Henrik goes treasure-hunting in his own library

CharlasROOT - 2014 Read Our Own Tomes

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Henrik goes treasure-hunting in his own library

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1Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Dic 22, 2014, 4:13 pm

Last year I rediscovered my own books with the 2013-challenge. Now it's time to continue the search for overlooked and perhaps even longforgotten gems in the depths of my library.

This year my ambition is to read 50 books from my own shelves.







That goal is more ambitious that the one I didn't quite reach last year, so some explanation is due.

I have tweeked the definition of ROOT's a little. This year ALL of my books counts toward the main challenge: Rereads and newly bought books were not included in 2013, and that was a bit counterproductive. I want to read my old books, but it feels a bit ridiculous to buy new books and delay reading them because they are not included in the challenge. And I have absolutely done this!

I still want to include a lot of the really accomplished dust-collectors in the house. For this reason 25 books must be deep ROOTS or DROOTS. That is new-reads acquired before 2013.

ROOTs
1. Janne Teller: Afrikanske veje
2. Ida Jessen: Postkort til Annie
3. Hergé: Den mystiske stjerne
4. Ferdinand von Schirach: Der Fall Collini
5. Wolfgang Herrndorf: Tschick
6. Christin & Mézières: Rejser i tid og rum. Linda og Valentins samlede eventyr, bind 5
7. Lukas Hartmann: Abschied von Sansibar
8. Leif Davidsen: Den ukendte hustru
9. Yahya Hassan: Yahya Hassan
10. Chris Claremont: Essential X-Men Volume 5
11. Walter Scott: Waverley
12. Norman Mailer: Kampen
13. Chris Claremont: Essential X-Men Volume 6
14. Vaclav Havel: Fjernforhør
15. Karel Capek: Krigen mod salamandrene
16. Jan Bonek: Cubist Prague
17. Pavel Kohout: Jeg sner
18. Eugen Ruge: In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts
19. Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung
20. Alison Bechdel: The essential Dykes to Watch Out For
21. Hermann: Afrika
22. Harald Voetmann: Alt under månen
23. Jaime Hernandez: Speedy Ortiz dør
24. Florian Illies: 1913: Århundredets sommer
25. Judith Hermann: Sommerhaus, später
26. Asta Olivia Nordenhof: det nemme og det ensomme
27. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Generalen i sin labyrint

DROOTs
1. Nis Petersen: Sandalmagernes gade
2. Ernest Hemingway: For Whom the Bell Tolls
3. Rachel og Israel Rachlin: Fortællinger fra vores liv
4. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: Synnøve Solbakken
5. Toni Morrison: Salomons sang
6. Alfred Tennyson: Enoch Arden
7. Milan Kundera: Tilværelsens ulidelige lethed
8. Franz Kafka: Processen
9. Noah Gordon: Lægen fra Zaragoza
10. Nils Arne Sørensen: Den store krig

2Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Ago 17, 2014, 8:51 am

Bonus Alphabetical Challenge - a title or an author for every letter.

A. Alfred Tennyson: Enoch Arden
B. Bjørnson, Bjørnstjerne: Synnøve Solbakken
C. Christin & Mézières: Rejser i tid og rum. Linda og Valentins samlede eventyr, bind 5
D. Davidsen, Leif: Den ukendte hustru
E. Eugen Ruge: In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts
F. Franz Kafka: Processen
G. Gordon, Noah: Lægen fra Zaragoza
H. Hemingway, Ernest: For Whom the Bell Tolls
I.
J. Jessen, Ida: Postkort til Annie
K. Kundera, Milan: Tilværelsens ulidelige lethed
L. Lukas Hartmann: Abschied von Sansibar
M. Morrison, Toni: Salomons sang
N. Norman Mailer: Kampen
O.
P. Petersen, Nis: Sandalmagernes gade
Q.
R. Rachlin, Rachel og Israel: Fortællinger fra vores liv
S. Schirach, Ferdinand von: Der Fall Collini
T. Teller, Janne: Afrikanske veje
U.
V. Vaclav Havel: Fjernforhør
W. Wolfgang Herrndorf: Tschick
X.
Y. Yahya Hassan: Yahya Hassan
Z.
Æ.
Ø.
Å.

3.Monkey.
Dic 22, 2013, 9:26 am

it feels a bit ridiculous to buy new books and delay reading them because they are not included in the challenge.

This is exactly why I have never even considered only including books purchased prior to X, why would I want to purposely set them aside just so they can wind up "eligible" for next year when the whole purpose is to read what we're buying? So kudos for amending your challenge to take that into account! :)

4rabbitprincess
Dic 22, 2013, 9:29 am

Welcome back and good luck with the challenge!

5connie53
Dic 22, 2013, 3:33 pm

Welcome, Henrik.

it feels a bit ridiculous to buy new books and delay reading them because they are not included in the challenge.

That's why I read far more books a year than my Challenge goal ! ;-))

6.Monkey.
Dic 22, 2013, 3:43 pm

>5 connie53: My non-ROOTs are library books.

7connie53
Dic 22, 2013, 3:46 pm

>6 .Monkey.:. Aha, that explains a lot.

8Henrik_Madsen
Dic 22, 2013, 6:40 pm

>3 .Monkey.: Thanks. You got to learn from your experiences, and I think this combination will work well. :-)

> 5 So do I - but this enables me to try a bit more ambitious goal next year.

9raidergirl3
Dic 22, 2013, 7:31 pm

What languages do you read in? I don't recognize the lady few letters in your alphabet?

I have the same problem with new books, but I keep my ROOT total lower to accommodate new books I get. I read more than half my new books on top of ROOTS.
Good luck again!

10MissWatson
Dic 23, 2013, 3:55 am

Welcome back Henrik, I'm already looking forward to your choices!

11Henrik_Madsen
Dic 23, 2013, 4:18 am

>9 raidergirl3: I mostly read in Danish. It's my native language and it is gifted with three bonus letters.

They will be some of the tough ones by the way.

12rainpebble
Ene 1, 2014, 2:50 am

Hi Henrik. Good luck with your challenge.

13Henrik_Madsen
Ene 1, 2014, 6:17 am

> 12 Thanks. You too!

14Henrik_Madsen
Ene 4, 2014, 2:47 pm

1. Nis Petersen: Sandalmagernes gade (The Street of the Sandalmakers)

How did it get here?
I have studied history at university, and Roman history was of course part of the curriculum. My teacher mentioned this novel in a lecture – as far as I can tell he remembered it wrong – so I picked it up in a secondhand bookstore around 1995.

It is a beautiful hardback book. The novel was published in 1931, and my copy was printed in 1932 and sold that year. I know this, because the first owner has signed it “A. Lindgreen, 1932”. Definitely a nice touch!

Three stars
I did enjoy reading the story of Marcellus and his love for three women. It’s situated in Rome in the second century A.D. and Nis Petersen’s colourful portrait of Roman everyday life is one of the book’s main attractions. It was a time of turmoil and persecution of Christians. Since two of Marcellus’ women are Christians, this is an important subplot in the novel.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it’s a beautiful old book, which really should be part of any good Danish library

15connie53
Ene 4, 2014, 6:16 pm

It is a beautiful hardback book. The novel was published in 1931, and my copy was printed in 1932 and sold that year. I know this, because the first owner has signed it “A. Lindgreen, 1932”. Definitely a nice touch!

That is really nice!! I must ask my boss if he knows this book! He is a Latin and Greek teacher at my school and has a particular love for Rome and the Roman history

16Henrik_Madsen
Ene 5, 2014, 4:29 am

Maybe he has. I'm fairly certain it's been translated so it should be available in Dutch.

It is funny to see small traces of the previous owner in used books. That is the primary reason I sign my books. Maybe someone will open them some day and say "Henrik Madsen, 2013" - that's cool!

17Merryann
Ene 6, 2014, 12:46 am

What a lovely sounding book! Congratulations on finishing your Droot (I love that description).

I have not put my name inside my books for years, but reading your Post 16 makes me rethink that. When I was a little girl, I scrawled my name across the inside cover of every book I got. When I got older, I was annoyed at myself for defacing my books. Now I am even older and the few of those books that I have left (lost most in a fire during my teens) are extra precious to me because of that wobbling oversized name.

18MissWatson
Ene 6, 2014, 6:44 am

That sounds like a really wonderful book. Will make a note of it. And here I am doing it again, ogling other people's books while I haven't even finished my own.

19Henrik_Madsen
Ene 6, 2014, 12:26 pm

>17 Merryann: Thanks! Signing books is probably something dividing book collectors, but I enjoy it. This Christmas I got two books from my parents house and one of them is signed by my grandmother in her maiden name. I kind of look forward to passing that volume on to one of my own children one day.

Loosing books and even moore unreplacable memories like photos is one of the things I really fear about fires. (Outside of someone getting hurt, obviously.)

>18 MissWatson: ROOTing makes you appreciate your own library - and it makes you want to expand it!

20majkia
Ene 6, 2014, 3:09 pm

good for you on the DROOTS. :)

21Caramellunacy
Ene 8, 2014, 9:54 am

Congratulations on the good start! Good to see your thread again.

22Henrik_Madsen
Ene 10, 2014, 1:57 pm

So, today I bought a book. A nice-looking graphic novel by Maximilien le Roy: Faire le mur

And I'm totally fine with that! I love buying books and I didn't join the group to stop buying - I just wanted to start reading.

Still, I would like to reduce the inhouse TBR pile, so I have decided to start another ticker for books acquired. At the end of the year that ticker better be smaller than the ROOT-ticker. We'll see.

23connie53
Ene 10, 2014, 2:21 pm

I have that kind of ticker too, Henrik! Looking forward to following yours!

24Familyhistorian
Ene 10, 2014, 2:22 pm

The ticker for book acquisitions sounds like a great idea for figuring out the ratio of TBR to incoming, but it sounds scary at the same time. I have no idea how many books I bring into my house and have a feeling it is a lot more than I think.

25connie53
Ene 10, 2014, 2:23 pm

Ohh, please start one, Famhis! I really like being part of a book buying group!

26Henrik_Madsen
Ene 10, 2014, 3:19 pm

Connie, it was inspired by you 8-)

Familyhistorian, I'm definitely worried too!

27connie53
Ene 10, 2014, 3:21 pm

LOL, henrik!

28Familyhistorian
Ene 10, 2014, 4:01 pm

Ok Henrik, with your inspiration and with your encouragement, Connie, I have added a book buying ticker to my thread. The only book that I have bought so far this year is a textbook which is required for one of the courses that I am taking. Does that count?

29Henrik_Madsen
Ene 10, 2014, 4:36 pm

Well....
I think textbooks is something else, but it's up to you.

30connie53
Ene 10, 2014, 4:45 pm

I second that!

31Familyhistorian
Ene 10, 2014, 9:12 pm

I was thinking along those lines as well.

32Henrik_Madsen
Ene 16, 2014, 5:04 pm

2. Ernest Hemingway: For Whom the Bell Tolls

How did it get here?
I bought this copy in a library sale back in the 1990s when I lived in Odense. (If you feel like I’m starting to repeat myself, I totally understand it.) At that time I was composing a very long list of classics and other books I wanted to read and this was one of them. I just never got round to actually reading it. Maybe I was too busy turning the very long list into a very, very, VERY long list!

4½ stars
I loved this book about the Spanish Civil War. Robert Jordan has travelled to Spain to fight on the side of the republic, and he is send behind enemy lines on a secret mission. We follow the preparations with the local guerrillas as Robert falls in love with the young Maria, and we get to know the horrors of war and revolution. Definitely worth a read!

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – I can’t wait to re-read it!

33connie53
Ene 17, 2014, 3:20 am

I just never got round to actually reading it. Maybe I was too busy turning the very long list into a very, very, VERY long list!

Hahaha, Henrik! You are so rigth. I do exactly the same thing. My list is not very specific in genre, but very, very VERY long.

34Henrik_Madsen
Ene 17, 2014, 3:44 pm

> The compulsive book buying got to start somewhere!

35Henrik_Madsen
Ene 17, 2014, 3:46 pm

3. Janne Teller: Afrikanske veje (African Ways)

How did it get here?
This is a brand new book. It was published last year, and my sister gave to me for Christmas. Under my old rules it wouldn’t count, but luckily they are changed. Yay!

3½ stars
It’s a short novel about a Danish woman returning to Nairobi almost twenty years after leaving. She has come back to write a couple of articles on the Karen Blixen Museum, but one afternoon she gets lost in the entangled roads around the city. She is forced to reflect on her life again, both because her husband is cheating on her and because the place makes her remember her lost love. It’s a nice and well-told little story. I wasn’t blown away, but it was good.

What’s next for it?
Staying – you really can’t just pass along gifts! But maybe I should lend it to one of the Danish teachers I know – it might be an interesting read for pupils in high school.

36Merryann
Ene 18, 2014, 1:09 am

Three books done! Congratulations!

37Henrik_Madsen
Ene 18, 2014, 9:09 am

>36 Merryann: Thanks, I'm very pleased with three roots at this point.

Getting something done is necessary. I have decided to join a bookclub, and today I received the introduction package:

Per Petterson: Jeg nægter
Sofi Oksanen: Da duerne forsvandt
Florian Ilies: 1913
Søren Ulrik Thomsen: Rystet spejl

The last one was a free gift for ordering quickly. (And it's great. I read it a couple of years ago and I'm thrilled to own it.)

38connie53
Ene 18, 2014, 9:13 am

I'm happy to see that clicking your Danish titles brings me to the Dutch version (if there is one). i tried the second one.

I know now that my Dutch titles bring LT-ers to the book in their language. I wondered about that.

39Henrik_Madsen
Ene 18, 2014, 9:16 am

That is good to know 8-)

40Merryann
Ene 19, 2014, 12:31 am

When I click them I get a language that isn't English. It's beautiful to look at but I can't read a word. I bet it's a bit of a magical feeling to be able to switch from one language to another when reading.

41Henrik_Madsen
Ene 19, 2014, 6:54 am

>40 Merryann: Well, some of them are also challenging for me. Sofi Oksanen is Finnish which is totally different from other Scandinavian languages.

It IS nice to be able to read in other languages. I mostly read translations but something will always be lost. I notice it most clearly when I read German. There are ways of putting sentences, subsentences and meanings next to each other in German, that just can't be translated.

42Merryann
Ene 19, 2014, 3:58 pm

If I ever end up with grandchildren (many years down the road I hope), I plan to be a non-meddling grandmother...except when it comes to languages. I fully intend to be a strong advocate for the grandchildren to learn a second language while they're learning English, as everything I've read indicates the earlier one learns the easier and better. I continue to struggle to learn Spanish. My Spanish speaking friends keep their faces straight when I practice, but it's hard to hide sparkling, laughing eyes. :)

43Henrik_Madsen
Ene 20, 2014, 3:14 pm

I guess it's sometimes a good thing to live in a small country. Few non-danes speak Danish so foreign languages are essential and taught intensively in schools. I see the same pattern in other small countries like Sweden and the Netherlands.

But getting comfortable to read for leisure in another languge still takes som determination and work. It is not easy the first time, so gripping books unavailable in translation is a great thing. Stephen King books have done a lot for my English reading abilities!

44Henrik_Madsen
Ene 20, 2014, 3:16 pm

4. Ida Jessen: Postkort til Annie (Post-card for Annie)

How did it get here?
That’s simple. I bought it in the local book store last year. I have been a huge fan of Ida Jessen’s books for years, so there was never any doubt that I had to buy it. I took a couple of months before I read it, but as everyone who follows my ROOTing knows, that is practically no time at all.

4½ stars
Collections of short stories are not really my thing, but this one was great. Ida Jessen perfectly sees the true fears of people in our comfortable little country. Disease or traffic accidents taking your loved ones away too soon. Losing your child to crime or abuse. In these six stories middle-aged women are pushed. Maybe their children are getting more and more involved with crime. Maybe their best friend is diagnosed with cancer. Maybe they just really need sex, a wish their husband cannot or will not fulfil. Each and every story touched med. I’m still a huge fan of Ida Jessen!

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – it will look very nice next to the other Jessen books.

45connie53
Ene 20, 2014, 3:50 pm

> 43. I agree totally, Henrik. When I was in school I studied French, German and English for five years. I even had French classes in elementary school.

When I graduated from high school in 1970 (the school you go to when your 12 or something like that) I was 17 and I had a high grade in English (on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very bad and 10 is perfect) is scored 9,5. And I was planning to go to graduate school to study English languages and culture. But my mother died a few years before and it was decided (by the chaplain, my father and an aunt) that I would stay home and take care of the house and my two sisters and brother.
I should do that for a year and then I could go and study English. But that never happened. I read as many books in English as I could lay my hands on, just to stay on the same level. But RL took over and I stayed home untill I married in 1979.

And I noticed my English was failing. I did started reading only Dutch books or books translated into Dutch. And now I just can't find the patience and the determination to read English for leisure. I know some people think my English is good, but it takes me forever to write a post. I have to use google translate a lot to get the right word or the right way to write something.

But at least I can choose my own words while writing and work my way around some things I want to say but can't find the right word for.

I think my English is improving some by hanging round on LT, but I don't think I will read a book in English anytime soon.

Altough I hope that Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is translated very soon, because I really would like to read that one.

46Merryann
Ene 21, 2014, 2:16 am

>43 Henrik_Madsen:, 45 Henrik and Connie, your schools are wise to teach languages young. I just wish my schools did the same. My kids and I know people who speak Spanish, Bengali, German, and Russian. I live in a small city in the southern United States, not a place like New York where you might expect such diversity.

Wow, Connie. 9.5! After several years of trying to learn Spanish, I'm probably a 1.5. Sometimes I think about giving up on it entirely, but if you can come to LT and talk to me in English, even after having your English studies so derailed, I can be inspired by you and keep trying to learn to talk to my native Spanish speaking friends in their language.

When I finally master Spanish, maybe I can learn to post to you two in your languages! :)

Meanwhile, I shall boycott Mr. Penumbra until they translate it! (Truthfully, I just need to stop bringing in new books until I figure out where to put the ones already here.)

47connie53
Ene 21, 2014, 8:55 am

Merryann, I'm even contemplaiting buying this one in English.
My husband and I will visit Londen in April and I will probably visit a bookshop there. Maybe I will purchase Mr. Penumbra there and test my LT-improved English skills

48Merryann
Ene 21, 2014, 1:08 pm

It does look very good. Of course, many books look very good to me, but Mr. Penumbra sounds like it may be VERY good.

49Henrik_Madsen
Ene 26, 2014, 5:07 am

>46 Merryann: Would be fun to see some posting in Danish!

>47 connie53: I think you should - I'm pretty certain you will do fine, but obviously reading is a bit slower in the beginning.

50Henrik_Madsen
Ene 26, 2014, 5:10 am

5. Hergé: Den mystiske stjerne (The Strange Star - a more precise translation of the French original than the English The Shooting Star)

How did it get here?
This has always been in my family. I remember reading it multiple times as a kid, and I can see it originally belonged to my older sister who got it before I was even born.

4 stars
After observing a strange phenomenon in the sky and narrowly escaping the end of the world, Tintin and Haddock sails off on an expedition to the North Atlantic. Here they face multiple obstacles in their quest to find a mystic meteorite and the new metal it contains. The story is very well told and the book doesn’t feel dated even though it was originally published in 1941.

What’s next for it?
Staying – Good book and lots of sentimental value

51connie53
Ene 26, 2014, 8:35 am

Yes of course it has to stay! It's a family book!

> 49 - I will keep an eye out for the translation of Mr. Penumbra and if there is no talk of translating it before april I will buy it in London!

52Merryann
Ene 26, 2014, 8:03 pm

Sounds like a very good story. :)

53Henrik_Madsen
Ene 27, 2014, 2:17 am

>52 Merryann: It was! It's always a bit nervewrecking reading old favorites. Will they hold up or will the fond memories be reveiled as wishful thinking? Mostly they hold up, I think.

54Merryann
Ene 27, 2014, 9:08 am

Yes, I think in some respects we're harder critics on books when we're young, when it's an easy matter of 'I like it' or 'I don't like it', before we 'learn' what we 'should' like.

That was a lot of little single quotes for one poor sentence to have to carry around. Oh well.

55.Monkey.
Ene 28, 2014, 7:43 am

Really? I think it's quite the opposite. Kids have no idea what "excellent prose" or "well developed characters" etc are. As long as it entertains them in a way that they like, and things make sense, they like it. When we get older we are told we are "supposed" to care about how it's written, we're supposed to analyze this that and the other, we pay close attention to plot, characters, story lines, word choices, world building, feasibility, etc & so forth. People are made to feel like we're "supposed" to judge things much harsher, that we can't simply enjoy a story for providing us with just some entertainment value and nothing else.

56Henrik_Madsen
Ene 28, 2014, 4:17 pm

>54 Merryann: & 55 I'm on the fence when it comes to this question. In some ways I'm a harder critic now and more sensitive to language and one-dimensional characters, but this sensitivity also makes me appreciate other books that are not plot-driven.

57.Monkey.
Ene 28, 2014, 4:18 pm

Of course, but are there really books for younger audiences that are written in that manner?

58Henrik_Madsen
Ene 28, 2014, 4:34 pm

Probably not - but I never really respected what books I was supposed to read at what age. ;-)

59.Monkey.
Ene 28, 2014, 5:07 pm

Lol, no, I was reading adult books by the time I hit my teens, but still, I wouldn't have been picking up that sort of thing, as it wouldn't have interested me then. I read horror, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi/fantasy, etc, generally speaking things that are more about good story-telling than anything else.

60Henrik_Madsen
Feb 13, 2014, 3:42 am

Hmmm. Got to get some ROOTs done soon. I just got two books for my birthday and I have bought three more on my own.

Which is great, but library books and work has kept me from reading them as well.

61connie53
Feb 13, 2014, 2:27 pm

Happy Birthday, Henrik!!



And Happy ROOTing!

62Merryann
Feb 14, 2014, 1:39 am

Happy Birthday!

63Henrik_Madsen
Feb 14, 2014, 5:28 am

Thanks!

64Henrik_Madsen
Feb 14, 2014, 11:15 am

6. Ferdinand von Schirach: Der Fall Collini (The Collini Case)

How did it get here?
Last year we went on a vacation to Harzen in Germany. My family likes skiing, so they spend most of their time in the mountains. I don’t care for it, so I read books and went to bookstores. This was one of the books I picked up in the book shop in Braunlage.

3½ stars
The young attorney Caspar Leinen is chosen to defend Fabrizio Collini, who has very obviously murdered industrialist Hans Mayer. The real question is why, and defending Collini is difficult, since he refuses to even comment on it. To complicate matters further, Leinen knows Mayer very well and gets himself involved with his granddaughter Johanna. Still, he sticks to his duty and defends Collini. Once he unveils the motive, the crime presents itself in a very different light. I like Schirachs writing, but I guessed the motive in the first chapter – it is VERY German – so the book was not much of a mystery.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – maybe the German teachers I know will be interested?

65Henrik_Madsen
Feb 16, 2014, 9:24 am

7. Wolfgang Herrndorf: Tschick

How did it get here?
That’s easy. I bought it Monday, started reading it Tuesday and finished it yesterday. We were on holiday in Winterberg in Germany, where there was a nice book-store, where I picked up Tschick and another novel. I love reading books from the country I visit and buying books is part of most holidays.

5 stars
It is brilliant. Just brilliant. Maik Klingenberg is 14 and his family is a mess. His mother is an alcoholic taking four weeks in rehab. His father is on his way to bankruptcy and decides to go on a “business trip” with his young assistant Mona. So, Maik is home alone for two weeks, when he is approached by Tschick who is even more of an outsider in school. Maik is desperate to make an impression on Tatjana and to finally stop being boring and overlooked. When Tschick steals an old Lada, he goes along for a magical trip through the German countryside.

The story is compellingly told, and the voice of Maik is filled with intelligence and innocence, pain and joy. So far, this is definitely the best book I have read in 2014.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – I KNOW I’m going to re-read this – and I don’t re-read much!

66connie53
Feb 16, 2014, 11:56 am

Sounds like a very interesting book, Henrik!

67Henrik_Madsen
Feb 16, 2014, 4:34 pm

It was. Don't know if it's been translated, though.

68MissWatson
Feb 17, 2014, 5:16 am

Winterberg im Sauerland? What do you do when there's no snow? And thanks for that review, it's a must go and find this!

69Henrik_Madsen
Feb 17, 2014, 1:25 pm

There WAS snow when we were there - only I don't ski so I spend my time reading, going to cafes etc. But wife, kids and sister were happy with the snow.

70MissWatson
Feb 17, 2014, 3:04 pm

There was? My sister lives in the area and reports a near total absence of snow, which is very unusual. I guess they helped along with the snow cannons...

71Henrik_Madsen
Feb 17, 2014, 3:43 pm

And we were lucky. There had only been snow for a couple of weeks and it started raining when we left. And there was practically no snow until we reached the city itself and definitely more up the mountain.

72connie53
Feb 17, 2014, 4:27 pm

It's not translated, I checked!

73Henrik_Madsen
Feb 18, 2014, 11:34 am

It's not available in Danish either. My German book is the 27th printing, but it doesn't seem to appeal to neighboring countries yet. Hopefully that'll change.

74Henrik_Madsen
Feb 21, 2014, 3:48 pm

8. Christin & Mézières: Rejser i tid og rum. Linda og Valentins samlede eventyr, bind 5

How did it get here?
When I was at kid I loved reading about Linda and Valentins space adventures. (In French and English Valérian et Laureline.) They were imaginatively drawn, and there was lots of action without death and blood all over the place. In France a collected edition has been published and a couple of years ago Cobolt started publishing it in Danish. I thought that was a great reason to re-read the series and for my birthday a couple of weeks ago I got volume 5.

3½ stars
The common theme of the three stories in this collection is lack of money. After the disappearance of Galaxicity Linda and Valentin are forced to make a living in all kinds of ways. This gets them into trouble on the planet Bobik and Rubanis – the last one greatly inspired Luc Besson’s film The Fifth Element – and it is also a source of strife between them. Valentin thinks he has to do something, and so do Linda, but when he starts out as a weapons dealer, it is too much.

What’s next for it?
Staying – one of the beautiful things about comics is their great re-readability.

75Henrik_Madsen
Feb 23, 2014, 7:49 am

9. Rachel og Israel Rachlin: Fortællinger fra vores liv

How did it get here?
The Rachlin couple became famous in Denmark in the 1980s when they published two books on the 16 years they spend as deportees in Siberia under Stalin. I hadn’t read those books but I had heard about them, so I picked this one up for cheap in a book sale in the late 1990s. At that point I was studying history and even though communism wasn’t one of my main topics, I was interested in Europe of the 20th century, which the totalitarian regimes were obviously a big part of.

4 stars
I really liked this book, both because it’s well-written and because the subject matter is interesting. The book supplements the other books – which I still haven’t read – but it can definitely also be read on its own. Israel is a Lithuanian Jew, who was educated in Germany before Nazism took over. Since Lithuania is placed between Russia and Germany, there were lots of touching points with both regimes, but even close to the outbreak of war, it didn’t concern them much. Rachel was from Denmark and this turned out to be crucial because it was the key to them leaving the Soviet Union in 1957.

Being deported to Siberia is a pretty horrible fate, but it actually ended up saving them. Shortly after their transportation to the east, Germany launched its attack on Russia. It was an inhuman war, and where the Nazis systematically killed Jews and other “unworthy” people in the occupied countries, and they were especially thorough in Lithuania. This and the negotiations to immigrate to Denmark in the 1950s are documented in the book. A number of contemporary documents are reprinted here.

What’s next for it?
Staying – I also contemplate buying their other books

76connie53
Feb 23, 2014, 1:28 pm

So it's bad for the TBR, Henrik ;-))

77Henrik_Madsen
Feb 23, 2014, 2:23 pm

Yeah, I guess it is Connie. But that's the thing about the good books: They always inspire you to read more!

78connie53
Feb 23, 2014, 2:33 pm

I know, It happens to me all the time.

79Tallulah_Rose
Editado: Feb 27, 2014, 1:56 am

Great progress Henrik. I'm very interested in the Schirach book. You got me by saying the motive was very german, and being a german myself I'm wondering what it could have been. :-)

80Henrik_Madsen
Feb 27, 2014, 11:49 am

>79 Tallulah_Rose: Always happy to inspire other readers! 8-)

It's a nice book and well worth a read.

81Henrik_Madsen
Mar 2, 2014, 12:54 pm

Oooops. I have been book-hoarding. One from the bookclub, one from the used-bookstore and four from the annual sale in the real bookstore.

My balance isn't looking too good right now, but I'm very happy about all the books.

82Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Mar 19, 2014, 5:24 am

10. Lukas Hartmann: Abschied von Sansibar

How did it get here?
I bought it on vacation in Winterberg a month ago. I didn’t know the author, but the story seemed intriguing and sometimes you just have to take a chance on something you have never heard about.

3 stars
Unfortunately it wasn’t a great read. Even worse: The story has potential to be great, but I didn’t like the writing much. Emily Ruete is a real person who was born as Salme, an Arabian princess in the kingdom of Zanzibar. After meeting Heinrich from Hamburg she flees with him, and after his death she has to bring up the three children alone in Germany. The story is told from the children’s point of view as they look back on their long lives during and just after the World War II. Their story is also the story of the rise and fall of the imperial Germany, but the potential of the story is never realised in my opinion. Hartmann tells too much and shows too little. It is always his voice I hear, rarely the separate voices of his characters.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – I just bought the book, and I’m not yet ready to give it up. But I sense it will soon move to the give-away pile.

83connie53
Mar 18, 2014, 4:04 pm

Uhh, Henrik, If you did not like it, why does it have 4 stars?

84Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Mar 19, 2014, 5:26 am

Whoops. I copypasted another post to get the html-codes and forgot to correct it. Thanks for the reminder, Connie. I ended up with three stars because the story really is interesting, and I did enjoy most parts. It was good history but not good litterature, if that makes sense.

85connie53
Mar 20, 2014, 1:44 pm

>84 Henrik_Madsen: It makes sense to me!! And I thought that you did just that! ;-))

86Henrik_Madsen
Mar 23, 2014, 11:11 am

11. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson: Synnøve Solbakken

How did it get here?
This book used to belong to my grandmother. It’s printed in 1910 and she probably got it for her communion in 1915. I know this, because it’s dated, probably by the bookseller. She has also put her name in it, and it’s her maiden name. My parents never read much, and I don’t remember my grandparents doing it either, but maybe my grandmother liked reading before she got married? Hard to tell, but it is funny speculating about it, and I have really enjoyed thinking about her as I read the book. Now I have put my name in it, and maybe I can pass it along to one of my children some day.

3 stars
The book is a short novel originally published in 1857. The story is set in the Norwegian farmland, where the young girl Synnøve is raised by very religious parents. She is a single child and they are very hesitant when she is attracted to Thorbjørn. He is wilder, gets into fights and is nearly killed in one of them. Can he finally master his own nature and become a worthy husband?

Maybe it was the setting or the too-virtuous nature of the characters, but the story never really got to me.

What’s next for it?
Obviously staying – and it will continue staying until I can pass it along in the family.

87connie53
Mar 23, 2014, 11:56 am

Can you give a translation of the title. I know now that Synnøve is a girl.

I love the thought of signing your name below your grandmother and passing the book on!

88Henrik_Madsen
Mar 23, 2014, 12:05 pm

Synnøve Solbakken is the full name of the girl. Her last name translates to "sunny hill" and it carries a lot of meaning in the novel. She is born on the sunny side of the valley, Thorbjørn less so. He has to conquer himself and become a good Christian to be accepted by her parents.

I like the thought of passing an old book along, too. My daughter is only twelve years old so I guess I'd better keep for a few more years. 8-)

89connie53
Mar 23, 2014, 12:22 pm

How many years did you have in mind, Henrik? ;-)

90Henrik_Madsen
Mar 23, 2014, 12:35 pm

Hmm - MANY years probably. 8-)

91rabbitprincess
Mar 23, 2014, 1:15 pm

What a great story behind your copy of the book! It's lso nice that you're going to pass it on to your daughter too. :)

92connie53
Mar 23, 2014, 1:51 pm

>90 Henrik_Madsen: I thought so;-)) Here is Daddy talking about his daughter. I can hear my husband talking about his daughter!

93Tess_W
Mar 23, 2014, 3:49 pm

I love hand me downs with a history!

94Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Abr 1, 2014, 1:50 pm

March turned out to be a slow month, readingwise. A couple of library books and most of all work ate away at my time. I hope April will be better. I'm off to a good start - more on that later - and I have definitely made certain, that I will not lack ROOTs in the future.

As I mentioned earlier, the annual sale at the local bookshop yielded some new books for my library. Now, the already reduced prices has been cut in half, and I decided to pick up two books that tempted me the first time. Norman Mailer's The Fight about the epic Rumble in the Jungle and Manden der elskede hunde by Leonardo Padura. The last one is a double portrait of Leo Trotskij and the man who eventually killed him.

Today I also received my second package from the book club. I have wanted to read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell for a long time, and I was quite intrigued by the reviews of Ghana must go by Taiye Selasi.

Lots of great reading ahead. If only I had more time!

95Henrik_Madsen
Abr 1, 2014, 3:06 pm

12. Leif Davidsen: Den ukendte hustru (The Unknown Wife)

How did it get here?
This was one of the books I got for Christmas last year. It was not on my wishlist, but my wife and children thought it might be something for me. They were right. I have never read any of Davidsen’s books before, but I have wanted to for a long time. He is one of the most acclaimed Danish authors of thrillers, and I have been fascinated with his knowledge of Russia since I saw a film based on one of his books years ago.

4 stars
Marcus Hoffmann has been married to Nathalie for more than a decade. They met in Russia just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and after leaving Moscow she has never looked back. Marcus is engulfed in his work, but he believes they are happy. He is forced, however, to question everything when she vanishes during a holiday in Russia. Has she left him? Has she been kidnapped? And why did she even want to go to Russia in the first place? Marcus is left with all sorts of questions, and he is soon forced to face the fact, that he has in some ways been living with a stranger. The search for Nathalie takes him down a dangerous route, because not much is what it seems in the new Russia.

I think Den ukendte hustru is a really good thriller. I pretty much believed the intrigue, and Davidsen writes with great skill and knowledge about a modern Russia that is far from a flawless democracy.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it’s a gift!

96connie53
Abr 1, 2014, 3:13 pm

Hi Henrik, I know what you mean about more time! If only there were three more hours in a day!

97Henrik_Madsen
Abr 1, 2014, 3:41 pm

Yes - sure wouldn't be a problem using them.

98Henrik_Madsen
Abr 2, 2014, 4:37 pm

13. Yahya Hassan: Yahya Hassan

How did it get here?
This was a birthday gift from my wonderful wife and children. I have only had it for a month and a half, so this was a ROOT that hadn’t dug in very deep.

4 stars
Yahya Hassan is only 18 years old and he was the literary sensation in Denmark last year. His poetry collection has sold more than 100.000 copies, which is Dan Brown territory. He also sparked or rather rekindled a hot debate on immigration and Islam. He is of Palestinian descent and his ferocious attacks on his tyrannical father seemed to feed right into the ongoing Danish debate on integration.

The poems can be read as an autobiography of the author and his horrible childhood. The father regularly beats up Hassan and his siblings and tries to isolate the family from the surrounding society. The mother is repressed too, and it is sort of obvious that the boy drops out of school and becomes a hardcore youth criminal. The picture the book paints of some immigrant neighbourhoods are pretty shocking. I wasn’t terribly impressed by the poems themselves, but the story is so strong, that it doesn’t really matter. The hype was warranted in this case.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it really should be part of any good Danish library. I hope my children will want to read the book, when they get older.

99ipsoivan
Abr 2, 2014, 9:06 pm

I'm interested/concerned about the discourse you say this has sparked about immigration in Denmark. I assume that you mean that this is fuel for the anti-immigration side, whether the poet meant it or not?

100Henrik_Madsen
Abr 3, 2014, 3:22 pm

It's complicated, obviously. Basically there has been a very intense debate on this in Denmark for more than a decade. The book initiated another round, but it is an ongoing issue.

I absolutely believe the author intended this debate. Maybe he wanted to boost his sales, but I don't think that is the main thing. It's a very personal attack on his father, but it is also a critique of his father's generation as a whole, because they have failed to help their children succeed in their new country.

That has been said before, but this time it just resonated more.

I welcome Hassan's contribution, but I also think it is very important to remember, that he is just one person and one voice. Not all immigrants fail like his father.

101ipsoivan
Abr 3, 2014, 11:21 pm

Thanks, Henrik. We see stories of domineering fathers being used as fuel for anti-immigrant argument in Canada too, but it is usually presented as support for the females in Muslim families. I guess that is why your comment caught my eye.

102Henrik_Madsen
Editado: mayo 1, 2014, 2:53 pm

14. Chris Claremont: Essential X-Men, Volume 5

How did it get here?
I read a lot of Marvel comics when I was younger, and my favourite was the X-Men. Now my son has discovered them and rekindled my interest a bit, so when we were on a trip to Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago, I got tempted by it.

3½ stars
It was a lot like getting together with old friends: Some things seem new, but soon everything comes back and you enjoy yourself. Chris Claremont wrote this volume, which was originally published 1983-84, and it is very characteristic of his style. Every one or two issues a story is told, but along the way the main characters evolves. In this volume this is especially true of Rogue, Storm and Shadowcat – and obviously the strong female characters are another Claremont trademark.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – I actually got tempted to find more of the issues I have never read, and maybe my son will be tempted by the English volumes as well?

103connie53
mayo 1, 2014, 2:46 pm

You have been away for a while, Henrik. Everything alright? I'm glad to see you around again!

104Henrik_Madsen
Editado: mayo 1, 2014, 2:54 pm

Yes, everything's fine. There has just been a lot of work (both paid and voluntary) and a free month of Netflix eating my time away!

I have done a bit of reading but haven't been much on LT.

105connie53
mayo 1, 2014, 2:54 pm

Aha, as long as everything is al right and you have been enjoying your self! Happy weekend.

106rabbitprincess
mayo 1, 2014, 7:38 pm

Ooh, a free month of Netflix! That would definitely cut into reading time. It makes it so easy to just click "Next episode"!

107Henrik_Madsen
mayo 2, 2014, 10:51 am

#106 So true!

108Henrik_Madsen
mayo 3, 2014, 11:02 am

Picking up a little pace, so here is the next one:

15. Walter Scott: Waverley

How did it get here?
I bought the book in February. Every year I try to broaden my reading habits by focusing on anniversary books – books published 200, 150, 100, 75, 50, 25 and 10 years ago – and his is the first of the bunch this season. The book was originally published in 1814 and I thought it would be a nice addition to my library.

3 stars
Waverley is a classic. Walter Scott more or less invented the historical novel as a genre, and this was the first in the series. It depicts the last Stuart attempt to regain the English throne in 1744-45 and we see the events through the eyes of Edward Waverley. He is an English nobleman who is fascinated by the Scots in the highlands, so he decides to join the Stuart cause, when he thinks his honour hurt by the English. The story is interesting enough and there were some good parts – especially the portrait of the fanatical Flora MacIvor – but it feels like an old book, and I found it difficult to really relate to Waverley himself.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – it will look nice next to the copy of Ivanhoe that I still haven’t read!

109Henrik_Madsen
mayo 4, 2014, 3:29 pm

16. Toni Morrison: Salomons sang (Song of Solomon – an exact translation)

How did it get here?
When Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in 1993 I decided to give her a try. I read Beloved, which was great, and Jazz of which I remember nothing. A couple of years later I found this book in a used book shop in Odense and bought it. And now, after fifteen years, I have also read it!

4½ stars
Macon Dead lives a relatively privileged life for a black man. He is born in a well-off family in Michigan in the early 1930s and for a long time he is mostly concerned with going to parties, sleeping with women, and generally enjoying his life. He is not a political activist like his friend Guitar or carrying the past with him like his aunt Pilatus. Even though he is rich, he believes, that only money stands between him and true freedom. He gladly goes on a quest to find an ancient treasure, but instead he discovers his own roots in the South and in family history.

Morrison masterfully weaves an engaging story filled with drama and believable characters. Much like Macon finds his own history and identity; she explores the cultural history of African Americans and convey their experience to all.

What’s next for it?
Staying – and I believe I will look for more Morrison books in the future.

110Henrik_Madsen
Editado: mayo 13, 2014, 2:55 pm

17. Norman Mailer: Kampen (The Fight – literal translation)

How did it get here?
As I wrote earlier in the thread, I bought this one in a booksale in the local bookshop a couple of months ago.

4 stars
This classic book focuses on the “Rumble in the Jungle”. When Muhammed Ali fought George Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974, it was an epic battle. At that point Ali was larger than life, or at least larger than boxing, so it makes sense that Mailer wrote a book about the fight that is also about more than boxing. There is – and I believe this annoys a lot of readers – much on Mailer himself, but there is also an attempt to understand the cultural importance of Ali going to Africa for the fight.

Still, most of the book is about the fight and the build-up to the fight. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think you will, if you are not at least a little fascinated by boxing and this particular fight.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – I don’t see myself re-reading it, but I’m not quite ready to move it either.

111Henrik_Madsen
Editado: mayo 16, 2014, 5:35 am

18. Alfred Tennyson: Enoch Arden

How did it get here?
This is the second of my anniversary books and I decided to download it from Project Gutenberg last week. It was the first time I read fiction on the Ipad, but it functioned quite well. I still prefer reading a book, but it is good a good option, especially for rare books that is not easily obtained.

3 stars
This collection contains five longer poems, some of which are essentially short stories written in verse. The best ones were probably ‘Enoch Arden’ about love and sacrifice in an English seaport and ‘Sea Dreams’ where a couple reflects on their lives on a vacation by the sea. Love, forgiveness and Christianity are common themes in the collection.

I don’t read much poetry and definitely not in English, so it was an interesting read. Still, I wasn’t overwhelmed so I’m not sure I will read more Tennyson in the future.

What’s next for it?
Staying – at least until I decide to clean up the Ipad

112Merryann
Jun 12, 2014, 3:53 am

My, you certainly DID pick up the pace. Sounds like some good reading, too. :)

113Henrik_Madsen
Jun 28, 2014, 7:26 am

#112 Yep - pick up the pace, then put it back down again!

Work really is the main reason why it's hard to find enough time for hobbies. (And the World Cup hasn't helped either!)

114Henrik_Madsen
Jun 28, 2014, 7:37 am

19. Chris Claremont: Essential X-Men vol 6

How did it get here?
I had to go to Copenhagen for a conference at the beginning of May – obviously a great opportunity to visit some of the more specialized bookstores, and I bought this book in Fantask, my favourite comic book store.

3 stars
I loved X-Men when I was younger and this volume covers some of the issues I read at the time. Most of them are pretty good, but Marvel got greedy and that didn’t really do anything good for the series. New spin-offs were introduced, and there were way too many cross-overs which broke up the flow of the main series. Still, the development of characters like Storm and Rachel made the reading worthwhile.

What’s next for it?
Staying off course – after all, I’m a collector.

115Henrik_Madsen
Jul 20, 2014, 3:42 pm

20. Milan Kundera: Tilværelsens ulidelige lethed (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)

How did it get here?
Not all books in the house are mine, and this is one of the books, which my wife brought with her, when we moved in together in 2001. She had already read it, but I have never gotten around to it. Until now, the vacation in the Czech Republique seemed like the perfect time to do it.

4½ stars
Tomas is a brilliant but womanizing doctor in Prague in the 1960s where he meets and falls in love with Tereza. Their love is complicated but strong, so strong that he follows her back to Czechoslovakia after their escape to Switzerland in 1968. Soon after, though, their existence is threatened by communist repression. Tomas is asked to call back a critical letter published in a periodical before the invasion, and when he refuses he can no longer be a doctor and becomes a window cleaner instead.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – I don’t feel done with this novel at all.

116Henrik_Madsen
Jul 21, 2014, 6:31 am

21. Vaclav Havel: Fjernforhør (Interrogation from afar)

How did it get here?
As mentioned our vacation this year went to the Czech Republic. I had already bought a couple of books online to have some more “local” literature and wasn’t really looking for anything specific when I went to a used book store with my son, who was looking for some comics for the trip. However, this book caught my eye. I have been interested in the developments of 1989 for a long time, and I have very much admired Havel as a person, so it came back with us and the comics.

4 stars
The book was created around Christmas 1985. The journalist Karel Hvizd’ala wanted to “interrogate” Havel from afar, and had sent him a long list of questions, which Havel then recorded his answers to. Havel is still listed as the author, which seems quite fair, since the questions are merely a means to get him talking systematically about his life and his experiences as a dissident in Czechoslovakia.

The book depicts Havel’s life both as a playwright working with absurd theatre in the 1960s and as a political activists continually fighting for the right to freedom of thought and speech. This soon meant confrontations with state and party leaders. Havel’s significance in the period before 1968 is probably a bit exaggerated because we see everything through his eyes, but it is still a fascinating glimpse into the working of a totalitarian regime. When Charta 77 was founded in 1977 he became a much more important voice of opposition and his thoughts on the process and on life in prison is interesting.

This is not the book to read on The Velvet Revolution, but it is still an interesting portrait of an important figure in postwar Europe.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – don’t think I will read this again, but I’m just not ready to let it go either.

117Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Jul 24, 2014, 5:22 am

22. Franz Kafka: Processen (A very precise Danish translation of the German original: Der Prozess)

How did it get here?
The Trial is obviously a very, very famous book with a very prominent place in the history of literature. Its been on my TBR list forever and sometime in the late 1990s I came upon this copy in a used book shop in Odense and bought. Still, it took another 15 years before I actually got around to it.

5 stars
This book is famous for a reason. It is brilliantly written and the claustrophobic atmosphere I like nothing I have ever read before. When Josef K. is arrested he is never told, what he is accused of, and he never actually faces the judge who is ruling in his case, because the trial is “naturally” not public. This makes a real defence difficult, but this is not what really breaks him down. What is truly horrific for K. (and the reader who shutters and despairs with him) is the fact that everybody else accepts the mysterious court system as some thing natural and in its own way logic.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – I have to re-read this at some point. I’m positive I have not understood all that is to be learned from this book.

118Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Jul 24, 2014, 10:01 am

23. Karel Capek: Krigen mod salamandrene (War with the Newts)

How did it get here?
As I mentioned earlier, I bought a couple of books online to supplement the Czech books I could find on the shelves. This is one of them. It’s a book I have wanted to read for a long time, mainly because, I think, I have seen the distinctive cover over and over again.

4 stars
I enjoyed the book a lot. It is a dystopian satire about the sudden and surprising rise of newts, discovered in the Pacific, trained for pearldiving and through human folly spread all over the globe and supplied with weapons, which they inevitably turn on the humans. Published in 1936 it is obviously inspired by contemporary events, but since the main problem is the human tendency to split up and form rivalries between states instead of handling common threats it is still relevant.

It is also funny and well-written and a really good book overall.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it feels really good to have it in the house.

119Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Jul 26, 2014, 5:43 am

24. Jan Bonek: Cubist Prague

How did it get here?
Prague is beautiful the way central European cities are beautiful. Lots of quality architecture, especially from the Art Nouveau period. What is unique about Prague is the existence of cubist architecture which was never really build anywhere else. Once we realized that, I started looking for a book on it and bought this guide in University Book Shop in near the central square.

3½ stars
The book is a useful guide to the buildings. It is divided into geographic chapters, which is an advantage when you walk through the city to see them, and the book is full of good photos and good descriptions on individual houses. There is also an introduction about the four main architects behind the movement, but I missed a bit more analysis of the movement and the theoretical ideas that must have been the foundation of cubist architecture.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – revisiting the book and its pictures will also be thinking back on the trip to Prague.

120Henrik_Madsen
Jul 26, 2014, 5:46 am

25. Pavel Kohout: Jeg sner (I am snowing – as far as I can tell a precise translation of the Czech original: Snezim)

How did it get here?
I bought this book at the end of June when I also ordered Krigen mod salamandrene. I chose a novel by Kohout because many, many years ago I read his Dansetime (owned but not a ROOT!) and thought it was great. I always wanted to read something else by him, but just never got around to it. This was the perfect opportunity.

4½ stars
This novel is all about seeking the truth even at great cost. Petra Marova is editing personals at a Catholic newspaper in Prague after the velvet revolution. She is also poet, mostly writing for the drawer, and her life is a mess. She is having an affair with Viktor Kral, her old lover who has returned from exile in Canada, but he is torn between her and his new family. When he is accused of being an agent under the old regime, she sets out to prove his innocence. But she also faces doubts and has to look over her life again. She is certain, however, that she cannot continue until she knows the truth.

I liked 'Jeg sner' very much. The theme is interesting and Petra Marova is a complicated, energetic and funny main character. She is adamant in her quest for the truth, but she is also very good at lying to herself, and the text is full of small sentences, where you can follow her doubts and thoughts.

What’s next for it?
Staying – I might return to it and I definitely hope I can lure my wife and / or children to read it at some point.

121Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Jul 29, 2014, 4:31 pm

26. Eugen Ruge: In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts

How did it get here?
I bought this book in a little bookstore in Braunlage last year, when we went to Harzen to go skiing. Well, the rest of the family went skiing, while I kicked back, read books – and bought a couple of new ones. Eugen Ruge’s novel had just been published in Danish and I had read raving reviews about it, so I decided to pick it up.

4½ stars
It is a pretty great novel. Ruge tells the story of the German Democratic Republic (the middle part of the name was obviously a fraud) through the development of a single family. The first generation returns from exile to help build the new society, and even though the reality is somewhat disappointing, they toil on. So does their children, but after that there is only indifference or even resentment. During its entire existence the GDR was in “Times of fading Lights” as the title so precisely puts it.

German literature has a strong tradition of novels on families and their decline – like Buddenbrooks – and I feel certain Ruge will take his rightful place between the best. He masterfully mixes character development with societal change, and the result is a very compelling and rather easily read novel.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – This book is going nowhere, and even though I own it in German, I will still try to convince my wife to read it. I probably won’t succeed, but the book is going nowhere.

122Henrik_Madsen
Jul 29, 2014, 4:34 pm

27. Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung

How did it get here?
In Prague we spend one day in the old Jewish neighbourhood of Josefov where we passed by the home of Kafka’s parents and stumbled upon the bookshop / library of the Franz Kafka Society. Being me, it was time to buy merchandise! I considered Das Schloss in German but settled for something shorter: The Metamorphis, one of the few stories published before Kafka’s death.

4½ stars
One morning Gregor Samsa wakes up transformed into a giant bug. He is supposed to go to work but can hardly get out of bed, and once his family and his boss sees him, they are appalled. Soon he is living a life contained in his room where only his sister dares enter, getting progressively weaker as his humanity fades.

Kafka never explains the metamorphis, but much like Josef K. in The Trial he is trapped in a new, absurd reality anyway. It is a reality I totally identified with and the book was a compelling read like hardly anything I have ever read before.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – that’s definitely a re-read waiting to happen.

123Henrik_Madsen
Ago 1, 2014, 11:01 am

28. Alison Bechdel: The essential Dykes to Watch Out For

How did it get here?
I read Fun Home some years ago and it is still one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. I knew I would enjoy the work of Alison Bechdel so when we went to London last year and I visited a comic shop, I decided to buy this book.

4½ stars
Dykes to Watch Out For is a comic strip published by Bechdel since 1987, and this tome is an anthology containing most of the work published 1987-2008. It is a clever chronicle of American society spanning twenty years and seeing life through the eyes of a group of leftwing, vegetarian lesbians fighting for equal rights and struggling with love and career like everyone else.

It is a funny and intelligent book documenting how lesbians become normal in ways supported by the author (they form families, get equal rights) and ways that discomforts her (lesbians can also be neocons supporting Bush, waterboarding and the war on terror!)

What’s next for it?
Definitely staying – it is really good!

124Tess_W
Ago 11, 2014, 9:04 am

More than halfway toward goal, yeah! Some interesting reads!

125Henrik_Madsen
Ago 12, 2014, 4:05 pm

>124 Tess_W: More than halfway, yes. I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far, but I'm still a bit behind. Hopefully I can catch up!

Speaking of which. I finished Noah Gordon: Lægen fra Zaragoza today. Review will be up shortly.

126Henrik_Madsen
Ago 17, 2014, 9:09 am

29. Noah Gordon: Lægen fra Zaragoza (The Doctor from Zaragoza – a not at all precise translation of the English title The Last Jew)

How did it get here?
It’s a book I received from a bookclub as the book of the month back in 2001. I don’t really remember if I intentionally decided to get it or I just forgot to sign off on the book in time. Either way, I do remember that I thought it looked intriguing and I looked forward to reading it. I just never got around to it, and since then it’s just been stuck on the shelves.

2½ stars
It’s a historical novel set in Spain around 1500, when all Jews were expulsed from the country and the Spanish Inquisition mercilessly hunted down those converts who secretly retained their old rituals and beliefs. Yonah is the son of a silver smith in Toledo, and his family is even more under siege than others. His older brother has been murdered because they have been caught up in a violent struggle within the Church. Once the expulsion becomes law, Yonah must flee across Spain on his own, secretly vowing never to convert.

The story is full of drama, but it just never really got to me. The characters are too one-dimensional, and at the end there were just too many coincidences helping to wrap up the story.

What’s next for it?
Give away pile – been there, read that.

127Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Ago 17, 2014, 3:59 pm

30. Hermann: Afrika

How did it get here?
I bought this comic book / graphic novel in April when I went to Copenhagen with my son, while my wife and daughter were away on swimming camp. This was one of the books that caught my eye. I have seen Hermann’s work before, but never read anything by him. At a reduced rate, it was a chance worth taking.

3 stars
Dario Ferrer is trying to protect the wildlife in Africa from poachers, and he takes no prisoners along the way. He is constantly angry and unwilling to explain himself, so interviewing him is quite a challenge for the young reporter Charlotte, who doesn’t approve of his war-like handling of poaching. Yet she is fascinated by the majestic nature of Africa, which is very beautifully expressed in the artwork.

When Ferrer and Charlotte accidentally observes a military assault on some rebels, that they were definitely NOT supposed to see, the book changes gears and becomes a chase-and-escape-if-you-can story. I enjoyed the art work, but the story is hardly original.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – my daughter has started reading comics, so maybe she will want to read it?

128connie53
Ago 17, 2014, 3:59 pm

You will get there, Henrik!

129Henrik_Madsen
Ago 17, 2014, 4:04 pm

>128 connie53: Oh, I hope so, Connie! And good to see you back on LT again. I totally understand how life can interfere - it happens to me from time to time as well - but we missed you.

Summer has been really good for ROOTing, but now work starts creeping in everywhere again. It's the nature of things and I really like my job, but browsing around LT I wish I had more time to read all the great books out there.

130connie53
Ago 17, 2014, 4:07 pm

I know just what you mean about life and work creeping in! And I'm glad to be back.

131Henrik_Madsen
Sep 13, 2014, 10:43 am

31. Harald Voetmann: Alt under månen (Everything under the Moon)

How did it get here?
As I mentioned earlier, I have joined a book club this year. In my experience, book club books have always shown up in my mail in three different ways: Book of the Month I wanted, Book of the Month I forgot to cancel and offers I ordered with a Book of the Month. Alt under månen is one of the last kind. I bought it in July along with a couple of Alice Munro books.

3½ stars
At the end of the 16th century the famous Danish scientist Tycho Brahe lived on the Island of Hven, where he meticulously observed the changing star formations and laid the groundwork for modern astronomy. The novel doesn’t deal much with the findings, though. It is mostly a portrait of a historical period where strange religious beliefs and alchemy existed side by side with scientific discovery. Much of the story is told through the eyes of servants, who don’t hold back when it comes to graphic descriptions of bodily decay.

I enjoyed the book, much like I enjoyed Voetmann’s earlier book Vågen about Pliny the Elder. He brings famous historical characters to life in a pretty compelling way.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it’s one the modern works of Danish litterature, I would like to have on the shelves.

132Henrik_Madsen
Sep 14, 2014, 11:23 am

32. Jaime Hernandez: Speedy Ortiz dør (The Death of Speedy)

How did it get here?
I bought this graphic novel in the spring on a trip to Copenhagen. I have read three collections of Palomar-stories by Jaime’s brother Gilbert, and this collection got really good reviews, when it was published in Danish.

3½ stars
Maggie and Hopey are growing up in a Hispanic suburb the Los Angeles in the 1980s. They don’t really know what to do with their lives, as they struggle to find a job – it’s a mystery to me why Maggie gives up on being a mechanic since she obviously likes it – and what to do with their love life. They live together and are on-off lovers, but they both have other love interests as well. Around them are a great number of characters, both friends and family, whose stories intertwine at various points.

It is a interesting portrait of a community, and I enjoyed both stories and artwork.

What’s next for it?
Staying – I’m sure my daughter will want to read this in a year or two.

133Henrik_Madsen
Oct 5, 2014, 10:35 am

33. Florian Illies: 1913: Århundredets sommer (1913: Summer of the Century - a precise translation of the German original)

How did it get here?
As I mentioned before, I joined a book club earlier this year. 1913 was one of the three books I practically got for free for my trouble. I have wanted to read it ever since it got glowing reviews when it was translated into Danish.

4½ stars
Illies paints a nuanced portrait of the year 1913 – just before the old Europe broke down in four years of brutal bloodshed. We follow important characters and events month by month. Two of them are Hitler and Stalin, who were both in Vienna and could have spared the world a lot of sorrow by settling their differences right there. It is not, however, mainly a political book. It is most of all a chronicle of the birth of modern culture. It is interesting to see just how much of a foundation for abstract painting, conceptual art and psychological literature that was already in place before the war.

It is a book full of knowledge, but it is also well crafted and entertaining. Illies shows how the larger story of cultural change is connected to and founded in personal experiences.

What’s next for it?
Staying – it really should be part of any good library.

134Henrik_Madsen
Oct 5, 2014, 10:42 am

It's october and we already have more than 3/4 of the year behind us. Unfortunately I'm not 3/4 through my challenge, and I'm growing increasingly pessimistic about actually reaching my goal this year.

Last year I was distracted by library books, but I cannot really use that excuse this year. The explanation is much more simple: I'm getting less reading done this year than usual, and this of course affects ROOTing as well. That will probably also be the case the rest of the way, since work just doesn't appear to slow down in the foreseeable future.

I will press on, of course, and do as many books, as I can!

135rabbitprincess
Oct 5, 2014, 11:03 am

Good luck! I hope that whenever you do get reading time, the books are enjoyable! :)

136majkia
Oct 5, 2014, 12:04 pm

Just enjoy what reading you do manage.

137Henrik_Madsen
Oct 7, 2014, 12:59 pm

Thanks >135 rabbitprincess: and >136 majkia:
I know, I do this for myself and I'm not getting stressed out about being a bit behind, but it still annoys me, that I don't get to read as many of the great books out there, as I would like!

And I definitely still appreciate my reading time. 8-)

138Tess_W
Oct 12, 2014, 7:55 am

Enjoy your reading, pshaw with the numbers!

139connie53
Oct 19, 2014, 4:03 pm

Just keep on reading, Henrik. Even if you don't get there, as long as you enjoy what you are reading.

140Henrik_Madsen
Oct 21, 2014, 2:20 pm

>138 Tess_W: and >139 connie53: Thanks - I will soldier on and definitely enjoy it!

141Henrik_Madsen
Editado: Oct 21, 2014, 2:26 pm

34. Judith Hermann: Sommerhaus, später

How did it get here?
In April I was asked by my boss to substitute for him in a meeting. Nothing special, except this meeting was held in Berlin. That’s a long way to travel for one meeting, but there was a nice bonus attached: I had a night in the city and partly used it to visit Dussmann Kulturkaufhas in Fridriechstrasse. One of the books I bought there, was this collection of short stories by Judith Hermann.

3½ stars
I loved my first Judith Hermann book – Alice – and thought it was time to renew the acquaintance. Her debut from 1998 consists of nine stories full of sad characters. Happiness always seems to be in the past or just out of reach for them. The stories are well crafted and there are some memorable scenes in them. I loved the hopelessly self-absorbed boyfriend who could only say: “I’m not interested in myself.” Or the homeless taxi-driver from the title story, who finally gambles on restoring an old country house to fit in. Sommerhaus, später is a fine collection, but not quite as good as Hermann’s later work.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – maybe I can trade it for a copy of Alice?

142Henrik_Madsen
Nov 1, 2014, 5:19 am

35. Nils Arne Sørensen: Den store krig (The Great War)

How did it get here?
The author was my teacher and later my colleague at the University of Southern Denmark. This was one of his major works and since I have always been interested in the history of the first world war, I obviously bought the book not long after it came out in 2005. I just never found the time to read it, so it’s been sitting comfortably on my shelves ever since.

4½ stars
But why? It’s a great synthesis on the history of the Great War in Europe. We get concise analysis of the origins of the war, of the major developments on the battle fields and an even depiction of all the major fronts. (The West Front was obviously immensely important, but it was not the only front even though most of the imagery of the war in Western Europe focuses on the trenches in France and Flanders.) It also brings fresh knowledge to life of ordinary soldiers, women on the home front and the massive remembrance culture developed after the war. It is, in short a really good book and one that I would recommend to anybody interested in a interpretation of the war in Danish.

What’s next for it?
Moved to the favourites section – a history nerd has to keep a book like this for future reference.

143Tess_W
Nov 1, 2014, 10:57 am

Sound like a wonderful read, especially since you "knew" the author. The Great War is one of the favorite units that I teach.

144Henrik_Madsen
Nov 1, 2014, 11:26 am

>143 Tess_W: Yes it was, and it is interesting to read and recognize specific interpretations and points, that I have heard from him earlier. I believe the book deserves a greater audience, but unfortunately it has not been translated to English. (Not that you will have much difficulty finding books about the war in English, of course.)

145Henrik_Madsen
Nov 2, 2014, 7:57 am

36. Asta Olivia Nordenhof: det nemme og det ensomme (The easy and the lonely)

How did it get here?
Nordenhof is commonly seen as one of the most important voices in a new generation of Danish authors. In August I had the chance to buy her newest collection of poems through the book club – which I did.

3½ stars
Memories and everyday situations are the fuel in Nordenhofs writing. They are written in precise sentences, and the collection emanates much vulnerability and a poignant indignation.

I always find it difficult writing about poetry – especially in English – but I really enjoyed reading the book.

What’s next for it?
Staying – I could see my self re-reading this collection sometime.

146Henrik_Madsen
Dic 22, 2014, 4:14 pm

37. Gabriel Garcia Marques: Generalen i sin labyrint

How did it get here?
This is another book I have read as part of my annual “jubilee-reading”. The novel was published 25 years ago, and since I couldn’t borrow it at my local library – which was both surprising and a little disappointing – I decided to buy it.

3½ stars
The story of the last journey of Simon Bolivar from Bogatá down the river Skt Magdalene is an interesting portrait of a man who was already myth when he lived. He travels with a large number of old comrades from his many military campaigns and important episodes from his life are told through numerous flashbacks. It is a good book with a very fascinating main character. I enjoyed reading it, but it’s not really a great book.

What’s next for it?
Staying for now – I like Marquez, so it will remain on the shelves until I decide otherwise.

147connie53
Dic 23, 2014, 2:39 pm

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Henrik!

148Henrik_Madsen
Ene 11, 2015, 8:43 am

Thanks - and a late but well-meant Happy New Year to you too!