Anita (FAMeulstee) still goes where the books take her in 2022 (5)

Welcome to my fifth thread in 2022!

I am Anita Meulstee (59), married with Frank (60) since 1984. We live in Lelystad, the Netherlands. We both love modern art, books and walking.

Escher came to mind today, we visited an Escher exhibition in 2018.


I have been hanging around in this group a few months after finding LibraryThing in March 2008. I skipped one year (2013), when my reading dropped to almost nothing. This was a side effect of taking Paxil. In 2015 I was able to wean off Paxil, and a year later my reading skyrocketed. The last two years it is slowing down, my initial "reading hunger" has waned a bit.

I read (almost) everything, from childrens and YA books to more serious literature, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy and I try not to forget to throw some non-fiction into the mix.

total books read in 2022: 150
30 own / 120 library

total pages read in 2022: 43.470

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currently reading:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen

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books read in May 2022 (29 books, 9.276 pages, 5 own / 24 library)
book 122: De vrolijke verrader: Een KGB-spion uit Rotterdam (Spies, Lies, and Exile) by Simon Kuper, 271 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 46)
book 123: De wilde stilte (The Wild Silence) by Raynor Winn, 318 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 47)
book 124: De kauw by Achilles Cools, 236 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 55)
book 125: Kleine helden by Almudena Grandes, 320 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 56)
book 126: De torens van middernacht (Towers of Midnight; Wheel of Time 13) by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson, 949 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 57)
book 127: De Titanic by Martin van Neck, 192 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 79)
book 128: De tweeling (The Twins) by Tessa de Loo, 405 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 80)
book 129: Liraël (Lirael; Old Kingdom 2) by Garth Nix, 416 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 81)
book 130: Abhorsen (Abhorsen; Old Kingdom 3) by Garth Nix, 304 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 81)
book 131: Sapiens (Sapiens) by Yuval Noah Harari, 462 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 84)
book 132: Eindspel (Enchanters' End Game; Belgariad 5) by David Eddings, 341 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 106)
book 133: Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes, 652 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 107)
book 134: Voor het verdwijnt en daarna by Rutger Kopland, 35 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 108)
book 135: De reiger (The Heron; Ferrara 5) by Giorgio Bassani, 168 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 121)
book 136: Twee vrouwen (Two women) by Harry Mulisch, 140 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 122)
book 137: Limonov (Limonov) by Emmanuel Carrere, 351 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 123)
book 138: Koningin Eenoog by W.F. Hermans, 160 pages, TIOLI #14 (msg 124)
book 139: Middernachtbibliotheek (The Midnight Library) by Matt Haig, 318 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 125)
book 140: De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) by Simon Vestdijk, 203 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 158)
book 141: De beker van de min (Anton Wachter 5) by Simon Vestdijk, 223 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 159)
book 142: De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini, 351 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 160)
book 143: De geur van hooi (The Smell of Hay; Ferrara 6) by Giorgio Bassani, 112 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 161)
book 144: Inktzwart (Blackout; Dark Iceland 2) by Ragnar Jónasson, 280 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 162)
book 145: De wateraap by Mariken Heitman, 172 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 173)
book 146: Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman, 259 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 174)
book 147: Voor al uw geschenken by Jean Rouaud, 183 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 175)
book 148: Vos & ik (Fox & I) by Catherine Raven, 317 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 176)
book 149: Spijt! by Carry Slee, 144 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 177)
book 150: Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen, 994 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 178)

May 2022 reading plans

TIOLI May 2022 SWEEP
#1: Read a book by an author for whom you have read ONLY ONE other book by that same author before (List the book)
- Inktzwart (Blackout; Dark Iceland 2) - Ragnar Jónasson, 280 pages (e-library)
- Liraël (Lirael; Old Kingdom 2) - Garth Nix, 416 pages (library)
- De wilde stilte (The Wild Silence) - Raynor Winn, 318 pages (library)
#2: The "My Happy Place" Challenge: Read a book with the word "library" or "libraries" in either the title or subtitle
- Middernachtbibliotheek (The Midnight Library) - Matt Haig, 318 pages (library)
#3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter
- Abhorsen (Abhorsen; Old Kingdom 3) - Garth Nix, 304 pages (library)
- Liminov (Limonov) - Emmanuel Carrere, 351 pages (library)
- De geur van hooi (The Smell of Hay; Ferrara 6) - Giorgio Bassani, 112 pages (library)
- Voor al uw geschenken - Jean Rouaud, 183 pages
- De wateraap - Mariken Heitman, 172 pages (e-library)
- Wormmaan - Mariken Heitman, 259 pages (e-library)
#4: Read a book first published in the 1980s or set in school/college setting (not University/post 18 educational setting)
- Eindspel (Enchanters' End Game; Belgariad 5) - David Eddings, 341 pages (library)
#5: Read a book that was published within 10 years before or after your birth year
- Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) - Albert Vigoleis Thelen, 994 pages (library & e-library)
- De beker van de min (Anton Wachter 5) - Simon Vestdijk, 223 pages
#6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name
- De kauw - Achilles Cools, 236 pages (e-library)
- De reiger (The Heron; Ferrara 5) - Giorgio Bassani, 168 pages (library)
- Sapiens (Sapiens) - Yuval Noah Harari, 462 pages (library)
- De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) - Khaled Hosseini, 351 pages (e-library)
#7: Read a book whose title comes from a Shakespearean play, by an author who shares their first name with a Shakespearean character OR that is set during Shakespeare's lifetime
- De torens van middernacht (Towers of Midnight; Wheel of Time 13) - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, 949 pages (library)
#8: Read a book with a word in the title implying a number
- De tweeling (The Twins) - Tessa de Loo, 405 pages (e-library)
#9: Read a book by an author born in a country from where you have never read an author before
- Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) - António Lobo Antunes, 652 pages (e-library)
#10: Read a book of historical fiction having anything to do with the Titanic, state the connection
- De Titanic - Martin van Neck, 192 pages (e-library)
#11: Read a book that you have owned for at least 5 years (and have not read before)
- De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) - Simon Vestdijk, 203 pages
#12: Read a book with a 5-word title
- Voor het verdwijnt en daarna - Rutger Kopland, 35 pages
#13: Read a book with a character that is not a letter in the title
- Spijt! - Carry Slee, 144 pages (e-library)
- Vos & ik (Fox & I) - Catherine Raven, 317 pages (library)
- De vrolijke verrader : Een KGB-spion uit Rotterdam (Spies, Lies, and Exile) - Simon Kuper, 271 pages (library)
#14: Read a book from a genre you haven't read yet in 2022 (list the genre)
- Koningin Eenoog - W.F. Hermans, 160 pages
#15: In Memoriam: Read a book by an author who has died in 2021 or 2022
- Kleine helden - Almudena Grandes, 320 pages (e-library)
#16: Read a book that has the word two or a word related to two in the title or author's name
- Twee vrouwen (Two women) - Harry Mulisch, 140 pages (e-library)

TIOLI June 2022

#1: Read a book by a new-to-you author whose last name starts or ends with the letter "S"
- De reparatie van de wereld - Slobodan Šnajder, 479 pages
- Quo vadis - Henryk Sienkiewicz, 499 pages (library)
#2: Read a book first published in the 1990s OR set in East Anglia, Texas, Nottingham or London
- Scheepsberichten (The Shipping News) - E. Annie Proulx, 399 pages
? Elementaire deeltjes (The Elementary Particles) - Michel Houellebecq, 343 pages
#3: Read a book set in (or about) Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, or Munich
- De vrije vogel en zijn kooien (Anton Wachter 6) - Simon Vestdijk, 248 pages
#4: Read a book in which the total number of pages are even numbered and the total number ends with a 6 or an 8.
- Zomerhuis (Will and Testament) - Vigdis Hjorth, 316 pages (library 11/6)
- Mannen die vrouwen haten (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) - Stieg Larsson, 576 pages (e-library 12/6)
#5: Read a nonfiction book with a one-word title
- Zalm : een biografie - Lars Kvamme, 254 pages (e-library 16/6)
#6: Read a book about a main character whose paid job consists of taking care of animals (F/NF)
- Onder de korenmaat - Maarten 't Hart, 255 pages (e-library 16/6)
#7: Read a book with a one-word person or persons name for a title - subtitles do not matter, but articles do.
- Baron - Theun de Vries, 1016 pages
#8: Read a book in which something currently impossible or miraculous happens
- Anomalie (The Anomaly) - Hervé Le Tellier, 303 pages (library 11/6)
#9: Read a book with the theme "What should I do with my life?"
- Centaur - Chris Polanen, 352 pages (e-library 16/6)
#10: Read a book about or set in an emergency department of a hospital
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#11: Read a book that has some connection to the constellation GEMINI, especially TWINS
- Dubbele Lotje (Lisa and Lottie) - Erich Kästner, 155 pgaes (library)
- De god van kleine dingen (The God of Small Things) - Arundhati Roy, 337 pages
#12: Read a book that fits a category on the Seattle Public Library 2022 Summer Reading bingo card (list the category)
- De engel van Venetië (The Garden of Angels) - David Hewson, 383 pages (library 11/6)
#13: Read a book that has a person (human) on the cover
- De politiemoordenaar (Cop Killer; Martin Beck 9) - Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, 287 pages (library)
#14: First/Last rolling challenge
- De laatste zomer in de stad (Last Summer in the City) - Gianfranco Calligarich, 175 pages (library)
#15: Read a Book Originally Published in the Spanish Language
? Het landgoed Ulloa (The House of Ulloa) - Emilia Pardo Bazán, 275 pages (library)
? Outlaws (Outlaws) - Javier Cercas, 443 pages (library)
#16 Read a book by an author who has the same initials for first and last names
- Het Opritsjnik-orkest (The Set-Up) - Vladimir Volkoff, 379 pages

books read in January 2022
book 1: Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord (Pippi Goes on Board) by Astrid Lindgren
book 2: De onderstroom (The Offing) by Benjamin Myers
book 3: Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland (Pippi in the South Seas) by Astrid Lindgren
book 4: Het vierde offer (Borkmann's Point; Van Veeteren 2) by Håkan Nesser
book 5: De terugkeer (The Return; Van Veeteren 3) by Håkan Nesser
book 6: Drie sterke vrouwen (Three Strong Women) by Marie NDiaye
book 7: De grote angst in de bergen (Terror on the Mountain) by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz
book 8: 10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World) by Elif Shafak
book 9: Sjakie en de grote glazen lift (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) by Roald Dahl
book 10: De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen (The List of Things That Will Not Change) by Rebecca Stead
book 11: Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn
book 12: Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen by Carmen Korn
book 13: De tijden veranderen by Carmen Korn
book 14: De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) by Patrick Svensson
book 15: Dankzij de dingen by Rutger Kopland
book 16: De Godden broers (The great Godden) by Meg Rosoff
book 17: Hotel New Hampshire (The Hotel New Hampshire) by John Irving
book 18: Laurier en leeuwerik (The Lark and the Laurel; Mantlemass 1) by Barbara Willard
book 19: De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters (De Cock 58) by A.C. Baantjer
book 20: De loot van de brem (The Sprig of Broom; Mantlemass 2) by Barbara Willard
book 21: De witte vesting (The White Castle) by Orhan Pamuk
book 22: De moeder van Nicolien by J.J. Voskuil
book 23: Avontuur Amerika by Cees Nooteboom
book 24: Teleurstellen vergt lef (Dare to Disappoint) by Özge Samanci
book 25: De overlevenden (The Survivors) by Alex Schulman
book 26: Witte onschuld (White Innocence) by Gloria Wekker
book 27: Viersprong van de schemer (Crossroads of twilight; Wheel of Time 10) by Robert Jordan
book 28: De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) by Roy Jacobsen
book 29: Petersburg (Petersburg) by Andrej Bely
book 30: De voorspelling (Pawn of Prophecy; Belgariad 1) by David Eddings
book 31: Benedenwereld (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
book 32: Een koude wind (A Cold Wind Blowing; Mantlemass 3) by Barbara Willard
book 33: De oudste zoon (The Eldest Son; Mantlemass 4) by Barbara Willard

books read in February 2022
book 34: Ilyas by Ernest van der Kwast
book 35: Inham (Cove) by Cynan Jones
book 36: De rode prins (The Red Prince) by Timothy Snyder
book 37: Gekraakt (Come to Grief) by Dick Francis
book 38: De harde kern boek 1 by Frida Vogels
book 39: Mes van dromen (Knife of Dreams; Wheel of Time 11) by Robert Jordan
book 40: Over het doppen van bonen (A Treatise on Shelling Beans) by Wiesław Myśliwski
book 41: De Sparsholt-affaire (The Sparsholt Affair) by Alan Hollinghurst
book 42: De rode anjer (The Red Carnation) by Elio Vittorini
book 43: De laatste eer (The Confession of Brother Haluin; Cadfael 15) by Ellis Peters
book 44: Het rode korenveld (Red Sorghum) by Mo Yan
book 45: De jongen, de mol, de vos en het paard (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse) by Charlie Mackesy
book 46: Als Beale Street kon praten (If Beale Street Could Talk) by James Baldwin
book 47: Hoe ik nu leef (How I live now) by Meg Rosoff
book 48: Selma by Carolijn Visser
book 49: De magische koningin (Queen of Sorcery; Belgariad 2) by David Eddings
book 50: Binnen de muren (Within the Walls) by Giorgio Bassani
book 51: Het woud der verwachting (In a Dark Wood Wandering) by Hella Haasse
book 52: Langs de IJssel by Kester Freriks
book 53: Maangloed (Moonglow) by Michael Chabon
book 54: De preek over de val van Rome (The Sermon on the Fall of Rome) by Jérôme Ferrari
book 55: Hersenschimmen (Out of Mind) by J. Bernlef

books read in March 2022
book 57: De gouden bril (The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles; Ferrara 2) by Giorgio Bassani
book 58: Opgewekt naar de eindstreep by Hendrik Groen
book 59: De harde kern boek 2 by Frida Vogels
book 60: De troonopvolger (Unto Us a Son Is Given; Brunetti 28) by Donna Leon
book 61: Vijftien namen by Levie de Lange
book 62: Het uur u by Martinus Nijhoff
book 63: De naderende storm (The Gathering Storm; Wheel of Time 12) by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
book 64: Van steen en been by Bérengère Cournut
book 65: Verduistering (Don't turn out the lights; Martin Servaz 3) by Bernard Minier
book 66: De groef by Maartje Wortel
book 67: Tovenaarsgambiet (Magician's Gambit; Belgariad 3) by David Eddings
book 68: De grootsheid van het al by Raoul de Jong
book 69: Pieterpad deel II: Vorden-Maastricht by Toos Goorhuis-Tjalsma & Bertje Jens
book 70: Wat er werkelijk is by Nelleke Noordervliet
book 71: De dood van Achilles (The Death of Achilles; Fandorin 4) by Boris Akoenin
book 72: De Bommellegende by Marten Toonder
book 73: Generaal zonder leger by Özcan Akyol
book 74: De vergelder by Marten Toonder
book 75: De laatste rituelen (Burial Rites) by Hannah Kent
book 76: Een verhaal met een angel (A sting in the tale) by Dave Goulson
book 77: Herfst (Autumn) by Karl Ove Knausgård
book 78: Misverstand in Moskou by Simone de Beauvoir
book 79: Een vlucht zwanen (A Flight of Swans; Mantlemass 6) by Barbara Willard
book 80: Gods wegen by Marijke Schermer
book 81: Dodelijk web (Under Orders) by Dick Francis
book 82: Surrogaten voor Murk Tuinstra by Simon Vestdijk
book 83: De om by Willem Jan Otten
book 84: Wedervaring by Bodo Kirchhoff
book 85: Lezen als geschenk (The Gifts of Reading) by Robert Macfarlane
book 86: De droogte (The Dry) by Jane Harper
book 87: Zaaien en oogsten (Harrow and Harvest; Mantlemass 7) by Barbara Willard

books read in April 2022
book 88: Het einde van Mantlemass (The keys of Mantlemass; Mantlemass 8) by Barbara Willard
book 89: Luitenant-kolonel de Maumort (Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort) by Roger Martin du Gard
book 90: De gesloten kamer (The Locked Room; Martin Beck 8) by May Sjöwall & Per Walöö
book 91: Tot ziens daarboven (The Great Swindle) by Pierre Lemaitre
book 92: Zeldzame aarden by Sandro Veronesi
book 93: De kleuren van de brand (All human wisdom) by Pierre Lemaitre
book 94: Out of Africa (Out of Africa) by Karen Blixen
book 95: De honderd dagen (One hundred days) by Joseph Roth
book 96: Achter de deur (Behind the door; Ferrara 4) by Giorgio Bassani
book 97: De spiegel van ons verdriet (Mirror of our sorrows) by Pierre Lemaitre
book 98: Vrouw of vos (Lady into Fox) by David Garnett
book 99: Weigering (Refusal) by Felix Francis
book 100: De woestijn van de Tartaren (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati
book 101: Het geluk van de wolf by Paolo Cognetti
book 102: De hemel is altijd paars by Sholeh Rezazadeh
book 103: Herinneringen van een engelbewaarder (A Guardian Angel Recalls) by W.F. Hermans
book 104: Soms zou ik de wind willen zijn by Franco Faggiani
book 105: Dit soort kleinigheden (Small Things Like These) by Claire Keegan
book 106: Het lied van de Orbus (Castle of Wizardry; Belgariad 4) by David Eddings
book 107: De grutto by Albert Beintema
book 108: Witte zee (White Shadow) by Roy Jacobsen
book 109: Het evangelie van O. Dapper Dapper by W.F. Hermans
book 110: De slag om Europa by Thomas Piketty
book 111: Uitnodiging voor een onthoofding (Invitation to a Beheading) by Vladimir Nabokov
book 112: De man die twee keer dood ging (The man who died twice) by Richard Osman
book 113: IJzerkop (Ironhead) by Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem
book 114: Voetsporen in de sneeuw (A Murder Of Quality; George Smiley 2) by John le Carré
book 115: Op de planken by Gerrit Komrij
book 116: De ombrenger by Marten Toonder
book 117: Buitenpost (Outpost) by Dan Richards
book 118: De God Denkbaar, Denkbaar de God by W.F. Hermans
book 119: De vader van Artenio by Frida Vogels
book 120: Huis voor de dag, huis voor de nacht (House of Day, House of Night) by Olga Tokarczuk
book 121: Terug tot Ina Damman by Simon Vestdijk

Reading plans in 2022
Reading books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
Read some big tomes (1000+ pages)
Read books by Nobel Prize for Literature winners

I join the TIOLI (Take It Or Leave It) challenges each month.

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Some big tomes I might read in 2022:
Ideeën (1-7) by Multatuli, 3846 pages
De droom van de rode kamer (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin, 2160 pages
Man zonder eigenschappen (The man without qualities) by Robert Musil, 1785 pages
De razende Roeland (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto, 1783 pages
De kracht van Atlantis (Atlas shrugged) by Ayn Rand, 1373 pages
✔ Luitenant-kolonel de Maumort (Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort) by Roger Martin du Gard, 1077 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1047 pages
Baron by Theun de Vries, 1016 pages

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Some other books I want to read in 2022:
De goddelijke komedie (The Divine Comedy) - Dante Alighieri, 599 pages
✔ Binnen de muren (Within the Walls) - Giorgio Bassani, 207 pages
✔ Petersburg (Petersburg) - Andrei Bely, 429 pages
Anatomie van een moment (The Anatomy of a Moment) - Javier Cercas, 539 pages
Jean-Paul Sartre : zijn biografie (Sartre: A Life) - Annie Cohen-Solal, 610 pages
Het ijzig hart (The Frozen Heart) - Almudena Grandes, 854 pages
✔ Sapiens : Een kleine geschiedenis van de mensheid (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind) - Yuval Noah Harari, 461 pages
Duitse les (The German Lesson) - Siegfried Lenz, 511 pages
Een beloofd land (A promised land) - Barack Obama, 896 pages
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) - Albert Vigoleis Thelen, 994 pages
Aarde der mensen (This Earth of Mankind) - Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 457 pages
✔ De wilde stilte (The wild silence) - Raynor Winn, 318 pages

Tickers

2022 totals





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Totals since 2008:

Monthly statistics
January: 33 books / 9.366 pages
February: 23 books / 7.869 pages
March: 31 books / 7.429 pages
April: 34 books / 9.531 pages

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Previous threads in 2021
book 1 - 28: thread 1
book 29 - 56: thread 2
book 57 - 87 : thread 3
book 88 - 121 : thread 4

The "Charts and Graphs" is fun to use, my readings since 2008:


My reading in previous years in text
2008: 130 books -   35.152 pages   (96,0 ppd)
2009:   78 books -   21.470 pages   (58,8 ppd)
2010: 121 books -   38.209 pages (104,7 ppd)
2011:   84 books -   30.256 pages   (82,9 ppd)
2012:   53 books -   18.779 pages   (51,3 ppd)
2013:   13 books -     3.692 pages   (10,1 ppd)
2014:   17 books -     3.700 pages   (10,1 ppd)
2015:   29 books -   10.080 pages   (27,6 ppd)
2016: 253 books -   72.391 pages (197,8 ppd)
2017: 453 books - 110.222 pages (302,0 ppd)
2018: 534 books - 111.906 pages (306,6 ppd)
2019: 413 books - 110.873 pages (303,8 ppd)
2020: 226 books -   79.216 pages (216,4 ppd)
2021: 288 books -   94.339 pages (258,5 ppd)

Lists on my WikiThing

The best books I have read, by year first published
My Five star reads
The best 50 books I have read (50 fiction and 50 non-fiction)
The books by Nobel prize winners I have read
The Booker prize winners I have read
The Pulitzer prize winners (fiction) I have read
The winners of some Dutch literary prizes

Series I read, a list to keep track

Alan Banks by Peter Robinson (re-read 4/20)
1 Stille blik; 2 Nachtlicht; 3 Tegenstroom; 4 Zondeval; 5 Schijnbeeld; 6 Woensdagkind; 7 Zwanenzang; 8 Innocent Graves (not translated); 9 Dead Right (not translated); 10 Verdronken verleden; 11 Kil als het graf; 12 Nasleep; 13 Onvoltooide zomer; 14 Vuurspel; 15 Drijfzand; 16 Hartzeer; 17 Duivelsgebroed; 18 Overmacht; 19 Uitschot; 20 Dwaalspoor; 21 Dankbare dood; 22 Slachthuisblues

Anton Wachtercyclus by Simon Vestdijk 5/8
1 Sint Sebastiaan; 2 Surrogaten voor Murk Tuinstra; 3 Terug tot Ina Damman; 4 De andere school; 5 De beker van de min; 6 De vrije vogel en zijn kooien; 7 De rimpels van Esther Ornstein; 8 De laatste kans

Ari Thór Arason (Dark Iceland) by Ragnar Jónasson 2/4
1 Sneeuwblind; 2 Inktzwart; 3 Poolnacht; 4 Ademloos

The Belgariad by David Eddings 5/5
1 De voorspelling; 2 De magische koningin; 3 Tovenaarsgambiet; 4 Het lied van de Orbus; 5 Eindspel

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr 7/12
1 Een Berlijnse kwestie; 2 Het handwerk van de beul; 3 Een Duits requiem; 4 De een van de ander; 5 Een stille vlam; 6 Als de doden niet herrijzen; 7 Grijs verleden; 8 Praag fataal; 9 De man zonder adem; 10 De vrouw van Zagreb; 11 De schaduw van de stilte; 12 Pruisisch blauw; 13 Vergeven en vergeten; 14 Metropolis

Broeder Cadfael by Ellis Peters 16/20
1 Het heilige vuur; 2 Het laatste lijk; 3 Het gemene gewas; 4 De kwade knecht; 5 De eenzame bruid; 6 De kille maagd; 7 Het vege lijf; 8 De duivelse droom; 9 De gouden speld; 10 Een wisse dood; 11 Een hard gelag; 12 De ware aard; 13 Een witte roos; 14 Het stille woud; 15 De laatste eer; 16 Het rechte pad; 17 Een zijden haar; 18 Een lieve lust; 19 De heilige dief; 20 De verloren zoon

De Cock by A.C. Baantjer 58/71

Erast Fandorin by Boris Akoenin 4/7
1 Fandorin; 2 Turks gambiet; 3 Leviathan; 4 De dood van Achilles; 5 Bijzondere opdrachten; 6 Staatsraad; 7 De kroning

Ferrara by Giorgio Bassani 6/6
1 Binnen de muren; 2 De gouden bril; 3 De tuin van de Finzi-Contini's; 4 Achter de deur; 5 De reiger; 6 De geur van hooi

George Smiley by John Le Carré 5/9
1 Telefoon voor de dode; 2 Voetsporen in de sneeuw; 3 Spion aan de muur; 4 Spion verspeeld; 5 Edelman, bedelman, schutter, spion; 6 Spion van nobel bloed; 7 Smiley's prooi; 8 De laatste spion; 9 Een erfenis van spionnen

Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon 27/29
1 Dood van een maestro; 2 Dood in den vreemde; 3 De dood draagt rode schoenen; 4 Salto mortale; 5 Acqua alta; 6 Een stille dood; 7 Nobiltà; 8 Fatalità; 9 Vriendendienst; 10 Onrustig tij; 11 Bedrieglijke zaken; 12 De stille elite; 13 Verborgen bewijs; 14 Vertrouwelijke zaken; 15 Duister glas; 16 Kinderspel; 17 Droommeisje; 18 Gezichtsverlies; 19 Een kwestie van vertrouwen; 20 Dodelijke conclusies; 21 Beestachtige zaken; 22 Het onbekende kind; 23 Tussen de regels; 24 Ik aanbid je; 25 Eeuwige jeugd; 26 Wat niet verdwijnt; 27 Vergiffenis; 28 De troonopvolger; 29 Duister water

John Rebus by Ian Rankin 3/18
1 Kat & muis; 2 Blindeman; 3 Hand & Tand; 4 Ontmaskering; 5 Zwartboek; 6 Vuurwerk; 7 Laat maar bloeden; 8 Gerechtigheid; 9 Door het lint; 10 Dode zielen; 11 In het duister; 12 Valstrik; 13 Lazarus; 14 Een kwestie van bloed; 15 De rechtelozen; 16 Gedenk de doden; 17 Laatste ronde; 18 Cold case;

Konráð by Arnaldur Indridason 3/3
1 Smeltend ijs; 2 Boven water; 3 Smeulend vuur; 4 Þagnarmúr (not yet translated)

Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum 5/14
1 Eva's oog; 2 Kijk niet achterom; 3 Wie de wolf vreest; 4 De duivel draagt het licht; 5 De Indiase bruid; 6 Zwarte seconden; 7 De moord op Harriet Krohn; 8 Een andere voorkeur; 9 Kwade wil; 10 De waarschuwer; 11 Veenbrand; 12 De fluisteraar; 13 De verduistering; 14 Zwanenzang

Martin Beck by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö 8/10
1 De vrouw in het Götakanaal; 2 De man die in rook opging; 3 De man op het balkon; 4 De lachende politieman; 5 De brandweerauto die verdween; 6 De man die even wilde afrekenen; 7 De verschrikkelijke man uit Säffle; 8 De gesloten kamer; 9 De politiemoordenaar; 10 De terroristen

Martin Servaz by Bernard Minier 3/5
1 Een kille rilling; 2 Huivering; 3 Verduistering; 4 Schemering; 5 Weerzin; 6 Afdaling; 7 Afrekening

Het rad des tijds (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson) 14/15
0 Een nieuw begin; 1 Het oog van de wereld; 2 De grote jacht; 3 De herrezen draak; 4 De komst van de schaduw; 5 Vuur uit de hemel; 6 Heer van chaos; 7 Een kroon van zwaarden; 8 Het pad der dolken; 9 Hart van de Winter; 10 Viersprong van de schemer; 11 Mes van Dromen; 12 De naderende storm; 13 De torens van middernacht; 14 Het licht van weleer

Van Veeteren by Håkan Nesser 3/11
1 Het grofmazige net; 2 Het vierde offer; 3 De terugkeer; 4 De vrouw met de moedervlek; 5 De commissaris en het zwijgen; 6 De zaak van Münster; 7 Carambole; 8 De dode op het strand; 9 De zwaluw, de kat, de roos en de dood; 10 Van Veeteren en de zaak-G; 11 De vereniging van linkshandigen

Books acquired in 2022: 13

January
Verdriet is het ding met veren - Max Porter
Morgen - Walter Kappacher
De droom van de rode kamer - Cao Xueqin (e-book)
Lezen als geschenk - Robert Macfarlane (e-book)

February
De wand - Marlen Haushofer
Terug naar Reims - Didier Eribon
De Sparsholt-affaire - Alan Hollinghurst
Kind van een vreemde - Alan Hollinghurst

April
Voetsporen in de sneeuw - John Le Carré
Edelman, bedelman, schutter, spion - John Le Carré
De laatste spion - John Le Carré
Monterosso mon amour - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
Veranderen: methode - Édouard Louis

Welcome!

Happy new thread Anita.
I had missed the wiki page option for "best of" lists. I like it!

Happy new thread!

>15 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte.
You can create any wiki-page by using https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:your username/page name, in your case that would be https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:Charl08/page name
I see you don't use the wiki yet, so you could start creating your page at https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:Charl08

>16 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

Happy new thread Anita.
Your stats are impressive again.
Have a wonderful weekend!

>17 FAMeulstee: thanks for the information about wikis. A nice alternative to the list feature, which seems to be meant for group activity.

Hi Anita, and happy new thread!

>1 FAMeulstee: Escher is a favorite of mine, and that one is fantastic.

Congrats on your reading statistics through April. Impressive, as always.

>18 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas. The reading still goes very well. Stats are a bit skewed, as I read nearly half of Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort (nearly 500 pages) in March.
Enjoy your weekend!

>19 labfs39: You are welcome, Lisa.
Wiki's can also be edited by others, but you can always edit them back.
If you create a list, you can make it so that you are the only one who can add books to it. Others still can participate, but not add. So maybe that is what you are looking for?

>20 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, April was a great reading month.
The one at the top, and the waterfall, are my favorites by Escher.

Happy new thread, Anita!

>1 FAMeulstee: Beautiful Escher. Night and Day, it’s also Yin and Yang. My favorite is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Worlds_(Escher)

>3 FAMeulstee: Your reading plans for May are impressive, again!

Happy new thread, Anita.

Happy new thread!

>22 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella.
Three Worlds is also beautiful, with the fish under the fallen leaves.
I don't always get to all my planned reads, Voor al uw geschenken by Jean Rouaud is now listed for the third month in a row. I move unread books to the next month, and try to find a fitting challenge again.

>23 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>24 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>25 FAMeulstee: Ah, good thinking, thanks for explaining.

>26 EllaTim: You are welcome, Ella.

New-thread joy, Anita!

>28 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear!

Happy new thread Anita

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Anita!

>30 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie.

>31 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

>32 bell7: Thank you, Mary!

Read, not yet reviewed:
#122: De vrolijke verrader: Een KGB-spion uit Rotterdam (Spies, Lies, and Exile) by Simon Kuper

Reading now:
De torens van middernacht (Towers of Midnight; Wheel of Time 13) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
De kauw by Achilles Cools
De wilde stilte (The Wild Silence) by Raynor Winn

HI, You 've used a print in the header that is well known in The Hague. The complete metamorphose had decorated the main Post Office in the city. A part of it is the design for the 'water purification buildings' , It's done in big blue and white relief, embossed. But the birds flying above the polders is more like the environment where you live than mine. :)

Happy Sunday, Anita. Happy New Thread. I love the topper image. Perfect for spring migration.

>35 EMS_24: I remember that one used to be at the Post Office. You might remember I lived in The Hague for four years (1978-1982), and my father still lives there.
Only a little more like my place, no rivers here ;-)

>36 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy Sunday.
I hadn't even thought about seeing sping migration in it. Now you mention it, last week we saw the first returned swallows.

Happy New Thread!!

>38 hredwards: Thank you, Harold!

Hi Anita my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Happy new thread, Anita! I look forward to more BBs from you :)

>40 johnsimpson: Thank you, John.

>41 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia.
They sure will come :-)

Yesterday we saw the first spoonbills of the year flying over. And then we saw a giant gull, a quick search reveald it was a great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), a lifer!

>43 FAMeulstee: Spoonbills are wonderful birds. And congrats on your lifer! I’m still waiting to see my first swift, always an event when they arrive.

>44 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella.
The first swallows were a bit late this year, but there are more every day.
I haven't seen swifts yet either. At waarneming.nl I see there are returning, many sights in the past week.

We will leave in an hour to visit my father.

book 122: De vrolijke verrader: Een KGB-spion uit Rotterdam by Simon Kuper
library, non-fiction, translated, original title Spies, Lies, and Exile, 271 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book with a character that is not a letter in the title

Biography of double agent George Blake (1922-2020). He was born as George Behar in Rotterdam, son of an Egyptian-Jewish father and a Dutch mother. Part of his youth he spend with family in Egypt. During WWII he joined the resistance and managed to get to England in 1942. During his work for the secret service he was captured in North-Korea, and held as prisoner. There he started to read Marx, and was troubled by the fact that villages were bombed in the Korean war, while only women, children and old people lived there, as the young men were off fighting the war. So he became a communist. He offered his service to the Russians, and returned to London as a double agent.
He was convicted in 1961 and escaped in 1966, living the rest of his life in Russia.

The story of Gearge Blake's life was interesting. Sadly the writer compared him now and then to present jihad fighters. There might be some resemblance, like fighting for a cause, it didn't add to the book. The book is based on interviews with Blake. The writer clearly condemned what Blake did in his years for the secret service, but could not help himself liking him in person. This gives a rather dual feel to the book.

Dutch title translated: The happy traitor (the title of an other edition): A KGB spy from Rotterdam

book 123: De wilde stilte by Raynor Winn
library, non-fiction, translated, original title The Wild Silence, 318 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book by an author for whom you have read ONLY ONE other book by that same author before (List the book)

In this book Raynor Winn tells her story after walking the salt path. They found a place to live, and then her mother became terminally ill. She stood by her mother in her last days in hospital, and gets back to memories of her childhood. Then she started writing, as her husband is getting worse again, and doesn't remember much of their days on the salt path. She is encouraged to publish it, and the book becomes a succes. They find an even better place, an old neglected farm, and decide to rewild it. In the last chapters of the book they go hiking in Iceland with two friends.

This book isn't an coherent story like her previous book. Bits an pieces brought together. Sometimes she starts to tell an interesting story, that just ends at the end of a chapter, without telling how it ended.

I was really looking forward to this book, after reading The Salt Path. It sadly failed for the largest part. I liked the last chapters, when they went walking in Iceland, there I got the feel back from her previous book.

English and Dutch title are the same

>46 FAMeulstee: Can't help feeling he was simply a Joiner, a guy who really needed to belong, and kept picking terrible causes to commit himself to. Because, hey what do you know!, there are *only* terrible causes!

>45 FAMeulstee: I hope the father-visit went well.

Texas had these amazing spoonbills:

Taken in the Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary near Galveston, Texas. They are so gorgeous when one sees them in flight!

>48 richardderus: He surely needed to belong, Richard dear, and wanted to belong to a good cause. I am not sure there are only terrible causes. All causes can become terrible.

We had a nice visit, it is always good to see my father.

Those are amazing spoonbills. The ones here are not so beautiful colored, but have the same beak they get their name from.
 

Read, not yet reviewed:
#124: De kauw by Achilles Cools
#125: Kleine helden by Almudena Grandes

Reading now:
De torens van middernacht (Towers of Midnight; Wheel of Time 13) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Sapiens (Sapiens) by Yuval Noah Harari
De Titanic by Martin van Neck

happy new thread!

>51 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda!

>49 FAMeulstee: I feel sure all spoonbills are white until their diets get heavy influxes of the right crustaceans. Like flamingos, I think.

But they're just so graceful when you see them all fiery-pink across the sky!

>53 richardderus: Could be diet related, Richard dear.
Anyhow spoonbills are beautiful birds, and the roseate spoonbill even more striking :-)

book 124: De kauw by Achilles Cools
library, e-book, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 236 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name

Artist Achilles Cools has a group of jackdaws living near his house. He also provides shelter to orphaned jackdaws, and jackdaws that were kept as pets. They are released and most find their way to the group.
Like wolves and humans they are social animals, as they live together in a group. Pairs are together for life. There are social ranks in the group, usually a male is the leader.
The writer studied them for years, and describes the social interactions, their individual personalities, and group life in general. Also some sad stories of jackdaws kept for years alone in (small) cages, who had to be resocialised, as they had been imprinted on humans instead of jackdaws.

An informative book, only the descriptions of various jackdaws went on a bit too long. I understand he wanted to acknowledge them all in their individual, special ways.

Dutch title translated: The jackdaw

book 125: Kleine helden by Almudena Grandes
library, e-book, translated from Spanish, no English translation, 320 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: In Memoriam: Read a book by an author who has died in 2021 or 2022

The struggles of some families all living together in a district of Madrid after the 2008 crisis. Some are better to do than others. In Spain the financial crisis hit hard, many lost their job. The families try to cope with this new reality. Eventually they stand up together to keep the medical center, as the city wants to close it to cut back costs.

In a warm and affectionate way, Almudena Grandes brings her characters to life. She cares about them, and so did I.
My first book by Grandes, looking forward to read The Frozen Heart soon.

Dutch title translated: Little heroes

book 126: De torens van middernacht by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
library, translated, original title Towers of Midnight, 949 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book whose title comes from a Shakespearean play, by an author who shares their first name with a Shakespearean character OR that is set during Shakespeare's lifetime

Wheel of Time book 13
All adventures go on, our heroes are maturing, and heading for the Last Battle.

Brandon Sanderson did a great job finishing the series. This book, and the previous one, are more pleasure to read. I hope to get to the final book in July.

Dutch title translated: The towers of midnight

>57 FAMeulstee: I know so many people love the Wheel of Time series. I gave the first one four stars and then each successive book lost a 1/2 star with me. After the fifth book, I stopped reading them. It's been a long time, but I remember being annoyed with his harem of women. So teen boy fantasy.

>55 FAMeulstee: I knew that crows were exceedingly clever, but I had never read about other members of the family. I hope to get to Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays by Candace Savage someday.

>55 FAMeulstee: What a great thing Cools is doing! Very impressive, though there's a lot of sadness for the birds reared with people.

>58 labfs39: I understand, Lisa, reading the Wheel of Time hasn't been a joy all the time. I have thought about giving up, but I am a completist ;-)
The last three books, finished by Brandon Sanderson, were partly the reason to start the series. I have liked all, even loved some, of Sandersons books. And I knew ahead there would be some lows on the way. The final three books (haven't read the last one yet) do pay off.
Bird Brains sounds good, sadly no Dutch translation (yet).

>59 richardderus: Yes, he does, Richard dear, he really loves wild birds.
Sadly all crows, jackdaws, and rooks are free to hunt in Belgium, so he lost some to hunters :'(

Read, not yet reviewed:
#127: De Titanic by Martin van Neck

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Sapiens (Sapiens) by Yuval Noah Harari
De tweeling (The Twins) by Tessa de Loo

Hi, Anita. I hope you had a nice weekend. I love the spoonbills up there. We do not get them in the Midwest.

>62 msf59: Thank you, Mark.
Spoonbills used to be very rare, but they are doing better in the last decades. Partially because their habitats a better protected, partially because of climate change.

I also find crows (and corvids, in general) to be fascinating, Anita.

>58 labfs39: - I read the Candace Savage book several years ago, Lisa and it is a good one!

I'm a little late, but happy new thread, Anita!

Nice to see you chewing up plenty of books recently, Anita!

>64 jessibud2: Glad to be in good company about crows, Shelley.

>65 curioussquared: Thank you, Nathalie, you are welcome here at any time!

>66 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, I just finished book 128.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#127: De Titanic by Martin van Neck
#128: De tweeling (The Twins) by Tessa de Loo
#129: Liraël (Lirael; Old Kingdom 2) by Garth Nix

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Sapiens (Sapiens) by Yuval Noah Harari
Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes
Abhorsen (Abhorsen; Old Kingdom 3) by Garth Nix

>60 FAMeulstee: ...why would anyone hunt a corvid...? I don't know of any *use* for them!

*smooch*

>69 richardderus: No use, mainly human hate against black birds without purpose (in the eyes of some hunters).
Just like birds of prey and mammal predators still are shot or poisoned, although it is against the law.

>70 FAMeulstee: Oh. Stupid jerk people being stupid jerks, then.

That makes me want to scream nasty, vicious words at the criminally ignorant and guilty fools.

>71 richardderus: Indeed, sadly screaming won't help :-(
There is no end to stupidity of some of humans...

Hi, Anita, came to visit but only caught up with this thread. I hope you and Frank are well.

>73 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, nice to see a message from you!
We are well. Inflation is tightening our budget, so we had to cancel our trip to the Documenta in Kassel (Germany) next month.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#127: De Titanic by Martin van Neck
#128: De tweeling (The Twins) by Tessa de Loo
#129: Liraël (Lirael; Old Kingdom 2) by Garth Nix
#130: Abhorsen (Abhorsen; Old Kingdom 3) by Garth Nix

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Sapiens (Sapiens) by Yuval Noah Harari
Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes
Eindspel (Enchanters' End Game; Belgariad 5) by David Eddings

>46 FAMeulstee: Sorry to hear that read was not better. It sounds right up my alley!

>56 FAMeulstee: Too bad that one has not been translated.

Happy Friday, Anita!

>75 FAMeulstee: I have Fado Alexandrino here somewhere, so I'm extra-eager to hear what your ideas about it are.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Anita!

>76 alcottacre: You might like Spies, Lies, and Exile more than I did, Stasia.
Other books by Almudena Grandes are available in English translation. I want to read The Frozen Heart someday, not sure how easy you can find a copy.

>77 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, happy weekend to you!
I am halfway the first part (of three) in Fado Alexandrino. It needs some time to get used to the style. Five ex-soldiers come together after ten years. They tell their stories, but those stories are mixed up, and it isn't always immediate clear who is talking. A bit like in a café or bar, where the conversations of people at the same table are mixed together. More later, when I finish the book.

book 127: De Titanic by Martin van Neck
library, e-book, non-fiction, no translations, 192 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book of historical fiction having anything to do with the Titanic, state the connection

Subtitle: Lifeboat nr. 6 and other remarkable stories
Stories about the Titanic, with some focus on Dutch and Belgian persons who where on the Titanic when it shipwrecked.

Title translated: The Titanic

book 128: De tweeling by Tessa de Loo
1001 books, library, e-book, Dutch, Dutch canon, English translation The Twins, 405 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book with a word in the title implying a number

Anna and Lotte are twins, born in Cologne in 1916. At six they are separated, as both their parents are dead. Anna goes to her grandfather and uncle at a farm in Germany, Lotte goes to relatives in the Netherlands. They loose contact with eachother.
Years later the sisters, now both old, accidently meet in Spa (Belgium). They tell their life stories, that are complete opposite. Lotte was in the Dutch resistance in WWII, while Anna didn't care much about politics and didn't see at first what happened in Germany in the 1930s.

I liked the idea, but didn't love the book. Of course the Germans also suffered, and Anna had a hard time at the farm of her family. She was used as an extra hand, made very long hours, and was not allowed to go to school. It took a long time to get out of there. Lotte had a much easier life at first, finding a loving family. Her hard times came with WWII.
I could understand Anna's need to leave the war behind, and go on after. I disliked Anna's indifference to the faith of the Jews and other nations.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 129: Lirael by Garth Nix
library, YA, fantasy, original title Lirael, 416 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book by an author for whom you have read ONLY ONE other book by that same author before (List the book)



book 130: Abhorsen by Garth Nix
library, YA, fantasy, original title Abhorsen, 304 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter


Old Kingdom book 2 & 3
Lirael is a Clayr, but unlike the other Clayr, she still doesn't have the Sight. She feels lonely, working in the giant library. She finds some love in the company of Disreputable Dog.
Prince Sameth isn't happy as the next Abhorsen to be. He fears what he has to do. His parents are almost always away to fight evil, and he doesn't go along with his sister.
Eventually Lirael and Sameth have to fight evil together.

Four years ago I read Sabriel, the first Old Kingdom book. I always intended to read further, but forgot. Recently I saw some mentions on other treads, and decided it was time to finish the series.

English and Dutch titles are the same

>80 FAMeulstee: I read The Twins some years ago, Anita. I agree with your assessment, but still it has stayed with me. I knew nothing of circumstances in Germany, so was surprised by Anna’s story. And I liked the story of the two sisters meeting in Spa.

>56 FAMeulstee: Kleine Helden sounds like a good read.

Have a nice weekend, Anita!

>82 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, happy weekend.
I knew a bit more about Germany between 1933 and 1945, so wasn't surprised like you. I think that made it stay with you.
I think you would like Kleine helden, it is available at the e-library.

book 131: Sapiens: Een kleine geschiedenis van de mensheid by Yuval Noah Harari
library, non-fiction, translated from Hebrew, English translation Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 462 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name

I really liked the first parts, where he describes how homo sapiens came to the rise. The closer to present day, the further the ideas drifted away into unlikeliness. Nationalism is becoming stronger, not fading. War is still pestering the planet, and he doesn't seem to take climate change as a real danger. Even if I take in consideration that this book was written 11 years ago, the last half is a bit disappointing.

English and Dutch title are the same

Happy Saturday, Anita. Enjoy your weekend. I hope to get a lot of reading in.

>85 msf59: Thank you, Mark, the reading goes fine.
Happy weekend.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#132: Eindspel (Enchanters' End Game; Belgariad 5) by David Eddings

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes
Voor het verdwijnt en daarna by Rutger Kopland

Ooohhh, a whole new week's reads! I hope you find them all delightful.

>88 richardderus: Two of them are exceptional reads, Richard dear, both in length and content.
I am at a quarter of 960 pages in The Island of Second Sight, and over half way of 652 pages in Fado Alexandrino.

>87 FAMeulstee: Your two current reads do look jolly interesting, Anita, and I look forward to seeing what you make of them.

>90 PaulCranswick: They both are, Paul, and rater hefty.
I hope to finish Fado Alexandrino tomorrow. I just renewed The Island of Second Sight, so I can take my time for that one.

>81 FAMeulstee: Dodging those BBs as I have already read that series. I really need to re-read it as some point though.

Have a wonderful week!

>92 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, happy week ahead!
Good work dodging, I saw you had added a lot to the BlackHole recently :-)

Read, not yet reviewed:
#132: Eindspel (Enchanters' End Game; Belgariad 5) by David Eddings
#133: Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes
#134: Voor het verdwijnt en daarna by Rutger Kopland

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
De reiger (The Heron; Ferrara 5) by Giorgio Bassani
Twee vrouwen (Two women) by Harry Mulisch

Happy Monday!

>84 FAMeulstee: I have this somewhere. It's been in my library for a while. I shall have to dig it up.

>95 figsfromthistle: Happy Monday, Anita!
Sapiens was rather populair at the time, I hope you can find your copy.

Wordle 332 3/6

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 adieu, heirs, being

--
Woordle 332 4/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨⬜🟩🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 pruik, laken, stekt, koets

>93 FAMeulstee: Yeah, the BlackHole has been growing a lot lately :)

Happy Tuesday, Anita!

>98 alcottacre: Happy Wednesday, Stasia!

It is the same with my ever growing mount TBR :-)

Wordle 333 6/6

⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
⬜🟨🟩⬜🟨
🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 peony, floss, brows, stork, smoor, scour
I feared to miss out today, but got it at the last guess with help of the dictionary

--
Woordle 333 2/6

🟩🟨🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 pioen, prooi
Went much better in Dutch

Hi Anita! There's a heatwave on its way so I spent the morning moving books, vacuuming, getting ready for the a/c to be installed...then moving everything back.

I also posted three new book reviews today. Tell you what, I'm whupped!

Plus, just to prove I really am who I say I am, I got, for the 5th time in 108 games played, Wordle in 2!! Your Dutch was my American today.

>101 richardderus: That is a lot of work in a day, Richard dear!
I am sure the a/c is worth it.

This was my 3rd in two in the Dutch Woordle (97 games played), I never managed a two in the English Wordle (94 games played), 15 times in 3 guesses is my best there.

>84 FAMeulstee: I had Sapiens on my TBR. It is a bit disappointing that he seems to not take climate change seriously. It's now becoming such a serious threat. More people need to do more serious thinking about our future.

wat betekent "prooi"?

>103 EllaTim: So many never took climate change seriously. It is on the table since 1970, but only recently taken as serious as it is... and still not everyone.

>104 RebaRelishesReading: It means prey or prey animal

book 132: Eindspel by David Eddings
library, translated, original title Enchanters' End Game, 341 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book first published in the 1980s or set in school/college setting (not University/post 18 educational setting)

The Belgariad book 5
The last Belgarian book, with the final battle between Garion and Torak, and all is neatly concluded.

What is it with some fantasy writers that there are such large gaps between the sexes? In this series, as well as in Wheel of Time. It does annoy me.

Dutch title translated: Endgame

book 133: Fado Alexandrino by António Lobo Antunes
1001 books, library, e-book, translated from Portugese, English translation Fado Alexandrino, 652 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book by an author born in a country from where you have never read an author before

Ten years after their return from the war in Mozambique, five veterans are on their battalions reunion in Lisbon. At first they are only known by their militairy function, the soldier, the lieutenant-colonel, the communications officer, the second lieutenant, and the captain. Later on you get to know their names.

The soldier, the lieutenant-colonel, the communications officer, and the second lieutenant tell their stories (the captain stays quiet), but those stories are mixed up, and it isn't always immediate clear who is talking. A bit like in a café or bar, where the conversations of people at the same table are mixed together.
In three parts they tell about their lives in the last ten years, divided in before the revolution (Carnation Revolution in 1974), during the revolution, and after the revolution. How they came home, and had a hard time adapting to civilian life. How they were in favor, or against the changes in 1974. And how they did after 1974, when in some aspects nothing much has changed.

The ongoing sentences give hardly a break, the story flows like a fast running river, which makes it hard to put the book down. The circumstances of the four are very different, so you get the story of Portugal in change from different views. At times it is very dark and shocking.
It was a hefty, and emotional draning read for me. Also a great, unforgettable read!

English and Dutch title are the same

book 134: Voor het verdwijnt en daarna by Rutger Kopland
own, Dutch, poetry, no translations, 35 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with a 5-word title

Poetry, originally published in 1985, by well known Dutch poet, a psychatrist who wrote under pseudonym.

In this work he writes mainly about nature and art. Very poignant are the five poems about concentration camp Natzweiler.
I always enjoy his poems.

Dutch title translated: Before it vanishes and after

>107 FAMeulstee: *eagerly starts hunting for Fado Alexandrino again*

Thursday orisons, Anita, and thanks for that terrific explanation of the book.

>105 FAMeulstee: Ah, thank you!

>109 richardderus: I hope you can find your copy, Richard dear, and get to it soon. It was no easy read, but well worth my time.

>110 RebaRelishesReading: You are welcome, Reba.

I love Escher!! I used to have a print of his hanging on my college dorm room!



And I love playing the Monument 2 games, because they have the same staircase going everywhere landscaping. Fun!

>112 Berly: Lovely print to have on your wall, Kim. I always loved the two figures on the top stairs, one going up, the other going down, with 90° difference.
I have never heard of Monument 2 games, I rarely play games anymore. I did play Candy Crush and Farmville 2 a lot in the years I could not read. Stopped playing them because I like reading way better ;-)

>107 FAMeulstee: Taking note of Fado Alexandrino. It sounds worth while, but I don’t know how I’d handle it.

>108 FAMeulstee: Have been thinking about reading some poetry. So in the TBR, this one!

>112 Berly: Great print, I wondered if the director of the Harry Potter movies has seen it too? Modelling the staircases of Zweinstein on it?

>80 FAMeulstee: The setup reminds me of Erich Kästner's Das doppelte Lottchen, and I wonder whether de Loo is referencing Kästner when she names one of her twins Lotte. It sounds like the similarities end there, though, with de Loo foregrounding realities that Kästner conspicuously ignored.

>106 FAMeulstee: I've never read Eddings, though I feel like I should.

Sweet Thursday, Anita. I hope you are having a great week. I had a good time in Wisconsin, and I am looking forward to seeing Jack tomorrow.

>114 EllaTim: Indeed, Ella, Fado Alexandrino is not an easy read.
Rutger Kopland is always good :-)

>115 swynn: That has crossed my mind, Steve, the combination of twins and Lotte can't be completely coincidental.
My Eddings reading stops here. There are other books, but I didn't like him enough to continue. You might like him better.

>116 msf59: Thank you, Mark, glad you had a good time in Wisconsin.
Yesterday we finally had some rain after again weeks without. It is unusal dry this year. I don't have feeders, but I can watch many birds that come to drink from my tiny pond.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#135: De reiger (The Heron; Ferrara 5) by Giorgio Bassani
#136: Twee vrouwen (Two women) by Harry Mulisch
#137: Limonov (Limonov) by Emmanuel Carrere

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini
Middernachtbibliotheek (The Midnight Library) by Matt Haig
Koningin Eenoog by W.F. Hermans

>118 FAMeulstee: I need to read more books by Harry Mulisch. I really enjoyed his book The Assault.

Have a lovely weekend, Anita.

>119 PaulCranswick: Besides The Assault his best known book is The Discovery of Heaven, Paul.
I loved them both. On the shelves are many more books by Mulisch, and I will get to them some day.

At the moment my dedicated Dutch reading is Simon Vestdijk and Willem Frederik Hermans.

book 135: De reiger by Giorgio Bassani
library, translated from Italian, English translation The Heron, 168 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name

Fifth (of six) book with stories about Ferrara, a city in Italy, in the first half of the 20th century. Best known is the third book "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis", that I read last year.

Edgardo Limentani is a jewish lawyer from Ferrara. He decides to go out hunting, on a cold day between Chrismas and New Year. Falling into depression he isn't able to shoot any fowl, his companion does. When a heron is shot, only a wounded wing, Edgardo imagines how the herons feelings match his own feelings of loneliness and triviality of life.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 136: Twee vrouwen by Harry Mulisch
library, e-book, Dutch, English translation Two women, 140 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book that has the word two or a word related to two in the title or author's name

Laura is driving to Nice, where her mother spended her last years. Now Laura is on her way to arrange her mothers funeral. Stranded hafway in France, she tells about her tragical relation with Sylvia. After her husband divorced her, as she was unable to conceive, she met Sylvia, who moved in with her. Just when Laura felt their relation had deepened, Sylvia left and started an affair with Laura's ex-husband. Like a classical tragedy all doesn't end well.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 137: Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère
library, translated from Frech, Europese Literatuurprijs 2013, English translation Limonov, 351 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter

Ėduard Limonov was born in Kharkov during WWII as Eduard Savenko. He was a rebel at heart, not good in USSR times. He went to Moscow as a poet, and got the chance to leave in the 1970s. A one way ticket to the USA. There he tried, but never settled, published a book (It's Me, Eddie), but wanted to be famous. He went to Paris where he was welcomed and adored. Then the Iron Curtain fell, and what he never had thought possible happened: he could return to Russia. After a short stay in Serbia during the war, he went back to Moscow. He ended up in jail, stil a rebel against the rulers. When this book was written he aligned with Kasparov against Putin.

The writer explicit calls this biography fiction. Partly because he intertwines his own story, and partly because he can't be sure that all Limonov told him is true.

It was an intriguing read, a life lived like a roller coaster. I had not heard of Limonov before, I might try to track down a book by him. Limonov died two years ago.
This book won the "Europese Literatuurprijs", a Dutch prize for translated books, in 2013. As always these winners are statisfying reads.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 138: Koningin Eenoog by Willem Frederik Hermans
own, Dutch, non-fiction, no translations, 160 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: Read a book from a genre you haven't read yet in 2022 (list the genre)

Exhibition catalogue from 1986, when photo's of Hermans could be seen in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
It starts with an essay by Hermans about the title of the exhibition, Queen one-eye, referring the the "eye" of the camera. Human eyes are open most of the time, but see selectively. The camera's eye is closed most of the time, when it briefly opens it "is seeing" all within reach.

The 143 photo's by Hermans are nice, but not very special. People, cities, landscapes from all over the world. I liked the photo's from Groningen in the 1950s best, as historical documents.

The book ends with an essay by Frans A. Janssen about Hermans books and photography in his books.

Dutch title translated: Queen One-eye

book 139: Middernachtbibliotheek by Matt Haig
library, translated, original title The Midnight Library, 318 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: The "My Happy Place" Challenge: Read a book with the word "library" or "libraries" in either the title or subtitle

Nora Seed feels she only made wrong choices in life. At 35 she is very lonely and depressed, she decides to end her life. But instead of dying, she finds herself between life and death in the Midnight Library, where she gets the chance to live other lives, by making other choices.

I liked the idea of this book, but it didn't grab me like I hoped it would.

English and Dutch title are the same

Up to date with my reviews, so I can return the finished library books today.

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini
De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) by Simon Vestdijk

Three books from the library came home with me:

Anomalie (The Anomaly) - Hervé Le Tellier
De engel van Venetië (The Garden of Angels) - David Hewson
Zomerhuis (Will and Testament) - Vigdis Hjorth

>125 FAMeulstee: I wish the book hadn't been so...watered-down, I think, is the way it affected me. I only read about 15% of it and skimmed the rest, and just did not care.

>124 FAMeulstee: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed {person} is {ruler}." So true, and his art makes it clear he knew it.

>123 FAMeulstee: ...even the synopsis makes me impatient...he's one of those showoffs I simply can't like.

>122 FAMeulstee:, >121 FAMeulstee: Both sound like classical myths! Excellent reviews, thank you, Anita.

Enjoy your weekend's reading!

>128 richardderus: Yes, I like the way you say it, Richard dear, watered down / dilluted. I really liked the idea.
We have the same saying "In het land der blinden is éénoog koning", and that is where the title comes from.
Definitely a showoff, and I now have a soft spot for him. I can imagine thta it is not the same for you.
You are welcome!

I will enjoy my reading, The Island of Second Sight is a slow read (at 25% now after over two weeks), and VERY good. Probably won't finish it this month, so I have to dig out my other book for TIOLI Challenge #5.

>127 FAMeulstee: I look forward to your review of The Anomaly - I loved the book.
Have a wonderful sunday, Anita.

>130 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, happy Sunday!

I was glad to find a copy of The Anomalie, as it had been checked out each time I visited the library.

This hasn't happened before, all the letters at third guess, and only one at the right place. Still it took some time husseling the letters to get to the right word.

Wordle 338 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟨🟨🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 adieu, inert, neigh, hinge

> 131 This is where ebooks have an advantage.
If the book is borrowed, I can set a flag at our library, and as soon as it is available again, I receive an email and have 48 hours to check it out.
>132 FAMeulstee: Congratulations.

>133 SirThomas: Indeed, Thomas, e-books are much easier, no need to leave the house. This one was only available as paper book. I can do the same, but I rarely do, enough other books available that I want to read!
I do reserve books that are only available in other libraries. My own library has a limited collection, especially in older books.

Thanks.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#140: De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) by Simon Vestdijk
#141: De beker van de min (Anton Wachter 5) by Simon Vestdijk

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini

>81 FAMeulstee: Glad you enjoyed Lirael! The library in that book is one of my favorite places in all of fiction.

>136 curioussquared: Thanks, Nathalie. The library was a major attraction in Lirael, and also the Disreputable Dog. I am glad I finally went on with the series.

>132 FAMeulstee: I think I hadn't pictured in my mind what you meant by "all the letters" before! I've never had that one before. How interesting.

Happy week-ahead's reads.

>138 richardderus: All five letters in the wrong order, Richard dear. First time, so worth to mention ;-)
I didn't know the word, as it isn't used in this group, or on other forums I used to frequent in the past.

>134 FAMeulstee: and a paper book is also much lovelier!
>84 FAMeulstee: Thank you for another BB, Anita.
The book is well worth reading and I agree with your opinion of the present.

>140 SirThomas: Yes, e-books miss the feel and smell of paper books.
You are welcome, glad we do agree.

Wishing you a lovely Tuesday, Thomas!

Dropping in to wish you a happy Tuesday!

>135 FAMeulstee: the kite runner is quite a popular book. I have had it on my shelf for a long time as well. Looking forward to your review!

>142 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, happy Tuesday

I just finished The Kite Runner. I have to think a bit about it, before writing a review. It wasn't a book I loved.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#140: De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) by Simon Vestdijk
#141: De beker van de min (Anton Wachter 5) by Simon Vestdijk
#142: De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini
#143: De geur van hooi (The Smell of Hay; Ferrara 6) by Giorgio Bassani
#144: Inktzwart (Blackout; Dark Iceland 2) by Ragnar Jónasson

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Vos & ik (Fox & I) by Catherine Raven
Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman

Happy Thursday, Anita, and much good reading to come for the weekend.

>145 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, happy Thursday.

I am still enjoying The Island of Second Sight, almost halfway.
Wormmaan won the Libris Litaratuur Prijs 2022 earlier this month, so I was glad to find a copy in the e-library :-)

While reading Wormmaan, I decided I wanted to read Mariken Heitmans debut novel first, so now I am reading De wateraap. In both books there is the same main character.

I somehow lost your thread, so weird!

Happy reading, I’ll be interested in what your opinion of Mariken Heitman will be.

>148 EllaTim: Well you found my tread again :-)

I liked De wateraap, it was a quick read. Now continuing with Wormmaan, interesting writer.

>149 FAMeulstee: It’s always more satisfying to read books in order, when they seem to be a series, isn’t it?

>150 EllaTim: It is not really a series, although they are connected by the same main character.
De wateraap is clearly a first book, a nice introduction to the writer and the themes. Halfway I think Wormmaan is not only longer, also more complex.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#140: De andere school (Anton Wachter 4) by Simon Vestdijk
#141: De beker van de min (Anton Wachter 5) by Simon Vestdijk
#142: De vliegeraar (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini
#143: De geur van hooi (The Smell of Hay; Ferrara 6) by Giorgio Bassani
#144: Inktzwart (Blackout; Dark Iceland 2) by Ragnar Jónasson
#145: De wateraap by Mariken Heitman, 172 pages
#146: Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman, 264 pages

Reading now:
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Vos & ik (Fox & I) by Catherine Raven
Voor al uw geschenken by Jean Rouaud

Not in the mood to write reviews, maybe tomorrow.

Writing reviews is a mood-based activity for sure. I've abandoned reviews for books I liked because I realized I was carping about irrelevant things (fonts and paper choices and the color of the endsheets) so must be in a foul humor.

I hope whatever mood keeps you from your keyboard passes soon.

After your review of the Jackdaw, I had to look them up online. No, they have not been seen in North America, although they are closely related to the crows and ravens we have here.

I enjoy seeing how you solve your Wordles. You are doing better than I am. I missed hinge altogether. Today's I solved in 4.

I thought The Kite Runner was a tough but interesting read. I don't believe I have ever recommended it to anyone. I went back to see how I rated it, but wow! - not only no review, but no rating. I must have read it before I joined LT, Sure enough, it was published in the US in 2004 and I joined LT in 2006.

>153 richardderus: I am just a little under the weather, Richard dear, allergies (a long season this year), and some muscles protesting.

I always want to write a little about each book I read. To be able to go back, when I don't remember that I read it, or what it was about. Usually seeing the cover, and reading the few lines I wrote, are enough to bring it back.

>154 streamsong: Jackdaws are nice birds, Janet, with their light colored eyes they are easy to recognise. I see them every day, crows too.

Today Wordle needed 5 guesses, with help of the dictonary for the last guess:
Wordle 343 5/6

⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 adieu, press, creep, crepy, crept

I had high expectations for The Kite Runner. So it was a little disappointing that I didn't like the main character. I hope to write a bit more about it tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow.

>155 FAMeulstee: Good luck with those allergies, Anita.

I’ve read The Kite Runner but I seem to have forgotten most of it. Could do a reread.

I struggled with today’s Wordle as well, but Shelley posted a hint on her thread, saying it wasn’t a noun this time. Just enough to help me find it. What’s crepy? I know of creepy of course, but crepy?

>156 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, the rain helps to wash the pollen from the air.
No idea what it means, but Wordle accepted the word. I sometimes just try and see if a word is accepted.

book 140: De andere school by Simon Vestdijk
own, Dutch, no translations, 203 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book that you have owned for at least 5 years (and have not read before)

Anton-Wachtercyclus book 4
Because Anton promised Ina Damman not to bother her anymore, he changes schools. Going by train to his new school, he won't see her. Although in his mind she slowly transforms to an admirable, perfect future partner. Setteling at a new school is not easy, even with good results. After his exam Anton will go to Amsterdam to study medicine.

Dutch title translated: The other school

book 141: De beker van de min by Simon Vestdijk
own, Dutch, no translations, 223 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book that was published within 10 years before or after your birth year

Anton-Wachtercyclus book 5
Anton goes to live with family in Amsterdam, and starts to study medicine. He also joins a student association, where both men and women are members. At first he only goes to day activities, later he discovers the joy of going on all night. His aunt doesn't appriciate coming home in the morning. Despite the very few classes he attended, he succesfully ends his first year.

Dutch title translated: The cup of the wetnurse

book 142: De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini
library, e-book, translated, original title The Kite Runner, 351 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book with a flying animal in the title or author's name

Amir and Hassan grow up in Afghanistan before the Russian invasion. Amir's mother died when he was born, so he grows up with his rich father. The wife of Ali, his fathers sevant, ran away, so Hassan also grows up without his mother. Amir is spoiled, although his father doesn't give him the love he needs. He teases and bullies Hassan, who gives him unconditional love in return. When Hassan gets in trouble, Amir stands by and doesn't help him. He feels guilt about it, and his manipulations after this incident makes Ali and Hassan leave. When war comes, Amir and his father flee to the USA, and try to build a life there. Amir marries an Afghan woman, but their marriage stays childless. Then one day Amir gets a phone call from an old friend, and decides to go back to Afghanistan to find Hassan's son.

I had high hopes for this book (it is the most catalogued book on LT, with an average rating of 4.19). It is a good story. I didn't like the main character, despite his efforts later in life to make up for his deeds. To many parallels between Hassan and his son later on, where the bully from the past reappears.
I could handle the violence in war, but had trouble with other violences.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 143: De geur van hooi by Giorgio Bassani
library, translated from Italian, English translation The Smell of Hay, 112 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter

The last Ferrara book contains five stories about the inhabitants of the city. And finishes with an explanation of the writer how the stories evolved. For some of them it took decades to write.

I have enjoyed Bassani's stories of Ferrara.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 144: Inktzwart by Ragnar Jónasson
library, e-book, translated from Icelandic, English translation Blackout, 280 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book by an author for whom you have read ONLY ONE other book by that same author before

Dark Iceland book 2
A man is beaten to death. Ari Thór and his boss Tómas delve in his past to find out what happened.
Meanwhile we also follow Kristín, Ari's former girlfriend; Ísrún, a reporter from Reykjavik; and some others, including a timeline from the past.

The murder mystery is good, and leads to a statisfying end.
We read the story through the eyes of many characters, wich makes it a bit chaotic read.

English and Dutch title are the same.

Wordle was difficult today. I started just after midnight, and after two guesses I decided to try again in the morning. Started gain with two words to eliminate letters, and then got the right word *sigh*.
The Dutch Woordle went much easier.

Wordle 344 5/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 adieu, value, traps, wonky, bayou

Woordle 344 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 angst, poter, bitje

sorry - somehow my post in >154 streamsong: duplicated. How strange!

Hi Anita!

>84 FAMeulstee: I think I liked more of Sapiens than you did. I started the sequel, Deus, but quickly got irritated and abandoned it. I have it on Kindle but had never entered it on my LT catalog until just now.

>155 FAMeulstee: I’m sorry you’re under the weather. Allergies plague me, too, although I take generic Claratin, loratadine, every day, which seems to minimize the sneezing and etc. Protesting muscles are no fun, too.

>160 FAMeulstee: I read and loved The Kite Runner in 2005, but suspect that I’d like it less with the way things have turned out in Afghanistan recently. The hope at the end, with the people of Afthanistan flying their kites again, has, of course, been crushed by religious extremism and the return of the Taliban.

>164 streamsong: Indeed strange, Janet. No problem, always happy to see you, what ever the reason :-)

>165 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, so there is no need to go for Deus for me.
It has been a dry spring, so allergies were worse this year. Frank has them even worse than I.
I have been neglecting my shoulder exersises, that the physiotherapist learned me some years back. Going back to them should give relief after some time.
Yes, the hope for Afghanistan at the end has completely vanished in this past year. Back to a terrible regime :'(

I'm one of the few who genuinely disliked The Kite Runner from the get-go. Manipulative evil s.o.b. learns nothing, does nothing hard or unselfish, gets rewarded. Ick.

Glad you succeeded with that weird Wordle-word. It helped me get it in 4 that I am from the US South.

>161 FAMeulstee: Interesting that Bassani took decades to write some parts of the Ferrara books. Even when one plans them, stories have lives of their own.

>167 richardderus: I completely understand your points about The Kite Runner, Richard dear, done and dusted, no intention to return ever.

I just started to eliminate letters in guess 3 and 4, as I had absolutely no idea where it was going. I am not even from the US, let alone the south ;-)

I was surprised some stories took Basani that long. He also re-wrote a lot. To me the result was well worth reading, and I feel a little sad that The Smell of Hay was the last book. My favorite Ferrara book was The Gold-Rimmed Spectacles.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#145: De wateraap by Mariken Heitman
#146: Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman
#147: Voor al uw geschenken by Jean Rouaud
#148: Vos & ik (Fox & I) by Catherine Raven
#149: Spijt! by Carry Slee

I hope to finish The Island of Second Sight today, else it will be transferred to the June challenges.

Tomorrow we will visit my father. The last May reviews and the June thread will have to wait a day.

I hope your visit goes well and you find your father in good spirits, Anita. See you on the second.

>170 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, I hope so too.

I will use today's morning hours, before Frank wakes, to make a start with the last May reviews.
I did finish The Island of Second Sight yesterday evening late.

book 145: De wateraap by Mariken Heitman
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 172 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter

Elke studies biology. Instead of going for the easy way to graduate, drosophila research, she decides to go for a controversial subject. A friend once gave her a book about the aquatic ape, the writer is now a professor in Vienna. She contacts the professor and travels to Vienna. When she arrives she finds out the professor doesn't do any aquatic ape research, she moved on to sea-cows. She offers Elke to graduate on those.
Elke is a bit disappointed, as she identifies with the aquatic ape. A creature between land and water, like she feels being a creature between woman and man.
In Vienna Elke falls in love for the first time. Before this can work out, she suddenly leaves, as her favorite aunt has died.

A promising debut, mixing gender and identity issues with biology.
Sadly it isn't translated. Her next book recently won an importat Dutch litery prize, so maybe it will be translated some day.

Title translated: The aquatic ape

book 146: Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman
library, e-book, Dutch, Libris Literatuurprijs 2022, no translations, 259 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter

Elke has spend seven years to create a new pumpkin, that will grow easier and give more pumpkins. When her employer goes to register it, they find out an other, very similair, pumkin is registered a day before, so all research was in vain. Disappointed Elke quits her job and goes to the former holliday house of her deceased uncle on a Dutch island. She takes pea seeds with her, as she wants to create peas that are closer to their wild ancestors. They would require less fertilizer, less insecticide, so would be more gentle to earth. Elke also struggles with gender and identity.
A second story line takes us back 9000 years, when humans transformed from hunter gatherers to farmers. A woman, who looks like a man, joins a group of farmers. She caries pea seeds with her. Some welcome her, others distrust her, because of her looks.

Compared to the previous book, this book is better, more mature. The same themes of loneliness, gender, identity, biology, with climate change and the way we treat earth added.
Last month it was the unexpected winner of the Dutch Libris Literatuurprijs, an importatnt literary prize.

Title translated: Wormmoon

book 147: Voor al uw geschenken by Jean Rouaud
own, translated from French, no English translation, 183 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book where every word in the title starts with a different letter

The life of the writers mother, who recently died. She lost her husband early, and mourned for ten years, before picking her life up again. This had a big impact on the writer and his siblings. The remaining years she succesfully managed the gift shop she owned. Taking pride to have anything a client could possibly want. The writer had a complicated relation with his mother, so he could not write about her when she was still alive.

Fourth of five books the writer wrote about his family.
The first three books are available in English translation. Sadly the translator died before he could translate the other two.

Dutch title translated: For all your gifts

book 148: Vos & ik by Catherine Raven
library, non-fiction, translated, original title Fox & I, 317 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book with a character that is not a letter in the title

Living isolated in the wilderness, the writer (a biologist) gets involved with a fox living on her property. The relation changes her view on biological science, how humans look at nature, and anthropomorphism.

Like Frans de Waal she concludes that the large gap scientists created between "animals" and "humans" is artificial. Humans are mamals, and emotions are found in all mammals.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 149: Spijt! by Carry Slee
library, e-book, YA, Dutch, no translations, 144 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book with a character that is not a letter in the title

In David 's class a boy is serverely bullied. David wants to stand up against the bullies, but is afraid the become their target himself. He is also in love with Vera, but doesn't dare to ask her if she wants to be his girfriend. When the bullied boy commits suicide, David finally stands up, with other bystanders, to make a difference for others who are bullied.

The idea is very good. The writing isn't great, and the story has some jumps that are not very real.

Title translated: Regret!

 
book 150: Het eiland van het tweede gezicht by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
library, e-book, translated from German, English translation The Island of Second Sight, 994 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book that was published within 10 years before or after your birth year

Subtitled from the applied recollections of Vigoleis.
Years after his stay on Mallorca in the 1930s, Thele wrote about his time there. He went to Malllorca in 1931, with his partner Beatrice, as her brother Zwingli had telegraphed he was deadly ill. At their arrival Zwingli is in good health.
Their stay will last 5 years, eventually they have to flee when the Spanish Civil War has started.
The writer writes as Vigoleis, his self applied second name, describing their struggles from relative wealth to deep poverty, the various appartments and rooms they stayed, the people they met, their quest to find payed jobs. They mostly stay away from politics, but are affected when Hitler rises. Vigoleis is no Nazi and vocalises his antipathy. In the end this almost causes his death.

The book is an autobiography, a piquaresque novel, a description of life in the early 1930s on Mallorca, the rise of facism in Europe at the time, and the love that ties two humans in difficult times. It is written with humor and self-irony, containing self invented words in longwinding sentences.

It took me almost a month to read, as it is no quick read. It was a truly great read, I loved the time spend with Vigoleis and Beatrice.

I was alternating an e-book and a paper copy, both from the library. The first cover is from the e-book, the second from the paper copy. Now I want to add this book to our own collection.

English and Dutch title are the same.

Congratulations on reaching the magic 75, Anita
Congratulations on reaching the magic 75, Anita
Good thing that the anniversary book was a good one.
And another BB for me...

>179 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, and thanks :-)
I planned this one better than my 75th book...

I hope you like Die Insel des zweiten Gesichts as much as I did, if you get to it.

--
Now on our way to The Hague, to visit my father.

Happy Wednesday, Anita. I hope the week is going well. We leave for our Tennessee trip tomorrow, so I will be offline for a week. Looking forward to this family reunion.

Congrats on 75 x 2, Anita!

#150 sounds like a good one. Into the Swamp with it!

Knowing you're away today, I add my "yahoo" for your double-75

and wishes for your June reads to be as stellar as May's were.

Hi Anita my dear, congrats on reaching 2 X 75 books for the year so far dear friend.

Happy double 75!!

Congratulations on 150!

Congrats on the double 75.

I'm hoping >173 FAMeulstee: and >174 FAMeulstee: gets translated soon! Sounds fascinating.

>181 msf59: Have fun in Tenessee, Mark!
See you back next week, with lots of pictures :-)

>182 swynn: Thank you, Steve!
I hope you get to The island of Second Sight someday, so we can compare notes :-)

Well done on 2x75, Anita.

Have a safe trip to and from The Hague.

>183 richardderus: Just back home, Richard dear, we had a good visit to my father. He is still doing well, having good people around, and way more social contacts than I would ever want to have.
Thank you, a June as stellar as May would be miraculous ;-)

>184 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, this year 150 came a little faster than last year.

>185 curioussquared: Thank you, Natalie!

>186 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>187 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte.
I hope so too, I think you would like them both.

>189 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.
We are just back home. The roads were not overly busy, so we had a good drive both ways.

ETA: a little tired, so I had the wrong message number in my answer to Paul.

>192 FAMeulstee: My Russian friend and ex-colleague Olga is currently working in The Hague and I also have a colleague who is undertaking a course in Amsterdam so the distance between those two cities was a subject that cropped up last week in my office. But from Lelystad you are a little further (120 kms?)

Time to wrap up this very good reading month, two times 4½ stars AND two books that got 5 stars!

May 2022 in numbers
  (Totals for the year between brackets)

29 books read, 9.276 pages, 299,2 pages a day
  (150 books read, 43.470 pages, 287,9 pages a day)

--
books:

own books: 5 (30)
from the library: 24 (120)

male author: 22 (103)
female author: 7 (47)

originally written in Dutch: 11 (45)
translated into Dutch: 18 (105)
- original language:
  Chinese 0 (1)
  Danish 0 (1)
  English: 9 (54)
  French: 2 (13)
  German: 1 (6)
  Hebrew: 1 (1)
  Icelandic 1 (1)
  Italian 2 (10)
  Norwegian: 0 (3)
  Polish 0 (2)
  Portuguese 1 (1)
  Russian: 0 (3)
  Spanish: 1 (1)
  Swedish: 0 (7)
  Turkish: 0 (1)

fiction: 22 (121)
non-fiction: 7 (29)

paper books: 17 (91)
e-books: 12 (59)

mystery/police procedural: 1 (15)
childrens/YA: 4 (25)
1001 books: 2 (6)
  Total 1001 books since 2008: 231
Dutch Canon: 1 (4)
  Total Dutch Canon since 2008: 39 of 125

--
pages:

0 - 100 pages: 1 (18)
101 - 200 pages: 8 (35)
201 - 300 pages: 6 (38)
301 - 400 pages: 8 (31)
401 - 500 pages: 3 (13)
501 - 999 pages: 3 (14)
1000+ pages: 1 (1)

longest book 994 pages (1077 pages)
shortest book 35 pages (30 pages)
average book 320 pages (290 pages)

--
own books read are on the shelf since:

before 2008: 5 (23)
2010: 1 (1)
2017: 0 (1)
2020: 0 (3)
2022: 1 (2)

--
date first published:

20th century
1910s: 0 (1)
1920s: 0 (2)
1930s: 0 (5)
1940s: 1 (7)
1950s: 2 (5)
1960s: 0 (4)
1970s: 3 (16)
1980s: 4 (19)
1990s: 2 (11)

21st century
2000s: 3 (11)
2010s: 8 (45)
2020s: 5 (24)

--
ratings:

2 (3)
2 (11)
10 (56)
9 (53)
6 (26)
0 (1)

--
Best books in May


Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) by Albert Vigoleis Thelen
Fado Alexandrino (Fado Alexandrino) by António Lobo Antunes


Limonov (Limonov) by Emmanuel Carrere
Wormmaan by Mariken Heitman

===

walking in May: walked 18 days, 86,1 km; average 4,78 km/day
  (129 days, 728,6 km; average 5,65 km/day)

e-biking in May: biked 13 days, 250,2 km; average 19,25 km/a day
  (22 days, 465,9 km; 21,18 km/day)

>193 PaulCranswick: You are almost right, Paul. From here in Lelystad to my father in The Hague it is 110 km. Both houses are near the edge of the city, so no nead to drive into the city. Fom center to center it would be 120 km.

>195 FAMeulstee: I have been doing a little bit of planning of my own, Anita, as I hope to get to the Netherlands by the autumn and those three places Lelystad, Amsterdam and The Hague are of interest to me for obvious reasons!

>196 PaulCranswick: That would be great, Paul!
I am off to bed now, will start my next thread in the morning.

>194 FAMeulstee: Congratulations on a great reading month, and on reaching 2 x 75! Well done!

Wow! 150 already!! How do you do it?

>198 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella!
I was lucky with the books I choose to read this month.

>199 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba!
Doing not much else besides reading, only a little housekeeping, gardening, an occasional family visit, and our daily walks :-)
(And there is always the little voice in the back of my head, telling me the times I could not read can return, so better make best use of my ability to read now!)

>178 FAMeulstee: Adding this to the list Anita. I love discovering new to me books.

Adding congratulations on 150 reads so far this year.

Glad to hear your father is doing well too.

>201 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, I reached 150 a month earlier than last year.
I hope you can find a copy of The Island of Second Sight.

Thanks, my father is clearly getting older, in July he will be 92. But he still does his daily walks, and drives around as he likes. A bit more less days then there used to be, still more good than bad days. For his age he doing very well.

>202 FAMeulstee: I caved in and ordered a copy Anita. Could be a while til Iget to it though.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: I hope you like it as much as I did, Caroline.
I found a second hand copy for our own library last Tuesday :-)