December GeoCAT - Destination: western Europe

Note: I'll post the first part today and the second part tomorrow or Friday, I'm a little bit busy in the evenings at the moment. I'll reserve the posts I need, so feel free to comment and add suggestions straight away.

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Countries:
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

So many countries, so many books! Welcome to that part of the world, where I've basically spent all my life. The countries represent a vast variety of landscapes, people and traditions: Kings and queens and the European Union. High mountains and sandy beaches. Ancient castles and modern glass buildings. Cold ice and warm sunshine. More than 15 languages and a large number of dialects. And of course: literature of all types!

It will be impossible to present a complete overview, but I'll try to give you a starting point and some inspiration. Feel free to add suggestions in this thread.

Here's a small comic on European languages: link

And here's the link to the wiki: click

Scandinavia is known for its crime fiction, but there's so much more. Danish fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen, Norwegian plays by Henrik Ibsen, Swedish children's stories by Astrid Lindgren, family sagas from Iceland and diverse contemporary fiction.
--> Crime fiction: Call Me Princess by Sarah Blaedel, Borkmann's Point by Haakan Nesser, The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, Sons of Dust by Arnaldur Indriðason
--> Other genres: This Should Be Written in the Present Tense by Helle Helle, Emil of Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren, Moomins by Tove Jansson, A Time for Everything by Karl Ove Knausgaard, Stalin's Cows by Sofi Oksanen
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The UK & Ireland are known for much more than tea, britpop music or Guinness, the reading options originating here are endless. Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Robert Burns, H.G. Wells, Georgette Heyer, J. R. Tolkien or Agatha Christie are just a few world famous names. And the list of contemporary names is just as long, featuring names like Ken Follet, Neil Gaiman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Enid Blyton, Anne Enright or Denise Mina.
--> A few examples: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home, The Collected Poems of William Wordsworth, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
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The BeNeLux are that part of Europe I am least familiar with in terms of authors and books. This year in October the Netherlands were the official guest region at the German Book Fair, so there was something to dive into for me. Here's some more information on that.
Even though I have not yet read a Dutch book since the fair, my impression is that the list of authors and books from this region is worth exploring.
--> A few examples: The Friendship by Connie Palmen, Blue Mondays by Arnon Grünberg, The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom, The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus, The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker, The Assault by Harry Mulisch, Maigret and Monsieur Charles by Georges Simenon

The DACH region consists of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Three countries meeting in the Alps, connected by the German language, but apart from that quite different from each other. Germany is known for its long history in literature, with names such as Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Brecht, Heine, Storm, Mann or Grass. But we should not make the mistake to forget Austria and Switzerland, both of them offer great books as well.
-->Switzerland: Heidi by Johanna Spyri, The Visit by Friedrich Dürenmatt, Andorra by Max Frisch, Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier, A Deal with the Devil by Martin Suter
--->Austria: Advent by Rainer Maria Rilke, Chess by Stefan Zweig, The Trial by Franz Kafka, Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, Blinde Vögel by Ursula Poznanski, A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler
-->Germany: Emilia Galotti by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, William Tell by Friedich Schiller, The Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers, Russian Disco by Wladimir Kaminer, Eagles and Angels by Juli Zeh, Passenger 23 by Sebastian Fitzek, Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
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Mediterranean/southern Europe consists of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Lots of books to choose from!
The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafón, The Misanthrope by Molière, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq, Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano, The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, Been Here a Thousand Years by Mariolina Venezia, Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, The Jasmine Island by Ioanna Karystiani, Expiring Loans by Petros Markaris
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I love this! I've got several to choose from.

I'm planning to read Dead Wake by Erik Larson for DeweyCAT and AlphaKIT. I think it will fit here, as well.

Those pictures are gorgeous.

I just started listening to The Boy in the Suitcase which will be perfect for this month.

I'm planning on reading The Ice Carriers by Anna Enquist of the Netherlands. If time permits, I'll aim to read something by Milan Kundera also, as I have a couple of choices there.

I have a few from Western Europe lined up for next month including Captain Alatriste (Spain) by Arturo Perez-Reverte, All the Light We Cannot See (France/Germany) by Anthony Doerr and Tamar (Netherlands) by Mal Peet.

I have updated >3 Chrischi_HH: with books from the German speaking area and the south of Europe. :)

There are so many options that I think I will just pick up the book(s) that is (are) the most appealing when December is here. Some of my options are:
- Die ungehorsame Tochter by Petra Oelker
- Fünf by Ursula Poznanski
- A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler
- Still Midnight by Denise Mina
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I'll definitely be reading Georgette Heyer's Envious Casca (UK), and possibly some others as well.

I plan to read The Dancers Dancing by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne (Ireland) and - hopefully- Kristen Lavransdatter (the trilogy in one volume) by Sigrid Undset (Norway).

I have lots of books which could fit in here. Italy and Britain are the most likely places for settings, plus of course lots of UK writers.

~~CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS~~

Because it's Christmas time I'll give you a bonus "Christmas Tour Around Europe" and the traditions we have in western Europe. I hope you enjoy it. :)

As I am German, the first one is Germany. Here, Christmas starts early with Advent. The last 4 Sundays before Christmas are the Advent Sundays and each Sunday one candle is lit. There are various types of Advent calendars with 14 little doors/gifts to open. Up to Christmas, houses and gardens are lit with candles and light chains, Christmas markets are open in every city, where people drink Glühwein (mulled wine), eat snacks, meet friends and buy handcrafted things.
December 6 is Nikolaustag, where children clean one of their shoes and put it in front of their door the night before. When they wake up, the shoe is filled with sweets, fruit, nuts and maybe even a small gift.
A few days before Christmas the Christmas tree is set up in the living rooms and decorated with glass ornaments, wooden ornaments, candles or whatever the family likes. On Christmas Eve (24th), the family comes together and presents are exchanged (or, for children: brought by Santa). The next two days are public holidays and often used to meet friends or family, more presents, more food, more Christmas songs. :)

A German Christmas poem to read: Die Weihnachtsmaus by James Krüss – or one of the many others by e.g. Theodor Storm, Erich Kästner or Rainer Maria Rilke.

And a few (very different) Christmas songs to listen to: Youtube 1 YouTube 2 YouTube 3 YouTube 4

Frohe Weihnachten! :)

>15 Chrischi_HH: Thank you! That is interesting!

>15 Chrischi_HH: I would love to spend Christmas in Germany one year. I am particularly intrigued by the Christmas markets, sounds like a wonderful way to get in the holiday mood.

>15 Chrischi_HH: We're missing the German Christmas already! No Advent wreath on the table, no piles of lebkuchen in the bakeries (no bakery on every corner - but that's a non-seasonal issue), no Christmas markets. Sigh.

Starting Pompeii: A Conspiracy Among Friends by Robert Colton, set, obviously, in Pompeii.

I am reading Giorgio Seferis (George Seferis)'s 1960 book "Poems", translated by Rex Warner. That title brings up far too many options in Touchstones for me to find the correct one!

I've just finished The Ice Carriers by Anna Enquist of Holland, and she's going to be a new favorite writer of mine. I read this one in two sittings--it was just entrancing. Full review written.

>17 DeltaQueen50: >18 RidgewayGirl: I love the Christmas markets, too. The only downside in bigger cities: They are way too crowded by tourists. :D

Next up will be Denmark, I'll post it tomorrow or on Monday.

>21 whitewavedarling: The Ice Carriers sounds interesting!

Finished At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen. Set in Scotland. She is an author from the United States.

>23 Kristelh: Ha! My first thought was - isn't Sara Gruen Canadian?

From wikipedia, it seems she was born in B.C. in 1969 and grew up in Ontario, but has dual citizenship. It looks like she has lived in the US since 1999.

I finished Dear Mr. M, which is by Dutch writer Herman Koch. I'm afraid I was disappointed, though. Not as good a read as The Dinner for me.

>24 LibraryCin: She had Canadian's in the book, she referred to them as Lumberjacks. They wer there to help supply wood. Interesting. She really did do some good research for the book.

My first two books of the month fit here: In the Darkness by Karin Fossum, book 1 in the Norwegian series featuring Inspector Sejer, and Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love and Death in Renaissance Italy by Sarah Bradford, which takes place in Italy. I am currently working on a German mystery, Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter! by Jutta Profijt

I am currently reading Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards. It's a collection of short stories from the Golden Age of mysteries. They take place in England so this fits perfectly. I'm also listening to some Charles Dickens Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol, narrated by Simon Vance and The Chimes, narrated by Richard Armitage *swoon*

~~CHRTISTMAS TRADITIONS~~

I lived in Denmark for four wonderful years, therefore this is country no. 2 now.

The Danes also celebrate the Christmas time long before it's actually Christmas, starting with the Advent season. They have calendars with small gifts, pakkekalender, and they also have candles with a Christmas countdown. You light the candle every day for just a while – and on the 24th day, when the candle is almost gone, Christmas is here. But the best calendar is the „julekalender“ on tv. I never managed to watch all 24 episodes, but usually there is (at least) one for children and one for grown ups.

Up to Christmas, many Christmas parties, julefrokost are held. With friends, with your sports club, with work or your family. People dress up, meet for dinner at beautifully decorated tables (Danish design, hm?), eat, drink (a lot) and have fun. Typical food always includes herring on bread in different variations, smörrebröd and the traditional Akvavit, a clear and rather strong spirit made with spices and herbs. Other typical food is roast duck or pork, often served with sweet, cooked potatoes and red cabbage. THE dessert is ris à l'amande, which is a special rice pudding with chopped almonds, being served with cherry sauce. In the pot, there is one whole almond, and the person who finds it get the mandelgave, a small present.

On Christmas Eve (24th), some Danes go to church, and afterwards the eat a traditional dinner, exchange presents and often sing together or dance around the Christmas tree. The trees are often decorated with the Danish flag or other decorative items in the national colours red and white. Very typical are julehjerter, selfmade carton hearts. For children, Santa (julemand) brings the presents and is helped by nisser, small elves.

Oh, and there is a rather new "tradition". J-dag, taking place the first Friday in November. That's the day when the snow arrives. This day was invented by the Danish brewery Tuborg and simply means that on this day, Tuborg launches their Christmas beer. :) Many bars have events then, you see many people dressed up as blue beer "nisser" and especially young people are filling the city streets. This event is not holy or silent, but rather loud. Still, it has become part of the Danish Christmas time. Clever marketing!

If you feel like watching a tv Christmas calendar, here you go (with English subtitles - you can activate them at the bottom right of the video): Krummernes Jul

And a few Danish Christmas songs: YouTube1 YouTube2 YouTube3 YouTube4

Glædelig Jul! :)

>28 luvamystery65:, I just finished The Chimes - Dickens, audio read by Richard Armitage.

>28 luvamystery65: That one is on my wish list. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on it.

>26 Kristelh: LOL! Oh, that's interesting!

>29 Chrischi_HH: Thanks!

>23 Kristelh:, I'm listening to At The Water's Edge at the moment.

I have just finished When Gods Die by C S Harris, the 2nd Sebastian St. Cyr mystery. It was pretty good.

>29 Chrischi_HH:, And >15 Chrischi_HH:, Thanks, I am enjoying the Christmas Traditions.

COMPLETED Pompeii: A Conspiracy Among Friends by Robert Colton

I am enjoying the Christmas Traditions as well.

I have just completed Tamar by Mal Peet. This was a well done YA story about the Dutch Resistance during WW II.

I just finished an Inspector Montalbano mystery, The Age of Doubt. Italy (or to be more specific, Sicily)...

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's The Moon is Down, a short Allied propaganda novel about the Nazi occupation of an unnamed country. It describes the psychology and actions (way of life) of both the people in the occupied territory and of the military oppressors.

I'm reading The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan. Although it is from one of my favourite series, I actually chose it because it also fits this month's AlphaKIT (T & E).

Just finished, The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens, the third of the Christmas Stories. Country (England). This one, read by Jim Dale (or character's from Harry Potter). Much lighter than The Chimes and The Christmas Carol.

COMPLETED Pompeii: Hazard At Bay by Robert Colton.

Starting I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd.

I finished two more, both mysteries which I enjoyed quite a bit: Morgue Drawer: Do Not Enter! by Jutta Profijt, Germany; and The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, England.

COMPLETED I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd, set in Rome. Starting the same author's Virgin Territory, set in Sicily.

I finished The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis, narrated by Katherine Kellgren. It was a confusing but enjoyable Scandinavian noir which took place in Denmark but had characters from Poland and Lithuania as well.

I read Von Trollen und Menschen, a collection of seven short stories by Selma Lagerlöf and set in Sweden.

I have just completed The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith which was set in Italy.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania / Erik Larson
4.5 stars

The Lusitania was a large passenger vessel, travelling from New York to England in 1915, during World War I. At the time, German submarines were patrolling and sinking ships, neutral, passenger, or otherwise, in British waters. Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States and had just lost his wife The British had a room (Room 40) where they decoded German messages. This book follows all those different threads as it leads up to a disaster…

I hadn’t heard of the Lusitania until I started seeing reviews of this book. I found this story fascinating! There were a few parts that weren’t as interesting, but for the most part, I was engaged in the story. Of course, most interesting to me was the Lusitania herself, the passengers and the captain. I was a bit surprised to find even the submarine’s story held my interest, as well, though. Wilson and Room 40’s parts in the book were a little less, but did come into play for various reasons.

~~CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS~~

Let's move south and see how Spain celebrates Christmas. In Spain, Christmas is a little less commercial than in e.g. Germany or Denmark, lights are up later and Advent is not celebrated in the same way.

Decorations are often lights in the streets, winter roses, and traditionally Belénes, miniature nativity scenes. These scenes feature baby Jesus, Maria and Joseph and sometimes also the Three Kings, Baltasar, Melchior and Gaspar. Christmas trees are not part of the traditional decorations, but have become more popular in the past. The decorations start to appear in early December, some only a few days before Christmas.
Up to Christmas, there are events like Immaculada (8th), a public holiday marking the beginning of religious Christmas celebrations. In some regions the winter solstice is celebrated with bonfires (Hogueras, 21st)). And - very important - the Christmas lottery, lotería de navidad, (22nd) broadcasted on tv and radio, where thousands of Spanish men and women hope to win the main prize.

In Spanish, Christmas Eve is Nochebuena. It is the evening for family gatherings at home, with drinks like wine and Cava and dinner. Dinner typically consists of various starters, then roasted lamb or duck, and for dessert Turrón (nougat made of almonds) or Polvorones, a kind of cookies made of flour, almonds and sugar. In the evening or the next morning children receive small gifts, but the main day for gift will be in January. Navidad, the two Christmas days, are a national holiday, and people come together with their families again or enjoy quiet days.
The 28th is the day of Santos Inocentes (Holy Innocents) which can be compared to April Fool's day. People play jokes on each other and some media publish fun fake stories as well.

The grand final starts after New Year's Eve. In the evening of 5 January there are Epiphany processions in many cities, where the Three Kings have big floats shaped like camels. The Three Kings are also believed to bring the presents, therefore children put a bowl of water for the camels and a small gift for the Kings in front of their doors and the next morning they will find presents. This day is celebrated as Día de los Reyes Magos, the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem.

A few Spanish Christmas songs: YouTube1 YouTube2 YouTube3 YouTube4

Feliz Navidad!

In terms of reading, I finished Die ungehorsame Tochter, a historic mystery set in 18th century Hamburg (Germany) and have started The Death of Bees, set in Glasgow (Scotland, UK).

I have seen many interesting choices so far, I hope you continue to enjoy this month's reading. :)

>50 Chrischi_HH: I hope you love The Death of Bees, it is one of my top reads for this year.

COMPLETED Virgin Territory, Man Eater, and Wolf Whistle, all by Marilyn Todd and set in Roman Italy.

I finished The Three Hostages which takes place mostly in England but with portions in Norway and Scotland.

I'm currently reading Old Dogs by Donna Moore, which is (at least so far!) set in Scotland. The author is also Scottish.

I just finished The Painter of Birds that takes place in rural Portugal, around Algarve where the author is from. Not a huge favorite, but I learned something about the Portuguese personality and that is a huge plus for me.

Finished Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, set in England.

I have been listening the full cast audiobook of some plays by Moliere - translation by Richard Wilbur. Such fun! These are set (mostly) in France.

The Birds / Daphne du Maurier
5 stars

I listened to the BBC audio dramatization of du Maurier’s The Birds (the same one Hitchcock based his movie on). It follows a family of three who have moved from London to the country. It takes place in England, it seems to be just after the war (WWII, I am assuming, as it was written in 1952). They notice birds congregating outside their home and becoming more and more aggressive.

I really liked this. Boy, that ending was creepy!!! I did see the movie years ago, and now I’d be interested in seeing it again. As I look at other reviews, it seems the movie is quite different. I’m not sure how close the dramatization is, but I thought this BBC version was done very well!

Halfway through Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner when I had a momentary worrying thought that we'd decided not to include the UK with the rest of western Europe! Luckily, it was only the actual UK that did that, and not us, so I can complete the category of my challenge dedicated to CATs.

Just completed Envious Casca, which I think is one of Georgette Heyer's best mysteries! Set in England.

I also finished The Nutcracker, which I read aloud to my son. It is, of course, German. My son pronounced it "weird, but descriptive." I liked it.

I have just completed Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte which is set in Spain and counts for this month's GeoCat. This looks to be my last book of 2016.

>49 Chrischi_HH: Thanks for the Christmas Traditions posts! I've enjoyed reading them.

I finished several books in December that fit into this challenge: A Sleeping Life (England) by Ruth Rendell, Villette (France) by Charlotte Bronte , I am Half-Sick of Shadows (England) by Alan Bradley, Rounding the Mark (Sicily) by Andrea Camilleri and Light in a Dark House (Finland) by Jan Costin Wagner.