Anita (FAMeulstee) goes there where the books take her in 2021 (4)

Welcome to my fourth 2021 thread!

I am Anita Meulstee (58), married with Frank (59) 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 year 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.
--

Pets in my life

I always wanted a dog, but my parents didn't. So I started walking dogs for others.
There were many through the years. Three of them I walked every day for some years.
From left to right: Marco, an Irish Setter; Shannon, a Border Collie; Bobo, a Kuvasz.
  

This way I learned a lot about dogs and different breeds. Also I silently hoped, by showing my parents I was dedicated enough to walk with a dog every day, I would get a dog of my own. It didn't work, so I had to wait until I moved out.
Bobo stayed we me regular, when I lived on my own. She was a great dog, the first of many dogs who took care of me.
--

Walking
Our local walking project: walking the dikes that surround the Flevopolder, the largest artificial island of the world.

About once a week we go by car to the place where we ended the previous time. We walk about 3 km (and back), the total distance is about 142 km, and we have walked nearly 118 km now.
Left: the province Flevoland (red) is in the middle of our country.
Right: Map of the Flevopolder, the red line is the part that we have walked until now.
The blue line is the Knardijk, the first constructed dike. We did this dike by bike in August 2020.
 

total books read in 2021: 86
17 own / 69 library

total pages read in 2021: 25.878

--
currently reading:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 (2/3) translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages, started 01-01-2021
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli, 782 pages, started 2021-02-01
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne, 1557 pages

e-book: De eerste wandelaar by Flip van Doorn, 463 pages
De vermiste prins (The Missing Prince, Rangers Apprentice 15) by John Flanagan, 301 pages, TIOLI #15

--
books read in April 2021 (32 books, 9.247 pages, 12 own / 20 library)
book 55: De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer, 140 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 55)
book 56: Wachten op het donker (The Night is for Hunting, Tomorrow 6) by John Marsden, 304 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 56)
book 57: Een andere kant van vrijheid (The Other side of Dawn, Tomorrow 7) by John Marsden, 366 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 58)
book 58: Oeroeg (The Black Lake) by Hella Haasse, 79 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 60)
book 59: De duivelse droom (The Devil's novice) by Ellis Peters, 202 pages, TIOLI #14 (msg 61)
book 60: De man die kon rekenen (The Man Who Counted) by Malba Tahan, 263 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 62)
book 61: Zondeval (The Hanging Valley, Inspector Banks 4) by Peter Robinson, 269 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 71)
book 62: Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo, 493 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 72)
book 63: Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbijgaan (Old People and The Things That Pass) by Louis Couperus, 256 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 73)
book 64: Over liefde en over niets anders by Toon Tellegen, 61 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 74)
book 65: Jheronimus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink, 192 pages, TIOLI #18 (msg 90)
book 66: Drie dingen over Elsie (Three Things About Elsie) by Joanna Cannon, 352 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 91)
book 67: De waarheid over honden (The Truth about Dogs) by Stephen Budiansky, 248 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 92)
book 68: De naam van mijn vader by Rindert Kromhout, 251 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 93)
book 69: De vriend (The friend) by Sigrid Nunez, 223 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 94)
book 70: De vergelding (The dark vineyard) by Martin Walker, 335 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 95)
book 71: De drie musketiers (The Three Musketeers) by Alexandre Dumas, 719 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 111)
book 72: Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl, 95 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 112)
book 73: Alles tegen (Odds Against) by Dick Francis, 282 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 113)
book 74: Het jaar van de tuinier (The Gardener's Year) by Karel Čapek, 152 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 114)
book 75: Winnetou (Winnetou) by Karl May, 452 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 123)
book 76: Verloren woorden (The lost words) by Robert Macfarlane, 132 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 167)
book 77: Smalle paden (Thin Paths) by Julia Blackburn, 302 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 168)
book 78: Foon by Marente de Moor, 319 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 175)
book 79: Archief van verloren kinderen (Lost Children Archive) by Valeria Luiselli, 437 pages, TIOLI #17 (msg 177)
book 80: De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba (The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba) by Beppe Fenoglio, 182 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 178)
book 81: Tussen Orinoco en Amazone (In Trouble Again) by Redmond O'Hanlon, 333 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 181)
book 82: Afscheid van Berlijn (Goodbye to Berlin) by Christopher Isherwood, 241 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 183)
book 83: Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults In The Room) by Yanis Varoufakis, 640 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 184)
book 84: De Schotse marsen (The Marches) by Rory Stewart, 411 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 185)
book 85: De heilige Rita (The Blessed Rita) by Tommy Wieringa, 286 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 194)
book 86: De jaren (The Years) by Annie Ernaux, 229 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 195)

April 2021 reading plans
Ideeën by Mutatuli, 3846 pages (1252/3846)
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages
e-book: De essays (The Complete Essays) - Michel de Montaigne, 1557 pages (e-library 9/5)

TIOLI April 2021
#1: Read a book whose spine contains either the author's full name and/or the full title in white letters on a black background
- Wachten op het donker (The Night is for Hunting, Tomorrow 6) - John Marsden, 304 pages (library)
- Een andere kant van vrijheid (The Other side of Dawn, Tomorrow 7) - John Marsden, 366 pages (library)
#2: Read a book whose title includes a woman's name
- De heilige Rita (The Blessed Rita) - Tommy Wieringa, 286 pages
- Leon & Juliette - Annejet van der Zijl, 95 pages
#3: Read a book with a title containing at least 3 words that start with the same letter
- Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbijgaan (Old People and The Things That Pass) - Louis Couperus, 256 pages
- De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba (The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba) - Beppe Fenoglio, 182 pages
#4: Read a book whose author's name contains the name of an animal or bird
- De vergelding (The dark vineyard) - Martin Walker, 335 pages (library)
#5: Read a book with one of true, useful or kind or a synonym in the title or author's name
- De waarheid over honden (The Truth about Dogs) - Stephen Budiansky, 248 pages
#6: Read a book in which someone does math or statistics
- De man die kon rekenen (The Man Who Counted) - Malba Tahan, 263 pages (e-library)
#7: Read a book or work with a two word title in the format "The ----"
- De Schotse marsen (The Marches) - Rory Stewart, 411 pages (library)
- De vriend (The friend) - Sigrid Nunez, 223 pages (library)
- De jaren (The Years) - Annie Ernaux, 229 pages
#8: Rolling Challenge - Based on the Number of Words in the Title
- Smalle paden (Thin Paths) - Julia Blackburn, 303 pages (library)
- De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer, 140 pages (e-library)
#9: April Challenge - Read a book with a title word or author name beginning with one of the letters in the word "April"
- Alles tegen (Odds Against) - Dick Francis, 282 pages
- Afscheid van Berlijn (Goodbye to Berlin) - Christopher Isherwood, 241 pages (library)
#10: Read a book for the April CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge
- De naam van mijn vader - Rindert Kromhout, 251 pages (library)
- Tussen Orinoco en Amazone (In Trouble Again) - Redmond O'Hanlon, 333 pages
#11: Read a book listed for an award or on a recommended list to promote/improve representation
- Drie dingen over Elsie (Three Things About Elsie) - Joanna Cannon, 352 pages (e-library)
#12: Read a book with an epilogue which includes a word from the title
- Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) - Bernardine Evaristo, 493 pages (library)
- Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults In The Room) - Yanis Varoufakis, 640 pages (e-library)
#13: Read a book from the “Elevenses” list found on LibraryThing
- De drie musketiers (The Three Musketeers) - Alexandre Dumas, 719 pages (library)
- Winnetou (Winnetou) - Karl May, 452 pages
#14: Read a book by an author whose first name starts with a vowel
- De duivelse droom (The Devil's novice) - Ellis Peters, 202 pages (library)
#15: Read a book where the title has an odd number of words
- Foon - Marente de Moor, 319 pages (e-library)
- Het jaar van de tuinier (The Gardener's Year) - Karel Čapek, 152 pages (library)
- Zondeval (The Hanging Valley, Inspector Banks 4) - Peter Robinson, 269 pages (e-library)
#16: Read a book of poetry by an author who also writes prose
- Over liefde en over niets anders - Toon Tellegen, 61 pages
#17: Read a book or two with a shared title word
- Oeroeg (The Black Lake) - Hella Haasse, 79 pages
- Archief van verloren kinderen (Lost Children Archive) - Valeria Luiselli, 437 pages (library)
- Verloren woorden (The lost words) - Robert Macfarlane, 132 pages (library)
#18: After sharing Madeleines and coffee, use a dishwasher
- Jheronimus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) - Matthijs Ilsink, 192 pages

Reading plans in 2021
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.

--
Some big tomes I might read in 2021:
Ideeën (1-7) by Multatuli, 3846 pages
Man zonder eigenschappen (The man without qualities) by Robert Musil, 1785 pages
De razende Roeland (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto, 1783 pages
Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl) by Uwe Johnson, 1596 pages
De essays (The complete essays) by Michel de Montaigne, 1557 pages
De kracht van Atlantis (Atlas shrugged) by Ayn Rand, 1373 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages
Luitenant-kolonel 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

Totals since 2008:

Books read in Januari
book 1: Bankier (Banker) by Dick Francis
book 2: Ik kom terug by Adriaan van Dis
book 3: De kille maagd (The Virgin in the Ice; Cadfael 6) by Ellis Peters
book 4: 1177 v.Chr. : het einde van de beschaving (1177 BCE: The Year Civilization Collapsed) by Eric H. Cline
book 5: De dood in Rome (Death in Rome) by Wolfgang Koeppen
book 6: De laatste dag by Beppe Fenoglio
book 7: Wie vlucht en wie blijft (Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; Neapolitan Novels 3) by Elelna Ferrante
book 8: Het onbekende kind (The golden egg; Brunetti 22) by Donna Leon
book 9: Treindromen (Train Dreams) by Denis Johnson
book 10: Angstige mensen (Anxious people) by Fredrik Backman
book 11: Boven water (Konráð 2) by Arnaldur Indriðason
book 12: De tocht van de tienduizend (The Anabasis) by Xenofon
book 13: De levende berg (The Living Mountain) by Nan Shepherd
book 14: Het Rosie resultaat (The Rosie result) by Graeme Simsion
book 15: De nachtstemmer by Maarten 't Hart
book 16: Reis door de Oriënt by Gustave Flaubert
book 17: Gewaagd leven by Astrid Roemer, 239 pages
book 18: Ideeën van Multatuli. Tweede bundel by Mutatuli

Books read in Februari
book 19: Morgen toen de oorlog begon (Tomorrow, when the war began; Tomorrow 1) by John Marsden
book 20: Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 4) by Elelna Ferrante
book 21: Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht (On trails : an exploration) by Robert Moor
book 22: Tegenstroom (A Necessary End, Inspector Banks 3) by Peter Robinson
book 23: Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves
book 24: Veranderingen (Change) by Mo Yan
book 25: Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night) by John Marsden
book 26: Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
book 27: Kindertijd (Childhood) by Tove Ditlevsen
book 28: Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind) by Nicci French
book 29: Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
book 30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl
book 31: Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison
book 32: Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer
book 33: Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors
book 34: Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel
book 35: Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes
book 36: Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen
book 37: Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid (House of Splendid Isolation) by Edna O'Brien
book 38: Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) by Tove Ditlevsen

books read in March
book 39: Een kroon van zwaarden (A Crown of Swords, Wheel of Time 7) by Robert Jordan
book 40: Een kille dageraad (A Killing Frost, Tomorrow 3) by John Marsden
book 41: De avond valt (Darkness, Be My Friend, Tomorrow 4) by John Marsden
book 42: Butcher's Crossing (Butcher's Crossing) by John Williams
book 43: Ik ben er even niet (I'm Off Then) by Hape Kerkeling
book 44: Bergje by Bregje Hofstede
book 45: Bezoek van de knokploeg (A Visit from the Goon Squad) by Jennifer Egan
book 46: Confrontaties by Simone Atangana Bekono
book 47: Het uur van de wraak (Burning for Revenge, Tomorrow 5) by John Marsden
book 48: Wandelparadijs Nederland: te voet door alle provincies by John Jansen van Galen
book 49: Tussen de regels (By its cover, Brunetti 23) by Donna Leon
book 50: Christus kwam niet verder dan Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli) by Carlo Levi
book 51: De omweg naar Santiago (Roads to Santiago) by Cees Nooteboom
book 52: Camino (Two steps forward) by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist
book 53: Kameleon, ahoy! by H. de Roos
book 54: Groene Heinrich by Gottfried Keller

Monthly statistics
January: 18 books / 5.137 pages / 165,7 ppd
February: 20 books / 5.689 pages / 203,2 ppd
March: 16 books / 5.805 pages / 187,3 ppd

--
Previous threads in 2021
book 1 - 18: thread 1
book 19 - 38: thread 2
book 39 - 54: thread 3

--
My reading in previous years
2008: 130 books - 35.152 pages (96,0 ppd)
2009:   78 books - 21.470 pages (58,8 ppd)
2010: 121 books - 38.119 pages (104,4 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)

--
Lists on my WikiThing
My best books by year list.
My Five star reads.
The books by Nobel prize winners I have read

Working on: Booker prize winners; Dutch prize winners

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; 23 When the Music's Over (not translated); 24 Sleeping in the Ground (not translated); 25 Careless Love (not translated); 26 Many Rivers to Cross (not translated)

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr 6/12
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 11/20
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 54/70

Frieda Klein by Nicci French 5/8
1 Blauwe maandag; 2 Dinsdag is voorbij; 3 Wachten op woensdag; 4 Donderdagskinderen; 5 Denken aan vrijdag; 6 Als het zaterdag wordt; 7 Zondagochtend breekt aan; 8 De dag van de doden

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 22/27
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

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

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

Martin Beck by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö 4/10
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 1/5
1 Een kille rilling; 2 Huivering; 3 Verduistering; 4 Schemering; 5 Weerzin; 6 Afdaling

Op zoek naar de verloren tijd (In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust 4/7
1 De kant van Swann; 2 In de schaduw van meisjes in bloei; 3 De kant van Guermantes; 4 Sodom en Gomorra; 5 De gevangene; 6 De voortvluchtige; 7 De tijd hervonden

Het rad des tijds (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson) 8/16
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; 13.1 Bij gevallen gratie en vaandels; 14 Het licht van weleer

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

1901 Sully Prudhomme
1902 Theodor Mommsen
1903 Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
1904 Frédéric Mistral
1904 José Echegaray y Eizaguirre
1905 Henryk Sienkiewicz
1906 Giosuè Carducci
1907 Rudyard Kipling
1908 Rudolf Christoph Eucken
1909 Selma Lagerlöf
1910 Paul Heyse
1911 Maurice Maeterlinck
1912 Gerhart Hauptmann
1913 Rabindranath Tagore
1915 Romain Rolland
1916 Verner von Heidenstam
1917 Karl Adolph Gjellerup
1917 Henrik Pontoppidan
1919 Carl Spitteler
1920 Knut Hamsun
1921 Anatole France
1922 Jacinto Benavente
1923 William Butler Yeats
1924 Władysław Reymont
1925 George Bernard Shaw
1926 Grazia Deledda
1927 Henri Bergson
1928 Sigrid Undset
1929 Thomas Mann
1930 Sinclair Lewis
1931 Erik Axel Karlfeldt
1932 John Galsworthy
1933 Ivan Boenin
1934 Luigi Pirandello
1936 Eugene O'Neill
1937 Roger Martin du Gard
1938 Pearl S. Buck
1939 Frans Eemil Sillanpää
1944 Johannes Vilhelm Jensen
1945 Gabriela Mistral
1946 Hermann Hesse
1947 André Gide
1948 T.S. Elliot
1949 William Faulkner
1950 Bertrand Russell
1951 Pär Lagerkvist
1952 François Mauriac
1953 Sir Winston Churchill
1954 Ernest Hemingway
1955 Halldór Laxness
1956 Juan Ramón Jiménez
1957 Albert Camus
1958 Boris Pasternak
1959 Salvatore Quasimodo
1960 Saint-John Perse
1961 Ivo Andrić
1962 John Steinbeck
1963 Giorgos Seferis
1964 Jean-Paul Sartre
1965 Michail Sjolochov
1966 Sjmoeël Joseef Agnon
1966 Nelly Sachs
1967 Miguel Ángel Asturias
1968 Yasunari Kawabata
1969 Samuel Beckett
1970 Aleksandr Solzjenitsyn
1971 Pablo Neruda
1972 Heinrich Böll
1973 Patrick White
1974 Eyvind Johnson
1974 Harry Martinson
1975 Eugenio Montale
1976 Saul Bellow
1977 Vincente Aleixandre
1978 Isaac Bashevis Singer
1979 Odysseas Elytis
1980 Czesław Miłosz
1981 Elias Canetti
1982 Gabriel Garciá Márquez
1983 William Golding
1984 Jaroslav Seifert
1985 Claude Simon
1986 Wole Soyinka
1987 Joseph Brodsky
1988 Nagieb Mahfoez
1989 Camilo José Cela
1990 Octavio Paz
1991 Nadine Gordimer
1992 Derek Walcott
1993 Toni Morrison
1994 Kenzaburo Oë
1995 Seamus Heaney
1996 Wisława Szymborska
1997 Dario Fo
1998 José Saramago
1999 Günter Grass
2000 Gao Xingjian
2001 V.S. Naipaul
2002 Imre Kertész
2003 John Maxwell Coetzee
2004 Elfriede Jelinek
2005 Harold Pinter
2006 Orhan Pamuk
2007 Doris Lessing
2008 J.M.G. Le Clézio
2009 Herta Müller
2010 Mario Vargas Llosa
2011 Tomas Tranströmer
2012 Mo Yan
2013 Alice Munro
2014 Patrick Modiano
2015 Svetlana Alexievich
2016 Bob Dylan
2017 Kazuo Ishiguro
2018 Olga Tokarczuk
2019 Peter Handke
2020 Louise Glück

Books acquired in 2021: 13

January (2)
De dood in Rome - Wolfgang Koeppen
Veerman - Emile Verhaeren

February (5)
In weerwil van de woorden - Dimitri Verhulst
Ik wou - Toon Tellegen
Gebroken wit - Astrid Roemer
De melancholie van het verzet - Lásló Krasznahorkai
De reparatie van de wereld - Slobodan Šnajder

March (2)
Olga en haar driekwartsmaten - Astrid Roemer
Alles tegen - Dick Francis

April (4)
Hele verhalen voor een halve soldaat - Benny Lindelauf
Winnetou - Karl May
Bloedgeld - Dick Francis
Brekebeen - Dick Francis

Welcome!

Happy new thread, Anita!

>12 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas!

Happy new thread and new month! I hope it brings you good things.

Happy April, Anita! Happy New Thread! I hope you have a great reading month.

Happy new thread, Anita.

Happy new thread, Anita. I love the dog pics and stories.

>14 Sakerfalcon: Thank you, Claire, wishing you the same.

>15 msf59: Thank you, Mark. I have big reading plans, we will see how it turns out.

>16 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

>17 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, so do I. Dogs have had a huge impact in my life.

Happy new thread, Anita, and a great April of reading to come.

>19 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear, I have a nice pile of books planned this month :-)

Frank got the letter from his employer needed to schedule a vaccination today. He will get his first AstraZeneca shot next week Tuesday :-D
And he will get his second one in June.

Yay!
This is great news for Easter.

>22 SirThomas: Yes it is, Thomas.
Looking at the official website, I probably can get my first shot in May.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Anita my dear, good news that Frank gets his first AZ vaccine shot next Tuesday and like us will get his second shot in June and also glad that you should get your first vaccine shot in May.

>21 FAMeulstee: Glad to read this.

The photos are a lovely way to mark a new thread.

>21 FAMeulstee: >23 FAMeulstee: Happy news re vaccinations :)

Happy new thread! Love the dog pictures and stories. That's a great way to get your dog fix although it's not the same as having one of your own.

That's an amazing walking route! Yesterday I went on a long, long walk with a friend. Definitely the longest I've gone in months. It felt good, it was exactly the right temperature, but I was tired and today I'm sore. A good sore, though. I definitely need to get fitter and stronger.

>24 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

>25 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. We were very happy that the letter came. Frank is among the last healthcare workers who get the vaccine, so nearly everyone in that field has had the opportunity to get a vaccine.

>26 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte, so were we.
I try this year to stick to a theme.

>27 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba.

>28 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. No it is not the same, but at that time it was the best I could get.
Walking the dikes is fun, now we are nearly round, and I have to think about a next walking project. Good for you, already doing a long walk! You will get there, I am sure.

Happy new thread, Anita! Loved your pictures and stories. How clever of you to start walking dogs! The pictures are lovely.

Good for Frank that he will be receiving his first vaccine soon. I'm due for my first in a couple of weeks, but Marc, who is older than me, will be waiting langer. :-(

Happy new thread!

>30 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. I walked dogs for others between my 10th and 19th. Most people were happy if I asked if I could walk their dog.
Yay for vaccinations for all. Why has Marc to wait longer?

>31 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

>23 FAMeulstee: I keep my fingers crossed for you!

>33 SirThomas: Thanks!

--
Read, not yet reviewed
#55: De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer
#56: Wachten op het donker (The Night is for Hunting, Tomorrow 6) by John Marsden
#57: Een andere kant van vrijheid (The Other side of Dawn, Tomorrow 7) by John Marsden

Reading now
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Hieronymus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink
De man die kon rekenen (The Man Who Counted) by Malba Tahan
Oeroeg (The Black Lake) by Hella Haasse

Hi Anita, and happy new thread!

I appreciate the pictures of the pets in your life and love seeing the pictures of you with Marco and Shannon. Thank you so much for sharing!

>21 FAMeulstee: Great news about Frank getting his first dose of the AZ vaccine.

>23 FAMeulstee: I do hope you can get your first one in May. You should both be fully vaccinated by mid-summer.

>35 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, you are very welcome. It was fun to go through my pictures, before scanning these.
We are very happy about it. I hope Frank stays happy after the vaccination, some have bad side effects. He is free all week next week, so he can recuperate before returning to work the weekend after.
That is what I hope for, so we can visit family, without virus worries.

Well, that didn't last long. Today the government decided to pauze the use of the AstraZeneca vaccin until next Wednesday, for everyone below 60 years. Frank is just under 60, so his appointment for next Tuesday was cancelled :-(
We will see what happens next...

>37 FAMeulstee: So disappointing! They are stopping because of rare side-effects. But these only effect women. So why not go on vaccinating men at least? Then Frank would be protected.

I will, i hope, be getting my vaccination on the 19th. Astra Zeneca. I'm not afraid of the possible side effects, as they are so rare. I keep hearing that people are infected, that's a much bigger risk. I am eligible for AZ because i am 64. Marc is 69 and has to wait for the Pfizer. It's so tiring. And Amsterdam is such a junk yard at the moment. Not happy.

>38 EllaTim: There was at least one man with the same side effects, Ella, but I agree they seem to be even less at risk. Why stop again? At Frank's work it is difficult enough to convince his collegues to take the vaccination. After two times pausing, I am sure more of them will refuse to take the AZ vaccine.

I keep my fingers crossed that you get your vaccination on the 19th, and Marc gets his Pfizer soon.
Maybe the colder weather will help to stop the unrest in the cities...

Happy new thread!

>37 FAMeulstee: They did that here in Canada as well. Now we are back into lockdown for at least a month.

Well I hope you have a sunny Easter Weekend.

Love the dog pictures and stories. I don't think I'd ever seen a Kuvasz before, but Bobo looks like a sweet companion!

>40 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.
They stopped using AZ for some days last month, at the same time some other countries did. Then AZ was used again. Yesterday it was stopped for people under 60, as 5 Dutch cases of the rare side-effect were found, with one fatality.
We are still in partial lockdown, or "intelligent lockdown" as our prime minister likes to call it. Cases still rising, although less deaths because most old people are vaccinated.

>41 ursula: Thank you, Ursula.
Kuvasz are livestock guardian dogs from Hungary. She might have looked like a huggable big white Golden Retriever, a stranger could not touch her, except with explicit approval of one of her humans. When Frank moved in with me, Bobo was staying at my place for some weeks. She almost attacked Frank twice, as she thought he should not be so near to me. After some days she accepted Frank as part of her family, and would protect him too.
Kuvasz are great dogs, but not very suitable for urban living. Bobo got sometimes in trouble because of her protective nature.

Happy new, new thread, Anita!

I've not been monitoring the Talk board closely and just cherry-picking the shorter threads to read. I missed you starting your third thread so I've just skimmed through it. I like your pet stories. Best of luck with the vaccine.

happy new thread! Hope the vaccine stuff gets sorted out soon.

Happy new thread, Anita.
I am sorry to hear what a vaccination debacle AZ is leaving in Europe. This vaccine has never been approved here in Switzerland. We have Pfizer and Moderna. Our youngest daughter is severely asthmatic and will receive the first dose on April 14th and the second dose on May 12th. Since March 29, people 65+ can now register. It will be two months before my turn.
Happy Easter.

>43 humouress: Thank you, Nina, more pets in next threads.
We will see what happens with the vaccine. They now stopped the AZ vaccinations completely, even for 60+ year olds. So the target to have everyone having at least the first shot in June won't be made :-(

>44 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda, see my answer to Nina ^.
Frank will probably get his shot soonish, as he works in health care. Not sure which vaccine it will be.

>45 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara.
The AstraZeneca is much debated. Personally I think the benefits outweigh the very small chance on a rare (treatable!) side effect. The Jansssen vacine is also approved, and the first deliveries are expected halfway this month.
Glad your daughter will be vaccinated soon.

Happy New Thread, Anita. The fourth! Wow.

Hope you and Frank are still doing fine.

>42 FAMeulstee: I knew it was a Hungarian dog from the spelling. I love dogs, was a little surprised that I hadn't heard of it. But then, I hadn't heard of the Kangal, the Turkish herding dog, before coming here either.

>46 FAMeulstee: I wish that we had these vaccine problems! Things are ... not really moving here.

>47 connie53: Thank you, Connie, my threads go fast this year.
We are still fine, a bit disappointed about canceling the AstraZeneca vaccinations.

>48 ursula: I was always interested in dog breeds, Ursula, especially all the different LGDs. I thought Kangal was the common name of all Turkish LGDs. Searching the web I found that the Anatolian Shepherd was renamed into Kangal Shepherd Dog a few years back. Thanks for this opportunity to learn!
I am sorry vaccination is not going well at your place, I hope that changes soon.

>49 FAMeulstee: Yes, canceling AZ vaccines was a real disappointment for us too. Now everything is slowed down again by a week. I think Wednesday will be decided if they can start vaccinating again.

>50 connie53: I hope they decide to go on with the AZ vaccinations, Connie. But the damage is already done, people who were in doubt, will probably not take this vaccination now.

Read, not yet reviewed
#55: De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer
#56: Wachten op het donker (The Night is for Hunting, Tomorrow 6) by John Marsden
#57: Een andere kant van vrijheid (The Other side of Dawn, Tomorrow 7) by John Marsden
#58: Oeroeg (The Black Lake) by Hella Haasse
#59: De duivelse droom (The Devil's novice) by Ellis Peters
#60: De man die kon rekenen (The Man Who Counted) by Malba Tahan

Reading now
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Hieronymus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink
Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo
Zondeval (The Hanging Valley, Inspector Banks 4) by Peter Robinson

I think we will only be getting Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as well. Soon, is as far as we have gotten yet with knowing when, which is fine, seeing as we have no community cases.

>53 LovingLit: Tomorrow we will find out if the AZ vaccinations will start again, Megan. Maybe with age restrictions.
Glad there are no cases in your community.

book 55: De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 140 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Rolling Challenge - Based on the Number of Words in the Title

Book 54 in the "De Cock" series, police procedurals set in Amsterdam.
De Cock and Vledder investigate a murdered murdered. The first suspect is also found dead.
As always, good for some mindless diversion.

Title translated: De Cock and the foolish virgins

book 56: Wachten op het donker by John Marsden
library, YA, translated, original title The Night is for Hunting, 304 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book whose spine contains either the author's full name and/or the full title in white letters on a black background

Tomorrow book 6.
Ellie and her friends go on with their attacks against the enemy, who invaded their country.

Dutch title translated: Waiting for the dark

Sorry to hear about the delay on the vaccine, Anita. I have my second one tomorrow: a bit nervous but very glad to be getting it.

book 57: Een andere kant van vrijheid by John Marsden
library, YA, translated, original title The Other side of Dawn, 366 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book whose spine contains either the author's full name and/or the full title in white letters on a black background

Tomorrow book 7.
Nice conclusion to the series, I will miss Ellie and her friends.

Dutch title translated: An other side of freedom

>57 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte, we have to wait and see how things proceed.
I am very happy you will get the second tomorrow!

book 58: Oeroeg by Hella Haasse
own, Dutch, Dutch Canon, Boekenweekgeschenk 1948, English translation The Black Lake, 79 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book or two with a shared title word

Dutch classic.
A Dutch boy grows up on Java, together with an Indonesian boy, Oeroeg. The Dutch boy, who tells the story, has no notion of colonial problems and thinks Oeroeg is his friend, while Oeroeg grows into colonial anger and wants to free his country.

Dutch title translated: Oeroeg

book 59: De duivelse droom by Ellis Peters
library, translated, original title The Devil's novice, 202 pages
TIOLI Challenge #14: Read a book by an author whose first name starts with a vowel

Cadfael, book 6
Meriet Aspley, second son of a lord, comes to Shrewsbury Abbey to become a monk. At night nightmares terror him, troubling the sleep of the other novices. Cadfael questions his vocation, and wonders what the nightmares are about. When a distant relative of the boy goes missing, Cadfael and Hugh Berengar go on search.

Dutch title translated: The devilish dream

book 60: De man die kon rekenen by Malba Tahan
library, e-book, translated from Portugese, English translation The Man Who Counted, 263 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book in which someone does math or statistics

Set in the Middle East, 13th century, the narrator tells about his friend Beremiz Samir (the man who counted) helping others by using his mathemathical insights.

Original way to make mathematics more fun. Also a lot of information about ancient mathematicans. Enjoyable read.

Dutch title translated: The man who could count

Read, not yet reviewed
#61: Zondeval (The Hanging Valley, Inspector Banks 4) by Peter Robinson
#62: Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo

Reading now
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Hieronymus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink
Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbijgaan (Old People and The Things That Pass) by Louis Couperus

Hi Anita!

>60 FAMeulstee: It's been a long time since I read Oeroeg. Bad memory, as my teacher used the book to ask me trick questions at my oral exam. I was nervous enough, I didn't need that. Never read another Haasse.

>63 FAMeulstee: But there you are reading my favourite Couperus. I really love that book. Hope you'll like it as well.

Liked your dog stories. You know a lot about them!

I am so glad they decided to resume the AZ vaccinations. Will Frank be getting his now?

>62 FAMeulstee: Huh...imagine trying to make mathematics not-drudgery. Has anyone ever succeeded in this strange quest?

>65 richardderus: Not for everyone, though my 9th grade math teacher saved some numerical souls with Friday readings from Fantasia Mathematica.
Had I not been offered an algebra problem some years before that just delighted me against all prior evidence that numbers weren't my thing, I think those readings would have opened doors for me.

>62 FAMeulstee: Book bulleted!

I am someone who adores numbers - primarily as a result of my love of statistics but also one of my beefs is the paucity of quality of the younger generation's mental arithmetic. Just as smart phones enable us to store all numbers making it unnecessary to remember them and resulting in a strange situation whereby I remember everyone's number that has not changed since I started logging numbers and nobody's number since, so do calculators erode the average person's faculty for mental arithmetic. I shun calculators for all but the most complicated calculations.

Have a lovely weekend, Anita.

My mathematician husband would argue that math is far from drudgery. :)

But I'm the one better at basic arithmetic in our house, unsurprisingly. A table of mathematicians tends to be a nightmare for figuring out division of bill, tips, etc.

>64 EllaTim: I didn't read Oeroeg in school, Ella, I did read Heren van de thee and Transit in 2018. Next book by Hella Haase wil be Het woud der verwachting. I loved reading until I had to read for the exams. My oral exam Dutch was a disaster, I completely blacked out, and could not remember anything of what I had read. Looking back that was probably my first panick attack.
Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbij gaan, was good, but my favorite is stil Kleine zielen.
They only partly resumed AZ vaccinations: for people between 60 and 65. Frank will be 60 in 7 months, so he won't get it.

>65 richardderus: I like numbers and mathematics, Richard dear, so I can't say if the writer succeeded ;-) But he did a good job mingling mathematical questions into a very readable story.

>66 quondame: I wish I had ever had a teacher like that, Susan. Math was easy until 4th class in highschool, then I lost all connection. Only in my final year I had a good teacher, and I started to like math again, even ended against all expectations with a just good enough result to get my diploma.

>67 PaulCranswick: You and me alike, Paul, as we both know :-)
I always loved statistics, that part kept my grades for math at just enough. I don't have a smartphone, and the phone of my landline looses all memory when the battery goes empty. So I still know the telephone numbers I need. I rarely use calculators, but do use a spreadsheet for my personal reading statistics.

>68 ursula: LOL, of course he would, Ursula. My brother and his wife, both econometrists, would say the same :-)
My husband does all the groceries, so he beats me in calculations by head. He always know what he is supposed to pay at the supermarket, and immediately detects if one of the bargains was billed full price. I lack regular practice to beat him.

book 61: Zondeval by Peter Robinson
library, e-book, translated, original title The Hanging Valley, 269 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book where the title has an odd number of words

Inspector Banks book 4 (re-read).
Near the village Swainshead a decaying corpse is discovered, in a valley above the village. Five years before someone was murdered in the same village, that case was never solved. It takes some time to identify the corpse, as the villagers aren't very helpfull. Inspector Banks travels to Canada and Oxford to solve the murders.

Dutch title translated: Sinfall

book 62: Meisje, vrouw, anders by Bernardine Evaristo
library, translated, Booker Prize 2019, original title Girl, woman, other, 493 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with an epilogue which includes a word from the title

In 12 connected stories we read about 12 girls/women/others in the UK.
I can't find the right words to describe this wonderful read, others have done way better than I ever could.
My first 5* read in 2021.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 63: Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbij gaan by Louis Couperus
own, Dutch, Dutch Canon, English translation Old People and The Things That Pass, 256 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book with a title containing at least 3 words that start with the same letter

Sixty years ago, in the Dutch Indies, something terrible happened. The three people involved, now in their 90s and living in The Hague, have been haunted by it all their lives. They think no one else knows, but nearly all family members of their large families do know, or have a slight, odd feeling something is wrong in their family.

Couperus could write, it is always a pleasure to read his books.

Dutch title translated: Old people, the things that pass

book 64: Over liefde en over niets anders by Toon Tellegen
own, Dutch, poetry, no translations, 61 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book of poetry by an author who also writes prose

Poetry with daily observations and some classical themes: other angles on stories from the bible and Greek mythology.

This was my favorite:

I put a line:
to here
and no further

When I went further
I put a new line
and again

The sun was shining
and I saw people everywhere
hastily and serious
and everyone put a line
everyone went further

Dutch title translated: About love and about nothing else

>72 FAMeulstee: I love that cover Anita. Great book.

The folk at work who teach teachers talk about "maths anxiety": the worry about maths that distracts us from doing well. This makes me feel relieved I am not alone!

Hope that you have great weather for your walks this week. So lovely to see the sunshine here.

>75 charl08: Did you see the "e" in anders (=other) on the cover was printed mirrored, Charlotte?
I found that such a clever detail.

Sorry you feel that way about maths, there should not be such pressure.
I loved numbers from the day I found out about them. I remember filling large old notebooks starting with 1+1=2, 2+2=4, 4+4=8 etc, until I had line-large numbers ;-)

We still have cold and wet weather, but it looks like it will be a bit warmer after the weekend.

>76 FAMeulstee: In grade school we were given sheets of additions, subtractions, etc to fill out in timed tests and I rather liked them because they were do-able which, due to dyslexia, reading wasn't or at least spelling wasn't. I just wish that instead of stopping at 12x12 they went to 16x16 so hex multiplication would have been easier later on.

Happy weekend, Anita!

You have been on a great reading roll.

>73 FAMeulstee: BB for me!

>73 FAMeulstee: Like >78 figsfromthistle: I was book-bulleted, and found a Kindlebook bundle of eight of his works in older translations for $2!

Numbers divorced from reality...weights, lengths, volumes...distress me. Equations panic me, apart from ratios. Oddly, geometry doesn't give me anxiety at anywhere near the same level.

>51 FAMeulstee: Better to be safe than sorry. But now that they've (more or less) cleared it, I hope people won't have an issue taking AZ. BBC WS pointed out that it's easier to store etc. so that it's the easiest one, logistically, for distribution in poorer countries.

>67 PaulCranswick: >70 FAMeulstee: I can empathise. My husband's, mine and our landline numbers have never changed (since I moved to Singapore) and I've even memorised our IC numbers. But (sadly, I know) I haven't learned our sons' mobile numbers. Yet.

I did learn my parents' landline number. And again when they changed. But they change providers (my dad's always looking for a better deal) or move house too often that my brain can't cope any more.

>76 FAMeulstee: Mathematics ambigram:

>73 FAMeulstee: That one was on my reading list for my exam too, just as Oeroeg was. I recently was cleaning out my secretaire and found the list there. The things I've read and never want to think of since then!

>69 FAMeulstee: I have Het Woud der Verwachting ready to be read as well.

Oops, a blackout, I am sorry to hear that, it must have felt awful. I was confused, but managed to struggle through.

I haven't read Kleine Zielen yet. Nor Eline Vere. I think I need more concentration than I have at the moment, I have tried.

Sorry about Frank not being old enough! I wish they'd let people choose for themselves.

>77 quondame: I liked those too, Susan.
Somehow dyslexia made me store all words as pictures in my brain, so I could immediately see if a word was spelled right. It gave me more trouble learning foreign languages.
Yes, hexadecimal would have helped programming computers :-)

>78 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, I am getting back where I was a year ago. I think I am finally back on the right Thyroid dose.
I had a good reading weekend, as Frank had to work both Saturday and Sunday.
I hope you enjoy Old People and The Things That Pass when you get to it.

>79 richardderus: Sorry abstract numbers make you uncomfortable, Richard dear.
You found eight works by Couperus, what are the other works? Enjoy!

>80 humouress: It is about a very rare side-effect, Nina. More chance you get servere complications from COVID. But still people under 60 won't get AZ here, even if they want it :-(
Glad to know I am not alone in this, and you still have some telephone numbers memorised too.
I had to look up "ambigram" to undertand that picture.

>81 connie53: It took me years before I could enjoy Dutch literature, Connie. So I understand your feelings.
Some years ago I started reading some Dutch literature again, and appriciated most of them. It shouldn't be forced upon teenagers.

>82 EllaTim: I have Het woud der verwachting on my library list, Ella. Together with 195 other titles, so I am not sure yet when I will be in the mood.
I had several blackouts in my final year, also during my Chemistry and Math finals. Those went much better second time, as by then I thought I would flunk anyhow. But then I didn't! :-)

Yes, I wish so too. So many people were eagerly waiting for their vaccination and were disappointed when AZ was withdrawn for people under 60.

Read, not yet reviewed
#65: Hieronymus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink
#66: Drie dingen over Elsie (Three Things About Elsie) by Joanna Cannon
#67: De waarheid over honden (The Truth about Dogs) by Stephen Budiansky
#68: De naam van mijn vader by Rindert Kromhout
#69: De vriend (The friend) by Sigrid Nunez

Reading now
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
De vergelding (The dark vineyard) by Martin Walker

Hi, Anita! Hooray for Girl, Woman, Other! Five stars is just about right, for that fantastic read.

>72 FAMeulstee: I loved Girl, Woman, Other as well :)

>86 msf59: Looks like the love for Girl, Woman, Other is wide spread, Mark.

>87 LovingLit: We agree, Megan. At first it was a bit odd, without capitals and interpunction, but then the story grabbed me, and I didn't care anymore.

After finishing book #70: De vergelding (The dark vineyard) by Martin Walker, my total pages since 2008 ticker is at:


(screenshot)

No, I didn't plan ahead. But I did notice when I started reading this book :-)

book 65: Jheronimus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie by Matthijs Ilsink
own, Dutch, English translation Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius, 192 pages
TIOLI Challenge #18: After sharing Madeleines and coffee, use a dishwasher

We visited the Bosch exhibition in April 2016. Reading through the catalog brought back this wonderful experience of the many Bosch paintings we saw that day. The amazing details in the paintings, background and foreground alike.

I miss going out to see some art, reading through this catalogue helped a bit.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 66: Drie dingen over Elsie by Joanna Cannon
library, e-book, translated, original title Three Things About Elsie, 352 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book listed for an award or on a recommended list to promote/improve representation

Florence Claybourne has fallen in her appartment at Cherry Tree. While waiting for help to arrive, she tells about her life, and about best friend Elsie, who lives there too. Recently a new resident remided her so much of someone of the past, she is sure he is not who he pretents to be. Together with Elsie and an other resident she is adament to find out the truth.

I had higher hopes for this book. It was the same when I read The Trouble with Goats and Sheep the story never grabbed me.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 67: De waarheid over honden by Stephen Budiansky
own, translated, original title The truth about dogs, 248 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book with one of true, useful or kind or a synonym in the title or author's name

Based on recent scientific findings, the writer tells a lot about dogs. How dog and man came together, dog behavior, breeding, the trouble dog breeds are facing because of a closed studbook, etc.

Written 20 years ago, most is well known now. Although the trouble with pedigree dogs are still worsening.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 68: De naam van mijn vader by Rindert Kromhout
library, YA, Dutch, no translations, 251 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book for the April CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge

Third and last book of a fictional autobiography by Klaus Mann, writer and son of Thomas Mann.
1945, Klaus travels through Italy as reporter, heading to Germany. He hasn't been there since he had to leave in 1933. His parents went first to Switserland and from there to the USA, where he also lived for some years. No he is wondering what he will find in his defeated country.

Engaging read, Kromhout really brings Klaus Mann and his family alive.

Dutch title translated: The name of my father.

book 69: De vriend by Sigrid Nunez
library, translated, original title The friend, 223 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book or work with a two word title in the format "The ----"

When her mentor and good friend commits suicide, the author gets stuck with his Great Dane. They both grief about their loss.
Meanwhile she tells a lot about her life, her late friend, writing, writers, books, friendship, and academia in an engaging way.

From the blurb I had the impression this book would be mainly about the writer and the dog and their mourning, but that is only a relative small part of it. So I was a bit disappoited.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 70: De vergelding by Martin Walker
library, translated, original title The dark vineyard, 335 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book whose author's name contains the name of an animal or bird

Bruno Courrèges is a policeman in a village in France. He arrives at the scene of a big fire, that is probably set on purpose. Together with the National police he investigates the case.
Meanwhile a very rich American winemaker has set his eyes on the vinyards of the village.

Enjoyable read, I liked Bruno and the villagers.

Dutch title translated: The revenge

Two books enered the house this week:
Hele verhalen voor een halve soldaat - Benny Lindelauf (winner Woutertje Pieterse prijs 2021)
Winnetou - Karl May, just published in new translation

--
I am up to date with my reviews, and reading now:
De drie musketiers (The Three Musketeers) by Alexandre Dumas
Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl

>90 FAMeulstee: Have you been doing the online museum tours? I know a lot of museums around the world put tours online because of the lockdowns.

>92 FAMeulstee: It's a shame that inbreeding should be getting worse when it's been known how bad it is for the dogs for such a long time :0(

>97 humouress: No, I haven't, Nina. I dislike any sound coming from my computer, so the speakers are always off. But I have been wandering through the collections of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I prefer to look online at art I have seen before, and like to see it really close on my screen.

Yes it is a shame. Studbooks started in victorian times, heavy leaning on the then new eugenetic ideas. Sadly over 100 years later most dogbreeders still look at it in the same way :-(
It is one of the reasons I gave up breeding. But there are positive devopments: in some breeds there are dedicated breeders experimenting with outcross, and their 3rd generation descentants are accepted in the studbook again.

Hi Anita!

>37 FAMeulstee: Wow, bad news. Here in the US they’ve just postponed the J&J vaccine for the same reason.

>46 FAMeulstee: I hadn’t heard what we call the J&J vaccine called the Jansssen vaccine.

>89 FAMeulstee: Amazing. 666666. And pleasing to someone who likes numbers (and enjoyed the discussions above) – a six-digit group of 6’s.

>99 karenmarie: Janssen has been owned by J&J since the 60s. It's the subsidiary that did the development research for the vaccine for J&J.

>99 karenmarie: The Janssen (J&J) is also postponed here today, Karen. So there is only Pfizer and Moderna left, vaccination will take longer.
WE call it Janssen, as Janssen was originally a Dutch company. Probably at bit nationalist to hang on the Dutch name.
I was so pleased when I saw I was going to get to 666,666 *big smile*. Chances are nill I ever get to 7,777,777 ;-)

>100 drneutron: And originating & located in the Netherlands, Jim, so for us it is the Dutch part of the company.

>92 FAMeulstee: I live daily with the sad effects of dog breading. The dachshunds and their back problems and now Nutmeg and her breathing issues. I know that breeders have mixed poodles to create new lines which don't cause the allergic reactions that non-poodles do, and would love a dog like a French bulldog or Pug that could breath.

>102 quondame: I know, Susan, and it is sad.

Our last dog was a Pekingese, he had a long back and a short nose. We did breed 5 litters of (smooth) Chow Chows, between 1998 and 2011. We stopped breeding because it got nearly impossible to breed healthy enough to our standards. Our last litters had problems, despite extended health testing.

I know some breeders over here try to improve Frenchies and Pugs with outcross, and I have seen some promishing results.

>83 FAMeulstee: I got:
1. Small Souls (1901)
2. The Later Life (1915)
3. The Twilight of the Souls (1917)
4. Dr. Adriaan (1918)
5. Old People and the Things that Pass (1919)
6. The Hidden Force (1921)
7. The Inevitable (1921)
8. Psyche (1908)
...all in one bundle! I was delighted to get all of The Book of Small Souls most especially.

>104 richardderus: Thanks, Richard, that is a nice haul!

I loved 1-4 best, together those four are The Small Souls tetralogy.
Psyche was one of my favorites in my teens, remember noting about the story, only that I liked it. I might read it again someday.
The Hidden Force is on mount TBR.

>90 FAMeulstee: Hi there, Anita!

I was so happy to see that one of my local libraries has the Hieronymus Bosch book! Looking forward to it.

Karen O.

>106 klobrien2: Bosch was a great artist, Karen.
I hope you will enjoy his paintings in Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius as much as I did.

>104 richardderus: I'm a big fan of Couperus Richard. That's a great haul. Read them all. 'The Book of Small Souls' quartet is my favourite.

>65 richardderus: I think you may have to be born with the kind of personality that likes math. Personally, I love it.

>108 Caroline_McElwee: It will be fascinating, Caroline, and I'm really looking forward to it.

>109 ArlieS: ...me...?

book 71: De drie musketiers by Alexandre Dumas
1001 books, library, translated from French, English translation The Three Musketeers, 719 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book from the “Elevenses” list found on LibraryThing

The adventures of D'Artagnan and the three musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis), fighting for the King and Queen of France in the 17th century.

A bit of a disappointment, I loved The Count of Monte Cristo and I might have had to high expectations for this one.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 72: Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl
own, Dutch, Bookweekgift 2020, no translations, 95 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book whose title includes a woman's name

The story of a Dutch man who went to Charleston, early 19th century. He made his fortune there, and fell in love with a slave, married her and managed to smuggle her (and their children) from Charleston to the Netherlands, despite laws prohibiting slaves to leave South-Carolina.

An interesting family history, larded with the history of Charleston in the years towards the civil war, when laws against slaves and free black people were worsening.

Title translated: Leon & Juliette

book 73: Alles tegen by Dick Francis
own, translated, original title Odds Against, 282 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: April Challenge - Read a book with a title word or author name beginning with one of the letters in the word "April"

Sid Halley was a jockey, until an accident crippled his left hand. Now he is working at a detective agency, although he doesn't do much actual work. Helping out a collegue, he gets shot. After leaving the hospital he is determined to find out who was behind this.

As always a good, wel written story, with a bit more violence then I usually like.

Dutch title translated: All against



--
And with this book I finished a TIOLI sweep (a book read for every challenge this month)

book 74: Het jaar van de tuinier by Karel Čapek
library, translated from Czech, English translation The Gardener's Year, 152 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book where the title has an odd number of words

Humorous look at gardening. The writer describes the 12 months in his garden, the hardships he and his fellow gardeners have to endure to create their perfect garden, and how they always fail.

Recognisable for any gardner, the illustrations by Josef Čapek add to the fun.

Dutch title translated: The year of the gardener

>111 FAMeulstee: It's been a long while since I read The Three Musketeers - or maybe I haven't? I have a feeling that the writing style is a bit old-fashioned. I have it around to read to the kids but even Swallows and Amazons has crawled to a halt, so I'm not sure if it will go down well. I do have The Count of Monte Cristo as well.

Hi Anita! Hope you are having a good weekend.

>114 FAMeulstee: Sounds like i'd enjoy this one.

Imagine reading 666.666 pages! You might get to 1111111, or to 1010101. Those are fun numbers as well.

>115 humouress: I knew the story roughly, Nina, I think I have might have seen a movie or tv-adaption when I was young. The writing style wasn't bad, the story was a bit over the top, and not as enjoyable as I anticipated.'
I have never read Swallows and Amazons. No copy in my local library.

>116 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, all is well here.
Yes, I think you will like The Gardener's Year, I think every reading gardener would.
The largest part of these pages have been read in the last 5 years, so I will pass some other nice numbers in the future. I need some luck to get exactly on such a nice number again.

--
Frank just got a message to make a new appointment for vaccination. He will get Pfizer half May, and the second shot in June.
Hoping this one won't be cancelled.

>117 FAMeulstee: I'm so glad to hear Frank's good vaccination news. It's astounding to me how slowly Europeans are in getting their people fully vaccinated!

Happy new week's reads.

>110 richardderus: Not you, I think. ;-)

>118 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, so are we.
The vaccine supply is slow. Deliveries to the US and UK were faster.
The new policy with AstraZeneca (only used for 60+) also slowed things down. But we will get there, the govenment thinks now that everyone above 18 can have at least a first vaccination half July.

>119 ArlieS: No not Richard, Arlie, but you, me and a few others here do.

Hi Anita! >89 FAMeulstee: Great.

Peet is getting Pfizer too in May and June. I will have to wait a bit longer.

>121 connie53: Thank you, Connie.
It is the same here. I am 10 years younger than you, so I probably have to wait a bit longer.

book 75: Winnetou by Karl May
own, translated from German, English translation Winnetou, 452 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book from the “Elevenses” list found on LibraryThing

In my youth I loved the books by Karl May. Some of the 50 translated paperbacks fell apart, because I had read them again and again. After joining LT I did read them all one more time.

This month a shiny new translation was published, first time an unabridged translation. I had to get and read this book. As always I was taken by the story of Winnetou and Old Shatterhand, with a few parts that were new to me. I am glad I finaly have read the whole story.

English and Dutch title are the same

Anita, they just this morning announced here in my province that they are lowering the age for Astra Zeneca to 40 years old (from the original 55+). The pharmacies are happy as they really don't want to waste any of their supply, which will expire at the end of May.

I received my first shot yesterday (of Pfizer). There are still a lot of inconsistencies here with the vaccine rollout.

>123 FAMeulstee: Karl May! I want someday to read through all the Reiseromane, but keep postponing that challenge. Good to hear the Winnetou holds up.

Talk of Karl May made me smile. Hubby has a huge (complete?) set of hard bound Karl May books that he was given as a child. I can't read them because they're in German and I don't think he could read very well either since he never had German in school (it was spoken at home) but they're a treasured possession and sit atop the bookcase in our bedroom.

>117 FAMeulstee: Good News!

>123 FAMeulstee: This was one of my favorite books of my youth.
I had almost all of Karl May's books on my shelf.

>124 jessibud2: That is good news, Shelley, both you getting your first shot and not spilling AstraZeneca vaccines.

>125 swynn: I must admit not all Karl May books are as good as Winnetou, Steve. Although I liked most Old Shatterhand and Kara Ben Nemsi books. I hope you get to them some day.

>126 RebaRelishesReading: That is lovely, Reba, are the books with a green back?
I had one of those, Ardistan:

I tried to read it in German, as it wasn't translated, but gave up after two pages.
Some Karl May books are available in English translation.

>127 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, we are happy about it.
Nice you have good memories about the Karl May books.
I was very surprised when I first mentioned Karl May in this group, way back in 2008, that he was hardly known in English speaking countries.

Congrats on reading 75 books! # 75 a Karl May book! Wonderful :)

Congrats!

>128 FAMeulstee: They're brown (I think -- not home so I can't go and check and Hubby is sleeping so can't ask). They are quite old and don't have any pictures on the outside, just the title on the spine.

>129 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. I was glad the Karl May book arrived in time to be #75.

>130 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

>131 RebaRelishesReading: I couldn't find them in your catalogue, Reba, so I had to ask.
Completely forgot you are not home (and not taking your whole library with you ;-) ).

Oh and I forgot to metion that I saw a lifer last Sunday: a pair of Gadwalls (in Dutch: krakeenden)


picture by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

>131 RebaRelishesReading:,>132 FAMeulstee: OK, he's up and I finally remembered to ask him. He says they're black and that they do have pictures on the covers although they look more like drawings while yours looks more like a photograph. Goes to show what I know :) I'll have to see about them not being in the library when I get home.

I forgot to congratulate you on reaching the goal because of the joy of Winnetou.
Congratulations on the magic 75, Anita!

>123 FAMeulstee: Congratulations on 75!

Congratulations on your 75th!

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba.

>135 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas. Very understandable, joy about Winnetou surpasses anything else.

>136 humouress: Thank you, Nina.

>137 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

On to the next 75 :-)

Read, not yet reviewed
#76: Verloren woorden (The lost words) by Robert Macfarlane
#77: Smalle paden (Thin Paths) by Julia Blackburn

Reading now
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Archief van verloren kinderen (Lost Children Archive) by Valeria Luiselli
De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba (The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba) by Beppe Fenoglio
Foon by Marente de Moor

Hi Anita my dear on reaching 75 books read again.

>123 FAMeulstee: Congratulations!

>140 johnsimpson: Thank you, John.

>141 richardderus: Thanks, Richard dear!

Hi Anita!

>113 FAMeulstee: So glad you liked Odds Against, although yes, there was much violence including torture. Since the next entry, Bonecrack, is not available in Dutch, have you given any thought to what to read instead? If you let me know, I can add it to the SHARED Read thread and I will read it, too.

>117 FAMeulstee: Fingers crossed that Frank gets his vaccinations on schedule.

>123 FAMeulstee: Congratulations on your first 75 of the year!

>143 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen!
Well, I just found out there IS a Dutch translation, and I ordered it from an online secondhand bookshop. So if all goes well I have it next week :-)

>123 FAMeulstee: Congratulations on 75 reads Anita.

Love the ducks, Anita. I am hoping to get to our local wetland centre soon, now the restrictions are easing, and admire the wildlife.

And congrats on the 75!

>145 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline.

>146 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte.
The female gadwall looks a lot like a female mallard, I realised when I saw the male that it was an other kind of duck, and took a closer look.
I hope you can enjoy watching some wildlife soon.

This winter we discovered gadwalls for the first time nearby, once you know the differences with mallards you see them more and more

>148 EMS_24: Hi Esther, how nice to see a message from you!
We only saw this one pair twice in the canal nearby. Where did you see them?

Congrats on the 75! and on the amazing 666666! You are definitely on a roll!

It looks like it would be possible to see gadwells in my area, too. I wonder if I have seen them and misidentified them as mallards since the females look so similar.

>150 streamsong: The black 'backs' are distinguishing and the males are paler, without the obvious green head. In the Netherlands they are broad winterguests

>150 streamsong: Thank you, Janet, I was lucky to get to exactly that number of pages :-)
It is possible to misidentify the gadwell. I don't think I had seen them before.

>151 EMS_24: Gadwells used to be rare, but numbers are going up fast in the last 20 years. Both breeding pairs and winterguests according to the Sovon website.

Congrats on the lifer and reaching 75 books read!

>133 FAMeulstee: Dunno; they look like ducks to me ;0)

>153 bell7: Thank you, Mary!

>154 humouress: Just so many different kind of ducks, Nina ;-)

Slightly belated congratulations on already reaching 75, Anita.

Have a lovely weekend.

>156 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, on to the next 75 :-)

Happy weekend to you too.

Read, not yet reviewed
#76: Verloren woorden (The lost words) by Robert Macfarlane
#77: Smalle paden (Thin Paths) by Julia Blackburn
#78: Foon by Marente de Moor
#79: Archief van verloren kinderen (Lost Children Archive) by Valeria Luiselli
#80: De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba (The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba) by Beppe Fenoglio

Reading now
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults In The Room) by Yanis Varoufakis
Tussen Orinoco en Amazone (In Trouble Again) by Redmond O'Hanlon

>157 FAMeulstee: & >158 FAMeulstee: Wow and then some!

Congratulations on 75!

Congratulations on #75, Anita!

And reading a new translation of Winnetou. I loved those books as a kid. Not paperbacks but nice old-fashioned hardcovers in the back of the classroom, I was ten years old.
How did you like the new translation?

And Congratulations on seeing that pair of Gadwells. It's true, once you can distinguish them, you see them more and more.

Well done on reaching 75! I've actually been watching my total this year and have been neglecting other's!

Congrats on reading the 75, Anita.

I'm getting my fist Pfizer vaccine next Thursday. Yeah!

>159 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.
I am getting back to the numbers like before July last year.

>160 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda!

>161 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella!
My brother had some of the 50 paperbacks, and I got the others through the years.
The new translation is more mature, nothing left out because children might read it.
I still haven seen any other gadwells, they seem more common in the west of our country.

>162 CDVicarage: Thank you, Kerry!
You are nearly there ;-)

>163 connie53: Thank you, Connie.
Yay, it is great you will get your first shot so soon!

Intrigued to hear how well Verloren woorden (The lost words) by Robert Macfarlane reads in Dutch, Anita. Are Dutch lost words quoted, or lots of explaining of the English ones? And do you think it works?

>165 charl08: I was just going to write my short review on that one, Charlotte.
The words are translated, and so the pages with the loose letters forming the word for the next page are altered to their Dutch equivalent. I think the translator, Bibi Dumon Tak, did a good job. She is a well known Dutch writer of non-ficion books about nature for children. It is a beautiful edition, very large, and nice, thick paper with the beautiful illustrations by Jackie Morris.

ETA: I found a picture of the Magpie page of The Lost Words on Linda's thread (Laytonwoman3rd) in 2019, and it wasn't exactly the same, but had the same feel and meaning.

book 76: Verloren woorden by Robert Macfarlane
library, translated, original title The lost words, 132 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book or two with a shared title word

I had seen a lot of love for this book in our group, so I was glad I could get it from the library.

Macfarlane wrote beautiful poems about words from nature that might get lost for children growing up in the cities. Jackie Morris added beautiful illustrations to them.

So I spend some time with "Kingfisher", "Otter", "Magpie" and others, admiring both the words and the pictures. And started over when I finished, I might do that once more before it returns to the library. It is a lovely book, and I want to say thanks to all who recommended it in the last years.

Dutch title translated: Lost words

book 77: Smalle paden by Julia Blackburn
library, translated, original title Thin Paths, 302 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Rolling Challenge - Based on the Number of Words in the Title

Julia Blackburn went to live inthe small village of Molini di Triora in Liguria, where her husband (Herman Makkink, a Dutch artist) had bought a house. From the blurb on the cover I had the impression the book was about walking. Well, part of it was about the hikes they made, but a large part of the book is about the lives of the inhabitants of the village and their past. And how Julia and Herman are slowly accepted by the community.

Althoug expecting something else, I was touched by the stories of the villagers. Many of their children moved away to the cities, escaping the hard work. The stories from the time before WWII reminded me of Christ Stopped at Eboli, that I read last month. And the stories of the partizans in WWII were similair to those from The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba (review will follow) as they take place in the same region.

English and Dutch title are the same

Hi Anita!

>144 FAMeulstee: Great news about Bonecrack. Here’s the thread, just created: Third Race at the LT Racetrack: Book 3, Bonecrack

>167 FAMeulstee: The lost words is such a beautiful book. Morris and Macfarlane wrote a companion volume which was published in the UK at the end of last year. It's called The lost spells and is much smaller, designed to fit in your pocket so you can take it out with you.

>169 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen, my books should arrive Wednesday.
I have starred the 3rd Dick Francis thread.

>170 Sakerfalcon: Yes, The lost words is beautiful, Claire. The lost spells isn't translated yet, but I am sure it will be soon. I will look out for it.

I also wondered about The Lost Words and if the words would be in Dutch but you answered that, above. I just finished reading The Lost Spells, borrowed from the library and it was also lovely.

Belated congrats on your amazing numbers, Anita.

>172 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley.
It took some time before I could get The lost words from the library, it was well worth the wait.

>167 FAMeulstee: Tempting review! Might buy a copy for my mum's birthday... I've checked it out a couple of times in bookshops, a lovely thing as well as a fascinating read.

Talking of artists, I decided to make up for missing the Artemisa Gentileschi exhibit in London and get some books. Ended up ordering The Mirror and Palette, The Trouble with Women Artists and the graphic history I know what I am: the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi. Am still very tempted by the gallery catalogue for the Gentileschi exhibition but £30!
Looking forward to learning more.

book 78: Foon by Marente de Moor
library, e-book, Dutch, Jan Wolkers prijs 2019, no translations, 319 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book where the title has an odd number of words

Nadja and Lev are the last inhabitants of a village in the Northwest of Russia.
Once they managed the a research institute, after the collaps of the USSR they ran an orphanage for bears, where volunteers from Western countries came to "help". Their two children are estranged. Suddenly the life of Nadja and Lev is stirred up by a strange, loud sound from an unknown source. Nadja tells the story, in bits and pieces, seamingly unconnected at first.

I liked the descriptions of nature, the trees, the animals. I liked the story less, and found the end a bit disappointing.

Dutch title translated: Phone

>174 charl08: That would be a lovely gift, Charlotte.
Looks like a good haul. The Trouble With Woman Artists sounds good, looking forward to your thoughts.

book 79: Archief van verloren kinderen by Valeria Luiselli
library, translated, original title Lost Children Archive, 437 pages
TIOLI Challenge #17: Read a book or two with a shared title word

A family roadtrip from New York to New Mexico. The father is on his way to find out more about the last Apaches, the mother researches the child immigrants from Middle America. The both have a child, traveling with them. Their relationship is slowly falling apart.

I didn't like the mother, she tells the first part of the book. The second part was told by the son, a bit better, but sometimes more mature than a 10 year old could be. The parts about various refugees were compelling.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 80: De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba by Beppe Fenoglio
own, translated from Italian, English translation The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba, 182 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book with a title containing at least 3 words that start with the same letter

This book contains seven stories about resistance in the Northwest region of Italy in WWII and 6 stories from the time just after the war.
The title refers to the days between October 10th, when 2000 partizans got hold on the city of Alba and November 2nd in 1944, when the remaining 200 partizans were defeated. The stories are mainly about the daily life of the partizans. The next stories are about the problems the former partizans, most rather young, have with adapting to "normal" life after the war. One of these stories is a first draft of De laatste dag, that I read last January.

English and Dutch title are the same

Read, not yet reviewed
#81: Tussen Orinoco en Amazone (In Trouble Again) by Redmond O'Hanlon
#82: Afscheid van Berlijn (Goodbye to Berlin) by Christopher Isherwood
#83: Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults In The Room) by Yanis Varoufakis
#84: De Schotse marsen (The Marches) by Rory Stewart

Reading now:
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
De eerste wandelaar by Flip van Doorn
De heilige Rita (The Blessed Rita) by Tommy Wieringa
De vermiste prins (The Missing Prince, Rangers Apprentice 15) by John Flanagan

>167 FAMeulstee: Sounds really good, Anita! I've read some glowing descriptions before.

And hey, maybe the dictionary removed the word 'otter', but a first young otter has recently been born in the Naardermeer, so otters are making their comeback in Holland.

https://www.bnnvara.nl/vroegevogels/artikelen/natuurmonumenten-blij-met-geboorte...

book 81: Tussen Orinoco en Amazone by Redmond O'Hanlon
own, non-fiction, translated, original title In Trouble Again, 333 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book for the April CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge

After his expedition to Borneo (Into the Heart of Borneo), Redmond O'Hanlon travels to Venezuela to visit the Yanomami tribe. There are no roads in the Amazonian jungle, so he travels by boat. He writes about the hardships (many biting and stinging insects, snakes, etc.) of his travel with a lot of (dry English) humor. His descriptions of nature make you feel there yourself.

I love to read travelers books, even more than traveling myself.

Dutch title translated: Between Orinoco and Amazon

>180 EllaTim: Yes it is very good, Ella.
Otters have been spotted over here as well. They were reintroduced in 2002 in Overijssel and slowly making their way through our country. It is great they reached the Naardermeer now :-)

book 82: Afscheid van Berlijn by Christopher Isherwood
1001 books, library, translated, original title Goodbye to Berlin, 241 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: April Challenge - Read a book with a title word or author name beginning with one of the letters in the word "April"

Stories based on the authors own experiences in Berlin in the early 1930s. The lively city life gets slowly overturned by upcomig Nazism.

Compelling read, especially in the light of what happened after Isherwood left Berlin.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 83: Volwassenen onder elkaar by Yanis Varoufakis
library, e-book, translated, original title Adults In The Room, 640 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with an epilogue which includes a word from the title

Yanis Varoufakis was Minister of Finance in Greece in the left-wing Syriza admnistration and tried to lower the Greek burden of debt. In this book he writes about those months in office. His fight with the EU, ECB and IMF, how he hoped to get a better deal for Greece, and most of all for the inhabitants of Greece. Sadly his mission was hopeless and he left Greek politics.

Gripping read, includes the sad story of the decline of European Social-Democrats giving in to harsh neo-liberal politics.

Dutch title translated: Adults among eachother

book 84: De Schotse marsen by Rory Stewart
library, non-fiction, translated, original title The Marches, 411 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book or work with a two word title in the format "The ----"

Rory Stewart walks through the borderland between England and Scotland. Exploring the history, the landscape, the differences between people in the time before the Scottish referendum.
At first he walks some bits together with his father, who has spend most of his working life in the East of the Brittish Empire. Later he does the walking and meets his father at the end of the day, as his father is no longer able to walk with him. Together they talk about Rory's experiences and thoughts.
The last part of the book is about the last days of his fathers life.

Dutch title translated: The Scottish Marches

>184 FAMeulstee: I want to read that book, yes. I liked his previous book very much. I amy not agree with him on everything, but he makes a very important contribution to political debate.

>184 FAMeulstee: What >186 sirfurboy: said, except about the agreeing with everything...I do.

Happy Thursday!

>186 sirfurboy: It was an eye-opening read, Stephen. I liked both books that I read before this one: And the Weak Suffer What They Must? and Talking to My Daughter About the Economy. I do agree with him, austerity is not the solution for the poor.

>187 richardderus: So do I, Richard dear.
I forgot to mention that Bernie Sanders also played a role in the book, he tried to help Varoufakis whenever he could.

>188 FAMeulstee: No argument on that point. Austerity as a policy has failed, and any small gains it made have been utterly obliterated by Covid. Let us hope some sanity returns when we start to think about how to pay the bills we have racked up over the last 13 months.

>189 sirfurboy: It will be interesting to see how post-Covid politics and economics will turn out.

Read, not yet reviewed
#85: De heilige Rita (The Blessed Rita) by Tommy Wieringa
#86: De jaren (The Years) by Annie Ernaux

Reading now:
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
De eerste wandelaar by Flip van Doorn
De vermiste prins (The Missing Prince, Rangers Apprentice 15) by John Flanagan

I hope to finish the last one today, if not it will be my first read in May.

Hi Anita my dear, hope all is well with you and Frank, i am a bit behind on the threads but am slowly catching up.

We are still waiting for Amy to give birth, her due date was yesterday but no sign as yet, oh well it will come when it is good and ready.

I wish you a really lovely weekend my dear and we send love and hugs to you and Frank from both of us dear friend.

>192 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, all is well here.
The weather is still a bit cold and wet, so a lot of reading time for me.
I hope all goes well with Amy when the baby decides to come.
Happy weekend to you and Karen, love and hugs back from me and Frank.

book 85: De heilige Rita by Tommy Wieringa
own, Dutch, Bookspot Literatuurprijs 2018, English translation The Blessed Rita, 286 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book whose title includes a woman's name

Paul Krüzen is 50 years old, and still lives with his dad in a remote village near the German border. His mother left when he was young. His friend Hedwig is the third generation owner of a small grocery in the village. Together the visit the brothel just across the german border, and together they go on holiday. They are not really best friends, but as they are both single, lonely and same age, there are no others left. When Hedwig accidently brags about his riches in the local cafetaria, things take a bad turn.

Tommy Wieringa can write, but somehow this story never really touched me. The sad and lonely life of two single 50+ men from a remote village was not the right read at the right time for me.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 86: De jaren by Annie Ernaux
own, translated from French, English translation The Years, 229 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book or work with a two word title in the format "The ----"

Memoirs of Annie Ernaux mixed with the major changes of life in France from 1941 to 2006.
She writes about her own experiences in third person, that makes the reading more distant. Somehow that worked well for me. She starts each decade with the description of a personal photo, and some personal memories. Then she goes on to the big picture of France during that time: songs, movies, books, politics, womens rights, changing sexual morality etc., sometimes going back to her own experiences during that time.

I am in awe how Ernaux packed 7 decades in 229 pages. Accurate descriptions of changing times, changes in society. From togetherness just after WWII to hyper individual life in 2006.
Great read.

English and Dutch title are the same

April 2021 in numbers

32 books read (9.247 pages, 308,2 pages a day)

own 12 (38 %) / library 20

22 male author / 10 female author
  9 originally written in Dutch / 23 translated into Dutch
25 fiction / 7 non-fiction

32 books in TIOLI Challenges
  6 e-books
  2 1001 books
  5 mystery/police procedural
  4 YA

--
pages:
0 - 100 pages: 3
101 - 200 pages: 5
201 - 300 pages: 11
301 - 400 pages: 7
401 - 500 pages: 4
501 - 999 pages: 2
1000+ pages: 0

longest book 719 pages
shortest book 61 pages
average book 289 pages

--
own books read were on the shelf since:
before 2008: 5
2010: 1
2016: 1
2019: 1
2020: 2
2021: 2

--
date first published:

19th century: 2

20th century
1900s: 1
1920s: 1
1930s: 1
1940s: 2
1950s: 1
1960s: 1
1980s: 3
1990s: 3

21st century
2000s: 4
2010s: 11
2020s: 2

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

--
Best book in April


Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo
De jaren (The Years) by Annie Ernaux

===

walking in April: walked 29 days, 158,3 km; average 5,46 km/a day
e-biking in April: biked 1 day, 27,9 km; average 27,90 km/a day

2021 totals to date:

86 books read (25.878 pages, 215,7 pages a day)

own 17 (20 %) / library 69

57 male author / 29 female author
19 originally written in Dutch / 67 translated into Dutch
63 fiction / 23 non-fiction

86 books in TIOLI Challenges
26 e-books
  9 1001 books (total 192)
  2 Dutch Literary Canon (total 34/125)
10 childrens/YA
12 mystery/police procedural

pages:
0 - 100 pages: 5
101 - 200 pages: 14
201 - 300 pages: 28
301 - 400 pages: 25
401 - 500 pages: 9
501 - 999 pages: 5
1000+ pages: 0

longest book 996 pages
shortest book 61 pages
average book 301 pages

--
own books read were on the shelf since:
before 2008: 7
2010: 1
2015: 1
2016: 2
2019: 2
2020: 2
2021: 2

--
date first published:
4th centry BC: 1
19th century: 4

20th century
1900s: 1
1910s: 1
1920s: 2
1930s: 3
1940s: 3
1950s: 3
1960s: 5
1970s: 3
1980s: 7
1990s: 13

21st century
2000s: 6
2010s: 30
2020s: 4

--
ratings:
  2 x
10 x
30 x
34 x
  9 x
  1 x

===

Walking in 2021: walked 114 days 705,40 km; average 6,19 km a day
e-biking in 2021: biked 6 days 128,8 km; average 21,47 km a day

>197 FAMeulstee: Great stats as always, Anita, but you may want to edit the year......it is now 2021!!

>198 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!
Edited this one AND the two previous months. Can't believe I didn't see it three times in a row...