Connie is back, part 1

Hi 75ers. I've been away for a few years but suddenly Amber found my thread in the ROOT group and I started thinking I might become a member again in 2021

I've been home for 1,5 year now since my retirement in July of 2019. And since Covid started I've had not much to do.
I live in a small town in the Netherlands so my English is sometimes a bit off, but I try my best.

We are all still doing fine.

Here is a picture of the family, made a few years ago.



My family
Peter, Eveline, me, Cyrille, Jeroen and Rianne

And the granddaughters

Fiene is the oldest daughter of Eveline and Cyrille, She's now 4,5 year old and a little lady already.

This is granddaughter number 2, Lonne

She's the daughter of Jeroen and Rianne and almost 2,5 years old. She is a clever little girl and she can surprise me with her language skills

And granddaughter number 3

Marie, she 1,5 years old and a cheerful little girl, although she is not that little, She was almost 10 pounds and 55cm when she was born. So no little babylike baby. And she likes to eat, a lot.

This is where I will keep a list of the ROOTs I read in 2021.
My rules are simple: A book counts as a ROOT when it has been on my shelves for more than 6 months. And I will raise my goal from 42 to 50



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens -
03. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna -
04. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George -
05. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George -
06. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison -
07. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory -
08. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Ellory -
09. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini -
10. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini -
11. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell -
12. 1953 - Rik Launspach -
13. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald -
14. de eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna -

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.



001. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - book - BFB # 1 - ROOT # 1 -
002. Bloedrode maan - Geoffrey Huntington - ebook -
003. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - book - BFB # 2 - ROOT # 2 -
004. Graaf in Moskou - Amor Towles - ebook -
005. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 3 -
006. Het boek van vergeten woorden - Pip Williams - ebook -
007. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 3 - ROOT # 4 -
008. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 4 - ROOT # 5 -
009. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison - book - ROOT # 6 -
010. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 7 -
011. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 8 -
012. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 9 -
013. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 10 -
014. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell - book - ROOT # 11 -
015. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - book - BFB # 5 -
016. De vrouw en de weduwe - Christian White - ebook -
017. 1953 - Rik Launspach - book - ROOT # 12 -
018. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - book - ROOT # 13 - BFB # 6 -
019. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 14 - BFB # 7 -
020. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende - book -

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



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - 573 pages -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - 505 pages -
03. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - 587 pages -
04. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - 724 pages -
05. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - 574 pages -
06. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - 600 pages -
07. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - 512 pages -

This is where I will keep track of all my bought books in 2021 (excluding e-books)



01. Een dodelijke opleiding - Naomi Novik
02. De verloren legioenen - David Hair
03. Het keren van het tij - David Hair
04. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab
05. Een voor een - Ruth Ware gift from Peet
06. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett gift from Peet
07. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende
08. Klifi - Adriaan van Dis
09. Het geheime kistje van Elle - Aline van Wijnen

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

And for Book Bullets that hit me here.



01. Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles BB by Jackie_K that followed me from 2020
02. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue BB by Susanj67
03. De boekwinkel voor gebroken harten by Robert Hillman BB by John Simpson
04. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow BB by curioussquared
05. De jachtpartij by Lucy Foley BB by Nickelini
06. Moon of the crusted snow by Waubgeshig Rice BB by Nickelini
07. The other passenger by Louise Candlish BB by Susanj67
08. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia BB by curioussquared
09. De gastenlijst by Lucy Foley BB by QuestingA
10. The Crow Folk by Mark Stay BB by Jackie_K
11. The midnight library by Matt Haig BB by Persephoneslibrary
12. Schuldig in eigen ogen by Agatha Christie BB by Robertgreaves.
13. Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan BB by Nickelini

Cursief is read

Finished the first book for 2021.

Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - BOOK # 1 - BFB # 1 - ROOT # 1 -



My Review

Third part in the series of The War of the Souls, part of Dragonlance. Many characters, many nations, such as minotaurs, elves, gnomes and giants and of course the Kender, with Tasslehoff Burrfoot as the exceptional specimen. Although it was difficult to follow at times, I really enjoyed it. Lots of intrigue and battles. My favorite people were Gerard (human), Galdar (Minotaur) and Gilthas (elf).

And keep up with my friends here, Connie. Have a great 2021.

Wonderful to see you back Connie. Your granddaughters look lovely.

Thanks Paul! Amber visited my ROOT thread and then I started to think I could set up a thread here again. So here I am.

>12 PaulCranswick: Nice! Very good tips for this year!

Yay!! I am *so* glad you're here!

>14 connie53: It is funny because I mentioned only today on my thread today some of the people I miss in the group and you were specifically mentioned!

I saw the list, Paul. Sweet of you to miss me!

Time for 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: 135
Tree-books read in 2020: 86 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

Time to discuss books! Currently reading 3 books

2 e-books



A BookBullet by Jackie.

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...



Bloedrode maan by Geoffrey Huntington

The Blurb

The mystery of the Tower at Ravenscliff is at last revealed, in the long awaited continuation of The Ravenscliff Series. A returning threat roams the halls of Ravenscliff Manor, the mad sorceress Clarissa, but she is only one of many problems facing Devon March. His budding relationship with Cecily takes a hit when he discovers she might be his (gulp!) sister, while his pal Marcus is mysteriously linked with the savage, gorilla-like beast that turns up in Misery Point on nights of the full moon. The only way to solve these mysteries is to take another trip down the Staircase Into Time, with Devon emerging at the Ravenscliff of thirty years ago. A time when his guardian Amanda and the mysterious Rolfe are toddlers, and the Madman is very much alive.

1 tree-book and ROOT # 2, BFB # 2



Het boek der stormen by James Clemens

The Blurb

Five centuries after the destruction of the Mages of Alasea, a young girl, Elena, inherits the powers that the Mages had so carefully hidden from their terrible enemy. Elena bears the mark of the wit'ch upon her palm, a crimson stain that belies the wild power it may wield. Only a mistress of blood magick can stand against the Dark Lord - but Elena is not yet mistress of her magick. To discover the key to the Dark Lord's defeat, Elena must travel to A'loa Glen - a perilous journey, for if the Dark Lord finds her first, she will become his most fearsome weapon.

Welcome back, Connie! Your grandkids are beautiful!

Thanks, Jim. I'm happy to be back. Just finding my wat around here.

And thanks for the sweet comment about my granddaughters.

Glad to see you back here, Connie, happy reading in 2021!

Hi Anita, yes I saw Amber posting in the ROOTers and thought with me retired and at home most of the time I could give the 75-ers another go.

Enjoy your 2021 reading!

Thanks, Lori.

I want to share a picture with you all that made me smile .

Happy New Year, Connie! Your granddaughters look so sweet and Fiene is suddenly a big girl :-)

>27 DianaNL: Yes, I know. And she doesn't need (likes) much food either.

Finished book # 2 for 2021

Bloedrode maan by Geoffrey Huntington -

My Review

Third part in the RavensCliff series. Great reading for young teens who like a bit of excitement. But what a special ending. I expected a part four but there is none. And this part is from 2005, so if it is not here yet, I'm sure it will not come, ever. Of course, the writer may have wanted to suggest that it's a never ending story, but I thought it was very strange. It was a four star read but I deducted 1 star.

Hi Connie my dear, so nice to see you back here. I love the photos of your three Granddaughters, they are so cute. Our Granddaughter, Hannah will be ten at the end of February, i can't believe where the years have gone. She has me right where she wants me, lol.

Amy and Andy are expecting their first child at the end of April although Andy would like Amy to hang on until May the 4th as he is a big Star Wars fan. Amy is at the halfway mark but with the new lockdown Karen is feeling sad that she will not see her as often and will miss out on how she progressess but there is not much we can do about it.

We loved your Christmas card my dear and it is so nice to be able to visit your thread on a regular basis. Sending love and hugs to you and all the family from both of us dear friend.

>26 connie53: They are really lovely kids. Cute photo!

>30 johnsimpson: Hi John. I always see your Christmas card as a wake up call for the Christmas season. It's usually the first to arrive. Thank you for that. I can see why Karen is sad about missing out on such much of the pregnancy on Amy (and Andy) But as you say, there is not much you or anyone else can do.

>31 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I kind of love them too.

Happy new thread, Connie!

The weirdest thing: I read your post in the introductions. Followed the link to your thread. Noticed it pointed to librarything.nl
I read your thread, but I couldn't post an answer, I couldn't star it either.
I had to return to the general site, find your thread through the threadbook. Now I am reading it on librarything.com and now I can post on your thread and star it, so strange.

>33 EllaTim: Yes, I know, that happens to me al the time. I don't have a clue how to fix that.

But thanks for your perseverance. It brought you to my thread and you're more than welcome.

>33 EllaTim: >34 connie53: You must be logged in to be able to repy.
Go to librarything.nl or librarything.com and log in, click the cookbooks and you are in and able to reply.

I am always logged in on both .com and .nl, and a few others.

I'm fine now. But I keep your solution in mind, Anita.

One more tip: instead of linking {a href="https://www.librarything.nl/topic/328363"}my thread{/a} you can replace 'https://www.librarything.nl' by '..': {a href="../topic/328363"}my thread{/a}, which makes the link independent from the site/language used.

>35 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the explanation, Anita. Another mystery resolved. I thought both sites were just translations, never realised that you had to log in separately!

I'm very glad to see you here, Connie. Happy new thread and I wish you a wonderful weekend.

>39 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb.

Connie! How nice to see you back again! Your granddaughters are beautiful and I'm sure will give you a lot of joy through the years.

>41 RebaRelishesReading: I'm sure they will too, Reba.

It is good to be back and a bit overwhelming too. This group moves so fast I can hardly keep up and I don't follow all the threads, just looking for names that are familiar from before of from the ROOTers or BFB-ers. I'm glad you found me. Of to search for your thread.

Happy Sunday to all of you.

Today I did some grocery shopping in the early morning. All supermarkets have an hour or so for the elderly (and I am eligible) but I never used that before, but now it just happened and I really loved it. There were very little people, (Sunday 9.30) and it was so easy keeping distance.

And I defrosted the freezer. Which was very necessary so it took a while. Now every thing is clean and shining again. The remainder of the day is for book related things!

Yesterday we had a visit from Jeroen and Lonne. They did some groceries for us. He goes to a supermarket that is a bit far from our home and I could cycle there but he does their groceries anyway, so I send him a What's app with my things and he drops them off. But now he came in for coffee and Lonne came with him of course.

I did not do much household things. Just read some in Graaf in Moskou and Het boek der stormen

Happy New Thread, Connie! Welcome back! We have missed you. Hopefully, we will see more of you through 2021. Love the family photos. Have a safe & healthy one.

>45 msf59: Thanks Mark. Same for you and your family. Happy Bird watching!

Welcome home, Connie!

Thanks, Roni.

>44 connie53: One thing that I enjoyed about the first lockdown here was the rule that only the head of household could go shopping and I reconnected with an activity which had been done by Hani or Erni (our faithful maid and the world's greatest coffee maker!). That time (March to June 2020, Hani was in the UK and I really enjoyed buying for me, Belle and Erni). Now she is back and the restrictions are less strict so Hani is still taking care of everything.

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi Paul, always a good thing to have a great coffee maker in the house. I don't mind doing groceries shopping, but on a bike with only two cycle bags you can't buy much in one time. And if Jeroen asks me to send him a list he can buy for us I will say "yes, please and thank you".

It's Sunday morning and I'm looking at a snowy backyard. There was some snow yesterday evening, but now it's slowly melting away. It all looks wet and slushy somehow. No Christmas snow or something on a greeting card. I have really nothing to do but read today. So that's what I'm going to do.
I probably finish one book Het boek der stormen and maybe one more.

Hi Connie. Happy Sunday and happy reading to you. Our backyard looked nice yesterday afternoon, but all snow has melted already. No Christmas cards either, should have lasted a bit longer!

>50 connie53: I used to do my grandmother's shopping from my bicycle a lot. She really didn't eat a lot, and I could fit one of those big brown paper sacks in my basket. Most of her groceries fit in one sack. If she had more than that, I'd wait until mom or dad could take the car (until I got my driver's license at age 15).

Hi Connie. Hope that you are wrapped up warm and reading happily.

Goedendag, Connie! Hoe gaat et? Your grandschildren are adorable!
Ein Gentleman in Moskau has been on my wishlist since it publication but I just haven't had the time yet to get and read it... Prettig weekend!

>53 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, I was going to until I decided to open LT and saw your post. I will cuddle up and read this afternoon. The weather is reasonably good today, 5C. and dry with a little sun. I've been to the stores and did some washing.

> Hi Kathy! Thanks, nice to see some Dutch in your post. Fijn weekend, ook voor jou.

Here we have the first day with a curfew. People have to stay indoors from 21.00 to 04.30 hours (with exceptions for people who have crucial jobs or have to work in nightshifts and can't work at home) and we can just see one visitor a day. There was a lot to do about the curfew. Lots of debates in the government meeting. First the starting time was 20.30 and that was changed under pressure to 21.00. For Peet and I nothing much will change. We stay at home and don't go out in the evening.

Happy Saturday, Connie! Good luck with the curfew. Glad to hear it won't affect you much.

Thanks, Mark. Happy Weekend to you too.

56 Hi Connie! Nothing much changing here, except having to take care of doing all shopping before 9. I sometimes go to the supermarkt late because it's quieter. But I had to laugh about people trying to rent a dog to walk, or a delivery jacket. Anything to be able to still leave your home!

Prettig weekend gewenst!

I even heard of some guy buying a scooter with a delivery box on the back. But you never know what's true or fake these days.

Het zelfde voor jou. Fijne zondag!

I'm thinking of starting a jigsaw puzzle. I have one of Game of Thrones that has 3 layers and is al in beige and gray shades and some green, surrounded by a blackish sea.

I've made that once a few years ago in January 2015

>56 connie53: Frank has to work tonight, so he needs to take all the filled forms with him, as his work starts at 21:45. He is leaving early, as he might be checked on his way to work.

>61 connie53: I was also looking for jigsaw puzzles. I had one of 1000 pieces in storage, that I did over 15 years ago, and did it again between last Christmas and New Years Eve. Now I am looking for 500 pieces jigsaws. I don't want to occupy the dinner table for a long time.
Your Game of Thrones jigsaw looks very complicated, how long did it take to finish it?

Hi Connie my dear, hope all is well with you and the family and that you are having a good start to the weekend, sending love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

Wow, that’s a cool puzzle!

>63 johnsimpson: Thanks John, Everything is steady here. Not great because Peet is still depressed and nauseous. But we have to hang on.

>64 drneutron: It sure is, Jim. And it takes a lot longer to make, than a regular one.

We woke up in a white world. Snow! Not much and it's thawing now. I hope the grandkids are up and enjoying it. Marie has never seen snow before. So I would love to see her face.

Oh, wow, I love that puzzle! Very cool.

>61 connie53: I need to get this puzzle - that's amazing! 😍

Last night some hooligans destroyed MY shopping center. Not entirely, but they bashed in the big doors that close of the center for the night and smashed in windows of shops. The police came of course and ended it. They were similar attacks in other cities, like Amsterdam and The Hague. Really awful and I don't think I dare to go groceries shopping today. I hope my bookstore was save.

>68 connie53: So sorry it came so close to you, Connie. I hope you will be able to go there again soon.

>62 FAMeulstee: Did you miss my question up there?

>69 FAMeulstee: Yes, I apparently did! I think it took me three days or so. We only use one end of the dinner table for meals. So I could use the other end back then.
Now I can use the whole table because I use a small tabletop from a old sitting room table. I put that on the puzzle in progress when I'm on the laptop or for meals.

>68 connie53: I am so sorry to hear about the events! I hope there were no people injured. Why do people get so incredibly stupid for no reason?! I have never understood the concept of looting... Take care!!

Third night with unrest spreading through the Netherlands. It's unbelievable that people can do this. I think it has nothing to do with corona protesting. I think it has something to do with boredom and and a call on social media to provoke violence. For the most part they are young boys, ages 14 to 25, in black cloths with hoodies and masks. They are just there for the kick of it. And they communicate through darker kinds of social media. So many shops were looted and destroyed. There was a shop selling vitamins and supplements. Not something I think they want to have. They just threw everything on the streets and dismantled the whole shop.

There were several policemen injured and a disabled girl almost suffocated because the medics were hold back by the mob. Luckily they could save her.

And now in the early morning the people that live in those towns are cleaning everything with brooms.

I'm sorry to read about the unrest in the Netherlands. I must ask my friend Yvette how it is where she lives.

Hi Connie my dear, the unrest in The Netherlands is disgusting, no need at all for this, boredom or not and as for keeping paramedics away from anyone not least a Disabled Girl is quite shocking. I do hope that the police can find some of these undesirables and make them pay and i hope that the bookshop is OK.

Last night it was relatively quiet. Only in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Hilversum were minor riots that the police could handle quickly. There was one girl on a bus injured by bricks thrown at that bus. She had a head wound that got threated in hospital.
And there are all kinds of crowdfunding initiatives for shop owners that have damaged stores and goods. Groups of soccer hooligans have offered to secure hospitals (there were al least 2 hospitals attacked in the weekend). Who could have thought that from soccer hooligans. And people bring flowers and cake to the police and affected shop owners. So there is a kind of hope that good will beat evil.

>75 connie53: I find it shocking in particular that those people don't even respect hospitals and doctors anymore. Have you heard of the British Corona deniers who stormed hospitals as well to get patients out? Simply incredible. To me, those institutions have to be taboo.

It is lovely that the people seem to move together at your country - a small silver lining but still: a ray of hope.

>76 PersephonesLibrary: I completely agree with you, Käthe. That is intolerable.

The riots have ended, at least last evening there were almost non. It might have helped that judges sentenced some men by speed-law and they got no community service but jailtime. That may have scared a lot of the youngsters to stay clam and follow all the measurements.

Another sad thing happened in my family. Wednesday evening we had a phone call from the institute where Peets brother has lived for almost 3 years that he suddenly died. He suffocated when he choked on food and they could not reanimate him. We were shocked because he has just turned 67 years old. He has had some difficulty swallowing for a year or so. And he choked before but they were able to help him then. So we had a very strange and sad day and more to come I guess.

On the book thing

I finished Livaks waagstuk by Juliet E. McKenna and give the book

My review

Wonderfully uncomplicated fantasy. With battles, naval battles, magicians, elements magic and spells magic. And a group of heroes and a heroine, Livak. She is a gambler and also does not shy away from theft every now and then when she needs money. When she steals an inkwell from someone who tried to rape her years before, she's actually doing it more out of revenge. When the jar is sold somewhere in a back street, she is more or less reluctantly involved in a quest for certain magical objects. The kind of objects that give the owner very vivid dreams that he cannot forget and in which that object plays a role. If objects are exchanged with other owners who have the same experience, the dreams stop, when they have their own object back and the dreams start again.
A number of magicians believe these dreams can fill the gaps in historiography.
Livak joins this group to steal these items and then the adventures begin. People from another part of the world emerge who have different magical talents. And they have to fight those people in order to overcome. Very nice to read, perhaps also because of the light and humorous writing style. I enjoyed it very much.

Condolences for you and Peet, Connie, that's awful.

I am glad that everything looter-wise calmed down. But I am so sorry to hear about your loss. That is shocking news and I send a lot of strength and love to Peet and you.

>78 connie53: My condolences to you and Peet, Connie. And wishing you strength in the days ahead.

Thanks!

>78 connie53: What a shock that must have been. Condolences to you and your family, Connie.

So sorry for your loss. Also wishing for strength for you and Peet.

>78 connie53: I'm very sorry for your news Connie. So sudden and unexpected! Wishing you both strength, and my condolences.

Oh, I'm so sorry, Connie. I'll be keeping you and Peet in my thoughts.

So sorry for your loss Connie and Peet,thinking of you both at this sad time dear friend.

I'm very sorry to read about Peet's brother's unexpected death, Connie. My prayers go out to both of you and your families.

Thanks all,

My sincere condolences, Connie. It's always hard to lose a loved one, but this pandemic and all that it involves does not make it any easier.

I'm now reading two books.

An e-book Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams FF-Challenge # 6



The blurb

In 1901, the word 'Bondmaid' was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the 'Scriptorium', a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word 'bondmaid' flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It's a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it.

And Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George ROOT # 4 - BB # 3 - FF-Challenge # 7



The blurb

In this novel Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives. Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect, Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict, leads her to Nicholas' wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

Both books are also read for the 2021 challenge of my RL Bookclub
We have 21 categories and per category we have to read 10 books, max. 2 books per person per category.

The categories are

Big fat books
New to you authors
** Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams
Beautiful covers
Recommendations
Fairytales
Alphabet
** Bloedrode maan by Geoffrey Huntington
Numbers
Not occidental
Snake
Object with Awareness
Festive days
Name of a City
** Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles
Non-hetero love
** Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George
Holiday
Allitiration
FF on the cover
Highest rating on LT or GR
LOT (=ROOT)
** Draken van een verdwenen maan by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
** Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George
First name
** Livaks waagstuk by Juliet E. McKenna
Weather
** Het boek der stormen by James Clemens
Relay

Finished Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams this book gets

My review

Everyone I spoke to was so enthusiastic about this book and then it also became book of the month for my RL book club so I started reading it. In the beginning I was like, 'Where is this going?'. But as I progressed the book got hold of me. We follow Esme Norell from a little girl of about 5 to the end of the First World War. And her story is a special one. She grows up without a mother, but with a loving and patient father who takes her early on to his work for the Oxford English Dictionary (the first version) and teaches her to read through the leaflets of words assessed for suitability in the scriptorium for inclusion in the dictionary. The sheets also include sentences that clarify the way in which a word is used. Esme is given some tasks to do and so she grows up while the parts of the encyclopedia also grow slowly.

But Esme realizes that some words don't end up in the dictionary at all. And she keeps those rejected leaflets and sentences in a briefcase under the bed of Lizzie, the maid of Mr. Murray, the editor-in-chief whose garden contains the scriptorium. Over the years she collects more and more leaves and she also looks for words she does not know. She goes to the market with Lizzie and talks to the people who man the stalls. In this way she gets many words that are typical for the common people, especially for women.
Meanwhile, her personal life continues as well. She goes to boarding school, which is like hell. She gets a friend and loses him. Then slowly an idea arises to do something with all those words used mainly by women. Although she does not physically participate in the fight for women's rights, she does want to contribute in a peaceful way. When the First World War comes, her world is turned upside down.
Nicely written with a lot of attention to the words. And definitely recommended

Started another book on my kobo The once and future witches by Alix E. Harrow



The Blurb

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Stats for 2021: January

TBR on 2021-01-02: 418 including 38 e-books = 380 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 6
Tree-books read in 2021: 6 including 3 ROOTS
e-books read in 2020: 3

Total tree-books into the house: 2
2 books bought
0 as presents

>90 Trifolia: Thanks Monica.

We had a good ceremony on Wednesday for Peet's brother. Only the closest family attended in person, others could follow the cremation on their tv or computer. It was a good way to celebrate his live however difficult that has been. I think we are all at peace because we learned that he had colon cancer and the medics decided not to threat him for that because it would be long, hard and difficult. He has mental problems due to drinking and he would not understand what happened to him if they did. So he doesn't have to go through that now.

I love the covers of Het boek van vergeten woorden and The once and future witches - they look very tempting! Happy reading weekend, Connie!

>96 PersephonesLibrary: It's a cover you see a lot of these days, Käthe. And I love them too.

>95 connie53: Sounds like it was a good farewell to your brother in law, Connie.

>98 FAMeulstee: It was, Anita.

It sounds like you've found closure for your brother-in-law. I imagine knowing he was spared the worst of his cancer is comforting. Peace to you and your family.

>95 connie53: I am so sorry for overreading that, Connie! As sad and shocking as his death was, he is probably spared a lot of pain. How is Peet handling the situation? A calm Sunday to you and your family.

>95 connie53: I'm very sad for you all in your time of loss, Connie. In this plague year, it makes everything more complex to manage.

>95 connie53: Connie, I am so sorry for you and Peet in your loss. I think that it was a delicate mercy for the doctors to spare your BIL the agonies and probably the indignities of a difficult and possibly insurmountable treatment.

>100 RebaRelishesReading:, >101 PersephonesLibrary:,>102 richardderus:,>103 PaulCranswick:

Thank you all.

>101 PersephonesLibrary: Peet is okay. He understands that Jos was spared a much more painful time.

>91 connie53: - This book (Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams had already caught my attention but I had been wondering if it would not be too "dertien in een dozijn"? After reading your review, it's obvious this is not the case. So, added to mount TBR.

I hope you enjoy your Sunday.

>105 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica. I did enjoy my Sunday. There was lots of snow on Saturday and it's freezing cold outside and it will stay that way for a couple of days. So lots of staying inside reading and doing jigsaw's and a bit of household things.

I think you will love Het boek van vergeten woorden. It's almost impossible to not like it.

Snow in The Netherlands.

Lonne



Marie



Fiene and her friend.



They girls like it a lot. Just a pity that there in not much show in Maastricht.

>107 connie53: Adorable!!

Thanks, Darryl. Good to see you here. How are you?

>107 connie53: Completely sweet and adorable, Connie!

>107 connie53: Lovely pictures Connie. They must have had fun, they look like they are really enjoying it!

Thanks Richard and Ella. They really loved it. Marie was angry that she had to sit in the buggy and could not join the other girls on the sleigh. She is going to be a real daredevil when she grows up. climbing trees and being fearless.

Lovely pictures - the kids are adorable and it's great fun to see them play in the snow. You can see the rascal in Maries's eyes. :)

>109 connie53: I'm doing much better this week, Connie; thanks for asking! Unless something unexpected happens in the next couple of hours I'll be off from work all week, which will allow me to catch up on reading, cooking, chores — and rest! — before I return to hospital service on Monday. I and my partners have been treating numerous sick kids with multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood (MIS-C), a postviral condition that follows three to four weeks after the first symptoms of COVID-19, and after two weeks of very long and hectic workdays I am grateful to have a long stretch off.

I hope that you, your family, and especially Peet are doing well.

>107 connie53: Happy Wednesday, Connie! This girls are beautiful! They must bring plenty of happiness to you both.

Oh, such lovely photos, Connie! Thanks for sharing them!

>114 kidzdoc: I thought you were doing that, Darryl. Up to above your ears in kids and Covid! You sure deserve a week of recuperating! I hope you can do more than just sleep!

Love and hugs for you and yours!

>115 msf59:, >116 scaifea: Thank you Mark and Amber.

Marie was very cross she could not sit on the sleigh too. She had to stay in her buggy and you could she her think she was missing out on all the fun. I think she is going to be a girl that climbs trees and does all sorts of cool things.

Finished Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George

My review

What a wonderfully exciting book. There is really everything in it; family issues, homosexuality, transgender, jealousy, murder, multiple suspects, misunderstandings. I would say just read it yourself.
It's about the Fairclough family: father, mother, twin sisters and a drug-addicted brother who is back on track and has to prove himself. And a cousin they took into their family after his mother's death. They own and run a successful bathroom porcelain factory. Then Ian, the cousin, is found dead in the boathouse. He drowned when he got out of his boat on the dock of the boathouse. Lynley is asked to discreetly investigate whether anything else may have happened. And then a mind-boggling sequence of events unfolds

This book ended with a major cliffhanger and I MUST read the next instalment

Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George - BFB # 4 - ROOT # 5 - FF-challenge # 8



The blurb

When Hadiyyah Upman disappears from London in the company of her mother, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers is as devastated as the girl's father. They are her close friends as well as neighbours, but since the child is with her mother, nothing can be done. Five months later, Hadiyyah is kidnapped from an open air market in Lucca, Italy, and this triggers an investigation in the full glare of the media spotlight. Barbara's clever manipulation of the worst of London's tabloids forces New Scotland Yard to become involved. But rather than Barbara herself, her superior officer DI Thomas Lynley is assigned to handle a situation made delicate by racial issues, language difficulties, and the determination of an Italian magistrate to arrest and convict someone - anyone - for the crime.

Fijn weekend, Connie.

Thanks, Käthe! Same to you. Here it will be cold but sunny. Temps below zero during daytime and below -10C in the night.

>120 connie53: Sounds like the weather here in Austria - though the sun has momentarily disappeared. :) Just the right weather to read.

>117 connie53: Marie is the youngest? Wanting to do everything older girls can do?

Have a nice weekend Connie, it's so nice to have a couple of sunny days, hope you enjoy them too.

Happy weekend's reads, Connie...and if the next Lynley is your choice, it will be!

>122 EllaTim: Yes she is, Ella. Turned 1 year and 6 months last Thursday



Of course she wants to do everything her sister does.

>123 richardderus: Thanks Richard. It gets mixed reviews here on LT but I like it so far.

>124 connie53: What an absolute sweetheart. And her books! Woot!

>124 connie53: Is 1,5 years an official "celebration occasion"? (And considering the books in the picture I think everybody should have half-birthdays where only books are gifted!)

>126 PersephonesLibrary: Half-year book gifts do sound a splendid idea, Kathe!

>107 connie53: The kids all look so happy. It is ok for about 30 minutes and then is simply cold!

Love the photos of your-granddaughters (?) Connie. Adorable little girls.

>125 scaifea: For one reason (me perhaps? the genes perhaps?) Marie loves books. She is always 'reading' with or without Fiene.

>126 PersephonesLibrary: No it isn't. It's a kind of rage among young parents to use monthly cards when taking an photo of their child. You can buy a package and give that as a maternity visit gift or you can buy them yourself. You can also buy cards with "first steps" , "first walk" "first anything"


https://media.s-bol.com/JQwj6Vk8pJ7g/550x474.jpg

That would be a good idea, Paul and Käthe!

>127 PaulCranswick: Yes I know. The first time there was snow for Fiene was in spring of 2019 when I had my babysit day with Fiene. She was al happy to go out until she wanted to make a snowball and throw that at me. Cold!!!!! That was no fun at all. So it took us longer to get in and out of shoes and coats and hats than we spend outside.

>128 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba.

Time to show you all my bookshelves

first bedroom: All books read, thrillers and Novels
From left to right and top to bottom

Top part



Bottom part: All books read, thrillers and Novels



Second bedroom

Top part: Somebooks read, thrillers and Novels
From left to right and top to bottom. Read book to somewhere in the middle. Perhaps you can see the Zusak book De boekendief That's one of the last read ones



Bottom part: All unread



Third bookcase. That's were the read Fantasy starts with the big black book on the second shelve

Downstairs all Fanatsy. Read and unread

First bookcase Read



Second bookcase Read

left side



right side



Big bookcase in the sitting-area
Overview



Left top



Left bottom



Middle



Right



Dinning area overview



Left top



Left bottom



Middle top



Middle bottom



Right top



Right bottom including my reading chair on the right in green.



table with bookshelves



Small book case with cookbooks on top and kids books on the bottom

>130 connie53: >131 connie53: Wow, Connie, looks good!
Nice to see how you organise your books. Everyone has an own way to do that. In our library read and un-read books stand together.

I love to shuffle my books around. I had some spare space but since I don't bring books to second hand bookstores or thrift stores and I keep buying books my space is now limited.

>133 connie53: Space is always a problem, Connie. So I read a lot from the library.
We try to limit our book acquisitions, not always succesfully ;-)

Lovely bookcases/bookshelves Connie and they seem to be nicely organised. x

How neat and organised your bookcases are, Connie! Lovely. And I love the small reading table!
Space is always a problem of course. Have you ever been to bookshop Allerd de Lange in Amsterdam? They used to have sliding bookcases, shallow, you could slide one in front of the other. A small shop, but lots of books could fit in like that.

>131 connie53: WOW!! That is impressive and I love how neat and orderly everything is. Do you have them in alphabetical order?

Happy Sunday, Connie. Glad you located your copy of Paradise. Have you read Morrison before? If not, keep in mind, her narrative style can take some getting used to.

>136 EllaTim: We had some meet ups with my real live book-club in Amsterdam, Ella. And of course that includes visiting bookshops. But I don't know what they were called. So maybe I did and maybe I didn't.

>137 msf59: Hi Mark, yes they are in alphabetical order. Sometimes I have to smuggle a bit to fit books on a shelve but never to much.

I did not read any Morrison before. This book was once a tip for Oprah's bookclub and in those days I bought every book Oprah suggested as long as it was translated into Dutch.
Thanks for the warning but I think I'm used to lots of narrative styles by now.

Love your bookcases, especially the ones in the dining room. It reminds me some of my house where we have bookcases on about any wall that can hold one.

Hi Connie.
I have stumbled upon your threat and love the bookcase photos. After moving almost 4 years ago, we just recently took my books out of storage and put them on the office shelves.

>140 jayde1599: Hi Jess. Thank you for visiting my thread and the compliments! Glad to see you here.

Wonderful pictures of your shelves, Connie! And all so neat! I like it a lot. (One reason I miss living in a house is the space for more and more and more bookshelves.) And the Piglets!

I have bookshelf envy!

>142 PersephonesLibrary: Hi Käthe, the piglets, they are everywhere.

>143 thornton37814: Hi Lori.

Finished Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George

My review

Volume 18 in the series about Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers. The book seamlessly continues where Part 17 left off. You can split this book into 2 parts. The first part is about the kidnapping of Hadiyyah Upman. That is a very complicated story and also very exciting.
The second part is about the death of Angelina Upman and the many false tracks that have been set by people who are not so good in obeying the law.
I thought the first part was worth a 9,5 and the second a 7,5.
Because the story is partly set in Italy and a lot of Italian is used untranslated, you occasionally have to guess what is being said, sometimes you can guess that from the context, but not always. On the one hand I found that a challenge and my not too great knowledge of Italian has improved a bit, but on the other hand it was also disturbing because it just takes you out of the story.

Happy Wednesday, Connie. How is Paradise coming along? I know it is a challenging read but I am finding it quite rewarding. I have just a few pages left.

>146 msf59: I'm going to read that book now, Mark. I was a bit engrossed in >145 connie53:.

I'm glad that you're back and that I found your thread.

Hugs to Peet!

Your granddaughters are adorable. I love the idea of half birthday books!

Ive just started Paradise. I have a couple more to grind through that are due at the library in the next few days before I give it my full attention.

Hi Janet, good to see you here and I'm glad you found me.

Hugs are delivered!

Hi Connie, a bit dazzled by your gorgeous shelves so am too awestruck to say more than "yay" for the latest Havers-and-Lynley read.

>150 richardderus: Hi Richard! Ohh, I'm sorry I swept you of your feet or out of your chair with my shelves.

Hi all, Happy Friday for everyone.

Today I have not to many things planned. I did some leave sweeping in the garden and did some pruning. I had to stop because the container for leaves and branches was getting full and we need to leave some space for potato peelings and such.
So now I'm visiting threads and reading what everybody is up to.

The sun is shining and it will be about 12C with higher temps predicted for the weekend. So maybe I can sit in the garden reading on Sunday.

I will take a walk this afternoon when it's bit warmer.

>152 connie53: Sounds like a lovely spring weekend. Here, the sun is shining, too - and it's very warm. I don't think I can already sit outside - but definitely go for a nice walk. Have a lovely reading weekend, Connie!

Wishing you have a mild and wonderful weekend, Connie.

Hi Connie, your friday sounds good. The weekend even better. We have crocusses blooming, feels like spring. Have a nice weekend.

Finished Het Paradijs by Toni Morrison and this book gets

My Review

I'm not sure what to think of this book. It is certainly an intriguing book, but not easy to read. Toni Morrison begins and ends with the end of the story. In between, she describes the history of a small town / village in Minnesota. The town is populated exclusively by black families, 9 in total. With all the children and grandchildren, quite a group. A few kilometers outside the village is a building called the 'Monastery'. It used to be, but now it is inhabited by five women. Connie (Consolata), Mavis, Gigi (Grace), Seneca and Pallas. Connie lives there permanently, but the rest moves in, leaves, but always returns. The book describes the backgrounds of the five women and the reasons why they ended up in the Monastery.
In the village harmony reigns, but all that changes when the youngest generation is no longer satisfied with the situation and the older people blame the women from the Monastery. They decide to chase the women away, but that gets terribly out of hand.
Because you have to guess when which part of the described periods take place, it is quite difficult in the beginning to make a coherent story. Fortunately, that works in the end.

Happy Saturday, Connie. Good review of Paradise. I have not reviewed it yet. Being lazy, I guess. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

Reading another oldy.

Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory



The blurb

It should have all been so easy for Vincent Madigan. Take four hundred grand from the thieves who stole it in the first place and who could they turn to for help? Madigan is charming, resourceful, and knows how to look after himself. The only problem is that he's up to his neck in debt to Sandia - the drug king of East Harlem. This one heist will free Madigan from Sandia's control and give him the chance he needs to get his life back on track. But things go wrong when Madigan is forced to kill his co-conspirators and a child is shot in the crossfire. Now both Sandia and the collected might of the NYPD are hunting him down, and the one cop assigned to lead the case is the very last person he could have expected. Employing every deception and ruse he can think of, Madigan must stay one step ahead in a battle of wits that will test him to his limits. Can he evade justice for his crimes, or will his own conscience be his final undoing?

My new book came today, the third one bought this year



Het keren van het tij by David Hair

The blurb

The Guardians - ascendant magicians loyal to the Rondian throne - enter the battlefield to destroy the world and recreate it according to the wishes of Emperor Constant. But the Guardians are no longer the only ascendant magicians. Malevorn Andevarion's demonic Ablizian warriors also join the fight, their ambitions as great as Constant's dreams of eternal dominion. Among those fighting for survival are Ramon, Seth, and the Lost Legions. They have survived disasters, ambushes, and overwhelming odds, only to find their way home is blocked by their own people - and Seth's tyrannical father. In Javon, Cera, Elena and Kazim find themselves in a battle to the death with the Rondian invaders led by Elena's former lover and mentor Gurvon Gyle. No weapon is avoided, and any target is allowed. But Alaron and Ramita have the toughest task. With a small group of monks, they must prevent Constant and Malevorn from destroying half of the world, and rule forever the ruins that remain.

The touchstone is not working and this takes some explaining. In the English version of this series there are 4 books. In the Netherlands they have made them into 8 books so every English part is divided into 2 books.

Finished Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory and this book gets

My review

What an exciting, but also cruel book this is. It reads very quickly and completely took me away from the beginning. Vincent Madigan is a detective who has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble over his contact with the boss of a criminal gang, Sandía. He has had that contact for years and it generally worked both ways. But now he has built up a large debt with Sandía and has to come up with a plan to raise that money. The plan is well put together, only he robs the wrong gang and then he has to come up with a plan to get out of everything. And he continues to work his way into misery. Read with a lot of nail-biting. Highly recommended for someone who likes excitement and is not to squeamish.

I started another book by R.J. Ellory

Een mooie dag om te sterven ROOT # 8 - Forumchallenge # 11



The blurb

Twenty years ago, John Costello and his girlfriend, Nadia, became victims of the deranged "Hammer of God," a serial killer who went after young courting couples in an attempt to "save their souls." Nadia was killed by the first blow of the hammer. John survived but was physically and psychologically scarred to an extent that few people could comprehend. He withdrew from society and hid in his apartment and emerges now only to work as a crime researcher for a major newspaper.

>159 connie53: That looks promising!

In German they made 10 parts from the five "Game of Thrones" volumes. Mostly a question of money if you ask me. But on the other hand easier to handle.

>162 PersephonesLibrary:. Of course it's a question of money. Books are rather expensive here.
You pay a average of € 20,00 per book in the Netherlands. And of course it's rather expensive to translate a book for a small language like the Dutch language. So I do understand the prices they ask. And this is an excellent series in my eyes.

I finished Een mooie dag om te sterven by R.J. Ellory this morning and give it

My Review

Another exciting book from Ellory. That man can write. Ray Irving is a New York Police Department detective and he faces a series of murders of which no one can be charged. He comes into contact with John Costello. As a 16-year-old boy, John survived an assassination attempt in which his girlfriend was killed. Since then, John has been obsessed with facts and has developed all kinds of neuroses. He also has an incredibly good memory on all kinds of murder related issues. Now he works for a newspaper and has written a piece with Karen Langley, he as a researcher, Karen as a journalist. In that piece they make connections between the murders that Ray investigates and murders from the past. The police keeps the piece out of the papers and Ray, John and Karen become involved in a hunt for a Copy-Cat killer.

Now starting in Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini ROOT # 9, Forumchallenge # 12



The Blurb

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival. A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

Your grandchildren are soooo cute, Connie! And Marie looks so happy to be surrounded by books. It would be a good idea to turn every half birthday into a bookaversary :-)
I love the pictures of your library. It's so neat and organized. Love it!

>165 connie53: I read Traumsammler by Hosseini a few years ago and it was good. I think I will choose a Hosseini for my read-the-world challenge. I can't remember which one I already own - either A thousand splendid suns or The Kite runner.

And I have look up the series by David Hair. It looks like they have split the books in German as well - and the cover design is quite similar. :) I put them on my list. Thank you for the recommendation.

>166 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica. Marie really likes her books. And I love giving books to my girls. There is this great Children's book store in town and before Covid I took them there and let them choose some books. Marie was to little then (born in August 2019) And she has never been there. That will have to wait until things get back to normal.

>167 PersephonesLibrary: Hi Käthe, glad to be of service!

>165 connie53: Nice review Connie. I have read The Kite Runner but this seems interesting as well.

>168 connie53: Nice to have grandkids and enjoy books with them:-)

Have a nice weekend Connie!

>169 EllaTim: Thank you Ella, I hope the weekend will be sunny. Nothing planned yet, only cleaning the bathroom and the toilet downstairs. And for tomorrow some grocery shopping. Maybe I will start a jigsaw puzzle. I've bought a new one that is staring at me.

And that is not a review but the text on the back of the book.

Hi Connie, enjoy the weekend! Probably too cold to sit in the garden but a jigsaw puzzle sounds like a good alternative.

>171 Trifolia: Well Monica, the sun is shining again with a few fluffy clouds. So maybe in the sun with a sweater on it can be nice to read. When I'm in the house I always see something to do. In the garden I don't see that much. It's too early to prune so no distractions.

>168 connie53: When my grandchildren were little I used to take them to the bookstore sometimes and to the library other times. They started called the bookstore "the place where you get to keep the books". I wonder if they remember that...

>173 RebaRelishesReading: The only way to answer that is to ask, Reba. I think you can just ask them, they won't mind.

Finished Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini and this book gets

My Review

Great but haunting book about a period of war and coups d'état in Afghanistan. For the first 15 years of her life, Mariam lives with her mother in a small hut just outside a small village. Mariam is an illegitimate daughter and her father visits her weekly, but there is no room for Mariam in his house. Until at some point she goes to her father and has to sleep in front of his house fo this night because he and his three wives won't let her in. After the death of her mother, she is married off to the much older shoemaker Rasheed. Years later, Kabul is virtually destroyed by bombings and the approximately 13-year-old Laila is rescued from the ruins of her home by Rasheed. Laila was about to leave with her parents for Pakistan, to a relative safety. Laila's childhood sweetheart, Tariq has already left there with his parents and Laila hopes that she can find him again in Kabul. But on the day of their departure, this bombing takes place. Laila is nursed by Mariam and when Rasheed wants to marry Laila to make the situation in their house legitimate, Mariam becomes the second wife. Laila is soon pregnant and has a daughter. The relationship between Mariam and Laila, which started out rather rough, slowly turns into a friendship as they both have to fight against the violent Rasheed.
This book gives a beautiful but oppressive and cruel picture of the situation in Afghanistan under such a strict regime. Women have all lost their rights, they are no longer allowed to study, they are not allowed to work and not leave their home without a husband among other things like what to wear, not to smile or laugh outside of their homes

Now reading De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini ROOT # 10, Forumchallenge # 13



The Blurb from the book jacket

Taking us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the present, The Kite Runner is the unforgettable, beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan nonetheless grow up in different worlds; Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara, member of a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When the Soviets invade and Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him." "The Kite Runner is a novel about friendship, betrayal, and the price of loyalty. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons, and the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Written against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before. The Kite Runner describes the rich culture and beauty of a land in the process of being destroyed. But with the devastation, Khaled Hosseini also gives us hope: through the novel's faith in the power of reading and storytelling, and in the possibilities he shows for redemption.

Happy Sunday, Connie. Great review of The Kite Runner. I read this many years ago but also remember loving it.

Aren't Hosseini's books great?

>177 RebaRelishesReading: Yes, they are, Reba.

I finished De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini and give it

My Review

Another wonderful book by Khaled Hosseini. This is the story of Amir and Hassan who grow up together and are even suckled by the same nurse. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul and Hassan the son of his servant Ali. Both mothers died shortly after birth and the boys basically do everything together. Hassan does everything Amir asks and at one point that leads to a very painful and humiliating situation for Hassan. Amir does nothing to help his friend. This creates a separation between the boys and Ali and Hassan even decide to leave Kabul. Years later, Amir and his father fled to America from the Taliban who invaded Afghanistan. Amir loves America and finds a sweet woman whom he marries. Then he gets a call from his father's best friend with shocking news and Amir leaves for Afghanistan to search for Hassan's son.
A journey through the still troubled Pakistan and Afghanistan follows.

There are many similarities between this book and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". It's about friendship and loyalty, betrayal and deception. And I even have the impression that the same orphanage plays a role in it.

Now reading Het stille huis by Ruth Rendell, ROOT # 11



The Blurb from the back-cover

When Ismay thinks of that terrible day, and she often does, she remembers Heather coming down the stairs - her dress wet, her face as still and white as a porcelain mask. Sometimes the memories return in a dream: She and her mother are climbing the stairs, following her dripping-wet sister through the bedroom to a door. The door leads to the upstairs bathroom, but when Heather opens it they are standing in a marble chamber on the edge of a glassy lake. Ismay watches as a white thing floats toward them, its face submerged, and her mother calls, absurdly, "Don't look!" But of course she does. She looks into the water and sees her stepfather Guys face, his lifeless, frightened eyes, staring up at her." "Now, nine years after Guy was found dead in the bathtub, she and Heather still live in their childhood home, which has since been renovated into two flats, one upstairs for their mother and aunt, with Heather and Ismay downstairs. The police determined the cause of death was an accident, and to this day the two sisters never talk about what happened." "Although Ismay finds herself feeling intensely protective of her little sister and of the secret they share, their lives move placidly, even happily, forward. It seems as if the mysterious death of their stepfather is behind them. But when Headier becomes seriously involved with a man for the first time, Ismay's long-repressed memories can no longer be ignored. With painful inevitability, the surprising truth will emerge whether Ismay wants it to or not.

Stats for 2021: January and February

TBR on 2021-01-03: 422 including 46 e-books = 376 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 12
Tree-books read in 2021: 9
e-books read in 2021: 3

Total tree-books into the house: 3
3 books bought
0 as presents

>175 connie53: >178 connie53: Khaled Hosseini is on my list, Connie, I will put him nearer to the top after reading your reviews.

>181 FAMeulstee: That's a very good idea, Anita.

A new book entered the house



Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

The Blurb from the back-cover


A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Finished Het stille huis by Ruth Rendell and give it

My review

A bit of a strange and confusing book. I could not really follow it now and then, partly due to the layout of the book. It jumps from one subject to another without any blank lines. The story itself is also quite restless and I sometimes couldn't keep track of the characters. A very unexpected ending.

Now reading >183 connie53:

>182 connie53: What a wonderful cover (and the story sounds amazing)! Stop shooting BBs at me - I am not allowed to order new books until April!

>180 connie53: Quite a wonderful total, Connie, one to be treasured.

>184 PersephonesLibrary:. Hi Käthe, it is an amazing book. So I'm sorry for the BB but it's worth waiting for it.

>185 richardderus: Hi Richard, I will and I will keep trying to lower the total on the TBR pile.

I forgot to tell I made a jigsaw last weekend and posting some photo's here

So here they are

The beginning



Finished



1000 pieces, Puzzle by Aimee Steward.

And I read all my starred threads!

>187 connie53: That looks great, Connie.

>189 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. It took me an evening and the next morning.

>188 connie53: Looks like fun to make, Connie.
I just started my next puzzle, The Kiss by Klimt. Lots of similair color, so it will take a while.

Happy Saturday, Connie! Enjoy your weekend. Love the puzzle.

Excellent review of De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini. I did not like it as much as you did, but it may have been a case of the wrong book at the wrong time.

Wow, a 1000-piece puzzle in just an evening and a morning. That is quick!

>192 msf59: Thank you, Mark. I love to puzzle and I have lots of them. I think I start another one soon.

>193 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica. Maybe it's also a case of taste. I like this kind of books, among other genres.

Started another book on my Kobo for the challenge for my RL Book-club.
Read a book that was a recommendation by someone you know.

When we celebrate Sinterklaas on December 5 we do a kind of Santa-thing. It's a tradition to write poems for that day and I got a poem by one of the members with the recommended books

De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White



The Blurb from the back cover.

Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband's secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she's forced to confront the evidence of her husband's guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

>194 connie53:- Hm, that does seem intriguing to me. I already look forward to your review.
Do you have a KoboPlus-subscription, Connie?

No. I have a brother who can find lots of books for me. ;-)

>194 connie53: That is a great cover, Connie.

>183 connie53: That's a bit of a disappointment, I liked the blurb of the Ruth Rendell book, but when I read your review here, I think I'd have the same reaction as you.

>182 connie53: But this one sounds good!

I like those puzzles Connie. You and Anita are starting to infect me with the puzzle virus;-)

Hope you have a nice Sunday.

>198 EllaTim: Hi Ella. Yes the book in >182 connie53: is great. I feel a 9 or 10 coming up.

re; the puzzles. I have three favorite puzzle makers. Colin Thompson, Aimee Steward/t and Jan van Haasteren.

Have a very nice Sunday, Ella.

You have got me hooked too, Connie. I have started a jigsaw today but I don't have a good feeling about completing it quickly.

I have just finished Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - 574 pages - and give it



My Rewiew

What a great book this is. Adeline (Addie) LaRue was born in a small French country village in 1714. And when she is twenty-three and unmarried, it is seen as strange, so her parents decide to let her marry a widower with 3 small children. Addie doesn't feel like it at all. She never wants to marry anyone at all. When she manages to escape on her wedding day and has run deep into the forest, she is found there by a mysterious man who makes her a proposal. She wants to spend time and do things that she enjoys. In return, she will give him her soul when she is ready. But there is a downside to the deal. Nobody remembers her. Not her parents, not her friend in the village. And then a story begins that takes Addie to many places and times. Until she meets a man in 2014 who remembers her from the day before when she was also in his bookshop. Addie is over the moon and can bask in the fact that someone doesn't forget her as soon as a door closes between them.

>200 PaulCranswick:. Good for you, Paul. Don't give up. I'm sure you can do it.

>199 connie53: Those Jan van Haasteren puzzels are a real challenge! They used to have them in the hospital hall. I counter myself lucky if I could find a couple of pieces.

>203 EllaTim: And I really love them. My kids do too. It takes a bit to get used to to make them.

Finished De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White

My Review

In the beginning, this was a reasonable and average book to read. A snack, but somewhere past the halfway point I thought I knew how it could work. And that was a great eye-opener. I still didn't know for sure, but I did know which trick was used. And then you can read a book with different eyes and with interest. I will definitely follow this writer.

Starting in ROOT # 12 for the year

This happened in real life a month before I was born. So it's special to read this now.



1953 by Rik Launspach

The blurb

In a dark night, in a province forsaken by God, during the biggest disaster that hit the Netherlands after the war, two searching souls are linked by fate. She lost the child she gave birth a month earlier, he lost the child within himself. Together they undertake a seemingly hopeless journey through the salty mud of devastated Zeeland.

Set against the backdrop of the 1953 Flood, Rik Launspach tells a poignant story about the destructive power of water and the driving force of love.

>205 connie53: - You made me curious enough to put this one on my snack-list.

>206 connie53: - Such a tragedy. I've seen documentaries of the flood in black and white but last year I saw testimonials of people who had survived and had witnessed the horror of neighbours, friends, relatives drowning right before their eyes and that made it very real to me. It was heartbreaking, even after all this time.

>206 connie53: I haven't heard about this particular flood. I will wait what you think about the book. And if you like it, I'll put it on my list.

The puzzle looks awesome!

Some information about the Flood

The Rijkswaterstaat had warned about the risk of a flood. At the time of the flood, none of the local radio stations broadcast at night, and many of the smaller weather stations operated only during the day. As a result, the warnings of the KNMI (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) did not penetrate the flood-threatened area in time. People were unable to prepare for the impending flood. The disaster struck on a Saturday night, and hence many government and emergency offices in the affected area were not staffed.

As telephone and telegraph networks were disrupted by flood damage, amateur radio operators went into the affected areas with their equipment to form a voluntary emergency radio network. These radio amateurs provided radio communications for 10 days and nights, and were the only people able to maintain contact from affected areas with the outside world

Resulting damage

Extent of flooding in the Netherlands
The Zeeland dykes were breached in 67 locations. Large parts of South Holland, Zeeland and North Brabant were inundated. In North Holland only one polder was flooded.

The highest death tolls were recorded on the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Goeree-Overflakkee.

Afterward, the government formed the Delta Commission to study the causes and effects of the floods. They estimated that flooding killed 1,835 people and forced the emergency evacuation of 70,000 more. Floods covered 9% of Dutch farmland, and sea water flooded 1,365 km2 (527 square miles) of land. An estimated 30,000 animals drowned, and 47,300 buildings were damaged, of which 10,000 had to be taken down (or were swept away).

And finished and WOW what a book! It gets

My Review, translated by google

This book has been on my shelves for years and now I don't understand why I didn't read it sooner. I am really impressed. The center of the book is the flood disaster in 1953 Zeeland, but also in Zuid-Holland and Brabant. And not only there but also parts of Belgium and England.

And it is the story of Julia, an 18-year-old farmer's daughter who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and that is quite a thing in 1952. The father Diewer sets off to sea to earn money to build a life with Julia and his unborn baby.
And it is the story of Rutus, a young technical engineer, who was stationed at Gilze-Rijen air base during his national service. Julia has her baby seven weeks to early on January 1, 1953. She is in hospital with her son, Ernst, for a number of weeks and is released just before the flood disaster and goes home where she is not warmly received. Her father no longer talks to her at all and her mother is not allowed to talk to her. The only one from whom she gets a little support is her sister Becca. Then disaster strikes and Julia is separated from her baby. She has put it in a trunk and wrapped it nicely in the blue and white checkered blanket. And when the whole house collapses around them, the trunk is gone.
Julia tries to find the trunk and jumps into the water. Rutus is on an exploration trip above Zeeland and takes pictures of the flood from a helicopter. Then he sees Julia swimming and tries to save her. That does not go without a struggle and eventually Julia ends up unconscious in the helicopter. Rutus and Julia form an unlikely duo on the quest that then follows. The search for Ernst.

The book also describes the ignorance of the various authorities, such as Water Management and mayors. Everyone does their own thing and the people who warn for the disaster remain unheard and unseen. A very interesting book with truth-based details. I am very impressed!

And starting ROOT # 13



De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna

The blurb

Ryshad had no choice but to kill his long-time friend and ally Aiten. Aiten's mind had been corrupted by the mysterious Elietimm and he was a danger to himself and a deadly threat to others. But that is no consolation to the grieving Ryshad and certainly will be of no help when he tries to explain it to Aiten's family. To distract him from his troubles and from the strange dreams he has been having, Ryshad's patron, Messire D'Olbriot, sends him to Caladhria to assist the wizard Shiv, who is working for the Archmage himself. The wizards are trying to find a way to combat the strange aetheric magic of the Elietimm, which threatens to destroy the land. But Ryshad's desire to help goes far beyond the patriotic - he seeks revenge for the death of Aiten. What he doesn't know yet is that he will have to work with Livak, with whom he had a brief love affair, and that the strange dreams he has been having may hold the key to the mysterious Elietimm ...

>210 connie53: It was an epic disaster, and an early superstorm that might very well have been a warning of global climate change that simply went unheeded.

A very interesting read indeed.

>212 richardderus: I think you are right to think so, Richard.

>210 connie53: 1953 sounds amazing. I remember having seen photos somewhere of Kon. Juliana helping get her car unstuck when she went to visit Zeeland after that flood. I didn't realize it had affected areas outside of Zeeland though. Such a tragedy!

>210 connie53: Sounds good, Connie, I will look for 1953.
In my younger days I liked Oosterschelde : windkracht 10 by Jan Terlouw. The first half of the book is about the flood. The second half about keeping the Oosterschelde open.

>210 connie53: Sounds like an impressive story. Knowing it really happened makes a difference, doesn't it?

>205 connie53: This was intriguing.

>216 EllaTim: You right on both points, Ella.

>206 connie53: That looks interesting Connie. I will go and see whether it is tranlated.

There is a film made of the book, Paul, called 'De storm'. Perhaps watch it with English undertitles?

And don't think the book is translated. At least I can't find it.

>211 connie53: The book named in this post is not doing it for me right now. So I took another book from the shelves. A very old ROOT and one that was recommended by Oprah



Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald ROOT # 14, BFB # 7

The Blurb

Following the curves of history in the first half of the twentieth century, Fall on Your Knees takes us from haunted Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, through the battlefields of World War I, to the emerging jazz scene in New York City, and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters. The mythically charged family - James, a father of intelligence and immense ambition; Materia, his Lebanese child-bride; and their daughters: Kathleen, the eldest, a beautiful talent preparing for a career as an opera diva; Frances, incorrigible liar and hell-bent bad girl; Mercedes, obsessive Catholic and protector of the flock; and Lily, the adored invalid who takes us on a quest for truth and redemption - is supported by a richly textured cast of characters. Fall on Your Knees is a story of inescapable family bonds, of terrible secrets, of miracles, racial strife, attempted murder, birth and death, and forbidden love.

Dear Connie, I have just wanted to stop by and wish a lovely Sunday to you! I hope you and Peet are well and a little bit back to normal after the harsh times.

Happy Sunday, Connie. I hope you are having a good weekend. It looks like you have been enjoying the books.

>221 PersephonesLibrary:, and >222 msf59: Thanks Käthe and Mark. We had a lovely weekend due to a visit from our son Jeroen and Lonne. She can make us smile and it's always nice to see Jeroen. They live nearby and come around regularly. Jeroen brings me groceries from a shop that is to far away for me.
Yesterday it was still very stormy here with lots of rain. Our garden is filled with branches of the trees. When the weather is turning to dry and not so cold I have to do some damage-control there.
Today was a nice quiet Sunday, with reading and cooking.
We had baked potato slices with herbs and chicory wrapped in ham and cheese.

>223 connie53: Ah..witlof! I have never eaten that outside of NL but always enjoyed it there. Never had it with potatoes included though. That sounds like a great idea. Happy Sunday Connie!

>223 connie53: Oooh, that looks wonderful!

Happy Sunday!

Peet and I eat it often. Cooked with peanut butter on top. That will melt and is lovely with the chicory combined. We love it like that, but I wanted to try another recipe.

>223 connie53: - Ooh, we consider this as an authentic Belgian recipe, the witloof being an invention from Brussels :-)
https://15gram.be/recepten/witloofrolletjes-met-ham-en-kaas

Your Dutch version looks delicious though! Peanutbutter is something we rarely use here but I know it's widespread in the Netherlands (figure of speech of course). I really should try it once.

>227 Trifolia: That recipe looks even more delicious. Lots of butter. I might try that sometime soon! Thanks for the link.

Happy Friday, Connie. I hope you had a good week and have a nice weekend planned. We are beginning to warm up here, so I am looking forward to that.

>223 connie53: Ooh, that looks great!

>229 msf59:, Thanks, Mark. I had a nice week and probably a very quiet weekend. No sign of any heating up here. We still have mild frosty nights, with wet days. Next week promises to be better.

Forgot to post my last puzzle made last weekend

1000 pieces by Colin Thompson

>232 connie53:, Love the puzzle Connie my dear.

>232 connie53: That's a fun one, Connie! Hope you have a nice Sunday.

Hi, Connie!

I love the latest puzzle - so many interesting details!

It's a bit like the arch of Noah.

And finished Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald it gets

My Review

How can you best describe this book. It is a family history that stretches from about 1900 to about 1955 and begins simply when James (18) falls head over heels in love with Materia, a 13-year-old girl from a Lebanese family. He elopes with her and they eventually have four daughters, Kathleen, Mercedes, Frances and Lily. This book tells their story and that is a boisterous, special and wonderful story with different ingredients such as incest, being transgender, lesbian love and losing innocence, trust and loyalty to each other, but also hate, racism, deception and abuse, prostitution. and dead babies. Beautifully written and beautifully told. I cannot and do not want to tell much about the story. You have to read it yourself to find out what's going on with the four sisters.

>232 connie53: - I love the puzzle too, Connie. I finally succombed to the puzzle-frenzy on LT and bought World's Smallest puzzle (Strasbourg) of 1000 pieces but only 42 x 29 cm. The pieces are really cute. Now I need to find the time to start.

>237 connie53: - Your review makes me wqnt to read this one, although maybe a bit much?? :-)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

>238 Trifolia: Yes, Monica, it's sometimes complicated but there is also lots of humor in the writing style. So it's not a real dark book.

>239 connie53: - Ah, humour can make all the difference. I think I'd like this one.

Two more books to add. Peet gave them to me for my upcoming birthday.

Een voor een by Ruth Ware
De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett

>237 connie53: That one sounds very good, Connie - I'm adding it to my list. Thanks for the great review!

>242 scaifea: You're welcome, Amber!

>241 connie53: - Your husband has excellent taste :-)

>244 Trifolia: Pssst, I choose them, he paid for them

>245 connie53: LOL That’s the way to do it :-)

Happy upcoming birthday, btw!

>245 connie53: The proper order of battle for marital gift-giving, if you ask me!

Happy Birthday, Connie!

Many, many happy returns of the day, Connie!

Thanks Darryl and Richard!

^Sorry, I missed your birthday yesterday, Connie. I was planning on dropping over and never got back online. I hope you had a good day and have a lovely weekend.

hi Mark. My birthday is an ongoing thing. Yesterday I had no visitors except my sister Ineke, who came by with a houseplant but did not want to come in. So we had a little chat in the garden. The kids will spread their visits over the weekend. So that will be nice.

Happy birthday weekend, Connie! I hope you have a wonderful time with your family.

Bought 3 books today. Totally by coincidence. Here's the story.



The blurb

In this classic fantasy novel from author Michael Ende, small and insignificant Bastian Balthazar Bux is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own. Then, through the pages of an ancient, mysterious book, he discovers the enchanted world of Fantastica, and only Bastian himself can save the fairy people who live there. Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill.

I started reading Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende on my Kobo but I heard that the book had differently colored sentences for the part in the real world where Bastian is living and for the part about the book in the book. So I decided to phone a children's bookstore to ask if they had the right two-colored version available. They didn't, but they could order it for me and I could pick it up at the store when it had arrived. So today I got a call back that it was the right version and I took my bike to pick it up.
The stores have a click-and-collect policy and they can have 2 customers in the shop when you reserve a time slot for 10 or 20 minutes in advance. I asked if I could come in for 5 minutes to have a look around. It's a bookstore! So I had to ask! And yes I could. So I had a good time browsing and took two additional books home

Klifi by Adriaan van Dis
Original Dutch. Klifi stand for KLImaat FIction



The Blurb

In Adriaan van Dis's "KliFi", The Oranjes (The king and his family) are chased away, the republic of the Netherlands licks its wounds after a hurricane and the people accept a president who has elevated denial to an art. Jákob Hemmelbahn, son of Hungarian refugees, is amazed at the resignation of his fellow citizens. He completely resists his nature and gives a voice to the victims of a local flood. "KliFi" is a bitterly cheerful tale of getting out of step, our tendency to adapt and feign, and difficult friendships.

And



Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen
Original Dutch.

The Blurb

A gripping family story in which a young woman discovers who her grandmother really was, which also helps her to get to know herself better

Belarus, 1941. During a raid in her native village, the Jewish Ella witnesses her entire family being murdered in front of her. She manages to escape herself and flees into the forest, where she is taken in by a group of resistance fighters who are hiding there. She finds love there, but loses it again. After the liberation, Ella, who has nothing left to lose, receives false papers named Elle and travels to Paris to pass on information about fugitive Nazis. When she meets a Dutch person who falls in love with her, she agrees to marry him and go to the Netherlands. She is completely silent about her origins and her past.

Netherlands, 2013. Janna is going through a difficult time after her husband has left her. When her grandmother Elle dies during the same period, Janna helps her mother clear out grandma's house. She finds a worn-out box in the attic containing things she cannot place: a Star of David, an old ID in illegible language, and a smooth metal ring. Was her quiet, closed grandmother very different from what she has always thought?

And then I went to the counter to pay. I looked into my shopping bag and noticed I had packed my red Kobo reader instead of my red wallet! It must be the previous 68 years kicking in. They were very nice about it, gave me an invoice and I could pay when I was at home. Of course I did that immediately. But I felt really stupid!

Oh, I really liked The Neverending Story when I read it a few years ago, but I didn't have a multi-colored version! Dang.

Belated happy birthday, Connie!

>254 connie53: That is great, visiting a bookstore! I haven't dared yet.
My copy of Het oneindige verhaal is a bit older, and has also the two colored print.

>232 connie53: Cool puzzle! That was fun to make for sure! Currently, I am a little bit on a puzzle break. But when the weather turns cold again, a special Shakespeare puzzle will be attempted.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday - sorry the wishes come to late but:


Oh, I enjoyed The Neverending Story a lot. I was surprised that there is sooo much more in it - because I had only known the movie before. It's a book I could dive into!

The other two books you have read sound intriguing, too. But I am currently not in the mood for that kind of literature.

>255 scaifea:, >256 FAMeulstee:, >257 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you ladies.

>257 PersephonesLibrary: These are the books I've bought not read yet!

Yesterday Jeroen, Rianne and Lonne visited me and I got a puzzle and finished it this afternoon



Finished:



Today Eveline, Cyrille, Fiene and Marie visited. Marie was a bit shy. From 'oma' on the mobile phone i turned out to be a old lady with legs. But she gave me a little hug when they left, so I think she got used to me in those few hours.
Fiene was over the moon. She visited all her favorite spots in the house, like the room where the barbies are and where she knows is a little pink wheelbarrow (for Marie to play with) And she wants to come and stay for a week when covid is gone or when Peet and I are vaccinated.

I got a nice photo of all the girls



Fiene fooled me with her hair



I really thought it had grown so long!!

But she found a wig from her mother (for Carnival reason) And I fell for it!

Finished De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna -

My review

It had been a while since I had read part 1, so I had to get into the second part of the series, but after a while it really got to me. Of course Livak also plays a role, but the main role is for Ryshad. He is a swordsman for one of the Houses of Einarinn and is assigned to assist the mage Shivvalan on an unspecified assignment. So Ryshad sets off and ends up in a strange adventure. I will not tell you more because that gives away too much about the story and that is not the intention. but the story is special and many of the riddles from Part 1 are explained. A rough start but an exciting ending.

Now starting in part 3



Livaks fortuin by Juliet E. Mckenna

THE BLURB!!!!

Livak has decided it's time she turned her new-found connections with powerful mages and mighty princes into solid advantage for herself. If she is to have any sort of future with the swordsman Ryshad, they need the means to live independently of her gambling and travel and the ties of his oath. Livak discovers that knowledge of the ancient aetheric magic - Artifice as the Tormalin call it - is being sought by both Messire D'Olbriot and Planir the Archmage. By locating those who hold the secrets of Artifice first, Livak will hold the key to untold riches ... THE GAMBLER'S FORTUNE is a wonderful new fantasy adventure in the Einarinn series, with magical storytelling, powerful characters and a richly detailed world.

Love the puzzle and love that you got to see your granddaughters. I think I would have been fooled by that wig too.

I'm glad you were able to more or less celebrate your birthday with part of your family. Your grandchildren are sooo cute. And Fiene fooled me too with her hair.
Since last weekend, we're under a stricter lockdown again (althought not as strict as the Netherlands, I think). We have to make appointments to visit non-essential shops, but bookshops are considered to be essential, so we can go whenever we want. Something to be grateful for, I guess. So cool of the shopkeeper to give you an invoice, but she probably recognizes you as a regular customer :-)

>261 Trifolia:. Hi Monica. I was very glad too see the kids and the grandkids.

I don't think the shopkeepers know me that well. I visited there before but not that often. We had a nice and cheerful conversation on the phone when I made my order and I had to specify that I wanted to buy the two-colored version. They were so glad that there were customers in the store. There were two ladies who worked there and one other customer and we chatted about books and being able to browse and smell books again. So now I'm hoping to go back soon and perhaps take Lonne, who lives near that store.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Finished Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende and give it

My Review:

Nice story about a world, Fantásia, that threatens to disappear if there is not someone who will search for a solution. Atréjoe is the chosen one and he has to go on a quest to find that solution. His journey takes him to oracles, secret gates and weirdos who keep sending him to the next challenge until he knows that someone must come from another world.
Bastiaan is a boy who is not very popular and often a victim of bullying in school. When he 'steals' a book from a mysterious bookstore, he hides in the attic of the school to read the book there. And he reads the story of Atréjoe and starts to feel more and more that he must be the someone who must save the land of Fantásia. Nicely written and certainly catchy for older children. It's about trust and loyalty, believe in yourself, courage and love yourself.

Stats for 2021 up to March

TBR on April 1 2021: 432 including 57 e-books = 375 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 18
Tree-books read in 2021:
e-books read in 2020: 4

Total tree-books into the house: 9
7 books bought
2 as presents

Happy April, Connie! Happy Saturday! Enjoy your weekend. We have a nice warm-up coming. Yah!

>264 msf59: Thanks Mark, you and your family too and Happy Easter.

Here we are up for snow, thunderstorms and lots of rain on Easter Monday. That does not look good. But there are always books!!!

>265 connie53: Happy Easter, Connie!

The next days will be good to curl up on the couch with books. It has been long time since we had this kind of weather in April.

>266 FAMeulstee: I know. And I have my books ready for some good reading.