queens' Play to finish my random card prompts.

ROOT #85 is 1913 : Der Sommer des Jahrhunderts by Florian Illies

But before I tackle Dorothy Dunnett, I finished this collage of events in the art world in the year before The Great War. And I'm a bit cross with myself for staying with this to the end, because, frankly, I didn't like most of these people. Especially Rilke.

ROOT #86, Queen of Hearts is Queens' Play by Dorothy Dunnett

This was a bit of a slog, as the plot moves glacially slow, and some of it was tedious (such as the notorious steeple chase across the roofs of Blois). And I found the conversations of the Irish Prince hard to understand. But still a book to treasure and re-read at some point.

And this finishes my Random Draw Challenge. It was fun, but selecting authors in advance turned out to be too restrictive, they didn't always fit with my other reading plans at the time of the draw. I may do this again, but then I'll just assign genres.

ROOT #87 is The siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell

This has been waiting on my shelves for thirty years. My loss. It doesn't tell you anything new about the Indian Mutiny, but the way he describes the small collection of English people crowded into the Residency under siege is great and often quite funny. I was also reminded of a recent non-ROOT read, Sixteen ways to defend a walled city, whenever the man in charge turned to the library to read up on siege warfare. Just like Orhan, such a touching faith in the knowledge preserved in books.

ROOT #88 is Der verzauberte Wanderer by Nikolaj Leskov

Strictly speaking it's not a ROOT, because I bought it back in April. But it seemed appropriate to end the reading year '22 with a "schnapszahl", as we call numbers made up of the same digits.

Happy Holidays to all my fellow ROOTers! I'll be back in January.

ETC

Hi Birgit! Great job on reaching your goal



I want to wish you and yours all the best for 2023 and very Happy Holidays at your sisters place. Do that lazy thing you talked about.

See you in 2023!

>225 connie53: *waves* Thanks Connie, and the same to you!

Hi Birgit!

Alas, it's line in the sand and onward to next year's threads, I'm afraid. One of my new year’s resolutions is to be a better LT friend.

I hope you're having a lovely break, Birgit, happy new year when it comes!