Jeb's 888

I know today's the 24th of July, but I like the challenge. I made up this list:

I. I see dead people
II. China
III. 500+
IV. I spy with my little eye
V. Vlaanderen
VI. Each country a detective
VII. Bella Italia
VIII. Funny books

I've already read about 33 of them this year, so that's handy ;-)

By the way, I'm Flemish, so some of the books are only available in Dutch. Sometimes that's a shame. Not always, sadly.

I. I see dead people

Books about famous dead people. Fiction or non-fiction.

1. Hendrik Conscience - De leeuw van Vlaanderen - jan08
2. Tom Holland - Rubicon - mar08
3. Roel Richelieu van Londersele - De vernietiging van Einstein - apr08
4. Andrea Camilleri - Luigi Pirandello - jun08
5. Robert Graves - Ik, Claudius - aug08
6. Ludo De Witte - De moord op Lumumba - aug08
7. Claude Cueni - Het grote spel - sep08
8. Monaldi & Sorti - Het ei van Salaì

Conscience was a Flemish writer who wrote about the Guldensporenslag, the battle between the French and the Flemish in 1302. Which we won, of course ;-)
Rubicon by Tom Holland of course refers to the crossing of the Italian river Rubicon by Julius Caesar.
Londersele is also a Flemish writer. He published De vernietiging van Einstein this year. It's about Albert Einstein (oh really?) as the subject of a murder attempt at the Belgian coast.
Italian Andrea Camilleri writes crime novels featuring the unforgetable Salvo Montalbano, but he also writes historic novels, such as Luigi Pirandello, who was born in the same Sicilian place as Camilleri himself.
Claudius may not have been the most famous Roman emperor ever, but he will do just fine in this list.
De moord op Lumumba is a non fiction book about the killing of Congo's first elected prime minister, back in 1961.
Het grote spel bij Claude Cueni is about John Law, who introduced paper money back in the 18th century.
Het ei van Salaì is the second book in a serie about the stepson of Leonardo da Vinci, Giangiacomo Caprotti.

What's next?
I have a book about J. Edgar Hoover (Het geheime leven van J. Edgar Hoover in Dutch) by French writer Marc Dugain, and N., featuring Napoleon, by Ernesto Ferrero.

II. China

Has never been much of an item in my library. I tried a biography of Mao once, but I didn't like it. Anyway, this is going to be the hardest category, so any suggestion is really welcome!

1. William C. Gordon - De dode in smoking - jul08
2. Henning Mankell - De Chinees - jul08
3. Qiu Xiaolong - Als rood zwart is - oct08
4. Robert van Gulik - Halssnoer en kalebas - oct08
5. Agatha Christie - De grote vier - nov08
6. James Kynge - China zet de wereld op z'n kop - dec08
7. Peter May - De seriemoordenaar - dec08
8. Ma Jian - De noedelmaker - dec08

III. 500+

Over 500 pages per book.

1. Michel Faber - Lelieblank, scharlakenrood (The Crimson Petal and the White) - feb08
2. Giorgio Faletti - Ik dood (Io Uccido) - jun08
3. Henning Mankell - De Chinees - jul08
4. Tim Weiner - Een spoor van vernieling - aug08
5. José Rodrigues Dos Santos - De godsformule - sep08
6. Carla del Ponte - Mevrouw de aanklager - nov08
7. Stieg Larsson - Mannen die vrouwen haten - nov08
8. Robert Fisk - De grote beschavingsoorlog - nov08

IV. I spy with my little eye

A real spy or a fake one.

1. Jens Henrik Jensen - Spookschip - jan08
2. Tim Weiner - Een spoor van vernieling - aug08
3. Robert Littell - Het verraad van A.J. Lewinter - aug08
4. John le Carré - De ondraaglijke vrede - aug08
5. Sebastian Faulks - Devil may care - aug08
6. José Rodrigues Dos Santos - De godsformule - sep08
7. John le Carré - De luistervink - oct08
8. John le Carré - De toegewijde tuinier - nov08

V. Vlaanderen

Vlaanderen, Flanders. As in: the better part of Belgium ;-)

1. Geert Libeer - Proces van schande - jan08
2. Jan Balliauw - Brullende muis - jan08
3. Toni Coppers - Niets is ooit - apr08
4. Frank Adam - Confidenties aan een ezelsoor 3 - may08
5. Wim Menheer - Alfred Lek - jun08
6. Dimitri Verhulst - De helaasheid der dingen - aug08
7. Bart Debbaut - Scherven - sep08
8. Dimitri Verhulst - Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol - sep08

VI. Each country a detective

Eight different places on earth, eight different detectives.

1. Denmark: Jens Henrik Jensen - Spookschip - jan08
2. Norway: Jo Nesbø - De verlosser - apr08
3. Scotland: Quintin Jardine - Dodelijke valstrik (Death's Door) - apr08
4. England: Ruth Rendell - De fruitplukker (Not in the Flesh) - may08
5. USA: James Lee Burke - Chaos in New Orleans - may08
6. France: Martin Walker - Bruno, Chef de Police - jul08
7. Germany: Philip Kerr - Een stille vlam - oct08
8. Russia: Martin Cruz Smith - De geest van Stalin - oct08

VII. Bella Italia

I love Italian writers!

1. Davide Longo - De steeneter - feb08
2. Francesco Abate - Ik vertrouw je - mar08
3. Silvio d'Arzo - Andermans huis - mar08
4. Beppe Severgnini - Italianen voor gevorderden - may08
5. Stefano Benni - De snelvoetige Achilles - jun08
6. Primo Levi - Is dit een mens - jun08
7. Pietro Grossi - Vuistslagen - jun08
8. Ugo Riccarelli - Een zee van niets - aug08

VIII. Funny books

Always in for a laugh.

1. Stephen Fry - Speelbal - feb08
2. Hugo Matthysen - Nefast voor het konijn - mar08
3. Arne Dahl - Europa Blues - mar08
4. Kurt Vonnegut - Slachthuis Vijf - may08
5. Bavo Dhooge - SMAK - may08
6. Andrea Camilleri - Verstikkende zomerhitte - jul08
7. Dominique Sylvain - Het samoeraimeisje - aug08
8. David Sedaris - Wanneer je omringd bent door vlammen - oct08

DOUBLES

1. Jens Henrik Jensen - Spookschip
2. Henning Mankell - De Chinees
3. Tim Weiner - Een spoor van vernieling
4. José Rodrigues Dos Santos - De godsformule
5.
6.
7.
8.

I've finished De Chinees today, by Swedish writer Henning Mankell. I't a 500+ book about China, which is perfect for my challenge :-)

De Chinees is my no. 28 and 29 out of 64.

Finished Een spoor van vernieling by Tim Weiner at about 2 this morning. Very interesting book. It brings me to a total of 31 out of 64.

In the mean time, I've started reading Het verraad van A.J. Lewinter (The Defection of A.J. Lewinter) by Robert Littell.

I read Het verraad van A.J. Lewinter yesterday. Nice book, but not Littell's best.

New total: 32/64. Halfway!

96 pages: De ondraaglijke vrede by John Le Carré. Another spy book, third in a row, about a Swiss spy in the seventies.

Brings me up to 33 out of 64.

The new 007 is quite 007-ish. A job well done, I think. Devil may care is no. 34 out of 64.

Well I've completed the Bella Italia eight. Ugo Riccarelli's Een zee van niets was the last one. I'm up to 35 now, out of 64. It's going well.

I see dead people: Claudius, Caligula, Augustus and so on in Ik, Claudius by Robert Graves. No. 36!

I've added Het samoeraimeisje van Dominique Sylvain to the funny books list.
Today, I also finished the splendid De helaasheid der dingen by Dimitri Verhulst (Vlaanderen. Also quite funny, actually).

New total is 38 of 64. It's going well.

No. 39: De moord op Lumumba by Ludo De Witte (I see dead people - could also end up in Vlaanderen)

No. 40: Scherven by Bart Debbaut (Vlaanderen)

No. 41 & 42: De godsformule (A Fórmula de Deus) by José Rodrigues Dos Santos (I spy & +500)

No. 43: Het grote spel (Das grosse Spiel) by Claude Cueni, about famous dead guy John Law.

No. 44: Godverdomse dagen op een godverdomse bol by Flemish writer Dimitri Verhulst.

An interesting choice, obvious titles as Caos Calmo by Sandro Veronesi or Seta by Alessandro Baricco are not mentionned, nor is any book of Ammaniti.
So, i have a long way to go in Italian writers, i guess.
Lunar 18

I've also read Veronesi, Baricco and Ammaniti, but not this year. You can check Italibro or De wraak van de dodo, if you're interested.
http://users.telenet.be/italibro/index.html
http://wraakvandedodo.blogspot.com/search/label/bella%20italia

PS. Ik had blijkbaar ook gewoon in het Nederlands kunnen antwoorden ;-)

No.45: Een stille vlam by Philip Kerr. Excellent book starring German detective Bernie Gunther.

No.46&47: Als rood zwart is by Qiu Xiaolong. Both China and Detective.
No.48: Halssnoer en kalebas by Robert van Gulik: China!

No. 49: De luistervink by John Le Carré (I spy...)

Wat te denken van Godenslaap van Erwin Mortier. Heb je ervaringen met deze schrijver ?
Lunar18

Ik denk dat ik ooit wel Mijn tweede huid las, maar daar weet ik nog bitter weinig van. Goeie schrijver?

Dat had ik gehoopt van jou te vernemen ;-)
Hij staat met stip op mijn lijstje van "te ontdekken auteurs".

Misschien moeten we dan allebei eens proberen :-)

I've been changing my lists a bit. I'm now up to 53 out of 64, with only 3 doubles. Last one to be added was Arkadi Renko, Russian policeman in De geest van Stalin by Martin Cruz Smith.

The China challenge is a tough one. Maybe I'll broaden it a bit. We'll see.

Hi, jebronse!
I read a couple of Martin Cruz Smith books on Arkady Renko several years ago and really liked them. Did you like this one? What would the title be in English?

I definitely broadened my categories to get more books in them. Sounds like you are almost through with your challenge. Good luck! :)
--BJ

Hi billiejean,

I'm not that big a fan of Martin Cruz Smith. This was the third book I read (it was Stalin's Ghost, by the way) and I find them hard to get through. You have to stay focused all the time. But on the other hand, I like the themes and the story.

'China' could become 'Asia'. That would bring two more books into the list. I've just read a Japanese book.

PS. I'm not used to writing in English, so sorry for any mistakes!

Thanks for the information on the book. And your English is great! :)
--BJ

Thanks ;-)

I've finished my fourth category, funny books, with David Sedaris' Wanneer je omringd bent door vlammen (When You Are Engulfed In Flames).

That's no.54: only ten more to go!

I've finished no. 55: Mevrouw de aanklager (La Caccia) by Carla del Ponte, the memoirs of the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda.

No. 56: Mannen die vrouwen haten (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) by Stieg Larsson

Finished the dead people category today, with Het ei van Salaì by Rita Monaldi & Francesco Sorti. That's no. 57 out of 64.

There was a story on NPR today about the American edition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Sounded like a good read.

@ hailelib: It really is. The dutch edition has over 500 pages, but it's very addictive. I read it in about 4 days time. It's the first part of a trilogy. I think I'll read the others too.

No. 58 is The constant gardener bij John Le Carré. Great book!
(I spy)

It has cost 8 months and 9 days of my life, but I've finally finished Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilisation. Over 1400 pages in the dutch edition.
That also concludes my 500+ category, and brings me op to 59 out of 64. Only 5 more to go, but there's 4 Chinamen amongst them. They're not that easy to find. But I think I'll manage.

No. 60: Agatha Christie's The big four. One of them is Chinese! I might end up using this one in the spy category too, but I'll wait and see if something else comes up.

Three China books to go. I have China noir ready by Julie O'Yang, and Dodenmantra by Eliot Pattison is also waiting to be read. Still not a clue what will be the last one.

Dear Jebronse,
do you have any expertise with the Peter May books for your China category ? For dutch translations consult Bol.com and other online bookshops. Ratings are pretty high on LT, and even if they turn out to be no good, still finished your category ;-)

Thanks, Lunar18. Peter May was on my list when I started the challenge, but I don't know if I'll like it very much. On the other hand, he does have good reviews. Maybe I'll check what the library has to offer.

Yesterday evening, I also came up with some comic books: Jommeke's De gele spin, or a Suske & Wiske. But I'll try to finish in real books first ;-)

I just realised the first book I read this year, Spookschip (Økseskibet) by Jens Henrik Jensen, had some MI5 and MI6 spies in it, so I've added it to the I Spy category. That's another one finished. Now, I only have to focus on the China category. Three to go, and I think I'll make it in time.

Finished: China zet de wereld op z'n kop (China shakes the world) by James Kynge. Only two more to go in the China category and in total :-)

Finished: Peter May's De seriemoordenaar (Chinese whispers). Nice detective story. That's no. 63 in the list. Only one to go, unless I start getting rid of overlaps. I have only four of them, so maybe I'll be able to dump one or two of those.

I've just finished De noedelmaker by Ma Jian.

That's the end of my 888 challenge. 64 books (minus 4 overlaps). It's been great, I'm really looking forward to my 999 challenge. I'll take a break first ;-)

Congrats on completing your challenge! :)
--BJ

Congratulations ! Have a nice Christmas and a very happy New Year !