Anita (FAMeulstee) goes there where the books take her in 2021 (2)

Welcome to my second 2021 thread!

I am Anita Meulstee (57), married with Frank (59) since 1984. We live in Lelystad, the Netherlands. We both love modern art, books and walking.

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

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

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Pets in my life

My fist pet was a guinea pig, Witje, that I got on February 3rd, 1968 for my 5th birthday. She didn't live long. She died shortly after we moved from Schiedam to Bunnik, in the summer of 1970.
A picture with me with Witje, I think it was taken in the summer of 1969:


I always wanted to have a dog, or a cat. After Witje died, my parents decided I could have a cat. I don't remember how I named her (him?), as after a few days (on World Animal Day, I had taken it to school in the morning, as we all could take our pets to school that day), the kitten was bothering my mother, and she put her outside. We never saw her again.
I have one picture:

total books read in 2021: 38
5 own / 33 library

total pages read in 2021: 10.826

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

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books read in February 2021 (20 books, 5.689 pages, 3 own / 17 library)
book 19: Morgen toen de oorlog begon (Tomorrow, when the war began; Tomorrow 1) by John Marsden, 331 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 98)
book 20: Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 4) by Elelna Ferrante, 477 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 99)
book 21: Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht (On trails : an exploration) by Robert Moor, 383 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 102)
book 22: Tegenstroom (A Necessary End, Inspector Banks 3) by Peter Robinson, 304 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 105)
book 23: Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves, 445 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 167)
book 24: Veranderingen (Change) by Mo Yan, 115 pages, TIOLI #3 (msg 168)
book 25: Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night) by John Marsden, 320 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 171)
book 26: Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 124 pages, TIOLI #13 (msg 172)
book 27: Kindertijd (Childhood) by Tove Ditlevsen, 143 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 173)
book 28: Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind) by Nicci French, 334 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 232)
book 29: Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust, 648 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 233)
book 30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl, 128 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 234)
book 31: Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison, 350 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 235)
book 32: Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer, 251 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 236)
book 33: Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors, 247 pages, TIOLI #10 (msg 237)
book 34: Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel, 163 pages, TIOLI #2 (msg 254)
book 35: Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes, 280 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 255)
book 36: Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen, 195 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 256)
book 37: Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid (House of Splendid Isolation) by Edna O'Brien, 232 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 257)
book 38: Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) by Tove Ditlevsen, 219 pages, TIOLI #11 (msg 258)

February 2021 reading plans
Ideeën by Mutatuli, 3846 pages (1252/3846)
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages

TIOLI February 2021
#1: Read a book with the tag "African-American"
- Beminde (Beloved) - Tony Morrison, 350 pages (library)
#2: Read a book for the February CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge: Read a book with multiple books on the cover
- Het nut van de wereld - J.M.A. Biesheuvel, 163 pages
#3: Read a biography/autobiography/memoir by or about someone who is current living
- Veranderingen (Change) - Mo Yan, 115 pages (library)
#4: Read a book where the author’s last name contains only one letter that is being used as a vowel
- Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht (On trails : an exploration) - Robert Moor, 383 pages (e-library)
#5: Read a book combining race and politics
-
#6: Read a book in which a court case is important
-
#7: Read a book you heard about in Jan 2021
- Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) - Julian Barnes, 280 pages (e-library)
#8: Read a book with an increasing number of words in the title
- Morgen toen de oorlog begon (Tomorrow, when the war began) - John Marsden, 331 pages (library)
- Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child) - Elelna Ferrante, 477 pages (library)
- Jeugd (Youth) - Tove Ditlevsen, 195 pages (library)
#9: Read a book that has a word from the title in the second sentence of the second paragraph in the second chapter
- Lijken op liefde - Astrid Roemer, 251 pages
#10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages
- Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail - Tim Voors, 247 pages (library)
- Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) - Robert Graves, 445 pages (library)
- Kindertijd (Childhood) - Tove Ditlevsen, 143 pages (library)
- Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah) - Marcel Proust, 648 pages (e-library)
- Tegenstroom (A Necessary End) - Peter Robinson, 304 pages (e-library)
#11: Mardi Gras rolling challenge
- Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind) - Nicci French, 334 pages (e-library)
- Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night) - John Marsden, 320 pages (library)
- Rinkeldekink - Martine Bijl, 128 pages (e-library)
- Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) - Tove Ditlevsen, 219 pages (library)
#12: Read a book with an unsettling place name in the title
- Butcher's Crossing (Butcher's Crossing) - John Williams, 334 pages (library 3/4)
- Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid (House of Splendid Isolation) by Edna O'Brien, 232 pages
#13: Read a book by an author who has a rating of at least 3.5 on the author’s page
- Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 124 pages (library)
#14: Let's bake Madeleines, rolling challenge
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#15: Read a book with a color of Mardi Gras in the title or on the cover Purple, Green, Gold, Justice, Faith, Power
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#16: Read a book by a writer from the then Brittish Empire first published during the reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901
-

Library books, not yet in TIOLI:
- Een kille dageraad (A Killing Frost,Tomorrow 3) - John Marsden
- De avond valt (Darkness, Be My Friend, Tomorrow 4) - John Marsden

Reading plans in 2021
Reading books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
Read some big tomes (1000+ pages)
Read books by Nobel Prize for Literature winners

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

--
Some big tomes I might read in 2021:
Ideeën (1-7) by Multatuli, 3846 pages
Man zonder eigenschappen (The man without qualities) by Robert Musil, 1785 pages
De razende Roeland (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto, 1783 pages
Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl) by Uwe Johnson, 1596 pages
De essays (The complete essays) by Michel de Montaigne, 1557 pages
De kracht van Atlantis (Atlas shrugged) by Ayn Rand, 1373 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages
Luitenant-kolonel de Maumort by Roger Martin du Gard, 1077 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1047 pages
Baron by Theun de Vries, 1016 pages

Totals since 2008:

My reading in previous years

2008: 130 books - 35.152 pages (96,0 ppd)
2009:   78 books - 21.470 pages (58,8 ppd)
2010: 121 books - 38.119 pages (104,4 ppd)
2011:   84 books - 30.256 pages (82,9 ppd)
2012:   53 books - 18.779 pages (51,3 ppd)
2013:   13 books - 3.692 pages (10,1 ppd)
2014:   17 books - 3.700 pages (10,1 ppd)
2015:   29 books - 10.080 pages (27,6 ppd)
2016: 253 books - 72.391 pages (197,8 ppd)
2017: 453 books - 110.222 pages (302,0 ppd)
2018: 534 books - 111.906 pages (306,6 ppd)
2019: 413 books - 110.873 pages (303,8 ppd)
2020: 226 books - 79.216 pages (216,4 ppd)

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

Working on: Booker prize winners; Dutch prize winners

Series I read, a list to keep track

Alan Banks by Peter Robinson (re-read 3/20)
1 Stille blik; 2 Nachtlicht; 3 Tegenstroom; 4 Zondeval; 5 Schijnbeeld; 6 Woensdagkind; 7 Zwanenzang; 8 Innocent Graves (not translated); 9 Dead Right (not translated); 10 Verdronken verleden; 11 Kil als het graf; 12 Nasleep; 13 Onvoltooide zomer; 14 Vuurspel; 15 Drijfzand; 16 Hartzeer; 17 Duivelsgebroed; 18 Overmacht; 19 Uitschot; 20 Dwaalspoor; 21 Dankbare dood; 22 Slachthuisblues; 23 When the Music's Over (not translated); 24 Sleeping in the Ground (not translated); 25 Careless Love (not translated); 26 Many Rivers to Cross (not translated)

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

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

De Cock by A.C. Baantjer 53/70

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Het rad des tijds (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson) 7/16
0 Een nieuw begin; 1 Het oog van de wereld; 2 De grote jacht; 3 De herrezen draak; 4 De komst van de schaduw; 5 Vuur uit de hemel; 6 Heer van chaos; 7 Een kroon van zwaarden; 8 Het pad der dolken; 9 Hart van de Winter; 10 Viersprong van de schemer; 11 Mes van Dromen; 12 De naderende storm; 13 De Torens van Middernacht; 13.1 Bij gevallen gratie en vaandels; 14 Het licht van weleer

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

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

Books acquired in 2021: 7

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

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

Welcome!

Happy new thread, Anita! I am just making myself at home if that's okay with you!

>11 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe, of course that is okay!
The gif looks very comfortable :-)

Happy new thread, Anita. Interesting that we started our new threads at almost the same time. x

>13 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. It is the first of the month, a populair date to start a new thread.
You are only a couple of threads ahead ;-)

Happy new thread, Anita. Kind of sad stories about your first pets. But sweet sweet photos.

Happy New Thread, Anita. I LOVE the childhood toppers! Yah, for Witje!

>15 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley.
The kitten was sad, I think my mother thought it would stay in our garden.
Next thread will have a more cheerful start.

>16 msf59: Thank you, Mark.
I wanted to start with those last month, but could not find the pictures in time.

Happy new thread, Anita!
I wish you a wonderful start to the week.

Happy new one, Anita! A sad saga of new pets up top, but the photos are charming.

>18 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas.
Today started well, so I have good hope for the week :-)
Wishing you a wonderful week as well.

>19 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie.
Next one will be more cheerful.

Happy new one, Anita!

Happy new thread, Anita!

Happy Monday and happy new thread!

Happy new one, Anita.

I saw this Dutch scene was the new picture of the month at our National Gallery's virtual collection, thought it was charming.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/on-instagram

>1 FAMeulstee: "We never saw her again" Oh no! That's so sad!

I grew up in a pet-filled house, and so it feels perfectly natural and acceptable (and desirable) to me to continue having a pet-filled house. My wife, on the other hand, grew up with two house cats, and it's far more alien. She's incredibly indulgent of the rest of us, though, which means we now live with four dogs, three cats, a turtle, and a snake. :)

>21 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana!

>22 harrygbutler: Thank you, Harry!

>23 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, happy Monday to you!

>24 charl08: Thank you, Charotte.
Lovely! Oudewater is still a charming small town. The main attraction is the "Heksenwaag", a weighing-house were women could be officially weighed, getting a certificate to avoid being persectuted as a witch.

>25 London_StJ: Thank you, London, it was sad.

You were lucky, I would have loved growing up in a pet-filled house!
After 35 years with dogs, our last dog died unexpected in December 2017. Then we found out my husband was more allergic to dogs than we thought. He feels so much better, that we decided to go on without a dog. I sometimes miss them.

In my family we had some pets over the years, mainly because of me and my brother. My other three siblings were not interested, and my parents found pets a hassle.
My brother found a pigeon when he was 8, took it home and had pigeons ever since. Later in life he did well with racing pigeons.
I always wanted a dog, but got a guinea pig, a kitten, and a rabbit. I walked dogs in the neighborhood, and got my first dog when I lived on my own. We had many dogs through the years, I have a lot of good memories :-)

Happy New Thread, Anita. Such a sad story about the kitten, although I guess your mother didn't know any better. Kittens that age will follow any noise or movement. Hopefully someone found it and adopted it and it led a long, happy life somewhere. But I'm sorry for your loss.

Happy new one, Anita.
I am sorry to read that there has been so much unrest in the Netherlands. It's a crazy time, indeed, and the troublemakers don't make life easy. The public disputes over the delay in the vaccine do not lift the mood either. I've gotten into the habit of not being angry any more, if possible. Better times will come again. It just takes a lot longer than expected.
Keep up smiling that helps. 😃

Happy new thread, Anita!

Hi Anita my dear, Happy new thread dear friend.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread.

>1 FAMeulstee: We always remember those first pets, however briefly they were with us.

>28 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. Both my parents grew up without real pets. At my fathers they had briefly a little dog, and at my mothers they had cats living in the barn, not permitted in the house.
Later in life I had an other cat that run off, I always imagined he had found a nice place.

>29 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, things are finally calming down.
Many have a hard time with the curfew added to the lockdown, that is understandable. I don't understand the Covid-deniers, and the looters :-(
Your attitude is good, I hope you can keep it up.
I try to keep smiling ;-)

>30 bell7: Thank you, Mary!

>31 johnsimpson: Thank you, John.

>32 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle!

>33 quondame: Thank you, Susan.
Yes, we do, they were the start of a lifelong love. Even without a furry friend myself now, I still love pets.

Happy new thread!

>1 FAMeulstee: Oh no! I am glad you at least have photos.

My first pet was a German shepherd that I don't remember. I have a baby picture with him, and we were apparently inseparable, but he was hit by a car. We too had a parade of animals pass through our home over the years: guinea pigs, hamsters, zebra finches, cats, dogs, cockatiel, fish.

My brother has had at least one dog and cat in his home ever since he started a family. I always intended to have animals in the home with me too, but I moved around and was away from home so much in my youth that it wasn't an option. Then I was with someone who grew up on a farm where animals belonged outside and was only maybe starting to come around to the thought of a cat when we broke up, then I was with someone who came with two cats. Now, at 50, I am finally living with my cat roommate who came home with me as a kitten in December 2019.

>36 thornton37814: Thank You, Lori!

>37 justchris: Thank you, Chris.
I only got these photo's a few years ago, I didn't even know they existed before..

Lovely to grow up with so many animals around. I love German Shepherds, but never owned one. My uncle had a German Shepherd, and I loved to go there.
Nice you finally do have a cat :-)

I started keeping a lot of pets in the last years I lived with my parents. My sisters and brothers had moved out, and I finally had a room of my own, after years of sharing a room with my sister, who didn't like pets. So I got gerbils, zebra finches and canaries :-)

Three of my siblings never had any pets. Only my brother had pigeons, some cats and two dogs during his life.

Happy new thread, Anita!

Beautiful photos.

Happy Birthday, Anita!
I wish you and yours a wonderful day with much joy.

Happy new thread, Anita.
I've always had dogs and the house would seem empty without one. I love cats too but, sadly, I'm allergic to them.

>39 humouress: humouress: Thank you, Nina!

>40 SirThomas: SirThomas: Thank you very much for the birthay wishes, Thomas!
My presents already arrived last week, two books and a jigsaw puzzle.
My father will visit in the afternoon, and Frank will make my favorite salmon diner tonight :-)

>41 Oregonreader: Thank you, Jan.
I have had dogs around for nearly 35 years. Sadly my husbands is also allergic to dogs, so we are without now. He coped for a long time, but when our last dog died, he felt so much better! I do miss the dogs sometimes.

Happy birthday, Anita! Hoping your day is lovely. Books, puzzles and a family visit sound wonderful. As does dinner!

Happy Birthday Anita! I hope your day is as special as you are!

It's your birthday, Anita?! Hoping it is full of happy!

Anita! Birthdays are so fun... I hope you're enjoying gifts and delicious food.

Oh, Happy Birthday, Anita!

I've had the fun of reading through your threads of 2021, and learning so much! I too had idealized the social atmosphere of the Netherlands, until I heard about the curfew protests on the news. I guess there are idiots in all countries. And I never realized the the -dam suffix in place names actually referred to water dams.

I'm enticed by your reading. I've never read Xenophon (no classical education, alas), but I heard the story outline when I read The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch, recently. Now I know where the real story is. And Proust! I've read Swann's Way but never got farther.

As for pets, we had fish when I was young, and then our uncle brought us two tortoises who wandered around our den for a while, then finally got a dog when I was in my late teens. We grew up in the suburbs, so there were always frogs and birds and squirrels to observe. Jim and I would have a dog now, but apartment living is not conducive to a dog's needs when the occupants are lazy. We talk about it from time to time, but that's as far as it goes. If we did get a dog, it would have to be one of the non-shedding varieties, as Jim is also allergic to most dogs. We are both allergic to cats; they would be so much easier to deal with in an apartment. So we pet each other!

Hartelijk gefeliciteerd, Anita.

Happy new thread, Anita!

>43 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley!
Books are always good, and the puzzle arrived last week and I finished it today:

My father came with flowers and gave some birthday money. So I ordered two more puzzles today.

>44 Whisper1: Thank you, dear Linda.

>45 Crazymamie: Yes it is my birthday, Mamie, not sure yet if I like being 58 ;-)

>46 SandyAMcPherson: Thank you, Sandy.
Got the books I wanted, and a lovely puzzle, see^.

>47 ffortsa: Thank you, Judy!

So nice you let me know that you learned from my thread. Yes, there are idiots everywhere.
I hope to get to the Iris Murdoch someday, and now you spell it out I understand that the title refers to The Anabasis. I tried the classical education at highschool, but failed big time, as languages were not my strength. Classical ment two more languages, besides Dutch, English, French and German. With hard work I managed to get sufficient grades for Dutch and English, but failed all others.

I grew up with small pets, and got a dog as soon as I lived on my own. For years I joked to Frank that the dog was first, and had first rights ;-)

>48 connie53: Dank je, Connie!
What a nice image, thank you.

>49 leperdbunny: Thank you, Tamara!

>50 FAMeulstee: Oh my, that is my kind of scene, that puzzle! Beautiful!

>53 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, I ordered these two today:

 

>54 FAMeulstee: Those both look like cheery options! Happy belated birthday.

gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag, Anita!! >50 FAMeulstee: 58 is helemaal niet oud! Wacht maar tot je 70 wordt lol.

>55 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte. Not belated, it is today :-)
I like the colors, and with so many different colors I thought they would not be to hard to do.

>56 RebaRelishesReading: Dank je, Connie Reba!
Het voelt een beetje raar, mijn broer overleed op deze leeftijd... Aan 70 wil ik echt nog niet denken!!

Happy Birthday!
I wish you just the amount of puzzling that suits you.

>57 FAMeulstee: Dat begrijp ik. Mijn vader overleed toen hij 63 was and toen ik die leeftijd bereikde heb ik er ook veel aan gedacht.

I'm late, I'm late. Happy Birthday Anita.

How lovely you got to see your father too. And flowers, books and puzzles. Perfect.

>58 quondame: Thank you, Susan, that is a very nice wish.
The first puzzle took me a week. I have it on the dinner table and each time I walked by I did a few pieces.

>59 RebaRelishesReading: Sorry dat ik je Connie noemde, Reba, het is verbeterd.
En dank je, dat zal ongeveer het zelfde gevoeld hebben.

>60 Caroline_McElwee: Just in time, Caroline, thank you I had a perfect day.

My father is unstoppable ;-)
With the present Covid-restrictions we can't visit him, as only one visitor a day is allowed.

Oh my, am I too late? Happy birthday, Anita! 🥳

>61 FAMeulstee: - That reminded me of something I had nearly forgotten. Many years ago, there was a small movie theatre in one of the shopping malls near where I live. Not a big multi-plex, just a small theatre with 2 screening rooms. In the lobby, where you buy your snacks before going in, there was a kind of counter like you would see in a bar. On that counter there was always a jigsaw puzzle, for anyone to contribute to. A few pieces here and there before your movie started. I always thought that was such a clever idea and never saw it anywhere else. Unfortunately, that theatre closed down several years ago and I had forgotten about that until you mentioned doing something similar.

Fijne verjaardag Anita! Mooie puzzels heb je gekregen, veel plezier ermee.

>62 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe, birthday wishes are always welcome.

>63 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley, what a nice gesture to the visitors of the movie theatre.
I had it from the place where my father lives. At the entrance there is a big space for common use, with a library, a table with magazines, a piano, some seats, and a very large table with several large jigsaw puzzles. One resident does the most work on the puzzles. They made a jigsaw puzzle from a photo with him working on the puzzles, and framed it when it was done.

>64 EllaTim: Dank je, Els!
De eerste puzzel was zo goed bevallen, dat ik er nog twee gekocht heb.

>65 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear!
Those packages are lovely wrapped.

I'm late with this (apologies!), but happy birthday! I hope you had a wonderful day!

Hi Anita! I thought I posted but hadn't, so belated happy new thread.

And I PMed you too early about your birthday and am here too late but hope that you had a wonderful day. Happy Belated Birthday!

>27 FAMeulstee: Oh, allergies can be so hard. I'm glad your husband is feeling better these days, though.

And pigeons! How extraordinary! One of my brothers maintains a collection of reptiles and other strange pets (tarantulas, etc).

A happy belated birthday to you!

Fijne verjaardag Anita!
Het spijt me dat ik een dag te laat voor!

>61 FAMeulstee: geen probleem, Anita

Happy New Thread, Anita! Good to hear Frank is feeling better.

>67 scaifea: Thank you, Amber. I am happy with all birthday congratulations, at any time :-)

>68 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen.
The average of PM and message combined, you were at the right time, as the new days starts here about 6 hours earlier ;-)

>69 London_StJ: Thank you, sadly my husband has a bunch of allergies, cats, dogs, housemites, pollen, you name it. Some are worse than others.
My brother always had something with birds, he was also rather successful with racing pigeons. I had some small birds, like zebra finches and canaries, but never got to bond with them, like my brother could. He first pigeon was very tame, he even took her with him on vacation!
Indeed, your brother keeps rather strange pets, not huggable or cuddly. I don't think I would like to have tarantula's in the house.

>70 sirfurboy: Dank je, Stephen!
Dat geeft niet, zo voel ik me nog wat langer jarig ;-)

>71 RebaRelishesReading: :-)

>72 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe, also on Franks behalf.

--
We are preparing for cold weather, looks like winter is coming here next Sunday. Snow and ice predicted for at least a week.

>63 jessibud2: My oncology/hematology clinic for years had a rotating selection of puzzles in one corner of the waiting room. Gone during pandemic of course, which made me very sad. It made me look forward to appointments and not care if I got stuck there for hours.

As soon as I moved into cohousing, I set up a table and started a puzzle in the third floor lounge (even before plenty of neighbors had moved in yet--staggered schedule of closings), and we always had a puzzle going there, with plenty more stacked up waiting. Again, until pandemic. But, with later data about surface contact not causing spread, I am thinking I might start up a puzzle again. We rarely overlapped in puzzling--I was swing shift, a neighbor from first floor was day shift, and everyone else was casual.

Hi Anita, love the puzzles. I'm now thinking of starting one too. Especially since we are moving into an ice age.

>76 connie53: Thank you, Connie. My new puzzles arrived yesterday, and I started the first one.
Looks like we are going to have some "real winter" in the next week.

Yesterday Frank picked up my 7 library reservations:
Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail - Tim Voors
Beminde (Beloved) - Toni Morrison
Butcher's Crossing (Butcher's Crossing) - John Williams
Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night) - John Marsden
Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) - Robert Graves
Kindertijd (Childhood) - Tove Ditlevsen
Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Finished, not yet reviewed:
Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 3) by Elelna Ferrante
Morgen toen de oorlog begon (Tomorrow, when the war began; Tomorrow 1) by John Marsden

Reading now:
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht (On trails : an exploration) by Robert Moor

>77 FAMeulstee: I'm now going up the attic to get mine!

Got it!

>79 connie53: Have fun!

I started to puzzle just before Christmas, when I found an old 1000 piece puzzle in the shed.

>78 FAMeulstee: Sounds like you have plenty to keep you reading through the winter weather, Anita. The weather reporter said this morning it's going to "feel like" -3 outside tomorrow. I plan to stay indoors.

>78 FAMeulstee: I have the Tove Ditlevsen trilogy in my pile to read this month Anita. I look forward to exchanging views.

>81 charl08: If I need more, Charlotte, I can get always some at the e-library :-)
For tomorrow the forecast is a lot of snow with -5°C, feeling like -15°C. So I digged out the snow shovel. We have our warm clothes, long underwear and warm coats ready for our walk tomorrow. Could be a short one ;-)

>82 Caroline_McElwee: How nice you also plan to read them, Caroline. I heard a lot of praise for these books, and will see when the next is available at the library.

I do still have some puzzles in the attic as well. Good idea. Very cozy.

Happy belated birthday Anita!

>47 ffortsa: I missed that too, that -dam relates to the dykes. Obvious, now I think about it.

>73 FAMeulstee: How funny, your brother taking his pigeon on holiday. But nice that they bonded.

>84 EllaTim: I am looking around at the internet for more puzzles, the next one is nearly finished :-)

>86 humouress: Thank you, Nina!
This was the only pigeon that bonded so extreme well with him. He took her everywhere.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Anita.

>88 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

When I woke up this morning, the world outside was all white. We had snow last night, and it is still snowing lightly.

Happy Sunday, Anita. I hope all is well. I am back from my trip and trying to get some extra reading time in, since I didn't read much while birding in Minnesota. Very cold here, so it is the perfect opportunity.

Well, I'll just prolong your birthday-festivities by sending my belated birthday-wishes to you!
Enjoy your winter-wonderland in Lelystad. It must be beautiful there now. And enjoy the puzzles.

>89 FAMeulstee: I hope you could enjoy a lovely winter Sunday, Anita! Snow makes Sundays always magic!

Happy week's read ahead, Anita!

>89 FAMeulstee: Just hail here, although the gentle kind that didn't stop gardening. I've put a few new primroses out, hoping they survive!

>90 msf59: Thank you, Mark, glad you are back from you trip.
Over here winter arrived, with freezing cold and snow. Inside it is warm. Trying to read a book, but reading the threads instead.

>91 Trifolia: Thank you, Monica :-D
It looked beautiful, although the wind made it very cold, when we went out for our daily walk.
I finished my next puzzle and started the third.

>92 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe, the snow did light up a clouded day.
Later this week some sunshine is expected, that will make it a real bright world :-)

>93 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear!
Hoping your next book is better than the last one.

>94 charl08: No gardening here, Charlotte, just shoveling to keep the bins accessable ;-)
Primeroses give that spring feel, what colors did you get?

VERY belated birthday wishes, Anita, but well-meant for all of that!

>96 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, birthday wishes are always welcome :-)

book 19: Morgen toen de oorlog begon by John Marsden
library, YA, translated, original title Tomorrow, when the war began, 331 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book with an increasing number of words in the title

First book of the Tomorrow series.
Seven teenagers from a small rural town in Australia go out on a camping trip. When they return their families are gone, and they find out their country is invaded. They have to survive on their own, and decide what to do.
The story is written afterwards by Ellie, one of the teenagers.

A good story about survival and war, set in the 1990s. On to the next book.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 20: Het verhaal van het verloren kind by Elelna Ferrante
1001 books, library, translated from Italian, English translation The Story of the Lost Child, 477 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book with an increasing number of words in the title

Fourth and last book of the Neapolitan Novels.
Elena returns to the neighborhood in Naples, and tries to combine her writing carreer with being a single mother. Lila's successful carreer has made her important, but that got her also into the corruption that has always been a part of the neighborhood.

A very good conclusion to the series, although I didn't like the ending. Elena and Lila are characters who will stay with me. It gave me also some insight into Italian politics and history during the second part of the 20th century.

English and Dutch title are the same.

>99 FAMeulstee: Would you recommend the whole series? As it's one of the most hyped series from the past years I am a bit careful...

>100 PersephonesLibrary: You get the most of it by reading the whole series, Käthe. I would recommend to try the first book, and if you like it you can go on.

book 21: Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht by Robert Moor
library, ebook, non-fiction, translated, original title On trails : an exploration, 477 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book where the author’s last name contains only one letter that is being used as a vowel

After completing the Appalachian Trail, the writer asks himself where paths and trails originate. He explores from tiny ant paths to elephant paths, and all kind of human paths: trails, highways, and the internet. Meanwhile touching many other subjects like ecology and pollution.

Interesting read.

English and Dutch title are the same.

>101 FAMeulstee: Sorry, that was wrongly phrased. What I meant: Did you enjoy all four books?

>103 PersephonesLibrary: Yes, I did enjoy them all. I liked the writing style and think the hype is completely justified.
I gave three books 4½ stars and one 4 stars.

book 22: Tegenstroom by Peter Robinson
library, ebook, translated, original titleA Necessary End, 304 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages

Third book with DCI Banks (re-read).
A demonstration against a nuclear energy plant goes out of hand, and a policeman is killed. A policeman from London is called to lead the investigation. Alan Banks doesn't like his methods, and tries to resolve the case in his own way.

Dutch title translated: Counterflow or Against the tide

Hi, Anita! I'm glad that you liked the Elena Ferrante series, although I doubt that I'll read them anytime soon.

>102 FAMeulstee: That sounds interesting!

I tried the first of the Elena Ferrante series, but unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea. Always so strange when everybody is full of enthusiasm and a book just doesn't do it for you:-(

I read the Ferrante series a few years ago. I really liked the first one but was pretty tired of them by the time I got to the end.

Happy Wednesday, Anita!

>107 EllaTim: - That is the same thing that happened to me, Ella. I never even finished that first one but I know many people really love the series. In fact, this happens to me a lot, so I don't judge anything by reviews or popular opinion. I will try a book and if it doesn't speak to me, well, so be it. Aren't we lucky to have so much choice in books out there anyhow!

>95 FAMeulstee: They're blue, yellow and pink (I had no option re the pink, it was a mixed pack). However, the ones I put in a shallow pot are looking very frozen and sad... ah well.

>108 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Darryl. You have so many other books to go, can't read them all.

>107 EllaTim: Yes, it was, Ella. Lately I am reading more walking/hiking related books. A lot of interesting tidbits in this one.
That happens, mabe you can try the tv-series? We have the second series ready to watch.

>108 RebaRelishesReading: I liked the last book best, Reba. Did you read them all straight away?

>109 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear!

>110 jessibud2: We all have our own taste and expectations, Shelley. And indeed enough books to choose from.

>111 charl08: Lovely colors, Charlotte. I hope they survive the cold.

We had a lot of snow on Suday and Monday, that is rather unusual here. I think it was between 15 and 20 cm (6 - 8 inch). Snow came with with stormy wind, a lot of snow ended up in the front of our house. A snowbank almost reached to our front window. Spend some time shoveling, to keep the path to the frontdoor walkable.


The backgarden is all white too:

>114 FAMeulstee: Very pretty! We have a little snow too, but not as much as that. They have more further east.

Funnily enough the last time we went to the Netherlands there was snow. I think it was Easter 2008, and we were staying in a caravan at Wassenaar, and it was absolutely freezing. I think they said it was the coldest Easter for 40 years. I remember we went on a day trip to Delft and the snow came down really heavily at one point. And there was a Force 9 Gale on the Channel crossing (and we’d booked the longer crossing Harwich - Hoek van Holland as well).

>115 SandDune: That was an unlucky trip with unusual weather, Rhian, Easter was early that year. And storm while crossing the Channel, I hope you didn't get sick?

The last time we had some inches of snow and very cold weather was in 2012. Lelystad still has the national record low temperature for this century: -22,9°C in the night of February 4th, 2012.

>116 FAMeulstee: We first went to Wassenaar in 2007 when we won a holiday, with the holiday company that we had taken our summer 2006 holiday with. But you could not take the holiday in July and August so we went for an Easter holiday at Wassenaar as they seemed to be lots for Jacob to do (he was only 7 at the time). And at Easter 2007 we had a lovely holiday: the weather was very warm for the time of year, and we could sit on our verandah in late afternoon while Jacob played football with children from the nearby caravans. We had such a nice time that we decided to go back at Easter 2008, and that’s when we had the snow. I’d taken extra bedding, extra heating and a hot water bottle and it was still a struggle keeping warm enough in the caravan at night.

Didn’t get seasick though. I don’t think I’ve ever been seasick.

>117 SandDune: So you went twice, Rhian, one time lucky and one time not so lucky weatherwise.

It is nice there. I lived in The Hague from 1978 until 1982, and often went to the dunes and beach in Wassenaar.

>114 FAMeulstee: Very nice pictures, Anita.
We also got snow - and the accompanying traffic chaos.
Since one enjoys the HomeOffice but very much.
Today it is calmer and the sky is cloudless - I think I will finish work early today and we will enjoy the snow with a little hike.

Edit: removed a weird entry about a link that does not belong in the text

>119 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas.
Traffic chaos always comes with snow, it took a while before the main roads were cleared. Frank had to work both Sunday and Monday night. Because of the cerfew very litte traffic, so the roads stayed snowy and Frank had to drive very slow. Today the mainroads and biking paths are clear, combined with a clear blue sky it is perfect to make a nice walk.

Yesterday was a good bird day, I saw a greenfinch and a wren in the garden.
On our walk we saw a small group of little grebe's in the canal. This was a lifer!

(not my picture)

--
Reading now:
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves

How did I miss your birthday posts? Happy belated birthday!

>121 FAMeulstee: Neat, Anita. Lifers, congratulations. We are seeing more birds where there is open water as well. Keep your eyes open, you could see more.

>122 leperdbunny: Thank you, Tamara!

Today my next 4 puzzles arrived :-)

500 pieces:


1000 pieces:
  

>123 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. Today a kingfisher, some smew's and again little grebe's. And way to many cars and people at the Knardijk, they came for ice-skating at the Oostvaardersplassen.

A kingfisher! Ooh I love those. Saw one on the canal near me one morning walk, and ever since have been hoping for a repeat sighting. At the moment so many people walking there, I don't think my odds are very high!

>125 FAMeulstee: Oh, smews, haven't seen those for ages. Drool. But i like their dutch name better (nonnetje).
So people can skate at the plassen? I've just seen the first skaters here, im the full dark, on a small rink.

>124 FAMeulstee: Love that bookshop puzzle. But i bet it's a tough one! Have fun.

>126 charl08: Most times it is just an orange/blue blurr flying by, Charlotte. Usually they stay in the same area, so maybe if it is quiet again....
Today we got a good look, as it was sitting on a branch, near the road and near the only not frozen ditch. There were also some great egrets.

>127 EllaTim: There are many sightings of smews at the Markermeer at the moment, Ella.
Yes, if there is ice you can go into the Oostvaardersplassen to skate. In 2009 the NK Natuurijs was held there. On "Het Bovenwater", on the other side of the Knardijk, there were people ice-sailing.

>124 FAMeulstee: Wonderful puzzles! I like the bookshop one best. Great that they arrived just right for the weekend! Have fun!

>129 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe.
I finished the two 500 pieces puzzles in >54 FAMeulstee:, the first took me three days, the next was finished in two days. So now going for 1000 pieces. I started with the Neuschwanstein, still sorting the pieces. It should keep me occupied for a week or more ;-)
I keep the bookshop one for last (I think now).

ETA: Did you start your puzzle?

>130 FAMeulstee: I finished it today. :) But I have got two other 3D puzzles I got for Christmas which will be up next.

>131 PersephonesLibrary: That is fast! Have fun with the next puzzles :-)

>116 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, last night it was -22.9C in Braemar in Scotland and it could get lower tonight. We are expecting -6C tonight in Walton and the coldest temperature expected in Yorkshire is expected to be -10C in either the Dales or North York Moors areas.

>112 FAMeulstee: Yes, I read them each right after the previous one. Toward the end I was just getting tired of the whole thing I think.

>133 johnsimpson: That is very cold, John, is that a record?
Next three nights here will be between -8 and -10°C, after that the winter probably will be over.
Stay warm.

>134 RebaRelishesReading: That might have been a bit much at once, Reba. I did one book a month since November.

>124 FAMeulstee: The puzzles are amazing.
I love to do puzzles - it's very relaxing.
Have a wonderful weekend, Anita.

>135 FAMeulstee:, Hi Anita my dear, the temperature in Braemar, Scotland was the lowest for 26 years and it was the coldest February night since 23rd Feb 1955.

>124 FAMeulstee: Have a great weekend's puzzling, Anita my dear.

>99 FAMeulstee: I only got as far as the first in that series (of 4). I wonder if I should go back and get onto the next ones!

>130 FAMeulstee: and while I am talking about abandoning things, I am ashamed to say that I haven't succeeded in either of my last two puzzles! they were both difficult, and I didn't have the patience :(

>136 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, I never knew I would like it so much.
Happy weekend to you.

>137 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. So it is a 21st century record :-)

>138 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear.
I started a 1000 pieces puzzle, and was a bit intimidated by the size... This will take me a while.

>139 LovingLit: If you liked My Brilliant Friend, Megan, go to the next. If you didn't, I would not bother.
I am sorry the puzzles didn't work for you. I try to do only short whiles, one or two pieces a time.

Finished, not yet reviewed:
Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves

Reading now:
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Veranderingen (Change) by Mo Yan
Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night, Tomorrow 2) by John Marsden

Happy Saturday, Anita. I hope you enjoyed your snow fall. It does look pretty. We are above normal, with our snow accumulation. Over 30 inches so far, for the season and it is snowing now.

>121 FAMeulstee: Congrats on the Lifer grebe! I love these little divers. We get pied-billed grebes and sometimes horned grebes.

Hi, Anita!

>141 FAMeulstee: With my background, it's crazy that I still haven't read I, Claudius. Someday.

>141 FAMeulstee: Will be interested in what you thought of I, Claudius since it is a favourite of mine.

Happy Snowy weekend from another snow-filled place! We're getting a lot of snow here in Southwestern Ontario, and I'm not looking forward to shoveling. Grr. Hope your puzzles are challenging in a relaxing way! It's been a long time since I did a puzzle (we don't have the space to keep one laid out in progress) but they do calm the mind.

>142 msf59: Thank you, Mark. We enjoyed the snow, one more day left, and then it will be gone as temperatures will be rising fast this week. 30 inches is a lot, don't think we ever had that much.

Thanks, we see great crested grebes almost every day. They have a very special mating ritual, it almost looks like dancing on the water. There are horned grebes over here, but I have never seen them.

>143 scaifea: Hi Amber, it wasn't written in Latin... So that is a good excuse.
If it had been "Ego, Claudius", no doubt you would have read it ;-)

>144 PaulCranswick: I can reveal I rated itit got 4½, Paul, it was a very good read.

>145 dk_phoenix: Thank you, Faith, good luck shoveling. What means "a lot" of snow at your place? For us 10-15 cm was a lot. The snow will be gone in a few days, tomorrow it is the last freezing day, then temp is expected rise to 10°C on Thursday.

I started my first 1000 pieces puzzle:

At first I thought it might be a bit much, but now it is going nicely. The castle and the mountain tops are mostly done.

>124 FAMeulstee: Great puzzles Anita. It's years since I did one.

>146 FAMeulstee: That is a relief, Anita, as I would have been so disappointed if you had hated it!

>147 Caroline_McElwee: So it was for me, Caroline. It started when I found back an old 1000 pieces puzzle, that had been hidden since we moved here over 15 years ago. So I started it just before Christmas and finished before New Years Eve. The I got one as an early birthday present, and now it looks like the dinner table will be the permanent for a puzzle on the go.

>148 PaulCranswick: I would hate to disappoint you, Paul. Although that would not keep me from giving my honest opinion.

Hi Anita!

>114 FAMeulstee: Nice pics of your house and back garden in the snow. Thanks for sharing.

>150 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen.
The snow is slowly vanishing, temperature has gone up and it is raining.

Finished, not yet reviewed:
Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves
Veranderingen (Change) by Mo Yan
Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night, Tomorrow 2) by John Marsden

Reading now:
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Hi, Anita.

>124 FAMeulstee: Your puzzles look like fun. You remind me: Debbi likes the 1000 piece ones, too, and has done 18 of them (she tells me) since last March. She'll often start out thinking one is going to be hard, and then decides it's all right after all. Big swatches of a single color of course are particularly challenging.

>152 FAMeulstee: Oh, Night Flight! My mother adored that book, and wore the perfume that (even though it was named for Lindbergh's solo Atlantic flight) reminded her of it, Vol de Nuit.

Very belated happy birthday, Anita.
It looks like you got enough snow. I hope you and Frank are well.

>153 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe, the one in >146 FAMeulstee: is my second 1000 pieces puzzle. I did three 500 pieces puzzles in between. Yes, single color is hard, then I sort the pieces by shape. I am now at the last part of this puzzle: the air.
It is fun to do :-)

>154 richardderus: Night Flight was an agreeable read, I liked Flight to Arras a bit better. Now looking for copies of his other two Wind, Sand and Stars and Southern Mail.
Searching the web it says that the perfume was named after the book...

>155 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, we are both well. We are looking forward to our vacation next month.
We had enough snow, and happy it is almost gone. It was sometimes a bit slippery during our walks.

>157 FAMeulstee: Where will you spend your vacation?

Happy Tuesday, Anita!

Oooh vacationing next month sounds like fun! What type of vacation have you planned?

>158 Ameise1: We will go to Drenthe with our friend Guido, to walk the next three parts of the Pieterpad. We will stay in a nice holiday cottage near Hoogeveen.
We will start walking in Schoonloo, where we ended in September, and hope to get to Hardenberg. Guido will drive us to the starting point each day, and will pick us up at the end.

>159 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

See my answer to Barbara above.
We are still in lockdown, and not supposed to go abroad. Thankfully a vacation within our country is still allowed. We hope that restaurants will be open again next month. If not, no problem, both Frank and Guido are good cooks :-)

>160 FAMeulstee: That sounds great. How many kilometers per day are planned?

>162 Ameise1: The three parts are 62 km, we want to walk 6 days, so that is about 10 km and a bit each day. I have to figure out where Guido can come with the car, to pick us up, so some days we might walk a bit more, and others a bit less.

>163 FAMeulstee: Sounds like a good plan Anita!

>163 FAMeulstee: Oh, that sounds wonderful. I'm already looking forward to your daily reports and photos. When are you going? Are you flexible if the weather is not so good?

>164 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. It is roughly the same plan as our vacation in September last year.

>165 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. We will leave on March 19th and return on March 26th. We have very good rain suits, so that won't bother us. In September we walked two days of the six days in rain.
Daily reports depend on the internet connection. Last time we had a very slow connection, so I reported when we were back home.

book 23: Ik, Claudius by Robert Graves
1001 books, library, translated, original title I, Claudius, 445 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages

Fictional autobiography of Claudius, Roman Emperor between 41 and 56.
This book describes the time before he became Emperor, growing up under the reign of Augustus. Then Tiberius and finally his predecessor Caligula. All were family members of Claudius, who had a bad foot and stuttered. This helped him survive, as through the years many throne successors were poisoned. Claudius was overlooked, as he seemed harmless enough.

An enjoyable and sometimes funny read, Claudius is a memorable character.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 24: Veranderingen by Mo Yan
library, translated from Chinese, Nobel Prize winner, English translation Change, 115 pages
TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a biography/autobiography/memoir by or about someone who is current living

Short autobiography of the Chinese writer Mo Yan, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012.
Mo Yan was a farmers son born in a small village. He was send away from school, and his future didn't look good. He always wanted to be a writer, but had no idea how to realise his dream. He joined the army, and used his free time to write.

Mostly anecdotal story, gives a peek into the Cultural Revolution and the way China evolved after that.

Dutch title transtaled: Changes

>167 FAMeulstee: That one sounds good. Unfortunately my library hasn't gotten a copy of it.

>169 Ameise1: Too bad, Barbara.

book 25: Het holst van de nacht by John Marsden
library, YA, translated, original title The Dead of the Night, 320 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Mardi Gras rolling challenge

Second book of The Tomorrow Series.
Ellie and her friends try to survive in their invaded country. They try to resist, harm the enemy where they can, but that makes them targets.

Again a good read, slightly less than the first book Tomorrow, when the war began. I reserved book 3 and 4 at the library.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 26: Nachtvlucht by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
library, translated from French, English translation Night Flight, 124 pages
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book by an author who has a rating of at least 3.5 on the author’s page

Description of a night in Buenos Aires, where the director of a mail service awaits the arrival of the planes from different parts of South America. We follow him, and one of the pilots, who gets in trouble during the night.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote some books about the early times of aviation. I liked Flight to Arras, with its philosophical wanderings, slightly better.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 27: Kindertijd by Tove Ditlevsen
library, translated from Danish, English translation Childhood, 143 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages

First book of The Copenhagen Trilogy, the memoires of the Danish poet and writer Tove Ditlevsen.
Tove grew up after WWI in a poor workmans neighborhood in Copenhagen. She longs to be accepted, but feels very different and doesn't fit in. She starts writing poetry, when her brother finds her work, he laughs out loud. Tove decides she has to hide her poems better.

Beautifully written, recognisable for other misfits. Looking forward to the next two books, reserved them at the library.

English and Dutch title are the same.

All catched up with the reviews :-)

Reading now:
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison
Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind) by Nicci French

Happy Wednesday, Anita. I want to read I, Claudius one of these days. Is this your first time reading Beloved? Like many of her books, it is a challenge but it is truly a classic American novel.

>175 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy Wednesday in return.
I recommend reading I, Claudius.

Beloved is my first Toni Morrison, one chapter in, not an easy read. I am also struggling a bit with Marcel Proust, so I think I will put Beloved aside for now, and first try to finish Sodom and Gomorrah.

>172 FAMeulstee: That one has a special place for me. My father was a airplane enthusiast, who was turned on to reading when he encountered St-Exupery in high school. I first encountered St-Exupery reading Le Petit Prince in an undergraduate French course. My Dad's reading tastes and mine did not overlap strongly, but we shared an admiration for St-Exupery and Night Flight was one of Dad's favorites.

I so enjoyed I, Claudius and Claudius the God! I'm glad that you found the humor in Graves's dry, covert wit.

Pleasant slide into the weekend! I've had my second dose of the vaccine today so am feeling glowingly virtuous.

>177 swynn: Thanks for sharing, Steve. I can understand an airplane fan would like Saint-Exupéry's writings.
I read Le Petit Prince in Dutch translation as a kid, and a few times later in life. I loved it each time again.
I am looking around for Saint-Exupéry's other books.

>178 richardderus: I found a lot of fun in I, Claudius, Richard dear. Sadly my library doesn't have a copy of Claudius the God, so now I look for a decent second hand copy.

Yay for your second vaccine shot today!

>176 FAMeulstee: I feel like that would be a challenging book to translate, Anita.

I love your plans for your trip, sounds wonderful. Especially someone meeting the walkers at the end of the day with a car!

My sweet pea seeds have broken earth on the windowsill. Tiny little green shoots: hoping for better results than last year...

>171 FAMeulstee: I never quite finished this series. I was reading it around its publication date. Later I read all The Ellie Chronicles books and enjoyed them.

>181 avatiakh: It is a good series, Kerry, maybe you can go back to it. Sadly The Ellie Chronicles were never translated, I think I would like them too.

Yesterday two new books enterd the house:

In weerwil van de woorden - Dimitri Verhulst (his latest, Frank reads every book by Dimitri Verhulst)
Ik wou (I Wish) - Toon Tellegen (thanks to Richard, it was on my list since you reviewed it)

>181 avatiakh: Yes, I stopped after the fourth book so should do a reread at some stage. Shame about The Ellie Chronicles not getting translated.

My next reread will be the Obernewtyn series. I waited so long (years) for the last two books to be published that I'd completely forgotten the story thread and the characters. The first book came out in 1987 and the last two books finally in 2008 and then 2015, yet six years later I've still not picked up these last two books, so need to go right back to the start.

I am glad you liked "Kindheit", Anita!

>183 FAMeulstee: What's the title of the Verhust book in German or English?
Happy Friday, Anita.

>184 avatiakh: I hope you get back to The Tomorrow Series, Kerry.
The Obernewtyn looks interesting, sadly no Dutch translation either.

>185 PersephonesLibrary: I reserved the next two at the library, Käthe, and hope to get them next week.

>186 Ameise1: This Verhulst book was published this year, Barbara, no translations yet.

>187 FAMeulstee: I liked the second one, too. Haven't read part three yet, but soon. :) Have a lovely reading weekend, Anita!

>188 PersephonesLibrary: Today I got two and three from the library, so I hope to read them soon.

--
Frank picked up my four reserved books from the libray today:
- Een kille dageraad (A Killing Frost,Tomorrow 3) - John Marsden
- De avond valt (Darkness, Be My Friend, Tomorrow 4) - John Marsden
- Jeugd (Youth) - Tove Ditlevsen
- Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) - Tove Ditlevsen

Finished, not yet reviewed:
Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind, Frieda Klein 5) by Nicci French
Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl

Reading now:
Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison
Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes

>167 FAMeulstee: I am pleased that your review was a positive one, Anita, as that is an absolute favourite of mine.

>191 PaulCranswick: It was a very good read, Paul, glad I finally got to it. No looking for a copy of Claudius the God. I hope it is as good :-)

Puzzle update:

I finished two 1000 pieces puzzles, and there was a huge difference between the two. I finished the Neuschwanstein (left) puzzle in a week and the Bookshop (right) in two days. The first was way more difficult with all the woods and the clouds.
 

Hmm. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I read a lot about him when I read The Little Prince and he sounded like a wonderful character. Let me see if I can find more of his works.

Happy Sunday, Anita. I love the Frieda Klein series.
Have fun with the puzzles.

>193 FAMeulstee: Well done! Castle Neuschwanstein must be a favourite with puzzle makers, I have the impression of having done a similar puzzle.

Oh, good! I hit Anita with a transAtlantic book-bullet by a Dutch author!

I think I deserve a Bibliomarksmanship medal in the next Reading Olympics.

>193 FAMeulstee: Love that bookshop puzzle, Anita. I will go search for it.

And I want to buy this one someday by Aimee Steward/Stewart

I, too, love the bookshop puzzle although I don't think I would tackle it.

>194 humouress: I hope you find some of his books, Nina, they are good reads.

>195 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. Only 3 Frieda Klein books left to go.
I just started my next puzzle, only 500 pieces, but difficult. It will take some days to finish.


>196 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. Yes, Neuschwanstein is very popular in puzzles, there are hundreds of them. I think because it is the ultimate fairy tale castle ;-)

>197 richardderus: Yes you did, Richard dear :-)
And a Bookadvisor Gold Medal!

>198 connie53: I bought it at legpuzzels.nl, Connie.
That looks lovely too.

>199 RebaRelishesReading: The bookshop puzzle was not very difficult, Reba. So many things on it, it was easy to identify each piece.
I saw a very difficult one today, Krypt from Ravensburger, all black (or gold), not ready for it yet:

>201 FAMeulstee:

>200 FAMeulstee: That looks challenging.

>201 FAMeulstee: Yikes!

No way I would tackle >201 FAMeulstee: but that one in >198 connie53: as well as your bookstore one look like fun.

>203 Ameise1: That's a bit of an understatement, Barbara!

I did it. I ordered that new puzzle yesterday. And a book and a USB cable for my reader. My old one doesn't work anymore.

Hi Anita! Your planned trip sounds wonderful.

>172 FAMeulstee: I have his Wind, Sand, Stars, The Antoine De Saint-Exupery Collection, and Wartime Writings, 1939-1944 on my shelves to be read. I’ll tag one of them to read in 2021.

>202 humouress: :-D

>203 Ameise1: I think it is, Barbara.
I am not ready for it (yet). But I know where to look if I need a very challenging puzzle.

>204 charl08:: LOL, Charlotte, I thought the same when I first saw it.

>205 jessibud2: You don't have to, Shelley ;-)
Those are both lovely puzzles. I am still working on >200 FAMeulstee:, will take a while!

>206 EllaTim: You can see the pieces on the box, so it should be doable. Would take a lot of time of course.

>207 connie53: Good for you, Connie! Enjoy the puzzle, and of course the book (wich one?).
A reader without cable is useless.

>208 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, we are looking forward to our vacation (24 days from today!).
I hope you get to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

>190 FAMeulstee: I hope you enjoy "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. If you're interested in reading further about the story, I recommend "Modern Medea" by Steven Weisenburger. It focuses on the true events that inspired Toni Morrison's novel.

>211 ocgreg34: Thank you, Greg, I just finished Beloved. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, there were haunting parts, good parts, felt a bit disjointed at times.
Modern Medea isn't available in translation.

We finally picked up our walking the dikes of Flevoland project again, last time we walked a part was in November. We walked 3,4 km (and back) along the Veluwemeer. A lot of birds in the water: tufted ducks, Eurasian coots, great crested grebes, Eurasian wigeons, and a couple of (lifer!) common merganser.

(not my picture)

--
Finished, not yet reviewed:
#28: Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind, Frieda Klein 5) by Nicci French
#29: Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
#30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl
#31: Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison

Reading now:
Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes
Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors
Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer

I love those ducks in the picture: they look like they've been using hair gel :-)

Looking forward to your thoughts about the Barnes' book. My library would have a copy of it.

>210 FAMeulstee: David Hair - Het keren van het tij.
No touchstone because in the Netherlands this is book 8 and in the English version it's the second half of book 4.

>213 FAMeulstee: Great, Anita! Mergansers! And a lifer too. Congratulations.
It's probably the cold, we see more different kinds of ducks as well. But no mergansers. I have seen them before, and it's always a bit of a thrill because they are special looking, with their punk hairdos and the way they swim.

>214 charl08: Well, one of them has.

All these lifers, Anita. You should post them on the/ a bird thread. My mum started me birdwatching when I was 5 and we lived near a river. I haven't kept it up seriously but if I do spot a bird, it gives me a thrill. When we lived in our apartment here, we just got pigeons, starlings and mynahs but around the house (although it's just 5 minutes drive from the apartment) it's a lot more diverse. There's a hunting bird pair that possibly nests in the trees behind the houses opposite but too far away for me to see more than their silhouettes and they don't remain there permanently. I have identified a garuda on a few occasions.

Okay - dinner time and my hungry dining companions are demanding my attendance ...

I walked down to the local lake today as well: moorhens, coots, Canada geese, greylag geese and mallard. Nothing unusual like your mergansers (I love the feathers on their heads) but still nice to see.

>214 charl08: That is the female, Charlotte ;-)

>215 Ameise1: I liked most of Julian Barnes books, Barbara.

>216 connie53: Do you know, Connie, that you can force a touchstone by putting the worknumber and :: before the title like this "26138318::Het keren van het tij" between the brackets: Het keren van het tij.

>217 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella.
Yes, I think we see other birds because of the cold weather we had. They will be gone again soon, I expect. We saw them swimming, and a few minutes they were flying away.

>218 humouress: I keep a list in a Dutch birding book, Nina. There I write down what I have seen.
My deceased brother was much more into birding, he even went on vacation to places where he would have a chance to see some special birds. I don't travel for it, it is just what we see when we are out walking. Most birds I do recognise, but sometimes I have to look up when I get home.
Lots of pretty birds in the tropics, but I thought a garuda was mytical?

>219 SandDune: I am also happy to see the regular birds, Rhian. We see all of those almost every day, except the Canada geese.
We count the crows we see each day, today we saw 11 crows.

>220 FAMeulstee: Oh I like that touchstone tip!

Mergansers are very elegant beasts, Anita, so it must be an extra thrill to add them to your lifers list.

Brava!

>213 FAMeulstee: Hiking in nature and bird watching - sounds very relaxing, Anita.
You and >215 Ameise1: caught me with a ricochet.
When I was looking for Julian Barnes (I love Der Zitronentisch) I came across Linda Barnes. This is way out of Julian Barnes league, but very amusing to read.

>213 FAMeulstee: I LOVE the bird report, Anita and congrats on the Lifer! Common Mergansers winter here, so I see them regularly, in large numbers, as long as we can find unfrozen water. I had my first Eurasian Wigeon a few months ago. A rarity here. Nice looking bird. I would like to see an Eurasion Coot. We just get the American kind.

Happy Wednesday!

>222 quondame: You are welcome, Susan.

>223 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear. They were beautiful, both on the water as in fligt.
Seeing some lifers was beacause of the unusual cold weather earlier this month, so some birds went further south.

>224 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas.
It was much needed, the last time I left my neighborhood was with Christmas to visit my father. So I was for nearly two months never further than on walking distance of our house. It is time to get used to other surroundings, preparing for our vacation ;-)
That is a book by Julian Barnes I haven't read, enjoy your Linda Barnes!

>225 msf59: Thank you, Mark, I was very happy with my lifer.
The Eurasian Coot looks a lot like the American Coot, it is mainly the legs that are different. The last time we walked along the Velewemeer (in November) we saw hundreds of Eurasian Coots, it looked very crowded with all these black birds flocking together on the water.

Finished, not yet reviewed:
#29: Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust,
#30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl
#31: Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison
#32: Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer
#33: Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors

Reading now:
Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes
Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen
Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel

>213 FAMeulstee: What a great picture. Your walks must be quite beautiful. Enjoy the rest of the week.

>220 FAMeulstee: lost me already ;0)

>221 FAMeulstee: >218 humouress: Well, the Garuda is mythical (and also the name of Indonesia's national air carrier) but garudas are fish eagles.

Hi Anita!

The Dick Francis SHARED Read March - April thread is up: March - April, Odds Against

>228 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. We are lucky to live in a part of the country with lots of nature in walking distance.

>229 humouress: Ah, thank you for clarification, Nina. I have starred your bird thread.

>230 karenmarie: Thanks for the notice, Karen. Sadly I haven't found a copy of Alles tegen. You will see me at the thread if I find one.

book 28: Denken aan vrijdag by Nicci French
library, e-book, translated, original title Friday on my mind, 334 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Mardi Gras rolling challenge

Frieda Klein, book 5.

When Frieda's former lover is found in the river Thames, Frieda suspects Dean Reeve. But the police thinks Frieda did it, or is close to the murderer. Just before she will be arrested, she runs and hides, hoping she can resolve the merder.

Not the strongest book in the series, still enjoyable enough to continue. On to book 6 soon.

Dutch title translated: Thinking of Friday

book 29: Sodom en Gomorra by Marcel Proust
1001 books, library, e-book, translated from French, English translation Sodom and Gomorrah, 648 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages

In search of lost time, book 4.

A lot about "inversion", as homosexuality was called back then. The narrator is very curious about it, after seeing two men "in the act". Meanwhile he still visits parties, and is ongoing about the genealogical charts of all the noble guests.
Back for the summer in Balbec, he sees Albertine often and wonders if she is the right woman for him. His jealousy makes a desicion difficult, and he imagines Albertine is also "inverted". Every femeale friend of hers a possible thread to his future happiness.

Took me long to finish, didn't like large parts, and a few others were as good as the first two books.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 128 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Mardi Gras rolling challenge

In search of lost time, book 4.

Autobiographical stories. Martine Bijl was a well known Dutch tv personality. She was hosting the Dutch version of "The Great British Bake Off" when she got a stroke. In this book she describes her rehabilitation after the stroke and falling into depression after that.

Dutch title isn't translatable, a Dutch word for the sound of something breaking.

book 31: Beminde by Tony Morrison
1001 books, library, translated, Nobel Prize winner, original title Beloved, 350 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a book with the tag "African-American"

The story of Sethe, a former slave, who ran away before slavery was ended. When she was found by her owners, she rather killed her young daughter, then let her grow up as a slave. Told later in life, when slavery has ended, but still is present in the life and thoughts of the former slaves.

This was a difficult book to get into. Not always clear if it was present day, or past; in reality, or in fantasy/magic. Some parts were haunting, some I didn't understand. When I finished it, I had the feeling the story wasn't finished.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 32: Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer
own, Dutch, P.C. Hooft-prijs winner, no English translation, 251 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book that has a word from the title in the second sentence of the second paragraph in the second chapter

Second book of the "Motherland" trilogy
In 1999 the killers of the "December murders", are finally brought to trial. Cora Sewa dives into an other murder, committed long ago. She travels from Suriname to Rotterdam, London, Florida and Curaçao, to find answers.

Intense read, some good insights in life in Suriname after independency.

Dutch title translated: Looks like love, or Corpses on love

book 33: Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors
library, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 247 pages
TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book with a "4" in the number of pages

Tim Voors walked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016 and wrote a book about it.
Hiking six months does change a person. When he went back to his family he had a lot of good intentions, and tried to change his life. The only problem is that he thinks everyone should change his/her life.

Larded with many photo's, without capitons, so it is impossible to indentify the people he met on his hike. Or to locate that beautiful view.

Dutch title translated: Alone, the Pacific Crest Trail

Hi, Anita.

I, Claudius: I don't know whether they'd have it where you are, but the BBC did a terrific adaptation of it, starring Derek Jacobi as Claudius and John Hurt as Caligula.

>93 richardderus: Debbi does a lot of the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles, too, and I'm pretty sure she did the bookshop one on the right recently. Great-looking puzzle.

>213 FAMeulstee: Walking sounds lovely! Happy Weekend Anita! Just catching up. I hope you are doing well.

Good to see you're reading such a great lot of books!

>238 jnwelch: I agree with Joe, here: the BBC adaptation is fabulous.

>233 FAMeulstee: Wow! Over 600 pages ( and heavy reading as well).

Have a great Sunday!

>238 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe. I think I saw (parts of) the BBC adaption long ago, in the 1970s.
The puzzles are fun. I just finished a difficult 500 pieces puzzle, took me longer than the Bookshop puzzle.

>239 leperdbunny: Thank you, Tamara. It is fun to walk the dikes of our province, a nice project that we started last year. We will probably finish this year.

>240 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel, the books treat me well.

>241 scaifea: Thanks, Amber, as I said to Joe I think I saw it long ago.

>242 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.
The good part is that I am now more than halfway, only three books to go.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#34: Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel
#35: Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes
#36: Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen
#37: Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid (House of Splendid Isolation) by Edna O'Brien

Reading now:
Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) by Tove Ditlevsen

>244 FAMeulstee: You're still getting lots of reading done, Anita.

I'll be interested in what you think of Maarten Biesheuvel's book. I like the title, anyway.

Have a nice day!

How are you doing, Anita? Morrison and Roemer definitely look tempting! Proust... someday I will tackle that literary mountain. Not this year though. Have you been doing your walks in the nature again this weekend?

>245 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, it looks like my reading is finally getting up again. Second month since July I read over 200 pages a day :-)
I read in a review that Maarte Biesheuvel himself wasn't happy with this one. As always with a collection of stories, some are better than others. I think it was as good as In de bovenkooi.

>246 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you, Käthe, I wasn't much around at the threads as I was reading my last books for the month and planning next months reads. I hope to finish Proust this year. The next 3 books are shorter.
Both yesterday and today we walked near our house, tomorrow we will continue our walk on the surrounding dikes of the province.
I hope you had a good weekend.

Finished my last book for February
#38: Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) by Tove Ditlevsen

I hope to get to the remaining reviews tomorrow.

--

Finished my 500 pieces puzzle "Desert Grand Canyon" on Thursday. It took me 6 days, as it was a a difficult one with so much in the same color.


Friday I started the next 1000 pieces puzzle "Nyhaven", the edges, water and houses are done. Now working on the boats.

>248 FAMeulstee: How wonderful to be done with the Grand Canyon...but to start on that very, very detailed harbor scene...! Ouch, say my eyes.

>249 richardderus: LOL, detailed puzzles are easier to make, Richard dear. So I started this one. Although the blue air will need some time to finish.

It's about time I checked in with your thread, Anita. It looks like this one is almost done. Have fun with your jigsaws. I've done a few since last March. I hope you and Frank enjoy your planned walk.

1000 piece puzzle are just too much for me to process, Anita! I admire you.

>251 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg, I will probably start a new thread tomorrow. The jigsaws are fun, it started with finding an old one, and now I am an addict ;-) We never use our diningtable, so I make them there.
We walk every day, but it is nice to walk somewhere else once in a while.

>252 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. My last 500 pieces puzzle was more difficult then some 1000 pieces puzzles. The main thing is having fun with them.

book 34: Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel
own, Dutch, no translations, 163 pages
TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a book for the February CFF Mystery Challenge Challenge

Short absurd, and often funny stories. Maarten Biesheuvel grew up in Schiedam in a orthodox protestant family, he did spend some time at sea, at university and in mental institutions. Again in this book snippets of his experiences.

Dutch title translated: The purpose of the world

book 35: Het enige verhaal by Julian Barnes
library, e-book, translated, original title The Only Story, 280 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book you heard about in Jan 2021

Paul is an older man, who looks back on his life. At 19 he fell in love with 48 year old Susan, at the tennis club. Eventually Susan left her husband to live with Paul, but somehow Susans demons were stronger than their love.

Barnes message was that the first love is determinant for the rest of a life, and memories aren't always reliable. Good read.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 36: Jeugd by Tove Ditlevsen
library, translated from Danish, English translation Youth, 195 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book with an increasing number of words in the title

Second book of The Copenhagen Trilogy, the memoires of the Danish poet and writer Tove Ditlevsen.
In the late 1930s Tove has to find a job. She doesn't like her work, and is very happy when her first poem is published. She meets a welthy man she will marry, to get out out of poverty. Meanwhile the war is starting.

Beautifully written, you get the feeling you are Tove.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 37: Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid by Edna O'Brien
own, translated, original title House of Splendid Isolation, 232 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12: Read a book with an unsettling place name in the title

Set in Ireland during the Troubles. A man tries to keep out of the hands of the police, he finds refuge in the house of an elderly woman. She doesn't like him being there, but there is no-one, but her, and she has been very ill recently. Slowly the two come to know eachother, and maybe even like eachother.
Meanwhile we also read what the police is doing, trying to find the man.

Interesting read, I think it had more impact at the time of publication, as it was published some years before the Good Friday Agreement.

English and Dutch title are the same.

book 38: Afhankelijkheid by Tove Ditlevsen
library, translated from Danish, English translation Dependency, 219 pages
TIOLI Challenge #11: Mardi Gras rolling challenge

Third and last book of The Copenhagen Trilogy, the memoires of the Danish poet and writer Tove Ditlevsen.
Tove is a writer now, and married. Most of the war goes by her. Her books are published, and she gets married three times more, having a child from her last three husbands. She gets addicted, and struggles all her life with addiction.

I liked this English article about all three books: https://www.vox.com/culture/22249049/copenhagen-trilogy-review-tove-ditlevsen-ch...

English and Dutch title are the same.

February 2021 in numbers

20 books read (5.689 pages, 203,2 pages a day)

own 3 (15 %) / library 17

11 male author / 9 female author
  3 originally written in Dutch / 17 translated into Dutch
13 fiction / 7 non-fiction

20 books in TIOLI Challenges
  6 e-books
  3 1001 books
  3 mystery/police procedural

--
pages:
0 - 100 pages: 0
101 - 200 pages: 6
201 - 300 pages: 5
301 - 400 pages: 6
401 - 500 pages: 2
501 - 999 pages: 1
1000+ pages: 0

longest book 648 pages
shortest book 115 pages
average book 284 pages

--
own books read were on the shelf since:
before 2008: 2
2015: 1

--
date first published:

20th century
1920s: 1
1930s: 2
1960s: 2
1970s: 2
1980s: 2
1990s: 4

21st century
2010s: 7

--
ratings:
  3 x
  6 x
10 x
  1 x

--
Best books in February


Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 4) by Elelna FerranteIk, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves
Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen

===

walking in February: walked 27 days, 157,5 km; average 5,89 km/a day
e-biking in February: biked 1 day, 23,1 km; average 23,10 km/a day

2021 totals to date:

38 books read (10.826 pages, 183,5 pages a day)

own 5 (13 %) / library 33

24 male author / 14 female author
7 originally written in Dutch / 31 translated into Dutch
27 fiction / 11 non-fiction

38 books in TIOLI Challenges
14 e-books
4 1001 books (total 187)
0 Dutch Literary Canon (total 31/125)
2 childrens/YA
6 mystery/police procedural

pages:
0 - 100 pages: 1
101 - 200 pages: 8
201 - 300 pages: 13
301 - 400 pages: 11
401 - 500 pages: 4
501 - 999 pages: 1
1000+ pages: 0

longest book 648 pages
shortest book 92 pages
average book 285 pages

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

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

20th century
1910s: 1
1920s: 1
1930s: 2
1950s: 1
1960s: 3
1970s: 3
1980s: 4
1990s: 5

21st century
2000s: 1
2010s: 15

--
ratings:
  5 x
14 x
16 x
  3 x

===

Walking in 2021: walked 56 days 334,1 km; average 5,97 km a day
e-biking in 2021: biked 3 days 55,0 km; average 18,33 km a day