Anita (FAMeulstee) still goes where the books take her in 2022 (1)

Welcome to my first thread in 2022!

I am Anita Meulstee (58), married with Frank (60) since 1984. We live in Lelystad, the Netherlands. We both love modern art, books and walking.

 

I have been hanging around in this group a few months after finding LibraryThing in March 2008. I skipped one year (2013), when my reading dropped to almost nothing. This was a side effect of taking Paxil. In 2015 I was able to wean off Paxil, and a year later my reading skyrocketed. The last two years it is slowing down, my initial "reading hunger" has waned a bit.

I read (almost) everything, from childrens and YA books to more serious literature, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy and I try not to forget to throw some non-fiction into the mix.

total books read in 2022: 32
6 own / 26 library

total pages read in 2022: 9.145

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currently reading:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen

e-book: De rode prins (The Red Prince) by Timothy Snyder, 376 pages
De Sparsholt-affaire (The Sparsholt Affair) by Alan Hollinghurst, 463 pages
De oudste zoon (The Eldest Son; Mantlemass 4) by Barbara Willard, 221 pages, TIOLI #11

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books read in January 2022 (32 books, 9.145 pages, 6 own / 26 library)
book 1: Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord (Pippi Goes on Board) by Astrid Lindgren, 102 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 108)
book 2: De onderstroom (The Offing) by Benjamin Myers, 255 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 109)
book 3: Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland (Pippi in the South Seas) by Astrid Lindgren, 98 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 110)
book 4: Het vierde offer (Borkmann's Point; Van Veeteren 2) by Håkan Nesser, 315 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 111)
book 5: De terugkeer (The Return; Van Veeteren 3) by Håkan Nesser, 317 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 130)
book 6: Drie sterke vrouwen (Three Strong Women) by Marie NDiaye, 285 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 131)
book 7: De grote angst in de bergen (Terror on the Mountain) by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, 190 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 132)
book 8: 10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World) by Elif Shafak, 312 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 133)
book 9: Sjakie en de grote glazen lift (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) by Roald Dahl, 174 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 183)
book 10: De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen (The List of Things That Will Not Change) by Rebecca Stead, 230 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 184)
book 11: Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn, 527 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 185)
book 12: Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen by Carmen Korn, 548 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 185)
book 13: De tijden veranderen by Carmen Korn, 496 pages, TIOLI #19 (msg 185)
book 14: De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) by Patrick Svensson, 253 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 186)
book 15: Dankzij de dingen by Rutger Kopland, 39 pages, TIOLI #19 (msg 187)
book 16: De Godden broers (The great Godden) by Meg Rosoff, 167 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 188)
book 17: Hotel New Hampshire (The Hotel New Hampshire) by John Irving, 490 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 202)
book 18: Laurier en leeuwerik (The Lark and the Laurel; Mantlemass 1) by Barbara Willard, 191 pages, TIOLI #14 (msg 203)
book 19: De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters (De Cock 58) by A.C. Baantjer, 136 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 204)
book 20: De loot van de brem (The Sprig of Broom; Mantlemass 2) by Barbara Willard, 198 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 205)
book 21: De witte vesting (The White Castle) by Orhan Pamuk, 205 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 227)
book 22: De moeder van Nicolien by J.J. Voskuil, 187 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 228)
book 23: Avontuur Amerika by Cees Nooteboom, 303 pages, TIOLI #18 (msg 229)
book 24: Teleurstellen vergt lef (Dare to Disappoint) by Özge Samanci, 190 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 230)
book 25: De overlevenden (The Survivors) by Alex Schulman, 240 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 240)
book 26: Witte onschuld (White Innocence) by Gloria Wekker, 343 pages, TIOLI #19 (msg 241)
book 27: Viersprong van de schemer (Crossroads of twilight; Wheel of Time 10) by Robert Jordan, 704 pages, TIOLI #18 (msg 242)
book 28: De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) by Roy Jacobsen, 252 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 243)
book 29: Petersburg (Petersburg) by Andrej Bely, 429 pages, TIOLI #13
book 30: De voorspelling (Pawn of Prophecy; Belgariad 1) by David Eddings, 262 pages, TIOLI #18
book 31: Benedenwereld (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane, 507 pages, TIOLI #3
book 32: Een koude wind (A Cold Wind Blowing; Mantlemass 3) by Barbara Willard, 195 pages

January 2022 reading plans

TIOLI January 2022 - SWEEP
#1: Read a book in which the title’s first word and last word have the same number of letters
- Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord (Pippi Goes on Board) - Astrid Lindgren, 102 pages (library)
#2: Read a book first published in my birth year (1972), your birth year or the last year (2021 or 2022)
- Sjakie en de grote glazen lift (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) - Roald Dahl, 173 pages (library)
#3: Read a book with pictures
- Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland (Pippi in the South Seas) - Astrid Lindgren, 98 pages (library)
- Benedenwereld (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) - Robert Macfarlane, 507 pages (library)
#4: Read a book that's on some Best of 2021 list
- De Godden broers (The great Godden) - Meg Rosoff, 167 pages (library)
#5: New year, new (to you) author: Read a book by an author who is new to you
- Dochters van een nieuwe tijd - Carmen Korn, 527 pages (e-library)
- De onderstroom (The Offing) - Benjamin Myers, 255 pages (library)
#6: Read a book you acquired in December 2021 (state how you obtained it)
- De terugkeer (The Return; Van Veeteren 3) - Håkan Nesser, 317 pages (e-library)
#7: Read a book by an author whose name has 2 initials or has written at least 22 books
- De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters (De Cock 58) - A.C. Baantjer, 136 pages (e-library)
#8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report
- De grote angst in de bergen (Terror on the Mountain) - Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, 190 pages (e-library)
- De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) - Roy Jacobsen, 252 pages (library)
- De overlevenden (The Survivors) - Alex Schulman, 240 pages pages (library)
#9 Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author
- 10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World) - Elif Shafak, 312 pages (library)
- Teleurstellen vergt lef (Dare to Disappoint) - Özge Samanci, 190 pages (library)
- De witte vesting (The White Castle) - Orhan Pamuk, 205 pages (library)
#10: Read a book whose cover shows women in period costume facing away
- Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen - Carmen Korn, 548 pages (e-library)
#11: Read, or re-read, a work of children's fiction written by a British author or published first in the UK, before 1980
- Een koude wind (A Cold Wind Blowing; Mantlemass 3) - Barbara Willard, 195 pages
- De loot van de brem (The Sprig of Broom; Mantlemass 2) - Barbara Willard, 198 pages
- De oudste zoon (The Eldest Son; Mantlemass 4) - Barbara Willard, 221 pages
#12: Read a book with a specific woman in its title
- De moeder van Nicolien - J.J. Voskuil, 187 pages
#13: Read a book without an article in the title
- Drie sterke vrouwen (Three Strong Women) - Marie NDiaye, 285 pages (e-library)
- Petersburg (Petersburg) - Andrej Bely, 429 pages (e-library)
#14: It's a Lark! Read a book with the word "Lark" (or some variation thereof) in the title or subtitle
- Laurier en leeuwerik (The Lark and the Laurel; Mantlemass 1) - Barbara Willard, 191 pages
#15: Read a book with a "state" in the title
- Hotel New Hampshire (The Hotel New Hampshire) - John Irving, 490 pages
#16: Tidying Up,,,finish a book you started before the New Year
- De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) - Patrick Svensson, 253 pages (library)
- Het vierde offer (Borkmann's Point; Van Veeteren 2) - Håkan Nesser, 315 pages (e-library)
#17: Read a book which includes at least one list
- De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen (The List of Things That Will Not Change) - Rebecca Stead, 230 pages (e-library)
#18: Read a book of adventure, fiction or non-fiction
- Avontuur Amerika - Cees Nooteboom, 303 pages (e-library)
- Viersprong van de schemer (Crossroads of twilight; Wheel of Time 10) - Robert Jordan, 704 pages (library)
- De voorspelling (Pawn of Prophecy; Belgariad 1) - David Eddings, 262 pages (library)
#19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus
- Witte onschuld (White Innocence) - Gloria Wekker, 343 pages (e-library)
- Dankzij de dingen - Rutger Kopland, 39 pages
- De tijden veranderen - Carmen Korn, 496 pages (library)

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February 2022 reading plans
De rode prins (The Red Prince) - Timothy Snyder, 376 pages (e-library 5/2)
Ilyas - Ernest van der Kwast, 319 pages (library 7/2)
Inham (Cove) - Cynan Jones, 103 pages (library 9/2)
Gekraakt (Come to Grief) - Dick Francis, 273 pages (e-library 13/2)
De Sparsholt-affaire (The Sparsholt Affair) - Alan Hollinghurst, 463 pages (library 14/2)
De harde kern boek 1 - Frida Vogels, 827 pages (e-library 15/2)
Het woud der verwachting (In a Dark Wood Wandering) - Hella Haasse, 700 pages (e-library 15/2)
De magische koningin (Queen of Sorcery) - David Eddings, 329 pages (library 16/2)
Mes van dromen (Knife of Dreams; Wheel of Time 11) - Robert Jordan, 847 pages (library 16/2)
De laatste eer (The Confession of Brother Haluin) - Ellis Peters, 176 pages (library 16/2)
Binnen de muren (Within the Walls) - Giorgio Bassani, 207 pages (library 16/2)
Over het doppen van bonen (A Treatise on Shelling Beans) - Wiesław Myśliwski, 383 pages (e-library 17/2)
De rode anjer (The Red Carnation) - Elio Vittorini, 228 pages (e-library 17/2)
Het rode korenveld (Red Sorghum) - Mo Yan, 510 pages (e-library 17/2)
De jongen, de mol, de vos en het paard (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse) - Charlie Mackesy, 128 pages (library)
De preek over de val van Rome (The Sermon on the Fall of Rome) - Jérôme Ferrari, 237 pages (library)

Reading plans in 2022
Reading books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
Read some big tomes (1000+ pages)
Read books by Nobel Prize for Literature winners

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

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Some big tomes I might read in 2022:
Ideeën (1-7) by Multatuli, 3846 pages
De droom van de rode kamer (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin, 2160 pages
Man zonder eigenschappen (The man without qualities) by Robert Musil, 1785 pages
De razende Roeland (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto, 1783 pages
De kracht van Atlantis (Atlas shrugged) by Ayn Rand, 1373 pages
Luitenant-kolonel de Maumort (Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort) by Roger Martin du Gard, 1077 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1047 pages
Baron by Theun de Vries, 1016 pages

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Some other books I want to read in 2022:
De goddelijke komedie (The Divine Comedy) - Dante Alighieri, 599 pages
Binnen de muren (Within the Walls) - Giorgio Bassani, 207 pages
✔ Petersburg (Petersburg) - Andrei Bely, 429 pages
Anatomie van een moment (The Anatomy of a Moment) - Javier Cercas, 539 pages
Jean-Paul Sartre : zijn biografie (Sartre: A Life) - Annie Cohen-Solal, 610 pages
Het ijzig hart (The Frozen Heart) - Almudena Grandes, 854 pages
Sapiens : Een kleine geschiedenis van de mensheid (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind) - Yuval Noah Harari, 461 pages
Duitse les (The German Lesson) - Siegfried Lenz, 511 pages
Een beloofd land (A promised land) - Barack Obama, 896 pages
Het eiland van het tweede gezicht (The Island of Second Sight) - Albert Vigoleis Thelen, 960 pages
Aarde der mensen (This Earth of Mankind) - Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 457 pages
De wilde stilte (The wild silence) - Raynor Winn, 318 pages

Tickers

2022 totals





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Totals since 2008:

The new "Charts and Graphs" is fun to use, my readings since 2008:



My reading in previous years in text
2008: 130 books - 35.152 pages (96,0 ppd)
2009:   78 books - 21.470 pages (58,8 ppd)
2010: 121 books - 38.209 pages (104,7 ppd)
2011:   84 books - 30.256 pages (82,9 ppd)
2012:   53 books - 18.779 pages (51,3 ppd)
2013:   13 books - 3.692 pages (10,1 ppd)
2014:   17 books - 3.700 pages (10,1 ppd)
2015:   29 books - 10.080 pages (27,6 ppd)
2016: 253 books - 72.391 pages (197,8 ppd)
2017: 453 books - 110.222 pages (302,0 ppd)
2018: 534 books - 111.906 pages (306,6 ppd)
2019: 413 books - 110.873 pages (303,8 ppd)
2020: 226 books - 79.216 pages (216,4 ppd)
2021: 288 books - 94.339 pages (258,5 ppd)

Lists on my WikiThing

The best books I have read, by year first published
My Five star reads
The books by Nobel prize winners I have read
The Booker prize winners I have read
The Pulitzer prize winners (fiction) I have read
The winners of some Dutch literary prizes

Series I read, a list to keep track

Alan Banks by Peter Robinson (re-read 4/20)
1 Stille blik; 2 Nachtlicht; 3 Tegenstroom; 4 Zondeval; 5 Schijnbeeld; 6 Woensdagkind; 7 Zwanenzang; 8 Innocent Graves (not translated); 9 Dead Right (not translated); 10 Verdronken verleden; 11 Kil als het graf; 12 Nasleep; 13 Onvoltooide zomer; 14 Vuurspel; 15 Drijfzand; 16 Hartzeer; 17 Duivelsgebroed; 18 Overmacht; 19 Uitschot; 20 Dwaalspoor; 21 Dankbare dood; 22 Slachthuisblues

The Belgariad by David Eddings
1 De voorspelling; 2 De magische koningin; 3 Het tovenaarsgambiet; 4 Het lied van de Orbus; 5 Eindspel

Ari Thór Arason by Ragnar Jónasson 1/3
1 Sneeuwblind; 2 Inktzwart; 3 Poolnacht

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

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

De Cock by A.C. Baantjer 58/71

Erast Fandorin by Boris Akoenin 3/7
1 Fandorin; 2 Turks gambiet; 3 Leviathan; 4 De dood van Achilles; 5 Bijzondere opdrachten; 6 Staatsraad; 7 De kroning

George Smiley by John Le Carré 4/9
1 Telefoon voor de dode; 2 Voetsporen in de sneeuw; 3 Spion aan de muur; 4 Spion verspeeld; 5 Edelman, bedelman, schutter, spion; 6 Spion van nobel bloed; 7 Smiley's prooi; 8 De laatste spion; 9 Een erfenis van spionnen

Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon 26/29
1 Dood van een maestro; 2 Dood in den vreemde; 3 De dood draagt rode schoenen; 4 Salto mortale; 5 Acqua alta; 6 Een stille dood; 7 Nobiltà; 8 Fatalità; 9 Vriendendienst; 10 Onrustig tij; 11 Bedrieglijke zaken; 12 De stille elite; 13 Verborgen bewijs; 14 Vertrouwelijke zaken; 15 Duister glas; 16 Kinderspel; 17 Droommeisje; 18 Gezichtsverlies; 19 Een kwestie van vertrouwen; 20 Dodelijke conclusies; 21 Beestachtige zaken; 22 Het onbekende kind; 23 Tussen de regels; 24 Ik aanbid je; 25 Eeuwige jeugd; 26 Wat niet verdwijnt; 27 Vergiffenis; 28 De troonopvolger; 29 Duister water

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

Konráð by Arnaldur Indridason 3/4
1 Smeltend ijs; 2 Boven water; 3 Smeulend vuur; 4 Þagnarmúr (not yet available in Dutch translation)

Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum 5/14
1 Eva's oog; 2 Kijk niet achterom; 3 Wie de wolf vreest; 4 De duivel draagt het licht; 5 De Indiase bruid; 6 Zwarte seconden; 7 De moord op Harriet Krohn; 8 Een andere voorkeur; 9 Kwade wil; 10 De waarschuwer; 11 Veenbrand; 12 De fluisteraar; 13 De verduistering; 14 Zwanenzang

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

Martin Servaz by Bernard Minier 2/5
1 Een kille rilling; 2 Huivering; 3 Verduistering; 4 Schemering; 5 Weerzin; 6 Afdaling

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

Van Veeteren by Håkan Nesser 3/11
1 Het grofmazige net; 2 Het vierde offer; 3 De terugkeer; 4 De vrouw met de moedervlek; 5 De commissaris en het zwijgen; 6 De zaak van Münster; 7 Carambole; 8 De dode op het strand; 9 De zwaluw, de kat, de roos en de dood; 10 Van Veeteren en de zaak-G; 11 De vereniging van linkshandigen

All Time Top 5 Reads:

Leven en lot (Life and fate) - Vasily Grossman
Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries) - Uwe Johnson
Menselijke voorwaarden - Junpei Gomikawa
In de ban van de ring (The Lord of the Rings) - J.R.R. Tolkien
De Thibaults (The Thibaults) - Roger Martin du Gard

ETA: I removed the list of Nobel prize winners, they can be found on my wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:FAMeulstee/Nobel_gelezen

Books acquired in 2022: 4

January
Verdriet is het ding met veren - Max Porter
Morgen - Walter Kappacher
De droom van de rode kamer - Cao Xueqin (e-book)
Lezen als geschenk - Robert Macfarlane (e-book)

Welcome my friends.

Happy reading in 2022!

Happy 2022's reads!

>11 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Richard dear!

Happy New Year, Anita! Looking forward to following your bookish life for another year.

Happy New Year Anita!

Welcome back, Anita! I hope you and Frank have a great year.

>14 msf59: Thank you, Mark, so do I! :-)
Happy New Year to you and yours!

>15 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian, happy New Year!

>16 drneutron: Thank you, Jim, the same to you and Danita.

Happy new thread and new year, Anita!

I'm joining you for another year. I hope it's a good one for you.

Happy New Year Anita. Wishing you much fine reading in 2022.

>18 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, happy new year!

>19 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie, I hope we all have a better 2022.

>20 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, happy new year. Wishing it will be filled with many great reads.

Dropping a star, Anita! Hoping I can do a better job of keeping up with you in 2022.

>22 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie!
I will try to respond more than once on your threads ;-)

ed!!

>24 Berly: Thank you, Kim!

How did you manage to hide the text behind the picture? I only see "ed!!" peaking out on the right.

This group always helps me to read; welcome back to the group, Anita.

>25 FAMeulstee: Don't know why it's not showing. It's supposed to be a star image, so I've starr"ed" you!! : )

Happy new year, Anita! I was also enjoying the charts and graphs. Your books read is very striking.

Happy new year, Anita! Starred your thread, and will be following along.

Happy New Year, Anita! I will try to keep up with all of your books this year! :)
I like your graph - I will have to check out that feature

Dropped my star. Looking forward to the coming year.

Happy New Year to you and Frank. May 2022 treat you kindly.

HNY Anita! Good to see you again. Dropped a star; good luck with your reading for this year!

Have a great year of reading!

Happy New Year Anita! I wish you a happy new year of reading and will see you over in the TIOLI challenge.

Happy New Year, Anita! I cannot wait to see what books the new year brings your way.

>27 Berly: Completely my fault, Kim, I totally missed that "ed" should be read after the star! So it looked like some text was missing. Apparently combining images with letters only works in Dutch for me ;-)

>28 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda, happy new year!
I have been exploring the charts and graphs since they were launched. And filling all kinds of fields in the Common Knowledge to make the results complete.

>29 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, happy new year!

>30 jayde1599: Thank you, Jess, happy New Year!
Have fun exploring the new graphs and charts.

>31 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba, looking forward with you.

>32 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline, may 2022 be kind to us all.

Happy new year Anita. Love the chart with your stats. I am a fan of the LT pie charts.

>33 quondame: Thank you, Susan, hoping a little on a better 2022.

>34 vikzen: Thank you, Vic, may 2022 be a great reading year for all.

>35 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori, the same to you!

>36 AnneDC: Thank you, Anne, happy New Year!
We will both enjoy all TIOLI challenges again this year :-)

>37 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, happy New Year!
You will find out during the year, I hope we both find some great reads.

>40 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte, happy New Year!
I also like those charts, and that you can select any collection to see charts.

I will look for your 2022 thread. Are you coming back here or staying in the Category Challenge?

Happy reading 2022 :-)

Happy New Year, Anita and Frank. I'm looking forward to your walking this year - I'm not really a fan of Modern Art but you are converting me!

>44 Ameise1: Thank you, Brabara, happy 2022 to you and yours!
(BTW have you heard anything from Nathalie recently? I miss her.)

>45 CDVicarage: Thank you, Kerry, happy New Year!
We plan to walk the next part of the Pieterpad in March. Because of some other plans we might skip our week walking in fall. A Modern Art convert?! ;-)

>46 FAMeulstee: Unfortunately no. But I'll write her on the 4th when she has her birthday.

>47 Ameise1: Would you be so kind to give her my regards, Barbara. I tried to call her twice last year, but didn't get through.

Will do so.

>49 Ameise1: Thank you!

Happy new Year!

>6 FAMeulstee: Excellent stats!

🤗

>51 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, happy New Year!
Always love to share my stats, and see them from others.

>52 Ameise1: I just learned somewhere else how to do this on a laptop: 😘

Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2022, Anita!

Best wishes for a great reading year.

>54 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, happy New Year!

Good luck doing the rounds today :-)

Happy New Year, Anita! I hope it's wonderful!

>56 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda, wishing you a wondeful, happy New Year!

I've missed over 50 posts already, but I'm skipping down to wish you a happy new year and leave a breadcrumb to find my way back.

>58 London_StJ: You are always welcome, London, to skim, read or skip my thread ;-)
All the best for 2022!

Happy New Year! I hope 2022 is kind to you, and that it's filled with good reading.

Happy New Year from me n Miss Po!

Hi Anita, and Happy New Year. I love the reading chart in #6 and may play around with it to see what mine looks like. You almost tempted me to go back to TIOLI. I loved that group but found I spent way too much time on it. It is so much fun when the new challenges come out and I could go on my book scavenger hunt. Hmmm, I'm still tempted...

Happy New Year, Anita and thanks for stopping in on my thread.

IMO, you might skip Atlas Shrugged, unless you like overheated soft porn interspersed with paeans to unbridled capitalism. Personally, having read it years ago, I don't think it's worth the page count, but of course your mileage may vary.

Happy New Year, Anita.

>60 cbl_tn: Thank you, Carrie, happy New Year! Mat life treat you well.

>61 sibylline: Thank you, Lucy and Miss Po!

>62 Donna828: Glad you are back with us, Donna, happy New Year!
The new charts and graphs are fun. I like the TIOLI challenges, it gives me a way to plan ahead my monthly reading. It is time consuming, but well worth the time imho. If you give it a go again, I will see you there, and share a few reads ;-)

>63 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy, happy New Year!

LOL, Atlas Shrugged ended up on the shelves because of my other half. He loves to read books going against his beliefs, like unbridled capitalism ;-) He used to be an avid reader, sadly not anymore. So I doubt he will ever get to it.
And I listed it just because of the 1000+ page count. I might dare one day, and maybe not. Thanks for the warning.

>64 Berly: Thank you, Kim, all the best to you and yours!

>65 BLBera: Thank you, Beth, happy New Year!

Hi Anita--Thanks for visiting my thread. I am always in awe of how much you read, and what good books.
I saw somewhere you wanted to read Lieutenant Colonel de Maumort this year. I started it a few years ago, then it dropped by the wayside. I want to get back to it though.

>7 FAMeulstee: I love these lists! I could spend hours looking at and making these :) I used to make lists on LT but have fallen out of that habit now.

Happy New Year!

Hi, Anita! - Happy New Thread, Group and Year. I hope 2022 is a fabulous reading year for you. :)

>68 arubabookwoman: Thank you, Deborah, the books treat me well the last years.
I have to borrow Lieutenant Colonel de Maumort from the library, if you want a shared read I will reserve it. I was very impressed with The Thibaults back in 2019, and still want to read more by Roger Martin du Gard.

>69 LovingLit: Thank you, Megan, happy New Year!
The LT wiki is a perfect place to make these kind of lists. Maybe you can get back to the habit? ;-)

>70 lyzard: Thank you, Liz, the same to you!

Happy New Year to you and Frank, Anita! Let’s have lots more fun with books in 2022!

>72 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe, from both of us. Happy New Year to you and Debbi!
We certainly will have fun reading books in 2022 :-)

Hi, hello! Stars and happy new year's to you Anita.

Happy New Year, Anita!

Happy New Year and happy new thread, Anita!

>74 AuntieClio: Thank you, Stephanie, happy new year!

>75 swynn: Thank you, Steve, happy 2022!

>76 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, happy New Year!

Dear Anita, have a wonderful new book-filled year! I hope you are doing well and all is going smoothly for you!

Happy New Year and good reading!

I realized I hadn't stopped in to say hello yet so ... hello! Here's to a good reading year!

Happy New Year, Anita - dropping a star.

>78 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe, I hope we all have a great reading year in 2022!
Here all is well, although we are in (partial) lockdown again, because of the fast spreading omikron variant.

>79 torontoc: Thank you, Cyrel, the same to you!

>80 ursula: Thank you, Ursula. It is the reading that connects us all here, may we all have some great reads this year.

>81 ctpress: Thank you, Carsten, happy New Year!

Read, not yet reviewed:
#1: Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord (Pippi Goes on Board) by Astrid Lindgren
#2: De onderstroom (The Offing) by Benjamin Myers

Reading now:
Het vierde offer (Borkmann's Point; Van Veeteren 2) by Håkan Nesser
Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland (Pippi in the South Seas) by Astrid Lindgren

Hi Anita! Glad to see you back for another year! I'm dropping off my star and hoping to be more present in 2022. I was reading about your drop-off in 2013. I still managed to read more than 75 books in 2021, but I didn't keep up with much else.

Wishing you and Frank a Wonderful New Year!

HI Anita, what a very interesting thread you have started for 2022. i love looking at your planned reads for January and of course i love looking at the 5 star reads over the years. WOW!

Happy New Year, Anita! Wishing you a great year of reading in 2022.

Happy 2022, Anita! Wishing you a year filled with good books!

>84 EBT1002: Thank you, Ellen, my reading has been both very high and low during my LT years. Good you still managed to read over 75 last year, despite all what was going on in your life.
Happy New Year to you and P.!

>85 mdoris: Thank you, Mary, I like to plan a month ahead.
Looking at my 5* reads I notice with reading more, the 5* reads went down. A book is less likely to impress, the more I have read.

>86 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry, the same to you. And of course watching some great movies.

>87 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne, wishing you a happy and book filled 2022!

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

>89 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi, happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!
Hope you get a lot of quality books and quality time!!
I've never read the Pippi books, but I remember a movie from when I was a kid.

>91 hredwards: Thank you, Harold, happy New Year and wishing you the same!
I did read the Pippi books more than once, when I was young. Enjoyed her adventures again. I do remember the 1969 TV-series from Sweden, with dubbed Dutch voices.
A websearch reveals that the 1969 series also came out as movie, so we probably saw the same :-)

Anita! Happy New Year! I'm coming by to say hello!

>93 leperdbunny: Thank you, Tamara, happy New Year!

Happy New Yeat

>95 BBGirl55: Thank you, Bryony, happy New Year!

Happy new year to you and Frank! It is strange to see Frank with a beard but he looks good! I hope that 2022 will be a year of great books and fascinating art.

Happy New Year, Anita! I was also surprised to see Frank's beard, but it does suit him.

>97 Sakerfalcon: Thank you, Claire, happy new year from both of us.
At the moment we are back in lockdown, so it is just books. We hope to visit the next Documenta in Kassel in June.

>98 kidzdoc: Thank you, Darryl, happy New Year!

Frank stopped shaving his beard at the start of the second COVID year in March. We were surprised how fast it grew. I encouraged it, as I am curious how long his beard can grow.

Hi Anita, I've sent you a PM.

>100 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, I answered.

Hi Anita my dear, i have just starred you dear friend.

>102 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, happy new year to you and Karen!
How is Karen doing?

Read, not yet reviewed:
#1: Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord (Pippi Goes on Board) by Astrid Lindgren
#2: De onderstroom (The Offing) by Benjamin Myers
#3: Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland (Pippi in the South Seas) by Astrid Lindgren
#4: Het vierde offer (Borkmann's Point; Van Veeteren 2) by Håkan Nesser
#5: De terugkeer (The Return; Van Veeteren 3) by Håkan Nesser

Reading now:
10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World) by Elif Shafak
Drie sterke vrouwen (Three Strong Women) by Marie NDiaye

Happily, this Tuesday stuff is winding down. *whew*

>2 FAMeulstee: Happy New Year and happy reading in 2022!

>105 richardderus: Not sure what you mean, Richard dear, I will write some reviews now.

>106 ocgreg34: Thank you, Greg, happy New Year!

book 1: Pippi Langkous gaat aan boord by Astrid Lindgren
library, translated from Swedish, English translation Pippi Goes on Board, 102 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book in which the title’s first word and last word have the same number of letters

Further adventures of Pippi Longstocking, Tommy and Annika. They go to the fair, pretend living on a desert island (in the lake nearby), and Pippi's father arrives.

Loved this as a kid, on the the last book.

Dutch title translated: Pippi Longstocking goes on board

book 2: De onderstroom by Benjamin Myers
library, translated, original title The Offing, 255 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: New year, new (to you) author: Read a book by an author who is new to you

World War II ended not long ago, when Robert, a boy from a small mining village, wanders around through the country. He doesn't want to work in the coal mine, like his father. He travels around, working here and there to earn some money. One day he meets Dulcie, an older, unconventional woman, he stays to help her with some work, in exchange for food and a place to sleep. Slowly they become friends and Robert learns about Ducie's past and finds out what he wants to be.

Maybe my expectatations were a bit high, as I heard a lot of praise. It was a good read, but not stellar.

Dutch title translated: The undertow

book 3: Pippi Langkous in Taka-Tukaland by Astrid Lindgren
library, translated from Swedish, English translation Pippi in the South Seas, 98 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book with pictures

Pippi Longstocking, Tommy and Annika travel to the island in the South Sea, where Pippi's father is king. Of course the are adventures, and Pippi saves the day. When the children return to Sweden, they vow to never growing up.

And this was the last Pippi book, I enjoyed revisiting Pippi's world.

Dutch title translated: Pippi Longstocking in Taka-Tuka-land

book 4: Het vierde offer by Håkan Nesser
library, e-book, translated from Swedish, English translation Borkmann's Point, 315 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Tidying Up, finish a book you started before the New Year

Inspector Van Veeteren book 2
Van Veeteren is send to a small city to assist in a case where people are murdered with an ax.

Started this series last year, I have the next one ready. Not sure yet if I want to continue.

Dutch title translated: The fourth offering

>111 FAMeulstee: I will follow the series further, Anita. It isn't exactly a favourite but they are all very readable.

Great to see you are reading up a storm as usual. x

>112 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, I finished book 3 right after book 2. Liked that one a little better, three within a month might have been a bit much ;-)

Happy New Year, Anita!

I hadn't spent much time exploring the charts and graphs until you mentioned them. And now, I also want to fill in blank places. It says about 700 of my books don't have the author's nationality indicated, so I think I will start there.

>112 PaulCranswick:, >111 FAMeulstee: Ah! Yes. They're readable, they're even somewhat involving, and I just don't care if I never read another one.

>110 FAMeulstee:, >108 FAMeulstee: I remember Pippi for her wonderful "pluttification" neologism, in place of "multiplication." Apart from that, nothing stuck. I'm happy the re-reading experience was a happy one, Anita.

>109 FAMeulstee: I didn't hear the hype so I feel more curious than ever now.

>103 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, Karen went to the hospital yesterday morning and was hoping that the pot and dressing would be removed, sadly they couldn't get her into the Hand Assessment Unit and so they re-dressed it and re-potted it and she goes back on Friday to the Hand Assessment Unit and then they will splint the finger so there does not seem to be much chance that she will be back at work on the 14th, looking more like the 21st now.

>114 streamsong: Thank you, Janet, happy New Year!
I like the new charts and graphs. I also started to fill nationality, gender and original language where it was missing. Last two reading years are done now, and I am slowly working my way back in time.

>115 richardderus: Sometimes readable is enough, Richard dear, especially after some heavy reads. Van Veeteren is suitable on those moments.
In Dutch Pippi talks about "plenivuldigen" instead of "vermenigvuldigen". I remembered some more, like her horse and monkey, and the ongoing trouble with grownups :-)
The hype wasn't her on LT, but on a Dutch book website. Maybe it is worth a hype here ;-)

>116 johnsimpson: Sorry to read Karen has to deal with the troubled finger longer than thought, John. I hope Friday all goes well, sending love and hugs for both of you.

>108 FAMeulstee: I never knew that Pippi Longstocking was a series. I only ever read the one book eons ago.

>118 alcottacre: They are also published together in one big Pippi Longstocking book, Stasia, so you might have read them all.

>117 FAMeulstee:, Thanks Anita my dear.

>120 johnsimpson: You are very welcome, John.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#5: De terugkeer (The Return; Van Veeteren 3) by Håkan Nesser
#6: Drie sterke vrouwen (Three Strong Women) by Marie NDiaye
#7: De grote angst in de bergen (Terror on the Mountain) by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz

Reading now:
10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld (10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World) by Elif Shafak
De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) by Patrick Svensson
Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn

>122 FAMeulstee: I'll be interested to read what you think about The Book of Eels. I loved it!

Have a great weekend!

Karen O.

>123 klobrien2: I just started, Karen, and read the first chapter. Promising.
Thanks for visiting, happy weekend!

Hello, Anita! I am interested in what you thought of The Return - I have only read the first two books in the series and then stopped. Was it basically the same as the previous installments or maybe slightly better?

Just a quick hello, Anita! Best wishes for a good weekend.

>125 Crazymamie: It was a little bit (not much) better, Mamie, I hope to get to the review tomorrow.

>126 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, I might see my brother tomorrow :-)

>127 FAMeulstee: I hope you can have a pleasant visit with your brother this weekend!

*smooch*

>128 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, so do I.
*smooch*

book 5: De terugkeer by Håkan Nesser
library, e-book, translated from Swedish, English translation The Return, 317 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book you acquired in December 2021 (state how you obtained it)

Inspector Van Veeteren book 3
A prisoner is released, after his second 12 years in prison. Months later a head and handless body is found. Van Veeteren is in hospital, so he has to leave the case to his collegues. When he gets back home the case is still not solved, so he starts his own investigation during sick leave.

Enjoyed this one a bit better than the previous two. Could be I am getting used to the way Van Veeteren thinks and works.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 6: Drie sterke vrouwen by Marie NDiaye
library, e-book, translated from French, Europese Literatuurprijs 2011, English translation Three Strong Women, 285 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book without an article in the title

Three very loose connected stories about Senegalese women, struggling through life.
- Norah travels to her homeland, summoned by her father, who never cared about her. It turns out he needs her as a lawyer, to defend her brother, who is in prison.
- Rudy married Fanta, back in Senegal, where Fanta was a teacher. He took her to France, where they live in poverty, because Rudy isn't able to find a well paying job. Rudy feels a lot of guilt, and is jealous of everyone in better circumstances.
- Khady married a nice man, but didn't get children. When her husband dies, her in-laws no longer want to take care of her. They send her off to Europe, over the African continent with smugglers.

It was a memorable, and intense read.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 7: De grote angst in de bergen by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz
library, e-book, translated from French, English translation Terror on the Mountain, 190 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report

Twenty years ago something terrible happened up at the alm, where the cows can graze in summer.
The villagers never went ther again. But now the new, young leader thinks there is a lot of money to make, when the village sends up 70 cows next summer. The old inhabitants are against the plan, but the youngsters have a majority. So the village decides to go for the extra money.
Seven man go with the cows, although a bit reluctant, as doom is felt by all. The summer up there doesn't end well...

Very well, sparsely written. I was easely drawn into the story. Originally published in 1926, revised in 1941. People are the same at every place in time, greed and fear can be a devastating combination.

Dutch title translated: The big fear in the mountains

book 8: 10 minuten 38 seconden in deze vreemde wereld by Elif Shafak
library, translated, original title 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, 312 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9 Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author

Tequila Leila is murdered, and dumped in a dumpster in Istanbul. Her heart has stopped beating, but her brain will go on for 10 minutes and 38 seconds, during this time she remembers snippets of her life, each with a link to one of her five good friends.
Her friends are all devastated when they find out Leila is murdered. But they are no family of her, so they can't claim her body to give her a proper funeral. They decide to try anyway.

Good story about female suppresion in the male dominated Turkey between 1947 and 1990. And about friends, who can replace the family that rejected them.

English and Dutch title are the same

>130 FAMeulstee: After seeing all you Van Veeteren readings, I've bought the first book of this series.
Happy weekend, Anita. I'll see my grandson within the next two hours for the first time. 😍

>134 Ameise1: I hope you like Van Veeeteren, Barbara.
Enjoy your first visit to your grandson, must feel great to take him in your arms!

My brother and sister-in-law came to us this afternoon. Last year they bought a second house not far from us, and they are there for the (extended) weekend. We walked our walk through the neighborhood, and then had tea and some nice chat.
I am exhaused now, not used anymore to have visitors since COVID. In the last two years my father visited a few times, and my cousin (son of today's visitors) once. I already was a bit of a hermit before 2020, now even more ;-)

Hi, Anita!

>136 FAMeulstee: I know what you mean about socializing being exhausting, now more than ever! But your walk and tea and a good chat with your brother sounds pretty wonderful.

>136 FAMeulstee: I know what you mean. We have only had family visits for the past two years. We 'curled up' ourselves too. By the way, it was great to hold and cuddle little Juri.

>136 FAMeulstee: Easing back into old habits will tell you which ones need to be broken habits soon enough.

Sending hugs!

>137 scaifea: Thank you, Amber. It is odd how exhausting socializing has become, even more at my own place. If you go somewhere else you can leave, not so at home.
It was a good visit, and I am recuperating already.

>138 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, COVID has changed our life a lot.
Glad you have been able to cuddle and hold your grandson!

>139 richardderus: I am never going back being the much more social and outgoing person I was in the previous century, Richard dear. But I am aiming to be able again to have some visitors, without feeling a bit anxious before their arrival. That will take some time to work out.
*smooch*

Glad you were able to enjoy your visit despite everything, Anita.
It's all kind of strange, but we try to make the best of it.
I wish you and Frank a wonderful Sunday.

>140 FAMeulstee: Glad you enjoyed the visit anyway.

Happy Sunday, Anita. I read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World a couple of years ago but remember nothing about it. It is weird when that happens, and I gave it a good star rating too.

I am loving The Unseen. If you haven't read it, keep this one in mind.

>141 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, we all keep trying to make the best of it.
Lovely quiet Sunday, Frank worked last night, just woke up, and is enjoying his first cup of coffee. I have my second cup, as I was awake way earlier.
Happy Sunday to you.

>142 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella.

>143 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy Sunday.
I hope I remeber more about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World in a few years ;-)

I looked up The Unseen at the library, when I saw it on your thread. It is available in Dutch translation, and the library has a copy. So I have put it on my library wishlist.

>133 FAMeulstee: You got me with this one, Anita! Adding it to The List.

Hey, Anita, I'm getting in late here, but definitely wanted to say hi and give Frank a hug for me!

>133 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, I read and enjoyed 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World about a year ago and I do remember it. I'm currently reading her The Island of Missing Trees though not turning many pages at present.

>119 FAMeulstee: I am pretty sure I only read the first one. The book I read was not all that big :)

>131 FAMeulstee: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Anita.

>132 FAMeulstee: Into the BlackHole it goes!

>133 FAMeulstee: I will be reading that one in the next couple of weeks. I hope I think as highly of it as you do.

Have a wonderful week, Anita!

>145 Crazymamie: Proud to add to your list, Mamie :-)

>146 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, glad to see you around.
Hug will be given when Frank wakes up, he worked last night.

>147 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry, glad you enjoyed 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World too. I certainly want to read more by Elif Shafak. The Island of Missing Trees was just published in Dutch translation, so it isn't in the library yet.

>148 alcottacre: So, Stasia, there is some Pippi left for you, if you ever need a short, light, and funny read ;-)
I hope you can find copies of Three Strong Women, and Terror on the Mountain.
I look forward to your thoughts about 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World!

Read, not yet reviewed:
#9: Sjakie en de grote glazen lift (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) by Roald Dahl
#10: De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen (The List of Things That Will Not Change) by Rebecca Stead
#11: Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn

Reading now:
Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen by Carmen Korn
De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) by Patrick Svensson

We walked to the library today (third time this year), as I am all in Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen, second book of three about 4 women from Hamburg, friends for life (Die Jahrhundert-Trilogie). The third book isn't available at the e-library yet, so I had to get the paper copy, which was available at the local library.
Found a few more from my library wishlist, so I carried 4 books home in my backpack:
De tijden veranderen - Carmen Korn
De Sparsholt-affaire (The Sparsholt Affair) - Alan Hollinghurst
De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) - Roy Jacobsen
De overlevenden (The Survivors) - Alex Schulman

>110 FAMeulstee: Pippi in the South Seas was a favorite of mine as a young child. I still have my ancient paperback (as well as the first two in the series). I'm glad you enjoyed revisiting Pippi.

>151 FAMeulstee:, >150 FAMeulstee: How interesting! "Sjakie" in place of "Charlie" gives me a sense of how hard it is to translate stories. "Charlie Bucket" is just so integral to my experience of the story.

Anyway, glad you're out walking to the library!

I'm dropping my star, Anita, and hope to visit your thread more this year than last.

>151 FAMeulstee: Looks like the trip to the library was worthwhile!

Have a great rest of the week, Anita!

>152 RBeffa: Thank you, Ron, glad you also have good Pippi memories. I don't think we had the Pippi books at home, it probably came from the library. The sad thing about Pippi in the South Seas is that it was the last book.

>153 richardderus: Charlie is a less common name here, Richard dear. The "Sj" in Sjakie sounds close to the "Ch" in Charlie, so the name gives a similair feel. These days names are not always translated anymore, but it was common.
The library is 5 km from our place, in the center of the city.

>154 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg, always nice to see you.

>155 alcottacre: Yes it was, Stasia! I got the books I wanted, and we had a good walk to keep us in shape.

>152 RBeffa: I have only read the first Pippi Longstocking book, Ron / Anita. As I recall they weren't so easily available or well-known in Northern England when I was smaller.

>157 PaulCranswick: When I was in grammar school we had something called book clubs. The three I remember were Scholastic, TAB and Arrow. You could order inexpensive paperbacks for about 25c several times a year and I think the classroom got a free book for every 5 books that students ordered. The teacher would collect all the orders and money and a couple weeks later our books would arrive. I always looked forward to that. That was how I got the Pippi books, my first Steinbeck and others.

>158 RBeffa: I remember the excitement of getting those flyers. I would go through and circle everything I wanted (usually more than half of the listings, I think!) and then go home and negotiate with Mom and Dad about how many I could get. (They weren't 25 cents, but they were still way cheaper than books are now.)

>143 msf59: I read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World a couple of years ago but remember nothing about it.

Yoiu crack me up, Mark! That's so like me, though!

>147 avatiakh: I'm hugely astonished at what a high LT star rating The Island of Missing Trees has, Kerri. It makes me curious to read it at a later date if I can get hold of it.

>159 foggidawn: They got steadily more expensive from 25c as the years progressed!

>161 RBeffa: I remember those clubs at school also. It was always so exciting the day the books arrived in the classroom!! My mom and Grandma would sometimes order books for us that we couldn't see because they would put them up for Christmas presents. I loved those flyers we brought home.

Oh, those Scholastic books club flyers were my favourite part of school, lol!

I used to LOVE working at the school book fairs when my kids were in elementary school.

Hi Anita, I'm on a victory lap...after my eye doc said, "if I didn't know these images of your eyes weren't made two years apart, I couldn't've said which was which."

Makes the entire dilation thing worth it!

>157 PaulCranswick: I was surprised they were published earlier than I though, Paul, in Sweden between 1945 and 1948. Here in the Netherlands they were well known in my youth, published in the 1950s. Not liked by many educators, subversive girl as the main character!

>158 RBeffa: >159 foggidawn: >161 RBeffa: >162 hredwards: >163 jessibud2: >164 SqueakyChu:
All fond memories, how nice!
Sadly nothing like that when I was young. The school libray was very poor, maybe 20 books per class or so. There was more at the public library, although I had read almost all when I was finally allowed to read grown up books at 13.

>165 richardderus: YAY! Good vision is so important, Richard dear, very glad all is well with your eyes!

Hi Anita!

>133 FAMeulstee: I read this book in October of 2019, also rated it 4*, and agree with all your comments.

>136 FAMeulstee: So glad you got to visit with your brother and SiL. I can relate to the exhaustion about having visitors in the times of Covid – and that doesn’t even count my recent health issue!

>158 RBeffa: I loved the Scholastic Bookmobile! I purchased my first book ever for myself, Charlotte's Web, when I was about 8 years old. I still have it to this day some 50+ years on.

Happy Thursday, Anita!

Sweet Thursday, Anita. I am glad you added The Unseen to your TBR and I sure hope the Dutch translation is as good as the English one. It was stellar.

>169 alcottacre: That is very cool Stasia. When my children were in grade school the Scholastic sales had turned into book fairs and the parents helped setup and monitor things. The first Harry Potter book was probably my son's first purchase there. I recall a van sort of thing once but we never had a real bookmobile.

>168 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, always good when we agree about a book.
Despite the COVID situation we have seen eachother a bit more last year, my brother and I are the remaining children (not counting my estranged sister, even my father doesn't want to see her anymore), so we are growing a bit closer.
The exhaustion must be more servere for you, as you are also recuparating from your heartattack. And the rehab three times a week does also cut into your alone time.

>169 alcottacre: >170 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, enjoy the remaining part of your Thursday!

>171 msf59: I have read more from this translator, Mark, and she usually does a good job. Most Dutch translations are good, as translations are way more than half of the books available.

>172 RBeffa: Hi Ron!

>160 SqueakyChu: I'm finding The Island of Missing Trees a less than stellar read. While i really liked 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, this one is just not hitting any high notes for me, so I'm reading to finish the book rather than to find out 'what happens'.

>158 RBeffa: I remember the joy of Scholastic book club too. I got most of my horse books through the club, The silver brumby, Misty of Chincoteague etc etc.
Scholastic NZ has their office and warehouse near where I live, so I've been a regular customer at their factory bookshop where they stock returns, damaged books, samples and lots of other goodies for $1-$5 each.
My daughter worked casually in their warehouse doing the catalogues and orders but Covid finished that.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#9: Sjakie en de grote glazen lift (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) by Roald Dahl
#10: De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen (The List of Things That Will Not Change) by Rebecca Stead
#11: Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn
#12: Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen by Carmen Korn
#13: De tijden veranderen by Carmen Korn
#14: De lange weg naar huis (The Book of Eels) by Patrick Svensson
#15: Dankzij de dingen by Rutger Kopland

Reading now:
Benedenwereld : Reizen in de diepe tijd (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
Hotel New Hampshire (The Hotel New Hampshire) by John Irving
De Godden broers (The great Godden) by Meg Rosoff

I somehow lost your thread Anita, I did star it. Hey ho. Glad you have had some good reading.

>136 FAMeulstee: Nice to visit, but I totally get how exhausting it gets when you have been out of practice. I have long periods of solitude, then small gluts of being social, which the pandemic has exacerbated.

>176 Caroline_McElwee: The reading keeps flowing, Caroline, the books treat me well.

Thanks, the pandemic has made outings and social contacts less frequent. We will see if we ever get used to again.

>127 FAMeulstee: Ron, I adore my seven year old neighbor. Previously, I spent hours reading to him. Now, he is in first grade and gets very excited about the scholastic flier. Because I continue to encourage him to like books, I purchase one or two that he selects. He loves the I Spy books, and he is good at finding the objects. I like that he doesn't get frustrated when it is difficult to find the object.

Hi, Anita.

I loved the Pippi Longstocking books, too, when I was a kid. I hope our grandkids take to them when the time comes.

>178 Whisper1: That is wonderful Linda. I think we may have one or two of those i spy books hidden around here from my kids childhoods. I think it was the Taxi Dog books by the Barracca's that had a very small hidden black cat throughout the stories. As toddlers, my son and daughter, esp my son would bounce up and down as I read to them and he found the hidden cat. I think there were a couple pages where we never did find the cat. Those books and the Marvin the ape ones were pure delights for my toddlers. Beautiful illustrations in those books.

>175 FAMeulstee: A lot of books read Anita. I am very interested in the book about eels. I spent a couple of months doing research, going out with eel fishers. Very interesting, and most of them were sort of obsessed with those fish. I heard the story that they are best to be caught in the moonlight, well..🌛

>178 Whisper1: How nice you get those books for him, Linda.

>179 jnwelch: Pippi is well loved around here, Joe. I hope with you that they will be loved by a next generation again.

>180 RBeffa: Sweet memories from way back, Ron. We didn't have the books you mention, but others with little details to find on the pages.

>181 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, sadly the eels are near extinction now.
And moonlight, eels are active at night, and the moonlight benefits the humans who are after them.

book 9: Sjakie en de grote glazen lift by Roald Dahl
library, childrens, translated, original title Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, 174 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book first published in my birth year (1972), your birth year or the last year (2021 or 2022)

The next adventures of Charlie (from the chocolate factory), his parents and grandparents, and Willy Wonka. With the glass Elevator they end up in space.

English and Dutch title are the same (Charlie's name is translated to the similair sounding "Sjakie")

book 10: De lijst van dingen die niet zullen veranderen by Rebecca Stead
library, e-book, childrens, translated, original title The List of Things That Will Not Change, 230 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book which includes at least one list

Bea's parents are divorced, they called her to a family meeting 2 years ago and gave her a notebook with a list of things that will not change, it said:
1. Mom loves you more than anything, always.
2. Dad loves you more than anything, always.
3. Mom and Dad love each other, but in a different way.
4. You will always have a home with each of us.
Later Bea added other things that would not change. Now her father is going to marry his boyfriend Jesse. Bea is very exited, as she will get a stephsister, Jesse's daughter is about the same age as she is. In her enthousiasm she doesn't realise it might feel different to Sonia, who comes to stay with them in New York for a week.

English and Dutch title are the same

  

book 11: Dochters van een nieuwe tijd by Carmen Korn
library, e-book, translated from German, no English translation, 527 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: New year, new (to you) author: Read a book by an author who is new to you
Dutch title translated: Daughters of a new time


book 12: Tijd om opnieuw te beginnen by Carmen Korn
library, e-book, translated from German, no English translation, 548 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book whose cover shows women in period costume facing away
Dutch title translated: Time to start over


book 13: De tijden veranderen by Carmen Korn
library, translated from German, no English translation, 496 pages
TIOLI Challenge #19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus
Dutch title translated: The times change


Die Jahrhundert-Trilogie (The Century trilogy)

Henny and Käthe, born in 1900, grew up near eachother in Hamburg. Now it is 1919 and they both go to the midwife school. Henny falls in love with Lud, and becomes friends with Lud's sister Lina. Käthe goes with Rudi Odefey, who works at a communist publishing house. Later rich and spoiled Ida adds to the group of 4 friends, who will be followed in this and the next two books.
Lud dies young, and Henny is left with her dominant mother and daughter Marike. She marries again in the 1930s, and gets a son Klaus. Rudi is send to camp early, when he is released he must go in the army and fights in Russia, where he disappears. Käthe and her mother end up in a concentration camp. The others go on as good as they can, and loose loved ones in the allied bombings on Hamburg.
In the 1950s their lives pick up again, Lina lives together with a woman and starts a bookstore, Klaus tells his father he is gay, and is rejected, ending in a divorce, so Henny can finally marry finally the doctor she loved for a long time. The lives of Rudi and Käthe are forever marked by their experiences in concentration camps, and Rudi's years in a Russian camp. Ida is married off by her father, but finds love with a man from China.
In the third book their grandchildren get carreers, have their part in love, carreer, and riches. And it all ends when a new century starts.

The story is engaging at times, but the sturcture is a bit shattered. The chapters jump from one month in a year to a next month, starting again a few years later. You get what has happened in between, but sometimes the jumps were to large.
I rarely read "feelgood" books, this was an easy read, that I started reading because the second book fitted TIOLI challenge #10.
I liked the first two a bit better than the last. With the big jumps in time and the ever increasing number of characters (the 4 friends, their partners, the children and their partners and a next generation with all their loved ones) became a bit much.

book 14: De lange weg naar huis by Patrick Svensson
library, non-fiction, translated from Swedish, English translation The Book of Eels, 253 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Tidying Up, finish a book you started before the New Year (shared read)

A memoir of the writer about his relationship with his father (fishing was important to them both), and a book about eels. Eels have been mysterious to mankind since ancient times. The so called "eel-mystery" still isn't solved completely, scientists have found some about eels through time (a little more about their Japanese cousin), still we don't know exactly where they go to breed, and where the young eels are born.
Sadly eels are in the brink of extinction, and knowing could help to save them.

A good read, both the memoir and the scientific parts about what we DO know about eels.

Dutch title translated: The long way home

book 15: Dankzij de dingen by Rutger Kopland
own, poetry, Dutch, no translations, 39 pages
TIOLI Challenge #19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus

Poetry, originally published in 1989, by well known Dutch poet, a psychatrist who wrote under pseudonym.
He writes about his parents getting older, sufferening from dementia. Hiking in the mountains, and the village where he stays in the mountains
I always enjoy his poems.

Dutch title translated: Thanks to the things

book 16: De Godden broers by Meg Rosoff
library, YA, translated, original title The great Godden, 167 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book that's on some Best of 2021 list

A family spends their holliday on the English coast. A well to do family, who inherited the vacation house. Four siblings, the oldest is the unnamed narrator.
A cousin of their father, Hope, always stays in a small beach house nearby, with her partner Malcolm, an actor.
Then the Godden brothers arrive: handsome Kit, and his younger brother Hugo. Kit goes after the second sibling, Mattie, a beautiful sixteen year old girl. But Kit plays a strange game of attracking and pushing away, flirting with the narrator and others, then returning to Mattie. Their parents miss all the signals, but Hugo knows his brother.

I liked most of the story, but a lot isn't said, only hinted to. The dark feel is very well described, you can feel something will happen long before it does.

Dutch title translated: The Godden brothers

Happy Monday!

You are doing quite well with the TIOLI challenge.

>186 FAMeulstee: The book of eels looks interesting.

>188 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita, happy Monday!
Most months I try to do all TIOLI challenges. Well on my way this month.
The review of The Book of Eels is up at >186 FAMeulstee: now, recommended.

>185 FAMeulstee: Surprising me that this interesting take on WWII stories didn't work better for you, Anita. The elements are all there for it to be deeply involving. But the execution was...wanting...I guess. I certainly wish it hadn't been, not least to spare you that many pages of just-okay reading.

Happy week-ahead's reads!

>191 richardderus: That is why I liked the first two books marginally better, Richard dear.
Because of the structure of the books WWII was done in 4 chapters, so didn't dig deep... The same with the nazi years before the war.
I think Klaus Kordon did a better job with his Trilogie der Wendepunkte, covering the first half of the 20th century in Berlin in a YA trilogy. Sadly not available in English translation.

I started these because the second book fitted a not easy to fill TIOLI challenge. The TIOLI challenges lead me sometimes to teriible books, and sometimes to little unknown gems, and all that is in between. I have come to like this way of reading.

The three books were fast reads, so not much time invested. It is good to read just okay books, it makes me appriciate the really great ones even more :-)

>186 FAMeulstee: Sounds really interesting.

>192 FAMeulstee: The book sounds like a family history, with the focus more on the people, than on history. The Klaus Kordon books sound very good. And it is available in my library!

>193 EllaTim: Yes it was interesting, Ella, I know a lot more about eels now.
Indeed, the books of Die Jahrhundert-Trilogie are more about the four families through time. Klaus Kordon is great writer, sadly he isn't very well known. I hope you get to his books.

>183 FAMeulstee: Anita I love the Children's books! The last year or so i've been reading the Caldecott and Newbery award winners lists. It's brought back some wonderful memories from childhood and I've had some ne w literary adventures along the way.

>195 hredwards: Thank you, Harold, I have read (and own) all the winners of the "Gouden Griffel", the Dutch equivalent of the Newbery. Childrens books were my lifeline in the years I could barely read. I have read some of the Caldecott and Newbery winners, as far as they are available in Dutch translation.
Like you, some bring back childhood memories, and I return to those once in a while. Still keeping up with each years winners to stay up to date with Dutch childrens books.

>4 FAMeulstee: Petersburg by Andrei Bely looks very promising. I have requested it from my library and I will see how it goes. Happy reading in 2022.

>197 brewbooks: Thank you, John.
I tried Petersburg before, but didn't get far because I planned to many books that month. I still hope to read it soon.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#17: Hotel New Hampshire (The Hotel New Hampshire) by John Irving
#18: Laurier en leeuwerik (The Lark and the Laurel; Mantlemass 1) by Barbara Willard
#19: De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters (De Cock 58) by A.C. Baantjer
#20: De loot van de brem (The Sprig of Broom; Mantlemass 2) by Barbara Willard

Reading now:
Benedenwereld : Reizen in de diepe tijd (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
De witte vesting (The White Castle) by Orhan Pamuk
Avontuur Amerika by Cees Nooteboom

>199 FAMeulstee: See that you are really knocking off the books in January, Anita. More than a book a day so far......way to go!

>200 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, I am having a good start this year. Let's see how long it lasts.

book 17: Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
own, translated, original title The Hotel New Hampshire, 490 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book with a "state" in the title

Years ago I saw the movie, and while reading I still saw Jodie Foster in my mind as Franny and Nastassja Kinsky in the bear suit (although Susie looks very different in the book).
The saga of the Berry family runnng un-runable hotels, all called "Hotel New Hampshire", in the USA and Vienna. Swept through tragedy, sorrow and disaster the Berry children try to find their way in life.

Irving got me again in this emotional rollercoaster, from laughing to sadness, his humor keeps the tragedies bearable.

The Dutch title omits the article

book 18: Laurier en leeuwerik by Barbara Willard
own, childrens/YA, translated, original title The Lark and the Laurel, 191 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: It's a Lark! Read a book with the word "Lark" (or some variation thereof) in the title or subtitle

Mantlemass book 1
When King Richard III is defeated, Cecily's father has to leave the country, leaving her with his sister Elizabeth at Mantlemass. It is a big change for Cecily, as she was used to be surrounded by servants, living a noble life. Now she finds herself at the estate of her aunt, where she must help out. It takes some time for her to adapt to her new life. Then she falls in love with the foster son of the neighbor estate, but her father has other plans.

Funny how anticipation works. The first time I read this book, somewhere in the 1990s I guess, I really liked it. Reading it again in 2008 it disappointed, as I had high expectations. Third time around I liked it again, as my expectations were not so high.

The Dutch title omits the articles

book 19: De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters by A.C. Baantjer
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 136 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book by an author whose name has 2 initials or has written at least 22 books

De Cock, book 58
A man is murdered in his house. De Cock and Vledder start their investigation. Two more murders, before they solve the case. The murderer comes out of the blue, as noting pointed to him during the investiagation.

The latest books are getting very formulaic: a murder, two more murders, and the fourth murder is prevented & the perpetrator caught. And in this one the reader never could have guessed the conclusion.
With only 13 (of 71) books left to go, I will probably get to reading them all.

Title translated: De Cock and the death of the Healing Masters

book 20: De loot van de brem by Barbara Willard
own, childrens/YA, translated, original title The Sprig of Broom, 198 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read, or re-read, a work of children's fiction written by a British author or published first in the UK, before 1980

Mantlemass book 2
Mengel Plashet lives with his parents in a little house at the Mantlemass estate. His mother is a wise woman (some call her witch), who helps around with her herbs. His father seems to be an ordinary craftsman, but he has Latin books that he reads. Sometimes wealthy men from London are looking for him. When Mengels father disappears and his mother dies, Mengel is taken in by master Mallory at the big Mantlemass house. He is in love with Mallory's daughter Catherine, but how can the son of a craftsman hope to marry a girl of noble descent?

Looking forward to re-read the next Mantlemass books.

The Dutch title adds an article

>204 FAMeulstee: Wow, he wrote 71 books in the crime series? Impressive stuff.

I'm enjoying reading The Mirror and the Palette really slowly - lots of examples of art to look up on wikipedia. It's only just got to Dada though.

Sweet Thursday, Anita. I am big fan of John Irving, although he has fallen off a bit over the years. I probably read The Hotel New Hampshire back in the '80s. The World According to Garp remains my favorite, although he wrote several other terrific books.

>202 FAMeulstee: I read The Hotel New Hampshire when I was about 18. I was studying English Literature and one day the teacher asked us all to talk about a book we'd read or were reading. One of my classmates talked about this one and it sounded so weird and interesting that I had to get it. I really enjoyed it!

>207 charl08: Yes he did, Charlotte, at first a book a year, later two books a year. After he died an other writer continued the series, but I won't go there.

Your book sounds good, a look at art by women.

>208 msf59: Thank you, Mark, I just entered Friday :-)
Completely understand you are a fan, he is a very good writer. My favorite is the first Irving I have read, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Then I read The World According to Garp last year and now The Hotel New Hampshire. Those three we own, I will look for others in the library.

>209 Sakerfalcon: At that age it was probably a very different experience, Claire. Early reads often make more impression on the reader. It is realy weird, and very sad at times. I was in my twenties when I saw the movie.

I fell deep into the etymological rabbit-hole of "leeuwerik" in >203 FAMeulstee:. Lark sounds nothing like lion in English but "leeuw" actually *is* lion...where did that come from?! Turns out no one knows. Frisian "liurk" gave Old English "lawerce" and they seem to be from Old English and Old Norse contracted compounds, but contracted from what and why aren't attested or traceable.

I was more enthralled by that than anything else all day!

>211 richardderus: Thanks, Richard dear, for sharing your dive into the etymological rabbit-hole.
I love that you go searching for the roots of Dutch words, that are not like you expect. I didn't know either, "lawerce" as origin of both lark and leeuwerik sounds plausable.

Isn't it wonderful this all can be found on the world wide web?

Anita, Facebook has been reminding me that 3 years ago I visited Zwolle and we went to the Chihuly exhibit in Groningen. What a lovely weekend that was! I look forward to being able to make such visits again in the future.
Related to that, while I was there the book Grand Hotel Europa was being promoted at the wonderful bookstore in Zwolle. The English translation will be published in April this year, and I look forward to reading it.

>212 FAMeulstee: Happy Friyay, Anita! Not just on the web...on my actual browser. I have a browser button that takes me directly to the Online Etymological Dictionary, which as you can imagine is very bad for my productivity but very good for my curiosity.

>213 Sakerfalcon: Thanks for the reminder, Claire, we had a lovely day at the Chihuly exhibit. We are looking forward to the museums being open again, as we are still in a partial lockdown.
The publishers did take their time translating Grand Hotel Europa, if I remember well translation rights were already sold over three years ago. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, when you get to it.

>214 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, happy Friday!
A direct link to the Online Etymological Dictionary shows your dedication and curiousity to etymological questions. Still that IS part of the world wide web. I am still in awe I don't need ecyclopedia's and reference books to look up these kind of questions. I know parts of my mind stayed behind in the 20th century ;-)

Just popping in to wish you a wonderful weekend, Anita.

>216 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, wishing you the same!

Weekend orisons, Anita!

>218 richardderus: Thanks, Richard dear, happy weekend, enjoy your readings!

Read, not yet reviewed:
#21: De witte vesting (The White Castle) by Orhan Pamuk
#22: De moeder van Nicolien by J.J. Voskuil
#23: Avontuur Amerika by Cees Nooteboom
#24: Teleurstellen vergt lef (Dare to Disappoint) by Özge Samanci
#25: De overlevenden (The Survivors) by Alex Schulman

Reading now:
Benedenwereld : Reizen in de diepe tijd (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
Witte onschuld (White Innocence) by Gloria Wekker
Viersprong van de schemer (Crossroads of twilight; Wheel of Time 10) by Robert Jordan
De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) by Roy Jacobsen

>184 FAMeulstee: Have you read Stead's When you reach me, Anita? If you haven't, I would recommend that one to you. I enjoyed it quite a bit, bearing in mind that I am decidedly past the target audience's age range!

>221 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, I did read When you reach me back in 2019.

Passing by to wish you a nice Sunday, Anita.

>223 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, wishing you the same.

Happy Sunday!

>225 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, sorry for my late response.
Wishing you a good start in the new week!

book 21: De witte vesting by Orhan Pamuk
library, translated from Turkish, English translation The White Castle, 205 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author

17th century, Turkey. A man from Venice is captured by the Turks and enslaved. After some time in jail he is given to a teacher, Hodja, who looks exactly like him. They are both interested in science, and Hodja learns about western science. They both have trouble with looking like the other, and questions about identity, where they come from, and stories of their youth are exchanged. And there is the sultan who must be served. Hodja starts developing a war machine, that might bring victory to the sultan.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 22: De moeder van Nicolien by J.J. Voskuil
own, Dutch, no translations, 187 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with a specific woman in its title

Maarten Koning is the main character in the writers magnus opus Het Bureau.
In this book the visits to Maarten's mother in law are described. At first large time gaps, but later when demetia slowly shows, Maarten and Nicolien visits are more regular. When she clearly can't take care of herself, Nicolien has to make the harsh decision to put her mother in a care home.

Dutch title translated: The mother of Nicolien

book 23: Avontuur Amerika by Cees Nooteboom
library, e-book, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 303 pages
TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book of adventure, fiction or non-fiction

Cees Nooteboom wrote for various Dutch magazines, in this book all his articles about his travels in the USA between 1957 and 1987.

Dutch title translated: Adventure America

book 24: Teleurstellen vergt lef by Özge Samanci
library, GN, YA, translated, original title Dare to Disappoint, 190 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book written by a Turkish or Turkish born author

Özge Samanci tells about her youth in Turkey in this autobiographical graphic novel. The struggles to get to a good school, going the way your parents think is best for you. The political turmoil in Turkey during those years. And finally finding a way to express herself.

Dutch title translated: Disappointing requires daring

>7 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, Still looking at your Wiki lists. If you were to choose (Nobel/Booker/Pulitzer prizes) which one has the most significance for you? Which one would you return to first for book reading ideas?

Wow, good, good reading here! I'm very glad you're having such a good streak of story-love.

>231 mdoris: At the moment I am reading more by Alan Hollinghurst (Booker Prize 2004 with The Line of Beauty), I have The Sparsholt Affair on the list for next month.
My favorite writers among the Nobel prize winners are Thomas Mann, Roger Martin du Gard, Halldór Laxness, John Steinbeck, and Svetlana Alexievich.

>232 richardderus: Yes, Richard dear, I was very content with my latest reads.

>233 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

Hi, Anita. I also just finished Dare to Disappoint and enjoyed it. The author is currently teaching in Chicago. I loved Underland. I hope you do too. Looking forward to your thoughts on the wonderful The Unseen.

>222 FAMeulstee: I thought you probably had, but figured it was worth the mention.

>227 FAMeulstee: I would like to read more of Pamuk's work since I loved My Name Is Red. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Anita!

>230 FAMeulstee: I enjoyed that one too.

Have a great week!

Lots of great reading over here as always, Anita.

I will try to read something else by Pamuk this year but I cannot decide what that will be as yet.

>234 mdoris: You are welcome, Mary!

>235 msf59: I saw it on your thread, Mark. So nice that Paul's Asia challenge inspired many to read Dare to Disappoint. I love what I have read from Underland, it isn't a book I can read straight away, just little by little. I hope to finish The Unseen tonight.

>236 alcottacre: I could have easily missed it, Stasia, so don't stop mentioning :-)
I even loved Pamuk's Snow a bit more, although it gets more mixed reviews.
As I said to Mark^ so nice many discovered Dare to Disappoint this month!

>237 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, I just keep on reading.
My favorite Pamuk is Snow, but I know others liked it way less than I did.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#25: De overlevenden (The Survivors) by Alex Schulman
#26: Witte onschuld (White Innocence) by Gloria Wekker
#27: Viersprong van de schemer (Crossroads of twilight; Wheel of Time 10) by Robert Jordan
#28: De onzichtbaren (The Unseen) by Roy Jacobsen

Reading now:
Benedenwereld : Reizen in de diepe tijd (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
Petersburg (Petersburg) by Andrej Bely
De voorspelling (Pawn of Prophecy; Belgariad 1) by David Eddings

book 25: De overlevenden by Alex Schulman
library, translated from Swedish, English translation The Survivors, 240 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report

After twenty years the brothers Benjamin, Nils, and Pierre return to the summerhouse next to the lake. They have the ashes of their mother, her last wish was that her ashes should be spread there.
Twenty years ago something terrible happened, and returning brings back memories.
Benjamin tells the story, so we see the past of this disfunctional family through his eyes.

The story is told in a special way. Alternating chapters tell Benjamins memories chronological, the other story line is about the present, but there we go back in time. All coming together at an unexpected final twist. Very good read, I almost went back to read it again.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 26: Witte onschuld by Gloria Wekker
library, e-book, translated, original title White Innocence, 343 pages
TIOLI Challenge #19: Rolling Challenge: Read a Book Starting with the letters from "Two Faced" in honor of Janus

Racism and the consequenses of 400 yaers of colonialism in Dutch culture.
We Dutch like to see ourselves as a nice, small, tolerant nation, where racism is no issue. Yet there is racism and xenophobia all over in our society, pointing out gives very aggresive reactions of (mainly) white men. Gloria Wekker argues that colonialism and slavery do not only affect the descentants of the oppressed and those enslaved, but also the nation who did oppress and enslave.

Academic writing makes it sometimes difficult to read. But the message is an important one, we should stop seeing the white male as the norm, and find ways to talk about our violent past, both in the East Indies and the West Indies.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 27: Viersprong van de schemer by Robert Jordan
library, translated, original title Crossroads of twilight, 704 pages
TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book of adventure, fiction or non-fiction

Wheel of Time book 10
Well nothing much happens again, and that spread over many pages.
According to other readers, the worst should be over after this book.
Only 4 books left to go :-)

English and Dutch title are the same

book 28: De onzichtbaren by Roy Jacobsen
library, translated from Norwegian, English translation The Unseen, 252 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book set in one of the top seven countries from the United Nations 2021 Happiness Report

The Barrøy family lives on their own island at the coast of Norway. They live with the seasons, farming on the island, and fishing in the waters around. The story is (not explicitly) set in the first decades of the 20th century.
Life is harsh, and to come by, other recourses are needed, like a going in winter season fishing on a trawler near the Faroe Islands, or the females going to shore to be a servant for richer people.

English and Dutch title are the same

Hi Anita! Congratulations on 28 book reviews so far this month.

>186 FAMeulstee: Another book we agree completely on. I read this book in September of 2020 and absolutely loved it, also giving it 4 stars.

>241 FAMeulstee: Not surprising at all that there are very aggressive reactions of white men to the accusations of racism and xenophobia. Here is the same.

Happy Wednesday, Anita. Hooray for The Unseen. I do not think the next 2 volumes are available in translation here. Bummer!! The Survivors sounds good too.

>244 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, the reading goes well :-)
The Book of Eels was a fascinating story, I learned a lot about eels.
No not surprising, but surprising to those who still think there is no racism (nor sexism) in our little corner of the world. As always, the ones who need this message probably won't read this book.

>245 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy Wednesday!
The other two are neither available in Dutch, we will have to wait before we can read about the Barrøy family again.
I think you might like The Survivors.

Delurking to say Hi! And congrats on book #28 already -- that's more than a book a day!

Wow...you're going to read all the Wheel of Time...I am amazed. Impressed. Appalled, if I'm honest.

But hey, you do you. *smooch*

Hi Anita! I'm finally getting around to some of the larger threads this year. I see you're keeping up the reading pace.

>247 Berly: Thank you, Kim, hi!
With 8 YA titles it goes fast, and I read a little ahead in Decmber starting 2 January books.

>248 richardderus: Yes I am, Richard dear, call me crazy ;-)
I am nearing the reason why I started: the last 3 books written by Brandon Sanderson. I have loved every book by him. It is hard work to get through the 11 preceding books, and of course I could be disappointed in the end.
The next Wheel of Time book is planned for next month.
*smooch*

>249 humouress: Thank you, Nina, starting better than I did last year.

>250 FAMeulstee: I rather enjoyed the penultimate volume of WoT. The last one really is the Final Battle, and well lots of battle, lots and lots.

>242 FAMeulstee: I agree that Crossroads of Twilight is close to the bottom of the series. I think Sanderson did an admirable job tying up the series.

>251 quondame: Looking forward to it, Susan.

>252 Oberon: Thank you, Erik, well then from here it should go up. The next book (the last by Robert Jordan, I think) is on the February pile.

Hi! I've just came into your thread (which is so well organised, by the way! and I'm amazed by the amount of books you read). For now just wishing you a good year :) (And February, since it's nearby)

Still managing a book a day, I see, Anita and some of them are doorstoppers as well!

>254 zuzaer: Thank you, Zuzaer, and welcome to my thread.
I am lucky as I can spend a lot of time on reading. As you can see in >6 FAMeulstee: it hasn't been always this way, but I am glad I read this much now, and will enjoy as long as it lasts.
I have been following your thread, but hadn't had anything to say yet. Some days it is hard to find the right English words, that is why I write more reviews in a row on good days.
February is near, and I have started to plan my February reads.

>255 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!
I am still reading everything, both in genre and length :-)

>256 FAMeulstee: Easy: look at bookshelf, pick book, read book ... look at bookshelf (rinse and repeat).

I can't plan my reading; when it's time to read a book I'm often not in the right mood. Maybe I like the thrill of the chase :0)

>257 humouress: Only a few of the books come from the bookshelf, Nina.

So my way: look at the new TIOLI challenges... go to mount TBR to look what fits... go to the online catalogue of the library... check if book is available... (if not repeat)... and reserve the book (repeat).
Pick up the books at the library a week later (or download from the e-library immediately) and put on the pile. Write down when the book has to be returned. Pick book from the pile (or the e-reader) in time, and read (and repeat)

The only thing left for impulse is which book from the pile calls to me (considering the due date).

>256 FAMeulstee: It's not a problem, since I'm new here In always happy when someone stops in to see what I've been reading. I understand the language barrier -- although these days I find I speak English, at least its Internet version, almost fluently, sometimes there are words missing too.

>243 FAMeulstee: I loved The Unseen which I read earlier this month. I went on to read the second of the trilogy, White Shadow, which is set during the Nazi occupation of Norway during WW II, when Ingrid is 35, and which I also liked. My library does not have the third volume in the trilogy and I am debating whether to buy it or not.

>260 zuzaer: Glad you found us, Zuzaer, and explore the threads.
There are days I have to look up many words, and other days I can find the English word, but not the Dutch equivalent. My mind has it's own ways ;-)

>261 arubabookwoman: The second book was published in Dutch translation last year, Deborah, it is on my library wishlist. Glad to read you liked it. I expect the third will be published later this year.

>262 FAMeulstee: Don't worry, I have the same problems :) Actually, for the past few months I've had trouble finding words in Polish more times than finding them in English, which is a bit disturbing. Then I try to speak Italian but find that in my head all the basic words were replaced by their equivalent from Portuguese, which I've been trying to learn since the pandemic started! (Too many languages, I think...)

>263 zuzaer: That is a lot of languages!
Besides Dutch and English, I know a little German, enough to get around on holiday. The four years of French classes in highschool were waisted, I know a few words and that is it.

>264 FAMeulstee: I am doing the Duolingo app to try and relearn my French. It has a pretty decent listening and speaking aspect; my reading is still pretty good, but can always use a refresher. My spelling sucks! LOL

Welcome Zuzaer!

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Anita!

>264 FAMeulstee: To be honest, I consider myself fluent only in English and able to somehow hold a conversation in Italian, so that's it in terms of my language list. I still need to work on my Portuguese grammar if I want it to work by the next World Youth Days --- right now I'm on-and-off on Memrise (an app less popular than Duolingo).
I understand your sentiment; I've had three years of German and apart from reciting the declension of sein and maybe some school rhyme I'm not able to say anything. (But the grammar structures helped me with Italian.) That is something I'd like to change, some day.

>265 Berly: That is good, Kim, that Duolingo works for you.
I am no longer trying to learn other languages. I keep my readings in Dutch, and my interactions on LT in English ;-)

>266 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, the same to you!

>267 zuzaer: And of course you are fluent in Polish, so that is three languages ;-)
German is fairly close to Dutch, so that was much easier to learn than French for me.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#29: Petersburg (Petersburg) by Andrej Bely
#30: De voorspelling (Pawn of Prophecy; Belgariad 1) by David Eddings

Reading now:
Benedenwereld : Reizen in de diepe tijd (Underland: A Deep Time Journey) by Robert Macfarlane
De rode prins (The Red Prince) by Timothy Snyder
Een koude wind (A Cold Wind Blowing; Mantlemass 3) by Barbara Willard

All the language talk is interesting. I can chip in with some Bahasa Melayu if it helps at all?!

Have a great weekend, Anita
or
Selamat hari minggu.

Happy Saturday or Gelukkige Zaterdag, Anita! Have a great weekend and enjoy those books.

>270 PaulCranswick: >268 FAMeulstee: Well, in the old schooldays, me and my friends used to try and learn counting to ten in as many languages as possible. I think we've had at least ten languages, with the one more "exotic" (back then) being Japanese.

>270 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, selamat hari minggu :-)

>271 msf59: Thanks, Mark, happy weekend! You'll be on your way to Costa Rica soon :-)

>272 zuzaer: What fun, Zuzaer, I never thought of doing that.

Happy Saturday's reads, Anita...I've finally wrestled The Vanished Collection to the ground and posted its review.

>263 zuzaer: No such thing as too many languages, except maybe as a temporary inconvenience while learning.

That said, I speak only one well, but can butcher 2 or 3 others. I look up to those who know more, or learn any beyond their birth language to a decent level.

>272 zuzaer: The world is small isn't it?! Used to play that game too and still occasionally inflict it upon my poor staff.

>275 ArlieS: Butchery is fine, Arlie, it is only really the Parisians who take offence at people not having perfectly mastered "their" language.

>274 richardderus: Happy Sunday, Riachard dear!
I always like your reviews, although most books you read are not available in Dutch translation.

>275 ArlieS: Languages are not my strength, Arlie, although we all learned 3 foreign languages (English, French, German) in higschool over here. Only English is required until the last year.

>276 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, not only Parisians, I have encountered the same in some other places in France.
Although I have heard it is as bas as it once was, even in Paris ;-)

>275 ArlieS: My dad once knew a woman who thought it was only polite to be able to say a few sentences in the language of the country she travelled to (I think she was a language genius) and was able to become decent on a phrase-book level during a plane flight... Now that's impressive!
But I agree, being able to speak fluently a foreign language is a huge advantage today. (Since I started learning Latin I'm even more impressed people who try learning languages that have declensions, a very hard thing to learn if not encountered naturally as a child).

I've no idea if it's still true, but the further South one went in 20th-century France the more encouraging the people become about your attempts to speak the language. My sister Winter used to say it was because they were still miffed about the de-Occitanizing Northerners lording it over them.

>278 zuzaer: My husband is much better with languages than I am. He also picks up accents easily. He won't be going through a phrase book in such a short time.

>279 richardderus: Not everywhere in Southern parts of France, Richard dear, parts of the Côte d'Azur were almost as bad. Except for those who needed tourists for their living.
I have only briefly visited Occitanie once, so I can't say anything about that part of France.

I'm currently learning French at an intermediate level. We are planning to visit France this summer, Covid permitting, and I will finally get a chance to practise. I haven't been to France since 2011, although we did speak a little French in the north of Portugal as we found that more people we encountered spoke French than English. I'm also doing a beginner class in Welsh.

>281 SandDune: How nice learning both French and Welsh, Rhian. I do hope you can visit France in summer, we hope to visit Kassel (Germany) in June.
The last time we were in France was also in 2011 :-)

>240 FAMeulstee: Very good read, I almost went back to read it again. Definitely an indication it is a great book. I am going to have to see if I can get my hands on a copy!

>242 FAMeulstee: I lost my patience with that series pretty quickly. Sounds like I made the right decision (at least for me).

>243 FAMeulstee: I have not heard of that one before. Another one for the BlackHole.

Have a wonderful week, Anita!

>283 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, I hope you feel better by now.
I hope you can find copies of The Survivors and The Unseen, the last one is the first in a trilogy.
You are probably right not to continue Wheel of Time, I got too far into the series to stop now ;-)

When I was learning French at school we did a short trip to Paris as a class. I tried to buy some stamps (timbres) but the shopkeeper teased me and asked my why I wanted tombs (tombes); I was quite embarrassed at the time but it made the pronunciation of the letter 'i' stick in my head.

I had a better experience years later when we visited Paris when my eldest was a toddler in a stroller and I needed to wrestle it onto a bus. I was quite impressed that my (by then) rusty French held up enough to get me to where I wanted to go - but I suspect that the bus driver sympathised with me.

>285 humouress: That was no fun, Nina, being treated that way. Glad you had a better experience later.

I remember standing at least 15 minutes in the que at the post office in Trento, Italy, with my friend -- back then I didn't know a word in Italian but we managed to make a sentence "Do you speak English?" and we were crushed the lady said "no"... In hindsight, we should've looked for words "stamps" etc. in our dictionaries.

>287 zuzaer: Over here there are handy little books with all those kind of words, and short sentences, in foreign languages. I always forget to take with me abroad.