Celiacardun's mission for 2013

Hey everyone,

I'm a Dutch woman of 33, living in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and fond of historical fiction, 19th century British literature, Big History, books that take place in a certain location so that it shows something about life there (I love travelling), and a lot more.

My mission this year, is to get a little closer to the 75 books than last year. My first year on LB was 2011 and I attained 41 books. I really thought last year would be much better, having finished my PhD, but then I only got to 39 books... So, this year, I'm planning to attain 50! (to keep it realistic...)

Looking forward to discussing them with you!
Celia

good luck!

Hi Celia, welcome back and all the best for 2013! Looking forward which books you'll end up reading.

Hi Celia, good luck for your reading in 2013! I am a very ecclectic reader, but do enjoy quite a bit of historical fiction and non-fiction myself. So, you just found yourself another lurker here.

Nijmegen :) I only live approximately a 100 km away from you in Germany.

Hi Celia, wat leuk, nog een Nederlandse!

I don't think I'll read 75 books either, but it's fun to write down what you read, isn't it?

Welcome back!

Hi Celia, good luck with the goal this year, and I hope you enjoy what you read, whatever the numbers.

Thanks! My first book this year is very enjoyable already - 1. The secret keeper - I saved it especially for this week of leisure!

wilkiec Yes, I like keeping track of the books and my thoughts about it! I downloaded an ebook of The moonstone after reading about it on your thread - curious about that!
drachenbraut Where exactly do you live?

Hi Celia, I live in Voerde a very small town near *scratch head* you heard of Kleve, Moers and the like? *smile*

I looked it up, not far from here indeed!

It's been a while since I've logged in but that is due to the online course on Jane Austen I'm following at the university of Oxford. Very interesting - and quite a bit of work too!

So let me quickly list this book before I forget I read it:
2. Dat heb ik weer by Carry Slee - I find it interesting to see how she writes books for young adults.
3. Outlander - I read the series quite a few years ago and am now listening to the audioversion of the first book. It's still a very compelling story - although I know how the story will end I have forgotten much of the rest. And the audioversion is beautifully done with the Scottish accents - it's a joy to listen to it.

I'll get back with a longer post later with regard to the books I've read for my course!

Wow time is flying again! I'm sadly behind with keeping this post updated, but let's have a try - starting with what I read for the Austen course.

4. Northanger Abbey - I very much enjoyed reading this one for class because I learned so much about it. Especially through learning more about the socio-historical context at that time and the way the book plays into it, made it much more interesting. I never really like the book very much, but now I appreciate it much more.

5. Sense and Sensibility - here as well I picked out different things than at previous readings, through being alerted about certain things in class. I learned about sentimentalism and we had some good discussions about the value of different kinds of love and I learned about why Margaret is in the story.

6. Mansfield Park - here I learned about binary oppositions, big scenes, characterisations and postcolonial critique. Still one question open: why does Tom Bertram insist that Mary Crawford should play Amelia in the play. Why does he do that? It does not seem mere politeness, but he also is not interested in her. So why does he insist that Mary should play Amelia, even against Julia, his own sister?

7. Pride and Prejudice - I was not necessarily planning on rereading this one as I know it well, but, well, how can you not read the whole thing if you're supposed to read at least some parts of it? I learned about endings in the works of Jane Austen, the status of women in that era, the role of the militia (again this indirect link with what is happening at the time - Napoleonic wars), romance vs anti-romance (and that there is a lot of anti-romance in Austen's novels). And of course we discussed some of the adaptations :-)

8. Persuasion - I was really looking forward to re-reading Persuasion because it had been a while. I really enjoyed it. We looked for examples of irony (in all of the books) and satire. We also read the first version of the final chapters - and wow, am I happy that Jane Austen wasn't happy with that ending! We would have missed out on something...

9. Jane Austen: A life - of course I also read a bio which I read quite a few years ago. I must reread it at one point again, because while I'm becoming more and more familiar with her story, I can't say anything really specific of what I learned or what surprised me in the book.

Then the course ended and it was time again to read other stuff:

10. The Moonstone - this one was on my list since I saw it suggested in this group. I enjoyed the read - had to get used to it at first - but it was a true mystery, I seriously had no clue quite a few times of how they would get out of a seemingly insolvable situation. Now all that is left is reading ROBINSON CRUSOE :-)

11. The two hearts of Kwasi Boachi - I also had some difficulty to get going in this book, but once the story got underway, I was hooked. I could never read it for very long, also because it's so heartwrenching, but it is a beautiful story, inspired by true events, of two African princes who grow up in the Netherlands in the 19th century. It is a story about identity: one of them tries to stay true to his roots, while the other chooses to identify as much as possible with his new home (yet is continually confronted with the fact that he will never blend in).

12. Before I met you - I loved this book. It reminded me a bit of Kate Morton's books which I also love. I liked that this time it was about a sphere of life I hardly know - the music scene, Soho, jazz, the 1920s etc.

13. Weg met BNN - a quick and fun read, all kinds of backpacker stories from Dutchies around the world. It did give me a taste for travelling again!

14. Austenland - a very enjoyable read. I did not expect very much, but was pleasantly surprised. Though I'm not sure the ending fits with the message of the rest of the book...

And I also reread a few books such as The Nonesuch (because I heard much praise about Georgette Heyer but I did not really appreciate the book the first time I read it - second time I liked it a bit better) and A little folly.

I'm currently working on:

Voyages of Captain Cook
Dragonfly in Amber
Come, tell me how you live
The seven habits of highly effective people

15. The thorn I did not particularly enjoy this book but that has more to do with undercurrent of the book which is saying that if you're not Amish you're on the wrong track and you can't be a good person. It did give a better view of what Amish life is about, which is why I picked the book up. I'm definitely not going to read the other books in the series though.

16. Inferno: I quite enjoyed this book - a perfect read for a sunny weekend so I finished it in two days. It was gripping from the first page and made me curious about the places and buildings I was reading about. I also enjoyed that I actually had been to the main location where the end unfolds, so I could very well picture it.

I also thought the theme was very interesting and relevant - population growth and the ability of the earth to sustain it. I think it is very well done that he takes such a theme and writes a book which many people will read. I hope people will not only remember the thrilling story but also the underlying message. The Western world cannot keep consuming as it does - the rest of the world will want to catch up and that is just impossible. It is a theme which is near to my heart and guides quite a few of my choices in terms of not going for material wealth and 'things' in general. I also think education is very important here, so I'm going to look into supporting more of this as well. I recently already became a member of UNICEF. It was interesting to me how a book which many will probably only read for its entertainment value struck such a profound note! I hope it does so with many others as well!

Again a bit of time lapse, but I have a good excuse: I moved to another country in the meantime! Here's what I read.

17. Come, tell me how you live: this was an amazing book! I loved every line of it and had to laugh a lot. Apart from getting a feel for Agatha Christie's life at the digs in the Middle East, you also get a feel for her as a person through the way she writes. I also read her autobiography a few years back but I don't think I got that same feeling from it. I would definitely recommend this to everyone who likes Agatha Christie.

18. Ierse tuin: I picked this one up in the airport on my way to holiday in Scotland and I enjoyed the read. It was easy to read and I liked the idea of the walled garden - I always love such places.

19. Eline Vere: as I very much enjoy 19th century British literature I thought I might also enjoy reading Dutch literature from that era. Apart from some books in high school which I don't really remember, I haven't read anything. So I started with one of the famous names, Louis Couperus and his book Eline Vere. I quite enjoyed the read though at first I was not sure where the book was going - I only knew it would be about Eline. At one point I decided to look up a short description of the plot but that was a bit of a shame because it gave away the end of the book... It was interesting to read a description of life of the upper class in The Hague in that era. The way they spent their time, the people they associated with and those they frowned upon, the matches that the young girls try to make, the way some of them get certain privileged jobs. All the more striking because the Netherlands is a society where equality is very important and there is not (anymore?) a big distinction between the classes, like in England. In some way it also reminded me of Anna Karenina, though the book is much shorter and not so much of a commentary on society. I should say Eline reminded me sometimes of Anna. I also really enjoyed the language. It was easily readable for me, but it made me realize the changes that Dutch has experienced in over a century.

20. A croft in the hills: as I was on holiday in Scotland I wanted to read about life there. This is an account of a family who moved to a small farm somewhere in the hills above Loch Ness in the 50s and lived very simple lives. I thought it was fascinating to read about their life and how they wrestled with the climate, the ground, the isolated circumstances.

21. A crying shame: I was very surprised to find this book in the 'local author or local setting' section in 'Tackle and Books' in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. I had no idea this famous Dutch author wrote a book which was set there. Of course I had to buy it, and I liked it though I was wondering a bit about the end, whether it did not leave too many things open. But it was nice to have been on the ferry they have been on and to have been to Tobermory and specifically the supermarket (location of the fainting scene). I also quite liked the way she made the story sinister while still making you understand the motives of the characters.

22. Dracula: I read this book because I was told it is a next stage in the evolution of the gothic novel and it contains a beautiful love story (I guess my friend was mistaken with the latter). I found this book a bit of a disappointment and almost had to force myself to finish reading it because I was really fed up with it at about three quarters of the book. The first bit in Transylvania is quite interesting and gripping but then the second part takes a while to make sense, especially the part of the lunatic in the asylum. I also got quite annoyed by Van Helsing, the Dutch doctor (who swears in German by the way, 'Mein Gott'...). I really wonder why Stoker made him Dutch, because it now just resulted in a lot of dialogue in broken English which really got on my nerve. Also the way he spoke, so elaborate and continuously saying 'Friend John' and praising the goodness of all the principal characters in every one of his speeches. Well, in any case I now know who Dracula is!

23. The Winter Sea: this was a re-read - this is one of my favorite books by Susanna Kearsley

24. Dragonfly in amber and 25. Voyager: a re-read as well but it's been a long time so I have forgotten the details of the storyline. So now it is like accompanying a well-known friend on a journey, knowing vaguely how it will turn out but not exactly. Although I read these books very quickly the first time around, I take more time now. I must admit I sometimes get a bit fed up with her 'scene-setting' (there is almost always some description in between dialogue). I only noticed this the second time around, and I admire it too, but I was thinking about how different it is from Jane Austen who does not do a whole lot of it yet easily manages to convey the situation.

25. Seven habits of highly effective people: To my surprise I really enjoyed this book. I never picked it up because it is such a famous book and it sounded like a over simplified management book. But I started it a while ago and slowly worked my way through it while thinking about the things that were said. It definitely built on things I had heard before so it resonated with me.

26. Meester van de Zwarte Molen: an enjoyable re-read of one of my favorite children's books.

27. Denmark for foreign students and faculty: this was a standard introductory book about a country with information about practical matters but also social life. I moved to Denmark for a job about a month ago so I have to readp on the country! Though it dated from 2002 it was helpful and actually some parts are relevant for some of the new research I'm doing.

28. The alchemist: I still have to think a bit more about this one to form my opinion...

Currently working on:
- Het spoor van Orwell

28. The alchemist: I read this pretty quickly. It was recommended by a friend who underlined a lot of the story when he was reading it, and while I enjoyed the read I did not find it as special as he did. While I like the message that you should follow your heart, I am not sure about the underlying message that everything is predetermined and that you only have to choose to pursue your destination and read the omens. It also had a few religious undertones which did not appeal to me that much.

29. Spoor van Orwell: this was a gift from a friend and I quite enjoyed it, more than I expected. The books basically leads you along the places of Orwell's life and so gives a view of his life in a different way. As I know quite a few of those places, it was nice too to read about it. The latter part of the book was particularly interesting because it showed his background and its influences on Animal Farm and 1984. I feel I have a much better understanding now of where those two books came from. I am going to read them again now, because I read them a long time ago and I'm not sure I fully understood them at that time (as a satire of stalinism etc). At times the book had a somewhat peculiar word choice but it was a good read.

30. Animal farm: I liked this book and thought it was a very powerful metaphor, especially after I read online which animal represents which historical figure. In a very clear and simple way Orwell shows how it started with good principles but then how one pig took control through physical power (the dogs / military) and how the animals were convinced to support each decision which in fact had negative consequences for themselves - for example through cultivating fear of the return of human rule. This is similar to how fear of terrorism is used after 9/11 to accept laws that infringe on privacy. Even though Stalin is long gone, the book is very relevant still because it highlights certain power mechanisms. I also thought Squealer was very interesting - he represents the propaganda machine and manages to convince everyone of the rightness of all the decisions of the Leader. There is an analogy with the media in our time - to what extent can we trust what they show us? They are in a powerful position to interpret the world for us and show us their take on the truth, presented as 'the truth'. The power of having memories is in the book too (which is also very present in 1984), for example, the golden rules are rewritten to suit the Leader and the animals are then convinced they always remembered it wrong. Also the role of Snowball gets completely changed through rhetoric until he is state enemy nr 1. This all supports the status quo, as history rewriting does in 1984.

31. 1984: I liked this book somewhat less than Animal Farm probably mainly because it describes such a sad and pointless life. It also reminded me of the philosophical movement which maintained that nothing exists outside your own experience. I never realized that could actually be misused or dangerous. I had some question marks too, for example: Why does it take so long for Winston to get arrested if O'Brien is working for the Party? The first time they make real contact and talk about it, it becomes clear to O'Brien that Winston is a thought criminal. Why is he not immediately arrested? I also was a bit puzzled by the fact that they let him live afterwards. What was the good of that to the Party? He is no longer a thought criminal but he is also no longer a productive member of society. What is the use of letting him still exist?

32. Culture shock Denmark: this was an interesting read and a good guide to Denmark, also in terms of culture, although I think the author was a bit judgmental at times. The text could have been written in a more neutral way.

And I have to admit I am also rereading HP again - now on to book 5 :). And I have reread The rose garden - love that book!

Currently working on:
- Neither here nor there by Bill Bryson

34. Neither here nor there I have to admit that I only finished the book today, but I'm still counting it for last year :-). It was an okay read, but I must admit I find he sometimes overdoses on the cheesy jokes. While I love him as a writer of A short history of nearly everything (one of my favourite books) and At home, I find some of his other books sometimes a bit too cheesy - this one, but also the one on Australia. However, I enjoyed reading about places I know - like Amsterdam and Copenhagen - and places I would like to get to know. It was interesting too to read about Sofia around that time (1990s). It did make me aware that times are changing and tourism is increasing - which doesn't necessarily make places more attractive. So I guess part of the message is - travel while you can, before it changes for the worse...

35. Christmas at Claridge's by Karen Swan: I picked this up at the airport on my way home and had a delicious read troughout Christmas. I really liked the book, featuring a girl very different from me, yet I could related to her and was interested in her life and how she was going to sort out the mess. And the secret keeps you glued til the end - although I kind of guessed it at one point in the story, the prologue kept me wondering until that was resolved. So I'd love to check out her other books!

So all in all, in 2013 was more or less similar as the past two years, if you count the HP rereads that is... Then the count comes to 39 books... I guess that 75 books is just way too much for me... Oh well, I must admit I do enjoy keeping track of what I read and my thoughts about it, so I'll just continue without putting too much pressure on myself to get to 75!

Happy New Year!

Oh I just realized I forgot two books on the list:

36. Alice in Wonderland
37. The host

So the count is going up :)