MissBrangwen's year of reading - II

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Lake District - home of William and Dorothy Wordsworth

Hi, my name is Mirjam and this is my sixth year in the Category Challenge. 2025 was not a good reading year for me, especially in the second half, so I really hope that 2026 will be better!

I live in the north of Germany close to the North Sea with my husband. We are both college teachers and besides reading, we love traveling. I also sing in a choir where we have three big concerts a year.

I am keeping my categories from last year because they worked well for me. I don't have a specific numerical goal for each category, but simply wish to track what I read.
Last year I got burned out of the CATs and KITs after some time, but now I am really looking forward to them again.

~~~

Again, I don't have a dedicated theme, but use pictures from my travels from 2025 that have a connection to books. This year, they mainly are from our trip to the north of England that we did in July.

~~~

My reading year starts on Christmas Eve!

Sam Read Bookseller, Grasmere, Lake District

J.R.R. Tolkien
All books connected to J.R.R. Tolkien in any way.

Barter Books, Alnwick

Australia
All books set in or about Australia.

1. Vertigo by Amanda Lohrey
2. Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor
3. The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein
4. Dying Rose by Douglas Smith, Kathryn Bermingham, Emily Olle & Gemma Jones

Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home, Lake District

Rereading Fiction
This category is reserved for fiction. Non-fiction rereads are not included.

1. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
2. Die Marquise von O... / Das Erdbeben in Chili by Heinrich von Kleist
3. Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

Lit & Phil Library, Newcastle upon Tyne

Doorstoppers
All books that have more than 600 pages, or more than 500 if the print is tiny.

Bookstall in Ximen, Taipei

Diversity
Books by Bi_PoC and LGBTQIA+ authors.

1. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
2. Hazel & Gray by Nic Stone
3. Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
4. Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor
5. Abscond by Abraham Verghese
6. Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke
7. Dying Rose by Douglas Smith, Kathryn Bermingham, Emily Olle & Gemma Jones

Bookshelf at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home

Literary Classics
Books written before 1976 that are somewhat literary - I make this distinction to make sure that I won't simply fill this category with mysteries ;-)

1. Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson
2. Bulemanns Haus by Theodor Storm
3. The Romance of Certain Old Clothes by Henry James
4. Die Marquise von O... / Das Erdbeben in Chili by Heinrich von Kleist
5. The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
6. Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

Lit & Phil Library, Newcastle upon Tyne

Literary and General Fiction
All novels, novellas and short stories/short story collections that are not strictly genre fiction and not classics.

1. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
2. Vertigo by Amanda Lohrey
3. Abscond by Abraham Verghese
4. Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke
5. Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende

Wordsworth House, Cockermouth, Lake District - William and Dorothy Wordsworth's childhood home

Historical Fiction
All novels written at least sixty years after the time they are set in.

1. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
2. The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
4. Virgins by Diana Gabaldon
5. A Fugitive Green by Diana Gabaldon
6. Tune in Tomorrow by Melanie Benjamin

Bookends, Keswick, Lake District

Romance

Contemporary Romance

1. Her Christmas Kiss by Melissa McClone
2. Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood
3. Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
4. His Second Chance by Melissa McClone
5. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

Historical Romance

6. A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
7. The Christmas Cuckoo by Mary Jo Putney
8. A Pirate For Christmas by Anna Campbell
9. A Confirmed Rake by Martha Keyes
10. A Summer To Remember by Mary Balogh
11. Pearl and the Baker by Sienna Peake
12. The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie

Barter Books, Alnwick

Mysteries
Mysteries and crime novels of all kind.

Golden & Silver Age Mysteries

Cosy Mysteries

Historical Mysteries

Police Procedurals and similar
Feuernacht by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Psychological Thrillers

Boat Shed Bookshop, Holy Island

Fantasy
All non-Tolkien fantasy books.

1. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

The Garden at Wordsworth House, Cockermouth, Lake District

Poetry

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Lake District

Nonfiction

Autobiography | Memoir | Letters | Biography
1. Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
2. Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor
3. Playing Under the Piano by Hugh Bonneville
4. Lauf, Mädchen, lauf! by Mirsada Simchen-Kahrimanović
5. Srebrenica. Kein Vergessen. Kein Vergeben. by Hasan Hasanović
6. My Father, the Prince by Milena Petrović-Njegoš Thompson
7. Letters of Note - Art ed. by Sean Usher

History
8. Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology by Eamonn P. Kelly

Politics | Sociology | Critical Theory
9. Unter Nazis - Jung, ostdeutsch, gegen Rechts by Jakob Springfeld
10. Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica by Melina Borčak

Religion

Others
11. One Green Field by Edward Thomas
12. The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein
13. Dying Rose by Douglas Smith, Kathryn Bermingham, Emily Olle & Gemma Jones



Great Courses

Mediterraneo Books, Chania, Crete

Graphics

The garden at Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home

Series

"Bedwyn Series" by Mary Balogh: A Summer To Remember (0.5/6)
"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon: Virgins (0.5/10), A Fugitive Green (2.5/10)
"Chance Sisters" by Anne Gracie: The Winter Bride (2/5)
"The Donovans" by Martha Keyes: A Confirmed Rake (3/4)
"The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis: Prince Caspian (4/7)
"Mountain Rescue Romance" by Melissa McClone: Her Christmas Kiss (3/6); His Second Chance (4/6)
"Thóra Guðmundsdóttir" by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir: Feuernacht (5/6)

Series not read in any kind of order

Series started in 2026
"Once in a Wood" by Sienna Peake: Pearl and the Baker (1/4)

Seven Stories - The National Centre for Children's Books, Newcastle upon Tyne

Catch all
For all books that do not fit in any of the categories.

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Lake District

Short Reads
Single short stories and articles (when I do not read the whole collection) read for leisure - texts read for work are not included.

Short stories and other prose

Articles and essays

Alan Lee: Introduction to the Tolkien Calendar 2026

1. Features senior citizens: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
2. Microhistory
3. Set entirely or in part at sea: Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
4. Dead author: Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson
5. Book with a tree on the cover: Her Christmas Kiss by Melissa McClone
6. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth: Pearl and the Baker by Sienna Peake
7. Something living on the cover: Vertigo by Amanda Lohrey
8. A book that has won an award: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
9. End it
10. A book published before you were born: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
11. New-to-you author: A Pirate For Christmas by Anna Campbell
12. A "green" book: One Green Field by Edward Thomas
13. Read a CAT or KIT: The Biggest Secret by Mike Walker
14. A beautiful cover: A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
15. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia: The Christmas Cuckoo by Mary Jo Putney
16. Difficult to categorize: Hazel & Gray by Nic Stone
17. Female author's debut novel: Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke
18. Great first sentence
19. Book by an indigenous author: Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor
20. Book set in a province/state bordering your own
21. Road trip book: Virgins by Diana Gabaldon
22. Mode of transportation in the title: Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
23. Classic from another literary tradition
24. A book of poetry
25. Book from an LT Legacy Library: Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

Barter Books, Alnwick

DecadeCAT

January: 50s
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

April: 00s
Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter

May: 30s
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

HomeCAT

January: Bathroom
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne

April: Kitchen
Pearl and the Baker by Sienna Peake

May: Front Porch
Letters of Note - Art ed. by Sean Usher

Children's alphabet tracing board at Wordsworth House

AlphaKIT

January: E-F
One Green Field by Edward Thomas
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
Feuernacht by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

February: B-O
Bulemanns Haus by Theodor Storm
Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor
Playing Under the Piano by Hugh Bonneville
Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes by Henry James
Die Marquise von O... / Das Erdbeben in Chili by Heinrich von Kleist

March: R-V
Das alles ist Ramadan by Tabea Demir & Nabila Amanda (ill.)
A Confirmed Rake by Martha Keyes
Leyla und Linda feiern Ramadan by Arzu Gürz Abay & Sibel Demirtaş (ill.)
A Summer To Remember by Mary Balogh
Abscond by Abraham Verghese
Virgins by Diana Gabaldon

April: J-P
Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
Pearl and the Baker by Sienna Peake
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter
Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke

May: A-W
The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie
Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology by Eamonn P. Kelly
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

CultureKIT

January: Collectors
The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul

February: A book in translation
Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto

March: Close To Home
Das alles ist Ramadan by Tabea Demir & Nabila Amanda (ill.)
Leyla und Linda feiern Ramadan by Arzu Gürz Abay & Sibel Demirtaş (ill.)

April: Hobbyist Subculture
Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke

Coloured CoverKIT

January: Orange / Something found in the garden
Hazel & Gray by Nic Stone

February: Blue / An item of clothing
Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
Playing Under the Piano by Hugh Bonneville

March: Green / Greenery
Abscond by Abraham Verghese
A Confirmed Rake by Martha Keyes
Leyla und Linda feiern Ramadan by Arzu Gürz Abay & Sibel Demirtaş (ill.)

April: Yellow / Celestial Object
The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter

May: Turquoise / Jewellery
Tune in Tomorrow by Melanie Benjamin
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Lake District

Other CATs & KITs

January ArtsCAT - Painting: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
January NonfictionCAT - Science: Stephen – My First Stephen Hawking Little People, Big Dreams by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara & Matt Hunt (ill.)
January ScaredyKIT - Isolated Location: Hazel & Gray by Nic Stone
January SFFKIT - Adaptations: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
January MysteryKIT - Female detectives: Feuernacht by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
January RandomKIT - Can You Keep A Secret?: The Biggest Secret by Mike Walker; The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng; The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul; Feuernacht by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

February ArtsCAT - Artist Biographies: Maybe Tomorrow by Boori Monty Pryor; Playing Under the Piano by Hugh Bonneville
February ScaredyKIT - Ghost Stories: The Romance of Certain Old Clothes by Henry James

March NonfictionCAT - I want to learn about...: Unter Nazis - Jung, ostdeutsch, gegen Rechts by Jakob Springfeld
March ScaredyKIT - Haunted Houses: The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell

April ArtsCAT - Museums: Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende
April NonfictionCAT - History/Ancient History: Lauf, Mädchen, lauf! by Mirsada Simchen-Kahrimanović; Srebrenica. Kein Vergessen. Kein Vergeben. by Hasan Hasanović
April ScaredyKIT - True Crime: The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein
April RandomKIT - From Queens to Knights: My Father, the Prince by Milena Petrović-Njegoš Thompson

May ArtsCAT - Colour and Light: Letters of Note - Art ed. by Sean Usher
May NonfictionCAT - Archaeology: Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology by Eamonn P. Kelly
May RandomKIT - Dance Like No One Is Watching: Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

Lit & Phil Library, Newcastle upon Tyne

Other LT Challenges

Reading Through Time - Monthly challenges & quarterly eras.

The Global Challenge - Tracking my global reading over the years.

26 Short Stories for 2026 - A new short story challenge, an incentive to finally dig more into those.

Hosting Commitments

February HomeCAT: Living Room
February CultureKIT: A book in translation
November DecadeCAT: 90s
November CultureKIT: A culture you wish to learn more about

Extra

Extra

Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Lake District

And that's my thread - come in and welcome!

I am looking forward to seeing what spring and summer will bring reading-wise and hopefully, to also being more active in the threads around here!

I am content with how the first quarter of the year (and a bit more, since it's almost mid-April) turned out. I would have liked to read more, especially longer books, but considering how much was going on, I'm quite happy. There are some categories that I have read nothing or not much in so far, but I read quite a lot in others, although again, sometimes only short texts. I think it also reflects my current mood: Usually I read many more mysteries, but with the current state of the world, I do not feel at all like reading more about violence, but tend to yearn for quieter or more romantic stories.

So many lovely photographs--I want to step right into them, especially the ones with shelves of books and long garden paths!

>31 MissBrangwen: with the current state of the world, I do not feel at all like reading more about violence, but tend to yearn for quieter or more romantic stories.
That's how I've been feeling for a while now. Quieter, softer books are a relief.

and from your last thread: Ah, the Verdi Requiem! I sang in the chorus many years ago, and loved it. My singing days are over, but I can still listen 🎧

Happy new thread, what lovely photos again! I'd particularly like to visit Dove Cottage, I think, as well as Sam Read's.

I think lots of us relate to how you feel about reading material and world events.

I popped into the Lit & Phil after a recent job interview in Newcastle. Such a beautiful library. I wished I had longer to look round it. Your photos are lovely.

>34 charl08: I discovered the Lit & Phil for the first time last year when we were visiting friends, it's a gorgeous library, isn't it?

>31 MissBrangwen: Same. I don’t want to read about violence either, and want at least some of the characters to be admirable people. A bit of humour is welcome too.

>32 kac522: Thank you so much! I am glad you understand about the quieter books. The Verdi Requiem certainly is spectacular!

>33 Jackie_K: Sam Read's is a great shop, and Dove Cottage is just wonderful. It's so good to see that people feel similar about the world's situation.

>34 charl08: The Lit & Phil is such a wonderful place, isn't it?

>36 pamelad: I agree about the characters and the humor.

I read the next Outlander novella, A Fugitive Green. This one is set after book 2, Dragonfly in Amber, exactly where I am in the series anyway, so it fits perfectly. It has 190 pages and to me it is more like a short novel, but it's called a novella.



Book No 34

"A Fugitive Green" by Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander (2.5/10)
First published in 2017
Dell
ebook, 190pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

My Own Categories: Historical Fiction, Series

This novel(la) starts in Paris and The protagonists are Hal Grey, who has recently become a duke, and Minnie Rennie. She is the daughter of a bookseller and highly involved in the trade, buying and selling valuable books, while on top of that working as spies and private investigators. Her father sends her to London to work there for a while and also to find an English husband, and she meets Hal. The young man, son of a Jacobite, who tries to establish himself by having cut all ties to his late father, is in a difficult position both in society and privately.

As always I loved Diana Gabaldon's style and word building. I did not really remember Hal from my previous Outlander read and have not read about Rennie so far, so they were both new to me, but I liked them instantly and their characterization is done very well. Of course I also adored Jamie's cameo.
The plot of the story is interesting, although I had issues with the pacing: The first half of the story feels long-winded, while later, things escalate too quickly. I would have wished for about fifty pages more to give more room to the ending and solution. The marriage happens so fast and the story ends so abruptly, which is a pity. I would have loved to read about a slower reunion of Hal and Rennie, to learn more about their feelings and then have Rennie decide much more consciously to marry Hal..

Happy new thread, Mirjam, and happy reading, with the emphasis on happy. Lovely photos!

>39 MissWatson: Thank you for visiting, Birgit!

I read Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw more than twenty years ago in a German translation, and now I reread it on audio.



Book No 35

"Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw
First published in 1913
Naxos AudioBooks
Digital audiobook, 2h 36min (+ 16pp pdf)
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: April AlphaKIT - J-P
BingoDOG: Book from an LT Legacy Library
My Own Categories: Rereading Fiction, Literary Classics

I still remembered the basic plot line, more because it is so famous than from my actual reading, and I was looking forward to listening to this audiobook, which is a full cast radio play production from 2002, featuring Anton Lesser and also many other distinguished (voice) actors. However, the production felt a bit over the top at times. Maybe it is supposed to be like that - I cannot say because I have nothing to compare it to - but sometimes it was strenuous to listen to it. Still, much of it was enjoyable, and of course there is a lot in it on which to ponder.
This audio edition also features a pdf version of the original cd booklet which provides information about the history of the play as well as a foreword by the author.
The production includes the epilogue which was only added to the print edition in 1916, three years after the premier. In this epilogue, a narrator tells the reader about the ending of the story and what became of the different characters. The commentary in the booklet also explains why Shaw felt compelled to add this epilogue. I must admit that to me the debate about what the right ending should be, whom Eliza should marry and what the different possible endings signify, is more interesting than the actual play.

>41 MissBrangwen: One of my favorites. Higgins' mother, in particular, has some great lines. That epilogue is quite interesting, isn't it? Besides the musical My Fair Lady, there's an excellent screen version done in the 1930s with Leslie Howard and Dame Wendy Hiller, which you can find online.

>42 kac522: Mrs Higgins is my favourite character in the play for sure. I found the 1930s film on YouTube and added it to my watch list. It will be good to actually watch a production!

Today we continued with "The Rings of Power", so here are my thoughts on the fifth episode. Again: 1. This includes spoilers, and 2. Please feel free to just skip if you are not interested!

Season 1, episode 5: Partings

- This was the first episode that felt a bit lengthy to me and did not grip me every second from beginning to end.
- Galadriel starts getting on my nerves with her single-mindedness and I think it is a pity that she is portrayed like that.
- I also have issues with the portrayal of Gil-galad. He is shown in quite a negative light and I can't condone that - he's Gil-galad!!!
- Some things in this episode were not really comprehensible (most notably, Bronwyn's u-turn after the shard's (?) connection to the tower is revealed).
- I am not a fan of the Mithril origin story. I think that it is improbable and unnecessary. One of the fascinating aspects of Tolkien's world-building is that some things remain mysterious, and I don't think that the series should meddle too much in that.
- I loved Poppy's song while the Harfoots migrated. It surprised because I do not really like most musicals or Disney songs, and it was a bit like that, but it really touched me and fit so well. I also love a thought Nerd of the Rings presents in his breakdown video: The song includes the famous line "Not all those who wonder are lost", which might irk some, but if you think about it, Bilbo wrote that line, and why should he not have borrowed it from an old Hobbit folk song? Another interpretation in that light, which I would not have developed on my own, is Gandalf's moon gazing and the parallel to the poem "The Man in the Moon".
- Nerd of the Rings also points out that when Elrond is looking at the stars, he really is looking for guidance from his father ♥
- I enjoyed seeing the Númenorean volunteers walking out along the streets and the obvious hints to the third Peter Jackson movie when Faramir's men leave Minas Tirith.
- I also really liked the armor (though not a fan of the horsehair, even if Nerd of the Rings explains it), especially Elendil's helmet (again, thankful that Nerd of the Rings points out the similarity to the helmets of the Gondor tree watchmen in the Peter Jackson movies).
- The episode ends great with the ships sailing from Númenor and the wonderful music.

>43 MissBrangwen: I hope you enjoy it. Shaw was involved in the production; there are a few extra scenes and one new major character. This article explains a little more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(1938_film)

>45 kac522: Thanks for the info! I'll report here when I have watched it.

I did not read this week at all because I had so much to do, but also because we finally made a decision about our summer travels.

Last November, we booked flights to Australia, which made me immensely happy because I have wanted to return for many years and I was looking forward to traveling there with my husband for the first time. We chose Qatar Airways because they offered the best fare by far, plus we have had good experiences with them in the past. Well, of course after the attacks on Iran started and Iran then attacked the gulf states, including Qatar, everything changed.
I have been monitoring the whole travel situation constantly since then, but it looked less likely that we could make the trip week by week, so we just hoped that Qatar Airways would extend their waiver so that we could cancel our flights without fees. When they didn't do that this week, but just extended the possibility to change the date, it was a serious blow. We absolutely wanted to make a decision, though - it is only a little over two months until our trip, and we wanted to be able to book something else and focus on it, to plan something else in earnest and also get money back from things we have already booked in Australia (mainly hotels and a four day guided tour in the Red Center).

So we decided to be brave and click the cancel button - it sounds silly, but we were a bit afraid that the flights would be cancelled right away without another confirmation window that would show us the refund amount - and we were so happy to see that we will receive more money back than we expected. So we canceled the flights and everything else.

We will travel to Bosnia and Montenegro instead, since long-distance flights are far too expensive right now and we had already planned some parts of such a trip as a possibility for a later time, which gave us a head start. Yesterday we booked flights, hotels, and a rental car for Montenegro. I feel so relieved and although it is my absolute dream to finally travel to Australia again, I am looking forward to this trip very much and cannot wait.
We plan to travel to Australia next year and then choose an airline that avoids the gulf area.

Having written all of this, I want to stress that I do not want to fret or complain - it is a war and many people are truly suffering, and while the situation was stressful, these problems are merely luxury problems.

I have already ordered some books to prepare for the trip and a lot of my reading will probably focus on Bosnia and Montenegro in the weeks to come.

When we planned the Bosnian part of our trip I realized that while I know about the very basics of the Bosnian war, there is a lot that I don't know, and I looked up a lot of the things I came across or that came up somewhere online. I have also followed Melina Borčak, a Bosnian-German journalist, for some time. Her instagram page offers a lot of insight into the topics of genocide, anti-muslim racism and how the media covers these topics.
She has published Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica, which were published by the Srebrenica Memorial. The document is listed under "books" in her wikipedia article, so I decided to count it as a book read.
The document can be downloaded here.



Book No 36

"Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica" by Melina Borčak
First published in 2025
Srebrenica Memorial
ebook, 38pp.
Rating: 5 stars - *****

Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
My Own Categories: Nonfiction - Politics

I my opinion, this is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the Balkans, in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina or in the politics of genocide. I learned a ton of things from this short book/document.
Melina Borčak is a Bosniak woman born in Sarajevo in 1990. She fled to Germany as a child, but later returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today she lives in Germany and works as a journalist and social media commentator. She is an expert about the last genocide against Bosniaks both from a scholarly and from a survivor's perspective.

While these guidelines were mainly written for journalists, even as a person who does not deal with this topic on a professional level, I gained a lot from reading it. The author shows the harmful language that is often used in the media to portrait the genocide and the ways in which this enables genocide deniers and covers up the truth. The guidelines are very practical and demonstrate which kind of language to use, explain different terms and why they are correct or false, and point out other problems with the portrayal of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also include a lot of information about the genocide itself and the wider history of the country and the region.
Although there is so much information in this and the topic is a complicated one, the text is not difficult to understand. Borčak uses clear and concise words.

I see myself looking up things and terms in these guidelines time and time again.

>47 MissBrangwen: Commiserations on having to cancel the trip to Australia. It's a sensible decision, not just because of the problem with flights but because of the uncertainty about petrol supplies. Currently we're being asked to conserve petrol and the next step could be rationing. I've just cancelled a trip to Mungo National Park because it's a long drive and we don't want to be stuck in Woop Woop without petrol to get home.

Have a great trip to Bosnia! If you'd be interested in reading something historical, I can recommend The Bridge on the Drina and Bosnian Chronicle by Ivo Andric.

Like you, I struggled this spring with a planned trip, safety, and guilt for worrying about travel when many people are dealing with so much worse. My sister and I had planned a trip taking my dad to Ecuador to the Amazon and the Galapagos. Then the US attacked Venezuela and began joint attacks with the Ecuadorian military on drug gangs. After monitoring things carefully, we decided to go, and it was amazing. But travel in today's uncertain world (both politically and economically) is stressful, especially when travelling on a US passport.

>48 MissBrangwen: I read this, and like you, was impressed by its clarity and moral authority.

>49 pamelad: Thank you for your comments. I read about the petrol situation on your thread and elsewhere and it was another factor in our decision.
We had booked a flight from Alice Springs to Cairns via Brisbane with Virgin Australia and decided to wait with the cancellation to see if it would be cancelled or changed by the airline, because I read somewhere that 10% of Virgin Australia flights were cancelled. And now it was: We received an email that we would now fly via Adelaide, one day earlier, with one night in that city between the two flights. This change enables us to receive a refund which we wouldn't have received if we had cancelled right away. I suppose it has to do with the situation as well, and that the Brisbane flights were cancelled. If we had been traveling, it would have cut short our time in Alice Springs by one day, while not giving us enough time in Adelaide to actually see anything. It would just have been a waste of time and an unnecessary long layover and detour to the south. The change of planes in Brisbane was scheduled to just one and a half hours as opposed to one whole night in Adelaide.

I am sorry you had to cancel your trip to Mungo NP and hope you can go at a later date.

Thank you for the recommendations - I am adding them to my list of possibilities.

>50 labfs39: Yes, it is so stressful, and one also feels guilty on top of that because there clearly are so many things that are so much worse, and travel is a privilege and a luxury!
However, I am so happy that you got to travel to Ecuador! It must have been wonderful to visit such amazing places with your dad and sister.

>51 labfs39: I am glad you agree about the strengths of the text. I learned so much from it and I'm applying that knowledge to what I read now. Melina Borčak is an amazing author and I hope that she publishes more in the future.

My next read was Lauf, Mädchen, lauf! by Mirsada Simchen-Kahrimanović. I came across this book while searching for books from Bosnia. The author lives in Germany and it was written in German.



Book No 37

"Lauf, Mädchen, lauf!" by Mirsada Simchen-Kahrimanović
First published in 2022
wbg Theiss
ebook, 135pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: April NonfictionCAT - History & Ancient History
Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
My Own Categories: Nonfiction - Memoir

Mirsada Simchen-Kahrimanovic was born in northern Bosnia in 1979. She was thirteen years old when the Bosnian war started and she was brought to Trnopolje concentration camp. She tells the reader about the (from her point of view) sudden start of the war, the destruction of her village, and the horrible time in the camp, where rape, hunger, brutality and torture defined the daily life of the Bosniaks. After being released from the camp, Mirsada, her mother and her sister fled to Croatia and then to Germany, where they started a new life. This was not easy and it took a lot of strength for Mirsada to find her way. In the end, the title of the book has two meanings: Run, girl, run is what a Bosnian soldier told her when her village was attacked, but sportive running is also what helps her nowadays, in order not to be paralyzed by all she had to live through, to feel her body and find her strength.

This book was written for adults, but also for younger people, so while it is made clear how terrible the author's experiences were, these are not described in detail. Her account is gripping and emotional. She does not shy away from explaining the physical and psychological toll the events took from her.
Towards the end, it becomes a bit preachy, when she talks about the importance of peace and living together in harmony. She gives talks at schools and I think that took over - the message is essential of course, but it is expressed mainly in platitudes. The last chapters, when she tells the reader about her life as an adult, her marriage and her jobs, jump a lot in time and I think that she should have taken the time and space to narrate this properly, or left it out. Like this, it is rather unsatisfactory.

Nevertheless, it is a great and powerful book and I am immensely thankful to the author for sharing her story. It is important to have such an account from a girl's and woman's perspective.

The book includes an afterword by Christian Schmidt, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is from Germany. The afterword gave me some weird vibes, and he also used some words that, according to Melina Borčak's guidelines, are not accurate. I really wondered about that and after doing some research, I learned that Schmidt's actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are highly controversial, and he himself is a difficult figure. If you are interested in this, there is a very good episode of a German satirical late night show about him that you can watch on YouTube with subtitles (you might have to turn them on): ZDF Magazin Royale about Christian Schmidt in Bosnia and Herzegovina

I read another Bosnian memoir straight after this one: Srebrenica. Kein Vergessen. Kein Vergeben. by Hasan Hasanović.



Book No 38

"Srebrenica. Kein Vergessen. Kein Vergeben." by Hasan Hasanović
First published in 2021
Boons on Demand
ebook, 292pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: April NonfictionCAT - History & Ancient History
Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
My Own Categories: Nonfiction - Memoir

This book was translated by Bosnian-German activist and author Sejfuddin Dizdarević. I don't know if it was translated from the author's manuscript or if there is a Bosnian edition of the book.

Hasan Hasanović was a young man living close to Srebrenica with his parents and siblings when the Bosnian war started. He had deserted from the Yugoslavian army when he had noticed that it was used to suppress Croatians in their homeland. When Serbian nationalists attacked his village, he tried to defend it with a few other men, before fleeing to Srecrenica. The book chronicles the events in that town, a time full of death, hunger and misery, until the army started overrunning it. Together with about 20,000 men, Hasan formed a column to flee from Srebrenica and to make their way to independent Bosnian territory. The way was full of terrible risks and dangers, and the majority of the men died, but staying in Srebrenica would have been certain death as well. Hasan actually made it, and he wrote this book about his experiences nearly thirty years later.

Unlike "Lauf, Mädchen, lauf!", this book does not spare you the details. Hasan tells the reader about unspeakable crimes and cruelty. He also describes what witnessing and living through this did to him. The book shows that the Bosniaks who were subjected to these crimes were simply ordinary people - not "wild Balkan people" who were somehow used to this, but normal people who just wanted to live with their families in peace.

I learned a lot from this book and I read many passages to my husband because they were so incredible to me.

Having said all this, the book would be even better if it had a good editor. There are many grammatical errors and missing words. Sometimes people appear as if the reader should know who they are although they were never mentioned before. Some chapters could also be shortened a bit because the narration is lost sometimes in the details of who said what, who went where and who organized what. The structure could be more tight.

This does not take away from the emotional power of the book, though. I just think that it is a shame that it is not published by a big publisher and edited to make it even better. It deserves a wider audience and an even more professional treatment.

I'm appreciating and noting your Bosnia reading. May I ask what prompted you down this particular path?

>56 labfs39: I was looking for books to read in preparation for our trip to Bosnia this summer. There are not that many Bosnian books in German or English, and most seem to deal with the Bosnian war. On the other hand, I felt compelled to learn about it before I go there. Once I had started reading, I was shocked by how little I knew and how much more there was to the story than what is generally reported. I had never heard about the column of men leaving Srebrenica, for example.
One thing that also strikes me is that it is not ancient history at all. I was born in 1986 and contrary to most historical topics I read about, I do remember seeing the "Yugoslavian wars" in the news. Reading about these events, I cannot believe that I was a child when it happened and that it happened relatively close to me. Of course this does not mean that genocides that happened earlier or further away are less terrible.
Another aspect is that when the war in Ukraine started in 2022, many German news outlets reported that it was "the first war on European soil since World War Two". It was outrageous - as if the wars in the Balkan region had never happened (and, of course, strictly speaking the war in Ukraine had started in 2014). This also showed me that it is absolutely necessary to learn more and not to forget about it.

Of course! (slaps forehead) I completely forgot you were going there this summer. Dumb question, but great answer. The only things I've read by Bosnian authors are Bridge on the Drina and Zlata's Diary. I do own Shards by Ismet Prcic, but haven't read it.

>58 labfs39: No worries! I will add the ones you mentioned to my list of possibilities.

This weekend I needed something short and undemanding to start with, and since I hadn't filled in a BingoDOG square for quite some time, I chose Pearl and the Baker by Sienna Peake, a regency retelling of Hansel and Gretel.



Book No 39

"Pearl and the Baker" by Sienna Peake
Series: Once in a Wood (1/4)
First published in 2024
Love and Lilacs Press
ebook, 91pp.
Rating: 2 1/2 stars - **°

CATs & KITs: April HomeCAT - Kitchen, April AlphaKIT - J-P
BingoDOG: A retelling of a fairy tale or myth
My Own Categories: Romance - Historical Romance, Series

Pearl is Henry's older sister and the two live with their father and stepmother. Money is short, mainly due to the stepmother's lust for luxury, and she threatens to send Henry away to a horrible school and Pearl to find work as a governess so that she can send money home. When Pearl hears of this plan, she and Henry flee in the middle of the night. After running through a large forest they find shelter with a young baker who lives in a cottage in the woods with his elderly aunt. Pearl is injured, so they decide to stay a while and hide. Of course, Pearl and the baker fall in love, but the idyll is broken after a while.

The story is very cozy, and nothing much happens, so this felt longer than 91 pages to me. The cardboard characters did not make it more interesting. However, I did like how the author incorporates many elements from the fairy tale, be they big or small, and how she creates a fairy tale atmosphere although it is not a fantasy story. It could have been set in almost any time period, though, as the regency details are not strong.

Today we finally watched another "The Rings of Power" episode.

Season 1, episode 6: Udûn

- This was an exciting and action-packed episode that felt much shorter than it actually is.
- The depiction of the attacks on the people of the Southlands seemed realistic to me, as if this is like it really could have happened.
- I like Isildur very much and cannot really imagine him keeping the One Ring - if this is a part of the show, I am curious to see how his character arc will be constructed.
- Arondir continues being a fantastic character and I am so glad he is a part of the show.
- Adar is another great character. I like the depth he brings to the show and that while he is evil, there seem to be some grey areas to him as well, as he is a victim as well as a perpetrator.
- I still do not like the "key thing", even if I am glad that it was finally revealed what it does. Although of course an actual key plays an important role in The Hobbit, this thing does not seem very Tolkienian to me.
- Nerd of the Rings puts it perfectly: This episode shows the first step in the transition of Mordor.

Sorry to read about your trip to Australia being cancelled. It sounds like your alternative plan is going to be a wonderful holiday though. Your reading of authors from the region reminded me of a small publisher who focuses on translating books from the region into English. I went and had a look at their website. This is very dangerous for my attempts to resist buying new books! I heard about them when I was part of an online bookgroup reading fiction in translation (sadly, it is no more) and there were some discussions from the translators about doing work from the region. Most of which I think I have forgotten, sadly! As someone who doesn't have fluency in another language, I find it fascinating hearing about the work of people who make a career out of it. I wondered if you had come across the publisher:
https://istrosbooks.com/books/

If I search by tags though from my books, Body Kintsugi is the one I've labelled from a Bosnian author.
Not sure if that is available in German too. I'm sorry that I've given my copy away otherwise I could have posted it to you if it was interesting. It's centred on a cancer diagnosis: I found it hard going.

>52 MissBrangwen: Well done with the flight refund. Customer service is not a concept our local airlines are familiar with.

Jasmina Kuhnke is a screenwriter and activist who especially posts about racism and misogyny in Germany. I am not following her actively, but her posts have come up in my feed time and time again. I bought her debut novel Schwarzes Herz (Black Heart) when it came out in 2021 and I have used one chapter in my lessons, but now I finally read the whole novel.



Book No 40

"Schwarzes Herz" by Jasmina Kuhnke
First published in 2021
rowohlt
Hardback, 208pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: April CultureKIT - Hobbyist Subculture, April AlphaKIT - J-P
BingoDOG: Female author's debut novel
Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Germany)
My Own Categories: Diversity, Literary Fiction

Jasmina Kuhnke is a Croatian-Senegalese-German born in 1981 who grew up in the Ruhr Area. This novel is largely influenced by the author's life, so much that sometimes it is hard to distinguish if Kuhnke or the novel's narrator is the one who is speaking. Be that as it may, it is a compelling story.

When the narrator, who is not given a name, is born, the doctor is shocked that the baby is Black and asks the mother if she knew about that. This is the first instance of racism the narrator is subjected to, and systemic as well as casual racism heavily influence her life throughout childhood and adolescence. As a young woman, she enters into a marriage that is full of violence and hatred, and it takes a lot of time and strength for her to finally find her voice and independence.

The novel includes many shocking incidences that portray how Black Germans were and are treated, and how women often suffer under the men in their lives, be they (step)fathers or partners. The dangers, the suffocating atmosphere and the consequences of living under control of a violent and unpredictable man are described in a very realistic way.
The style and the language of the novel are left behind a bit compared to the contents. The writing is a bit pedestrian and flat and there are some grammatical errors. While the language is authentic and the text is easy to follow, it just could have been written more interestingly and distinctly.

Nevertheless, the novel is well worth a read and I admire Jasmina Kuhnke for her courage and the stamina to put this kind of book out there.

>62 charl08: Thank you for pointing out Istros Books! I have heard about them before, but had forgotten.
I don't think I am up to reading about a cancer diagnosis, but I'll check out if anything else is available by Senka Marić.

>63 pamelad: Yes, it was a good idea to wait with the cancellation!

Lovers at the Museum was my first ever read by Isabel Allende. It is only a short story, but I think that such stories are a great way to try new authors, and I also enjoy the form itself.
The text was translated from the Spanish by the author herself.



Book No 41

"Lovers at the Museum" by Isabel Allende
Original Title: Los Amantes del Guggenheim
First published in 2001
Amazon Original Stories
ebook, 24pp.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: April DecadeCAT - 00s, April ArtsCAT - Museums
Other LT Challenges: 26 Short Stories for 2026 (detective)
My Own Categories: Literary Fiction

Two young lovers are found by a cleaning lady at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao one morning. The woman is wearing a wedding dress, the man is naked, they are embracing and have obviously spent the night at the museum.
However, when Detective Larramendi interrogates them, nothing seems consistent and the case defies any logic.

To me, this tale has two meanings: The power of love to totally absorb people into their own story and their own world, and the power of art as a refuge where people can be free and are able to be themselves. I like the portrayal of the museum as a place where the usual laws of nature do not seem to apply.

One thing that irritated me was the complete mood swing of the detective towards the end, although I really did like how the story ends and what the last sentence signifies.

>66 MissBrangwen: I just read this too. I was surprised by the humor.

>67 labfs39: Yes, me too! I had to chuckle a few times.

When we visited Beatrix Potter's cottage last summer, I bought The Tale of Two Bad Mice. I had already read Peter Rabbit and decided on this one because we saw the actual doll's house that inspired the tale. It had just recently gone on display and there was a whole exhibition about the doll's house and the story.



Book No 42

"The Tale of Two Bad Mice" by Beatrix Potter
First published in 1904
Frederick Warne
Hardcover, 57pp.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars - ****°

CATs & KITs: April DecadeCAT - 00s, April Coloured CoverKIT - Yellow / Celestial Object, April AlphaKIT - J-P

When the nursery is empty and the dolls have gone on an outing, Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca, the two bad mice, enter the doll's house. They are delighted to find some food, but when they realize that it is not real, they run rampage.

The story is full of twists, and I must say that I totally rooted for the mice. My favourite picture is the one where Tom Thumb explains the dangers of the mouse trap to his family. I like that the pictures add details and content to the story. In any case, I love Beatrix Potter's pictures and especially these ones because the mice are so pretty and cute. I know that some people find them too saccharine, but I just love them. I never read these books as a child, but I totally enjoy the world Beatrix Potter creates.

Another Bosnian writer you may like is Sasa Stanisic (he is now based in Germany) (forgive the lack of diacritics on his name there, it would have taken ages on this keyboard!). His debut was How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone which is the only one I've read, but he's written lots since.

>70 Jackie_K: I have his Herkunft on my shelf and hope to get to it soon! I started it once and really liked it, but abandoned it for no apparent reason.

>69 MissBrangwen: I read the entire collection of Beatrix Potter stories to my nieces a couple of years ago. Some of the stories are quite traumatic! Back in the day stories for children did not coddle their emotions (or the poor animals).

>72 labfs39: I only read Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Two Bad Mice, but I must say that I flinched a little when the mousetrap appeared (and hurrayed when I realized that the mice were aware of the danger). Beatrix Potter is not really a thing in Germany, at least when I grew up, and I only became aware of the stories when I first traveled to the Lake District ten years ago, so your post was really interesting to me. And yes, there certainly was much more cruelty in children's stories in the past! I was quite shocked when I read some of the original Grimm's fairy tales for uni (but then those weren't solely for children).

Happy new thread, Mirjam! It's lovely to visit your travel pictures again.

Too bad about the Australia trip cancellation. Bosnia and Montenegro will be wonderful. I remember reading a Rex Stout book where Nero Wolfe left his NY apartment and went adventuring and detecting in Montenegro. I believe it was The Black Mountain.

>74 VivienneR: Thank you, Vivienne! I haven't read any books in the Nero Wolfe series, but the wikipedia article tells me that Wolfe is supposed to have been born in Montenegro - how interesting!

>76 VivienneR: Yes, interesting! I didn't know that - although it may have been mentioned in the book, but I read it several years ago and have forgotten many details.

>76 VivienneR: I certainly understand that! I have forgotten all the details of, let's say, the first Rebus or Wallander books.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell was my first ever read by this author. I really enjoyed it and wonder why it took me so long! She was all the rage already about a decade ago, but then I only really started reading romance in 2022 or so.



Book No 43

"Slow Dance" by Rainbow Rowell
First published in 2024
William Morrow
ebook, 391pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: May Coloured CoverKIT - Turquoise / Jewelry, May RandomKIT - Dance Like No One Is Watching
BingoDOG: Set entirely or in part at sea
Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (USA)
My Own Categories: Romance - Contemporary Romance

Cary and Shiloh were best friends at high school and always felt drawn to each other, but for one reason or the other, they never became a couple. After having no contact for fourteen years they meet again at a friend's wedding and wonder if they will be able to reconnect and rekindle their friendship, or even more. Their feelings have not diminished, but neither have their problems or the things that hold them back.

Second chance is not my favourite trope, but still, I really enjoyed this novel. Cary and Shiloh are real and authentic people with real-life problems. I appreciated that they are not your usual beautiful, wealthy and successful protagonists. In contrast, they do not look perfect, they do not have advantageous backgrounds and they struggle in their lives. Still, they do their best on a daily basis and they are always there for those who need support.

While the main story, which is set in 2006, is linear, there are a lot of flashbacks which jump around in time. In the beginning this disturbed my reading flow a little, but then I settled into it and I really liked how the author used the flashbacks to provide deeper characterization. The story absolutely drew me in and I felt for these characters so much. I think I haven't read any dialogues as well-written as these ones in any romance novel before. However, I must say that Shiloh was a bit much sometimes, especially towards the end. Her behavior started getting on my nerves because while I understand that dating again as a single mom is not easy and the challenges were portrayed very well (as far as I can judge), it is not like there aren't any other patchwork families in the world and she really should have stopped managing everything and should have started to trust Cary sooner.
The ending also felt a bit drawn out. I think it is great that the HEA didn't happen at once and the reader gets to read about Cary and Shiloh before their marriage, but the pacing was a little odd.

Despite these criticisms, though, all in all I loved this novel and cannot wait to read more by the author.

It was not that easy to find a book on my actual or digital shelves that fits both prompts of this month's Coloured CoverKIT: Turquoise and Jewelry. After some searching, though, I found Tune in Tomorrow by Melanie Benjamin, one of the Amazon Original Stories.



Book No 44

"Tune in Tomorrow" by Melanie Benjamin
Publisher Series: Blaze Collection
First published in 2024
Amazon Original Stories
ebook, 37pp.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars - ***°

CATs & KITs: May Coloured CoverKIT - Turquoise / Jewelry
Other LT Challenges: 26 Short Stories for 2026 (title beginning with P – T)
My Own Categories: Historical Fiction

"Tune in Tomorrow" is part of the Blaze Collection, a collection of stories featuring trailblazing women. The main character of this story is Abby Taylor, a radio and TV writer. The character was inspired by Irna Phillips, who pioneered the soap opera for a female audience in the US.

The story is framed by an interview conducted with Abby. As she gives her answers, there are flashbacks through which the reader learns about her life. She is a determined and strong woman who has followed her dreams but who also regrets her mistakes.

While the structure is clever, the interview parts always kicked me out of the story a bit. I also found it hard to warm up to Abby at first. I did learn a lot about the early days of television, though, and I admire how the author packed so many aspects into such a short text: The work life of women from the 1930s to the 1950s, some of their private challenges, a love story, family dynamics and even more, and still the story does not feel overburdened.

>78 MissBrangwen: I also just read and enjoyed Slow Dance and thought it was very well done with realistic characters and situations. Previously I had read Fangirl and also really enjoyed that one as well.

>80 DeltaQueen50: I have Fangirl on my kindle and hope to get to it soonish! I'm glad we agree about Slow Dance.

>66 MissBrangwen: I've read about 4 Allendes, not really a fan, not a hater either! However, I'm going to give this short story a go!

>82 Tess_W: That's how I would describe my experience with this book as well, as can be seen from the rating of 3 1/2 stars. I have The Wind Knows My Name on my kindle and will try that next, as the story sounds interesting.

This month's theme for NonfictionCAT is archaeology, a topic that fascinates me. I do have some proper books about it, but I don't have the time or the mind space for them at the moment, so I chose to read the Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, which I bought when I first visited that museum in 2012. While I had browsed this guide before, I had never properly read it.



Book No 45

"Guide to the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology" by Eamonn P. Kelly
First published in 2007
National Museum of Ireland
Paperback, 48pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: May NonfictionCAT - Archaeology, May AlphaKIT - A-W
My Own Categories: Nonfiction - History

This guide is slim, but it features an introduction to all the sections of the archaeological museum in Dublin and photos of some of the exhibited items. While most of the sections showcase Irish items, ranging from prehistoric Ireland to the end of the Middle Ages, there are also finds from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Cyprus.
The texts provide a quick overview of the history of Ireland that is concise and easy to understand, but not too shallow. The pictures are stunning and once again, I marveled at the craftsmanship and the beauty of the archaeological finds, many of them made of gold and silver. There are lunulae, brooches and bracelets, but also weapons, crucifixes, book covers and many other things.
Some items are described in detail, but there is no picture shown, which is a pity. In addition, the chapters about Egypt and Cyprus could have been a bit longer. They feel like a small add-on, but I would have liked to learn a bit more.
Apart from that, it is a wonderful guide and it just made me want to visit Ireland, and the museum, again.

One of the first books I came across when searching for Montenegrin books was My Father, the Prince by Milena Petrović-Njegoš Thompson. Those few ratings it has are really high, so I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I did not like it that much.



Book No 46

"My Father, the Prince" by Milena Petrović-Njegoš Thompson
First published in 2000
Xlibris
ebook, 204pp.
Rating: 2 1/2 stars - **°

CATs & KITs: April RandomKIT - From Queens to Knights
Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Montenegro)
My Own Categories: Nonfiction - Biography

This book is a biography of Milo Petrović-Njegoš, or Milo of Montenegro, a member of the Montenegrin Royal family who lived from 1889 to 1978. It was written by his daughter Milena. He left her mother and her in the US when she was a baby. She only met him again when she was in her late thirties and he was an elderly man living in exile in Connemara, Ireland. The biography traces his upbringing in Montenegro and St Petersburg, his activities during World War I after which he had to go into exile, his quest to raise awareness for Montenegro's plight when it lost its independence and his resignation and reclusion in rural Ireland.

While the story is interesting, it is not very readable because the author includes so much historical background (a lot of it unnecessary because it is common knowledge, such as the basics of the two world wars), as well as a lot of name dropping. So many European royals are named. I gather that she wants to show how well connected her father and the Montenegrin Royal family were, but it makes the text unwieldy and hems the reading flow. Quite often, the book reads more like a history text book rather than a biography, and I would have wished for a lot more personal information abut Milo. Even when it comes to the fact that he left the author's American mother and her, being just a baby, to go back to Europe and continue his political work, the consequences and implications of this are hardly mentioned. While there is one scene that shows how disappointed she was as a teenager when he called off a planned visit, apart from that, we do not learn anything about her emotions. The relationship between father and daughter clearly was difficult until right before his death, but the author never lets the reader know her feelings. Was she disappointed, resentful, did she long for him? How does she feel about being a princess, of only getting to know the country of Montenegro as an adult? I would have loved to learn about that.
On the other hand, while she gives sources, the historical bits are deeply steeped in personal opinions. For example, it is clear that she writes from a royalist point of view, no matter the country, and I often wondered if I could really trust the information I was given.

All in all, I did learn some things about Montenegro and the story is interesting, but the book would have needed a good editor and a clearer aim of what the author wanted to achieve - a personal story or a history of Montenegro.

Hello at long last! I am glad you are watching Rings of Power and I'm enjoying reading your reviews of the episodes. I came to it late myself since I do not wish to support the streaming service on which it is offered, but as several friends pointed out, they are the ones who could support the budget and were willing to make the episodes. The sudden change to Udun was a great episode, and I also wonder how Isildur is going to become the person who refuses to give up the One Ring when the time comes. Maybe seeing him as a good and capable son of Numenor will be how we see his change come about?

I was in Hannover in the spring of 1992 at a trade show and met people from Poland and Romania and the newly dissolved Yugoslavia for the first time in my life. And vice versa; I remember the happiness we both felt knowing that the Iron Curtain had lifted. And yet, a month or so later, the Bosnian War broke out and I thought about the men (it was the early days of IT) with whom I had spoken and their hopes for their companies and my heart just broke. I can recommend Love Thy Neighbor as a book about the outbreak of the Seige of Sarajavo. Peter Maas, the author, was a reporter on the scene and he tells about the unfolding of the events as they happened and the disbelief he felt.

>85 MissBrangwen: Like you, I like to read a book set in or about my holiday destination. Sorry that you've had a pivot your reading country, but sometimes best to make a decision than worry about it. Hope your further reading about Montenegro is more to your taste.

>78 MissBrangwen: So glad you enjoyed Slow Dance! I really love Rowell, especially her novels for adults. My favorite so far is still her debut, Attachments.

>86 threadnsong: I enjoyed reading your thoughts about RoP and your memories of 1992. I distinctly remember traveling to parts of the former GDR in 1990 and 1991, when I was just a small child. It looked and felt like a different world to me. Thank you for the recommendation.

>87 Helenliz: Exactly, we felt relieved when we had finally made the decision. I have some more books about Montenegro lined up and I'm quite optimistic about them.

>88 christina_reads: I'm taking note of Attachments!

I listened to The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie, the first book in the Chance Sisters series, three years ago and liked it, but after that I focused on other series. Now I finally returned to it and listened to the second book. Luckily, I still remembered most of the plot, so I did not have any difficulty to follow The Winter Bride right away.



Book No 47

"The Winter Bride" by Anne Gracie
Series: Chance Sisters (2/5)
First published in 2014
Tantor Audio
Digital audiobook, 12h 32min
Rating: 3 stars - ***

CATs & KITs: May Coloured CoverKIT - Turquoise / Jewelry, May AlphaKIT - A-W
My Own Categories: Romance - Historical Romance, Series

Freddy Monkton-Coombes is a rake who has a good heart, but no interest in marriage at all. Damaris Chance is a young woman who has sworn not to marry, but dreams of owning her own cottage and living there freely and on her own terms. When Freddy needs a betrothed to show to his family in order to ward off their attempts to make him choose a bride, he proposes a deal to Damaris that she cannot help but accept. However, they soon discover that there is much more to both of them that can be seen above the surface, and they both have tragic pasts that they need to overcome to find happiness.

I did not like this book as much as the first in the series because Freddy and Damaris were not my favourite characters. I think that Freddy often treats Damaris in a way that is too teasing and provocative. He is often described as kind, but I could not really see that in many scenes between the two. Damaris got on my nerves as well, but I suspect that one reason for that was the way the narrator, Alison Larkin, voiced her. I enjoyed Larkin's performance in general, but not the intonation she gave Damaris, which is too frail and naive considering Damaris's character and what she has lived through.

The fake relationship or betrothal is one of my favourite tropes, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story, but it seemed to drag on. I enjoyed the last third of the novel the most, when things finally get in motion and there is more action. I was also happy when Abby and Max finally appeared, my favourite characters so far.

>90 MissBrangwen: I liked this book more than you did, largely because I really loved Freddy! But oh well, to each her own. :) Are you planning to continue with the series?

>91 christina_reads: Yes, I'll definitely go on with the series and hope to read the next book soon. I like the world Anne Gracie creates in general and also the other characters. It's good to hear that you enjoyed this book!

>92 MissBrangwen: I'm an Anne Gracie fan in general too. I have a couple more of her books on my shelves -- I should really get to them one of these days!

>93 christina_reads: I'm looking forward to your reviews when you do!

Last weekend, we finally watched the last two episodes of the first season of Rings of Power, so here are my thoughts.
Once again, there are big spoilers here.

Season 1, episode 7: The Eye

- The beginning of this episode is so tense and apocalyptic. Well done! Nerd of the Rings points out how it ties in with Boromir's description of Mordor in LotR, which makes me appreciate it even more.
- Like everyone else, I thought that the ending of the episode is quite weak. Adar should just have said "Mordor", or there should have been a map transition. Such a missed opportunity!
- I wonder about the three mystic women. Why are they there? Are they necessary? I think they are my least favourite element of the show so far.
- Nerd of the Rings also explains that Durin likely cries because he realizes that Elrond will have to leave Middle-earth and they will never see each other again. Oh my :'-(
- I am definitely not a fan of the Mithril story.
- Galadriel finally seems to be more Galadriel-like in her dialogues with Theo.
- I also like the scene of Disa and Durin and how she believes in him and gives him strength. They are a great couple.

Season 1, episode 8: Alloyed

- On the whole, it is a very exciting episode because so much happens!
- I cried a lot when Nori said farewell. Of course it's meant to tuck at your heartstrings, but still.
- I did not at all expect the three Elven rings to be made in this episode already. This was very sudden and also seemed to be too quick. I must say that it was a bit disappointing. It is something that is so important and so big that it does not seem appropriate to squeeze it into one part of one single episode!
- I knew that Halbrand was Sauron, but my husband didn't and he was totally surprised. I am so happy that I kept it a secret all this time! I loved the imagery this episode creates of Sauron, mainly when he arrives in Mordor and looks out over it, and the image of him and Galadriel mirrored by the sea, him wearing the crown. Absolutely stunning.
- The mystic women look like the Nazgûl when they are in the unseen world - why?
- I like Elendil more and more, and in this episode, especially his dialogue with Míriel in the belly of the ship.
- The foreshadowing when it comes to Ar-Pharazôn is well done. I am really looking forward to that storyline.
- The reference to Galadriel's temptation in LotR (dark queen etc.) was on the nose, but I still liked it.

>95 MissBrangwen: Well-summed up! And I agree that a well-placed map on what becomes Mordor was a missed opportunity.

>95 MissBrangwen: I like your comments on the series very much, thank you for those. I didn’t connect with the series when it was shown (dubbed) on some TV channel here, but now I think the original would be worth looking out for.

>96 threadnsong: I just don't understand why they didn't go with the map since they had used those beautiful maps in the beginning of the series!

>97 MissWatson: It definitely has its flaws, but to me it's worth it for the positive aspects.
I just realized that I haven't watched a single scene in German (not even a teaser), so I cannot comment on the dubbed version.

Hi LT friends!

May has ended quite stressfully for me for several reasons, so I couldn't do much reading. This time is always the busiest at work each year and I have a lot of grading to do. Last weekend, we visited my mom and our car had some problems, so we didn't feel up to driving home using it (400km on the freeway/autobahn). It was very stressful to organize everything and our car is still in Cologne now.
I do expect things to cool down a little, though.
Readingwise, I still did finish some things and hope to write reviews soon, and of course also to catch up here.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper is one of the English-language classics we own at school and two weeks ago I took the time to read it.



Book No 48

"The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper
First published in 1930
Grosset & Dunlap
Paperback, 40pp.
Rating: 4 stars - ****

CATs & KITs: May DecadeCAT - 1930s, May AlphaKIT - A-W

This picture book is about a train delivering toys to the children in a little town. The train breaks down and the toys wait for an engine that will help them to reach the town. All the engines that go past them deny the task, though, until the little engine agrees.

At first I was a bit put off by the story because I missed some background - why is the train delivering the toys? Some of the toys felt a bit creepy to me. However, once the little engine came along, I rooted for it and I really liked the onomatopoeia (I think I can - I think I can - I think I can...) and the message of the book.

>99 MissBrangwen: I hope all goes well with your grading and the car!

Dying Rose by Douglas Smith, Kathryn Bermingham, Emily Olle and Gemma Jones was a BB by Jayne (@jayneCM).



Book No 49

"Dying Rose" by Douglas Smith, Kathryn Bermingham, Emily Olle & Gemma Jones
First published in 2025
HarperCollins
ebook, 296pp.
Rating: 5 stars - *****

Other LT Challenges: Global Challenge (Australia - South Australia)
My Own Categories: Australia, Diversity, Nonfiction - Others

This book was written as a follow up to the Dying Rose podcast, which was published by the Advertiser newspaper from Adelaide in South Australia. The podcast investigated the stories of six young First Nations women who died and whose deaths, apart from one, seemed suspicious to their families but were never fully explained. The families were left with questions that were never answered, as the deaths were quickly ruled to be suicides because the women fit the demographic.
There is one chapter each about each of the six women, and all of the stories feature heartbreak, problems and difficult situations, but also love, especially the love of family. The voices of those who loved these women are featured a lot, mainly the mothers who try to find answers and are often simply ignored by the police.
One story differs a bit. Shanarra Bright-Campbell really did suicide herself at home. Her brother called an ambulance, but then police arrived as well and arrested him.
Charlene Warrior, Lasonya Dutton, Lyla Nettle, Charli Powell and Rose Hunter-Hebberman all died suddenly and left families in grief and with lots of questions, only to be then not taken seriously by the authorities.
The last chapter of the book explains the mechanisms at work here, the underlying racism and what needs to be done in the future. The book is not senseless police bashing, but it uncovers the problems of the system and shines a light on these six stories that, in most cases, would not have gotten a lot of media coverage otherwise.

>101 christina_reads: Thank you! My husband plans to pick up the car in Cologne on Friday, as it seems to be fine again.