MissWatson honours a quinceañero – part 2

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MissWatson honours a quinceañero – part 2

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1MissWatson
Editat: juny 28, 2015, 8:59 am

I am pleasantly surprised by how much I have managed to read this year, and I certainly did not anticipate that I would need a second thread. Thank you all for the good company!

My nephew turns fifteen this year. As it happens, he was born on the very day that Gladiator went on general release in Germany. I had the happy news in the morning, and in the evening I watched Maximus in the great arena.

Yes, I know: you can drive a racing chariot through the plot holes, the historical inaccuracies are legion, they couldn't even afford a proper Roman name for him, and yet, and yet...When did our cynical century ever offer such a hero, blessed with all the Roman virtues?

So here is my Gladiator challenge, based on some of my favourite quotes roughly in the order in which they appear in the movie.

2MissWatson
Editat: des. 22, 2015, 9:38 am

The challenge will be a success if I read the same number of books as last year, with a minimum of 2 in each category. I’m not much of a planner, so I haven’t picked out books in advance. But tracking progress is useful, so I will keep my stats here.

I 2/2
II 5/2
III 8/2
IV 2/2
V 8/2
VI 4/2
VII 2/2
VIII 2/2
IX 2/2
X 5/2
XI 4/2
XII 45/36
XIII 10/2
XIV 16/2
XV 2/2

I've also decided to keep track of the pages read in 2015, just for curiosity's sake. Reading 2015 pages per month means 24180 in a year, which is less than I managed in 2014. So I'm aiming for 25000.
January page count: 3876
February page count: 2203
March page count: 3205
April page count: 2160
May page count: 3546
June page count: 2686
July page count: 3008
August page count: 3247
September page count: 2394
October page count: 2941
November page count: 2050



3MissWatson
Editat: juny 28, 2015, 8:57 am

I At my signal, unleash hell.
Category: war, military history

The great battle scene! This takes place almost 250 years after the Battle of the Teutoburg forest, so there's reasonable doubt that the barbarians still attacked in such undisciplined hordes. Which is why one of my books in this category will be Rome and her enemies.

1. Nur noch rauchende Trümmer by Erich Kuby
2. The longest afternoon by Brendan Simms

4MissWatson
Editat: oct. 16, 2015, 8:41 pm

II What we do in life echoes in eternity.
Category: history

My favourite non-fiction genre.

1. Das alte Ägypten by Manfred Clauss
2. Die Johanniter by Jürgen Sarnowsky
3. The Thirty Years War by C. V. Wedgwood
4. Das Reich und die Germanen : Zwischen Antike und Mittelalter by Herwig Wolfram
5. Geschichte des Saarlandes by Wolfgang Behringer and Gabriele Clemens

5MissWatson
Editat: nov. 29, 2015, 1:36 pm

III If only you had been born a man, what a Caesar you would have made.
Category: women authors

A deliberately wide field, giving me lots of room for impulse reading.

1. Shadows on the rock by Willa Cather
2. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
3. Herrn Charreards deutsche Kinder by Josephine Siebe
4. The doctor's wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. Les malheurs de Sophie by Comtesse de Ségur
6. Glück hat seinen Preis by Irina Korschunow
7. Die Muskeltiere auf großer Fahrt by Ute Krause
8. Der Fall Deruga by Ricarda Huch

6MissWatson
Editat: juny 28, 2015, 9:02 am

IV Let us pretend that you are a loving daughter, and I am a good father.
Category: family sagas

Another wide category.

1. Indian summer of a Forsyte by John Galsworthy
2. Deep summer by Gwen Bristow

7MissWatson
Editat: des. 22, 2015, 9:38 am

V You sold me queer giraffes! I want my money back.
Category: economic history

I work in a special library for economics, so I have easy access to some rather eclectic stuff.

1. Fountain of fortune by Richard Von Glahn
2. States of credit by David Stasavage
3. Creating Wine by James Simpson
4. The last great subsistence crisis in the Western world by John D. Post
5. Marco Polo was in China by Hans Ulrich Vogel
6. Dutch primacy in world trade, 1585-1740 by Jonathan I. Israel
7. Die Brandenburgisch-Africanische Compagnie : Ein Handelsunternehmen by Jürgen G. Nagel
8. Africa : why economists get it wrong by Morten Jerven

8MissWatson
Editat: jul. 28, 2015, 9:45 am

VI Who cares? He's a Spaniard!
Category: books written in Spanish, about Spain, by Spanish authors

I want to practise my Spanish, which is getting rusty.

1. Distant tyranny by Regina Grafe
2. Un día después del sábado by Gabriel García Márquez
3. El capitán Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
4. Spain's Golden Fleece by Carla Rahn Phillips

9MissWatson
Editat: jul. 13, 2015, 6:37 am

VII He'll bring them death, and they will love him for it.
Category: book bullets

Last year I took a lot of book bullets that went into the TBR. This year I will try to read them as soon as I get hit.

1. The jewel of seven stars by Bram Stoker. BB from JonHutchings
2. Blind justice by Bruce Alexander. BB from Shutzie27

10MissWatson
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 7:50 am

VIII Are you not entertained?
Category: plays

Plays are something I find difficult to stick with, which is why so many languish on my shelves unfinished.

1. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
2. Der Waldschrat by Anton Čechov

11MissWatson
Editat: oct. 23, 2015, 5:30 am

IX You should see the Colosseum, Spaniard!
Category: travel, geography, monuments, architecture

It wasn't called the Colosseum in those days, of course, but we'll let that pass with all the other historical inaccuracies.

1. Konarka at a glance by Arabinda Chatterjee
2. Wo ungestört der Lenz regiert by Fabian Fröhlich

12MissWatson
Editat: des. 7, 2015, 12:56 pm

X I was the best because the crowd loved me.
Category: Anthony Trollope bicentenary

A prolific and popular writer, still (or again?) widely read. A rather recent discovery for me, so I've got lots of books still ahead of me.

1. The warden
2. The two heroines of Plumplington
3. Barchester Towers
4. Doctor Thorne
5. Framley Parsonage

13MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 4:44 pm

XI On the barren plain of Zama, there stood the invincible armies of the barbarian Hannibal.
Category: fantasy

The first appearance of Proximo's fighters in Rome is a great spectacle. It is also plain wrong from start to finish. The Romans would never have staged a spectacle from their own history, and they would never have dressed the losing side in costumes that look suspiciously like legionary kit. It is pure fantasy, so that's what I'll read here.

1. Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan
2. The sword-edged blonde by Alex Bledsoe
3. Prince of thorns by Mark Lawrence
4. King of thorns by Mark Lawrence

14MissWatson
Editat: des. 19, 2015, 4:44 pm

XII If we stay together, we survive.
Category:group reads and CATs

The group reads last year were much fun and a good opportunity to go treasure-hunting on my own shelves. That's why they get their own category from now on.

1. A transatlantic tunnel, hurrah! by Harry Harrison. January SFF CAT
2. Im Lande Ur by Hans Baumann. January History CAT
3. Götter und Mythen des Alten Orients by Manfred Krebernik. January History CAT
4. Sunset Express by Robert Crais. January Random CAT
5. Deathworld 1 by Harry Harrison. February SFF CAT
6. Deathworld 2 by Harry Harrison. February SFF CAT
7. Deathworld 3 by Harry Harrison. February SFF CAT
8. The man of property by John Galsworthy. February Random CAT
9. Antonina, or The Fall of Rome by Wilkie Collins. February History CAT
10. Longbourn by Jo Baker. March Random CAT
11. Make room! Make room! by Harry Harrison. March SFF CAT
12. Sword song by Rosemary Sutcliff. March History CAT
13. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. March Random CAT
14. The brigand by Edgar Wallace. April Random CAT
15. The Queen's Man by Sharon Penman. April History CAT
16. The hound of Ulster by Rosemary Sutcliff. April SFF CAT
17. Rimrunners by C.J. Cherryh. May SFF CAT
18. Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell. May History and Random CAT
19. Three men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome. June Random CAT
20. The thirty-nine steps by John Buchan. June group read
21. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. June SFF CAT
22. The great siege by Ernle Bradford. June History CAT
23. Aurora Floyd by M.E.Braddon. July Random CAT
24. Les lames du Cardinal by Pierre Pevel. July History and SFF CAT
25. The Prince and the Infanta by Glyn Redworth. July History CAT
26. Hundstage by Frank Goyke. August Random CAT
27. Pure by Andrew Miller. August History CAT
28. Captive universe by Harry Harrison. August SFF CAT
29. Verbrannte Erde by Benjamin Richter. August History CAT
30. Der schwedische Reiter by Leo Perutz. August History CAT
31. Les pilotes de l'Iroise by Édouard Corbière. September History CAT
32. Der Meister des Jüngsten Tages by Leo Perutz. September SFF CAT
33. Nebelheim by Stephan Puchner. September Random CAT
34. Zastrozzi and St. Irvyne by P. B. Shelley. September History CAT
35. The old English Baron by Clara Reeve. October SFF CAT
36. Vathek : conte arabe by William Beckford. October SFF CAT
37. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. October SFF CAT
38. Louis XIV artiste by Philippe Beaussant. October Random CAT
39. Seide by Alessandro Baricco. October History CAT
40. The merchants of Moscow. November Random CAT
41. Emperor of thorns. November SFF CAT
42. Im Westen nichts Neues November History CAT
43. Im Nachbarhause links December Random CAT
44. Redshirts December SFF CAT
45. The water is wide December History CAT

15MissWatson
Editat: ag. 13, 2015, 4:12 am

XIII He must kill your name before he kills you.
Category: mysteries

Rome's imperial families are snakepits of betrayal, murder and mayhem, so this is the category for mysteries and spy thrillers.

1. The silkworm by Robert Galbraith
2. Indigo Slam by Robert Crais
3. Sayonara, Bulle by Carsten Germis
4. The innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
5. Kälberstrick by Gerd Friederich
6. The weed that strings the hangman's bag by Alan Bradley
7. Mädchenware by Norbert Horst
8. Sichelhenke by Gerd Friederich
9. Maigret et la vieille dame by Georges Simenon
10. Tod dem König by Gerd Friederich

16MissWatson
Editat: des. 13, 2015, 7:10 am

XIV Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.
Category: read it while you can

My Kairos category: seize opportunity by the forelock. Anything that catches my fancy goes here.

1. Der Liedermacher by Justus Stinde
2. The uncommon reader by Alan Bennett
3. Nero Corleone by Elke Heidenreich
4. Sorry, wir haben uns verfahren by Stephan Orth and Antje Blinda
5. Rose, Linde und Silberner Stern by Josephine Siebe
6. Anatole by Eve Titus
7. L'étranger by Albert Camus
8. Lone in Italien by Poul Nörgaard
9. Stuart Little by E.B.White
10. Die Junker by Burghart von Bülow
11. The dealings of Captain Sharkey and other tales of pirates by A. C. Doyle
12. The pirate by Walter Scott
13. Turlupin by Leo Perutz
14. The castle of Otranto by Hugh Walpole
15. Maria, ihm schmeckt's nicht! by Jan Weiler
16. La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils

17MissWatson
Editat: set. 10, 2015, 1:36 pm

XV He was a soldier of Rome. Honour him.
Category: biography

Biography is a genre I rarely visit. I'm trying to broaden my horizons. Let's see how far I get with this.

1. Philipp II. by Manfred Vasold
2. Türkenlouis by Otto Flake

18MissWatson
Editat: nov. 15, 2015, 6:35 pm

Bonus Category: The Bingo Dog

1. A book set in a country other than your own Walpurgisnacht
2. A book that is a genre bender The sword-edged blonde
3. A book that reminds you of your childhood Aruna
4. A book chosen by someone else Kälberstrick
5. A book where an animal is of importance Flora & Ulysses
6. A book with correspondence or letters Frankenstein
7. A book you've owned for more than a year The man of property
8. A book translated from a language you don't speak Sterne von Eger
9. A book centred around a major historical event The longest afternoon
10. A book published in 1915 The thirty-nine steps
11. A book where prophecies or portents are part of the plot Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
12. A book with scientists Die Elemente
13. Read a CAT Pure
14. A book whose author shares an ancestor's first name Distant tyranny
15. A book with a natural disaster The last great subsistence crisis in the Western world
16. A book with a mythical creature Emperor of thorns
17. A book with an LGBTQ main character Der Tod in Venedig
18. A book by an LT author Prince of thorns
19. A book about language So spricht und feiert Schleswig-Holstein
20. A book that is completely outside of your comfort zone Verbrechen
21. A book about autism The Rosie Project
22. A book inspired by another piece of fiction Die Nebel des Morgens
23. A book on a subject you're unfamiliar with The great siege
24. A book based on a fairy tale or myth The hound of Ulster
25. A book with a protagonist of the opposite gender Sayonara, Bulle

Overlap with other categories is allowed in the Bingo Dog.

I have also decided to take the plunge and experiment with the wonderful Bingo Cards made by LShelby and Paws:

19MissWatson
juny 28, 2015, 9:14 am

Welcome back in my arena!

20rabbitprincess
juny 28, 2015, 9:51 am

Salve! Happy new thread!

21lkernagh
juny 28, 2015, 11:57 am

Happy new thread!

22-Eva-
juny 28, 2015, 6:44 pm

Hurrah on new thread!

23Chrischi_HH
juny 29, 2015, 5:57 am

Happy new thread! Really great progress!

24MissWatson
juny 29, 2015, 6:55 am

Thank you all for dropping in!

25mamzel
juny 30, 2015, 3:06 pm

Thumbs up on your new thread!

26MissWatson
jul. 5, 2015, 2:11 pm

On the first sunday of the month we have a fleamarket in the town center, and I came away with three books. I really don't need more books, I tell myself again and again, and mostly in vain.

Still, I also managed to finish some books, there's little else I feel like doing in our current heatwave (we're not used to weather like this).

27MissWatson
jul. 5, 2015, 2:16 pm

III women authors

Les malheurs de Sophie is a book from 1858 which I downloaded for free from a French site, just to see how they format the books they offer. It was written by the Comtesse de Ségur, presumably for her own daughter, and is rather didactic in nature: Sophie disobeys her mother and gets into mischief. The amazing thing was that Sophie is a mere four years old, she struck me as much more mature, the way she switches between tu et vous when talking to her cousin Paul, for instance.

28MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 6:05 pm

V economic history

Marco Polo was in China is an academic tome where the footnotes take up a quarter of the page, the bibliography is 80 pages long and the appendices seem endless. The one about Venetian money was very useful, though, and the book itself a very interesting read. The author presents his arguments convincingly, and the details he unearths are amazing.

ETC

29MissWatson
jul. 8, 2015, 5:15 am

XIV read it while you can

I found Lone in Italien last sunday at the flea market and couldn't resist. I owned this as a girl, and I had fond memories of it, and I'm happy it lived up to the nostalgia.

30MissWatson
jul. 11, 2015, 2:31 pm

XII group reads and CATs

I read Aurora Floyd for the Random CAT. Amazing subject matter for a Victorian novel and remarkably frank about the facts of life. It also works quite well as detective story, and I was truly surprised by the banker who actually took down the serial numbers of the banknotes he gave to his daughter, which later proved crucial to the finding of the murderer.

There's also one quote that struck a chord with me: "Some women never outlive that school-girl infatuation for straight noses and black hair."

My current infatuation is Diego Alatriste. Arte is showing a Spanish TV series based on the novels, and Alatriste fits the bill perfectly. Okay, the sets are far too clean and stagey, the CGI Alcázar is unconvincing, the (German-dubbed) dialogue ropey and the acting uneven, but they've got real people on this show. No streamlined Hollywood beauties that you can't tell apart, no 21st century chiselled sixpacks and most people still wear their own teeth, which is rather refreshing. And, like I said, a perfect straight nose. So my current book is El capitán Alatriste which also works for this month's History CAT.

31jcbrunner
jul. 12, 2015, 4:11 pm

Thanks for the Arte tip. Compared to the originals, the cast is still too beautiful. They do also show 21st century tanlines on their skin (in a notoriously buttoned-up era (counter-reformation, puritans). The series is a bit too cheesy for me - and what were they thinking with the Lolita scene? Overall, still better than the BBC's Disney-esque Musketeers fantasy series.

I prefer Isabel, streaming for free in Spanish on RTVE. At the beginning it is a bit complicated getting to know the different military orders, bishops and power centers (Aragon, Castile, Portugal, ...).

32MissWatson
jul. 13, 2015, 6:35 am

>31 jcbrunner: Thanks for that tip!
There are quite a lot of dodgy "history" TV series around. I stumbled into "Reign" somewhere, about Maria Stuart's time in France. Originally in English, so the names of the French kings, royals and courtiers are Anglicised. But they couldn't be bothered to use the established German names for the dubbed version, so we get Francis and Catherine, which is way beyond weird.

33MissWatson
jul. 13, 2015, 6:42 am

VII book bullets

Blind justice is a book bullet I caught in the ROOT group, first of a series of historical mysteries set in 18th century London and starring Sir John Fielding, a blind magistrate sitting in the Bow Street Court. He was also half-brother to Henry Fielding. I love the writing, modelled on 18th century authors but without making it too obvious.

34MissWatson
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 4:30 am

VI Spain, Spanish, Spaniards

El capitán Alatriste is the first in the series and introduces us to Diego Alatriste. He is hired to kill two Englishmen travelling to Madrid incognito, changes his mind on the scene, and finds out he almost killed the Prince of Wales. Court intrigue follows, and loads of swordplay.
This was a challenge, languagewise. The story is told by the captain’s page, thirteen years old at the beginning, but looking back on events from a much later time, addressing his readers, or listeners, as if holding forth half-drunk in a tavern. The style is vernacular and includes much swearing, which makes it difficult to track down the phrases in a dictionary. And I thought English prepositions were hard to get a grip on! It reminded me of the time, decades ago, when I read Fuzz and struggled with the slang. But I will soldier on, because Alatriste is just my kind of sword-for-hire.
There’s also much quoting of Spanish authors of the period, Quevedo is a friend of our captain, and they attend a play by Lope de Vega. I should like take a closer look at their works, one of these days.
The book contains one major anachronism, though. Íñigo Balboa uses the phrase “Siglo de oro” and applies it to the times he lived in. In this sense it was first used in 1754, long after he and Alatriste must have been dead.

ETC

35IrishHolger
Editat: jul. 20, 2015, 7:20 am

>34 MissWatson:

Arturo Perez-Reverte is one of my favourite authors though ironically the Alatriste series, his most successful, are my least favourite books of his.

36MissWatson
jul. 20, 2015, 8:23 am

>35 IrishHolger: Ah, then I've got something to look forward to, I have quite a few sitting on the shelves.

37IrishHolger
jul. 20, 2015, 9:30 am

>36 MissWatson:

Start with pretty much any of them outside the Alatriste series (that isn't bad but just not as good as his other stuff) but personal recommendation for the next book would probably be The Club Dumas as it combines so many different elements, not least of which a love for old books that I can easily identify with.

38MissWatson
jul. 21, 2015, 5:35 am

>37 IrishHolger: I'll bear this in mind, thanks.

39MissWatson
Editat: jul. 24, 2015, 4:44 am

XII group reads and CATs

Les lames du Cardinal is set in Paris in 1633 and has dragons, so I'm going to count it for both the History and the SFF CAT. Okay, so strictly speaking it is an alternative Paris, but, dragons apart, Pevel offers a very detailed look at the city. His characters are always riding or walking the streets and he vividly describes them. Dragons have assumed human form and are based in Spain, and are now trying to establish a lodge in France. Richelieu aims to thwart them and calls back his group of swordfighters, the Blades. Lots of swordfights, intrigue and treason.

ETC

40MissWatson
Editat: jul. 26, 2015, 10:48 am

XII group reads and CATs

The Prince and the Infanta provided the factual history behind El capitán Alatriste.
The idea of an English crown prince travelling to Madrid with only his father's favourite in tow seemed too outlandish, and yet it truly happened. Nothing came of it, as we all know, except that Charles went to war with Spain. Redworth doesn't go into detail about that, so now I have to look that up. And recap the Thirty Years War, somehow it had escaped me that Frederick of Palatine was son-in-law to James I. Everything is connected...

ETC

41rabbitprincess
jul. 26, 2015, 11:40 am

>39 MissWatson: That sounds really cool! Will have to keep an eye out for it.

42MissWatson
jul. 27, 2015, 3:35 am

>41 rabbitprincess: I hope you enjoy it when you do. It is a quick, easy read, and has several very intriguing guys. Plus a sword-fighting baroness!

43MissWatson
jul. 28, 2015, 9:48 am

VI Spain, Spanish, Spaniards

I finished Spain's Golden Fleece, an economic history of wool production and wool trade in Spain when Merino sheep were unique to Spain. Fascinating, because it contained so much I didn't know. Also well written and properly edited.

44MissWatson
jul. 30, 2015, 3:40 am

XIV read it while you can

I needed a break from the diplomatic shenanigans of The Thirty Years War and finished Stuart Little. A little quaint, but still charming.

On another note, I read a review of a new translation of Defoe's A general history of the Pyrates and checked to see if they have it on Gutenberg. Of course they do, and just for fun I did a search for pirates. An amazing number of titles came back. I guess that will be my vacation reading.

45-Eva-
ag. 2, 2015, 2:16 pm

I've still not read anything by Arturo Pérez-Reverte - I need to correct that soon. I have Dumas Club on Mt. TBR, so at least I have a place to start. :)

46MissWatson
ag. 3, 2015, 4:00 am

a book about language

So spricht und feiert Schleswig-Holstein is an A-Z of characteristic words from Schleswig-Holstein, in Plattdeutsch and Frisian. Quite entertaining, and I think "Klötenköm" (which is Eierlikör in High German and advocaat in English) will pass into my everyday vocabulary, it's such a funny word. And this is my fourth Bingo.

47MissWatson
ag. 3, 2015, 4:02 am

>45 -Eva-: I've got quite a few of his on my TBR, and because I'm a sucker for historical fiction I just bought El asedio, which is about a serial killer on the loose in 1811 Cádiz. I really need to tackle them.

48MissWatson
Editat: ag. 6, 2015, 3:41 am

II history

The Thirty Years War by C. V. Wedgwood is a narrative of the War in strictly chronological order. She keeps the cast of characters, battles and events to a minimum, so things do not get confusing, but the paucity of notes and the lack of a proper bibliography are disappointing. Her whole take on the Empire looks dated to me, there's too much emphasis on state and nation for this hodgepodge of statelets, which I think reflects her sources, but I can't verify it. Her use of "imperialist" for the Imperial troops and the Imperial party feels strange today when the immediate association is with imperialism.

ETC

49MissWatson
ag. 9, 2015, 7:08 am

XII group reads and CATs

I read Hundstage for the August Random CAT. A historical mystery featuring a famous German author, Theodor Fontane, set in August 1875 around Lichterfelde. Fontane accompanies the painter Adolph Menzel to an ironworks he wants to paint, and on their arrival one of the workers has had a fatal accident. Did he fall or was he pushed? Fontane gets involved in the investigation. Decent, but not great.

50MissWatson
Editat: ag. 10, 2015, 6:11 am

a book with scientists

I read Die Elemente which didn't have much text, but lots of fascinating stuff about all the elements of the periodic table, and some scientists mentioned who either discovered them or for whom they are named.

ETC

51MissWatson
ag. 10, 2015, 6:11 am

XII group reads and CATs / read a CAT

I read Pure for the August History CAT where it fits both time and theme, and because it also gives me a fifth Bingo I’m counting it for the “read a CAT” square. A Paris cemetery must be cleared, and a young engineer is entrusted with the task. He makes a plan, meets a few people, organises the work, finds a mistress, writes a final report, end of book. Of course there is much symbolism about the stench and the rot from the cemetery and the rotten state of the Ancien Régime, of which I probably missed most, but in the end it is not very memorable. I had expected more from the reviews I read.

52MissWatson
ag. 11, 2015, 4:18 am

XII group reads and CATs

The SFF CAT is very helpful in tackling all the old Harry Harrison books I bought decades ago. This time it's Captive universe where a young man finds himself at odds with all the other people living in the small, secluded valley. He looks for escape and of course things turn out quite different...Not bad, and mercifully short. They wrote much more economically in those days.

53MissWatson
ag. 13, 2015, 4:16 am

XIII mysteries

Tod dem König is the fourth in a series of historical mysteries set in fictional Enzheim, a small Swabian town, in the 1840ies. This time the king comes to visit incognito and foils an assassination attempt with the help of the local dignitaries. Lots of colourful local language and entertaining characters.

54MissWatson
ag. 16, 2015, 7:23 am

XII group reads and CATs

Two more books for the August History CAT: Verbrannte Erde is a non-fiction account of the Great Northern War, and in particular the campaign of Charles XII of Sweden in Russia in the first years of the 18th century. I knew practically nothing about it, so I learnt quite a lot, but I was a little underwhelmed. The author is not a specialist in the matter, he names only books published in German or English in his bibliography, so he obviously missed out on what the Swedes, Russians have published. Not to mention Poles or the Baltic peoples whose history this also is.

Der schwedische Reiter was a direct follow-up, as it takes place during this very same war. A thief impersonates a young Swedish nobleman so he can save an orphaned girl and her estate. He marries her and has a few good years before fate catches up with him. Absolutely wonderful, I especially liked the language of this, which breathes the spirit of the times. There's quite a bit of Grimmelshausen left in here, and I also found echoes of the style Pérez-Reverte uses for his Alatriste. I think I'll remain in that time a little longer.

55MissWatson
Editat: ag. 18, 2015, 5:33 am

XIV read it while you can

Die Junker was an impulse choice on my book-swapping site and I read it now because it fits in with the last books. It is a historical romance set in Mecklenburg during the early phase of the Thirty Years' War, when the emperor throws the dukes of Mecklenburg off their land and gives it to Wallenstein. There's a convoluted family history of two brothers who quarrelled and lost sight of each other, their sons cross paths, and at the end one of them has died.
The characters are mostly cutouts, and of course the only halfway interesting character gets himself killed for his noble endeavours. The duke of Mecklenburg comes across as a wimp, Tilly is the bogeyman and Wallenstein fiendishly conniving. Only Gustavus Adolphus is described positively.
The style is florid but not convincing, it doesn't fit the age it is set in. Reading this immediately after Perutz it is obvious how masterfully Perutz handles language.

ETC

56MissWatson
ag. 19, 2015, 3:52 am

I have finally embarked on my second biography, Türkenlouis, but my copy is literally falling to pieces so I dare not take it with me on my seaside holiday. It must wait until September. I'm doing an experiment this year by only packing an e-reader full of downloads from Project Gutenberg. It contains some plays, which is the only category I haven't filled yet. I'm getting close to the finish line.

I'll be offline during my vacation. See you all back in September.

57Chrischi_HH
ag. 19, 2015, 7:46 am

Enjoy your vacation!

58MissWatson
ag. 19, 2015, 7:56 am

>57 Chrischi_HH: Thanks, I know I will, we go to Föhr every other year just to do nothing but chat and swim and read. Very refreshing!

59Chrischi_HH
ag. 19, 2015, 1:35 pm

>58 MissWatson: Lovely! I've never been to Föhr, "only" to Amrum and I know these two are quite different, but with a vacation on a North Sea island you can never go wrong! :)

60MissWatson
set. 4, 2015, 3:00 pm

XIV read it while you can

I managed two books during my vacation: a collection of short stories by AC Doyle, The dealings of Captain Sharkey and other tales of pirates and The Pirate by Walter Scott (where the touchstone is giving me problems).
I found the stories a little disappointing, the endings are vague, matters curiously unresolved, and the writing often overly melodramatic.
Walter Scott's romance, on the other hand, was a winner. I have vague memories of being rather bored by Ivanhoe, and this tale from the Orkneys has its dry spells, too, but it was quite accessible, and the notes regarding local customs interesting. I really should look at the other Waverley novels.

61MissWatson
set. 4, 2015, 3:03 pm

>59 Chrischi_HH: Hi! My parents preferred Amrum, but I wasn't very fond of all those dunes and the sand that gets everywhere. In Wyk we have an apartment fronting the beach so there's no need for a strandkorb. Just the terrace for watching the sea and other people. Great fun!

62rabbitprincess
set. 4, 2015, 5:57 pm

Glad that at least one of the pirate books was good! Will have to keep an eye out for a copy of Walter Scott's pirate book while I'm on vacation (naturally, there will be used bookstores involved).

63MissWatson
set. 5, 2015, 11:35 am

>62 rabbitprincess: Aren't there always? The local Lions Club held a charity sale and we brought home several hefty tomes.

64MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 6:12 pm

XII group reads and CATs

Les pilotes de l'Iroise was a leftover from my holiday pirate books, but it also fits the September history CAT: it takes place in the first quarter of the 19th century. I picked it because of the title, I spent some of my loveliest holidays on the shores of the Iroise. Fishermen out of Ouessant who also work as pilots rescue two infants from a shipwreck and bring them up. The girl is abducted by a British naval officer and her brother swears vengeance. Years later, they meet again...

A very melodramatic story and if this is typical for its time I can understand why French novels were forbidden fruit for delicate young English ladies. There is bloody piracy, sex before marriage and plain speaking. The pacing of the story is uneven, we learn next to nothing about the other members of the adopting families, there's lots of technical details about sailing and ships, and an overly pious ending. But I found it interesting enough to stick with it.

ETC

65MissWatson
set. 10, 2015, 1:42 pm

XV biography

Türkenlouis is the biography of Louis William I, Margrave of Baden-Baden who fought against the Turks in the 17th century. It's the sort of book where you need to keep genealogical tables handy, because everybody is related to everybody else in some way. Decent maps are also helpful to follow the campaigns.

66jcbrunner
set. 10, 2015, 3:21 pm

>65 MissWatson: Karlsruhe has a wonderful museum dedicated to his Türkenbeute (Turkish hoard, loot, treasure). Vienna holds much of the rest, though lately it is reducing what is on display (gone are the Turkish slavers' chains) to re-interpret the wars as "early cultural exchanges".

67MissWatson
set. 11, 2015, 5:04 am

>66 jcbrunner: Thank you, that sounds like fun. Next time I'm in the area...

68MissWatson
set. 11, 2015, 2:23 pm

XII group reads and CATs

Der Meister des Jüngsten Tages fits the September SFF CAT. On the surface it's a mystery, but there are strange currents running underneath. It's very difficult to summarise, but a satisfying read.

69MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 6:13 pm

XIV read it while you can

Another short and extremely enjoyable novel by Leo Perutz: Turlupin is set in France, aging Richelieu wants to safeguard his achievements and initiates a giant conspiracy. Alas, a wigmaker gets in the way...
I really love his writing, how did I miss out on Perutz this long?

70MissWatson
set. 16, 2015, 5:49 am

XII group reads and CATs

I finished Nebelheim for the Random CAT.
This is the tale of three men: Nicolaus Swart who follows in his father’s footsteps as a cartographer and takes a ship north to find the Fortunate Isles, dying King Erik XIII of Sweden, and his secretary/scribe/chronicler Rikmann, who has spent his life in the shadow of the king and must now find a life of his own. It is about the perception of reality and of the world, about trust, about finding one’s place in the world. The passages where Swart is stuck in frozen ice north of Greenland dragged, a lot. I was tempted to give it up, but the extraordinary quality of the writing kept me going. Puchner has the precise word for everything, and a wonderful way with the past tense that you do not see often anymore. The ending is surprising and extremely satisfying and I’m glad I stuck with it.

71MissWatson
set. 18, 2015, 6:28 am

VIII plays

Hurrah, I finished a play at last!
Cyrano de Bergerac was mercifully short and surprisingly easy to read, once I got beyond the problem of lines being split between several characters. There's fun and punning, and yet such sadness, too.
My copy also had an engraving showing the title page of a book written by Cyrano, which sounds intriguing.

72MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 6:14 pm

XII group reads and CATs

In 1810 and 1811, Shelley published two Gothic romances: Zastrozzi and St. Irvyne. The literary equivalent of a trainwreck: horrifying to watch, yet you cannot tear your eyes away. The editor tries to make a case that Shelley was ripping off the fashion for Gothic for a get-rich-quick-scheme, but I don't buy it. That is no excuse for such preposterous language, it is likely to put you off Gothic and the Romantics for ever.

ETC

73lkernagh
set. 21, 2015, 10:47 pm

>72 MissWatson: - Great comments regarding the Shelley books!

74MissWatson
Editat: oct. 8, 2015, 3:42 am

XIV read it while you can

Just to reassure myself that Gothic is not all completely indigestible, I picked The castle of Otranto from the shelf. Very pleasant surprise, it was amazingly short (I had imagined one of those three volume epics always mentioned in Austen), and quite elegantly written. Hardly any superfluous adjectives in sight. I have also learnt from the introduction that Vathek was originally written in French. Now that is an oddity worth tracking down.

ETC

75MissWatson
set. 27, 2015, 1:42 pm

II history

I finished Das Reich und die Germanen : Zwischen Antike und Mittelalter, the first volume in a series of German history. This one covers the time when Germanic tribes settled inside the territory of the Roman Empire and established (mostly short-lived) kingdoms. As it turns out, he reworks a lot of stuff from one of his other books, so I'm glad I only borrowed this. It's hard to keep track of the amazing numbers of emperors, bishops and kings, and the author often forgets that his main audience is the general public; some of the technical terms should have been explained.

76MissWatson
oct. 2, 2015, 8:35 am

Today the FAZ marks the birthday of Wolfgang Schuller with a short article. It also mentions that he is also a connoisseur of the Nero Wolfe books. My best friend is a big fan of Archie, so I think I have found a book for the October Random CAT...

77MissWatson
oct. 2, 2015, 10:58 am

V economic history

Dutch primacy in world trade, 1585-1740. It took me quite a long time to finish this, reading only in my lunch break, but it is done at last. A thorough survey of The United Provinces of Holland as the centre of world trade, fascinating in parts. But the constant qualifying and the labyrinthine sentences made this a chore, especially because of the superabundance of commas, which often required re-reading a sentence. Not even academic writers should make their readers work this hard.

78-Eva-
Editat: oct. 2, 2015, 4:15 pm

>77 MissWatson:
"labyrinthine sentences"
Nice expression! And a concept I can enjoy in fiction, but want nothing to do with in my non-fiction! :)

79MissWatson
Editat: oct. 4, 2015, 7:37 am

X Trollope bicentenary

I finished Doctor Thorne, the third book in the Barsetshire Chronicles. Delightful and quite surprising. You do not expect an illegitimate girl to find happiness in marriage in a Victorian novel.

ETC

80kac522
oct. 4, 2015, 5:29 pm

Doctor Thorne is my favorite Trollope. I just finished reading Phineas Redux, which was good, but there's something about the Doctor and his niece and that whole story that is so precious.

81MissWatson
oct. 5, 2015, 3:18 am

>80 kac522: Yes, Trollope is fast becoming a favourite author, and the Doctor is truly the hero of the story. I'm trying to finish the Barchester Chronicles this year.

82MissWatson
oct. 5, 2015, 3:27 am

XII group reads and CATs

Something Gothic for the October SFF CAT: The old English Baron by Clara Reeve. It was written expressly in response to Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and doesn't compare. Unlike Walpole, who made a private study of it, Reeve knows nothing about the Middle Ages. Consequently, her barons live and behave like Georgian country squires. She refers to the younger characters as "Mister" which is entirely anachronistic. And I think the narrowness of her own horizons shows in the way she spends pages on the divison of the estates, right down to tableware and linens, like some penny-pinching housewife. Somehow the phrase "a nation of shopkeepers" sprang to mind.
Of academic merit only to people who study Gothic literature in depth.

83MissWatson
Editat: oct. 6, 2015, 5:45 am

V economic history

Die Brandenburgisch-Africanische Compagnie was mentioned in a footnote in my previous book and describes a bit of a curiosity: the attempt of the Elector of Brandenburg to establish a trading company. It came to nought within a few years.

84MissWatson
oct. 8, 2015, 3:30 am

XII group reads and CATs

Another Gothic tale for the SFF CAT is finished: Vathek. Certainly a weird tale, about a self-indulging Caliph who messes with demons and devils. It starts off harmlessly enough, but soon descends into breathtaking cruelty.

85MissWatson
oct. 14, 2015, 11:23 am

XII group reads and CATs / a book with letters or correspondence

One more Gothic tale for the October SFF CAT which also counts for a Bingo square, since it is written as a sequence of letters: Frankenstein.
What can I say about this? I didn't like Victor Frankenstein, who comes across as a spoiled, self-indulgent, whiny brat. Most surprising and touching was the part where the monster relates how he became aware of the world.

86MissWatson
Editat: oct. 16, 2015, 8:44 pm

II history

Geschichte des Saarlandes was an impulse buy on a trip to Berlin, inspired by frequent mentions in other recent readings. Nice bit of potted history, which contains one embarrassing mistake: they mix up Woodrow Wilson and Harold Wilson.

87MissWatson
Editat: oct. 22, 2015, 4:58 am

XII group reads and CATs

October has been rather busy, so it took me a little longer than expected to finish Louis XIV artiste for the Random CAT. Fascinating stuff, I got sidetracked repeatedly into checking out obscure romance novels of the 16th and 17th century.

ETC

88MissWatson
oct. 23, 2015, 5:39 am

IX monuments and architecture

Reading about Versailles reminded me of a small palace (castle? I'm unsure what to call it, the French aristocracy would have said a maison de plaisance) that we visited last year, Schloss Wilhemsthal. I bought a nice slim volume about the building and finally read it: Wo ungestört der Lenz regiert. It's interesting to see how familiar names crop up again and again: the place was built by Wilhelm, ninth landgrave, first Elector and long-time regent for his elder brother Frederick who was married to Ulrike Eleonore of Sweden and spent his time ruling Sweden. This Ulrike Eleonore was the sister of Karl XII, that same Karl whose Great Northern War featured in a book I read earlier this year, Verbrannte Erde. Six degrees of separation...

89MissWatson
oct. 24, 2015, 11:53 am

XII group reads and CATs

I finished Seide for the October History CAT. Lovely book which put Alessandro Baricco on my radar, I had never heard of him before.

90MissWatson
oct. 25, 2015, 7:56 am

III women authors

I first read Glück hat seinen Preis when it was published in instalments in the local newspaper, probably because the tale starts in Kiel. It is to a large extent autobiographical, and the author explores how the decisions her grandfather made had repercussions on the life of her mother and herself. There are several difficult relationships: between her grandfather and her mother, between her mother and her father, between her mother and herself, disappointments, missed opportunities. Rather depressing, to be honest.

91MissWatson
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 8:04 am

VIII plays

Der Waldschratby Anton Čechov is supposed to be a comedy, but I cannot quite see why. There's a suicide offstage, and the characters all talk and behave as if their lives were unmitigated misery. Typical Russians, I'm tempted to say. However, the doctor's concern for saving woods from being cut down was unexpected.

However, with this play I have reached the minimum number of books for all my categories and can claim success for my challenge. The Bingo dog is optional, but I'm confident I can fill the last three squares before the end of the year. It has been a very successful reading year with more than 100 books, and I'm looking forward to padding out a few categories with a chunkster or two. Thanks to everyone for the pleasant company!

ETA

92rabbitprincess
oct. 25, 2015, 10:27 am

Yee haa! Congratulations on finishing your challenge! :)

93MissWatson
oct. 25, 2015, 11:10 am

94Chrischi_HH
oct. 25, 2015, 11:37 am

Yay! Congrats on completing your challenge! :)

95lkernagh
oct. 25, 2015, 5:10 pm

Congratulations!

96-Eva-
oct. 25, 2015, 9:09 pm

Congratulations!!!

97MissWatson
oct. 26, 2015, 4:44 am

>94 Chrischi_HH: >95 lkernagh: >96 -Eva-: Thank you all for dropping in!

98AHS-Wolfy
oct. 26, 2015, 8:06 am

Congrats on completing your challenge!

99MissWatson
oct. 26, 2015, 9:03 am

>98 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks, I hope to add a few more.

100mamzel
oct. 26, 2015, 10:56 am



Woo Hoo!

101MissWatson
oct. 26, 2015, 11:37 am

>100 mamzel: Nice! Thank you!

102christina_reads
oct. 26, 2015, 1:24 pm

Congratulations, MissWatson! Good luck with your Bingo card!

103DeltaQueen50
oct. 26, 2015, 6:51 pm

Congratulations on completing your 2015 challenge and enjoy filling in those last three squares on your Bingo Card.

104MissWatson
oct. 27, 2015, 4:36 am

>102 christina_reads:, >103 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, I'm currently reading one for the LT author square!

105MissWatson
Editat: oct. 29, 2015, 5:07 am

XI fantasy / a book by an LT author

And I have finished Prince of thorns. I was a bit sceptical at first, but once Jorg returned to his father's castle things picked up and the heretofore magpie approach to worldbuilding started to make sense. I'm still not fond of the English-speaking habit of calling ancient Greeks by their Roman epigones' version of their names.

ETC

106MissWatson
Editat: nov. 8, 2015, 6:19 pm

a book with an LBGTQ main character

I thought I'd take the easy way out and pick a short one from my own shelves: Der Tod in Venedig. I should have known better. Even when he's short, Thomas Mann isn't easy. You have to read every sentence twice to make sense of the structure, and I had to stop repeatedly to look up references to Greek mythology. I'm still not a hundred per cent sure that the "Blaugelockte" refers to Poseidon. Very autobiographical, I think.

ETC

107MissWatson
nov. 8, 2015, 4:50 pm

XI fantasy

King of thorns picks up the story four years later, on Jorg's wedding day, but again there's a parallel thread telling events of four years before, and in addition we get another viewpoint in Katherine's diary. Tantalising glimpses of the civilisation that was lost in the nuclear catastrophe, and things are getting more complicated. Jorg is a very intriguing character.

108MissWatson
Editat: nov. 9, 2015, 10:11 am

III women authors

Die Muskeltiere auf großer Fahrt comes fresh off the presses, a loan from my sister, and a follow-up to Die Muskeltiere. Four rodents have adventures on board a cruise ship and foil the sinister plans of a fortune hunter preying on rich women. Very entertaining.

Edited for touchstone

109MissWatson
nov. 14, 2015, 12:08 pm

XII group reads and CATs

The merchants of Moscow is about Russian economic history and looks at the traders of the late 16th and early 17th century. Written in the late eighties and the most frequent comment was: no sources available or the subject hasn't been studied yet. Not very satisfying.

110MissWatson
nov. 15, 2015, 6:40 pm

XII group reads and CATs / book with a mythical creature

I finished Emperor of thorns. Wow. Quite an amazing tale with a proper hero. Didn't see that end coming. Also, there's trolls, so it fits my last Bingo square.

111mamzel
nov. 16, 2015, 11:01 am

>110 MissWatson: Ooh! I've loved the first two. *ordering Kindle version now*

112MissWatson
nov. 16, 2015, 12:19 pm

>111 mamzel: I didn't make a note of it at the time, but I think it was on your thread that I took a book bullet for the series. Great find!

113DeltaQueen50
nov. 16, 2015, 6:36 pm

>110 MissWatson: The Broken Empire trilogy looks like something I would enjoy and so I am adding all three to my wish list.

114MissWatson
nov. 17, 2015, 5:52 am

>113 DeltaQueen50: I hope you will! There is some graphic violence, but I found Jorg a very unusual character, and amazingly sane after all that happened to him...

115DeltaQueen50
nov. 17, 2015, 4:10 pm

>114 MissWatson: Violence is no problem - I am a huge fan of Joe Abercrombie and his books are full of action - and violence!

116MissWatson
nov. 18, 2015, 3:20 am

>115 DeltaQueen50: Oh yes, Glokta is an amazing character!

117MissWatson
nov. 18, 2015, 3:21 am

XII group reads and CATs

And I reread Im Westen nichts Neues for the History CAT. It's been ages since I read it first and it is still impressive. But somehow much shorter than I remembered. For some reason, most of the truly good books I've read this year have been comparatively short.

118MissWatson
nov. 20, 2015, 7:01 am

Currently reading Framley Parsonage, which is delightful. But I'm not taking any physical books on my short vacation, so it will have to wait. I'll be offline for ten days.

119DeltaQueen50
nov. 20, 2015, 6:22 pm

Have a nice vacation.

120rabbitprincess
nov. 21, 2015, 9:57 am

Have a great time! :)

121MissWatson
nov. 29, 2015, 1:24 pm

>119 DeltaQueen50: >120 rabbitprincess: Thank you, we had some very restful days watching the Atlantic!

122MissWatson
Editat: nov. 29, 2015, 1:41 pm

XIV read it while you can

And while sitting and watching we listened to an audiobook we found in the apartment: Maria, ihm schmeckt's nicht! narrated by the author himself, Jan Weiler, where he tells of his adventures with his newly acquired Italian in-laws. Fun.

ETC

123MissWatson
nov. 29, 2015, 1:40 pm

III women authors

Another find in the apartment on Tenerife was Der Fall Deruga by Ricarda Huch. She is an author who has many schools in Germany named after her, but this was the first of her books I've ever read. It is a mystery of sorts, a court-room drama following the trial of Dr Deruga who is accused of having murdered his divorced wife for her money. Written in 1916, I found it amazingly modern in its style and attitudes.

124Chrischi_HH
nov. 30, 2015, 9:46 am

Watching the Atlantic and reading / listening to good books sounds pretty perfect to me. Hope you had a great time!

125MissWatson
nov. 30, 2015, 10:40 am

>124 Chrischi_HH: Thanks, it was a lovely time.

126MissWatson
des. 7, 2015, 1:00 pm

X Trollope bicentenary

Framley Parsonage was another delightful instalment in the Barchester Chronicles. I truly enjoy Trollope's characters, they are so blessedly normal, everyday people with quirks and foibles. As he said: ...what would the world come to if none but absolute true heroes were to be thought worthy of women's love?

127MissWatson
Editat: des. 7, 2015, 1:18 pm

Next on deck is something completely different: La dame aux camélias. I went to see the ballet yesterday, a live transmission from Moscow, and realised I had never read the book.

128kac522
des. 7, 2015, 2:34 pm

>126 MissWatson: I am slowly making my way through the Pallisers, but to me they are not as delighful as the Barsetshire books. Once I've finished the Pallisers, I'm going to do a re-read of the Barsetshires.

>127 MissWatson: On my TBR (in English). Interested to see what you think of it.

129MissWatson
des. 8, 2015, 4:31 am

>128 kac522: I've got the Pallisers on the TBR and have already read Can you forgive her where, I suppose, politics are not as important yet as in the later novels. His obsession with elections and politics occasionally drags down the narrative.

La dame aux camélias promises to be a quick read, I have finished the first four chapters where nothing much has happened except his musings on the sad fate of courtesans. It occurs to me, though, that a little more background about French society at the time of writing would be helpful, they seem to have gone through a more prudish phase then.

130MissWatson
des. 13, 2015, 7:08 am

XIV read it while you can

La dame aux camélias turned out to be one of the books where I cannot, for the life of me, get into the heads of the protagonists. A young man falls head over heels into love with a pretty face and makes all kinds of asses of himself, the fallen girl is so grateful for his love that she submits to moral blackmail by the father and dies abandoned by all (I believe the story is too well known to need spoiler brackets?).
Somehow, this story smacks of Victorian bigotry, women are either saints or sinners, no redemption possible. It seems to be typical of its time, it reminded me much of the set of values we associate with Biedermeier in Germany. Home and hearth are idolised, there's much praying and piety, and it set my teeth on edge.

131MissWatson
des. 13, 2015, 7:12 am

XII group reads and CATs

For the Random CAT I read a novella by Theodor Storm: Im Nachbarhause links. Very much in his usual vein.

132MissWatson
des. 16, 2015, 4:01 am

XII group reads and CATs

I finished Redshirts for the SFF CAT. This was fun. It started off a little slow, but the scenes in Hollywood had me giggling. The codas were best.

133rabbitprincess
des. 16, 2015, 9:58 pm

>132 MissWatson: That was such a fun book and the codas really wrapped everything up nicely.

134MissWatson
des. 17, 2015, 3:05 am

>133 rabbitprincess: Yes, they did. I kept grinning in agreement.

135MissWatson
des. 19, 2015, 4:49 pm

XII group reads and CATs

And here's one for the History CAT: The water is wide where Pat Conroy tells about the year he spent teaching black children on a remote island on the coast of South Carolina. It's the time of desegregation and quite a lot of it is about the optimism of youth setting out to change the world and coming up against the old guard. So much has changed in the years since then, and then again, so many things remain the same...

136MissWatson
des. 22, 2015, 9:44 am

V economic history

Africa : why economists get it wrong is a stinging critique of econometric models and cross-country regression analyses as currently in wide use among economists when applied to Africa. But the points he raises again and again, that they base their assumptions on too few data and generalize with blithe abandon data from a handful of countries to an entire continent, is also valid for other topics. If ears are not ringing across economics departments across the worlds, they should be.

137MissWatson
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 4:21 am

And this wraps up my 2015 Category Challenge. I have finished 123 books, which is way, way more than I have managed for years. I am so happy about this! Thank you all for the pleasant time and the good company!

There have been many good and entertaining reads, but the most memorable and best, strangely enough, were some heavy tomes of economic history: Spain's Golden Fleece and Marco Polo was in China. The best fiction this year were the books by Leo Perutz and I think he partly inspired my theme for next year.

I'm off to spend the holidays with my sister and will be offline until the New Year. If you would like to peek at my plans for next year, you can find me here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/205583
I shall be very happy to see you there!

ETC

138rabbitprincess
des. 23, 2015, 5:29 pm

Congrats on a very successful reading challenge! Have a great time with your sister, and see you next year! :)

139mathgirl40
des. 23, 2015, 5:37 pm

>137 MissWatson: A very good reading year! I look forward to following your progress next year.

140lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 10:01 am

Congratulations on completing your challenge!

141lkernagh
des. 24, 2015, 4:55 pm

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, Birgit!

142-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 6:20 pm

Congratulations on finishing the challenge and Happy Holidays!

143paruline
des. 31, 2015, 8:17 pm

Adding my congratulations! Well done!