Anita (FAMeulstee) goes where the books take her in 2019 (9)

Welcome to my ninth 2019 thread!

I am Anita Meulstee, married with Frank since 1984. We live in Lelystad, the Netherlands. We both love modern art and books.
I read (almost) everything, from childrens and YA books to more serious literature, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy and I try not to forget to throw some non-fiction into the mix.

At the Suriname exhibition I learned about the works of Maria Sibylla Merian. She was a German born naturalist and scientific illustrator. She went to Suriname in 1699 and returned in 1701. In 1705 her book Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium was published.

  

  

Books read since 2008: 2,150

--
total books read in 2019: 385
187 own / 196 library / 2 other

total pages read in 2019: 101,389 pages

--
currently reading:
poetry: De Nederlandse kinderpoëzie in 1000 en enige gedichten by Gerrit Komrij, 1040 pages

books read in November 2019 (29 books, 9,073 pages, 11 own / 17 library / 1 other)
book 385: 14 (1914) by Jean Echenoz, 121 pages, TIOLI #19 (msg 164)
book 384: Descartes in Amsterdam by Hans Dooremalen, 254 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 163)
book 383: Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge) by Elizabeth Strout, 333 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 162)
book 382: De koffiehandelaar (The various flavors of coffee) by Anthony Capella, 494 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 149)
book 381: De pianoman by J. Bernlef, 89 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 148)
book 380: De blauwe engel (The Blue Angel) by Heinrich Mann, 188 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 147)
book 379: Utopia (Utopia) by Thomas More, 187 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 145)
book 378: De pruimenpluk by Dimitri Verhulst, 151 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 144)
book 377: De val (The Fall) by Albert Camus, 150 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 143)
book 376: De boeken der kleine zielen (The Book of the Small Souls) by Louis Couperus, 1008 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 142)
- short story The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, TIOLI #3
book 375: Odysseia (The Odyssey) by Homerus, 430 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 124)
book 374: De glazen brug (The glass bridge) by Marga Minco, 95 pages, TIOLI #14 (msg 123)
book 373: Lazarillo van Tormes (The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes), 96 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 122)
book 372: Ach, deze leegte, deze verschikkelijke leegte by Joachim Meyerhoff, 313 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 121)
book 371: Sterremeer by F. Springer, 95 pages, TIOLI #18 (msg 120)
book 370: De vrije val van Vestia by Hans Verbraeken, 271 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 119)
book 369: Zeemeermin (The drowning) by Camilla Läckberg, 413 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 98)
book 368: En ik was zijn held by Rindert Kromhout, 304 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 97)
book 367: Het oude land (This House Is Mine) by Dörte Hansen, 286 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 96)
book 366: Het wezen van de olifant by Toon Tellegen, 149 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 64)
book 365: Op hol (Bolt) by Dick Francis, 285 pages, TIOLI #19 (msg 62)
book 364: De melancholie van het verzet (The melancholy of resistance) by László Krasznahorkai, 415 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 61)
book 363: De groene stad by Redmond O'Hanlon, 159 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 60)
book 362: Aan de grond in Londen en Parijs (Down and out in Paris and London) by George Orwell, 254 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 40)
book 361: Het duel bij Araluen (Duel at Araluen) by John Flanagan, 368 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 39)
book 360: De clan van de Rode Vos (The Red Fox Clan) by John Flanagan, 384 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 39)
book 359: Zolang er leven is (On the Bright Side) by Hendrik Groen, 375 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 38)
book 358: SPQR : Een geschiedenis van het Romeinse rijk (SPQR : a history of ancient Rome) by Mary Beard, 544 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 37)
book 357: De Thibaults. Deel 1 (The Thibaults) by Roger Martin du Gard, 862 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 36)

books read in October 2019 (42 books, 9,221 pages, 29 own / 13 library)
book 356: Suzy en de kwallen (The thing about jellyfish) by Ali Benjamin
book 355: Amerikanah (Americanah) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
book 354: De negen kamers by Peter-Paul Rauwerda
book 353: Vaders en zonen (Fathers and sons) by Ivan Toergenjev
book 352: Hoe gaan we dit uitleggen by Jelmer Mommers
book 351: *De geboorte bij de hond by C. Naaktgeboren
book 350: Gratis geld voor iedereen (Utopia for Realists) by Rutger Bregman
book 349: *Dzjengis Khan: De strijd om het bestaan - deel 2 by Anton Quintana & Jos Looman
book 348: *Dzjengis Khan: De strijd om het bestaan - deel 1 by Anton Quintana & Jos Looman
book 347: *Elementaire kynologische kennis by Robert van der Molen
book 346: Het stof dat van dromen valt (The dust that falls from dreams) by Louis de Bernières
book 345: Ziezo : de 347 kinderversjes by Annie M.G. Schmidt
book 344: Ze gaan er met je neus vandoor by Ted van Lieshout
book 343: *Sprookjes voor kind en gezin (The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm) by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
book 342: Het bestverkochte boek ooit by Sanne Blauw
book 341: Zeb. by Gideon Samson
book 340: Siddhartha's brein (Siddhartha's brain) by James Kingsland
book 339: De stemmenimitator (The voice imitator) by Thomas Bernhard
book 338: De kracht van het NU in de praktijk (Practicing the power of now) by Eckhart Tolle
book 337: *Kikker is kikker (Frog is Frog) by Max Velthuijs
book 336: Juffrouw Kachel by Toon Tellegen
book 335: *De weglopers (The runaways) by Ruth Thomas
book 334: Haaientanden by Anna Woltz
book 333: De levenden en de doden (I Am Your Judge) by Nele Neuhaus
book 332: Winnie de Poeh compleet (The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh) by A.A. Milne
book 331: De Jiddische politiebond (The Yiddish Policemen's Union) by Michael Chabon
book 330: *Mormels paard (Groundhog's horse) by Joyce Rockwood
book 329: *Kaloeha Dzong by Lydia Rood
book 328: Dit is de spin Sebastiaan by Annie M.G. Schmidt
book 327: De kunstrijder by Jan Terlouw
book 326: *De uitdaging en andere verhalen by Jan Terlouw
book 325: De stille elite (Uniform Justice) by Donna Leon
book 324: Boeddhisme in alle eenvoud (Buddhism plain and simple) by Steve Hagen
book 323: *Ysa's schreeuw (Every time a rainbow dies) by Rita Williams-Garcia
book 322: *Willis : het doet er niet toe hoe by Daan Remmerts de Vries
book 321: Alles komt goed, altijd by Kathleen Vereecken
book 320: We noemen hem Anna by Peter Pohl
book 319: Ons derde lichaam by Edward van de Vendel
book 318: Floris : de vijand te slim af (Floris 3) by Frans de Regt
book 317: Floris en het beleg van Oldenstein (Floris 2) by Jacques Constant
book 316: Floris en het verraad van Oldenstein (Floris 1) by José Kiestra
book 315: De binnenste cirkel (The savage shore, Nic Costa 11) by David Hewson

books read in September 2019 (35 books, 7,631 pages, 25 own / 10 library)
book 314: Hou van mij by Ted van Lieshout
book 313: *Het bergje spek by Harriët van Reek
book 312: Op weg naar het schavot by Kees Fens
book 311: Als je goed om je heen kijkt zie je dat alles gekleurd is by Tine van Buul
book 310: Het feest op de maan by Toon Tellegen
book 309: *Jip en Janneke by Annie M.G. Schmidt
book 308: Het Wilhelmus by Willem Wilmink
book 307: Het lange verblijf by Régine Detambel
book 306: *Teunis by Toon Tellegen
book 305: De jacht op het schaduwdier by John Flanagan
book 304: Sneeuwstorm en amandelgeur (The Scent of Almonds) by Camilla Läckberg
book 303: Inbreuk (Break In) by Dick Francis
book 302: *Het ratteplan (A rat's tale) by Tor Seidler
book 301: De stilte van de vrouwen (The Silence of the Girls) by Pat Barker
book 300: Steen op steen (Stone upon stone) by Wieslaw Mysliwski
book 299: *Zolang het nog kan (Only love) by Susan Sallis
book 298: Over de indianen van Noord-Amerika (North American Indians) by George Catlin
book 297: *Noodlanding (To the Wild Sky) by Ivan Southall
book 296: *Het geheim van Mories Besjoer by Anke de Vries
book 295: Oorlogskind (The Hidden Child) by Camilla Läckberg
book 294: De huisjongen (Houseboy) by Ferdinand Oyono
book 293: Nacht und Nebel (Nacht und Nebel = Night and fog) by Floris B. Bakels
book 292: Toen niemand iets te doen had (Far Away Across the Sea) by Toon Tellegen
book 291: Raffie en de 9 aapjes (Cecily G. and the 9 Monkeys) by H.A. Rey
book 290: Mosje en Reizele by Karlijn Stoffels
book 289: Vreemd land by Rita Verschuur
book 288: Het testament van de Inca by Karl May
book 287: *Niet zo, maar zo! deel 1 by Joost Swarte
book 286: Hillbilly Blues (Hillbilly Elegy) by J.D. Vance
book 285: *Bij ons op het dorp by Rudie van Meurs
book 284: *Verzetsjongen by Hans Werner
book 283: *Och, ik elleboog me er wel doorheen by Ted van Lieshout
book 282: Boze wolf (Bad Wolf) by Nele Neuhaus
book 281: *Jubeltenen by Rita Verschuur
book 280: Witte dood (Lethal white) by Robert Galbraith

* these books are to be culled

November 2019 reading plans only one children's/YA book left, I am half way reading this anthology of childrens poetry of 1,040 pages

1 own children's and YA book reading:
De Nederlandse kinderpoëzie in 1000 en enige gedichten - Gerrit Komrij, 1040 pages

--
TIOLI November 2019 sweep
#1: Read a book that measures approximately 1 cm in thickness
- De groene stad - Redmond O'Hanlon, 159 pages (geleend)
#2: Read a book with the name of a city in the title
- Aan de grond in Londen en Parijs (Down and out in Paris and London) - George Orwell, 254 pages (library)
- SPQR : Een geschiedenis van het Romeinse rijk (SPQR : a history of ancient Rome) - Mary Beard, 544 pages (e-library)
#3: Read a book with a title that mentions something you could recycle
- De boeken der kleine zielen (The Book of the Small Souls) - Louis Couperus, 1008 pages
- Paper Menagerie - Ken Liu (short story)
#4: Finish an interrupted book
- Odysseia (The Odyssey) - Homerus, 430 pages
#5: Read a book that has a musical instrument in the title
- De pianoman - J. Bernlef, 89 pages
#6: read a book with a 'haiku seasonal word/phrase' on the cover
- De pruimenpluk - Dimitri Verhulst, 151 pages
#7: Read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for..."
- Het oude land (This House Is Mine) - Dörte Hansen, 286 pages (library)
#8: Read a book that has been adapted from / or into another form
- De melancholie van het verzet (The melancholy of resistance) - László Krasznahorkai, 415 pages (library)
- Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge) - Elizabeth Strout, 333 pages (e-library)
#9: Read a book set in Western Europe
- Ach, deze leegte, deze verschikkelijke leegte - Joachim Meyerhoff, 313 pages (library)
- De Thibaults : Deel 1 (The Thibaults) - Roger Martin du Gard, 862 pages (library)
- De val (The Fall) - Albert Camus, 150 pages
- De vrije val van Vestia - Hans Verbraeken, 271 pages (e-library)
- Descartes in Amsterdam - Hans Dooremalen, 254 pages (library)
- En ik was zijn held - Rindert Kromhout, 304 pages (library)
#10: Read a book by an author who has a sibling who is in the creative arts
- De blauwe engel (The Blue Angel) - Heinrich Mann, 188 pages
#11: Read a book in which a profession of a drink is written
- De koffiehandelaar (The various flavors of coffee) - Anthony Capella, 494 pages (library)
#12: Read A Book Where a Word in Title Reminds You of a Childhood Toy
- Het wezen van de olifant - Toon Tellegen, 149 pages (e-library)
#13: Read a book about a utopia whether it is successful or not
- Utopia (Utopia) - Thomas More, 187 pages
#14: Rolling Challenge – Read a book where the first letter of the title starts with one of the letters in the word Grateful
- De glazen brug (The glass bridge) - Marga Minco, 95 pages
#15: Read another book by an author you discovered in 2019
- Zeemeermin (The drowning) - Camilla Läckberg, 413 pages (e-library)
- Zolang er leven is (On the Bright Side) - Hendrik Groen, 375 pages (library)
#16: Read a book with a yellow and/or orange cover for the November birthstone challenge
- Lazarillo van Tormes (The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes), 96 pages
#17: Read a book that features young person/s in peril
- De clan van de Rode Vos (The Red Fox Clan) - John Flanagan, 384 pages (e-library)
- Het duel bij Araluen (Duel at Araluen) by John Flanagan, 368 pages (e-library)
#18: Read a book by an author whose first name is Felix or Lars or one of these names appear in the first sentence
- Sterremeer - F. Springer, 95 pages
#19: Read a book with a title containing up to 9 characters
- Op hol (Bolt) - Dick Francis, 285 pages
- 14 (1914) - Jean Echenoz, 121 pages (e-library)

Reading plans in 2019

I have a large collection of mostly awarded childrens & YA books. At the moment I am reading the books I haven't read since joining LT, mostly alphabeticly, to decide which to keep.
I start in 2019 with 581* childrens/YA books on the shelves, of those 114 are TBR.

End of January update own childrens/YA books project:
16 books read, 2 books added, 6 books culled, new total 577 books on the shelves, 100 TBR

End of February update own childrens/YA books project:
15 books read, 8 books culled, new total 569 books on the shelves, 85 TBR

End of March update own childrens/YA books project:
6 books read, 3 books culled, new total 566 books on the shelves, 79 TBR

End of April update own childrens/YA books project:
5 books read, 1 books culled, new total 565 books on the shelves, 74 TBR

End of May update own childrens/YA books project:
8 books read, 3 books culled, new total 562 books on the shelves, 66 TBR

End of June update own childrens/YA books project:
2 books read, no books culled, total 562 books on the shelves, 64 TBR

End of July update own childrens/YA books project:
9 books read, 3 books culled, total 559 books on the shelves, 55 TBR

End of August update own childrens/YA books project:
18 books read, 4 books added, 6 books culled, total 557 books on the shelves, 41 TBR

End of September update own childrens/YA books project:
22 books read, 12 books culled, total 545 books on the shelves, 19 TBR

End of October update own childrens/YA books project:
22 books read, 4 books added, 7 books culled, total 542 books on the shelves, 1 reading

* durig this year I found two books on the shelves, that were wrongly catalogued as culled in 2005

--
I keep trying to read more of my own books, of the 534 books I have read in 2018 365 (67%) were my own.
This year I try to read at least 50% books of my own.

I join the TIOLI (Take It Or Leave It) challenges each month.

Monthly statistics
38 books / 9,413 pages in January 2019 in numbers
42 books / 10,836 pages in February 2019 in numbers
34 books / 10,829 pages in March 2019 in numbers
35 books / 10,266 pages in April 2019 in numbers
25 books / 5,819 pages in May 2019 in numbers
30 books / 9,058 pages in June 2019 in numbers
29 books / 8,415 pages in July 2019 in numbers
46 books / 10,828 pages in August 2019 in numbers
35 books / 7,631 pages in September 2019 in numbers
42 books / 9,221 pages in October 2019 in numbers

--
Previous threads in 2019
book 1 - 25: thread 1
book 26 - 74: thread 2
book 75 - 114: thread 3
book 115 - 172: thread 4
book 173 - 217: thread 5
book 218 - 279: thread 6
book 280 - 314: thread 7
book 315 - 356: thread 8

--
My readings in previous years
534 books (111,906 pages) read in 2018/1, 2018/2, 2018/3, 2018/4, 2018/5, 2018/6, 2018/7, 2018/8, 2018/9, 2018/10, 2018/11, 2018/12, 2018/13
453 books (110,248 pages) read in 2017/1, 2017/2, 2017/3, 2017/4, 2017/5, 2017/6, 2017/7, 2017/8, 2017/9, 2017/10, 2017/11, 2017/12, 2017/13
253 books   (72,474 pages) read in 2016/1, 2016/2, 2016/3, 2016/4, 2016/5, 2016/6
  29 books   (10,079 pages) read in 2015
  17 books     (3,700 pages) read in 2014
  13 books     (3,692 pages) read in ROOT 2013
  53 books   (18,779 pages) read in 2012/1, 2012/2, 2012/3
  84 books   (30,256 pages) read in 2011/1, 2011/2
121 books   (38,119 pages) read in 2010/1, 2010/2, 2010/3, 2010/4
  78 books   (21,470 pages) read in 2009/1, 2009/2
130 books   (35,151 pages) read in 2008

--
Other lists
My best of lists on the WikiThing

Series I read, a list to keep track

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr 4/12
1 Een Berlijnse kwestie; 2 Het handwerk van de beul; 3 Een Duits requiem; 4 De een van de ander; 5 Een stille vlam; 6 Als de doden niet herrijzen; 7 Grijs verleden; 8 Praag fataal; 9 De man zonder adem; 10 De vrouw van Zagreb; 11 De schaduw van de stilte; 12 Pruisisch blauw; 13 Vergeven en vergeten; 14 Metropolis

Broeder Cadfael by Ellis Peters 8/20
1 Het heilige vuur; 2 Het laatste lijk; 3 Het gemene gewas; 4 De kwade knecht; 5 De eenzame bruid; 6 De kille maagd; 7 Het vege lijf; 8 De duivelse droom; 9 De gouden speld; 10 Een wisse dood; 11 Een hard gelag; 12 De ware aard; 13 Een witte roos; 14 Het stille woud; 15 De laatste eer; 16 Het rechte pad; 17 Een zijden haar; 18 Een lieve lust; 19 De heilige dief; 20 De verloren zoon

De Cock by A.C. Baantjer 52/70

Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith 4/4
1 Koekoeksjong; 2 Zijderups; 3 Het slechte pad; 4 Witte dood

Erica Falck & Patrik Hedström by Camilla Läckberg 7/11
1 IJsprinses; 2 Predikant; 3 Steenhouwer; 4 Zusje; 4.1 Sneeuwstorm en amandelgeur; 5 Oorlogskind; 6 Zeemeermin; 7 Vuurtorenwachter; 8 Engeleneiland; 9 Leeuwentemmer; 10 Heks

Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley 5/5

De Grijze Jager (Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan 17/17
0.1 Het toernooi van Gorlan; 0.2 De slag op de Heckingse heide; 1 De ruïnes van Gorlan; 2 De brandende brug; 3 Het ijzige land; 4 De dragers van het Eikenblad; 5 De magier van Macindaw; 6 Het beleg van Macindaw; 7 Losgeld voor Erak; 8 De koning van Clonmel; 9 Halt in gevaar; 10 De keizer van Nihon-Ja; 11 De verloren verhalen; 12 De koninklijke leerling; 12.1 De jacht op het schaduwdier; 13 De clan van de Rode Vos 14 Het duel bij Araluen

Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon 12/25
1 Dood van een maestro; 2 Dood in den vreemde; 3 De dood draagt rode schoenen; 4 Salto mortale; 5 Acqua alta; 6 Een stille dood; 7 Nobiltà; 8 Fatalità; 9 Vriendendienst; 10 Onrustig tij; 11 Bedrieglijke zaken; 12 De stille elite; 13 Verborgen bewijs; 14 Vertrouwelijke zaken; 15 Duister glas; 16 Kinderspel; 17 Droommeisje; 18 Gezichtsverlies; 19 Een kwestie van vertrouwen; 20 Dodelijke conclusies; 21 Beestachtige zaken; 22 Het onbekende kind; 23 Tussen de regels; 24 Ik aanbid je; 25 Eeuwige jeugd; 26 Wat niet verdwijnt; 27 Vergiffenis

Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg by Fred Vargas 9/9

John Rebus by Ian Rankin 3/18
1 Kat & muis; 2 Blindeman; 3 Hand & Tand; 4 Ontmaskering; 5 Zwartboek; 6 Vuurwerk; 7 Laat maar bloeden; 8 Gerechtigheid; 9 Door het lint; 10 Dode zielen; 11 In het duister; 12 Valstrik; 13 Lazarus; 14 Een kwestie van bloed; 15 De rechtelozen; 16 Gedenk de doden; 17 Laatste ronde; 18 Cold case;

Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum 4/12
1 Eva's oog; 2 Kijk niet achterom; 3 Wie de wolf vreest; 4 De duivel draagt het licht; 5 De Indiase bruid; 6 Zwarte seconden; 7 De moord op Harriet Krohn; 8 Een andere voorkeur; 9 Kwade wil; 10 De waarschuwer; 11 Carmen Zita og døden (not translated); 12 Veenbrand; 13 De fluisteraar

Kurt Wallander by Henning Mankell 12/12

Martin Beck by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö 3/10
1 De vrouw in het Götakanaal; 2 De man die in rook opging; 3 De man op het balkon; 4 De lachende politieman; 5 De brandweerauto die verdween; 6 De man die even wilde afrekenen; 7 De verschrikkelijke man uit Säffle; 8 De gesloten kamer; 9 De politiemoordenaar; 10 De terroristen

Nic Costa by David Hewson 11/11
1 De Vaticaanmoorden; 2 Het Bacchus offer; 3 De Pantheon getuige; 4 De engelen des doods; 5 Het zevende sacrament; 6 De Romeinse lusthof; 7 Het masker van Dante; 8 Blauwe demonen; 9 Gevallen engel; 10 Dans van de doden; 11 De binnenste cirkel

Oliver von Bodenstein & Pia Kirchhoff by Nele Neuhaus 7/9
1 Een onbeminde vrouw; 2 Moordvrienden; 3 Diepe wonden; 4 Sneeuwwitje moet sterven; 5 Wie wind zaait; 6 Boze wolf; 7 De levenden en de doden; 8 Het woud; 9 Moederdag

Het rad des tijds (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson) 6/15
0 Een nieuw begin; 1 Het oog van de wereld; 2 De grote jacht; 3 De herrezen draak; 4 De komst van de schaduw; 5 Vuur uit de hemel; 6 Heer van chaos; 7 Een kroon van zwaarden; 8 Het pad der dolken; 9 Hart van de Winter; 10 Viersprong van de schemer; 11 Mes van Dromen; 12 De naderende storm; 13 De Torens van Middernacht; 14 Het licht van weleer

Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths 4/4

Sir Baldwin by Michael Jecks 8/8

Sister Fidelma by Peter Tremayne 1/18
1 Absolutie voor moord; 2 Lijkwade voor een aartsbisschop; 3 Moord in de abdij; 4 De listige slang; 5 Het web van Araglin; 6 De vallei van het kwaad; 7 De verdwenen monnik; 8 Dood van een pelgrim; 9 Vrouwe van het duister; 10 Het klooster van de dode zielen; 11 De gekwelde abt; 12 De nacht van de das; 13 De leprozenbel; 14 Moord uit de golven; 15 Een gebed voor de verdoemden; 16 Dansen met demonen; 17 Het valse concilie; 18 De duif des doods

List of Nobel Prize for Literature winners:
(in bold the writers I have read)

1901 Sully Prudhomme
1902 Theodor Mommsen
1903 Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
1904 Frédéric Mistral
1904 José Echegaray y Eizaguirre
1905 Henryk Sienkiewicz
1906 Giosuè Carducci
1907 Rudyard Kipling
1908 Rudolf Christoph Eucken
1909 Selma Lagerlöf
1910 Paul Heyse
1911 Maurice Maeterlinck
1912 Gerhart Hauptmann
1913 Rabindranath Tagore
1915 Romain Rolland
1916 Verner von Heidenstam
1917 Karl Adolph Gjellerup
1917 Henrik Pontoppidan
1919 Carl Spitteler
1920 Knut Hamsun
1921 Anatole France
1922 Jacinto Benavente
1923 William Butler Yeats
1924 Władysław Reymont
1925 George Bernard Shaw
1926 Grazia Deledda
1927 Henri Bergson
1928 Sigrid Undset
1929 Thomas Mann
1930 Sinclair Lewis
1931 Erik Axel Karlfeldt
1932 John Galsworthy
1933 Ivan Boenin
1934 Luigi Pirandello
1936 Eugene O'Neill
1937 Roger Martin du Gard
1938 Pearl S. Buck
1939 Frans Eemil Sillanpää
1944 Johannes Vilhelm Jensen
1945 Gabriela Mistral
1946 Hermann Hesse
1947 André Gide
1948 T.S. Elliot
1949 William Faulkner
1950 Bertrand Russell
1951 Pär Lagerkvist
1952 François Mauriac
1953 Sir Winston Churchill
1954 Ernest Hemingway
1955 Halldór Laxness
1956 Juan Ramón Jiménez
1957 Albert Camus
1958 Boris Pasternak
1959 Salvatore Quasimodo
1960 Saint-John Perse
1961 Ivo Andrić
1962 John Steinbeck
1963 Giorgos Seferis
1964 Jean-Paul Sartre
1965 Michail Sjolochov
1966 Sjmoeël Joseef Agnon
1966 Nelly Sachs
1967 Miguel Ángel Asturias
1968 Yasunari Kawabata
1969 Samuel Beckett
1970 Aleksandr Solzjenitsyn
1971 Pablo Neruda
1972 Heinrich Böll
1973 Patrick White
1974 Eyvind Johnson
1974 Harry Martinson
1975 Eugenio Montale
1976 Saul Bellow
1977 Vincente Aleixandre
1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer
1979 Odysseas Elytis
1980 Czesław Miłosz
1981 Elias Canetti
1982 Gabriel Garciá Márquez
1983 William Golding
1984 Jaroslav Seifert
1985 Claude Simon
1986 Wole Soyinka
1987 Joseph Brodsky
1988 Naguib Mahfouz
1989 Camilo José Cela
1990 Octavio Paz
1991 Nadine Gordimer
1992 Derek Walcott
1993 Toni Morrison
1994 Kenzaburo Oë
1995 Seamus Heaney
1996 Wisława Szymborska
1997 Dario Fo
1998 José Saramago
1999 Günter Grass
2000 Gao Xingjian
2001 V.S. Naipaul
2002 Imre Kertész
2003 John Maxwell Coetzee
2004 Elfriede Jelinek
2005 Harold Pinter
2006 Orhan Pamuk
2007 Doris Lessing
2008 J.M.G. Le Clézio
2009 Herta Müller
2010 Mario Vargas Llosa
2011 Tomas Tranströmer
2012 Mo Yan
2013 Alice Munro
2014 Patrick Modiano
2015 Svetlana Alexievich
2016 Bob Dylan
2017 Kazuo Ishiguro
2018 Olga Tokarczuk
2019 Peter Handke

Books acquired in 2019: 85
(11 e-book replacements for paper books)

November (7)
Grote verwachtingen : In Europa - 1999-2019 - Geert Mak
Verhalen - Andrej Platonov (Russische Bibliotheek)
Machten der duisternis - Anthony Burgess
Het tumult van de tijd - Julian Barnes
Als op een winternacht een reiziger - Italo Calvino
De lange droogte - Cynan Jones
Goudzand - Konstantin Paustovski

October (14)
Het grote Suriname magazine - Magda Augustijn
Surinaams onbehagen - Hans Ramsoedh
Het eind van de kaart - Albert Helman
Houthakken. Een afrekening - Thomas Bernhard
Op de boomgrens - Thomas Bernhard
Platero en ik - Juan Ramón Jiménez
Memoires van een man die op vossen jaagde - Siegfried Sassoon
Memoires van een infanterieofficier - Siegfried Sassoon
Verborgen bewijs (Guido Brunetti 13) - Donna Leon
De stille elite (Guido Brunetti 12) - Donna Leon
Alles komt goed, altijd - Kathleen Vereecken (Woutertje Pieterse prijs 2019)
Haaientanden - Anna Woltz (Kinderboekenweekgeschenk 2019)
Ze gaan er met je neus vandoor - Ted van Lieshout (Boekensleutel 2019)
Zeb. - Gideon Samson (Gouden Griffel 2019)

September (1)
Tot in de hemel - Richard Powers

August (4)
Ballade van de dood - Koos Meinderts & Harrie Jekkers
Floris : de vijand te slim af - Frans de Regt
Floris en het beleg van Oldenstein - Jacques Constant
Floris en het verraad van Oldenstein - José Kiestra (thanks Caroline!)

July (1)
De reizen van Ólafur Egilsson (The Travels of Reverend Olafur Egilsson) - Ólafur Egilsson

June (2)
De pruimenpluk - Dimitri Verhulst
Duitse expressionisten - Edwin Jacobs (exhibition catalogue)

May (18)
Brieven - Boris Pasternak (Russische Bibliotheek)
Werken - Daniil Charms (Russische Bibliotheek)
Kenau - Theun de Vries
De uitgestotenen - Elfriede Jellinek
Dit zijn de namen - Tommy Wieringa
I Will Never See the World Again - Ahmet Altan (gift from Charlotte)
Marx Collection: 40 Works - Nina Schallenberg
Het spel der tronen - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
De strijd der koningen - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Een storm van zwaarden : Staal en sneeuw - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Een storm van zwaarden : Bloed en goud - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Een feestmaal voor kraaien - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Een dans met draken : Oude vetes, nieuwe strijd - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Een dans met draken : Zwaarden tegen draken - George R.R. Martin (e-book replacement for paper book)
Vuur en bloed - George R.R. Martin (e-book)
Top 10 : Berlijn - Jürgen Scheunemann, 192 pages
Berlijn Alexanderplatz - Alfred Döblin
Als de graankorrel niet sterft - André Gide

April (3)
Vrijheid : De vijftig Nederlandse kernkunstwerken vanaf 1968 - Hans den Hartog Jager
De heilige Rita - Tommy Wieringa
Weg met Eddy Bellegueule - Édouard Louis

March (20)
Vuur van Brigid en andere wintermythen - Pierre Michon
De blauwe jurk van Camille - Michèle Desbordes
Jas van belofte - Jan Siebelink (bookweek gift)
Mijn moeders strijd - Murat Isik (bookweek)
Vonkt - Marije Langelaar
Niemandslandnacht - Annemarie Estor
Exit geest - Philp Roth
Serotonine - Michel Houellebecq
Vriendendienst by Donna Leon (e-book)
Onrustig tij - Donna Leon (e-book)
Bedrieglijke zaken - Donna Leon (e-book)
Doem en dorst - Albert Besnard
Nog pas gisteren - Maria Dermoût
Klein t(er)reurspel - Jan Elburg
Zonder dansmeester - Jozef Eyckmans
Het innerlijk behang en andere gedichten - Hans Lodeizen
Going my way - Michiel van der Plas
Ik was getrouwd met een communist - Philip Roth
Werelden - Nes Tergast
Met het oog op morgen - Bert Voeten

February (4)
De Vaticaanmoorden - David Hewson (e-book replacement for paper book)
Het Bacchus offer - David Hewson (e-book replacement for paper book)
De Pantheon getuige - David Hewson (e-book replacement for paper book)
De engelen des doods - David Hewson (e-book replacement for paper book)

January (11)
De vrouw van Toulmond - Wim van Til
Grand Hotel Europa - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
De vernedering - Philip Roth
Hoe Tortot zijn vissenhart verloor - Benny Lindelauf
Nieuwe maan - Sarah Crossan
Zenuwmoord - Dick Francis
Inbreuk - Dick Francis
Op hol - Dick Francis
Een stille dood (Guido Brunetti 6) - Donna Leon
Nobiltà (Guido Brunetti 7) - Donna Leon
Fatalità (Guido Brunetti 8) - Donna Leon

--
Books culled in 2019: 0 (really gone) + 97 (ready to go) = 97
(11 paper books replaced by e-books)

Come in!

Happy New Thread, Anita! Love the illustrations at the top.

Happy new thread, Anita. I love those illustrations in your topper! Just wonderful!!

Happy new thread, Anita. Beautiful illustrations on your topper.

From your previous thread, happy early anniversary!

De Librije looks wonderful – both for being a former library of a 15th-century Dominican abbey, AND for being 3 Michelin stars. I hope you have a perfect dining experience.

>11 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian, I was very impressed. And a bit sad that I never heard of Maria Sibylla Merian before.

>12 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, in the books (behind glass) the illustrations were even more impressive. She was the first to draw insects on their host plants.

>13 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen.
11 days to go, I think we both will make it to the 13th ;-)
We thought De Librije would be a great place to celebrate. I will report of course.
Five years ago we went to Parkheuvel, the best restaurant in Rotterdam with 2 Michelin stars.

>1 FAMeulstee: How beautiful her illustrations are!

Happy new thread, Anita.

Happy New Thread, Anita!

Lovely illustrations up top.

Just setting down my cushion in your new room Anita. Is that coffee on...?

Happy New Thread, Anita! Love the toppers by Maria Sybilla Meryam. She shows the Life cycle of the plant as well, flowers and fruit. Love it.

From your previous thread, how special to have the museum and the Rothko to yourselves! It must make a very memorable visit and celebration.

>15 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, she was a very special woman in man dominated times.

>16 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe!
I was ashamed I never heard of her before, as I am interested in both natural history and Suriname.

>17 Caroline_McElwee: You are welcome, Caroline, coffee in a minute :-)

>18 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella!
Yes, both life cicle of the plant and the insect, very special for that time.
We have high hopes for the Rothko visit, and hope it will be memorable :-)

Happy new thread Anita. I love the topper images.
(Well, the bugs not so much. But the others).

>20 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte. I hope you do like the butterflies :-)

Happy new thread!

Wonderful new toppers.

Happy new thread :)

Happy new thread Anita my dear.

Happy new thread.

Happy new thread, Anita! I like the illustrations in your first post above.

>22 Matke: Thank you, Gail. I am always happy when I find some interesting pictures for a new thread.

>23 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

>24 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, give my regards to Karen.

>25 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>26 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry. I learned about them on the Suriname exposition we visited last Thursday in Amsterdam.

Happy new thread, Anita!
Beautiful pictures again, it is amazing how knowledge was conveyed without photographs.
Have fun with the anticipation - I am happy for you and Frank, I hope it's gonna be a beautiful day.

Happy Sunday, Anita! Happy New Thread! I love the Merian toppers!

>28 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas!
It is amazing how detailed there drawings are, especially when you know the definitive versions were made later, when she was back in Europe.
Planning and aticipation is part of the fun :-)

>29 msf59: Thank you, Mark, when I saw these drawings I knew I had found toppers for my next thread.

Finally finished my first book this month, the 800+ pages tome De Thibaults. Deel 1 by Nobel prize winner Roger Martin du Gard. Review will follow later.

Happy new thread, Anita.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>32 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

>33 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi.

>34 drneutron: Thank you, Jim.

book 357: De Thibaults : Deel 1 by Roger Martin du Gard
library, translated from French, Nobel prize winner, English translation The Thibaults, 862 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

Set in Paris in the years before World War I, we meet the Thibaults, the very Roman Catholic father and his two sons. The eldest son, Antoine, is a doctor, his 9 year younger brother, Jacques, is at school. Jacues befriends a protestant boy at school, when his father finds out, al wrongs are attributed to this friendship. We follow Jacques growing up, how his father does awful things to make him more compliant.

This book contains the first 6 books of The Thibaults. The original books were published in the 1920s, the Dutch translation is of more recent date: 2014!
It was a very enjoyable read, and a nice peek into daily life in Paris in the early 20th century. I am looking forward to the next book, that contains book 7 (Summer 1914, published 1936) and book 8 (Epilogue, published in 1940). Martin du Gard received the Nobel prize for Literature in 1937.

book 358: SPQR : Een geschiedenis van het Romeinse rijk by Mary Beard
library, e-book, translated, non-fiction, original title SPQR : a history of ancient Rome, 544 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book with the name of a city in the title

Found on Cyrel's (torontoc) thread.
The history of the Roman empire, from the archaic kingdom, to the Republic, and Imperial Rome. The writer shows on what (archeological) evidence our view on Roman times is based. She includes more recent findings to show where common thoughts might be wrong.

A very readable history book.

book 359: Zolang er leven is by Hendrik Groen
library, Dutch, English translation On the Bright Side, 375 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read another book by an author you discovered in 2019

After a hiatus of a year, Hendrik Groen continues to keep his diary. Age is slowly slowing him down, his daily walks get shorter, but he still enjoys the company of his friends of the The Old But Not Dead Club. The director of the retirement home leaves and her place is taken by a new director, who might have the intention to close the retirement home.

Like the first Hendrik Groen book, it was a funny and sometimes sad read. Getting old isn't easy.

Dutch title translated: As long as there is life

 
book 360: De clan van de Rode Vos by John Flanagan
library, e-book, YA, translated, Ranger's Apprentice 13, original title The Red Fox Clan, 384 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book that features young person/s in peril

book 361: Het duel bij Araluen by John Flanagan
library, e-book, YA, translated, Ranger's Apprentice 14, original title Duel at Araluen, 368 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book that features young person/s in peril

Maddie has to return to castle Araluen for a month. It isn't easy to go back being Princess Madelyn instead of Ranger's Apprentice Maddie. Will and Halt are send away for a task in an other part of the country, and Gilian goes after a rumour about the "Red Fox Clan", a very conservative group. They do not want a woman on the throne, and follow a male pretender to the throne. Maddie keeps an eye on the surroundings of the castle and finds Red Fox members with murderous plans very close to the castle...
As many books in the Ranger's Apprentice series, book 13 ends on a cliffhanger and the remaining story is told in book 14.

Not as good as some other books in the series, still these two were likable reads. I was happy to have anticipated the cliffhanger and got both books from the library.

both books

book 362: Aan de grond in Londen en Parijs by George Orwell
library, translated, non-fiction, original title Down and out in Paris and London, 254 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book with the name of a city in the title

George Orwel's experiences in Paris and London between the poor and homeless in the years 1927-1932.
The humiliating circumstances of workers on the lowest level in hotels and restaurants in Paris, with insane working hours, that leave barely time to sleep. In London he is with the homeless and tramps, struggling to survive.

An emotional draning description of the horrible circumstances some people still faced in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Altough Orwell tries to avoid prejudice, some of his own prejudices do show here and there.

Just a quick hello, Anita!

>42 FAMeulstee: Hi Karen!

--
Wednesday we went to Schiedam, we booked a nice B&B for the night in an old townhouse with heigh ceilings. We had the "garden room" downstairs, where the very mixed furniture contrasted nicely with the old buiding.

There was an Eames lounge chair with ottoman in the room, a chair we have admired for long, so this was a nice opportunity to sit in it for a longer time than a few minutes in a designer furniture store.

We arrived in the afternoon and had enough time left to do some shopping in the centre of Rotterdam. Frank had been looking for gloves, and we found nice leather gloves at the HEMA and an other pair at the Bijenkorf. Then we went on to bookshop Donner and bought 4 books:
- Het tumult van de tijd (Dutch translation of The Noise of Time) - Julian Barnes
- Als op een winternacht een reiziger (Dutch translation of If on a Winter's Night a Traveler) - Italo Calvino
- De lange droogte (Dutch translation of The Long Dry) - Cynan Jones
- Goudzand (stories, diaries and letters) - Konstantin Paustovski

At 19:00 hours we had booked a table at restaurant Noordmolen, like we did at our previous visit. The restaurant is located in a two century old citymill, with over 33 metres it is the highest citymill of our country.

After a lovely dinner we went back to our room.

The next morning we checked out and went to the Stedelijk Museum for our one hour private visit to Mark Rothko's "Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8" (1960). Frank is a fan of Rothko, although I am not a big fan of his work, it was a very special experience to have the painting all to ourselves for an hour. There were headphones available to keep out all the noise, looking at the painting in complete silence added an extra dimension to the experience.

It was odd how it was almost impossible at first to look elswhere than the orange part of the painting. Only after some time, I think 20 or 30 minutes, I was able to focus on the upper part of the painting. After our hour we spoke to one of the staff members of the museum how lovely it was to have a painting all for yourself, and that it would be nice if this initiative could be continued with other paintings.

>42 FAMeulstee: Wonderful, wonderful Anita. And happy anniversary to you both.

I was on the fence re Rothko until a couple of years ago, when I saw a play about him, and read a biography. I will have an hour at Tate Modern next Friday, to take a look at his work again there.

Happy anniversary. It sounds like you had a most wonderful trip.

>43 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, this trip was the first week of Franks vacation. Our aniversary is next week, but I appriciate early wishes for our 35th on the 13th :-)
I did read Annie Cohen-Solal's Mark Rothko biography on your recommendation last year, so I do appriciate his work more than I did before. Still Frank is the biggest fan over here.
Enjoy your visit to the Tate next week.

>44 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, the big day will be next week. Frank has 3 weeks off, and instead of going away for a longer time, we do short one night trips this time. Next week we will celebrate our wedding anniversary in Zwolle.

Happy Saturday, Anita. That B & B looks lovely. I still have not read Mary Beard. Bad Mark?

>42 FAMeulstee: Wow. I love the idea of staying by yourself with a painting.

>46 msf59: Thank you, Mark, it was a good stay at the B&B.
You'll have to decide yourself. If you want to know more about ancient Rome, I would recommend Mary Beard's book.

>47 charl08: It was a wonderful experience, Charlotte, it felt like ultimate luxury! I hope that they will continue this experiment with other paintings, and maybe other museums will pick up the idea.

>42 FAMeulstee: I am with Frank on the Rothko loving side, and am so very jealous you got to spend a whole hour in silent communion with one of his works.

I'm so glad you were able to spend such a lovely anniversary trip!

Wishing you and Frank a slightly advanced happy 35th anniversary.

Have a great weekend, Anita.

Hi Anita! I am a Rothko fan. Did you know he has a Portland, Oregon connection? He immigrated here from Russia and went to High School here.

Hi Anita! I lost you and am now catching up again.

ETA >1 FAMeulstee: Look what I found at the top of the 'All topics' list: https://www.librarything.com/topic/312759#

>51 banjo123: Hi Rhonda, many Rothko lovers here :-)
Yes, I vaguely remembered this connection, as I read the biography by Annie Cohen-Solal.

>52 humouress: Hi Nina, good to see you on my thread!
And thank you for the link to the The Surinam Album thread. I would never have found it on my own. Maria Sibylla Merian was an amazing woman.

>53 FAMeulstee: You're welcome.

Pure coincidence. I usually have Talk set to 'Your Posts' and after posting here I noticed that I was the last poster on all those threads so I switched to 'All Posts' view to see if I was the only one active on LT at the time and that kind of jumped out at me.

ETA: the huge pictures posted over there really do her illustrations justice.

Happy newish thread, Anita. I love the topper illustrations. What a nice room you had at that B&B. It's great to see your adventures as you always go to such interesting places.

Hi Anita,

I'm hijacking the most popular threads to get word out, and you are one of them...

Its 75'er Christmas Swap Time! : https://www.librarything.com/topic/312848

>54 humouress: I am glad you accidenty stumbled upon that thread, Nina ;-)

>55 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg.
It is always fun to share our trips on my thread, and to show there is a lot to discover in our very small country :-)

>56 mahsdad: You are welcome, Jeff. Wishing all participants a lot of fun, I will skip again.

>42 FAMeulstee: Nice book haul, Anita! The Paustovskij, wonderful! Did the bookshop have it in stock? Good shop.

Impressive painting, and that setting, just you and the painting is just the right thing for it. It doesn't belong in a crowd.

>58 EllaTim: Yes, Donner had them all in stock, Ella, and many, many more. We only got about 10 metres into the shop, already found these 4 and didn't look further, afraid we would spend way more than our available funds for books ;-)
The Paustovski was under 25 Euro!

I think I agree with that, the large Rothko exposition in The Hague a few years back was way too crowded to really enjoy the paintings.

book 363: De groene stad by Redmond O'Hanlon
from my dad, Dutch (the original text is translated, but only published in Dutch), non-fiction, 160 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book that measures approximately 1 cm in thickness

Redmond O'Hanlon lived three years in Almere, an other city in the polder next to Lelystad (where I live).
At first he disliked Almere, such a new city with all stone and concrete. After some time he discovered the nature in and around the city, and started to like it. In this book 12 portraits of inhabitants of Almere and their passion, ranging from paleontology, city planning to creating new nature.

Title translated: The green city

book 364: De melancholie van het verzet by László Krasznahorkai
1001 books, library, translated from Hungarian, English translation The melancholy of resistance, 415 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that has been adapted from / or into another form

When a circus comes to town, exhibiting a giant whale, a large group of outsiders falls into anarchy, later joined by locals, destroying everything in their way. We follow some inhabitants, who are more of less affected and/or involved by these riots.

A strange read, not sure I got everything. But written in beautiful language, very dense. I might re-read it someday.

book 365: Op hol by Dick Francis
own, translated, original title Bolt, 285 pages
TIOLI Challenge #19: Read a book with a title containing up to 9 characters

Second book with Kit Fielding as main character. Slightly less than the previous book, the villians are a bit over the top, but I enjoyed the read.

>60 FAMeulstee: That sounds like a good and important read.

>61 FAMeulstee: That author gets mentioned a lot around Nobel time...I couldn't penetrate Satantango for love or money.

>62 FAMeulstee: ...why does everyone else like these...I am not at all clear on the appeal.

book 366: Het wezen van de olifant by Toon Tellegen
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 149 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read A Book Where a Word in Title Reminds You of a Childhood Toy

Elephant can't help himself, he has to climb trees, but when he reaches the top, he always falls down. The other animals try to help him, ans sometimes Elephant manages to stay away from trees for a day.
The other animals try to imagine what they would do if they were Elephant.

Not as good or funny as some other Toon Tellegen books.

Title translated: The essence of the Elephant

>63 richardderus: Aside from the clarity of the writing and the intelligent women that show up, most of them feature people who work for a living and basically like what they do.

>63 richardderus: Thank you Richard.

I recommend De groene stad to all O'Hanlon fans and inhabitants of Almere.

Yes, Krasznahorkai is mentioned as possible Nobel winner. It was a difficult read, but I am glad I persisted.

LOL, I just love horses, spend some years at the race track in my teens. After Krasznahorkai I was more than ready for a lighter read!

>65 quondame: Thanks, Susan, that is also part of their appeal.

>65 quondame: ...clarity...of...
...
...if you say so. Oh wait, you mean Dick Francis? Not the Hungarian dude? Yep, Francis's writing is clear. Not very interesting, but clear.

>66 FAMeulstee: I can certainly see that!

>68 richardderus: What is it that puts you off in Dick Francis books, Richard?

Today it is 35 years ago we got married.
 

We go to Zwolle later today, to celebrate this happy occasion with diner in "De Librije", and stay the night.

Congratulations and a wonderful day for you!

Congrats, Anita! Happy Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary, Anita. You were a lovely bride.

>70 FAMeulstee: - Happy anniversary, Anita! Such lovely photos!! :-)

>69 FAMeulstee: I find his plots moderately engaging but have no earthly idea what I read once I've read it. He is a cocktail-peanut book-writer. (Can you remember anything about the peanuts you've eaten?)

>70 FAMeulstee: Happy happy day to you and Frank!

>70 FAMeulstee: Look at you both... lovely. Happy celebrations Anita and Frank.

>70 FAMeulstee: Congratulations Anita! Hope you have a lovely celebration.

Oh congratulations, Anita.

Congratulations!

Congratulations Anita! Wishing you both a really nice day and dinner.

>71 SirThomas: >72 scaifea: >73 msf59: >75 jessibud2: >76 richardderus: >77 Caroline_McElwee: >78 charl08: >79 sirfurboy: >80 quondame: >81 EllaTim:
Thanks Thomas, Amber, Mark, Shelley, Richard, Caroline, Charlotte, Stephen, Susan and Ella!

>76 richardderus: >69 FAMeulstee: For me that is part of the charm, Richard, endless re-reading possiblities! :-)

--

We had a good time in Zwolle. We spend the afternoon in the city and visited the lovely bookstore in a former church "Waanders in de Broeren".


Of course we could not leave without buying some books, these three came home with us:
- Grote verwachtingen : In Europa - 1999-2019 - Geert Mak
- Verhalen - Andrej Platonov (Russische Bibliotheek)
- Machten der duisternis (Earthly Powers) - Anthony Burgess

--

We spend the evening at "De Librije", the best restaurant of our country. It was absolutely amazing!
The entrance of De Librije:


And a picture of the two of us:

>82 FAMeulstee: such a lovely celebration.

I really liked the Mak book Anita. Earthly Powers too, though years since I read it. Good haul.

>83 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, we had a very good time.

This is the new Geert Mak book, a follow up on In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century, looking forward to read it, as I loved his previous Europe book. Earthly Powers was Franks choice.

>84 FAMeulstee: great news, but a wait ahead before it is translated into English harrumph. Magic wand. Still, it will give me time to reread the first. Thanks for the heads up Anita.

>70 FAMeulstee: I saw your photos on facebook - you were and >82 FAMeulstee: remain a handsome couple.

Congratulations of spending 35 years safe in each other's loving company.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xx

I also saw the photos on Facebook, but wanted to come here to congratulate you both on 35 years! Those are great wedding photos, Anita. And a great one of the two of you now.

Happy Saturday, Anita! The "Waanders in de Broeren" looks lovely.

>70 FAMeulstee: Beautiful wedding photos, Anita. Thanks so much for sharing them. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Hi Anita!

>70 FAMeulstee: Oooh, thank you for sharing your wedding photos! You both look radiantly happy in them.

>82 FAMeulstee: Still looking radiantly happy with each other. Thank you for sharing your anniversary with us.

Love the wedding photos and the anniversary photo. Happy thirty five years!

Michelin three star restaurant! What did you have to eat?

ETA: Needless to say I enjoy Dick Francis's books, too, even though they are a bit like cocktail peanuts as Richard says. But it's a rare thing for a writer to 'get the horses correct' in their stories and DF does it very well.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: If you ever find that magic wand for instant available translation, Caroline, please send it after use to me. There are so many books still unavailable in Dutch ;-)

>86 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! *blush*
We hope to continue this arrangment for many years to come :-)

>87 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. We were very happy back then, and still very happy now.

>88 msf59: Thank you, Mark!
It was a great bookstore to wander around. We actually didn't get far, we found the books to take home in the first few shelves...

>89 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, it was a memorable day 35 years ago.
I hope you can spend some time with your dad this weekend.

>90 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen.
Most vivid memory of our wedding day is that each time I looked in a mirror, I could not believe how radiant I looked.
We are still very happy being together, feeling lucky we found eachother.

>91 streamsong: Thank you, Janet!
We had the full works of 10 small courses with a range of specialities. I'll try to translate the menu, Frank's first 3 dishes were different, as he is allergic to shellfish and crustaceans.

1 Oyster with goat cheese and seaweeds
2 Crab with goose liver and cabbage
3 Crayfish with tomato and beans
4 Angler with Indian cress and pandan rice
5 Zander with apple butter and riesling (heavenly! our avorite dish)
6 Bread with eel (served after a tour through the kitchen)
7 Thymus with pineapple and peanut sauce
8 Roe buck with leek and lavender
9 Blue cheese with passion fruit and garam masala
10 Blackberry, almond and meadowsweet

And coffee with sweets to complete the meal.

Agree with your assesment of Dick Francis, he knows horses.

Happy 35th anniversary!

>82 FAMeulstee: What a wonderful photo of the two of you!

“Love is the greatest gift when given. It is the highest honor when received.”

>94 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

That is a lovely and very true quote.

book 367: Het oude land by Dörte Hansen
library, translated from German, English translation This House Is Mine, 286 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book where the title completes the phrase "I am thankful for..."

Vera and her mother fled from Prussia after the war. They ended up at a small farm in the north of Germany. Her mother marries the son, who came back psychical broken from the war. Later she leaves her husband and child to marry a financial better life, and a second daughter, Marlene, is born.
When Marlene's daughter feels trapped in her job and life, she fleds to her aunt Vera. Together they slowly build a relationship with eachother.

Dutch title translated: The old land

book 368: En ik was zijn held by Rindert Kromhout
library, Dutch, YA, no translations, 304 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

Second book of a fictional autobiography by Klaus Mann, writer and son of Thomas Mann.

When Hitler rises in power, members of the Mann family become persona non grata in Germany. Heinrich Mann (older brother of Thomas Mann) was outspoken, so he is the first target. He got away in time. Klaus goes to Paris, and starts a magazine with contributions of writers in exile, published by Em. Querido in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile his homosexual friends in Germany are targeted and even molested. Thomas Mann and the other family members went to Switzerland, original for a short stay, but soon it gets clear they can't return to Germany.

Title translated: And I was his hero

book 369: Zeemeermin by Camilla Läckberg
library, e-book, translated from Swedish, English translation The drowning, 413 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read another book by an author you discovered in 2019

Sixth book in the Erica Falck & Patrik Hedström series.
Christian's first book is published, Erica has helped him a bit along the way. He isn't happy with all publishity, and Erica finds out that he received threatning letters. Meanwhile Patrick deals with a missing person, a friend of Christian went missing three months ago.
I guessed the plot rather early on and I really dislike the cliffhanger end... I probably won't wait until January to read the next book.

Dutch title translated: Mermaid

>94 figsfromthistle: Meal sounds amazing! When I was in Ambleside a few months ago passed a very plain looking restaurant on the street, that hardly seemed to be advertising it was making food. Later saw the chef on tv having been awarded a Michelin star. Clearly he doesn't need a fancy restaurant front!

>99 charl08: It was amazing, Charlotte, the food was a feast for the eyes and very tasty. The large staff was looking over every visitor and it was even fun to see them working at the other tables.
They got their 3rd Michelin star in 2004, it is amazing how they can keep up the cooking on this high level for so many years. A few years back they moved to their present location.

Restaurants with Michelin stars usually don't need advertisements. Most are sold out every evening way in advance. We booked De Librije a year ago!

>93 FAMeulstee: what an amazing meal, Anita, I'm glad you enjoyed it and wish you a beautiful future with Frank.

I wished you Happy Anniversary on Facebook, Anita, and this will be a belated Happy Anniversary here! Love the photos - 35 years ago, and this year in >82 FAMeulstee:. It was such a pleasure to meet you and Frank last fall.

>94 figsfromthistle: What a wonderful meal! I love to eat like that, grazing over a wide selection of small dishes. Tapas are an inspired invention of the Spanish.

ETA forgot to say how impressed I am at Frank's slenderization in >82 FAMeulstee:! And you clever art-lover you, I should've expected you to coordinate your nail polish with your blazer's color. No more blue hair?

>101 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, it was a wonderful day. We celebrate each year, and make it extra special once every 5 years.

>102 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe, wishes on FC and belated wishes are very much appriciated!
We were also pleased to have met you and Debbi last year. Hope we can do it again some day.

>103 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, it wasn't just the food, it was the whole entourage that made it an unforgettable experience.
And thank you on Frank's behalf. You have a sharp eye, noticing my nail-polish! It isn't very visible it this picture, my hair has still a touch of blue, it slowly washes out. I decided at the hairdresser last week that the blue was lasting well enough, so she only did the outgrown (sp?) hair back to light grey.
I'll try not to forget my camera tomorrow and ask Frank to take a picture outside to show there is still blue. Tomorrow we will have our last day out during Frank's vacation, he goes back to work next Friday.

It might be that you gave us some ideas.
We have our 35th anniversary next year. We will see...

>105 SirThomas: I didn't know you were so close in married years, Thomas.
I hope to read about it next year!

Last Sunday we visited my father, he really perked up since our last visit. Probably because he sended a final e-mail to my sister, on advise of his psychologist, to end all contact with her. He tried to avoid any blaming, just explained to her how he felt under her attacks and actions in the last years. Of course my sister sended some e-mails again, but it seems my father is now more at ease ignoring them.
The residents committee and many visitors (friends and family) keep him busy, we now have to plan our visits at least two weeks in advance :-) The only part where his age (89) was showing, was when we went for a little walk, he is really slowing down there.

I'm so glad your father is doing well, Anita. That must be a great relief to you.

>104 FAMeulstee: Of course I noticed! Details are all-important, no?

Have a lovely day, and hoping it will allow you some time to read as well.

>108 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, it makes me very happy to see him back to his happy and witty self.

>109 richardderus: Noticing details can be important, Richard.
My day always starts with reading a few hours until Frank wakes up. He needs more sleeping hours than I do. Today started with finishing the first book (of 4 in omnibus edition) of The Book of the Small Souls by Louis Couperus and I started and finished The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes.

>96 FAMeulstee: I LIKE this cover! Grins...

Happy Wednesday, Anita. I hope you are having a good week.

"He needs more sleeping hours than I do." Sounds like my wife. Grins, again...

>111 msf59: I expected you'd like the starling, Mark. One of the main characters is send into the orchard, when the cherries are nearly ripe, to chase off the starlings...

Happy Wednesday in return, enjoy your day. We will go and see the newest land art in our province this afternoon.
We all have different needs in sleeping, only needing 6 hours of sleep means more time to read! ;-)

>107 FAMeulstee: I'm glad your dad has found the strength he needs to protect himself from your sister's illness Anita. And hope it brings more ease for you all.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, I was very proud he managed to do this. We hope so.

--
>103 richardderus: Here a picture where you can see there is still a little blue left in my hair. Not as bright as it was at first, it was blue enough to make a few people stare at me with open mouth in Zwolle last week ;-)

>114 FAMeulstee: Lovely photo Anita.

Have fun with the art exhibits. I caught an exhibition of textiles, abstracts and video art at the weekend in the Bluecoat gallery, Liverpool. Really not my thing, but interesting nonetheless.
http://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/3968

Hi Anita!

I'm glad to hear that your father wrote your sister one final e-mail and is now ignoring the ones she sends.

Lovely photo of you with blue hair and blue shirt.

>70 FAMeulstee: Congratulations and belated happy anniversary! You both look very happy.

>115 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte.
The textiles and abstracts look nice. I am not a fan of video art, it rarely grabs me the way other art sometimes does.

>116 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!
My brother and me were glad that my father was finally able to do so.

>177 Thank you, Nina, we still are very happy together :-)

book 370: De vrije val van Vestia by Hans Verbraeken
library, e-book, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 271 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

How Erik Staal, the director of Vestia (a public housing organization), and two close collegues, made Vestia the largest public housing organization in The Netherlands, and started to speculate on derrivate markets. At first a lot of money was gained, but when interest went down, the loss was enormous. Because all public housing organizations in The Netherlands are financial bound together, the loss was turned on all. There is still a large shortness in affordable houses due to this.

I knew Erik Staal personally, he was the interim manager who sold the muncipal IT department of The Hague, where I worked at that time, to Philips and BSO. He was very ambitious and didn't like rules. I was secretary of the works council, so we had weekly meetings.
My fathers name appears on the first page of this book, as he hired Erik Staal as a muncipal official in The Hague. After a slow start Staal became director of the housing department (Gemeentelijk woningbedrijf), that became independent and was the start of Vestia.

Title translated: The downfall of Vestia

book 371: Sterremeer by F. Springer
own, Dutch, boekenweekgeschenk 1990, no translations, 95 pages
TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book by an author whose first name is Felix or Lars or one of these names appear in the first sentence

A man named Felix Sterremeer wants to be a poet. A few poems have been published when he was young, but then his career as a poet staggers. The main chararcter, Nikko, has met Felix in The Hague and over the years they meet occasionally again. Their last meeting is in New York, where Sterremeer lives under the name of Starlake, with his rich American wife. Sterremeer's English poetry is just published, when his wife reveals a harmful secret.

Title translated: Starlake

book 372: Ach, deze leegte, deze verschikkelijke leegte by Joachim Meyerhoff
library, translated from German, no English translation, 313 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

Third of four autibiographal books by the German actor Joachim Meyerhoff.
This book is about the years on the drama academy in Munich. In these years he lived with his grandparents. So it is a mixed story about his experiences on the academy and the life and slow decline of his grandparents.

Meyerhoff has a way of writing where even sad events become funny. And there is a lot of sadness in his family.
I will be looking for his other books.

Dutch title translated: Ah, this emptiness, this terrible emptiness

book 373: Lazarillo van Tormes
1001 books, own, translated from Spanish, English translation The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes, 96 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book with a yellow and/or orange cover for the November birthstone challenge

Originally published in the 16th century, the content of this picaresque novel was shocking at the time, so the author is still unknown. It doesn't shock the modern reader, that even a religious salesman can be dishonest.
The life of Lazaro under different masters, most of them treat him badly.

book 374: De glazen brug by Marga Minco
own, Dutch, boekenweekgeschenk 1986, English translation The glass bridge, 95 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: Rolling Challenge – Read a book where the first letter of the title starts with one of the letters in the word Grateful

Amsterdam 1943. Stella, a young Jewish woman, recently went to her third hiding place, she also gets her third false ID. This time it is not with a fictional name, but an actual person. She tries to imagine what kind of person Maria Roselier is. After the war it takes time to become Stella again.
Ten years after the war she travels to Maria Roseliers birthplace, hoping she can find out more.

book 375: Odysseia by Homeros
1001 books, own, translated from Old-Greek, English translation The Odyssey, 430 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Finish an interrupted book

In 24 books the adventures and homecoming of Odysseus are told.
A wonderful read, thanks to Imme Dros, who made a very smooth Dutch translation in metrics.

I started this book originally on 22 May 2009. Started all over again and finished reading it 10 years and 6 months later on 22 November 2019.

Hope you have a lovely weekend Anita!

>125 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel!
Frank just left, his first working night after his vacation. I hope to get some reading done :-)

Hi Anita my dear, congrats on hitting 5 X 75 so far this year, figures I can only dream about, sending love and hugs dear friend.

>124 FAMeulstee: Oh wow! Congratulations!

>114 FAMeulstee: lovely hot, glad you can still see the blue Anita.

>124 FAMeulstee: I too read this in more than one bite, 2 long ones over two years. I read the Emily Watson translation, which I liked.

>127 johnsimpson: Thank you, John!
It was the same for me for many years. I am overly happy I can read like this now, and enjoy as long as it lasts. You can't be sure how reading habits and/or ability will change through the years.

>128 quondame: Thank you, Susan!
You are also getting close.

>129 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, the blue slowly fades. I might touch up the grey once more, and then turn slowly back to my own color.
I read an other translation long ago, but that one wasn't as fluid as this one was. A translator can make or break a work.

I love your circling back to reading The Odyssey 10 years later, Anita, and finding it a 5 star read. The quality of the translation is so important; I'm glad this was such a good one.

Thank you, Joe.
I had no other book to fill this TIOLI challenge, as I almost always finish every book I start LOL
But I am very glad I returned to The Odyssey, it was even better than The Iliad which I read last year, and was translated by the same awesome translator.

Congratulations on 5x75 Anita.

Have a lovely weekend.

>124 FAMeulstee: FIVE TIMES THE GOAL!!

>133 PaulCranswick: >134 richardderus: Thank you Paul and Richard.
I won't get near my record of last year (7x75 + 9), still I am more than pleased with my reading numbers :-D

Wow, 5 x 75. That's great again.

>132 FAMeulstee: A good translation would be really important, I can imagine. Language, poetry, rhythm, all have to be captured. I will remember her name. Still not finished with the Iliad, myself, but maybe in ten years time;-)

5 x 75? Snap! I’m on .5 x 75.

Congratulations!!

>93 FAMeulstee: Wow that was a lovely, lovely anniversary menu.

I've never been to a fine restaurant like that.

In February, my sister-in-law and I are going to Las Vegas. There are a surprising number of Michelin starred restaurants there, including of course, Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. My fellow traveler is not much of a foodie, so I may have to drag her in chains.

How did I miss you had got 75 (again! ) Congratulations.

>136 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella!
Yes, not every translator is as good. Currently reading a fairly good book, with some translation issues.

>137 humouress: Thank you, Nina.
I am sure more effort went in your .5x75 ;-)

>138 streamsong: Thank you, Janet.
We now have been to all 3 Dutch restaurants that have/had 3 Michelin stars. There is one more, but they sadly quit at the end of the year.
I hope you can convince your sister-in-law to go to one of these places.

>139 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte! :-)

Yesterday we walked to the library (5 km) AND also walked back. Until now we had always taken the bus on our way to the library and walked home, or the other way round.

I had 4 books to return to the library in my backpack, and 8 books on the way home:
Pompeii - Mary Beard
De Thibaults. Deel 2 - Roger Martin du Gard
Wild - Cheryl Strayed
Naar de top (The honest truth) - Dan Gemeinhart
Groter dan de lucht, erger dan de zon - Daan Remmerts de Vries, 183 pages (library 26/11)
De milieubeheerder (The Conservationist) - Nadine Gordimer
De verrader (The sellout) - Paul Beatty
De valk van Sparta (The Falcon of Sparta) - Conn Iggulden, 374 pages (library 26/11)

book 376: De boeken der kleine zielen by Louis Couperus
library/own, Dutch, Nederlandse Canon, English translation The Book of the Small Souls, 1008 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book with a title that mentions something you could recycle

I saw this book at the library and took it home. While I was reading, I found a free online download and coninued with that, as such a big tome is much easier to handle as e-book.

The decline of the Van Lowe family in early 20th century The Hague. The father once was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, and the status of the family is based on his position. One of the daughters, Constance, made a scandal 20 years ago with having an affair and leaving her husband. She married her lover and stayed in abroad ever since. Now she returned with husband and child. Only her mother is happy she returned, all her siblings think she should have stayed away, as now everyone remembers the scandal again.

A Dutch classic, with a nice look into The Hague in the early 20th century, where many Dutch who had been in the Dutch East Indies lived.

book 377: De val by Albert Camus
1001 books, own, translated from French, English translation The Fall, 150 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

Long monologue by Jean-Baptiste Clamence, a Parisian lawyer who has moved to Amsterdam, to an unknown other. He tells about his life, the mistakes he made (his fall) and his present life in Amsterdam. He includes questions of philosophy, morality, christianity, judgement and humanity.

book 378: De pruimenpluk by Dimitri Verhulst
own, Dutch, no translations, 151 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: read a book with a 'haiku seasonal word/phrase' on the cover

Mattis lives far from the city, he came here to enjoy the silence, but now he decides to sell his house and go back to the city. But then he meets a neighbor, a widow, and falls in love. He keeps the house to give his relation with Elma a chance. But she is still mourning about her late husband, so Mattis thinks of ways to make her all his.

book 379: Utopia by Thomas More
1001 books, own, translated, original title Utopia, 187 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book about a utopia whether it is successful or not

First published in 1516, Thomas More describes an ideal state, criticizing the corruption and religious hypocrisy of his time.

>142 FAMeulstee: I love this quartet Anita. I might pull it off the shelf for a reread soon.

It's long out of print here, I borrowed it from the London Library, a 1940s American edition, then amazingly managed to get a copy of the same edition to own a few years latter. I have to own books I love. Most of Couperus's other books are in print here now.

book 380: De blauwe engel by Heinrich Mann
1001 books, own, translated from German, English translation The Blue Angel, 188 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book by an author who has a sibling who is in the creative arts

Story about a tyrannical school teacher named professor Raat. For many years he has fought the youth, especially the nickname Unrath they use. Everyone in town hates him, and he hates and remembers each and everyone of his students and how they wronged him. One day he ends up in a cabaret, following one of his students and hoping to catch him so he will be send from school. Instead of cathching the boy, he falls in love with the cabaret singer.

A nice tragicomedy, hate, revenge, love and downfall. The only problem I had with my edition is that the translator chose to translate Raat into Metz and Unrat into Mest (manure), but fails to use them on the right places. I was forwarned in one of the reviews on LT, so I kept myself reading "Raat" and "Unrat" instead.

book 381: De pianoman by J. Bernlef
own, Dutch, Boekenweekgeschenk 2008, no translations, 89 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book that has a musical instrument in the title

Thomas grows up on the farm of his parents. His parents rarely speak to eachother, so Thomas only knows a few words when he goes to school. A teacher feels for him and tries to expand his vocabulary. But he isn't interested in words, he does show some interest in the piano. He learns to play a few pieces on the piano. Years later Thomas runs away from home, no one cares, except his former teacher.

book 382: De koffiehandelaar by Anthony Capella
library, translated, original title The various flavors of coffee, 494 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book in which a profession of a drink is written

I picked this historical fiction/romance only because it fitted the last TIOLI Challenge I had to fill for a sweep. It turned out to be a nice historical fiction, set the last years of the 19th century in London. The main characters are coffee traders, Samuel Pinker and his three daughters. Robert Wallis, wannabee poet, is hired by Samuel Pinker to taste and describe coffee flavours. The eldest daughter is part of the suffragette movement.

I liked the historical parts of the book, I was less impressed by the romantic parts.



---
With this book I finished my November TIOLI sweep :-)

>146 Caroline_McElwee: It was the first time I read it, Caroline, partly inspired by you. It was a very good read.
I am the same with books I love, I need to own a copy :-)

We used to own the complete works by Louis Couperus, in 50 books, but they were culled in 2005. Back then I could not know I would ever read this much. But I found most of his works are available on-line now. I think my next Couperus read will be Old People and The Things That Pass.

>142 FAMeulstee: *ow*ow*ow*
You got me with that book-bullet, especially since it's free.

>149 FAMeulstee: We agree in all particulars about this book.

Have a happy Thursday!

Hi Anita! Thanks for posting the lovely wedding pictures, and a belated happy anniversary.

>151 richardderus: Always glad to add to your reading stacks, Richard, so I know you can keep on reading.
And I think it we agree again on the next book I just finished Olive Kitteridge, although I did manage to finish it.

>152 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda, we had a great celebration this year.

Yesterday we went to Het Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, for our second concert this season.
We heard three works by John Adams, who got the prestigeous Erasmus Prize earlier that day. And a very nice work by Tan Dun, where three musicans were on the stage, three on the left in the hall, three on the right and the last three on the balcony.

Sadly it was one of the last concerts performered by the Nieuw Ensemble, they lost their national grants a few years back. At first the City of Amsterdam stepped in, but they lost that grant two years ago. Without extra money they can't go on. That is sad, because it is one of very few that played modern classic music, and gave young composers a chance to be heard.

Happy Friday, Anita. I hope you are having a good week. So, I take it you were not a fan of Olive Kitteridge?

>149 FAMeulstee: I think there is a type in >149 FAMeulstee:. You meant 82 books, not 382, right? No? That's correct?

I am kidding. I know you are an unbelievable reader. Congrats on another impressive year, and you still have a month to go! : )

I like Maria Sibylla Merian's drawings. Her portrait is here in the Kunstmuseum Basel and I have seen facsimiles of her work. Her family is well known in Basel.

>142 FAMeulstee: With you giving it so many stars I will have to try this Couperus. I love Van Oude Mensen, de dingen die voorbij gaan, I hope you like it as well.

>154 FAMeulstee: That is a pity, them losing their grant. Of course musicians have to deserve a grant, but maybe policies are too unreliable right now.

>140 FAMeulstee: *sigh* Yes, you read so effortlessly. At least my son does so in our household.

Writing to you from next door to the Dutch East Indies.

>155 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy Saturday to you!
Very good week, Frank back to work, me back to reading.
No, not a fan of Olive Kitteridge, didn't like the characters, didn't like the stories. I had a similair feel last year with Alice Munro's books. Well, can't like them all ;-)

>156 Berly: LOL!
Thank you, Kim. Last year will stay my best year ever, and I am very content with this years readings :-)

>157 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul, I hadn't heard of Maria Sibylla Merian before. So I was very happy to learn about her, a remarkable woman!

>158 EllaTim: Hi Ella, how are you doing?
Yes, I liked De boeken der kleine zielen very much. Knowing The Hague rather well did add to the fun.
The lost their grant from the Arts fund in 2012, many lost their grants arount that time. I hoped they would get some back, as their work is recognised internationally , but sadly that is not to be... :-(

>159 humouress: I didn't always read like this, Nina, so there is still hope for you in the future!
The former Dutch East Indies are a lot closer to you then our small country ;-)
Have you ever visited Indonesia?

book 383: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
library, e-book, translated, original title Olive Kitteridge, 333 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that has been adapted from / or into another form

Small town life at the coast in the USA in stories seen from different characters, the main character is Olive, appearing in most stories.

I had better hopes for this Pulitzer prize winning book. Sadly I didn't care for the characters nor their stories.

book 384: Descartes in Amsterdam by Hans Dooremalen
library, Dutch, historical fiction.mystery, no translations, 254 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book set in Western Europe

When René Descartes is in Amsterdam, some men are murdered. At first it seems they were killed in satanic rituals, but when Descartes and his servant look into the events, with cartesian logic, they find what really happened.
Set in 1634, when some protestant factions were fighting eachother, trying to get in power over the city of Amsterdam, and the VOC started their trade in the East.

The writer mixed history with a mystery in a clever way. Some famous inhabitants of Amsterdam are side characters. Not a great read, but good enough to keep me reading.

book 385: 14 by Jean Echenoz
library, e-book, translated from French, English translation 1914, 121 pages
TIOLI Challenge #19: Read a book with a title containing up to 9 characters

August 1914, five men from the Vendee are drafted and are send of into the war. The whole village is optimistic, they will be back in a few weeks time... After leaving the train, they suffer in long day marches towards the front. Then suddenly they are amidst the fights, trenches are digged, fights and boredom, death all around. The lucky ones get injured bad enough to go home.

A well written novel, a vivid and penetrating story of the suffering of French soldiers, who went without any knowledge into a war that would last far longer than they ever imagined.

November 2019 in numbers

29 books read (9,073 pages, 302.4 pages a day)

own 11 (38 %) / library 17 / other 1

24 male author / 5 female author
9 originally written in Dutch / 20 translated into Dutch
24 fiction / 5 non-fiction

29 books in TIOLI Challenges
7 e-books
6 1001 books
1 Dutch Literary Canon
3 childrens/YA
3 mystery/police procedural

longest book 1008 pages
shortest book 89 pages
average book 313 pages

--
own books read were on the shelf since:
before 2008: 6
2008: 1
2018: 1
2019: 3

--
date first published:
8th century BC: 1
16th century: 2

20th century
1900s: 2
1920s: 1
1930s: 1
1950s: 1
1980s: 3
1990s: 1

21st century
2000s: 4
2010s: 13

--
ratings:
  1 x
  2 x
13 x
10 x
  3 x

--
Best books in November


Odysseia (The Odyssey) by Homerus


De Thibaults. Deel 1 (The Thibaults) by Roger Martin du Gard
De boeken der kleine zielen (The Book of the Small Souls) by Louis Couperus

2019 totals to date:

385 books read (101,389 pages, 303.6 pages a day)

own 187 (49 %) / library 196 / other 2

259 male author / 126 female author
139 originally written in Dutch / 246 translated into Dutch
330 fiction / 55 non-fiction

373 books in TIOLI Challenges
126 e-books
  30 1001 books (total 137)
    5 Dutch Literary Canon (total 25/125)
169 childrens/YA
  63 mystery/police procedural
    9 poetry

longest book 1040 pages
shortest book 23 pages
average book 263 pages

--
own books read were on the shelf since:
before 2008: 126
2008: 12
2009: 1
2011: 1
2012: 2
2014: 1
2017: 2
2018: 14
2019: 28

--
date first published:
8th century BC: 1
2nd century: 1
16th century: 2
17th century: 2
18th century: 2
19th century: 14

20th century
1900s: 3
1910s: 2
1920s: 6
1930s: 8
1940s: 4
1950s: 8
1960s: 18
1970s: 33
1980s: 54
1990s: 56

21st century:
2000s: 63
2010s: 108

--
ratings:
  15 x
  41 x
141 x
126 x
  58 x
    3 x
    1 x

>161 FAMeulstee: Hmm - well I've been to Bali and Lombok a few times. My aunt's family used to live there when I was a teenager so we visited when they were about to leave; that way we got a more local view than the usual touristy holiday. And now I live in Singapore, it's easy to pop over for a short holiday. We stopped in Jakarta for a couple of days on that long ago trip on the way back to UK from Lombok. And Bintan, at this end of the island chain, is an easy ferry ride from Singapore. Along with Batam, they are holiday getaways. They're so close that it feels a bit weird that you have to take your passport with you when you hop over.

>167 humouress: Sounds nice, Nina, I have heard Bali is very beautiful.
Over here I mainly know people going to Indonesia to find their roots, or to see where their ancestors worked... Two of my uncles fought for the Dutch army in Indonesia after WWII, when the Dutch government still thought they could keep the Dutch East Indies in Dutch hands :-(

A belated happy anniversary, Anita. I was so glad to read that your father finally took the step of not reading your sister's emails. You all deserve to have some peace after what she put you through!

>169 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg.
So far it works well, my dad is much more relaxed now. The only problem left is that he doesn't dare to go to my mothers grave on his own, afraid he my sister might be there. So next Friday we go with him.