Connie ROOTS again in 2020; part 3

Hello ROOTers

My third thread and the last on for this year

I'm known to most of you, but here is a small introduction.
I'm Connie (67) and I live in the Netherlands (which might explain my English being a bit off sometimes). I recently retired from my job and now I have time to read a lot.

I've been reading ROOTs when they were called BOMBs in 2012 so this is my ninth year. And I'm loving to be among all the people I got to know here.

Since I can't rehome books (I just can't part with them) they just move to another room in the house. My favorite genres are Fantasy and Thrillers, but I like novels too. Especially in summer when it's warm and sultry.

I'm married to Peet (70) and we have one son Jeroen (37) and one daughter Eveline (34)
Jeroen lives with his girlfriend Rianne (33) near by and they have a daughter Lonne (2 years old)
Eveline lives with her boyfriend Cyrille (38) in another town, Maastricht, half an hour from us by car.
They have a little girl, Fiene (4 years old) and a baby-girl named Marie (1 year old).

Eveline, Fiene, Marie and Cyrille on their way for a vacation this summer

Marie is not amused!



Here she is feeling better

Jeroen, Lonne and Rianne on vacation

This is where I will keep a list of the ROOTs I read in 2020.
My rules are simple: A book counts as a ROOT when it has been on my shelves for more than 6 months.

My To-read list is now (2020/05/01) 422 books long.



01. De wereld vergaat niet - Kate Atkinson - book -
02. Het spel van de engel - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book -
03. Vlucht uit New York - Guillaume Musso - book -
04. De gevangene van de hemel - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book -
05. Het labyrint der geesten - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book -
06. Wit - Ted Dekker - book -
07. De Steen des Afscheids - Tad Williams - book -
08. De belegering - Tad Williams - book -
09. De eeuwige tijd - Deborah Harkness - book -
10. Matched - Ally Condie - book -
11. Jongen verslindt heelal - Trent Dalton - book -
12. Gebroken - B.A. Paris - book -
13. Koud bloed - Robert Bryndza - book -
14. Gevangen - Kelley Armstrong - book -
15. De Darkest Powers trilogie - Kelley Armstrong - book -
16. Het eerste boek - Harman Nielsen - book -
17. Vergeet haar niet - Nora Roberts - book -
18. De snijkamer - Jilliane Hoffman - book -
19. Drakenmeester - Margaret Weis - book -
20. Staartjagers zang - Tad Willams - book -
21. Schadevolle jaren - Richard Russo - book -
22. Het meisje met de vlechtjes - Wilma Geldof - book -
23. Het leven van Pi - Yann Martel - book -
24. Een onafwendbaar einde - Elizabeth George - book -
25. In wankel evenwicht - Elizabeth George - book -
26. Lichaam van de dood - Elizabeth George - book -
27. De stenen hemel - N.K. Jemisin - book -
28. Muze - Laini Taylor - book -
29. Oryx en Crake - Margaret Atwood - book -
30.Het jaar van de vloed - Margaret Atwood - book -
31. MaddAddam - Margaret Atwood - book -
32. 22-11-1963 - Stephen King - book -
33. Het geheime bondgenootschap - Philip Pullmann - book -
34. De zoon - Jo Nesbø - book -
35. Date met de dood - Charlaine Harris - book -
36. De leugenaar - Lisa Gardner - book -
37. De zwaluw en de kolibrie - Santa Montefiore - book -
38. De dame - Daniel O'Malley - book -
39. Naaste familie - Deborah Moggach - book -
40. De verre echo - Val McDermid - book -
41. Zeemansgraf - Val McDermid - book -
42. Een duister domein - Val McDermid - book -
43. Bloed op het zand - Bradley P. Beaulieu - book -
44. Een sluier van speren - Bradley P. Beaulieu - book -
45. Koning van Katoren - Jan Terlouw - book -
46. De val van een koning - Joe Abercrombie - book -
47. Boven water - Margaret Atwood - book -
48. Caliban's wraak - Tad Williams - book -
49. De winter van de heks - Katherine Arden - book -
50. De dode kamer - Bronja Hoffschlag - book -
51. Het verdwenen meisje - Jodi Picoult - book -
52. De verdenking - Michael Robotham - book -
53. Als laatste het hart - Margaret Atwood - book -
54. Endymion Spring - Matthew Skelton -
55. Terug naar Bear Mountain - Deborah Smith -
56. Voorgoed weg - Harrie Geelen -
57. Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks -
58. Dagen vol magie, Nachten vol strijd - Clive Barker -
59. Draken van een gevallen zon - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -
60. Het Huis met de Raven - Geoffrey Huntington -
61. Draken van een verloren ster - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2020: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This first post is for January, February and March.




001. De wereld vergaat niet - Kate Atkinson - book - ROOT # 01 -
002. Het spel van de engel - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book - ROOT # 02 - BFB # 1 - FF-challenge # 1 -
003. Vlucht uit New York - Guillaume Musso - book - ROOT # 03 -
004. De gevangene van de hemel - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book - ROOT # 04 - FF-challenge # 2 -
005. Het labyrint der geesten - Carlos Ruiz Zafón - book - ROOT # 05 - BFB # 2 -
006. Wit - Ted Dekker - book - ROOT # 6 - FF-challenge # 3 -
007. Een onmogelijke keuze - Clare Mackintosh - ebook - FF-challenge # 4 -
008. De Steen des Afscheids - Tad Williams - book - ROOT # 7 - BFB # 3 - FF-Challenge # 5 -
009. De zevenvoudige dood van Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton - book - FF-Challenge # 6 -
010. Het meisje met alle gaven - M.R. Carey - ebook -
011. De belegering - Tad Williams - book - ROOT # 8 - BFB # 4 - FF-Challenge # 7 -
012. Zon - Lucinda Riley - book - BFB # 5 - FF-Challenge # 8 -
013. De eeuwige tijd - Deborah Harkness - book - ROOT # 9 -
014. Matched - Ally Condie - book - ROOT # 10 - FF-Challenge # 9 -
015. Crossed - Ally Condie - ebook -
016. Reached - Ally Condie - ebook -
017. Jongen verslindt heelal - Trent Dalton - book - ROOT # 11 -
018. Gebroken - B.A. Paris - book - ROOT # 12 - FF-challenge # 10 -
019. Koud bloed - Robert Bryndza - book - ROOT # 13 -
020. Wild - Harlan Coben - book - FF-challenge # 11 -
021. Gevangen - Kelley Armstrong - book - ROOT/LOT # 14 - FF-challenge # 12 -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2020: ROOTs, new and shiny treebooks, ebooks.

This post is for April, May and June.




022. De Darkest Powers trilogie - Kelley Armstrong - book - ROOT/LOT # 15 - BFB # 6 - FF-challenge # 13 -
023. Het eerste boek - Harman Nielsen - book - ROOT/LOT # 16 - FF-challenge # 14 -
024. Vergeet haar niet - Nora Roberts - book - ROOT/LOT # 17 - FF-challenge # 15 -
025. De snijkamer - Jilliane Hoffman - book - ROOT/LOT # 18 -
026. De dood van Harriet Monckton - Elizabeth Haynes - book - BFB # 7 -
027. Het stenen matras - Margaret Atwood - book - FF-challenge # 16 -
028. Drakenmeester - Margaret Weis - book - ROOT/LOT # 19 - FF-Challenge # 17 -
029. Stille schreeuw - Angela Marsons - book -
030. Staartjagers zang - Tad Williams - book - ROOT/LOT # 20 - FF-Challenge # 18 -
031. The Boy on the Bridge - M.R. Carey - ebook -
032. De oude magie - Mariëtte Aerts - ebook -
033. Schadevolle jaren - Richard Russo - book - ROOT/LOT # 21 - FF-Challenge # 19 - BFB # 8 -
034. Het meisje met de vlechtjes - Wilma Geldof - book - ROOT/LOT # 22 - FF-challenge # 20 -
035. Het leven van Pi - Yann Martel - book - ROOT/LOT # 23 - FF-Challenge # 21 -
036. Een onafwendbaar einde - Elizabeth George - book - ROOT/LOT # 24 - BFB # 9 - FF-challenge # 22 -
037. In wankel evenwicht - Elizabeth George - book - ROOT/LOT # 25 - BFB # 10 -
038. Lichaam van de dood - Elizabeth George - book - ROOT/LOT # 26 - BFB # 11 -
039. De vlinderkamer - Lucinda Riley - book - BFB # 12 -
040. In hechtenis - Nicci French - book - FF-challenge # 23 -
041. De stenen hemel - N.K. Jemisin - book - ROOT/LOT # 27 -
042. Muze Laini Taylor - book - ROOT/LOT # 28 - FF-Challenge # 24 -
043. Oryx en Crake - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT/LOT # 29 - BFB # 13 -
044. Het jaar van de vloed - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT/LOT # 30 - BFB # 13 -
045. MaddAddam - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT/LOT # 31 - BFB # 13 -
046. Naar de overkant - Santa Montefiore - book - FF-challenge # 25 -
047. De zevenvoudige dood van Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton - book - re-read -
048. 22-11-1963 - Stephen King - book - ROOT/LOT # 32 - FF-challenge # 26 -BFB # 14 -
049. Drakensteen - Mariëtte Aerts - ebook - FF-challenge # 27 -
050. Wat jij niet ziet - M.J. Arlidge - book -
051. The House in the Cerulean Sea - T. J. Klune - ebook - FF-Challenge # 28 -
052. Verzwegen - Karin Slaugther - book - BFB # 15 -
053. Mijn naam is Morgen - Damian Dibben - ebook -
054. Stormbrekers - Mariëtte Aerts - ebook -
055. Zilverbloed - Mariëtte Aerts - ebook -
056. Het geheime bondgenootschap - Philip Pullman - book - ROOT/LOT # 33 - BFB # 16 -
057. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern - ebook - BFB # 17 -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2020: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.

This post is for July, August and September.




058. The Ten Thousand Doors of January - Alix E. Harrow - ebook -
059. Winterland - Kim Faber & Janni Pedersen - book -
060. De zoon - Jo Nesbø - book - ROOT/LOT # 34 -
061. Date met de dood - Charlaine Harris - book - ROOT/LOT # 35 - FF-challenge # 29 -
062. De meeste mensen deugen - Rutger Bregman - ebook -
063. Nog lange niet - M.J. Arlidge - book - FF-challenge # 30 - BFB # 18 -
064. Starworld - Audrey Coulthurst & Paula Garner - ebook -
065. Drie uur - Rosamund Lupton - book -
066. De leugenaar - Lisa Gardner - book - ROOT/LOT # 36 -
067. De zwaluw en de kolibrie - Santa Montefiore - book - ROOT/LOT # 37 -
068. De dame - Daniel O'Malley - book - ROOT/LOT # 38 -
069. Naaste familie - Deborah Moggach - book - ROOT/LOT # 39 - FF-challenge # 31 -
070. De verre echo - Val McDermid - book - ROOT/LOT # 40 -
071. Zeemansgraf - Val McDermid - book - ROOT/LOT # 41 -
072. Een duister domein - Val McDermid - book - ROOT/LOT # 42 -
073. De vrouw die niet opgaf - Val McDermid - ebook -
074. De donor - Clare Mackintosh - ebook -
075. De man die zijn sporen wiste - Val McDermid - ebook -
076. Geschonden graf - Val McDermid - ebook -
077. De ijzige verloofde - Christelle Dabos - ebook -
078. Mal - Harman Nielsen - book -
079. Vlught - Angie Sage - ebook - Forumchallenge # 32 -
080. Elixer - Angie Sage - ebook - Forumchallenge # 33 -
081. Queeste - Angie Sage - ebook - Forumchallenge # 34
082. Sirene - Angie Sage - ebook -
083. Bloed op het zand - Bradley P. Beaulieu - book - ROOT/LOT # 43 - BFB # 19 -
084. Duyster - Angie Sage - ebook -
085. Vuer - Angie Sage - ebook -
086. De kleine bakkerij aan het strand - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
087. Zomer in de kleine bakkerij - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
088. Een verre kust - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
089. Cafe zon & zee - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
090. Het eindeloze strand - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
091. Wintereiland - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
092. Het dubbele geheim van de familie Lessage - Sandrine Destombes - ebook -
093. Grote kleine leugens - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
094. Het geheim van mijn man - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
095. Wat Alice vergat - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
096. Bijna echt gebeurd - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
097. Nog één keer feest - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
098. Alles voor jou - Liane Moriarty - ebook -
099. De boekwinkel op de hoek - Annie Darling - ebook -
100. Het leugenhuis - Anne B. Ragde - ebook -
101. Het wenshuis - Anne B. Ragde - ebook -
102. Het droomhuis - Anne B. Ragde - ebook -
103. Een sluier van speren - Bradley P. Beaulieu - book - ROOT/LOT # 44 - BFB # 20 -
104. Koning van Katoren - Jan Terlouw - book - ROOT/LOT # 45 - Forumchallenge # 35 -
105. Lift - Linwood Barclay - book -
106. De val van een koning - Joe Abercrombie - book - ROOT/LOT # 46 - BFB # 21 - Forumchallenge # 36 -
107. Stiletto - Daniel O'Malley - book - BFB # 22 -
108. Boven water - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT/LOT 47 -
109. Zonder gezicht - Robert Bryndza - book -
110. Heftig - David Nicholls - book -
111. Caliban's wraak - Tad Williams - book - ROOT/LOT # 48 - Forumchallenge # 37 -
112. De winter van de heks - Katherine Arden - book - ROOT/LOT # 49 -
113. De dode kamer - Bronja Hoffschlag - book - ROOT/LOT # 50 - - BFB # 23 -
114. De Skinner methode - Bronja Hoffschlag - ebook - BFB # 24 -
115. De spiegelkoning - Bronja Hoffschlag - book -
116. Het verdwenen meisje - Jodi Picoult - book - ROOT/LOT # 51 -
117. De verdenking - Michael Robotham - book - ROOT/LOT # 52 -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2020: ROOTs, new and shiny treebooks, ebooks.

This post is for October, November and December.




118. Als laatste het hart - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT/LOT # 53 - Forumchallenge # 38 -
119. Endymion Spring - Matthew Skelton - book - ROOT/LOT # 54 - Forumchallenge # 39 -
120. Terug naar Bear Mountain - Deborah Smith - book - ROOT/LOT # 55 = Forumchallenge # 40 -
121. De laatste meisjes - Riley Sager - ebook -
122. Mijn laatste leugen - Riley Sager - ebook -
123. Voorgoed weg - Harrie Geelen - book - ROOT/LOT # 56 - BFB # 25 -
124. De zilverboom - Lucinda Riley - book - BFB # 26 - Forumchallenge # 41 -
125. Stad van tranen - Kate Mosse - book -
126. Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks - book - ROOT/LOT # 57 -
127. De boekhandel van Teheran - Marjan Kamali - ebook -
128. De mooiste tijd van ons leven - Claire Lombardo - ebook - BFB # 27 -
129. Dagen vol magie, Nachten vol strijd - Clive Barker - book - ROOT/LOT # 58 - Forumchallenge # 42 -
130. Bram en het droomengeltje - Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker - book -
131. Dromendochter - Laini Taylor - ebook - Forumchallenge # 43 -
132. Draken van een gevallen zon - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - book - ROOT/LOT # 59 - Forumchallenge # 44 - BFB # 28 -
133. Het Huis met de Raven - Geoffrey Huntington - book - ROOT/LOT # 60 - Forumchallenge # 45 -
134. Draken van een verloren ster - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - book - ROOT/LOT # 61 - BFB # 29 -

This is where I will keep track of Chunksters, books with more than 500 pages




01. Het spel van de engel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 552 pages
02. Het labyrint der geesten by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 845 pages
03. De Steen des Afscheids by Tad Williams, 679 pages (without the Appendix)
04. De groene Engeltoren, de belegering - Tad Williams, 672 pages (without Appendix)
05. Zon - Lucinda Riley - 728 pages
06. De Darkest Powers trilogie - Kelley Armstrong - 952 pages
07. De dood van Harriet Monckton - Elizabeth Haynes - 505 pages
08. Schadevolle jaren - Richard Russo - 563 pages
09. Een onafwendbaar einde - Elizabeth George - 550 pages
10. In wankel evenwicht - Elizabeth George - 576 pages
11. Lichaam van de dood - Elizabeth George - 621 pages
12. De vlinderkamer - Lucinda Riley - 512 pages
13. MaddAddam - Margaret Atwood - 1271 pages
14. 22-11-1963 - Stephen King - 879 pages
15. Verzwegen - Karin Slaughter - 542 pages
16. Het geheime bondgenootschap - Philip Pullman - 636 pages.
17. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern - 504 pages
18. Nog lange niet - M.J. Arlidge - 524 pages
19. Bloed op het zand - Bradley P. Beaulieu - 703 pages
20. Een sluier van speren - Bradley P. Beaulieu - 607 pages
21. De val van een koning - Joe Abercrombie - 629 pages
22. Stiletto - Daniel O'Malley - 623 pages
23. De dode kamer - Bronja Hoffschlag - 713 pages
24. De Skinner methode - Bronja Hoffschlag - 649 pages
25. Voorgoed weg - Harrie Geelen - 889 pages (excluding lists of names and such)
26. De zilverboom - Lucinda Riley - 541 pages
27. De mooiste tijd van ons leven - Claire Lombardo - 553 pages.
28. Draken van een gevallen zon - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - 527 pages
29. Draken van een verloren ster - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - 544 pages

This is where I will keep track of all my bought books in 2020 (excluding e-books)




January

No books bought

February

01. De zevenvoudige dood van Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton
02. Boven water - Margaret Atwood
03. Koning van Katoren - Jan Terlouw
04. Zon - Lucinda Riley

March

05. De dood van Harriet Monckton - Elizabeth Haynes
06. Stille Schreeuw - Angela Marsons
07. Drie uur - Rosamund Lupton

April

08. Het stenen matras - Margaret Atwood
09. In hechtenis - Nicci French

May

10. De vlinderkamer -Lucinda Riley
11. Naar de overkant - Santa Montefiore

June

12. Verzwegen - Karin Slaughter

July

13. Nog lange niet - M.J. Arlidge
14. Zonder gezicht - Robert Bryndza
15. Mal - Harman Nielsen
16. Stad van tranen - Kate Mosse

August

17. Stiletto - Daniel O'Malley

September

18. Lift - Linwood Barclay
19. De spiegelkoning - Bronja Hoffschlag

October

No books bought

November

20. De zilverboom - Lucinda Riley
21. Hele verhalen voor een halve soldaat - Benny Lindelauf
22. Bram en het droomengeltje - Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker

Bookweek gift Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl
Birthday present from Peet Wild by Harlan Coben en Als laatste het hart by Margaret Atwood
Won by Lottery Winterland by Kim Faber and Janni Pedersen
Bookweek gift Wat jij niet ziet by M.J. Arlidge

Cursive is read

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And for Book Bullets that hit me here.



01. De zevenvoudige dood van Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - BB by Karenmarie - Read
02. The ten thousand doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - BB by This-n-That - Read
03. Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst - BB by Curioussquared - read
04. Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles - BB by Jackie

Cursive is read

Stats for 2020: August 31 2020

TBR on 2020-09-01: 403 including 2 e-books = 401 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2020 so far: 102
Tree-books read in 2020: 59 including 43 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 43

Total tree-books into the house: 22
17 books bought
5 as presents

Welcome to thread number 3.

Hi Connie! Happy new thread.

Your children/boyfriends/girlfriends/children are all so beautiful. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

Congrats on a good reading year so far.

>13 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I do my best to break my own record of 110 books read last year.

Happy new thread, Connie!

Happy new thread! What a beautiful family you have! And I'm sure you'll get very close to 110, if not further.

>15 curioussquared: >16 Jackie_K: Thanks, Ladies

Today I finished another; ROOT # 44, BFB # 20

Een sluier van speren by Bradley P. Beaulieu, 607 pages,



My review:

Very difficult to judge because this is a really complicated story. About 8 gods and goddesses, 13 kings who all but one live in the same city. And some tribes who are at war with each other or at least keep an eye on each other. So many battles and fights. Fortunately, there are also a few appealing main characters, Çeda, Emre and Davud. And there is magic, a lot of magic.

Now reading another ROOT, but a thin one

Koning van Katoren by Jan Terlouw

Original Dutch. English translation: How to become a King



The Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Stach dreams of becoming king of the land of Katoren. The old king passed away 17 years ago and no successor has yet been found. The six ministers who manage the country - temporarily - give Stach seven assignments. If Stach succeeds in fulfilling it, he will become the new king of Katoren. But are the ministers actually looking for a new king?

Happy new thread, Connie!

>18 connie53: Childhood memories... I loved all books by Jan Terlouw.

Terrific pictures, Connie! - beautiful families. I LOL'd at Marie!

Happy new thread, Connie! Great photos :)

Happy new thread, Connie. What a great looking family!

Thanks guys! I'm so blessed with my kids and grandkids.

Lovely family photos. Blessed indeed. You will easily surpass your reading goal this year.

I did finish 2 more books

Koning van Katoren by Jan Terlouw
ROOT/LOT # 45

My review:

Nice story about the young Stach who wants to become king of the country he lives in, Katoren. Stach was born on the day the old king died and he is now almost 18 years old. All this time there has been no king and the country has been ruled by 6 ministers. These ministers all have their own department that fits their character and name.
When Stach announces that he wants to become the new king, they challenge him to complete 7 assignments. And Stach accepts the invitation. His assignments always take him to another city or village whose name also indicates what is wrong in such a city or village, such as Afzette-rije (like in rip off), Uikumene (ecumenism), or Decibel. And the vices that keep the towns under their spell also have to do with the names.
Afzette-rije is held in poverty by a bunch of charlatans who sell them expensive ointments against an ailment and keep that ailment alive.
In Uikumene, the city is divided by 12 religions (and 12 churches) who seek their place within the city and therefore shuffle through the village in search of it and flatten houses and people in their stride.
Fortunately, Stach knows how to make sure everything ends well.

Lift by Linwood Barclay -

My review:

Very exciting book. All the little details count. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't tell much. The idea may be a bit far-fetched, but if you don't care about it, it all adds up. So on to Linwood Barclay's next one

Now reading:

Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley



The blurb;

THE CHECQUY: A centuries-old covert organization that protects the nation from supernatural threat. THE GRAFTERS: A centuries-old supernatural threat. After centuries of rivalry and bloodshed, two secret and otherworldly organisations - The Checquy and The Grafters - are on the verge of joining forces, and only one person has the supernatural skills - and the bureaucratic finesse - to get the job done: Myfanwy Thomas. But as a wave of gruesome atrocities sweep London, ingrained paranoias flare, old hatreds ignite and negotiations grind to a halt. It is up to Myfanwy to find the culprits before they trigger a devastating, all-out, supernatural war between the reluctant allies.

De val van een koning by Joe Abercrombie part 3 in the series De eerste wet



The blurb

The king of The North is firmly in the saddle. There is only one person who can stop him, his oldest friend and enemy: Logen Ninefinger. The old Hero still has strength for one battle and this is going to be it.

With too many superiors and too little time, Superior Glokta has to fight a very different kind of fight. It's a secret battle where no one is safe and everyone is an enemy. Fortunately, he is a master of threat, extortion and bribery ...

Happy new one, Connie! You're doing great!

Connie you lead me astray. I ordered a copy of Berlin Poplars after your review. I managed to pick up a tidy second hand one though, so a bargain. It arrived on a day when I needed a lift. So thank you. I look forward to reading it.

Glad to help you find these books, Helen. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

>53 connie53:. I am not sure whether the sequels are available in translation which might be disappointing.

>29 HelenBaker: Hi Helen, are you referring tot the Berlin Poplars? If so I think you have to make sure that they are translated. I suspect reading them in Dutch is not an option for you. That might be quit a challenge. ;).

I finished another ROOT/LOT # 46, BFB # 21, Forumchallenge # 36

De val van een koning by Joe Abercrombie

My review:

Last part of 'De Eerste Wet' and the last part that has been translated into Dutch. Lots of battles and intrigue. Logen Ninefinger plays the leading role, but Bayaz and Glotka also play a major role, especially because of their scheming. Fortunately, it reads quickly and it is also exciting. But really not my thing.

Happy new thread, Connie! Many thanks for the pics, the girls are growing up so quickly!

I know. Marie is almost walking by herself. Luckily I'm going to visit them next week. We have seen them but now for the first time since march I'm going there by train again.

So nice to hear that you'll be visiting your family next week. Have a wonderful time.

>33 connie53: Have a safe trip and a lovely time!

I finished another book yesterday



Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley, BFB # 22, 623 pages,

The blurb

After years of enmity and bloodshed, two secret organizations with otherworldly abilities must merge, and there is only one person with the fearsome powers - and bureaucratic finesse - to get the job done. Rook Myfanwy Thomas must broker a deal between deadly rivals the Checquy - a centuries-old covert British organization that protects society from supernatural threats; and the Grafters - a centuries-old supernatural threat. But as bizarre attacks sweep London, threatening to sabotage negotiations, old hatreds flare. Only Myfanwy and two women who detest each other can seek out the culprits before they trigger a devastating otherworldly war.

My Review:

Second part in the series 'The Checquy Files' and I can say that I can't wait for the third part. And I don't even know if there will be a third book. But that should happen and it certainly can. I have read this book in English (because not translated), which made it a challenge but it did not detract from how good this book is. I was completely drawn into the adventures of Felicity, one of the Checquy members, and Odette, one of the Grafters, the Scientific Fraternity of Physicists. These two groups, despite their centuries of enmity, have decided to collaborate. Felicity and Odette are linked during the Grafters' visit to the Checquys in London. Adventure after adventure ensures that the women respect each other and that they can work together quite well in the long run. I don't want to tell you too much about it, because that would spoil everything. So read, I would say, but start with part 1 De dame / The Rook.

Now reading one ROOT and one new and shiny one

The ROOT is

Boven water by Margaret Atwood



The blurb;

A young woman returns to northern Quebec to the remote island of her childhood, with her lover and two friends, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her father. Flooded with memories, she begins to realise that going home means entering not only another place but another time. As the wild island exerts its elemental hold and she is submerged in the language of the wilderness, she sees that what she is really looking for is her own past.

And the new and shiny one

Zonder gezicht by Robert Bryndza



The blurb;

Sixteen years ago, Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective in the London police. Until she was ordered to track down a serial killer, and he found her first. Kate's career ended in scandal, and she was left traumatized, betrayed and publicly humiliated.

Years later, Kate is still struggling with the consequences when given the opportunity to correct her past. A copycat killer appears to be active continuing his idol's ghastly work. Kate is once again drawn into the twisted mind of a murderer she knows all too well. She was once the intended fifth victim - and his successor seems determined to finish the job now.

Finished the 2 books above.

Boven water by Margaret Atwood - ROOT # 47

My review;

This is a very strange book that I don't understand at all. The main character, whose name is not mentioned, goes with 3 friends in search of her missing father, who lives somewhere on an island in Canada. That's all I understood about the story. The rest of the book is one big blur to me.

Zonder gezicht by Robert Bryndza -

My review;

Another super exciting, well written book by Robert Bryndza. This time with a new main character, former Detective Kate Marshall. She is now a professor of criminology at a university in London, assisted by her young assistant Tristan. As a detective, she almost fell victim to a serial killer and it cost her her job. When a girl is murdered again, a copycat appears to be at work. When she is asked to investigate by the parents of a still missing girl, Tristan and Kate are at the beginning of a dangerous quest. Very well written and very exciting.

Now starting a book a lend from my sister. As it turned out I read this one before 2005 and my own book is buried somewhere in a box at the attic.

Heftig by David Nicholls



The blurb;

It's 1985 and Brian Jackson has arrived at university with a burning ambition - to make it onto TV's foremost general knowledge quiz. But no sooner has he embarked in 'The Challenge' than he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his teammate, the beautiful and charismatic would-be actress Alice Harbinson. When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all. He's going to win the game, at any cost, because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge.

>39 connie53: You're reading Starter for Ten! This is one of my favourite books. I was part of the university quiz circuit in my school days so I found this really, really accurate :D

>40 rabbitprincess: That's really coincidental, RP.

Heftig by David Nicholls,

Here is my review

Brian Jackson goes to college and meets the beautiful Alice with whom he falls hopelessly in love, but Brian is also terribly clumsy and naïve. He tries to be funny to hide that clumsiness, but that often doesn't work very well. Brian also has a dream: to participate in the TV program University Challenge. That also creates the necessary comical situations. Funny, written with humor. Reread.

Congrats on meeting your ROOT goals!

Thanks, Sace.

Finished Caliban's wraak by Tad Williams ROOT # 48,

The blurb;

Caliban the Beast unravels a tale of desire and shining wizardry in this fantasy novel from the bestselling author of To Green Angel Tower. Caliban has found her--Miranda, Prospero's beautiful daughter. And in just one hour of a single night he must tell her one of the most compelling stories ever told.

My review:

Read for the 2020 forum challenge on the ff-leesclub.nl, because this book is part of the subgroup: fantasy standalones. It's a story based on Shakespeare's 'The Storm'. After years of tracking, Caliban has found Miranda, Prospero's daughter. And he comes to take revenge for what Miranda and her father did to him. All she has to do is listen to his story. Caliban tells how he lived the three years they spent on the small island and what Prospero's and her role have been in it. Quite nice but not striking or very special.


Started in De winter van de heks by Katherine Arden ROOT # 49



The Blurb;

One girl can make a difference... Moscow is in flames, leaving its people searching for answers - and someone to blame. Vasilisa, a girl with extraordinary gifts, must flee for her life, pursued by those who blame their misfortune on her magic. Then a vengeful demon returns, stronger than ever. Determined to engulf the world in chaos, he finds allies among men and spirits. Mankind and magical creatures alike find their fates resting on Vasya's shoulders. But she may not be able to save them all. 'heart-stoppingly good...beautifully written, this adventure shimmers and shines with magic of all kinds.

De winter van de heks by Katherine Arden is finished.

My Review;

At first I had some trouble with this book, but that's because I find the names of the characters so difficult. Russian names, they are called that, but they call them that or sometimes that. But when I was able to read it a little longer, it worked out better and I could also enjoy the fairytale story. And the magic, a lot of magic. With, I understand, some historically correct facts that are beautifully woven into the story.



Now reading De dode kamer by Bronja Hoffschlag ROOT # 50, BFB # 23 713 pages

Original Dutch, Part 1 in the series: The Project X trilogy

The blurb;

Professionally unemployed Lennart Larsen and his younger brother, successful architect Misha, are each other's opposites. Lennart spends his days drinking, smoking and keeping his Social Security benefits, while Misha works sixteen hours a day. Their parents had been killed in a car accident fifteen years earlier and that loss turned out to be a crossroads, at which the brothers both took a different turn. Contact between them is extremely difficult and sometimes periods of weeks go by, in which they have no contact at all. However, when Misha does not answer his phone for a long time and Lennart investigates, he discovers that his brother has quit his job and has left for America.

It is the start of a weeks-long quest, which mercilessly confronts Lennart with the past, lies and truths, secrets, riddles, codes, double agendas and memories. As his search progresses and he uncovers more and more aspects of Misha's life, Lennart finds out that he doesn't know his brother well at all and that he has no idea what Misha is capable of. Meanwhile, Misha confronts the ghosts of his past and new demons, while the secret he has carried with him for fifteen years draws him further and further into the darkness and he plunges himself into a hopeless mission of revenge. Inadvertently and unintentionally, he draws the attention of serial killer Donald Skinner.

The consequences are incalculable.

Finished De dode kamer and De Skinner methode by Bronja Hoffschlag both books
Both books original Dutch

My review off De dode kamer

Well written and exciting. First part of a trilogy. It is the story of the brothers Lennart and Misha Larsen who lost their parents in a car accident at a young age. Lennart is the oldest and lives a life full of alcohol and drugs and tries to make ends meet. Misha is placed in foster care because of his age while Lennart makes a half-hearted attempt to get custody of him. When that finally succeeds after three years, Misha, who was already a boy with a user manual when their parents were alive, has become a withdrawn teenager.
Fifteen years after the death of their parents, Misha has become a successful architect and Lennart has not changed at all. But then Misha disappears and when Lennart finally realizes that, he tries to track down Misha. He stops his drug use and finally finds out that Misha is in prison in New York and confessed to a murder.
The book first follows Lennart and then all scenes are repeated again, but then seen from Misha point of view. Additional information also comes from their own thoughts and insights.
I have already started part 2.



The blurb

Dutch architect Misha Larsen has been in an American state prison since his conviction for manslaughter. Only a handful of people know that he is actually on a revenge mission and is completing a kill list.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Misha is forced to make a pact with serial killer Donald Skinner to be able to delete the next name from his list, but not everyone is charmed by his new ally and Misha is not the only one with a "Plan B" .
Meanwhile, at Misha's request, his brother Lennart delves into Skinner's past and encounters shocking events in which fact and fiction seamlessly merge.
Lennart is determined to find the truth behind the legend. He learns that some things should have been buried better when his research keeps leading him back to the man with whom it all began: cult leader Macchias Dawson, who even seems to be pulling the strings from the grave.

My review;

Well written and very exciting, but in a 'under your skin' way. Just like in part 1, the story also changes from time to time, partly in the present and partly in different times of the past. This time we also get to see part of the story through the eyes of Donald Skinner, the serial killer. However, there is a shocking event that upset me completely. I ordered book 3 because I now also need to know how it ends.

And part 3 is finished too.



De spiegelkoning by Bronja Hoffschlag
Original Dutch, not translated (yet)

The blurb;

Maren Franka's life was a lot easier before she let herself be carried away by the brothers, Misha and Lennart Larsen. Now she is alone in a strange city, surrounded by strangers. She makes plans to escape her glass cage, but Misha has no intention of letting her go just like that.
Misha also had to process a lot. He seeks distraction in a new bizarre mission that puts not only himself in danger but also his best friends. He gives Maren an almost impossible task, which puts the relationships within the group of friends on edge. A race against time starts for Maren to complete her assignment. She will have to make choices to succeed, but any choice can be fatal… to Misha's plan and those involved.
Meanwhile, Donald Skinner sets out for revenge and the Jersey Killer's arm reaches far beyond the prison walls.

My review:

Closing third part of the trilogy, which I think still has room for another part, because there are still a few things unfinished. I would like to know how it all ends. It is an rather rough trilogy, because there are many fights and murders in the prison where Misha is locked up. This time Maren plays a big role. Maren is a young woman with slightly autistic traits who sees things in her own way, which is sometimes quite refreshing. When Maren is ordered by Misha to have his cellmate Jamie disappear from the funeral of his, then seriously ill and dying, mother, she has to think up a lot of things to make it succeed. But she gets help from an unexpected source.

Started ROOT # 51 for the year



Het verdwenen meisje by Jodi Picoult

The blurb

Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiancé, and her own Search and Rescue bloodhound - which she uses to find missing persons. But as she plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can't recall. Then a policeman shows up at her door, arresting her father for the kidnap of a little girl. And Delia's past and present fracture into little pieces. VANISHING ACTS is a book about the very nature and power of memory. It explores what happens when the past we have been running from catches up to us, and questions who we trust to tell us the story of our lives before we are capable of remembering it ourselves.

And finished the book this afternoon.

My review:

Good story but the way it is written is a bit odd. The book is made up of several sectione, each from the point of view of a different character, Delia, Eric and Fitz and Delia's father Andrew. That is clear by using their names at the top of the page. But in those sections the writer jumps from one time to another by making the character think of memories from the past. But that is also one of the themes in the book. What do memories do to you? Are memories always real or correct? Or are there memories that you think you have but where you use your own interpretation to make it look better or worse.
Also as far as I am concerned, there is a lot of unnecessary information. Especially when it comes to the customs of the Hopi Indians. Maybe nice to know, but hardly an addition to the actual story. That story is about Delia who was kidnapped by her father when she was four, but is it a kidnapping if you bring your own daughter to safety to protect her from her mother's behavior where Delia lives after her parents divorce. . And that's what this book is all about. Officially you are of course punishable if you do not return your child after a weekend with dad, but you still have to do what you can to protect your child.
Delia has known Eric and Fitz since

Now reading ROOT # 52



De verdenking by Michael Robotham

The blurb

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life - a beautiful wife, a loving daughter and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only a loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient and the biggest lie of his life. Caught in a complex web of deceit and haunted by images of the slain girl, he embarks upon a search that will take him from London to Liverpool and into the darkest recesses of the human mind. Ultimately, he will risk everything to unmask the killer and save his family. THE SUSPECT is a psychological thriller, a novel of ideas and a story of love.

Hello Connie - just popping by to say I hope you're having a lovely weekend. You're still reading plenty, I see!

I finished De verdenking by Michael Robotham -

My review;

Exciting and thrilling thriller down to the last detail. I cannot say too much about it because then I give too much away. Joe O'Loughlin is a psychologist with a good running practice, a beautiful wife and a cute daughter. But then he is suspected of murder and everything goes wrong. He must himsel prove his innocence and discovers a mind-boggling plan to destroy him. And he has an extra handicap because he suffers from Parkinson's and is only in his mid-forties.

Now reading ROOT # 53

Als laatste het hart by Margaret Atwood



The blurb

Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. Job loss has forced them to live in their car, leaving them vulnerable to roving gangs. They desperately need to turn their situation around--and fast. The Positron Project in the town of Consilience seems to be the answer to their prayers. No one is unemployed and everyone gets a comfortable, clean house to live in ... for six months out of the year. On alternating months, residents of Consilience must leave their homes and function as inmates in the Positron prison system. Once their month of service in the prison is completed, they can return to their "civilian" homes. At first, this doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice to make in order to have a roof over one's head and food to eat. But when Charmaine becomes romantically involved with the man who lives in their house during the months when she and Stan are in the prison, a series of troubling events unfolds, putting Stan's life in danger. With each passing day, Positron looks less like a prayer answered and more like a chilling prophecy fulfilled.

Stats for 2020: September 30 2020

TBR on 2020-10-01: 394 including 4 ebooks = 390 tree-books
Total books/ebooks read in 2020 so far: 118
Tree-books read in 2020: 74 including 52 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 44

Total tree-books into the house: 24
19 books bought
5 as presents

Hi Connie!

Excellent statistics for a great reading year.

I finished another ROOT, # 53

Als laatste het hart by Margaret Atwood

My review;

Good story, so terribly absurd that I really had to laugh now and then. It's set in the America or Canada of today, but in a society you can hardly imagine.
There has been an economic crisis of enormous proportions and many people have lost their jobs, homes and securities. Stan and Charmaine now live in their car and are constantly worried about being mugged and robbed at night. They live on the little money that Charmaine earns as a barmaid in a rather dubious café. Then she hears about an experiment. Villages with a prison building are being renovated. You share a house with another couple. One month you live in the house and the other month you are in prison where you work. Ideal, because this way 2 couples have a house to live in. So when Stan and Charmaine pass the selection, they leave for such a village. The only downside seems that you have to live there until you die. You cannot stop the experiment and go out into the wide world again. But this is a book by Margaret Atwood so there are some dystopian angels hidden. Lots of story changes and you are always amazed when the next change occurs. Very open-ended. Recommended

Now reading



Terug naar Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith, ROOT # 54

The Blurb

Dirt-poor, sensitive as poets, and proud as kings, the Powell family has lived on a Georgia mountaintop for generations. Then, during the 1960's, young Ursula Powell's father convinces the Tiber family, owners everything in nearby Tiberville, to commission a huge iron sculpture of a bear for the town. Decades later the strange sculpture - rejected by the townspeople and left to rust on the Powell farm - symbolizes a family's failure and thwarted dreams. But, unknown to Ursula, it is now worth such a huge fortune that the artist's embittered son, Quentin Ricconni, is coming to reclaim it . . . and to change everything Ursula believes about the past, the choices that break a heart, and the redeeming powers of art and love.

and



Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton ROOT # 55

The blurb

Who or what is Endymion Spring? A power for good, or for evil . . . A legendary book that holds the secret to a world of knowledge . . . A young boy without a voice - whose five-hundred-year-old story is about to explode in the twenty-first century . . . Set in present-day Oxford and Germany at the dawn of printing, one magical book sets two boys' worlds alight - bringing them unimaginable danger, excitement and power . . .Skelton's brilliant literary debut. Powerfully gripping, a perfect, magical read for teenagers and adults alike.

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton is finished and gets

My review;

Nice youth book with a story that jumps from 1450 to the present. By means of an enchanted book that comes into the hands of twelve-year-old Blake. It seems like a book without words, but Blake can occasionally read a puzzling piece of text in it. With the help of his small, clever and occasionally a bit smart-ass sister Duck, Blake sets out to find the solution, but there is also a dark figure who wants to get his hands on the book.

>51 connie53: Nice numbers! I've acquired more e-books than print this year because of hesitancy to handle packages and products... and I've read more (yet only 7!) so far than in any other year.

I finished another ROOT/LOT,

Terug naar Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith

My Review;

The Powell and Tiber families have lived in Tiber Ville since forever. There was once a marriage between the two families, so in fact they are all family. But something has gone wrong somewhere and the Powell bride ran away with the son of the only black family in the village. That created a lot of resistance between the families.
The Tibers own the largest factory (chicken products) and the bank and the all villagers work for them. The farmers are all chicken farmers and all have loans outstanding with the Tiber Bank. Tom Powell also works as a chicken farmer but his family lives further away from the village on a plateau on one of the mountains. Tom and Ursula, his daughter, are in the crowd to watch a work of art arrive by train, bought from a budding artist, Richard Riconni. It is a life-size sculpture of a bear, made from scrap metal, iron and other waste. The village is shocked and decided to destroy the statue. However, Tom is very impressed and gives his last money to buy the statue and places it at his farm. Ursula's mother dies shortly afterwards, giving birth to her little brother Arthur, who suffers brain damage and is autistic. Arthur grows up with the bear in their yard and he says the bear talks to him.
More than twenty years later, Quentin Riconni is looking for his father's last work that he has not yet been able to find. All of Richard's works are now worth a fortune and his mother would love to see the bear, Bare Wisdom, again. His search takes him to Ursula and her brother. He wants to buy the bear from them but Arthur is very confused about that. Quentin and Ursula devise a plan to convince Arthur, but things don't quite go as planned and Quentin has to stay much longer than he thought. He begins to feel at home on Bear Mountain.

Now reading Voorgoed weg by Harrie Geelen ROOT # 56, BFB # 25, 890 pages
Original Dutch



The Blurb

There is good. There is evil. And there is worse.
Every prince knows that.
In Gone Forever, the second and third installments of the trilogy
"Can you tell me the way to Hamelin, sir?" prince Tor of Sombria is in search of his bride.
Again and again. He has to build on men; and every gnome
knows that men don't exist.
There are women, there are bad women and there is the grandmother of Evil.
There is no witch who does not know.
Thus men are getting further and further away from home.
But any ferryman can tell you when there is a forth, there is a back.
This part of the story is all about nothing too;
at most accidentally about everything.


And this book is just a strange as the blurb is.

Finished another book. This is not a ROOT and it is an ebook.



De laatste meisjes by Riley Sager

The Blurb:

Quincy, Sam, Lisa - the infamous group that no one wants to be part of. The sole survivors of three separate killing sprees, they are linked by their shared trauma. But when Lisa dies in mysterious circumstances and Sam shows up unannounced on her doorstep, Quincy must admit that she doesn't really know anything about the other Final Girls. Can she trust them? Or can there only ever be one? All Quincy knows is one thing: she is next.

My review;

Exciting book about the survivors of a mass murder. In three different cases, with a few years in between, group murders take place and from each murder one girl remains alive and manages to escape from the murderer. But then one of them dies. This causes great fear in the main character Quincy. She has lost her memory about the murder of her friends. Tence book and with an unexpected ending.

Now reading Mijn laatste leugen by Riley Sager



The Blurb:

Have you ever played two truths and a lie? It was Emma's first summer away from home. She made friends. She played games. And she learned how to lie. Then three of her new friends went into the woods and never returned. . . Now, years later, Emma has been asked to go back to the newly re-opened Camp Nightingale. She thinks she's laying old ghosts to rest but really she's returning to the scene of a crime.

>8 connie53: Just stopping by to congratulate you on surpassing your reading goals. What a prolific year of ROOTing! :-) Well done.

Thank you Connie for your very welcome visit to my thread! I hope you and Peet are keeping well and safe, and your lovely family too.

>59 Jackie_K: We are still doing fine. Everybody is still healthy, so that's a good thing. I hope they will up the measurements soon, because I think that is now very necessary.

>58 This-n-That: Thank you TnT.

Finished Mijn laatste leugen by Riley Sager,

My Review

This book is really well put together. The hints are there, but you will only find out afterwards. After 15 years, Emma returns to a summer camp as a painting teacher. As a 13 year old she has also been there as one of the girls who populated the camp. It soon went wrong that first time when the three girls with whom she shares a log cabin disappear without a trace. Emma finds it strange that she is asked again, because she was one of the suspects at the time, but after a while she lets herself be persuaded. This time she is housed in a log cabin with three girls, but she has to keep any eye on them. But then the incredible happens. The three girls disappear without a trace.

Starting to read in De boekhandel van Teheran by Marjan Kamali



The Blurb

Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri's neighborhood book and stationery shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store, overflowing with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and thick pads of soft writing paper.
When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry—she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.
A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square, but suddenly, violence erupts—a result of the coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she resigns herself to never seeing him again.
Until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did he leave? Where did he go? How was he able to forget her?

Bought one more book.



De zilverboom by Lucinda Riley

The blurb

Thirty years have passed since Greta left Marchmont Hall, a grand and beautiful house nestled in the hills of rural Monmouthshire. But when she returns to the Hall for Christmas, at the invitation of her old friend David Marchmont, she has no recollection of her past association with it - the result of a tragic accident that has blanked out more than two decades of her life. Then, during a walk through the wintry landscape, she stumbles across a grave in the woods, and the weathered inscription on the headstone tells her that a little boy is buried here ... The poignant discovery strikes a chord in Greta's mind and soon ignites a quest to rediscover her lost memories. With David's help, she begins to piece together the fragments of not only her own story, but that of her daughter, Cheska, who was the tragic victim of circumstances beyond her control. And, most definitely, not the angel she appeared to be.

Finished Voorgoed weg by Harrie Geelen ROOT # 56, BFB # 25,

My review

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It is an absurd book and I sometimes had a hard time understanding what was being said or what was happening. That took the reading pleasure out a bit. The group of people who, through some sort of transition, ended up in a world full of trolls, giants, fairies and a kind of humanoid, experience all kinds of adventures.

Now reading De zilverboom by Lucinda Riley See above.

Stats for 2020 up to October 31

TBR on 2020-11-01: 396 including 9 e-books = 387 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2020 so far: 122
Tree-books read in 2020: 76 including 56 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 46

Total tree-books into the house: 25
20 books bought
5 as presents

Hi Connie. Just breezing through. I'm glad everybody's doing well and I hope you continue to stay safe and sound.

Hi Karen, thanks for stopping by. We are doing okay. New measurements are effective as off 22.00 hours this evening. Library's are closing down as are museums, public swimming pools, Zoo's and attraction-parks and other public places that are creating traveling movements. We can only have 2 persons per day per time visiting. But we decided that for us not much is changing. We stayed home for most of the time. Only going out for groceries.
And I have my own library at home.

De zilverboom by Lucinda Riley is finished and gets

My Review:

When Greta appears has lost her memory after an accident and months in a coma, she has to make something of the rest of her life. Fortunately, she gets help from David (who of course she no longer recognizes.) She lived with this amnesia for 24 years, but during that time she got to know David and the rest of her family, such as Ava her granddaughter and Mary, the housekeeper. David, after years of inviting her, finally persuades her to join the family for Christmas in their rural home in Wales. On arrival she gets her first flash back of old memories.
Well written, but I think the women are all a bit weak and busy with themselves. Especially Cheska, Greta's daughter is a real b***h. I am a fan of David, but you can also exaggerate sacrificing your own life. He runs from one woman to another to save them from trouble.

Hi Connie! Just dropping in to wish you a nice weekend. I hope everyone's doing well in these trying times!

Hi Birgit, I hope the same for you. Things are going fine here. Just staying home and reading.

>67 connie53: I told a friend a few days ago Covid proved the need of a healthy TBR! Glad you are doing well and have plenty to read.

>71 clue: I try to keep that TBR nice and high!

Bought another one today



Hele verhalen voor een halve soldaat by Benny Lindelauf
Original Dutch. Title translation Whole stories for a half Soldier

The blurb

Six brothers are called up to serve in the army. On their way to the front, they must report to a border post. The brothers do not have suitable gifts or money to be able to cross the border. However, they know stories in abundance.
Stories about a haunted lake, about a puppeteer who will kill to get successful and about a young man who is so beautiful that the men from his village prefer to cut his head off out of pure jealousy. The brothers tell and tell as if their lives depend on it. And it is.

>61 connie53: I'll be interested in your thoughts about The Stationary Shop. The book keeps popping up in recommended reading lists but I am not sure if I'd like it.

>73 This-n-That: I'll be sure to let you know, TnT.

I finished Stad van tranen by Kate Mosse,

My review

Wonderful book by Kate Mosse. I can buy her books blind, because they always do what they promise. They take you to a period in history and you always learn something about that time and they also tell the story of a family and how they deal with that history. It usually turns out a lot worse than the one we live in now. War, famine, homicide, intrigue and power games. This is the story of Minou Joubert, who ends up in Amsterdam with her husband Piet after many wanderings from the South of France. They have to build a whole new life there and try to live with their losses.

Started another ROOT # 57

Safe Haven by Nicolas Sparks (It is called Safe Haven in the Dutch version too)



The blurb

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathetic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

And finished

My review:

Basically this is a great book with a well-entertaining story, but Kevin gave me a pointy head. While he's terribly drunk most of the time, thinks he's great, he's also a hell of a whine. He keeps repeating his fantasies around his wife, page after page. At one point I decided to skip those nagging parts

I finished De boekhandel van Teheran by Marjan Kamali and give this book

My Review:

Nice book that gives you a glimpse into the history and culture of Iran. It starts in 1953 when Roya and Bahman meet in an office supplies store. The owner is a friendly man who sees that there is an attraction between the two young people. He gives them some time together now and then, which is really not allowed in Iran and at that time. Every now and then he disappears into the storage room behind his shop and lets them get to know each other. But Bahman's mother has other plans for her son, and she manages to split the young lovers. Roya is inconsolable and her father sends her and her sister to America to study. There she meets a gentle man, Walter, whom she eventually marries and is happy with in a calm way. By chance meeting Roya finds out that Bahman has also moved to America and lives in a nursing home not far from her.
Nicely written, but it is not an exciting, fast book.

>76 connie53: Thanks for your thoughtful review of The Stationery Shop. My library has an ebook and audiobook copy. It might be a good historical fiction book to try when I am in the mood for something slower paced.

>77 This-n-That: That is certainly the case, TnT. It's a book to read while curled up by the fire.

Started another ROOT # 58



Dagen vol magie, nachten vol strijd by Clive Barker part 2 in the Abarat Series.

The blurb

Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the amazing world of the Abarat are getting more strange by the hour. Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, has sent his henchman to capture her. "Why?" she wonders. What would Carrion want with a girl from Minnesota? And why is Candy beginning to feel that the world of Abarat is familiar to her? Why can she speak words of magic she doesn't even remember learning? There is a mystery here. And Carrion, along with his fiendish grandmother, Mater Motley, suspects that whatever Candy is, she could spoil their plans to take control of the Abarat. Now Candy's companions must race against time to save her from the clutches of Carrion, and she must solve the mystery of her past before the forces of Night and Day clash and Absolute Midnight descends upon the islands. A final war is about to begin. And Candy is going to need to make some choices that will change her life forever ...

Hi Connie, I hope you're well! All good here, although in my local area there is some talk of increasing covid restrictions again, due to higher numbers of cases in local care homes. I feel OK about the restrictions; the only thing I'd be sad about is if we had to cancel an outing we've got booked in a couple of weeks for A's birthday. We can't have a party for her, so we wanted to do something special instead. But, we will make the best of whatever situation we're in.

>80 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie.

That's all we can do, make the best of a bad situation. I hope you can have a small celebration for A's birthday.

We are as good as can be expected. Peet still has his psychical difficulties and we visited a lot of doctors, but they can't find a thing wrong with his body. So we struggle along with his mental health. But with the corona measurements we are okay, we stay home and I read a lot and clean things like cupboards in the garage.

>81 connie53: Cleaning and organizing gives me the feel of a tiny bit of control :) I have a very small pantry in the kitchen, so in March I set up a larger one in the basement. I recently did an IKEA curbside pickup of some additional shelves, and now feel better from having room to keep the basement stock more organized.

>82 detailmuse: That's a very good feeling. And I find things I can throw away immediately.

I found several garden gloves. All left hand gloves. I've no idea where the right ones are. So in the garbage bin they went. I will ask Santa for new ones.

Hi Connie! Good luck with the cleaning out. Your garden gloves remind of the curious fact that on the sidebank of German autobahns you can see many abandoned (or lost?) shoes, always the right. Do people put one foot outside the car window and the slipstream tears off the shoe?

>84 MissWatson: I know. Strange things are happening.

I finished another book. BFB # 27

De mooiste tijd van ons leven by Claire Lombardo -

My review;

4 sisters in different stages of their lives are described in this book. It all starts with eldest daughter Wendy introducing a boy to the Sorenson family. This boy, Jonah, turns out to be the son of the second daughter, Violet. Jonah is 15, almost 16, and his existence has always been kept a secret by Violet and Wendy. The mutual relationships are under considerable pressure. Very well written, with a sense of humor.

Now reading a lot!

Tree-book

Dagen vol magie, nachten vol strijd by Clive Barker



The blurb;

Candy Quackenbush's adventures in the amazing world of the Abarat are getting more strange by the hour. Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight, has sent his henchman to capture her. "Why?" she wonders. What would Carrion want with a girl from Minnesota? And why is Candy beginning to feel that the world of Abarat is familiar to her? Why can she speak words of magic she doesn't even remember learning? There is a mystery here. And Carrion, along with his fiendish grandmother, Mater Motley, suspects that whatever Candy is, she could spoil their plans to take control of the Abarat. Now Candy's companions must race against time to save her from the clutches of Carrion, and she must solve the mystery of her past before the forces of Night and Day clash and Absolute Midnight descends upon the islands. A final war is about to begin. And Candy is going to need to make some choices that will change her life forever ...

And

Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles, ebook, BB by Jackie
Linesman by S.K. Dunstall, ebook
Dromendochter by Laini Taylor ebook

I pearl-ruled Het ijs by Anna Kavan. This book was just to weird for me.

Hi Connie!

>81 connie53: and >82 detailmuse: I took everything out of my pantry in March and only put back the things that were supposed to be there that we would use that weren’t expired. It’s still almost completely under control, which actually amazes me.

I’m sorry to hear about Peet’s continuing mental health difficulties.

Thanks Karen. Yes, it's going better with ups and downs. Some days are better than others.

>88 karenmarie:, We don't have that much on stock really. The shops are only 10 minutes away by bike so I get my daily exercise partially done. ;-)

Finished Dagen vol magie, Nachten vol strijd by Clive Barker. ROOT # 58, BFB # 28 -

My review.

At first it was hard for me to get into the story. It is written so strange and absurd at times, but gradually it got better and it started to fascinate me. I especially liked Malingo. Candy, of course, is the hero of the story and is likeable too, but Malingo is adorable. I don't think I'm going to read Book 3, because there is no translation of it and this is quite difficult to read in English, I think.

Now reading another book that has been on the shelves since before I joined LT 11 years ago



Draken van een gevallen zon by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

The Blurb

Forty years have passed since the devastating Chaos War, when the gods departed Krynn. Cruel and powerful dragons have seized control of Ansalon, dividing the continent among them and demanding tribute from the people they have enslaved. Heroes of the past have gone to their well-deserved rest. Now new heroes take their place to continue the battle against evil. Change -- for good or for ill -- comes to the world. A violent magical storm sweeps over Ansalon, bringing flood and fire, death and destruction. Out of the tumult rises a strange, mystic young woman. Her destiny is bound up with that of Krynn. For she alone knows the truth about the future, a future strangely and inextricably tied to the terrifying mystery in Krynn's past.

I'm just dropping by to say 'Hi Connie!'

Thanks, Nina. You're welcome!

Still reading >89 connie53:. It's a big one and I read several others too.

Finished Dromendochter by Laini Taylor

The book gets

My review

Nice story about an impossible love in a cruel world. Avika is a Seraph and Karou is a Chimaera. They meet when Karou does a job for Brimstone, the man who takes care of her. Avika cannot get the image of the beautiful Karou out of his mind, despite them having a terrible fight. Avika comes up with a plan to go to her world and find her again. But an incident from his past involving the girl who saved him on the battlefield continues to run through his mind. Madrigal then saved the mortally wounded Avika by giving him a tourniquet. Madrigal and Karou are both beautiful. When the truth comes to light and when hope for a common future is restored, Avika has to confess he did something very stupid. Fortunately, there is a part 2.

Hi Connie! It's been a while since I visited, so just dropping by to say hello!

>93 connie53: That one sounds interesting. I have some other books by her on my shelves which I really ought to get around to reading.

>95 humouress: It was, Nina. I liked her books Zonderling and Muze even better.

I finished another ROOT # 59, BFB # 28.

Draken van een gevallen zon by Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman

My review

Good story in the tradition of the old-fashioned fantasy. Knights, dragons, elves and Kenders (no idea what they are exactly.) Mina is a young woman who suddenly appears during an unprecedented global thunderstorm and she has the gift of drawing people in the name of the true God. But there is a dark side to this god. And then you have a number of young men, Silvan, Galder (a minotaur), Gerard and Tasslehoff (Tass) Burrfoot, who, in my opinion, will play a big part in the story, either on Mina's side or on the other side.
The story is still developing so I will continue in Part 2

Hi Connie and thanks for the encouragement! I just made my goal. I hope you've had a good year and enjoyed reading many good books. :)

>97 Merryann: You're welcome. And congrats! I had a great year reading, because that's all we can do.

I finished another ROOT # 60, Forumchallenge # 45



Het Huis met de Raven by Geoffrey Huntington

My review

Exciting story for the older youth. Dave appears to have a magical power and after the death of his adoptive father he ends up in the House with the Raven. He finds out that there are a lot of ghosts prowling through the house. Many of his deceased family members lived in this house and Dave hopes to find out who his parents were. Together with Cecile, the daughter of the house, he sets out to investigate and in the meantime has to battle the ghosts.

Hi Connie! Just cruising through. I hope you're doing well.

I'm doing fine, Karen. Just real slow living and reading a lot.

Currently reading two tree-books

Draken van een verloren ster by Tracy Hickman & Margaret Weis



The blurb

The War of Souls saga rages on in this sequel to the New York Times best-selling Dragons of a Fallen Sun. As the War of Souls continues, the shield over the elven kingdom of Silvanesti falls. Mina leads her forces triumphantly into that conquered nation, only to face danger from friends and foes alike. Meanwhile, Goldmoon follows the river of the dead, which threatens to engulf them all. "Dragons of a Lost Star" expands on the War of Souls saga and forms the point around which subsequent novels will revolve.

and

De Demonenkoningin by Geoffrey Huntington



The blurb

Devon March matches wits and wizardry against a five-hundred-year-old evil in Demon Witch , the spine-tingling sequel to Sorcerers of the Nightwing . Long before the days of Madman Jackson Muir, a witch named Isobel the Apostate waged war upon her fellow sorcerers, the noble order of the Nightwing. Burned at the stake for her crimes, Isobel vowed to return and conquer the world. Now that she is back, the only person who can prevent hell on earth is fourteen-year-old Devon March. In a battle that takes him from modern-day Ravenscliff to Tudor England and back, Devon must unleash the Nightwing power within himself and call upon friendships in the strangest places to stand against an evil that has waited five centuries for revenge. For at Ravenscliff, friends come in all shapes and sizes -- and enemies are everywhere.

and a ebook

Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles



The blurb

A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery...

>101 connie53: I hope you enjoy A Gentleman in Moscow, Connie! It was so different from anything else I've read this year, but I thought it was brilliant.

I hope all is well with you and your family. We are finally going to put our Christmas tree up today (if A ever tidies up her stuff from the living room floor!).

I'm really enjoying it, Jackie.

Hurrah for the Christmas tree!

Finished Draken van een verloren ster by Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -

My Review

Great second part, which doesn't feel like an intermediate part, as is often the case, but continues the story in an exciting way. With new characters that all have something attractive. So nothing as advantages.

Now reading part 3 Draken van een verdwenen maan



The flames of war devour Ansalon. The army of dead souls marches toward conquest, led by the mystical warrior Mina, who serves the powerful One God. A small band of heroes, driven to desperate measures, leads the fight against overwhelming odds. Two unlikely protagonists emerge. One is a dragon overlord who will not easily relinquish her rule. The other is an irrepressible kender who has been on a strange and remarkable journey that will end in startling and unforeseen fashion. The stirring climax of the War of Souls.

Wishing you a great holiday!

Hi Connie!


... and here's to a better 2021!

>104 connie53: Hmm - maybe I'll give that series a go. I've seen it in several libraries but never the first book in any of the sub-series.

ETA: I've just had a look at the series page and it's a bit confusing - there are so many books! Do you have a suggestion as to where to start?

Hi Connie, I hope you and your family are fine and can enjoy the holidays.

Merry Christmas, Connie. I hope you are able to spend time with some if not all your family. Stay safe.

>107 humouress: I started with Draken van een gevallen zon probably right in the middle of the Dragonlance series. But I could easily follow the story. Weis and Hickman started a world for game playing and that got a bit out of hand. This series is the only one I own.

Thanks for all the good wishes.

Just to say, I hope you and your family have a great Christmas - or one that is enjoyable as possible under these circumstances.
I'm not always a very sociable member of this group, so I appreciate your making the effort to visit my thread this year :)

Happy Christmas, Connie - I hope you and your family have a peaceful, safe and happy day.

Wishing you and yours the very best of the season.

Merry Christmas, Connie!

Thanks, RP.

Merry Christmas, Connie.

You really go all out, Robert. Nice! And thank you!

Merry Christmas from Minnesota, Connie. Thanks for being a cheerleader for my reading. Best wishes for 2021. Happy reading.

Connie, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday. Cheers for your New Year!

Happy happy holidays to you and yours. May 2021 be everything that 2020 wasn't. We all deserve a really great year.

>122 enemyanniemae: We really do, don't we?

Here are the grandkids under the Christmas tree. Marie was not amused she had to sit in a chair. She wanted to crawl away all the time.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and hoping 2021 is a better year. I hope you like A Gentleman in Moscow. That was one of those novels I thought I wouldn't like (based on the description) but it ended up surprising me.

>123 connie53: Marie definitely looks like she's bracing herself to run as soon as the opportunity presents itself :) They are all very cute!

>123 connie53: Oh, look how grown up Marie is now! What a lovely picture of all 3 of the girls!

>123 connie53: She can't walk yet. She 'walks' on her knees in a devilish speed.

Hi Connie!

Sweet photo of the grandkids!

>127 connie53: Oh that's cute! A used to shuffle along on her bottom, on a laminate floor she could go pretty fast! So she didn't start to walk for ages, as she was able to keep up with her walking friends (I gather that often children who crawl will start to walk when they realise they can't hold on to things and move at the same time, but she didn't crawl at all, just scooted about on her backside).

>129 Jackie_K: I know. Eveline did the same thing. She could easily reach things on top of the low table in the sitting-room. There was no need to walk at all until she was about 1,5 years old. Marie can walk around the table and in the toy kitchen, but when she needs to get somewhere she goes on her knees and gets there. Eveline had to buy a lot of new leggings and jeans for her. And she constantly has little abrasions on her knees.

Hi Connie! I hope you had a nice holiday :) A Gentleman in Moscow was on my list to get to this year, but I'm running out of time! Oh well, there's always next year.

Thanks, Natalie. It is nice story and a good read. I'm slowly advancing though, because I have some tree-books to finish for challenges for my RL book-club.

>130 connie53: My youngest used to 'swim' on our wooden floors rather than crawling and he'd go straight under our bed without noticing it was there. One day he sat up in the middle - but then (because the side panels hang lower than the mattress) he got stuck and couldn't work out how to get out. It was a bit amusing, since I knew he was quite safe ;0) It didn't stop him 'swimming' though.

>133 humouress: That's really funny! I had to laugh out loud.

>134 connie53: :0) I slid a rug under the bed and pulled him out on that eventually.

Hi Connie
Just keeping up with some threads during the holidays. Congratulations on what seems to be a great reading year!

It was a great reading year, Henrik. The best ever!

The stats

Stats for 2020: total

TBR on 2021-01-01: 406 including 25 ebooks = 381 tree-books
Total books/ebooks read in 2020 so far: 136 (een boek is bijna uit dus dan haal ik de 136 nog net)
Tree-books read in 2020: 87 including 63 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 49

Total tree-books into the house: 27 (all read but 2)
22 books bought
5 as presents

>138 connie53: You did great, Connie, reading more than bringing in!

De beste wensen voor 2021!

Dank je wel, Anita. Voor jou en Frank ook een goed en gezond 2021.

>138 connie53: Impressive statistics Connie. I like how you tried to read your new tree books. I have acquired a few but they tend to languish because I don't count them as roots.

A good year's reading, Connie. Here's to a happy and healthy 2021

>142 Robertgreaves: Thanks, Robert. I wish the same for you and yours!

Wow! Well done on your 136 books read in 2020! I think you've mastered the art of losing yourself in your books. Hope it's not long till you're in your happy place, out in the garden reading again :)

>144 floremolla: I hope so too, but today the garden looks wet and even a bit snowy. 2020 was with 136 books read my best year ever.