Paul S' 2026 in books and more

Welcome to my thread.
I am Paul living near Basel, Switzerland. I am retired, a widower, father of three, grandfather of two, a Christian, worked as a librarian.

There was a time, I was far more active here. I don't read so much anymore and spend a lot of time photographing and documenting graves over at findagrave.com (I added over 400 memorials per week last year, basically memorials from Swiss cemeteries).

Here I read 24 books last year, and added a 120 books to my collections.

Happy new year, Paul. Just dropping my star.

>2 sirfurboy: thanks Stephen, for the stopover

The Israelite cemetery of Basel

Wolfgottesacker in Basel (cemetery on the Wolf)

Friedhof am Hörnli (cemetery near the Hoernli; the largest cemetery of Switzerland)


last year, they deported all deer out of the cemetery

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026, Paul

>7 PaulCranswick: thanks for coming by.
you mean this tower in the middle is 'yours'? well, I am certainly impressed

Welcome back!

>6 paulstalder: And how do they keep the deer out of that cemetery? Around here, they'd just jump the fence and enter anyway.

Happy New Year, Paul - good idea documenting graves. I lost my father two years ago, and I was so glad that we could find a beautiful spot for his grave with trees and nature around - make the trip there more uplifting and comforting somehow.

Happy new Year, Paul - may your year be full of happines health and joy - and of course - books.

>9 drneutron: Hej Jim, thanks for coming by

>10 thornton37814: Hej Lori, there is already a huge fence: part wire, part bushes. The deer came in years ago, since then they multiplied, and they never jumped back. BUt they became a nuisance, since they liked to feed from the flowers on the graves, especially roses are their special target. And they are not very cautious when trampling over the graves, so many flower vases, candles, angels and other knick-knacks were destroyed. And since there were no new deer coming they inbreed. So, they had to be shot because of hereditary diseases. Two years ago, the authrities started to shoot them with narcotics and then transport them to the Jura mountains (French speaking part of Switzerland, I hope they could talk with the local deer population ....). Anyway, last year they finished the project, and since last summer, the cemetery is deeer-free. Some like it that way, I miss them.

>11 ctpress: Hey Carsten, there is also the fact that we re-use our graves after 20 or 25 years. After 20-25 years after the burial the grave is cleared (not the bodily remains, only the grasve stone and the decorations and plants), the the ground is left in peace for another 20 years, and after around 45 years the same spot is re-used for another burial. That is also a reason for documenting graves, and there is also the cultural history aspect: grave making changes over time and is differently in other regions and cultures and religions

>12 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas for the good wishes - and the same for you

I wish you a healthy and happy New Year filled with many exciting books. May all your wishes come true.

>15 Ameise1: vile Dank, Barbara, für all die gute Wünsch - sölled au für Di gälte

>16 paulstalder: Merci vill Mal, Paul. :-)

I added a few books to my collection

1) Kassandra : Erzählung Christa Wolf - 2004
First line: Hier war es.
(ambigous: Here it is, or here it happend)

2) Draussen vor der Tür : und ausgewählte Erzählungen Wolfgang Borchert - 1990
First line: Der Wind stöhnt. (the wind sighs - storm or resignation?)

3) Die Liebe der Mascha Kaléko Charlotte Roth - 2025
First line: Biografien mochte sie nicht. (she didn't like biografies - she prefers horror stories, or doesn't she like listening to people talking about themselves?)

4) Die Königin von Berlin : sie war die Muse von Bertolt Brecht Charlotte Roth - 2020
First line:
"Im Sommer ist es hier nicht so schlimm", hatte Peter gesagt. (it's no so bad during the summer, Peter had said -- apologetic about what? the air, the smell, the traffic, the noise, the weather, ...)

5) Mondscheinmädchen : meine Zeit in Afrika Ori Shwarzman - 2005
First line: Wag dich nur nicht in den Regenwald! (just don't venture into the rainforest -- a mother's warning to her child, or a serious warning by a local about spirits in the forest?)

6) The bad book affair Ian Sansom - 2010
First line: "Here we are, then," said George, opening the creaking, paint-flaking, hinge-rusted, wood-rotting, brace-and-ledge door to the former chicken coop that was now home to Israel Armstrong (BA, Hons.), certainly Tumdrum's and possibly Ireland's only English Jewish mobile librarian. (I am already confused by so many words - like a Pauline letter he packs everything into one sentence)

7) The ancient minstrel Jim Harrison - 2016
He went in a door and out another one ten feet away. (he or the viewer seems to be clueless, puzzled - or is this just a scene on a stage?, a fantasy: at the same time he goes in and comes out? -- are the doors ten feet away of each other, or is the viewer ten feet away?)

- - - -

Gottesacker Riehen (our town cemetery)

Basler Münster (cathedral)
quite a number of epitaphs on the walls and grave stones on the floor


crypt


cloister

Jüdischer Friedhof Endingen-Lengnau (the oldest Jewish cemetery in Switzerland)

Stadtfriedhof Liebenfels in Baden AG


anonymous graves

Israelitischer Friedhof in Baden AG

Such lovely photos!

Thank you very much for the beautiful pictures.
Cemeteries are mostly wonderful places full of peace and beauty.

In memory of the victims in Crans-Montana, 40 people dead, 119 injured, badly burned after the fire there.
In many church services today we had a minute of silent prayer for the parents and friends of these mostly young people (14-24-year-olds).

>26 paulstalder: That is such a sad story! I just looked it up and read about it as I had not heard of it (but I haven't really watched the news much the last few days).

>24 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori, for the praise

>25 SirThomas: Yes, I like going to cemeteries, I often discover quiet parts and fascinating 'grave goods'

>27 thornton37814: It is a very tragic story. So many young people celebrating New Year. There was an entrance fee, everybody had to pay: CHF 140, so, it was not cheap, the bar was very popular. --- identifying the dead is now a difficult and tough task, since there are no visible help anymore --- and a lot of questions are not answered yet, especially about safety regulations

>26 paulstalder: I was at work the day after it happened - I'm working as a journalist - and the videos and personal stories that came out from these young people. Devastating, news. So horrible. Good that you could join in prayer at church - so important to have that community in a time like this. Many I guess are still fighting for their lives.

>29 ctpress: I know Crans-Montana from a Swiss librarians' annual meeting ages ago. It was a nice town above the river Rhone, a tourist resort.
There was also a minute of silence at the New Year's reception at our town on New Year - and many more places, I guess.
Many of the patients with serious burns have to have changed their bandages every other day with a general anesthesia.

Adelboden BE


community grave

Brienz BE (before the landslide)


community grave

Interlaken BE (urn burials only)


community grave

Iseltwald BE (famous because of a boat landing stage featured in a Korean drama series)


community grave

>21 paulstalder: Paul, thank you very much for the wonderful cemetery photos. I know the Jewish cemetery in Endingen-Lengnau well, as I grew up in the Zurich Unterland region and still enjoy visiting it as an adult.
Crans Montana is a tragedy. I sincerely hope that this will be addressed and that measures will be taken. Unfortunately, the canton of Valais simply ticks differently.

I'm really enjoying your cemetery photos.

>35 Ameise1: you're welcome, Barbara. Cemeteries are usually quite nice and quiet places, well kept by the gardeners.
I really hope that the Valaisannes change their attitudes towards safety measures - so far they only feared the measures and weren't interested in safety as much ...

>36 thornton37814: Hej Lori, I am pleased that you like them

add-ons:
8) The magnificent maps puzzle book Philip Parker - 2019
Introduction: Maps are a unique window on the past, offering an insight into how our ancestors viewed the world around them, and how they wished others to do so.

9) The walls have ears : the greatest intelligence operation of World War II Helen Fry - 2020
First line: 11 March 1943.

--

These two books I received from my daughter's friend for Christmas.

more add-ons:
10) In Afrika ist immer August : sechzig Schulaufsätze neapolitanischer Kinder Marcello D'Orta (= There is always August in Africa : 60 essays by Neapolitan kids) - 1996
First line: Den Film kurz, der mir am besten gefallen hat, den habe ich gerade gestern gesehn, und er hiess 'Odyssee'. (= The movie shortly, I liked most, I had seen just yesterday, and it's title was 'Odyssey'.) (-> What does the writer mean with 'kurz'=shortly? A short movie? I shortly will tell about it? Now follows a short summary?

11) Girl in translation : a novel Jean Kwok - 2011
First line: I was born with a talent. (only one? is talent a part of your body, like an additional bone? was that already obvious/visible at birth? did you sing and not scream like other babies? you were born with a twin who was a talent?)

12) Singlesocken : Episödali Frölein Da Capo (= Single socks : episodes by Miss Again From the Beginning) - 2022
First line: Ich weiss nicht mehr, wie wir auf das Thema kamen. (= I don't remember how we got onto the topic.) which topic? marriage? politics? ice cream? incontinence? foot ball?

13) Die Ladies von Missalonghi : Roman Colleen McCullough - 1988
First line: "Kannst du mir verraten, Octavia, warum wir nie auf einen grünen Zweig kommen?" (= "Can you tell me, Octavia, why our luck never seems to change for the better?")

14) Wie ein kostbarer Stein : Roman Gabrielle Alioth (= Like a precious stone) - 1994
First line: Die Äpfel lagen gelb im Gras unter den Bäumen. (= The apples lay yellow in the grass under the trees.) yellow apples? did they grow like that or did they lay too long on the ground? lay yellow = lazy? rotten? tempting? relaxed? why not yellow apples lay ....?

15) Die Sekte der Engel : Roman Andrea Camilleri (= The sect of angels) - 2013
First line: "Wenn die Signori bitte einen Moment Aufmerksamkeit walten lassen wollen" (= "If the gentlemen would please give me their attention for a moment...") are the gentlemen distracted, by what or whom? in a courtroom? in a church? are they just walking by and a woman calls them to come closer? polite bank robbers urge the customers to caution?

16) Die schwarze Schlange : ein historischer Kriminalroman Robert Brack (=Black snake) - 2006
First line: "Du lachst, Heinrich?" (= Are you laughing, Henry?) good question, why shouldn't he laugh? she proposes and he laughs? somebody had an accident and he laughs? Henry is the most serious man on earth and now he laughs? Henry is confronted with his wrongdoings and he just laughs?

17) Sappho : Roman Erica Jong - 2004
First line: Wo fange ich an zu erzählen? (= Where do I begin telling the story?) probably at the beginning? or do you prefer another location? like Lesbos? or the bedroom?

-- -- -- --

>8 paulstalder: Well Paul it is only "mine" in the sense that I worked on it in the senior management of the Contractor. As Senior Head of Contracts.

>40 PaulCranswick: well, whatever, Paul, I'm still impressed by your ability to plan and manage such a thing. I guess, you've done a good job there, great

>41 paulstalder: Thanks Paul.

>39 paulstalder: Those are interesting covers! I hope you enjoy all the books!

>42 PaulCranswick: welcome, my friend

>43 thornton37814: They do look interesting, you are right, Lori. Some even start interestingly. Let's see, when I will have the time for reading them

I just read about the Jewish Rabbi of Crans-Montana giving out warm meals for the helpers after the fire in the early morning. He was asked: 'How many members of your community are affected?' He said: '150 wounded, 40 dead - we are all one community today'

>44 paulstalder: I am positive you'll squeeze time in for some of them--and probably like the rest of us, you'll have some that just gather dust.

>46 thornton37814: sure, I will find some time, but there are just too many books to read, pictures to take, things to eat ...

>45 paulstalder: That is how things should be isn't it? What a good man.

>48 PaulCranswick: Yes, the solidarity with the victims and their relatives is huge

Books read:
1) Auch Engel haben Hunger : 24 Adventsgeschichten edited by Florence Develey. A collection of stories related to advent. Apparently a 'left-over' from last year...



some first lines:
- Es hätte eine schöne Feier werden sollen. (It was supposed to be a beautiful celebration.)
- Es war damals, als der Bergbau an der Ruhr noch in den Kinderschuhen steckte. (That was back when coal mining in the Ruhr region was still in its infancy.)
- Die Geschichte, die mir zum Advent einfällt, ist eigentlich gar keine richtige Adventsgeschichte. (The story that comes to mind for me during Advent isn't really a proper Advent story at all.)
- Klein Elsbeth war fünf Jahre alt und hatte es recht gut auf der Welt, denn erstens brauchte sie noch nicht in die gehen, zweitens .... (Little Elsbeth was five years old and had a pretty good life, because firstly, she didn't have to go to school yet, and secondly...)
- Tief drinnen im Wald stand ein kleiner Tannenbaum. (Deep in the forest stood a small fir tree.)
- Stellen Sie sich eine Gruppe eifriger Schüler und Schülerinnen der ersten Primarklasse vor, welche sich in der Religionsstunde über Engel unterhalten. (Imagine a group of eager first-grade students discussing angels in their religious education class.)
- Es war entsetzlich kalt; es schneite und der Abend dunkelte bereits; es war der letzte Abend im Jahre, Silvesterabend. (It was terribly cold; it was snowing and the evening was already getting dark; it was the last evening of the year, New Year's Eve.)
- Am Morgen des 24. Dezember hetzte ich durch die Geschäfte, um die letzten Geschenke zu besorgen- (On the morning of December 24th, I rushed through the shops to buy the last few presents.)
- Jedes Jahr ist es dasselbe. (Every year it's the same.)
- Nehmt eure Stühle und eure Teegläser mit hinten an den Ofen und vergesst den Rum nicht. (Take your chairs and your tea glasses with you to the back of the stove, and don't forget the rum.)
- "Nichts für dich!", sagte sie. ("Nothing for you!", she said.)
- Sie war gar nicht beliebt im Altersheim, die Frau Fisch. (Mrs. Fisch was not at all popular in the nursing home.)

Does anyone recognize Hans Christian Andersen's 'Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne' (= "The little girl with the matchsticks") in the beginnings above? How did he start his tale?

>50 paulstalder: Vorgeschichte: Draussen wirbelten die Schneeflocken durch die Nacht.

Hauptgeschichte: Es war entsetzlich kalt; es schneite und war beinahe schon ganz dunkel und Abend, der letzte Abend des Jahres.

>51 Ameise1: well done, totally right. The candidate has 100 points...

>52 paulstalder: 🥰

Books read:
2) Ich hätte das Land gern flach : Roman by Christoph Keller. An official of a federal agency in Bern kills the federal councilor Lüthy in a restaurant. After killing the councilor he just leaves the restaurant, hands the pistol to a someone who just passes by (that person was first thought to be the killer) and takes the train home to St. Gallen and tells his wife what he did. No motive recognizable, and the killer remains silent. No statement. No criminal background, no terrorist affiliation ... the story is told by quoting witness statements, no story line as such, only statements given by relatives, co-workers, people in the restaurant ... I liked the idea, the structure of the novel, but I didn't like the result as much, especially not the ending (Open ending ?) ...



First line: Zeuge Ich hielt ihm die Tür auf. (Witness: I held the door open for him.)

Books read:
3) Kleider machen Leute by Gottfried Keller. A poor little tailor escapes from his village because of poor economic situation. He wares his rich Sunday suit (well, he has nothing else), has good looks and good clothing. He was then given a ride in a carriage owned by a rich Polish count. The coachman had to bring the empty carriage back to his master but had pity on the traveler when the rain came. The made a stop in the next town at a good inn. But when the owner of the inn the passenger saw, well, better when the owner of the inn saw the good clothing of the one leaving the carriage, he immediately was impressed and thought about making some good money .... well that's how the poor tailor became the reputation of a rich count and things were offered him in the expectation of making a good deal ... Clothes make the man is a very enjoyable story about how clothing can be deceiving, or better: How our thinking is blinded by outward things.



First line: An einem unfreundlichen Novembertage wanderte ein armes Schneiderlein auf der Landstrasse nach Goldach, einer kleinen reichen Stadt, die nur wenige Stunden von Seldwyla entfernt ist. (On an unpleasant November day, a poor tailor was walking along the country road to Goldach, a small, wealthy town only a few hours away from Seldwyla.)

Friedhof Rosengarten in Aarau AG

Friedhof Dättwil bei Baden AG
the smallest cemetery I've seen so far, still in use. I am standing at the gate of one side

Books read:
4) Die bunte Flaschenpost : eine Geschichte by Lore Leher. Jens is alone on an island where his father is lighthouse keeper. He paints a picture of himself and puts in a bottle and hands that bottle over to the sea. The bottle is then driven to other children around the world. Each child paints their own pictures on the letter ... a nice little tale with nice drawings



First line:
Jens' Vater war am Grossen Belt
als Leuchtturmwärter angestellt
auf einer Insel, winzig, klein,
drum war der Jens dort sehr allein,
und oft hat er bei sich gemeint:
Ach, hätte ich doch einen Freund!

(Jens' father was employed as a lighthouse keeper
on the Great Belt
on a tiny, small island,
so Jens was very lonely there,
and he often thought to himself:
Oh, if only I had a friend!)

Books read:
5) Tod am Hochrhein : der badische Krimi by Petra Gabriel. Iris is working as a police detective in Laufenburg (a German town at the river Rhine, across the Swiss town of Laufenburg). A women jumps into the Rhine during the night, apparently suicide, but Iris gets an anonymous hint about a possible murder case. But a few days ago another anonymous call warned about an assassination attempt on Iris, so she should be transferred to another city for safety reason. But she wants to solve the suicide case and so puts herself in danger ... an easy read, a mystery in a city I know



First line: Bowie lächelte. (Bowie smiled)

Books read:
6) Das ganze Glück : eine Liebesgeschichte by Sibylle Mulot. The love between an Afghan man and a German woman, measured on a Hafiz oracle ... okay, why not



First line: Bleigiessen wäre harmlos gewesen. (Lead pouring would have been harmless.)

field of urns

Friedhof Rheinfelden Baden (Germany)

Friedhof Rheinfelden AG (Switzerland)

Books read:
7) Kusswechsel : Roman by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie is a Kopfgeldjäger (bounty hunter?) and tries to bring those people back to prison who broke their bail agreement. But she is basically not doing what is good for the people around her. If there would no men around her she would have been killed in the first volume, I guess. As Joe put it: 'You're stupid.'. .. there were some funny word exchanges but otherwise I didn't get worm with it.



The German title: Kusswechsel (kiss change), is not a real word, it is somehow a mixture of Kurswechsel (change of course) and Schusswechsel (exchange of fire)

First line: Das Leben ist wie ein Doughnut. (Life is a doughnut.)

add-ons
18) Doktor Turban : Erzählungen Daniel Zahno - 1996
first line: Zu erzählen gibt es eigentlich wenig. (There's actually not much to tell. -- why then start a whole book??)

19) Juliet, Naked : Roman Nick Hornby - 2010
first line: Sie waren von England nach Minneapolis geflogen, um sich ein Klo anzuschauen. (They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet. - fair enough, that fits the present time, why else should I visit the Minneapolis?)

20) Das Spiel - Es geht um dein Leben Jan Beck - 2020
first line: Sie lief und wollte ihr Glück in alle Welt hinausschreien. (She ran, wanting to shout her happiness to the whole world.)

21) Rue de Paradis : Luc Verlains fünfter Fall ; Roman Alexander Oetker - 2021
first line: Er sah mit sorgenvoller Miene aus dem Fenster, allerdings ohne wirklich etwas erkennen zu können. (He looked out of the window with a worried expression, but without really being able to see anything. -- is he on a mission to the Moon, or on the train through the Euro Tunnel, or in the Notre Dame when it burned?

22) Die Ruinen von Dust City Anette Sorge -2021
first line: Fynn sass auf einer niedrigen Steinmauer und starrte in den wolkenverhangenen Himmel. (Fynn sat on a low stone wall and stared at the cloud-covered sky. -- homeless, or hiking? before or after the rain?

23) Die Ruhe vor dem Sturm Lynn H. Blackburn - 2021
first line: Konnte das Leben schöner sein? (Could life be any better? --- sure, otherwise you wouldn't start the book with that, so first there must come something bad and then at the end, your life is better ...)

24) wandeln : mein Fasten-Wegweiser Frank Hofmann - 2015
first line:
Frau Ohnesorge geht morgens aus der Tür
und kehrt abends heim,
und was dazwischen ist, weiss man nicht,
aber sie grinst über beide Backen.
(Mrs Without-Sorrows/Carefree goes out every morning
and comes back in the evening,
what happens in between, nobody knows,
but she is grinning from ear to ear.)

-- -- -- --

Books read
8) Was macht der Donnerstag am Abend? by Janeen Brian. The little bear's birthday happened to be on a Thursday. In the evening he looks back on his day and wonders where is Thursday going to when night comes ... nice story with a good question, and beautiful pictures.



First line: Endlich ist Donnerstag, Toffis Geburtstag! (Finally it's Thursday, Toffi's birthday!)

Dropping by to wish my friend and namesake well.

You are reading and buying a lot!

>66 PaulCranswick: very pleased to see you here, Paul

>67 thornton37814: well, not buying actually, more collecting from public book shelves :)

books read
9) Tal der Angst : Krimi by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock gets a notice about a crime that should happen soon. When deciphering the warning a Scotland Yard detective shows up to tell him that there occurred a murder ... there is a pre-story to the crime which is lenghtier than the rest of the novel. An interesting tale about Free Masonry doings in the coal mining in the USA, but I felt a bit out of place for that part



First line: "Ich denke ..." sagte ich. (I think, I said)

add-ons
25) Taste : Wolle kann tödlich sein ; ein Wirtschaftskrimi Tanja Steiger - 2021
title: English or German? German: Taste is a keyboard key or a button; or is it a name?
sub-title: Wool can be deadly (is it really about taste or about pushing the wrong button?)
first line: Das Bild würde sich unauslöschlich in ihrem Gedächtnis einbrennen. (The image would be indelibly etched in her memory.)

26) Die Mitternachtsbibliothek : Roman Matt Haig - 2023
first line: Neunzehn Jahre bevor sie beschloss zu sterben, sass Nora Seed in der warmen kleinen Bibliothek der Hazeldane School in Bedford. (Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warm little library of Hazeldane School in Bedford.)

27) Geöffnete Siegel : Auslegung zur Offenbarung Benedikt Peters - 2023
title: open seals (a commentary on Revelation)
first line: Etwas vom Grössten, was Gott dem Menschen mit der Bibel geschenkt hat, ist die zuverlässige Enthüllung zweier Dinge, die dieser nicht anders als durch Offenbarung wissen kann; denn niemand als der Ewige, der über Zeit und Raum erhaben ist, kann dem Geschöpf sagen, welches sein Anfang und welches sein Ende ist. (One of the greatest gifts God has given to mankind through the Bible is the reliable revelation of two things that man cannot know except through revelation; for no one but the Eternal One, who is above time and space, can tell creature what its beginning and its end are.)

28) The woman in cabin 10 : a novel Ruth Ware - 2017
first line: In my dream, the girl was drifting, far, far below the crashing waves and the cries of the gulls in the cold, sunless depths of the North Sea.

29) "Grüsse und Küsse an alle" : die Geschichte der Familie von Anne Frank Mirjam Pressler - 2015
first line: Alice lehnt am Fenster zur Strasse, die Arme auf die Fensterbank gestützt, und beobachtet durch die Scheiben, wie sich der Abend über die Stadt senkt. (Alice leans against the window facing the street, her arms resting on the windowsill, and watches through the panes as evening descends upon the city.)

-- -- -- --

add-ons
30) Abraham : ein Bibel-Thriller Damaris Kofmehl - 2023
first line: "Der Gefangene ist entkommen!", hallte eine Stimme durch die Nacht. ("The prisoner has escaped!", a voice echoed through the night.)

31) Feuertanz : Roman Helene Tursten - 2008
first line: Das Stimmengewirr und die Wärme der vielen Menschen stiegen an die Decke und legten sich zusammen mit dem Rauch der Zigaretten wie schwerer Nebel um die Kronleuchter. (The murmur of voices and the warmth of the many people rose to the ceiling and, along with the cigarette smoke, settled like a heavy fog around the chandeliers.)

32) Inselnacht : ein Öland-Krimi Sylvia B. Lindström - 2017
first line: Das Spiel hatte den kleinen Mann zunehmend erregt. (The game had increasingly excited the little man.)

33) Woman of a Thousand Secrets Barbara Wood - 2008
first line: Revenge was in Macu's heart as he searched for the girl who had humiliated his brother.

34) Oliver der Weihnachtskater : Roman Sheila Norton - 2016
first line: Zu Beginn der schlimmsten Nacht während meiner gesamten neun Leben gab es Fischreste für mich zu essen. (At the beginning of the worst night of my entire nine lives, there were fish scraps for me to eat.)

-- -- -- --

Books read
10) Eine Geburtstagstorte für die Katze by Sven Nordqvist. For Findus' birthday, the cat's birthday, Pettersson wanted to bake a birthday cake for his cat. But to get all the ingredients, was quite difficult ... I love the children books by Nordqvist, fun to read, fun to read to kids



First line: Es war einmal ein alter Mann, der hiess Pettersson. (Once upon a time, there lived an old man named Pettersson.)

Books read
11) 39970023::Heidi by Johanna Spyri. Heidi grows up as an orphan with her grandfather on an alp pretty high up on the mountains. Then she was brought to Frankfurt in Germany in order to be a companion to Klara, a girl of a well-off family bound to the wheelchair. But Heidi is homesick, she misses the gras and the mountains in a city everything is concrete and stone ...
a lovely Christian story about loneliness, home, forgiveness and relationship



first line: Vom freundlich gelegenen alten Städtchen Mayenfeld aus führt ein Fußweg durch grüne, baumreiche Fluren bis zum Fuße der Höhen, die von dieser Seite groß und ernst auf das Tal herniederschauen. (From the pleasantly situated old town of Mayenfeld, a footpath leads through green, tree-filled fields to the foot of the hills, which look down on the valley from this side, grand and solemn.)

Books read
12) Die Gemeinschaft der Glücklichen : 7 Predigten zur Bergpredigt, Mt 5-7, gehalten in der Pauluskirche Basel Januar bis Juni 2019 by Dorothee Dieterich. The last sermon in this church before the church was closed. Now there are concerts in there, and some free churches can hire the rooms.
There were 7 sermons on the Sermon on the mount. She started with linking Jesus' teaching to the teaching of Moses coming down from the Mountain and bringing the Law to the people. Jesus sits on the (definite article in the Greek) Mountain, sitting down and teaching the people. Jesus says: Blessed are ..., Psalm 1 starts with the same words.
In another sermon she mentions the word about turning the other cheek: if one slaps you on the right cheek - so the person slapping you stands in front of you and most likely has to use his left hand to slap and uses the back of his hand - which results in an insult, not so much an act of violence - okay then say: slap me on the other cheek and insult me again. So, it's about insulting and not about accepting a violent actions ... if you accept the demand of a Roman soldier for carrying his luggage for a mile, and accompany him for two miles: this turns you into a helper and companion, and males the soldier almost thankful to you ...
But she also says in one of the sermon, that Matthew wrote his gospel about a few decades after the fall of Jerusalem (70 AD) for his church. Well, how does she explain the existence of fragments of the Gospel of Matthew in Egypt, Palestine and Greece (three different continents) a few decades later? The text of the New Testament is quite well documented in the second century ands the texts on the different continents are the same.



first line: Liebe Gemeinde
natürlich kennen Sie den Text.
(Dear church,
of course you know the text.)

January statistics
12 books read

Authors:
m 4
w 8

Nationalities
CH 4
D 4
USA 1
AUS 1
UK 1
S 1

alive 7
dead 5

Books
thickest 347 p.
thinnest 26 p.

add-ons
35) Body Count : die Spur des Todes ; Thriller Philippa D. Martin - 2006
first line: Das Haus lag still da. (The house lay still.)

36) ruh : Roman Şehnaz Dost - 2024
first line: Meine Urgrossmutter war eine Gelehrte. (My great-grandmother was a scholar.)

37) Gott sei Dank! : 35 Jahre klare Worte, starke Taten ; God Storys. Persönliche Erfahrungen. Anekdoten. Kuriositäten. Andreas Rossel - 2025
first line: Von 1971 bis 1979 ist der Name des ugandischen Diktators Idi Amin ein Synonym für Schrecken und Terror. (From 1971 to 1979, the name of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was synonymous with horror and terror.)

38) Auf dem Weg nach oben : ein Fall für Tamara Hayle ; Roman Valerie Wilson Wesley - 2002
first line: Es war das vornehmste Büro, das ich je gesehen hatte, doch bei den Blumen auf dem Schreibtisch musste ich an Tod und Sterben denken: weisse Lilien. (It was the most elegant office I had ever seen, but the flowers on the desk made me think of death and dying: white lilies.)

39) Blue Jeans : Levi Strauss und die Geschichte einer Legende Katja Doubek - 2004
first line: Behutsam lüpfte der Mohel das weisse Tuch und betrachtete den schlafenden Säugling. (The mohel gently lifted the white cloth and looked at the sleeping infant.)

-- -- -- --

funeral hall

Hauptfriedhof Lörrach (the main cemetery of Lörrach, Germany)

the old Jewish cemetery of Lörrach (what is left ... most gravestones were destroyed, the rest defaced during the Nazi time))

Israelitischer Friedhof Lörrach (the new Jewish cemetery of Lörrach)

Were these photos just taken? or are they from some other time of year? I'm just looking at all the green grass!

> Hej Lori, no I usually take the photos when I am there for the first time, and probably two years later again. I can upload up to five pictures for each cemetery on findagrave.

books read
13) Neues Leben : die Bibel. The manual for life God gave us. - I started a bit more than two years ago. I didn't always us this translation only, I often used NIV or ESV, Luther, Schlachter, Elberfelder as well

books read
14) Der Epheserbrief by Helge Stadelmann. A nice, rather conservative, commentary on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Helge gives his own translation from the Greek, a well-founded historical interpretation and a practical part with suggestions how to use a paragraph or a subject in a Bible study or a sermon.



I used this commentary in preparation for our Bible study group.

books read
15) Wo ds Himugüegeli uf Afrika het wölle syni Tüpfli ga tuusche : e Bärndütschi Gschicht by Silvia Därendinger. A ladybird is not happy with its dots and wants to change its skin/hide with another animal. So it travels to Africa and asks other animals to swap dots for stripes, color, spots ... but no chance. In the end, it travels back home and is happy to be a ladybird in Switzerland. .... nice little foto story about identity: be happy with what you are and what you have.



another title for the strange title collection: When the Ladybird flew to Africa in order to change its dots. Himugüegli is a nice Bernese word: Himu = heaven/sky, Güegeli = beetle

books read
16) Unmöglicher Abschied : Roman by Kang Han. Gyeongha, a writer documenting the Gwangju Massacre, is asked by her friend Inseon, a wood artist who was hospitalized, to go her house on Jeju Island in order to save her pet bird from dying. Gyeongha herself is suffering from depression and thinks about suicide. But she wants to help her friend's bird, so, despite severe snow storms on the island she takes the bus to the village from where she has to walk through heavy snow in the dark. She nearly dies in the snow. Her thinking circles around her friend's stories about her growing up on Jejudo, and the massacres and torutures people experienced then, mixed in with her own research about the Gwangju Massacre ... definitely not an easy read, because of the subject and Han Kang's style.



I have been to Gwangju shortly after the Massacre there in 1980. I followed the different places relatives and friends buried the victims and then were forced to move the cemetery again and again. I could buy by the book documenting the brutality of the soldiers but I was not allowed to take that book out of Gwangju - the police searched all vehicles leaving the city for that documentary. And I still remember the smell of tear gas in the bus whenever protesters entered the bus.

I didn't read all the torture passages in the book, I skipped several pages whenever I sensed something in that direction might come next.

books read
17) Joggeli söll ga Birli schüttle! : ein Bilderbuch mit 15 farbigen Tafeln nebst Text by Lisa Wenger. A children's book about Joggeli who is sent to get the pears from the tree, but the refuse to fall, Joggeli refuses to shake the tree. Then the dog is sent to bite Joggeli, but refuses to do that. Then th stick is sent to beat the dog, but it refuses ... in the end, the masters comes himself and makes everybody doing what he has ordered. A fun verse to lesarn by heart with the kids.

>85 paulstalder: This is a hard reading - I read Die Vegetarierin, a very intense but well-written book.
I hope you're doing well and wish you all the best, Paul.

>87 SirThomas: Yes, Thomas, it was a hard reading, but well written, as you noted with Die Vegetarierin.

The week after Easter we have our KIWO (children's week), where around 150 children come together for the whole week. This year we talk abouit the life of King David. I'm acting in the theater. The first day I am the Prophet Samuel who anoint David as king, then the next day I have the role of Goliath who is killed by David ... each day we act stories from David's life. Each day there is a talk and then community and games in small groups. On Friday we separate in different interest groups. My neighbour's boy goes to play football, others do line dances, cook pizzas, go to the fire department or the police or the tram depot or the local newspaper ... on Saturday the parents show up as well, we act out again and then all have lunch together. Great fun

books read
18) Die Dinge beim Namen : Roman by Rebekka Salm. A small village in the mountains with a lot of personal secrets, but no-one knows the whole truth ... no big action, a good writing style

books read
19) Oliver der Weihnachtskater : Roman by Sheila Norton. The pub where Oliver the cat lives,burns down and he has to flee into the woods, was found a walker and taken into his home. Oliver understands human talk and wants to help them ... funny idea, easy read

books read
20) Madame le Commissaire und das geheime Dossier : ein Provence-Krimi by Pierre Martin. A minister takes a secret dossier with him when going for a holiday with his maitresse, but then this dossier gets stolen, well, stupid ... fun mystery with a hint of Provence flair

books read
21) Rue de Paradis : Luc Verlains fünfter Fall ; Roman by Alexander Oetker. A storm surge with a huge tidal wave destroys a dune on the coast of the Aquitaine, several houses were flooded, one person died. Some houses were built within nature reserve illegally and therefore Commissaire Verlain is sent to the village to get the people move away. ... a mystery of intrigues and secrets and almost everybody somebody else in this small community

books read
22) Asterix in Lusitanien by Fabcaro. Astgerix and Obelix visit Portugal ... fun

books read
23) Die große Wörterfabrik by Agnès de Lestrade. There is a country where people have to buy all the words they want to use. So, what can a poor boy to his girl when his opponent stems from a rich family who can afford whole sentences? ... interesting idea about money and looks compared to love and care



We were reading this children's book in our creative writing group. The boy in the story one day finds the words. We then had to write a story which contains these three words.

books read
24) Pünktchen und Anton : ein Roman für Kinder by Erich Kästner. Anton is a poor child without a father, who takes care of his mother because she is very ill. So he sleeps during school lessons. Pünktchen is a girl from a wealthy family, the two kids often play together. During the nights Anton is selling shoelaces at a bridge in Berlin in order to get money for paying the rent. Pünktchen sells matches during the night but not out of need, she is helping her nanny who has a strange, unfriendly friend who always wants money ... a good children's book showing the class differences in 1930 Germany. After each chapter Kästner inserts a 'thought-thinking' part where he points out the character of each character (sounds funny) in order to help the children to see the good values of humans and heir behavior.

add-ons
40) Die Hasenpfote : Kriminalroman Christian Oehlschläger
first line: Tief unten im Dachsbau tat sich etwas. (Deep down in the badger's sett, something was happening.)
41) Die blaue Amsel (The blue blackbird) Franz Hohler
first line: Den schafwollenen kleinen Teppich im Badezimmer, auf welchem der Hund über Nacht geschlafen hat, zusammenrollen und hinter den Wäschekorb stellen oder eher zwischen den Wäschekorb und der Kommode einklemmen. (Roll up the small sheep's wool rug in the bathroom, on which the dog slept overnight, and place it behind the laundry basket, or rather wedge it between the laundry basket and the chest of drawers.)
42) Die Geschichtengeschichte : noch mehr halbwahre Geschichten (Geschichte = history and story, so Geschichtengeschichte could mean 'Story of stories' or 'History of histories' or 'History of stories' or 'Story of histories') Hansjörg Hänggi
first line: Eine schwermütige Geschichte voll von Leid und menschlichem Unglück und ein schwülstiges Liebesgedicht kamen eines Tages mühsam daher. (A melancholy story full of suffering and human misfortune, and a sentimental love poem, came along one day, seemingly by accident.)
43) Wer hat eigentlich den Heiligabend erfunden? : 24 Adventsgeschichten für Kinder (Who actually invented Christmas Eve?) Inken Weiand
first line: Der Junge, von dem ich erzähle und der diese durch und durch aufregende Adventszeit erlebt hat, heisst Niko. (The boy I'm talking about, who experienced this thoroughly exciting Advent season, is named Niko.)
44) Das dritte Buch über Achim : Roman Uwe Johnson
first line: da dachte ich schlicht und streng anzufangen so: sie rief ihn an, innezuhalten mit einem Satzzeichen, und dann wie selbstverständlich hinzuzufügen: über die Grenze, damit du überrascht wirst und glaubst zu verstehen. (So I thought I'd start simply and strictly like this: she called him, pause with a punctuation mark, and then add as if it were the most natural thing in the world: across the border, so that you'll be surprised and think you understand.)

-- -- -- --

books read
25) Mord am Millionenhügel by Gisbert Haefs. One morning, Baltasar, a hobby detective, finds a new tooth brush in his bathroom. He can't remember the previous night at all. No wonder, he had too much alcohol and somebody had to bring him home. But why should a stranger leave a toothbrush in Baltasar's glass? He wants to find out and drives his friends (well, everybody) crazy with his fantastic plot he imaginges ... a weird start, a weird plot, weird characters, a weird ending (he discovers domestic violence, former Nazi camp henchmen, murder, ... but also a stupid, simple explanation for the toothbrush). Too much weirdness, I think

books read
26) Die Vermittlerin : Roman by Dee Henderson. Kate is a negotiator and is called to a bank to negotiate with the bank robber. She finds out that there is a FBI agent among the hostages - and both don't like the way the other is dealing with the situation ... a good start for this criminal suspense novel, enriched with romance and Christian ideas.



first line: Das Dynamit ... wo hatte er es hingelegt? (original American version: Dynamite.)

books read
27) 5 glatte Steine : KiWo Theater 2026 by Maya Frei. David is anointed as king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. Later David takes on the fight against Goliath, therefore he collects 5 smooth stones (the title of the play) and needs only one in order to kill Goliath ... a play in Swiss German, written for our children's week.



first line: Papi, s Mami und ich sin fertig mit dem Feschtässe vorbereite. (Dad, Mom and I have prepared everything for the banquet.)

Every year, we organize a children's week in our village. People from different denominations take part in it. This year we had 180 children, aged 7-12 coming each morning Tuesday till Saturday. The day started with the play, then there came group sessions for the kids (games, talk, snacks ...). We were about 20 persons in the theater group, aged from 12 till 70. Each day we played a scene from David's life. Great fun

books read
28) Der Brief an die Philipper : Band 1 by Hermann Binder. A short introduction the epistle of Paul to the Philippians. Hermann argues for the letter being written in Ephesus, not in Rome. - good outline of his arguments, not so easy to read since he has Greek words and phrases untranslated in the text

>97 paulstalder: "Too much weirdness, I think"

Yeah, sometimes too much is too much.

>101 drneutron: yes, Jim - there were some funny dialogs, but the situation and the characters were all weird, and the language was ordinary

books read
29) Einschulung mit Hindernis : eine Geschichte by Marianne Schröder. Oskar's first day in school, but all the animals from the school's own farm broke free somehow --- children's story

books read
30) Die getauschten Eltern by Elfie Donnelly. Two children read in a comic book about a place where children can exchange their parents. So they go there after midnight and chose a new set of parents, nicer ones who let the children do whatever and whenever they want to ... funny story

books read
31) Gefährlicher Rausch : Roman by Katrin Rodeit. The daughter of the maire comes home drunk, most likely from knockout drops. The father hires private detective Jule. The main suspect is the waiter in the bar, but he disappears. And the daughter is refusing to cooperate ... a complicated case



first line: Er war dabei, ein Verbrechen zu begehen. (He was about to commit a crime.)

books read
32) Bretonische Geheimnisse : Kommissar Dupins siebter Fall by Jean-Luc Bannalec. Commissaire Dupont and his team are having a trip to the forest of Brocéliande in the Bretagne. Instead of having time for each other getting to know one another they discover a dead historian. The have to deal with King Arthur scholars who fight over an ancient manuscript ... fun read, enriched with a lot of details about Kind Arthur and his knights



first line: "Val sans retour! Wir sind da, Chef. - Das Tal ohne Wiederkehr." (Val sans retour! We are here, Boss! - The Valley of no return)

This is another bunch of BB's, Paul.
>106 paulstalder: And thank you for the reminder to dive in into the adventures of Commissaire Dupont.
Happy Sunday!

>107 SirThomas: happy new week, Thomas. Thanks for coming by. I enjoy reading the Breton mysteries

books read
33) Lilo und Max : Meine schönsten Tiergeschichten by Ingrid Pabst. Lilo, the little field mouse, is having a good life in a grain field. But then the farmer brought in the harvest and so, Lilo, had no food left. Then he seeks refuge in a nearby house where he meets Max, the house mouse ... lovely children's story



first line: Den ganzen Sommer hat Lilo, die kleine Feldmaus, auf dem Getreidefeld gelebt. (Lilo, the little field mouse, lived in the grain field all summer.)

books read
34) Die Ruinen von Dust City : Band 1 by Anette Sorge. Julia is reading an online story about Fynn and Mika who apparently live in a fantasy world, resembling the MIddle Ages. The twins are poor, live in the ruins of Dust City and basically have no hope. Occasionally people disappear and rumors have it, that these people are kidnapped by the High King. But Prince Rubinus, the local ruler promises to protect everybody in Dust City. But there are also people who tell another story: namely that Rubinus is the bad guy and the High King is the good one ... a Christian fantasy adventure



first line: Fynn sass auf einer niedrigen Steinmauer und starrte in den wolkenverhangenen Himmel. (Fynn sat on a low stone wall and stared at the cloud-covered sky.)

books read
35) Die ewige Bibliothek : Roman by James A. Owen. Juda is a magician who once was in the Himalayas and found an old manuscript of the ur-Edda and brings it to the vice-director and a professor for old literature of the university of Vienna. ... a fantastic story about Mayan calendars, time warping, icelandic literature, Richard Wagner, Tibetan monks ... a bit too much of everything



first line: Juda wartete. (Jude was waiting.)

books read
36) Reckless Christianity : the destructive new teachings and practices of Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, and the global movement of apostles and prophets by Pivec Holly. A thorough investigation into the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation, mainly the teachings of Bill Johnson and his Bethel Church (Redding CA). They say, that God started a new aera and has given apostles and prophets again to govern the church. These apostles and prophets are directly chosen by God and equipped with new knowledge about God and the Bible that exceeds the knowledge we already have in the Bible. These people are accountable only to God, the local church has no way to to examine, judge them. Failed prophesies and bad conduct are seen as a trial and error part of their walk with God. False prophesies and even sexual abuse are not to be checked by anybody, they are God's anointed. ... a sad development within the Christian church. A wrong theological foundation leading to spiritual, emotional and sexual abuse. People like Bill Johnson, Ché Ahn, Mike Bickle and others should be held accountable for their false teachings and reckless behavior.



first line: It was the middle of the night.

add-ons
45) Entdeckungen in der Einsamkeit : mit einem Rückblick: 15 Jahre danach Peter Strauch
first line: Nun haben Sie das Buch in der Hand. (Now you have the book in your hand.)

46) Vom Impressionismus zum Tachismus : Malerei, Lithographie, Photographie, angewandte Graphik Berchtold von Grünigen
first line: Der Impressionismus wird allgemein als die für die Entwicklung der modernen Malerei entscheidende Revolution betrachtet. (Impressionism is generally regarded as the revolution that was crucial for the development of modern painting.)

47) Coming of age in Samoa : a study of adolescence and sex in primitive societies Margaret Mead
first line: During the last hundred years parents and teachers have ceased to take childhood and adolescence for granted.

48) Hornblower auf der "Hotspur" : Roman Cecil S. Forester
first line: "Bitte, sprechen Sie mir nach", sagte der Priester: "Ich, Horatio, nehme dich, Maria Ellen ..." ("Please repeat after me," said the priest: "I, Horatio, take you, Maria Ellen...")

49) Gute Nacht, Basel : eine Stadt geht schlafen = Guet Nacht, Basel : e Stadt goot go schlooffe = Good night, Basel : a city is going to sleep Dorothee Hesse
first line:
In Basel ist heute Fastnacht. -- Z Basel isch hit Fasnacht. -- It's carnival in Basel today.

50) Süssland : eine afrikanisch-europäische Komposition ; Roman Ruedi Debrunner
first line: "Stopp!", ruft Mark unvermittelt. ("Stop!", Mark shouts suddenly.)

-- -- -- --

add-ons
51) Islam und Christentum : Diya al-Qulub Hüseyn Hilmi Işık
first line: Allah, der Erhabene, existiert und Er ist Einer. (Allah, the exalted, exists and he is one.)

52) Mitgeteilt : 24 Lebensgeschichten von Frauen aus Basel-Stadt und Baselland Gabrielle Alioth
first line: Ich musste nie schauen, was die anderen machen. (I never had to look at what the others were doing.)

53) Ein ganz besonderer Ort : Roman Jojo Moyes
first line: Die Klimaanlage im Hospital de Clinicas hatte den Geist aufgegeben, schon zum dritten Mal in dieser Woche. (The air conditioning system at the Hospital de Clinicas had broken down, for the third time this week.)

54) Pilgern : den eigenen Weg finden Roland Breitenbach
first line: Genau zwanzig Jahre sind es jetzt her. (It's been exactly twenty years now.)

55) Ein Kuss für Anna Norman Leach
first line: Ich heisse Tom. (My name is Tom.)

-- -- --

add-ons
56) Der geheimnisvolle Schuhkarton Francine Rivers
first line: Timmy O'Neil zog an einem wolkenverhangenen Tag Mitte September bei Mary und David Holmes ein, zwei Wochen nach Schulbeginn. (Timmy O'Neil moved in with Mary and David Holmes on a cloudy day in mid-September, two weeks after the start of the school year.)

57) 10 Joor Kinderträff : Kinderträff Dorfkirche 2014-2024 Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchgemeinde Riehen-Bettingen
first line: Kuchenverkauf für die Emanuelsisters (Cake sale for the Emanuel Sisters)

58) Elsässer Verfehlungen : ein Fall für Major Jules Gabin Jean Jacques Laurent
first line: Dunkelheit. Nässe. Absolute Stille. (Darkness. Dampness. Absolute silence.)

59) Die Frauen vom Zieblingerhaus : Roman Hanna Steinegger
first line: Es ist fünf Uhr morgens, noch liegt die Kühle der Juninacht über dem Land. (It is five o'clock in the morning, and the coolness of the June night still lingers over the land.)

60) Laienspiel : Kluftingers neuer Fall Volker Klüpfel
first line: Kluftinger keuchte. (Kluftinger gasped.)

-- -- --

add-ons
61) Golah u' Geulah : Verbannung und Erlösung ; Bilder über Geschichte und Zukunft Israels Pamela Suran
first line: 'Golah u' Geulah - Verbannung und Erlösung' will uns einmal in einer ganz anderen Weise in einen der bewegtesten Abschnitte der jüdischen Geschichte hineinnehmen. ('Golah u' Geulah - Exile and Redemption' aims to take us into one of the most turbulent periods of Jewish history in a completely different way.)

62) Der Beschützer Dee Henderson
first line: "Kann ich meiner Mutter die Blumen bringen?" ("Can I bring the flowers to my mother?")

63) Die Psychologin : Roman Dee Henderson
first line: Carol Iles zog Tennisschuhe an und warf die hochhackigen Pumps, die sie bei der Arbeit getragen hatte, durch den Flur in Richtung Schlafzimmer. (Carol Iles put on tennis shoes and threw the high-heeled pumps she had worn to work through the hallway towards the bedroom.)

64) Briefe aus der Neuen Welt : auf den Spuren der Chrischonabrüder unter den deutschen Einwanderern in den Vereinigten Staaten 1845-1950 Gerhard J. Krampf
first line: Die nachfolgende Geschichte der Chrischonabrüder in der Neuen Welt Amerika ist ein beachtlicher Teil der eindrücklichen, weitverzweigten Chrischona-Missionsgeschichte. (The following history of the Chrischona brothers in the New World of America is a significant part of the impressive, far-reaching Chrischona missionary history.)

65) Pilgerreise zur seligen Ewigkeit : vollständige Ausgabe mit einer kurzen Lebensbeschreibung des Verfassers John Bunyan
first line: Als ich durch die Wüste dieser Welt wanderte, kam ich an einen Ort, wo eine Höhle war. (As I wandered through the desert of this world, I came to a place where there was a cave.)

-- -- --

pictures by Pamela Suran


Erfüllung (fulfillment = My lover is mine and I am his)


Sammlung (gathering = the eternal, your God, will gather you and bring you home)

Friedhof Zell im Wiesental (near Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg)

a friend of mine is doing Speckstein (soapstone), now he had his first show in an art gallery in Zürich

add-ons
66) Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod : Folge 2 : (Neues aus dem Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache) (= The dative is the death of the genitive.) Bastian Sick
first line: Der Genitiv gerät zusehends aus der Mode. (The genitive case is increasingly going out of fashion.)

67) Stoßgebete : Krimi Wolf Schreiner
first line: Irgendetwas hatte seinen Schlaf gestört. (Something had disturbed his sleep.)

68) Orte des Grauens in der Schweiz : von Spukhäusern, Geisterplätzen und unheimlichen Begebenheiten Hans Peter Roth
first line: Leiser, kalter Bergwind umstreicht die Ramsenhütte. (A quiet, cold mountain wind sweeps around the Ramsenhütte.)

69) Das Geheimnis von Benwick Castle : ein Stableford-Krimi aus Schottland Rob Reef
first line: Sehr geehrter Herr, ich wende mich an Sie, da sich sowohl die örtliche Polizei als auch Scotland Yard außerstande sehen, uns in unserer Not zu helfen. (Dear Sir, I am contacting you because both the local police and Scotland Yard are unable to help us in our time of need.)

70) Vom Onkel : Roman Rebecca Gisler
first line:
Mitten in der Nacht wache ich mit der Gewissheit auf, dass der Onkel nicht mehr da ist, und als ich dann schlaftrunken die Toilettentür öffne, sehe ich, dass er durch die Toilette verschwunden sein muss. (I wake up in the middle of the night with the certainty that my uncle is no longer there, and when I sleepily open the toilet door, I see that he must have disappeared through the toilet.)

-- -- --

add-ons
71) Entwurzelt : aktuelle christliche Irrtümer ; theologische Kennzeichen der "Wort des Glaubens" Bewegung, der "Dritten Welle" und der "Neuen Apostolischen Reformation" Richard P. Moore
first line: Vielleicht sind Sie sehnsüchtig und durstig nach mehr in Ihrem christlichen Leben. (Perhaps you are longing and thirsting for more in your Christian life.)

72) In Edinburgh ist Mord verboten : Roman Alexander McCall Smith
first line: Isabel Dalhousie sah den jungen Mann von zweiten Rang herabfallen, vom Olymp. (Isabel Dalhousie saw the young man fall from the edge of the upper circle, from the gods.)

73) Wenn jede Sekunde zählt : Kommissär Ferrari Anne Gold
first line: Am Ausgang des Strafgerichts lieferten sich die Pressefotografen mit den Teams verschiedener Fernsehstationen eine Schlacht um die besten Plätze. (At the exit of the criminal court, press photographers and teams from various television stations engaged in a battle for the best spots.)

74) Zephiros Tasche : ein wundersamer Umweg Besra Ode
first line: Alle Menschen haben Geburtstag. Aber nicht allen Menschen ist dieser Tag gleich wichtig, dachte Kassim, als er aufwachte. (Everyone has a birthday. But not everyone considers this day equally important, thought Kassim as he woke up.)

75) Die Stimmen von Marrakesch : Aufzeichnungen nach einer Reise Elias Canetti
first line: Dreimal kam ich mit Kamelen in Berührung und es endete jedesmal auf tragische Weise. (I came into contact with camels on there occasions, and each occasion ended tragically.)

-- -- --

books read
37) Der Mann, dem ein Olivenbäumchen aus dem Ohr wuchs : Roman (= The man with an olive tree growing out of his ear = הַמַּפַּץ הַקָּטָן) by Benny Barbasch. The narrator's father is thick, and therefore decides to start different diets. One day he starts an olive diet. But an olive pit gets stuck in his throat and a few days later an olive tree starts growing out of his ear. When cutting off a little branch, the branch starts to bleed. The doctors find out, that the roots have penetrated deep into his brain. ... a weird humorous story from Israel



first line: Mein Vater ist dick. (My father is fat.)

books read
38) Insel des Glaubens : Roman by Brian Moore. Time: in the future, after the Catholic council Vatican IV, the old mass is gone, one-to-one confessions in the church are eliminated, too, the priests don't wear special clothes anymore. But one monastery on an island off the coast of Ireland resists the new teachings. Father James Kinsella is sent by Rome to these monks in order to invince them to embrace the new teachings, the new era of faith ... a moving story about the balancing act between tradition and new teaching. What should one believe and who is to say how to express that faith?



first line: Der Nebel hob sich. (The fog lifted.)

books read
39) Die Insel ist zu klein für uns vier : Abenteuer-Roman by Gery Greer. Scott and Peter, two twelve-year-olds, want to camp on a deserted island in a lake. It should be their summer of adventure. But when landing on the island they find two girls camping there already. ... a good story about rivalry and friendship



first line:
Pete McKenzie, mein bester Freund, war ein bisschen ärgerlich. (Pete McKenzie, my best friend, was a little annoyed.)

Happy birthday, Paul. I wish you a blessed day.

>125 SirThomas: thank you very much, Thomas.
I invited my children, theirs spouses and the 2 grandchildren to the hotel in Hemberg SG, where always spend my fotografy week. It was a good time, we went hiking.


Hemberg SG last year

Sorry my birthday wishes are so belated this year, Paul.
Hemberg SG looks divine.

This year we are making pictures of animals
--
newly hatched swallowtail butterfly -- dragon-fly

--
lizard -- Krokodilschwanzechse (Crocodile lizard ?)

camel

>127 PaulCranswick: thank you very much, Paul. I am happy about your birthday wishes.
Yes Hemberg is a nice little village south of the Lake of Constance, near the Säntis (Mountain).

>128 paulstalder:, >129 paulstalder: WOW—wonderful and impressive!