Connie's challenge 2013 part 2

My second thread! I hope you all will find me here.

20 books (reads and rereads) from my own shelves that were there before 31-12-11. ( books that i bought in 2012 are not counted as a ROOT book)










Books on the TBR pile on 31-12-2012: 612

The place for my list of ROOTs:

01. Wim Gijsen - Keerkringen (Deidre #1); on the shelf since before 2005 -
02. Wim Gijsen - Bidahinne (Deirdre #2); on the shelf since before 2005 -
03. Wim Gijsen - Lure (Deidre #3); on the shelf since before 2005 -
04. Raymond E. Feist - De terugkeer van de banneling (Conclaaf der schaduwen #3); on the shelf since 2005 or 2006
05. Michael Scott - De tovenares (Nicolas Flamel #3); on the shelf since 24-09-2009 -
06. Michael Scott - De necromancer (Nicolas Flamel #4; on the shelf since 24-02-2011
07. Stephen King - De donkere toren (The dark tower #7); on the shelf since 20-10-2010
08. Terry Pratchett - De plaagzusters (Discworld #6); on the shelf since 2008 or 2009
09. Santa Montefiore - De affaire ; on the shelf since 23-09-2010
10. Patricia A. McKillip - De raadselmeester van Hed on the shelf since 30-06-2010
11. Patricia A. McKillip - Erfgenaam van zee en vuur on the shelf since 30-06-2010
12. Jonathan Kellerman - Sluitend bewijs on the shelf since 01-03-2011
13. Patricia McKillip - Harpspeler in de wind on the shelf since 30-06-2012
14. Leonie Swann - De schapen van Glennkill on the shelf since before 2009
15. S.J. Bolton - Offerande on the shelf since 02-09-2010
16. Neil Gaiman - Het kerkhof on the shelf since 01-05-2011
17. Emma Donoghue - Kamer on the shelf since 22-01-2011 -
18. Riikka Pulkkinen - De grens on the shelf since 25-03-2010 -
19. H.L. McCutchen - LichtLand on the shelf since before 2009 -
20. Santa Montefiore - Villa Magdalena on the shelf since 03-11-2011
21. Jane Casey - Brandbaar on the shelf since 10-10-2011 -
22. Philip Pullman - De tijger in de put on the shelf since 03-03-2010 -
23. Philip Pullman - De tinnen prinses on the shelf since 05-02-2010 -
24. Laurell K. Hamilton - Dodenwake on the shelf since before 2009 -
25. Michael Berg - Een echte vrouw on the shelf since 13-09-2011 -
26. Marion Zimmer Bradley - Het huis in het woud on the shelf since before 2009 -
27. Sallie Bissell - Woud van de dood on the shelf since before 2009 -
28. Kathryn Stockett - Een keukenmeidenroman - on the shelf since 07-08-2010 -
29. Arnaldur Indridason - Winternacht - on the shelf since 19-09-2010 -

* Now reading

Great photos of your garden and yourself my darling, hope you are well and Peet and the rest of the family. Your reading is doing really well my love.

Hi! I've found you!

I love the photos near the end of your earlier thread. That bookstore in the church is spectacular!

Indeed, a magnificent bookstore/church. How fortunate you are to be able to visit it so conveniently. I have enjoyed following your reading and hope you post more photos.

I must agree with the others - what at bookstore! I don't think I would be able to resist buying a book or two - even if there were only books in Dutch.

Well there are books in English and German, maybe a few French books too, Henrik. Maastricht is a town near the border with the French speaking part of Belgium. Germany is nearby as well. I live in Roermond and I can almost throw stones into Germany on one side of my house and into Belgium on the other side. ;-)

Thank you all for visiting my thread (s). And I like sharing photo's, so I will post them regularly.

Connie, how did you get the continuation messages at the top and bottom of the previous thread?

You get a link automatically when you have 200+ posts in one thread.

You do not have to do anything.

Yay new thread! Also that bookstore was beautiful. Thanks for posting the photo!

TBR 612 - 32 =580 + 20=600
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 18
------- p-books = 8
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 32
Books into the house = 20
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------------------------------

This is not going very well.
Yesterday I had a meet of my bookclub at my home and there always is a table filled with books people can choose from and adopt.

And I had to rescue one of course. So I'm now the proud owner of Auriane, Dochter van het licht by Donna Gillespie The translation of The Light Bearer
It is, ofcourse, not the right translation:
Dochter = Daughter
Bearer = Drager


On the day of her birth, Auriane received a mysterious amulet from a priestess-and a doubleedged prophecy of doom and glory. The daughter of a Germanic tribal chieftain, Auriane witnessed unspeakable horrors committed against her people by ruthless invaders. And when tragedy tore her family apart, she took the oath of a warrior, and vowed revenge. Tales of her brilliant swath of conquest carried as far as Rome, to the renowned statesman Marcus Julianus-who felt his destiny intertwined with Auriane's, and wore about his neck an identical amulet

And my guests had bought a present and what do you give a member of a bookclub? Right, a book! They had gambled that I did not have the newest book by Dan Brown - Inferno and they gambled right.

So this book is on my 'books into the house' list also.


‘Seek and ye shall find.’

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.
A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.
With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat..

And finally I finished an e-book and a Non ROOTer
Charlotte Link - De toeschouwer; a translation of the German book Der beobachter wich translates into The Observer

TBR 612 - 33 =579 + 20=599
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 19
------- p-books = 9
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 33
Books into the house = 20
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 1

------------------------------------------------

Today I was home feeling not very well. Just sleeping, drinking tea and nibbling away at some biscuits, hoping my stomach would settle. This day was one of the first really nice days this year so I sat in the garden with my book, taking it easy.
So now I've finished book number 33 of this year. Genezing by Harlan Coben. I really enjoyed this one. It is one of Harlans first books and the subject is a bit dated, but the story was built well and I really had no clue about who did it.

But again: A Non ROOT.

Hi Connie! I'm glad that you liked this Coben.

TBR 612 - 33 = 579 + 21=600
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 19
------- p-books = 9
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 33
Books into the house = 21
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 1

------------------------------

> 14: Yes, I was happy with that too.

Today I went to my work again and a package was lying on my desk. So one more real book on the pile and the TBR is 600 again. Oops!!

But it was one I had to have because its Part 14 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. The Dutch title is Het licht van weleer. The English title is A Memory of Light. 'Weleer' is not exactly the same as Memory

Memory = herinnering (in this case)
weleer = of old, formerly

TBR 612 - 34 =578 + 21=599
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 20
------- p-books = 10
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 34
Books into the house = 21
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 1

------------------------------------

Just finished book number 34 of the year and I really loved it. Farlander by Col Buchanan. Part 1 in a series. I have no idea how long the series will be when Col has finished writing. Book 2 has been translated into Dutch and I have ordered it because I really want to read part 2 as quickly as possible, I liked part 1 very much. .

I wanted my next book to be a small one, because tomorrow the Challenge for June will be announced. So a quick read for the afternoon and tomorrow morning. I choose teerbemind by Gillian Flynn and I am well on my way in this book, thanks to the nice weather today.

TBR 612 - 35 =577 + 21=598
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 21
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 35
Books into the house = 21
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 2

---------------------------------------

I finished Teerbemind by Gillian Flynn yesterday evening. A really nice read but not as good as her other 2 books. The end was a bit predictable but also shocking.

No challenge know yet for my bookclub so I started a new book on my reader and choose De witte veer by John Boyne. So far I love that one.
Also reading Alles is zoals het zou moeten zijn by Daphne Deckers. (A Dutch model and the wife of Richard Krajicek, tennisplayer) Daphne writes columns for several magazines and newspapers and this is her first novel. My daughter really liked it, so I will give it a change.



Both books are on my reader so they don't count as ROOTs.

TBR 612 - 35 =577 + 21=598
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 21
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 35
Books into the house = 21
Books leaving the house unread = 10
Currently reading = 3

---------------------------------------

Found a new ROOT that I can count as a ROOT and as a book for the Book Club Challenge for June. The Challenge is a 'Thrilling' book since June is 'Month of the Thrilling Books' in Holland. (Whenever you buy a book in June (in the store or online) for more then € 12,50 you get a free little book.)

I decided on Offerande by S. J. Bolton This is the translation of Sacrifice On my shelves since 2010-09-02. 356 pages.



Moving to remote Shetland has been unsettling enough for consultant surgeon Tora Hamilton; even before the gruesome discovery she makes one rain-drenched afternoon ...Deep in the peat soil of her field she is shocked to find the perfectly preserved body of a young woman, a gaping hole where her heart has been brutally removed and three rune marks etched into her skin. The marks bear an eerie resemblance to carvings Tora has seen all over the islands, and she quickly uncovers disturbing links to an ancient legend. But as Tora investigates she is warned by the local police, her boss, and even her husband, to leave well alone. And even though it chills her to the bone to admit it ...something tells her their concern isn't genuine.

The first thing I noticed is the name of the main character in the English version. She is called Tora Hamilton. In the dutch versio she is called Tora Guthrie. Why would you want to change that?

I'm of reading!

TBR 612 - 36 =576 + 23=599
Read ROOTs = 14
Read others = 21
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 35
Books into the house = 23
Books leaving the house unread = 11
Currently reading = 3

--------------------------------------

Oeps, I did it again. I bought two books and they arrived today.

But I choose one book from my shelves to get rid of in an unread state. Probably more books will follow, because I just have to make room on my shelves for the new and shiny ones. I just have to be more critical.

The new ones:



De schim van Roshun by Col Buchanan (part 2 in The hart of the world series. The translation of Stands a Shadow The Dutch title would be translated into The ghost of Roshun.

Riding at the head of her army, Holy Matriarch of Mann plans to conquer the fortress city of Bar-Khos, whose walls have held the empire at bay for ten long years of siege. Ash is a man who would see her dead before that. The ailing Roshun assassin is determined to seek vengeance for the Matriarch's previous crimes. But such a course of retribution goes against everything his life has taught him. Meanwhile, Che, a trained killer of the state, watches as the Mannian army slaughters their way across the remnants of the free world, and questions whether he believes the doctrines he has been trained to follow. With the battle for the Free Ports intensifying, more lives are drawn into the bloody conflict: Bahn, the siege-shocked soldier; and Curl, a young woman determined to make a stand even if it costs her life. When the two armies clash all looks set to be decided. But sheer force alone will not be enough to win this war. Only the gruelling determination of one man seeking redemption may be enough to sway the final outcome ...



Het ongeluk by Linwood Barclay. The transaltion of The Accident

It’s the new normal at the Garber household in Connecticut: Glen, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to increase her chances of landing a good-paying job.

But she should have been home by now.

Waiting for Sheila’s return, with their eight-year-old daughter sleeping soundly, Glen soon finds his worst fears confirmed: Sheila and two others have been killed in a car accident. Adding to the tragedy, the police claim Sheila was responsible.

Glen knows it’s impossible; he knew his wife and she would never do such a thing. When he investigates, Glen begins to uncover layers of lawlessness beneath the placid surface of their suburb, secret after dangerous secret behind the closed doors.
Propelled into a vortex of corruption and illegal activity, pursued by mysterious killers, and confronted by threats from neighbors he thought he knew, Glen must take his own desperate measures and go to terrifying new places in himself to avenge his wife and protect his child.

Ooh, the Dutch cover of The Accident is even spookier than the English cover! Love it. Enjoy the book! :)

It may be a bit dark. I will try to find a lighter one.

TBR 612 - 37 =575 + 23=598
Read ROOTs = 15
Read others = 21
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 36
Books into the house = 23
Books leaving the house unread = 11
Currently reading = 3

-----------------------------------------

Root number 15 read! Offerande by S. J. Bolton

For me this was a very nice surprise. I did not know what to expect but it was a good book, although the subject was a bit spooky (pregnancy, babies, young mothers, adoption and abortion). It was well written in a slow pace (I like that). A bit like an English detective on tv. But there was enough suspence to want to keep on reading. I have another book bij Sharon J. Bolton lying next to me on the diningroomtable. And am looking forward to reading that one soon.

Now I am reading De schim van Roshun by Col Buchanan, a p-book.

TBR 612 - 40 =572 + 23=595
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 21
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 10

Totally Read 2013 = 36
Books into the house = 23

Currently reading = 3

-----------------------------

A sleepless night is very good for upROOTing books from my shelves (and creating space for new ones of course). So 6 more books are of the shelves and into boxes. But just 3 of them are 'not read' ones. (I found 5, but 2 crept back on the shelves while I was not looking)

TBR 612 - 40 =572 + 23=595
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 22
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 37
Books into the house = 23

Currently reading = 2

--------------------------------------------

I just finished De witte veer by John Boyne and I am very impressed. I really loved this book and I will encourage people around me to read it.
The story is set around WW I and is very intimatly written. The story is also the story of Tristan and Will and their feelings for each other.

TBR 612 - 40 =572 + 24=596
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 22
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 37
Books into the house = 24

Currently reading = 2

-------------------------------

I'm now reading De schim van Roshun by Col Buchanan (p-book, Non ROOT - post 19 ), but that won't get me anywhere, because I also bought a new one that arrived today.

Een storm van smaragden by Michael J. Sullivan part 4 in the series about Riyria.

Hi, Connie. I was reading this article, which claims Dutch people are reluctant to read anything written in Dutch more than 50 or so years ago because spelling reforms make it so difficult. Do you think that's true?

I have read the article just now and I don't think that's true. I am not very much interested in Dutch literature and would not choose a 'old' book to read. But the reforms are really minimal and people who want to read those books will do so regardless.

But I like the article and will show it to our Dutch teachers and ask their opinion.

Well, I've asked a Dutch language teacher who is a young writer too. And he said that the quote from Nescio is a example of phonetic Dutch. So just as people would say it in Amsterdam dialect. Just as some writers use cockney English in a book.
And furthermore he told me that most of the famous and important 'old' literature is avialable in modern Dutch translations (when necessary), but it is not very difficult to read the 'old' stuff in the language it was written in.

I hope that wil answer your question, Robert.

That sounds more reasonable. OK, thanks.

You are welcome

TBR 612 - 40 =572 + 27=599
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 22
------- p-books = 11
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 37
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------------

I'm bad, I am really bad. Yesterday I really needed some comfortbooks. I tried to fight it, I really did. But this morning I got a mail from the concierge: The postman brought a parcel for me!

Stille zonde by Karin Slaughter. The Translation of Unseen
This is really a bad translation of the title.
Unseen = Ongezien
Stille zonde = Quiet/Silent Sin

But in the Netherlands we have a novella by Karin Slaughter that is called Ongezien, so I guess they could not use the title again



Special Agent Will Trent has something to hide. Something he doesn't want Dr. Sara Linton to find out.
He's gone undercover in Macon, Georgia and puts his life at risk. And he knows Sara will never forgive him if she discovers the truth.
But when a young Macon patrolman is shot and left for dead Sara is forced to confront the past and a woman she hoped never to see again. And without even knowing it, she becomes involved in the same case Will is working on.
Soon both of their lives are in danger.

And the new book by Nicci French - Wachten op Woensdag
The translation of Waiting for Wednesday. An accurate translation.



Ruth Lennox, beloved mother of three, is found by her daughter in a pool of her own blood. Who would want to murder an ordinary housewife? And why?
Psychotherapist Frieda Klein finds she has an unusually personal connection with DCI Karlsson's latest case. She is no longer working with him in an official capacity, but when her niece befriends Ruth Lennox's son, Ted, she finds herself in the awkward position of confidante to both Karlsson and Ted.
When it emerges that Ruth was leading a secret life, her family closes ranks and Karlsson finds he needs Frieda's help more than ever before.
But Frieda is distracted. Having survived an attack on her life, she is struggling to stay in control and when a patient's chance remark rings an alarm bell, she finds herself chasing down a path that seems to lead to a serial killer who has long escaped detection. Or is it merely a symptom of her own increasingly fragile mind?
Because, as Frieda knows, every step closer to a killer is one more step into a darkness from which there may be no return..

And because it is 'June: the month of Thrillers' in the Netherlands I got a free Novella written by a Dutch author of suspence Loes den Hollander - Nooit Alleen



Bij Aline rijst het vermoeden dat haar man Giel geheimen voor haar heeft. Of laat ze zich door haar ziekelijke onzekerheid op het verkeerde been zetten? Giel beweert dat ze zich vergist. Of is dat een leugen? Buurvrouw Guusje vertelt alarmerende verhalen. Maar kloppen die wel? Hoe de waarheid er ook uitziet, soms wil je hem niet te weten komen.

Translation:
Aline is starting to suscpect her husband Giel is keeping a secret. Or is she put on the wrong track by her own pathological insecurity? Giel claims she is mistaken. Or is he lying? Next door neighbour Guusje tells some alarming tales. But are those tales accurate? No matter what the truth looks like, there are times you do not want to know.

TBR 612 - 41 =571 + 27=598
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 23
------- p-books = 12
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 38
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------------

Yesterday I finished De schim van Roshun by Col Buchanan. A good read. I'm really looking forward to part 3 in these series.


And I started a new book - Het ongeluk by Linwood Barclay.

TBR 612 - 42 =570 + 27=597
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 24
------- p-books = 13
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 39
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

---------------------------

Just finished Het ongeluk by Linwood Barclay. I loved this book. Lots of names and I had some trouble at first to find out who was who, but it was a real thrilling read with a unsuspected end.


And now I am starting in Een storm van smaragden by Michael J. Sullivan. This is part 4 in the Riyria Series and I'm so glad Michael decided to publish his books on his own. He is really a very good fantasy writer.

TBR 612 - 43 =569 + 27=596
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 25
------- p-books = 14
------- e-books = 11

Totally Read 2013 = 40
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

--------------------------------------

Yesterday I finished Een storm van smaragden by Michael J. Sullivan. I don't know if it was the wrong time for this book, but I liked the previous 3 books better. It was a like a gently flowing river. Nice to be there but not very adventurous and exciting.

I decided I wanted to read a book in another genre and picked a thriller: Je bent nu van mij by Hans Koppel.

TBR 612 - 43 =569 + 27=596
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 26
------- p-books = 14
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 41
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

------------------------

This morning I finished Alles is zoals het zou moeten zijn by Daphne Deckers. Not a book that I would normally read, but my daughter told me it was really hilarious and I had the digital version of the book on my reader. So I gave it a try and I enjoyed it very much. I smiled a lot and laughed out loud and cried at the end. Somtetimes I thought it a bit over the top, but because of the light reading and the smiling this is a book with for me.

Now I started in another book on my reader De plek van de verloren dingen by Cecelia Ahern. This is the translation of A place called here (Eng) or There's no place like here (US). The title is not translated to the letter.

De plek van de verloren dingen = The place of the lost things



Sandy Shortt has been obsessed about where missing things -- and people -- end up ever since the disappearance of a childhood friend twenty years ago. It has even motivated her to become a private investigator, attempting to track down missing loved ones and giving devastated families hope. So when she finds herself one of the missing people, stuck in a strange place with people who vanished into thin air years ago, she wonders if she has found the answer to one of life's greatest mysteries. But if she has, will she be able to return to life as she knows it? If Jack Ruttle, her latest client and mystified by her own disappearance, has anything to do with it she will!

TBR 612 - 44 =568 + 27=595
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 27
------- p-books = 15
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 42
Books into the house = 27

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------

Finished Je bent nu van mij by Hans Koppel. That was not the best book I've read this year. Not the worst either. The first part was at times really implausible. Anna is doing one stupid thing after the other. The last 60 pages were good and exciting that made it a little better.

And now I took another p-book from my TBR pile. I thought it might be a root. But this book has only been in my house since 11-01-2012. So it's 11 days to young to count as a ROOT :-(
I'm looking forward to reading it. It's the fifth book in the Monkeywrench series by P.J. Tracy - Moordspel. This is the translation of Shoot to Thrill (US), in the UK its Play to kill and I loved the first 4 books.

Moord = Murder
Spel = A game



A serial killer is terrifying enough, but when the murder videos begin showing up online - well, then it becomes an issue for computer analyst Grace MacBride and her eccentric crew of geniuses and mavericks. Recruited by the FBI, MacBride, along with Minneapolis cops Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, work together to hunt down the killer. Using sophisticated tracking software, MacBride and her team scour the internet for signs of a possible attack, trying to weed out the staged videos from the real thing in hopes of finding a pattern. But bodies keep turning up, and videos keep being posted, and the team is getting desperate to save lives. It's not until they come across a sinister website that a real lead is discovered. And it takes them all the way to a shocking conclusion.

TBR 612 - 44 =568 + 29=597
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 27
------- p-books = 15
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 42
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------

I got a gift certificate and, and, and I bought some books.

One is by a young Dutch Auteur Thomas Olde Heuvelt (1983)
It's called Hex.
Thomas is nominated for the Hugo Award. That is for the first time a Dutch writer is nominated.

This is Thomas



And this is his fifht book



The story is about a witch that lives in a little village in the south of the Netherlands 'Beek' (that village really exists about half an hour from where I live).

This is a attempt to translate the blurb:
Who is born there, is doomed to live there forever. Who moves there, can never leave. The seemingly picturesque Village of Beek is in the grip of the Wylerwitch, a woman from the seventeenth century with eyes and mouth sewn shut. Silently she walkes the streets and enters the houses. She stands by the side of your bed in the night. Everybody knows her eyes may never be opened.
Everything is done to keep here presence a secret. But when a number of young people decide to use the social media to tell about her, the witch decides to let the people of Beek slide into Medieval times. And that is only the beginning.

Another book I bought is Waarheen je ook vlucht by Elizabeth Haynes



Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s impending release.

Congrats! You have an amazing reading pace. Half a year through and more than half of your target. Happy reading :-D

Thanks Ameise.

TBR 612 - 45 =567 + 29=596
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 28
------- p-books = 16
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 43
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 1

--------------------------------

Just finished Moordspel by P.J.Tracy. A nice easy read, nothing spectaculair but just right for reading on a lazy afternoon.

TBR 612 - 45 =567 + 29=596
Read ROOTs = 15
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 28
------- p-books = 16
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 43
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------

Yes!!! Time to start a new ROOT and start the July book for the challenge on FF-leesclub. For the challenge it has to be a stand alone fantasy book. So I searched my shelves and found Neil Gaiman - Het kerkhof.

This book was a gift from my husband on may 1 2011. So it counts as a ROOT.

I have this version



It is the translation of The Graveyard Book
Kerkhof = Graveyard.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Apart from the fact that he lives in a graveyard and is being raised and educated by ghosts. There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard. But it is in the land of the living that the real dangers lurk.

This is ROOT number 16.

TBR 612 - 46 =566 + 29=595
Read ROOTs = 16
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 28
------- p-books = 16
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 44
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 2

------------------------------

And thanks to the nice sunny weather and summerbreak and doing no household things at all I just finished the book in the previous post. I can't remember reading a book in one day since the last summer. And I'm very pleased with this book.

I forgot to update the group tickers. doing that now.

TBR 612 - 47 =565 + 29=594
Read ROOTs = 16
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 29
------- p-books = 17
------- e-books = 12

Totally Read 2013 = 45
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 2

-------------------------------------

I'm sorry, but here I am again with a finished book. A non ROOT I might add. But one I thoroughly enjoyed. De kunst van het rijden in de regen by Garth Stein. I really love this book. It's funny, it's entertaining, it's emotional.

TBR 612 - 47 =565 + 29=594
Read ROOTs = 16
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 30
------- p-books = 17
------- e-books = 13

Totally Read 2013 = 46
Books into the house = 29

Currently reading = 2

--------------------------------

This morning I finished De plek van de verloren dingen by Cecelia Ahern with a sigh. That was a really nice read. Interesting idea about a place where all things lost go to (and people lost as well). The book had me crying at the end. That happens a lot lately. but it could have been an .

I started another ebook De blauwe kamer by Susan Henderson but I did not read very much in that book. Tomorrow I have to travel by train for an hour or 3 so there will be lots of reading time on my kobo



This is the translation of Up From the Blue
De blauwe kamer = The blue room.

Connie, thanks for the tip about the Garth Stein book. I found it at my public library. Sounds like fun, I'm looking forward to it.

I hope you enjoy it, Vivienne!

TBR 612 - 48=564 + 31 =595
Read ROOTs = 16
Books leaving the house unread = 14
Read others = 31
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 13

Totally Read 2013 = 46
Books into the house = 31

Currently reading = 2

----------------------

Yesterday I finished Stille zonde by Karin Salughter. I was not very impressed by this book. It nice enough, but the beginning was confusing to me. I just could not stop thinking I missed some previous books in the series, but that was not the case. I decided to enjoy the story and the middle part did just that. The end was a bit to much for me.

This morning I had to go to a funeral, nothing dramatic but it I thought I had a lot of traveling time on the train back. But I got a lift home and so I had no train time at all.
When I got home 2 new books were waiting for me (there is one more on its way)
The first book is:
De vergeten zusjes by Sara Blædel



and

Bloedlijn by Corine Hartman A Dutch writer



And finally I choose a book for daytime reading and it's a ROOT!! (number 17)
Kamer by Emma Donoghue



To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination -- the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells, the imaginary world projected through the TV, the coziness of Wardrobe below Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night in case Old Nick comes. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held since she was nineteen -- for seven years.

TBR 612 - 50=562 + 31 =593
Read ROOTs = 17
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 31
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 13

Totally Read 2013 = 48
Books into the house = 31

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------------

Kamer is really a very wonderfull book. Everybody should read it. I could not stop reading and I was so happy it was sunday and we had nothing planned for the day, so I could read all day long. I even skipped the Wimbledon final and the Tour the France stage with all the climbs.

This book is so powerfull because of the simplicity Emma Donoghue used while writing from the perspective of a 5 year old boy. You want to know if he and his mum are going to be alright. But you want the book to never end too.



This was a ROOT and after a few hours doing no reading at all I decided to find another ROOT for my next paperbook.
I choose De grens by Riikka Pulkkinen



It’s a sweltering summer’s day, and Anja Aropalo is on her way home with two errands in mind: first, to water the roses, and then to commit suicide. She is slowly losing her husband to Alzheimer’s disease, and she has made him a terrible promise — one she’s not sure she can keep.

For Anja’s niece, Mari, death is a teenage fantasy of grieving family and eternal beauty, an escape from the dullness of her life. But the adventure she longs for seems to come within reach when she begins a relationship with her charismatic teacher, Julian. His six-year-old daughter, Anni, is a witness to their blossoming affair, observing the lies and truths of those around her as she tries to discover what it is to be an adult.

You are zipping right along, Connie! Great job!

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 31 =592
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 32
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 14

Totally Read 2013 = 50
Books into the house = 31

Currently reading = 1

-----------------------

Another ROOT read! That's 18/20. De grens was a very nice read. I will give it a 7,5 but for LT I gave it

And I finished De blauwe kamer too. Also a good read

Now reading: Verlies by Emma Donoghue.



Penelope O’Grady and Cara Wall are risking disaster when, like teenagers in any intolerant time and place—here, a Dublin convent school in the late 1970s—they fall in love. Yet Cara, the free spirit, and Pen, the stoic, craft a bond so strong it seems as though nothing could sever it: not the bickering, not the secrets, not even Cara’s infidelities.

But thirteen years on, a car crash kills Cara and rips the lid off Pen’s world. Pen is still in the closet, teaching at her old school, living under the roof of Cara’s gentle father, who thinks of her as his daughter’s friend. How can she survive widowhood without even daring to claim the word? Over the course of one surreal week of bereavement, she is battered by memories that range from the humiliating, to the exalted, to the erotic, to the funny. It will take Pen all her intelligence and wit to sort through her tumultuous past with Cara, and all the nerve she can muster to start remaking her life.

Emma Donoghue is a great writer! I started with Room, which is amazing like you said, and then read The Sealed Letter, a Victorian legal soap opera, and then Astray, a collection of historical short stories, each based on a snippet of a story from old newspapers or facts. Really good. Verlies, or Hood sounds completely different from her other books. Very talented writer.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 32
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 14

Totally Read 2013 = 50
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------

After waiting rather impatiently for the postmen (who turned up at the end of the afternoon) I am the proud owner of De bron der verheffing by Brandon Sanderson and started reading in it almost immediately. I have been waiting for the translation of The Well of Ascension for ages. The title is not very well translated. The first three words are okay but 'verheffing' is more like elevation. Ascension is more spiritual I think.



No Blurb because of spoilers.

If the title is not well translated, does that affect your enjoyment of the book and make you wonder about the quality of the translation of the text inside?

No, it does not. I know that sometimes it's difficult to translate a word. Some words have a feel to it that can't be translated, because there is no word with the same feel in the second language. I have lots of Dutch friends who prefer to read in English because of translation things (and books are cheaper in the UK or USA, and they don't want to wait for the translations) but I am not that good in English to read an English book. Most of the times the translations are good.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 33
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 15

Totally Read 2013 = 51
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------

This morning I started another ebook Het boek van morgen by Cecelia Ahern. I like here way of writing and am looking forward to reading this book.



Tamara Goodwin grew up in Dublin as the spoiled daughter of a wealthy family. When her father dies, she and her mother have to sell everything and move in with family in the country. Bored, Tamara begins to explore the tiny town and finds an interesting book at a travelling library. The book is actually her diary, but gets written a day early so Tamara knows what is coming.

You are slaying this challenge Connie. Good on you! You have read some very interesting looking books this year.

I know, I'm discovering new writers and loving it.

Nice to find new writers that one enjoys reading. I have found a few this year as well but am not counting any book I have brought into the home this year as a ROOT.
Carry on!

Same here, rainpebble, they have to be bought before 2012 to be a ROOT.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 34
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 16

Totally Read 2013 = 52
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

-------------------

Just finished het boek van morgen by Cecelia Ahern. I really liked this book, but I had a very bad e-version and it was sometimes hard to know how things were following each other. No white space or anything. But I enjoyed it anyway. A 7,5 for me.

And now I started another ebook by Emma Donoghue - Landen.



A delightful, old-fashioned love story with a uniquely twenty-first-century twist, Landing is a romantic comedy that explores the pleasures and sorrows of long-distance relationships—the kind millions of us now maintain mostly by plane, phone, and Internet.

Síle is a stylish citizen of the new Dublin, a veteran flight attendant who’s traveled the world. Jude is a twenty-five-year-old archivist, stubbornly attached to the tiny town of Ireland, Ontario, in which she was born and raised. On her first plane trip, Jude’s and Síle’s worlds touch and snag at Heathrow Airport. In the course of the next year, their lives, and those of their friends and families, will be drawn into a new, shaky orbit.

This sparkling, lively story explores age-old questions: Does where you live matter more than who you live with? What would you give up for love, and would you be a fool to do so?

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 35
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 17

Totally Read 2013 = 53
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

---------------------------
Landen by Emma Donoghue is finished. I liked this book a lot. The end was emotional and I shed some silent tears. But it was also funny in places and recognizable.

The next ebook will be Een lange schaduw by Jasmine Cresswell. The translation of Secret Sins (Verborgen zonden).
Een lange schaduw would translate into A long shadow.



On a cold, snowy night in Cleveland... a traffic pile -up left eight cars wrecked and at least four people dead. One little girl survived. Her parents weren't so lucky. Gene Zajak, a caring cop, took the toddler home. Jessica Marie Pazmany became Jessica Marie Zajak. Now - twenty-seven years later -Jessica's ex-husband has come to see her, armed with some terrifying evidence. Jessica Marie Pazmanny had died -seven months before the car crash. There are answers, and they're out there. But she may not live to find them.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 36
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 18

Totally Read 2013 = 54
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

------------------------
And finished! I really like these schoolbreaks (7 weeks of total freedom) and reading out in the garden. It is too hot here to do anything else. Een lange schaduw was a really nice book to read, not spectaculair, but fit for a long sunday afternoon of pleasant and thrilling reading.

Here it's too hot to hold a real book. I'm very carefull with my books and I don't want them to get all sweaty from holding them. So I decided to just read along on my kobo. The kobo is light to hold and my p-book is almost 750 pages and heavy. So I started in De offerplaats by Tana French.



That's the translation of In the Woods but the translation is not to the letter:
In the woods = In de bossen/ In het woud
De offerplaats = The place of sacrifice

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

I rather liked In the Woods, Connie.

I'm enjoying it too, Terry.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 37
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 19

Totally Read 2013 = 55
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------------------------

Yesterday evening I could not stop reading and I finished De offerplaats by Tana French. I did enjoy this book very much. The only thing I really really don't like about books in general is when the pricipal person says things like: "If i did know then what I know now, I would....." or "I did not know that it was the last time I saw her alive". That was the case in this book and the reason its not a 4,5 * book but an
I likes this book enough to start reading in part 2 of the series De gelijkenis by Tana French (Duh). This is the translation of The Likeness and the title is perfectly translated.



Still traumatised by her brush with a psychopath, Detective Cassie Maddox transfers out of the Murder squad. When her old colleague Sam O'Neill calls her to the scene of his new case, she is shocked to find that the murdered girl is her double. What's more, her ID shows she is Lexie Madison -- the identity Cassie used, years ago, as an undercover detective. With no leads, no suspects and no clues to Lexie's real identity, Cassie's old boss spots the opportunity of a lifetime

You are really getting som reading done, Connie! Nothing is better than having lots of time and just going through one book after the other.

I'm looking forward to your comments on Sara Blædel. I read her two first Louise Rick novels in Danish some years ago.

Just follow me, Henrik. And you will know eventually ;-)

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 32 =593
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 37
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 20

Totally Read 2013 = 56
Books into the house = 32

Currently reading = 2

------------------------------------

I'm beginning to love the books by Tana French very much. I've just finished De gelijkenis and that was an exciting read. I loved the story about the five friends and the way Tana described it. And I still am not sure who commited the murder. Maybe the book could have been a little shorter.


I had book 3 and 4 by Tana French on my Kobo and I have book number 3 about the Dublin Murder Squad now ready for reading. I have to go and find number 5 urgently.



It's called De laatste afspraak and is a translation of Faithful Place
A very strange translation:
Faithful Place = Vertrouwensplaats / Een plek van vertrouwen
De laatste afspraak = The last Rendezvous/Appointment

The course of Frank Mackey's life was set by one defining moment when he was nineteen. The moment his girlfriend, Rosie Daly, failed to turn up for their rendezvous in Faithful Place, failed to run away with him to London as they had planned. Frank never heard from her again. Twenty years on, Frank is still in Dublin, working as an undercover cop. He's cut all ties with his dysfunctional family. Until his sister calls to say that Rosie's suitcase has been found. Frank embarks on a journey into his past that demands he reevaluate everything he believes to be true.

Excellent progress! You're nearly finished with the challenge - BRAVA!

I think each book of Tana French gets better and better! I liked In the Woods, then The Likeness was crazy good. Both were a little long.

Faithful Place tightens up a bit, and didn't feel as long winded. French keeps her novels a little ambiguous with the endings which I actually enjoy. Broken Harbour is really, really good. Keep reading! I also like how she changes up her main character, even when you can't imagine who the next one will be!

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 33 =594
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 37
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 20

Totally Read 2013 = 56
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------------

I bought another book. A real book. But I have to own every translated book by Harlan Coben. So I do now



Nu of nooit by Harlan Coben. This is the translation of Seconds Away
Nu of nooit = now or never.

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey and his loyal new friends—sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon—find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their classmate Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey need to keep himself and his friends safe from the Butcher of Lodz, but he needs to figure out who shot Rachel—no matter what it takes.

Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, but with danger just seconds away, it is going to take all of his determination and help from his friends to protect the people he loves, even if he does not know who—or what—he is protecting them from.

TBR 612 - 51=561 + 33 =594
Read ROOTs = 18
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 39
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 21

Totally Read 2013 = 57
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 3

-----------------------

Finally I'm starting a new ROOT and a book for the FF-august challenge too: The theme on FF is thick and thin. We need to read a book with either less than 200 pages or more than 600 pages.

I've chosen one that has been on my shelves for ages. Probably 5 years or more. Lichtland by H.L. McCutchen. Its a small book, only 189 pages



When best friends Lottie and Lewis enter the magical world of LightLand, where distant memories become real again, they find themselves caught up in a battle between good and evil.

Until now, Lottie Cook and her best friend, Lewis Weaver, have lived fairly normal lives in Iowa. But when Lottie's father carves for her a magical box from an old cherry tree, she and Lewis are transported to LightLand, a fantasy world created by the memories of real-world people.
The wicked NightKing rules over LightLand, determined to destroy its citizens by stealing their memories. Soon, Lottie and Lewis are leading the struggle to overcome the NightKing, during which they must confront some painful memories of their own.

And I need to start a new ebook as well. This morning I finished De laatste afspraak by Tana French. I liked this book a lot. The best Tana French for me until now. I shed some tears reading the last 100 pages. but really just a bit more than that.

I'm planning on reading book number 4 by Tana French - In eigen hand

.

The English title is Broken Harbor. The translation of the title is something very different.

In eigen hand = In my/your own hands

In Broken Harbour, a ghost estate outside Dublin, two children and their father are dead. The mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder squad's star detective. At first he and his rookie partner, Richie, think this is a simple one. But there are too many inexplicable details and the evidence is pointing in two directions at once. Scorcher's personal life is tugging for his attention. Seeing the case on the news has sent his sister Dina off the rails again, and she's resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family at Broken Harbour, back when they were children.

TBR 612 - 52=560 + 33 =593
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 39
------- p-books = 18
------- e-books = 21

Totally Read 2013 = 58
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------------------

And I just now finished ROOT book # 19 LichtLand by H.L. McCutchen.

A nice read, not spectaculair. But something a dreamy girl of 10 or 11 years old would love.

TBR 612 - 52=560 + 33 =593
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 40
------- p-books = 19
------- e-books = 21

Totally Read 2013 = 59
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

---------------------------

Yesterday was the hottest day ever in Holland and there was not much I could do but read. So I moved from shadow to shadow in my garden. I now have three chairs in several corners, so I don't have to carry them with me.
I decided to read a p-book and chose my new Harlan Coben - Nu of nooit (no touchstone). Very nice, entertaining and relaxing book.

TBR 612 - 52=560 + 33 =593
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 41
------- p-books = 19
------- e-books = 22

Totally Read 2013 = 60
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

----------------------------

It must be boring for all of you, but I finished another one by Tana French. This time the fourth book about the Dublin Murder Squad In eigen hand. That was an expected exciting book. I thought there might have been a little less pondering in the story. But the story itself was great. So I give this book an 8,5.

I wanted to read a book for the challenge on The ff-leesclub: Theme: thick and thin and I chose Citadel by Kate Mosse and that is a real Tome: 755 pages. I can alternate between the real book and my Kobo (for nights and trains). That makes it much easier to read this one this month.



Set during World War II in the far south of France, CITADEL is a powerful, action-packed mystery that reveals the secrets of the resistance under Nazi occupation. While war blazed in the trenches at the front, back at home a different battle is waged, full of clandestine bravery, treachery and secrets. And as a cell of Maquis resistance fighters, codenamed CITADEL, fight for everything they hold dear, their struggle will reveal an older, darker combat being fought in the shadows.

Combining the rugged action of LABYRINTH with the haunting mystery of SEPULCHRE, CITADEL is a story of daring and courage, of lives risked for beliefs and of astonishing secrets buried in time

Peet, my husband, and I went to the south of France several years during the summer and I know the cities Carcassonne and Foix well. So it feels a bit like coming home.

Connie, no, not bored, I enjoy reading your reviews of Tana French - all of your reviews in fact. I haven't read any by that author so your are providing an essential service!

Keep it up!

I will, Vivienne! I'm glad to be service! ;-))

Hi Connie. You are doing so well with your ROOTs! And I think I am going to have to check out this Tana French you keep reading. I hope my library will have them when I am ready for the reading of them. Hopefully this winter.
Keep up the good work.
later,

I've seen the Kate Mosse books and been tempted to try them...Have you read her before?

> 80 Yes, I've read her first 2 books in the series and a novella Wintergeest. I enjoyed them very much. Don't expect lots of action. The story might be a bit slow for some, but I like the feel of her books. And you have to be openminded about supernatural things. There is always a link between the present and the past. Things that overlap each other. It's not really fantasy but it's getting close.

Only five more books to your target my dear, wonder what you will finish up with. Hope you and the family are all well, lots of love to you all.

Thanks, John!

You surprise me in an earlier post when you wrote that your English is not good enough to read a book in English. On the contrary, your English seems more than good enough. Sometimes you just have to start. I bet soon enough you'll at least be reading one English language book per week!

Well, I can write a decent sentence in English, I know that. But you don't know how much time it takes me to compose it. I can change the words and adapt things. But when reading you have to understand what the author wrote. And I could do that easly when I was 20. I even thought about studying the English language. I did not, due to external things. But now I'm 60+ it's to much of work reading an English book. Believe me, I've tried. And reading should be relaxing and not becoming a strain. And there are 600 books in the Dutch language on my shelves I have to read before I die. ;-))

But I love your encouragement and I feel very flattered. Thanks

Well I understand that! Still though, other than a few mistakes that could be mistaken as typos, I would never doubt that you weren't an English speaker.

I have the opposite trouble as you. I'm reading novels in Japanese now - although still with heavy dictionary use of course - but my writing is incredibly lackluster. I'm having trouble working on it.

>82 johnsimpson:: John, I need only one more ROOT book to complete the challenge. And almost 5 months to do just that. So no worries.

>86 lilisin:: lilisin, again thank you. I am in awe! Reading Japanese sounds very cool! Why do you want to do that? Hobby? Study? Ancestors? And I can imagine it must be very difficult to write those signs. Lots of succes.

It's definitely very fun. I started learning it becaus I love many things Japanese and now it's what I do in my free time. I'm trying to get closer to reading novels at more native level pace. And Japanese isn't any more difficult than any other language to learn but I woul say it takes more upkeep to maintain. In any case I love it!

TBR 612 - 54=560 + 33 =591
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 42
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 22

Totally Read 2013 = 61
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

--------------------------

Yesterday evening, or rather very early this morning I finished Citadel by Kate Mosse. We had friends over for dinner and when they went home I just wanted to read a few pages before going to bed. But the end of this book was near and I got pulled into the grand finale. I really loved this book. The story about the resistance in the south of France against the German occupation is great. And although the story is fiction I am sure that situations like that occured, perhaps not in that village or at that day, but they could have. I think that the end is a bit to Supernatural for my taste. I love fantasy but this did not feel right. But I will give Citadel

So its one more book of the shelf, but it's not a ROOT.

I choose another book to read on my reader: De Erfenis van de Zussen by Katherine webb



In the depths of a harsh winter, following the death of their grandmother, Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, a grand and imposing Wiltshire house where they spent their summer holidays as children. When Erica begins to sort through her grandmother's belongings, she is flooded with memories of her childhood - and of her cousin, Henry, whose disappearance from the manor tore the family apart. Erica sets out to discover what happened to Henry, so that the past can be laid to rest, and her sister, Beth, might finally find some peace. Gradually, as Erica begins to sift through remnants of the past, a secret family history emerges; one that stretches all the way back to turn-of-the-century America, to a beautiful society heiress and a haunting, savage land. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal - and the heart-breaking legacy left behind.

As a real book I will pick up De bron der verheffing by Brandon Sanderson. I've neglected that one for to long.

Oh, you're almost there! Good for you!

Thanks, MissWatson.

Oh, almost there--so close! You put me to shame since I'm not doing very well this year on my ROOTS challenge.

I really liked Tana French's first two books. When I get my huge pile of ROOTS whittled down a bit, I will definitely go on with the series.

Just hang in there, Janet. Good luck with the ROOT pile, Tana will wait.

TBR 612 - 54=560 + 33 =591
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 43
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 23

Totally Read 2013 = 62
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

-------------------------------

I really loved De Erfenis van de zussen by Katherine Webb. The story tells us about Caroline, who marries Corin and follows him to Texas where he has a ranch (1903). And about her great granddaughters Beth and Erica when they are young girls (8 and 12) and grown women (25 years later). And about the secrets a person can have for his/her familymembers.

For my next read on my kobo I have chosen De zigeunermadonna by Santa Montefiore. I love her books, especially in the summer.
This is the translation of The Gipsy Madonna



When an elegant French antiques dealer dies in her adopted hometown of New York City, her son, Misha, is astonished to learn that she owned a priceless, uncataloged Titian known as The Gypsy Madonna. Misha wonders how she could have kept such a secret from him, bonded inseparably as they were since his childhood in German-occupied France. Now with the discovery of the Titian masterpiece and the loss of his mother, he must at last journey back to Bordeaux to uncover the truth about The Gypsy Madonna -- and himself.

Broken harbour sounds like one I'd really like. It's on my list, as I've read all the others by Tana French. I know the county library has it, but it's always out. I should place a hold . . .

Good idea, Terri. It really is worth it.

TBR 612 - 54=560 + 33 =591
Read ROOTs = 19
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 44
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 24

Totally Read 2013 = 63
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

---------------------------------

De zigeunermadonna by Santa Montefiore was a lovely read. Although the subject of the book was not very light.
Mischa, in his forties, is born in the South of France during the German occupation. His father is a German officer and his mother works at the Chateau. They fall in love and Mischa is born. After the war, Mischa and his mother stay in the little village but they are hated by the people and move away. But for Mischa the treatment he suffered is a burden he carries around. So the reading was not light but i loved the book because it moved, sometimes to tears.


And now, finally, I am going to read a ROOT, my last one to complete my challenge and a book by Santa Montefiore - Villa Magdalena. That book has been on my shelf since 3 november 2011. So it counts. I have a pbook and an ebook version, so I can alternate between the two.
The book is called The House by the Sea in English



Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens. One day, Dante, the son of the villa's owner, invites her inside. From that moment on Floriana knows that her destiny is there, with him.

TBR 612 - 55=557 + 33 =590
Read ROOTs = 20 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 44
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 24

Totally Read 2013 = 64
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------

Yes, yes, yes i did it! I read book 20 for my challenge and I'm now officially finished. All extra ROOT books I will read this year will count for the group total. The day was hot and made for reading in the garden. We had nothing planned for the day so I just made it a lazy last summerbreak day. And finished Villa Magdalena Romantic, with the search for long lost family and enough moments to shed a tear or two. A nice light summerbook.

I have only the weekend left. On monday work starts again, so less time for reading. I really wanted to stay in a world created by Santa Montefiore and I started an ebook by her: De vuurtoren van Connemara The english title is Secrets of the Lighthouse
Secrets = Geheimen
Lighthouse = vuurtoren



Ellen Trawton is running away from it all - quite literally. She is due to get married to a man she doesn't love, her job is dragging her down and her interfering mother is getting on her nerves. So she escapes to the one place she know her mother won't follow her - to her aunt's house in rural Ireland. Once there, she uncovers a dark family secret - and a future she never knew she might have. Meanwhile, Caitlin Macausland is mourning the future she can never have. She died tragically in what the village thinks is suspicious circumstances, and now she is stuck in a limbo, unable to move on. And between the two of them is an old lighthouse - the scene of so much tragedy. Can each woman find the peace she so desperately longs for? And can they find the way to live again?

I'm really looking forward to that one.

And I also reset my ticker for the total of books I want to read this year from 65 to 75.

Hurray! Congrats on meeting your goal! Sounds like a great day of reading, too :)

Congrats!!

Congratulations, Connie. An example for us all ;-)

Congratulations Connie! You are an inspiration. I suddenly realized I have a lot of reading to do if I want to finish my two challenges this year (ROOTS and Commonwealth).

Thank you all. But 20 books is not that great a challenge. And now I feel an urge to read more ROOTS, just to get the group total up.

And I am thinking about the challenge for next year and what my restrictions will be and how many books.

Well done Connie! 20 books probably felt like a lot when you started the year, so it's still really good. Everything else is bonus now.

I had to create some room for the new and shiny ones ;-)

Well done!!!

TBR 612 - 55 = 557 + 33 =590
Read ROOTs = 20 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 45
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 25

Totally Read 2013 = 65
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

--------------------------

Finished: De vuurtoren van Connemara by Santa Montefiore. This book was a bit of a disappointment or perhaps it was a case of too much Santa in one week. The story had lots of possibilities but I did not like the supernatural way in which things were set right and solved. I would have preferred some research and detecting.

And I really put some research in finding my next book. I wanted it to be a ROOT and something different from the Santa books. And I had to have an e-book and a p-book version. And I choose:

Brandbaar by Jane Casey. This is the translation of The Burning

Brandbaar = Flammable



The Burning Man. It's the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London's parks. And now there's a fifth. Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve's empathy clouds her judgment, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?

Congrats, Connie! Great work in meeting your goal.

Thanks, Terri.

Well done, Connie!

Congratulations! It looks like your exstras will be very welcome if we are to reach the group goal ;-)

I think we are never gone get there, Henrik.

Congratulations, Connie! I need to be better about reading ROOTS myself, if I could only stop bringing so many books home from the library, that would help! ;)

Thanks, Laura. That's why I gave up going to the library years ago.

You're stronger than I am - but it's even worse now that I work there. :/

Congratulations on making your goal. I still have quite a ways to go and need to buckle down to it. I get easily distracted by library books, too.

TBR 612 - 56 = 557 + 33 =590
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 45
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 25

Totally Read 2013 = 66
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 2

-------------------------------------------

One more ROOT finished!!! And that's one past my target, so this one is for the grouptotal.
Brandbaar by Jane Casey was really good. It was obvious soon who did it. I think the way the book was designed gave it away. But the why was the greater question and that was really well done.

I found another book by Jane Casey - Vergelding that I'm reading now on my Kobo.



To the public, he's a hero: a killer who targets convicted paedophiles. Two men are dead already - tortured to death. Even the police don't regard the cases as a priority. Most feel that two dead paedophiles is a step in the right direction. But to DC Maeve Kerrigan, no one should be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Young and inexperienced, Kerrigan wants to believe that murder is murder no matter what the sins of the victim. Only, as the killer's violence begins to escalate, she is forced to confront exactly how far she's prepared to go to ensure justice is served...

And unfortunately it's not a ROOT. But I will read ROOTS after this one.

I just am so proud. I was SO tempeted to make a detour and visit my bookstore. I could almost feel my bike going left, where I have to go to the right to get home. I was thinking about buying a book the whole morning, but I stayed strong and did not go there and did not buy anything.

Good! I bought one last week - and it wasn't really spontaneous, since they didn't have it on stock, so I had to order it - but I do try to get some of oldies off the shelves as well.

Still, new books ARE great...

TBR 612 - 56 = 557 + 33 =590
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 45
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 25

Totally Read 2013 = 66
Books into the house = 33

Currently reading = 3

----------------------

I started another book because the challenge on my bookclub for september is: Read a book about books. I choose Een boek per dag by Nina Sankovitch



This is the translation of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

Een boek per dag = One book a day. So nothing about Tolstoy or a Purple Chair.

After the death of her sister, Nina Sankovitch found herself caught up in grief, dashing from one activity to the next to keep her mind occupied. But on her forty-sixth birthday she decided to stop running and start reading. There were obligations she couldn't put on hold - a husband, four kids, three cats, and piles of dirty laundry - but everything else would have to wait. Sankovitch devoted herself to reading a book a day: one year of magical reading in which she found joy, healing, and wisdom. With grace and deep insight, Sankovitch weaves together poignant memories from her family's history with the unforgettable lives of the characters she reads about. She finds a lesson to be learned in each book, ultimately realizing the ability of a good story to console, inspire, and open our lives to new places and experiences - reading as therapy. In an era when we are constantly bombarded by technology and instant gratification is the norm, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is a reminder of the wisdom to be found in books and proof of the all-encompassing power and delight of reading.

Just wanted you to know I got hold of Broken Harbor and am enjoying it. Your review nudged me to start it. (But it's not a ROOT for me.)

> 121: Nice to hear that, Terri

TBR 612 - 56 = 556 + 36 =592
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 46
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 26

Totally Read 2013 = 67
Books into the house = 36

Currently reading = 2

------------------------------

Hmm...... somethings are going terrible wrong today.

1. The arithmetic above was really bad. But now I think I have it right.
2. I bought books today (hangs head in shame)

I bought the last book by Raymond E. Feist - Het einde van de magiër and now the series is complete.
And a novelle by George R.R. Martin - De onbekende ridder
And the latest book of Tatiana de Rosnay - Onvoltooid verhaal





Yesterday I finished Vergelding by Jane Casey, I really like her way of writing. And I'm looking forward reading her next book.

BR 612 - 56 = 556 + 37 =593
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 46
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 26

Totally Read 2013 = 67
Books into the house = 37

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------
This is definitely going the wrong way. Yesterday, in the supermarket, I saw this book lying on the shelves and I knew I had read some things about this book. So before I knew it I had the book in my hands and stood at the cash register buying the thing.

That is number 37 for this year:



De Teruggekeerden by Jason Mott. This is the translation of The Returned

All over the world, people's loved ones are returning from the dead. Exactly as they were before they died. As if they had never left. As if it's just another ordinary day. Jacob Hargrave tragically drowned over forty years ago. Now he's on his aged parents' doorstep, still eight years old: the little boy they knew they'd never see again. As the family find themselves at the centre of a community on the brink of collapse, they are forced to navigate a whole new reality and question everything they've ever believed. No one knows how or why this mysterious event is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. The only certainty is that their lives will never be the same again.

That sounds an interesting premise. Let us know if it lives up to the blurb.

I will, Robert.

TBR 612 - 56 = 556 + 37 =593
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 47
------- p-books = 20
------- e-books = 27

Totally Read 2013 = 68
Books into the house = 37

Currently reading = 2

-----------------------------------

This sundaymorning in bed I finished Een boek per dag by Nina Sankovitch. The rain clattered against the window of our bedroom and in bed it was nice and warm. I had a great mug of tea and my Kobo and finished this book. Although I felt it was a bit over the top, I read some beautiful things and thoughts.

Of course I started another book on my Kobo: Stad van Beenderen by Cassandra Clare.

FYI, Connie, Kobo are offering 50% off all books in September with promo code Sept50. I wouldn't have known if an author I follow on FB hadn't mentioned it, so it's not well publicised.

Thanks, Robert. That is good to know.

TBR 612 - 56 = 556 + 37 =593
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 48
------- p-books = 21
------- e-books = 27

Totally Read 2013 = 69
Books into the house = 37

Currently reading = 3

--------------------------------------

I read the book by Tatania de Rosnay - Onvoltooid verhaal and was somewhat disappointed. I had a reading break of two days and when picking up the book again, I was totally confused about the characters and how they got to where they were.

Tomorrow I'm going on a fieldtrip with 40 of our students. We are going to visit Trier (Germany) and we have a three hour drive by bus back and forth. So I loaded a new ebook on the Kobo: Jane Casey - De laatste dochter



The teenage girl was the first victim. Her throat cut to the bone, she didn't stand a chance. Her mother, at least, had time to fight back. Briefly. Called to the crime scene in leafy Wimbledon, Maeve Kerrigan's first thought is that this is a domestic dispute gone bad. But the husband is found lying bleeding and unconscious in an upstairs room. As a criminal barrister he insists he's the third victim rather than their prime suspect, even if he's a man who makes enemies easily. The only other surviving family member is fifteen-year-old Lydia. She was the one to find her mother and twin sister's bodies - and the only witness Maeve has. But she isn't talking...

TBR 612 - 56 = 556 + 38 = 594
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 15
Read others = 48
------- p-books = 21
------- e-books = 27

Totally Read 2013 = 69
Books into the house = 38

Currently reading = 3

---------------------

I bougth a book today. I just stumbled upon it searching for butons. So a book instead of butons. And I hád to buy this book, because it is written by Stella Gemmell, the widow of David Gemmell. It is called De stad



The translation of The City

Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast. Over the centuries, it has sprawled beyond its walls, the cause of constant war with neighbouring people and kingdoms, laying waste to what was once green and fertile. And at the heart of the City resides the emperor. Few have ever seen him. Those who have remember a man in his prime and yet he should be very old. Some speculate that he is no longer human, others wonder if indeed he ever truly was. And a small number have come to a desperate conclusion: that the only way to stop the ceaseless slaughter is to end the emperor's unnaturally long life. From the rotting, flood-ruined catacombs beneath the City where the poor struggle to stay alive to the blood-soaked fields of battle where so few heroes survive, these rebels pin their hopes on one man. A man who was once the emperor's foremost general. A man, a revered soldier, who could lead an uprising and unite the City. But a man who was betrayed, imprisoned, tortured and is now believed to be dead...

Thanks for the tip Connie, the Jane Casey book looks interesting. I've added it to my wishlist - not that I need any more added!

Glad to be of help, Vivienne.

TBR 612 - 59 = 553 + 38 = 591
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met)
Books leaving the house unread = 17
Read others = 48
------- p-books = 21
------- e-books = 27

Totally Read 2013 = 69
Books into the house = 38

--------------------

While cleaning the bookcases in my bedroom, I saw two books I will never read, so out they go.

Hmmm. I have to examine my schedule. Something is not right (again)

Hi Connie, hope you and the family are all well, I will be writing to you shortly after promising to write. What sort of a friend am I? Things have been a bit hectic with my father In law and time just seems to be flying by. Your reading is really going well my dear.

Thanks John. I am looking forward to your message. Just take all the time you need.

Thanks Connie.

TBR 612 - 58 = 554 + 38 = 592
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met = 1)
Books leaving the house unread = 17
Read others = 48
------- p-books = 21
------- e-books = 27

Totally Read 2013 = 69
Books into the house = 38

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one Root is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------------------------

I finally figured out what was wrong with the math in my schedule. But it's clear now.

Reading is slow this week. Lots of work at school and at home. I have to steal my reading moments. And I am reading no ROOTs.

Omnibus volumes are just trouble for these sort of purposes!

I was so confused when the math was wrong. But no I'm happy I found why.

TBR 612 - 58 = 554 + 38 = 592
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met = 1)
Books leaving the house unread = 17
Read others = 49
------- p-books = 21
------- e-books = 28

Totally Read 2013 = 70
Books into the house = 38

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one Root is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------
I love these lazy sunday mornings. Staying in bed, just reading, drinking tea. I finished the fourth book by Jane Casey - De laatste dochter. I really loved this one. Jane gives little clues throughout the book, so you have to read very attentive. Nevertheless I did not see the end until the last 15 pages.

TBR 612 - 59 = 554 + 38 = 592
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met = 1)
Books leaving the house unread = 17
Read others = 50
------- p-books = 22
------- e-books = 28

Totally Read 2013 = 71
Books into the house = 38

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one Root is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

------------------------------------

I just finished De bron der verheffing by Brandon Sanderson. It took a while because I was distracted by the books on my Kobo. It is so much easier to take a reader with you to work. No pages getting creased and the real book is rather heavy because it has more than 700 pages. And I was caugth up by the books by Jane Casey.
The last few days the weather was nice in The Netherlands. I could read sitting in the garden and it was not too hot to have my bookseat with the book on it on my lap. I really like the way Sanderson writes and the story of Vin and Elend is nice. The magic in this book is different from anything I've ever read.

I decided on a ROOT (my 22 #, 2 past my target) for my next p-book.
De tijger in de put by Philip Pullman.



Sally Lockhart, now 25, is comfortably settled with her child, Harriet, her work, and her London friends. But when a complete stranger claims to be both her husband and Harriet's father, Sally's whole world comes crashing down around her. With nowhere to turn, she escapes with Harriet into the slums of London's East End--and finds help in some unexpected quarters.

"Pullman is fast becoming a modern-day Dickens for young adults. The setting is the same, the strong eye for characters is there, as are the brooding atmosphere, the social conscience, and the ability to spin plot within plot. Sally Lockhart is now a young woman, left alone with a toddler. Nothing prepares her for the shock of receiving a summons from a man she has never even heard of, suing for divorce and the custody of her beloved Harriet. Sally struggles against the net closing around her, seeking to find out who is persecuting her and why.

Is this your first Lockhart mystery from Pullman? How do they compare to his Dark Materials series? I thought that was strong stuff.

No, I've read the previous two in the SL series and I liked them wel enough to buy the rest of the books. Sally Lockhart is more like a detective story placed in Victorian Londen. There is a bit of fantasy about it, but only a hint. His Dark Materials is nothing like Sally Lockhart, but I like both the series.

TBR 612 - 62 (see below) = 550 + 39 = 589
Read ROOTs = 21 (Challenge met + 1)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 50
------- p-books = 22
------- e-books = 28

Totally Read 2013 = 71
Books into the house = 39

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one Root is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------

I bought a book again. This time my husband and I went to this bookchurch in Maastricht (see one of the last posts of my firtst thread) and you can't go there without buying a book.

Zusje by Rosamund Lupton The translation of Sister



When Beatrice hears that her little sister, Tess, is missing, she returns home to London on the first flight available. But Bee is unprepared for the terrifying truths she must face about her younger sibling when Tess's broken body is discovered in the snow.The police, Bee's friends, her fiancé and even her mother accept the fact that Tess committed suicide. But nobody knows a sister like a sister, and Bee is convinced that something more sinister is responsible for Tess's untimely death. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

Ah, thanks for the assessment. I watched the TV versions of two Sally Lockhart mysteries a while ago and found them rather unusual. Might have a go at them some day (after the challenge)

TBR 612 - 63 (see below) = 549 + 40 = 589
Read ROOTs = 22 (Challenge met + 1)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 50
------- p-books = 22
------- e-books = 28

Totally Read 2013 = 72
Books into the house = 40

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------

I've been busy reading and buying.

My latest new and shiny one is Ik weet wat je denkt by Elizabeth George



I really don't know why nobody in the UK or US has this book yet, but I seem to be the only one. It's part 2 in the young adult series centered round Becca King.

The English title is The edge of the water

ROOTs:

Root # 22:
Finished reading de tijger in de put by Philip Pullman.
I really liked this book a lot. I almost forgot my Kobo and wanted to read this real live book. I even took the book with me on the train to my weekly visit at my brothers.

Reading ROOT #23:

De tinnen prinses by Philip Pullman



Jim Taylor, Sally's oldest friend, is engaged as bodyguard to a princess. But Crown Princess Adelaide of Razkavia not what you'd expect. She's the slum-girl Jim has been searching for ever since she vanished ten years ago. Now her life is in mortal danger, and together they must battle against unknown enemies in a countryhere no one can be trusted. This dramatic story of love, loyalty and adventure is the final novel in the quartet.

Reading ROOT # 24:

Dodenwake by Laurell K. Hamilton



Anita Blake, a woman who has the power to reanimate dead bodies, refuses an offer of a million dollars to bring a three-hundred-year-old corpse back to life because the effort would require a human sacrifice, but when a less ethical animator takes the job, it is up to Anita to stop the resulting carnage.

I like the way you keep track of your numbers and what is leaving your house. You're doing great!

Thanks, Streamsong.

My BTL row:

BTL meaning: Binnenkort Te Lezen = Soon To Read



Parts of it.

Ahhhh I love seeing photos of other people's bookshelves.

Wonderful "soon to read" pictures!

I love shelf photos too. I just wish my shelves looked as tidy.

Fabulous pictures :-D. Now, that it's getting cold and dark, you'll get enough reading time.

Thanks guys!

TBR 612 - 64 (see below) = 548 + 40 = 588
Read ROOTs = 23 (Challenge met + 3)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 50
------- p-books = 22
------- e-books = 28

Totally Read 2013 = 73
Books into the house = 40

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------

Just finished the fourth book in the Sally Lockhart series De tinnen prinses by Philip Pullman. This one was not as entertaining as number 3 was. But I enjoyed it anyway

You are really doing a great job helping the group :-)

One week in Turkey, one broken reader and 3 books read.

Update is pending!

TBR 612 - 66 (see below) = 546 + 40 = 586
Read ROOTs = 24 (Challenge met + 4)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 52
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 29

Totally Read 2013 = 76
Books into the house = 40

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

------------------------------

And so Peet and I went for a short holiday to Turkey. We went to a resort on the coast near Antalya. And of course I packed my reader and a few real books. We were here before and we have our own favorite spot



This is the quiet pool. No children, no music, no yelling, no jumping into the water. Just people reading (or napping).

First I finished ROOT 24: Dodenwake by Laurell K. Hamilton. That was a real paper book and I gave it . A bit predictable but an enjoyable book.

I decided to finish the ebook I was reading. Stad van Beenderen by Cassandra Clare. I do not know why it took me so long to read this book. I really liked it and I will read the other 3 books in this series soon.

I started an ebook and a pbook. I like to switch between those two possibilities.

As an ebook I started in Het zomerhuis by Marcia Willett



This is the translation of The Summer House

In the small inlaid wooden box, Matt's mother had kept all his childhood memories. Amongst them are many photos of Matt as a child. But something about those photos has always puzzled Matt. Is that really him? Why does he not remember those clothes? The toys? And where, in the photos, is his sister Imogen? He has grown up with a strange, unresolved feeling that there is something missing in his life.

Halfway reading this book my Kobo went crazy. I have no idea what I did wrong but I had to connect to a computer/laptop or connect through WiFi. Since there was no PC available I connected to WiFi and for an hour or so things where scanned and synchronized and then all my books were gone. The Kobo worked but I had to wait untill we got home to get the books from my laptop to the reader. Strange story!!!
I was so happy I packed 3 p-books in my suitcase in case of an emergency, (as if I had a premonition)

As an pbook I started in Ik weet wat je denkt by Elizabeth George. This is the second part in the Saratoga Woods series. A Young Adult series with a touch of magic.



This is the translation of The Edge of the Water.
So this the title is not translated literally.
Ik weet wat je denkt = I know what you are thinking
De rand van het Water = The Edge of the Water

A mysterious girl who won’t speak; a coal black seal named Nera that returns to the same place very year; a bitter feud of unknown origin—strange things are happening on Whidbey Island, and Becca King, is drawn into the maelstrom of events.
But Becca, first met in The Edge of Nowhere, has her own secrets to hide. Still on the run from her criminal stepfather, Becca is living in a secret location. Even Derric, the Ugandan orphan with whom Becca shares a close, romantic relationship, can’t be allowed to know her whereabouts.
As secrets of past and present are revealed, Becca becomes aware of her growing paranormal powers, and events build to a shocking climax anticipated by no one.

I really liked this book.

Now we are home again and I am reading a new pbook:
Vlam van Zeven Wateren by Juliet Marillier



Going home can be the hardest thing of all... When Maeve, twenty year old daughter of Lord Sean of Sevenwaters, accompanies a skittish horse back to Erin, she must confront her demons. For Maeve carries the legacy of a childhood fire in her crippled hands. She has lived with her aunt in Britain for ten years, developing a special gift for gentling difficult animals. Maeve arrives home to find Sevenwaters in turmoil. The forest surrounding her father's keep also has uncanny inhabitants, including a community of Fair Folk. Now the fey prince Mac Dara has become desperate to see his only son return to the Otherworld to rule after him. To force Sean's hand, Mac Dara has made innocent travellers on the Sevenwaters border disappear, and now their bodies are appearing one by one in bizarre circumstances. Mac Dara's malign activities must be stopped. But how? What human army can defeat a force with magic at its fingertips? Maeve's gift with animals earns her respect at Sevenwaters. She bonds with her enigmatic small brother, Finbar, his druid tutor Luachan, and two stray dogs. When Maeve discovers the body of one of the missing men, she and Finbar are drawn into a journey where the stakes are high: they may bring about the end of Mac Dara's reign, or suffer a hideous death. For Maeve, success may lead to a future she has not dared to believe possible.

And of course I put the book I was reading back on my reader!

A few more pictures of Turkey

Finished!

Wonderful photos Connie. That swimming pool looks so inviting. Sorry to hear about your reader, I hope it has recovered fully.

ETA Congratulations on reaching your target (and beyond).

Thanks, Vivienne. I am now reading for the group total.

Nice photos, and I'm so envious. We were supposed to go to Turkey last week, but unfortunately the company we were travelling with went broke the day we supposed to fly from Copenhagen. Sooooo annoying! (Luckily, we were ensured, so no real finansial loss. But we were ready to go! I even have pictures of the suitcases already packed...)

Hope you had a wonderful vacation despite the reader-trouble.

Looks very relaxing! Did you swim in the garden in your second photo? ;)

Hahahaha, no I didn't! The pool was on this side of the hedge!

Lovely photos, Connie!

Thanks, Terry.

Hi Connie, love the photos and glad you had a lovely holiday, very jealous,lol.

Hey John, Thanks!

Hey, you did it! Congrats!

TBR 612 - 66 (see below) = 546 + 41 = 587
Read ROOTs = 24 (Challenge met + 4)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 77
Books into the house = 41

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------

Thanks everyone.

Read:
I just finished Het zomerhuis by Marcia Willett. I expected a bit more and I guessed the end early on. But I wanted to know what Matt thought and how he came to the same conclusion, so I kept on reading. It felt a bit rushed at the end.

Bought:
Yesterday we went to Maastricht with friends to visit our daughter and son in law who live there and of course we had to visit 'the church with the books'. Our friends came over for the weekend and we just had to show them this church and show off a liitle. My husband had promised to buy me a book and I decided on Geloof je ogen by Linwood Barclay. I really love his books and whenever there is a new book by Linwood I want to have and read it.



The English title is Trust Your Eyes. And the Dutch title is a correct translation.

Thomas Kilbride is a map-obsessed schizophrenic so affected that he rarely leaves the self-imposed bastion of his bedroom. But with a computer program called Whirl360.com, he travels the world while never so much as stepping out the door. He pores over and memorizes the streets of the world. He examines every address, as well as the people who are frozen in time on his computer screen.

Then he sees something that anyone else might have stumbled upon—but has not—in a street view of downtown New York City: an image in a window. An image that looks like a woman being murdered.

Thomas’s brother, Ray, takes care of him, cooking for him, dealing with the outside world on his behalf, and listening to his intricate and increasingly paranoid theories. When Thomas tells Ray what he has seen, Ray humors him with a half-hearted investigation. But Ray soon realizes he and his brother have stumbled onto a deadly conspiracy.

New Book:

Een echte vrouw by Michael Berg



This is a book by a Dutch Author now living in France. The title means: 'A real woman'.

It will count as a ROOT since I bought this book in 2011.
I have a paper and a digital version.

Yay for new Linwood Barclay! Hope you like it.

I hope so too.

Congrats on reaching -- and surpassing -- your target, Connie!

That Linwood Barclay book sounds pretty good. I read one of his that I didn't like much, but I may give him another try with that one.

Let me know what you think of it, Terri

TBR 612 - 67 (see below) = 545 + 41 = 586
Read ROOTs = 25 (Challenge met + 5)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 78
Books into the house = 41

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------

Just finished ROOT 25. Een echte vrouw by Michael Berg. I liked this book a lot. One good thing was the part of France where it all takes place. I recognized a lot of the places mentioned around Limoges. The plot is put together nicely.

Now I'm looking for a book where a 'Forest' has an important role. Not just people passing through a forest. I have to choose between two books.

I will let you all know.

I decided on a book that has been on my shelves for ages.

Het huis in het woud by Marion Zimmer Bradley



The translation of The Forest House. I'm not thát sure that the forest plays a big role in the story, but it is a nice read so far.

In a Britain struggling to survive Roman invasion, Eilan is the daughter of a Druidic warleader, gifted with visions and marked by fate to become a priestess of the Forest House.

But fate also led Eilan to Gaius, a soldier of mixed blood, son of the Romans sent to subdue the native British. For Gaius, Eilan felt forbidden love, and her terrible secret will haunt her even as she is anointed as the new High Priestess. With mighty enemies poised to destroy the magic the Forest House shelters, Eilan must trust in the power of the great Goddess to lead her through the treacherous labyrinth of her destiny.

TBR 612 - 67 (see below) = 545 + 42 = 587
Read ROOTs = 25 (Challenge met + 5)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 78
Books into the house = 42

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------

Today I was on a meet with a few members of one of my bookclubs and of course we visited some bookstores and of course I had te buy a book. The book I wanted to buy was not available. But I found another book I would like te read.

Het victoriaanse huis by John Boyne.



This is the translation of This House is Haunted.
It's not the best translation:

This house is haunted = Dit huis is behekst
The Victorian house = Het victotiaanse huis

I love John Boyne and I love ghosts, so it was a logical step to buy this book.

1867. Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk to take up her position as governess at Gaudlin Hall on a dark and chilling night. As she makes her way across the station platform, a pair of invisible hands push her from behind into the path of an approaching train. She is only saved by the vigilance of a passing doctor.

When she finally arrives, shaken, at the hall she is greeted by the two children in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There are no parents, no adults at all, and no one to represent her mysterious employer. The children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, a second terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.

That sounds like a good, spooky one!

That is what I tougth!!

But of course I had to order the book I wanted online and to save on shipping costs I ordered a second book. They arrive on tuesday, I hope.

TBR 612 - 67 (see below) = 545 + 44 = 589
Read ROOTs = 25 (Challenge met + 5)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 78
Books into the house = 44

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------

And yes, the books arrived today in a neighbourhood store and I picked them up on my way home from my work.



Zeven minuten na middernacht by Patrick Ness

The translation of A Monster Calls. The translation of this title is completely different.
A Monster Calls = Een monster roept
Zeven minuten na middernacht = ??? (Has anyone an idea what this might mean? No prices to be won, just honour)

The monster showed up just after midnight. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild.

The second book is



Ravenvlucht by Juliet Marillier

The Translation of Raven Flight to the letter.

Neryn thought she had lost everything and could trust no one, not even her mysterious companion, Flint. But when she finds refuge at the rebel base of Shadowfell and discovers her canny gift as a Caller, she feels the first stirrings of hope. Now she faces a perilous journey with the rebel Tali and the Good Folk, who shadow her steps. She must find the three Guardians who can teach her how to use her unweildy gift - one that is rumoured could amass a powerful army. Can Neryn master her magical power to save Alban from King Keldec's stranglehold? Or will she be too late?

Hi Connie!
Love the pictures in Turkey. We stopped there on a cruise almost ten years ago, near Ephesus. Loved it. It seemed like the type of place to go for a holiday - very relaxing.

I haven't read a Barclay in a while, but he writes such readable, thrilling novels I am never disappointed. And a Canadian author as well.

to save on shipping costs I ordered a second book. I use that type of logic as well!

My guess would be "7 Minutes Past Midnight"

The Honour is all yours, Robert! ;-))

TBR 612 - 68 (see below) = 544 + 44 = 588
Read ROOTs = 26 (Challenge met + 6)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 79
Books into the house = 44

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------------

Just after diner I finished Het huis in het woud by Marion Zimmer Bradley and this is ROOT number 26 (6 past target).
I tought this was a rather nice story about the Roman occupation of Britain and a Lovestory too.

I had to start a new ebook for my trainride and I decided on Annabel by Kathleen Winter. I heard lots of nice things about this book. Some of my bookclub friends read it and were in tears over some passages in the book.



In 1968, into the beautiful, spare environment of remote coastal Labrador in the far north-east of Canada, a mysterious child is born: a baby who appears to be neither fully boy nor girl, but both at once. Only three people share the secret - the baby?s parents, Jacinta and Treadway, and a trusted neighbour, Thomasina. Together the adults make a difficult decision: to go through surgery and raise the child as a boy named Wayne. But as Wayne grows to adulthood within the hyper-male hunting culture of his father, his shadow-self - a girl he thinks of as ?Annabel? - is never entirely extinguished, and indeed is secretly nurtured by the women in his life.

I found another book that might fit in the month challenge oh the ff-leesclub.nl and a ROOT too

Woud van de dood by Sallie Bissell

I added this book in 2010, but I think I have it for a much longer time. I spend 2009 and 2010 adding all my books

This is the translation of In the Forest of Harm Almost literal translation, almost

Woud van de dood = Forest of Death
In the Forest of Harm = In het woud van gevaar



Assistant D.A. Mary Crow has come a long way from a tiny cabin in Little Jump Off, North Carolina. The toughest young prosecutor in Georgia, "Killer Crow" is going home, to visit her mother's grave and then to hike with her two closest friends on the wilderness trail she loved as a child.
Mary knows well the dangers these beautiful mountains hold: rugged climbs, treacherous precipices, dense fog, and acres of impenetrable brambles. But there are greater threats here, ones she never anticipated.
Her most recent courtroom victory made more than headlines -- it made Mary a deadly enemy. He's tracking Mary into the mountains to wreak vengeance -- and to bury a shattering secret. But he will not be the only predator who stalks the women through this merciless terrain.
Here Mary and her friends will find a will to survive they never knew they possessed. Here they will find a capacity for loyalty -- and for violence -- they never dreamed possible...deep within themselves and in the forest of harm.

TBR 612 - 69 (see below) = 544 + 44 = 588
Read ROOTs = 27 (Challenge met + 7)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 80
Books into the house = 44

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------------
Last night I had to finish the book by Sallie Bissell - Woud van de dood. I had to know how it all ended before I could get any sleep. So now I can add another ROOT to my list. And it really was worth a short night -

TBR 612 - 69 (see below) = 544 + 45 = 589
Read ROOTs = 27 (Challenge met + 7)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 53
------- p-books = 23
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 80
Books into the house = 45

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------------

I bougth two more books to meet an obligation with my bookclub.



Verdwenen by Val McDermid

The translation of The Vanishing Point

The Vanishing Point = Het punt van verdwijnen / Het verdwijnpunt
Verdwenen = disappeared

Stephanie Harker is travelling through security at O'Hare airport with five-year-old Jimmy. But in a moment, everything changes. In disbelief, Stephanie watches as a uniformed agent leads her boy away - and she's stuck the other side of the gates, hysterical with worry. The authorities, unaware of Jimmy's existence, just see a woman behaving erratically; Stephanie is wrestled to the ground and blasted with a taser gun. By the time she can tell them what has happened, Jimmy is long gone. But as Stephanie tells her story to the FBI, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. There are many potential suspects for this abduction. With time rapidly running out, how can Stephanie get him back?

and



Kom naar huis by Julie Kibler

The Translation of Calling me Home

Calling me Home = Roep me naar huis
Kom naar huis = Come home

A moving love story inspired by a true story and perfect for fans of The Help In a time of hate, would you stand up for love? Shalerville, Kentucky, 1939. A world where black maids and handymen are trusted to raise white children and tend to white houses, but from which they are banished after dark. Sixteen-year-old Isabelle McAllister, born into wealth and privilege, finds her ordered life turned upside down when she becomes attracted to Robert, the ambitious black son of her family's housekeeper. Before long Isabelle and Robert are crossing extraordinary, dangerous boundaries and falling deeply in love. Many years later, eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle will travel from her home in Arlington, Texas, to Ohio for a funeral. With Isabelle is her hairstylist and friend, Dorrie Curtis -- a black single mother with her own problems. Along the way, Isabelle will finally reveal to Dorrie the truth of her painful past: a tale of forbidden love, the consequences of which will resound for decades ...

I've really liked the books I've read by Val McDermid so far, but I haven't read that one.

This is a stand alone book. Not a book in the Tony Hill series and the blurb sounded really good. I've read books by her in the past so I know they are very exciting.

I haven't read the series books yet. The ones I read were stand-alones, too: A Place of Execution, which was outstanding; and A Darker Domain, which was pretty good, too, as I recall.

TBR 612 - 70 (see below) = 544 + 45 = 589
Read ROOTs = 27 (Challenge met + 7)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 54
------- p-books = 24
------- e-books = 30

Totally Read 2013 = 81
Books into the house = 45

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------------

I finished Vlam van Zeven Wateren by Juliet Marillier. I liked the book a lot but it was real easy to put the book aside in favor of other books. That is why the book gets .

The next book I will read is Zeven minuten na middernacht by Patrick Ness
I'm very curious about this book.

I found myself reading another ROOT (# 28) totally by accident.



Een keukenmeidenroman by Kathryn Stockett
The translation of The Help

Interesting cover art for the Stockett book! It is soooo different from the North American books I had to do a double take when you mentioned the English title for the book and the author.

And Why is that?

I had some difficulty making a connection of the little girl washing dishes in the picture with the focus of the story, although I have to admit the cover for the copy I read also isn't very descriptive of the story between the cover. :-)

Maybe I should have explained the Dutch title. Keuken = Kitchen, meid = maid

So on the cover is a girl in a kitchen. That might explain it.

Ah.... with the different title, that makes more sense!

TBR 612 - 70 (see below) = 544 + 45 = 589
Read ROOTs = 27 (Challenge met + 7)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 56
------- p-books = 25
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 83
Books into the house = 45

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

---------------------------------------

Finished Annabel - Kathleen Winter. A bit of a disappointment in the end.
A bit to open for me. The writing was beautifull but the story jumped from today to the future and back. A bit chaotic. This book gets a

And I finished Zeven minuten na middernacht van Patrick Ness a few days ago. Really nice book with the most wonderfull drawings.

For the December challenge on www.ff-leesclub.nl I had to choose a book with a winter theme. It had to do with snow, winter or christmas. I found one on my shelves!! Yes, another ROOT for december.



Winternacht van Arnaldur Indridason

The translation of Vetrarborgin (Iceland) and I think the English title would be Arctic Chill

Winternacht = Winter Night

TBR 612 - 71 (see below) = 541 + 49 = 590
Read ROOTs = 27 (Challenge met + 7)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 56
------- p-books = 25
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 83
Books into the house = 49

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others) is one less than read ones, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------

Something is wrong with my calculation again. I think I've got it right this time with some changes but I will use some other format next year.

Today 3 new books found their way into our house.

The Chaos Walking series

Het mes dat niet wijkt



Translation of The knife of never letting go

Het donkere paradijs



Translation of The Ask and the Answer

Lawaai dat nooit stopt



Translation of Monsters of Men

TBR 612 - 72 (see below) = 540 + 49 = 589
Read ROOTs = 28 (Challenge met + 8)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 56
------- p-books = 25
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 84
Books into the house = 49

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------

Finished ROOT # 28. That is 8 books past my target.

Een keukenmeidenroman by Kathryn Stockett was a fascinating book that I really enjoyed. The subject is rather heavy but the writing style is light and easy to read.

I should have read this book much earlier!

For the 2014 ROOT challenge follow me to http://www.librarything.com/topic/162056

TBR 612 - 73 (see below) = 539 + 49 = 588
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 56
------- p-books = 25
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 85
Books into the house = 49

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------

Finished ROOT # 29. That is 9 books past my target.

This morning I finished Winternacht by Arnaldur Indriðason. Reading this book was a bit of a struggle. I could not get used to the names (very Icelandic!) and the way people talked with each other, not using surnames, was not helping. This is part 6 in a series and that might have something to do with it.

I'm starting a new and shiny one now: Het victoriaanse huis by John Boyne.
You can read all about that one in post 179.

And I will have to find a new book for my Kobo.

I love the Indridason series, but Arctic Chill was not really my favourite. Hypothermia is probably the one I liked best.

Okay, maybe I will give that one a go!!

My Kobo book is: Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

TBR 612 - 74 (see below) = 538 + 49 = 587
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 57
------- p-books = 26
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 86
Books into the house = 49

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------

Yesterday I finished Het victoriaanse huis by John Boyne. And I don't know what to think about this book. It was catching and I wanted to read on and on. But the end was uhhhhhh.. I read the last 15 pages again this evening and I was really moved to tears, but the overall feeling is a bit mixed.

I took another book out of the TBR Pile but is not a ROOT



Geloof je ogen by Linwood Barclay

Yay Linwood! Hope you like it :D

TBR 612 - 74 (see below) = 538 + 50 = 588
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 57
------- p-books = 26
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 86
Books into the house = 50

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------------------------

I won a book in a lotery!! That has never happened before. I won some money and I could spend that in their online shop. So not much choice, but I have heard good things about Nicolas Sparks. So now I own Safe Haven



When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

Congratulations Connie! It's always nice to win something, a book of your choice is a treat.

That's great that you won a book! How fun!

Best wishes to you for the holiday season.

Hi Connie, thank you for the Christmas card , it arrived yesterday, hope you are having a wonderful day and enjoying your presents. Sending all our love to you, Peet and the rest of the family. Further to my letter to you things took a serious turn yesterday,(see my thread on the 75ers) but we are enjoying the day as that is what he would have wanted. I will send a message either later today or tomorrow. Love and kisses to you from John.

Hi John, found your 75 thread! And what a sad story. I hope you all get a change to enjoy the days to come. But I think they will be coloured by the worries around your FIL.

Hugs and kissen to everyone there.

I wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a wonderful 2014

TBR 612 - 74 (see below) = 538 + 50 = 588
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 58
------- p-books = 26
------- e-books = 32

Totally Read 2013 = 87
Books into the house = 50

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------------------------------------​

This morning I finished Winter in Madrid by C.J.Sansom. For the last 50 pages or so I did not want to read on because I was afraid the book might end in a way I did not want it to end. But what else can you do? If I did not finish the book I would forever wonder about the end. So I was brave and finished it. I'm not going to tell if the end was what I wanted. You have to read the book yourself.

I will start reading Vleugels van angst by Ruth Newman



My edition has another title. It is just called 'Vleugels'. This means Wings. It is the translation of Twisted Wing

Cambridge is home to 18,000 students, 1,500 academics - and one serial killer. The discovery of the headless, mutilated body of a female undergraduate in her bloodsoaked college room heralds the start of a series of bizarre and extremely violent murders. For the students of Ariel College, a siege mentality has developed following weeks of media interest in the 'Cambridge Butcher'. University life has become not about surviving their exams, but surviving full stop. Forensic psychiatrist Matthew Denison is sure that his traumatised patient, student Olivia Coscadden, has the killer's identity locked up in her memory. That within the little clique she belonged to lurks someone with a grudge. Someone who has yet to finish settling their score. In order to get to the truth, Denison must delve into the secrets hidden within Olivia's subconscious. Secrets that are about to lead him into a nightmare beyond imagining.

After another sleepless night I decided to get up at 5.30 this morning, go downstairs and make a cup of tea and read.
I started reading Geloof je ogen by Linwood Barclay a few days ago but I read just a page or 2, so I re-read those pages and all of a sudden I was deep into this book. Really very entertaining.

Linwood Barclay can do that to you.

TBR 612 - 75 (see below) = 537 + 50 = 587
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 58
------- p-books = 27
------- e-books = 31

Totally Read 2013 = 88
Books into the house = 50

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

-------------------------------------------------​

Last night, or rather early this morning, I finished Geloof je ogen by Linwood Barclay. There was no way I could go to bed before knowing how the story ended. The different storylines are interesting and they come together in a natural way, smooth and flowing. I am really happy with mr. Barclay and his books.

I very rarely give a 10 but this is a 9,5 for me.

Now I have to go and pick a paperbook from the TBR. That might be a problem because on wednesday (januari 1) a new challenge with my bookclub is due and of course ROOT 2014 will begin.

Maybe I just stick to my ebook Vleugels van angst by Ruth Newman and try to finish that one before the new year starts.

Yay! So glad you liked the Barclay. That one was one of my favourites so far. Of course his most recent one is always my favourite, it seems! :)

Thanks Rabbitprincess.

I have always been fond of Barclay's books. In the Netherlands I think we have 2 allready published books to be translated. I can't wait to read them.

TBR 612 - 75 (see below) = 537 + 50 = 587
Read ROOTs = 29 (Challenge met + 9)
Books leaving the house unread = 20
Read others = 59
------- p-books = 27
------- e-books = 32

Totally Read 2013 = 89
Books into the house = 50

(note to self: the amount of p-books off the shelf (ROOTs and others in the first line) is one less than read p-books, because one ROOT is from an Omnibus by Terry Pratchett. And that one is still on the shelf untill the other books in it are read)

----------------------------------------------------

I did it! I finished book 89 of this year. But it was an ebook so it does not count as a ROOT.

The book I finished was Vleugels van angst by Ruth Newman. In the beginning this was a tough read. In my version of this ebook there were no white spaces or other means of telling in which timeframe the scene was situated. So I struggled through the first 80 pages untill I started to see the pattern of the book and reading went smoothly.

I'm going to wait for tomorrow: Challengea day! And choose a new book then

Hi Connie, wishing you and the family a very Happy new year my dear and have a prosperous reading year in 2014.

Thanks, John! I'm really thinking about you and Karen a lot.

I wish you and Karen all the love and reading you need.