Lunarreader in 2015

No good resolutions for this year :)
Only one promise: continue reading good books and sharing them here with you all.
Wish you all the very best in this new year!

To keep things easy, this message will be updated with the books read
1. De Tuin van Maigret by Michiel Hendryckx - Jan, 1st - ****
2. Het Zwart en het Zilver by Paolo Giordano - Jan, 9th - ***'
3. De Horizon by Patrick Modiano - Jan, 14th - ***'
4. De Kinderwet by Ian McEwan - Jan, 28th - ****
5. Naar Merelbeke by Stefan Hertmans - Feb, 24th - ***
6. Altijd ergens by Michiel Hendryckx - Feb, 26th - ****
7. Hier wonen ook mensen by Rob Van Essen - March, 7th - **'
8. Het Hout by Jeroen Brouwers - March, 15th - ****
9. Vechtmemoires by Joost de Vries - March, 21st - *
10. De Consequenties by Nina Weijers - April, 3rd - ***
11. Orgelman by Mark Schaevers - April, 19th - ****
12. Kroniek van een aangekondigde dood by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - May, 3rd - **'
13. The Harvesters by Cesare Pavese - May, 6th - ****
14. De Leerschool Van Het Lijden by Carlo Emilio Gadda - June, 1st - **'
15. Afscheid Van De Wapenen by Ernest Hemingway - June, 27th - ****
16. Het Monster by Ismail Kadare - July, 8th - ***
17. Aankomen in Avignon by Daniel Robberechts - July 25th - ***
18. The West Highland Way by Robert Aitken - August, 4th - ****
19. Morgen by Graham Swift - August, 10th - ****
20. Tra donne sole by Cesare Pavese - August, 15th - ***'
21. De Tijdelijke Gentleman by Sebastian Barry - August 20th - ****
22. Het Strand by Cesare Pavese - August, 23rd - ****
23. Engeland en andere verhalen by Graham Swift - September, 12th - ****
24. In het licht van wat wij weten by Zia Haider Rahman - October, 27th - ****
25. Maan en Zon by Stefan Brijs - November, 11th - ***'
26. Intemperie by Jesus Carrasco - November, 18th - ***
27. De H is van Havik by Helen MacDonald - December, 11th - ****'
28. Don Giovanni op Sicilië by Vitaliano Brancati - December, 30th - **'

And we have lift-off: De Tuin van Maigret by Michiel Hendryckx, a very short novella, distributed for free for the anniversary of a network of independent bookshops here in Flanders, Belgium. And it is so beautiful, as well in form as in writing, a true jewel.
The author is a photographer, but surely he should write a lot more!
The booklet is a hommage to Georges Simenon, world famous Belgian writer of novels and detectives and this is about his master detective Maigret, who is retired and gets the unannounced visit of an admirer, or is it a relative? Is it just a visit or is it a first contact? Anyhow, only 37 pages, but from the first to the last sentence well balanced, with a subtle wink at the end.

This network of independant bookshops, called "confituur" (flemish for "jam") can quickly celebrate it's next anniversary if you ask me. :)

Ah, I see you live in Gent! My husband and I lived there for the last 6 months of 2013. What a lovely city it is!

Is De Tuin van Maigret available in English or French? What is the language it is in? Flemish? Dutch? Your comments are intriguing! I adore Maigret and would love to read this. In a pinch my still improving French might benefit greatly by attempting this short novella.

Hi Ursula, yes Gent is a lovely city! I just live 10 miles outside of Gent in fact but off course the largest part of my social life takes place there and my favourite bookshops are in Gent. Just give a warning whenever you would be back, we can have a tour together and talk about books over a coffee or another drink. :)

Dear Poquette, sadly this little gem is not available in other languages. Unless we could convince someone off course. Here is the website of this group of independent bookshops: www.confituurboekhandels.be
The website is in dutch, but the contact page has a form. Tomorrow i see one of the owners of a participating bookshop, i will pass him your request.

The book itself is in Dutch, or Flemish as you like, because written by someone of Flanders. Officially it is the same language but we do use other words, other expressions and sometimes .... sometimes it seems another language ;)

Here in Belgium, of which Flanders is a part, there is a true Simenon revival, with also a lot of attention to his non-Maigret books. Did you read any?

Kind regards.
Lunarreader

number 2: Het Zwart en het Zilver by Paolo Giordano. Third novel by this author and again spot on. Another social tragedy, it seems his forte, in a twisting and winding story about a couple struggling with everyday life, with their kid, with their relations, their jobs, almost with anything in fact, and a housekeeper, social assistant, relation consultant, problem fixer, well, almost everything as well, who keeps them going.

But then this wonderfull misses, housekeeper, social assistant,...... becomes ill and everything changes. Giordano is a master in atmosphere descriptions and you can sometimes feel the tension, or the relief, like if they were tangible present on the pages of this book.

The overall story is a bit too thin for this novel too get 4 stars but it is beautifully written and probably one of the better descriptions of modern marriage in which it is no longer evident (luckily) that women follow their husband. Doubts, worries and troubles all around.

A more profound character elaboration and a deeper insight in their psyche would have lifted this book to excellent status. Still recommendable.

>6 Lunarreader: Since I don't read Dutch, my favorite bookstore was the English Bookshop on the Ajuinlei! I hope to find myself back there at some point - we have a number of friends and my husband has colleagues in Gent, so it could definitely happen.

>6 Lunarreader: I have read a few of the Maigret books in English, and I am struggling through one in French although I have put it aside until I add a few hundred more words to my vocabulary! But I have seen every one of the Bruno Cremer TV series from France, which I loved, even though Cremer was a completely different body type than Georges Simenon depicted. I have not read any of the non-Maigret books by Simenon.

Just let me know when you are here. :)

You should try one of the non-Maigret books, i will try to re-read De Blauwe Kamer this year.

I wonder if my posts 10 and 11 are clear to Ursula and Poquette that i answered them.
On post 8 and 9 i see ">6 Lunarreader: Lunarreader" but i have no clue how this is done here at LT.

Please let me know. A bit silly, i know, but hey ... dare to ask.

You just need to put > and the post number and it will automatically fill in the name and link when you post so just typing > 8 (but with no space between them) will give you >8 ursula:.

number 3: De Horizon by Patrick Modiano. A recommendation on the Uitgelezen book event in Ghent last month. OK, it is a nice novel elaborating on memories, ideas, imaginations, and it depicts very good the atmosphere in Paris, all the quarters with their own characters and it wanders around, from past to future, from present time to the past .... very Modiano i was told.
Beautifully written but not gripping, i loved to read it and in the end it takes a nice turn towards something that could evolve in a happy ending and for me it spoils a bit the darker and gloomier side of the story. A dramatic end would have been more suitable, i like to think.

Happy that i read my first of this author but in great doubt if i will read another one. Maybe one, to give it one more try.
But then again, maybe not...... There is so much to read. :)

>12 Lunarreader: Yes, I understood ;-)

>13 ursula: thanks!

Great job >15 Poquette: ! :)

Book nr 4: De Kinderwet by Ian McEwan, and what a book! 4 stars. No hesitation. Or should it be more?
McEwan is brilliant in this very easy reading book, full of beautiful descriptions of court cases, the court's inn's in London (i went to England dozens of times but did not know of their existance), the characters and ... On top of all this, what a story, what a plot!
The way the main character is torn between old rites and new feelings, the stiff upper class form of betrayal and self-betrayal, if this is the correct word, is unrivalled.
Is the distance between our ordinary lives and this life as a judge in the secluded and protected justice environment maybe huge, McEwan tries hard to let us in. Not too hard, because it is clear that this is a different layer of society, not better, not worse, just different.
The other main theme in the book, religion, proves itself again as something that can bring the best and the ugliest side of mankind to the footlight.
The pas-de-deux developed between these themes, between the two main characters, the judge and the kid, is great to watch, takes some expected but also unexpected turns at likewise moments and makes sure that as a reader you just have no other choice then to follow, to contine reading, to judge and too be judged upon.
Maybe 4,5 stars?
Or maybe not?
I can understand people who will describe this as too far away from normal life, how would a 60 year old judge, in a society like a beehive, all of a sudden be this emphatic?
Maybe not, but maybe.
Judge yourself.

All these reviews are enticing. At least the McEwan I can get in English (although I didn't enjoy the one book of his I read, Saturday).

>19 dchaikin: Yes, as i said, you love McEwan or you don't :)
I have to admit that i liked Saturday, i gave it also 4 stars here at LT, but i really think that this novel is different. It is again situated in the English upperclass, something that can put you off, but in my humble opinion this story needed this in order to get the contrast right with the other protagonist.
Is Modiano not translated in english? You would expect that, since he is a Nobel prize winner?
Giordano's previous books are already translated in english, i suppose Il nero e l'argento will follow. Did you read his debute? The solitude of prime numbers

>20 Lunarreader: i had never heard of Giordano or Novel Prize winning Modiano (who does have several works translated in English). I'll keep both in mind.

Well >21 dchaikin:, here in Europe, or in Belgium at least, Giordano is hot: he won the prestigious litterature prize "Premio Strega" in Italy with his debute.
So from novel 1, and now he's at number 3, he has been translated into a lot of languages. You should try his debute. It is a pretty smart book.
Good luck.

I am now officially one of the hundred readers here in Flanders, Belgium to be part of the Readers Jury for the Gouden Boekenuil (Golden bookowl) litterary prize! :)
On the 25th the shortlist will be made public and i will receive these 5 books too read and too judge. I'll keep you posted.

>23 Lunarreader: how exciting! What might you end up with? I suppose you'll know soon. Do you have to score then, or put them in order?

That IS exciting!

>24 Helenliz: yes it is! The longlist of 20 books is already public, there are a lot of non-fiction litterary works but also 3 debutes in litterature. So, very curious as well to get to know the final shortlist. It are all works in Dutch so unless one gets very succesfull the chances of getting translated into english are rather small.
I don't know yet how this will work, will i have to order them, or just vote for one, i'll find out he 25th i guess.
Thanks for sharing my excitement :)

>25 rebeccanyc: yep, surely it is! Thanks for sharing my excitement. :)

>23 Lunarreader:

That sounds really exciting! I hope you write more about the process as you go along as I've always wondered how these literary competitions worked.

Hi >28 lilisin:, i will certainly keep you all posted. What i already know is that we will have an online discussion forum available to exchange ideas.
On the actual scoring and the number of rounds or so, i have no clue, so indeed exciting for me as well.
After the 25th i will be able to share some more news.

Number 5: Naar Merelbeke by Stefan Hertmans. A bit of a disappointment. OK, it is a good book, more specific the writing is beautiful, the style very nice, but the story is rather thin: a story of a boy coming of age, unlimited imagination, first sexual experiences, beautiful nieces, a girl next door, parents who love him, a lost leg ... in his imagination? ... overall hard too see where his imagination ends and real life begins.
Now, don't get me wrong, i have no problems changing view points between inner world and outer world in book characters but here the author leaves the impression that the outer world participate in some part of the imaginary world, the parents to be precise, and my experience of that period in time in the sixties is not that parents would do that.
So, after having read Stefan Hertmans his latest novel: Oorlog en Terpentijn which is incredibly beautiful, this is a bit less.

6: Altijd ergens by Michiel Hendryckx. A coffee table book: nice pictures (Hendryckx is a professional photographer) from random places with musings and thoughts, memories, anecdotes, just some words. But beautiful words.
Hendrycks sometimes takes a simple picture of a road but the composition of the picture, the brief explanation of why he took that picture, and why at that place or at that time.... It gets me longing for travelling, wandering around, just going away for the simple purpose of being away, being open to meet new people, expanding my horizons.
I do like to wander around in a city, in open field, because i find it a very healthy way to clean your brain and just look around instead of thinking of the next thing one should or must do.
This book enables this very well, so i admit, i didn't read all the pages yet, that is not the goal of the book in my humble opinion, the goal is to read from time to time some small texts, look at the photographs, and .... get the hell out!
Top book ! Really.

Et voilà :)
All set to start reading as a member of the Readers Jury for the literary prize Gouden Boekenuil 2015 here in Flanders, Belgium.

We did receive 2 days ago, during a nice opening ceremony, the 5 shortlisted books.
There are 2 novels
De Consequenties by Nina Weijers
Het Hout by Jeroen Brouwers
which is nice, the first book is a debut, the second is from an old master in literature with already a very impressive bibliography.

Then there is a collection of short stories:
Hier wonen ook mensen van Rob van Essen

A collection of essays:
Vechtmemoires by Joost de Vries
he won the same prize last year with his novel De Republiek, i have to admit that i'm not such a big fan of this book ...

and ... a biography !
Orgelman by Mark Schaevers telling the story of Felix Nussbaum, a German-Jewish painter.

So, not only a competition between stories but also between book types, the non-fiction books being literary non-fiction, but still, will the pure imagination win it from a nice historical biopic? Will some essays beat the imagination of Nina or Jeroen?

All to be found out during the coming weeks. Follow my adventures here .... :)

What a great experience. I'm curious how this will work out for you and the competition in general.

7: Hier wonen ook mensen by Rob Van Essen - the first book in my duty as a jurymember for the literary prize Gouden Boekenuil in Flanders, Belgium.
How to quote a collection of short stories? Based upon the best story in the book? Would be 4 stars. Based upon the worst or most incomprehensible story: would be 1 star, or less.
Short stories with open endings, so that the imagination of the reader can fill in the rest. That's the often used argument. Fine for me, but then the first part has to make sense, at least. And that's where a lot of the stories in this book fail. It's absurd, but not absurd enough to be hilarious or to sparkle your imagination enough to make up a wild second part.
It's just so unlikely or so far fetched that i don't get a grip on them. But i'm convinced that this has as much to do with me, then it has with the book.
It's not for me, these short stories, although i will give it another try soon, with England and other stories by Graham Swift, an author that i like to follow, especially since his last novel Wish you were here.

8: Het Hout by Jeroen Brouwers.
Physically uneased, disgusted, lump in my throat ... revoltingly repulsive. That's how you feel with the themes described in this book. Friars in an boarding school abusing mentally, humiliating, physical and sexual abuse on school children, young boys.
Jeroen Brouwers is a true master in depicting the time frame, the protagonist, the atmosphere and the relations of power and silence in this hard, nausea causing, novel.
The language used underpins the situations, the stuttering children, the twaddling superior friar, the commanding schoolmaster and super abuser ... it all fits. The reader is given a break with some normal people from the outside world coming into the light but then again you are rejected and recalled to the horrors inside of the school / monastery.
A duty read as jury member for the literary prize Gouden Boekenuil. If not, i would never have read this book. I don't want to close my eyes for this kind of situations, but the horrendous details, the repulsive pleasure by the friars so accurately described, it makes me feel only one thing: run away.
And get them all into jail, throwing away the key.
I know again why i do not want to have any link, none whatsoever, with religion. I can only hope for the current victims, who still are out there, that their misery will end soon and that justice will be done.
Albeit said that i would never have read this book if not on duty, it is a, literature wise seen, very good book: very rich in vocabulary, supporting style, a real pageturner as well, sentences and situations like small jewels, a masterpiece. Hence the 4 stars. But no pleasant read. It makes me think of Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, another jewel, but uncomfortable read.

9: Vechtmemoires by Joost de Vries, a collection of essays, but by far one of the worst books i have read for quite some time. Arrogant, wise-nose author, reflecting on multiple things in society, colleague authors, renown personas and so further. But everytime again it's like his opinion is the bible (and i'm not a catholic) and it seems never to be a possibility that another viewpoint is possible.
I agree that essays are there to put your opinion on stuff on the table. But having an opinion and standing for it doesn't necessarily mean that you wipe categorically all other possibilites from the table.
Combined with real pricky arrogance (i had a first class train ticket, but not too step out or to offend my less fortunate fellows i went to sit in second class) and the one thing that really puts me off: wrong constructed sentences. Terrible.

De Consequenties by Nina Weijers : a bizarre novel, a debut for this author and what for a debut. The story tells an interesting viewpoint on art, the main character being an artist and the author can write, let's be clear. Very beautiful phrases. Very beautiful chapters even.
Too sorry that the author did pick up a lot of techniques in a creative writing course and that she could not choose between all the techniques learnt there. Short chapters, flash forwards, flashbacks, memories, dialogues exchanged with internal thoughts, reflections on life and even an intermezzo on medicines and life changing adventures.
All in all, too much, too many loose ends, not complete.
I like open themes where you can think about as a reader without being confronted with a "proposed solution" by the author. But when you can start to fill in the dots on nearly every theme mentionned, and surely when a lot of themes pass by, again it becomes just too much.
If Nina Weijers learns how to choose, in techniques and in themes, i will certainly read her next book.
3 stars still, thanks to the very beautiful phrases.

Enjoying your reviews. Your roll as a judge will probably influence the way you evaluate everything you read from now on!

I can relate to your comments about the Rob Van Essen stories. I have encountered similar stories that started out well enough but descended into incomprehensibility by the end. I just read a story that addressed the whole subject of endings in a metafictional way, and so I now have to reconsider my whole attitude and even revisit some of those stories that did not please me the first time around. It is an interesting subject and problem even.

>38 Poquette: Always nice to see shared ideas. Thanks.

number 11: Orgelman by Mark Schaevers, and what a book. It's a biography about an, for me, unknown painter: Felix Nussbaum. Victim of nazi-Germany, Jew, killed in Auschwitz, but what a well written book. From the intro to the end you're taken on a journey by the author. A journey i won't forget. Beautiful in style, bewildering, enthousiast, very moving and appealing. How sad to see how this humouristic and refined painter get's deported just some months before the liberation of Brussels, the town where he lived the last years of his life.
Normally i'm not such a non-fiction fan but the author here put's down an effort on documentation, detail and history but combines it with storytelling from the top level. It's a beauty.

For those interested: my final judgement as a member of the readers jury for the literary prize Gouden Boekenuil 2015 in Flanders, Belgium (Golden Bookowl award):
1 Orgelman
2 Het hout
3 De Consequenties
4 Hier wonen ook mensen
5 Vechtmemoires

Counting down now for the award ceremony on 30th april to see if my fellow jurymembers have the same opinion :)

Hi, my favourite, Orgelman did win the literary Prize! A lot of people also voted for him for the Readers Prize, but that one went to De Consequenties.
But what a surprise that a biography could win the main literary prize in Flanders! It is a real gem, but he was still an outsider in this contest.
I felt very honoured to be at the award ceremony and the enthousiasm of the crowd - when Mark Schaevers his biography of Felix Nussbaum was declared the winner - was warm and overwhelming.
Being member of the Readers Jury was a very nice experience.

Kroniek van een aangekondigde dood by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as book nr 12 this year. It is my second Marquez book and sorry to say, probably my last. It's not for me, this magical realism. I don't get it, not the story when being told like this, turning around in circles, not the writing style, not the allegoric things, not .... Nothing in fact.
I can't call it bad, hence 2,5 stars, i can even see why other people can like it, but i can't call it good neither. Sorry.

>43 Lunarreader: That's a shame. I liked Chronicle of a Death Foretold a lot. But I can definitely understand that Garcia Marquez isn't for everyone -- I mean, I don't know that any author is for anyone, but he might be more for a specific taste than some others.

>44 ursula: that is of course so true. There must be a lot of people who like Marquez, given his success and acclaim here. :)

Number 13: The Harvesters by Cesare Pavese. A very nice short novel. Straight forward, no excuses, hard style story on the rural life style in Northern Italy and the complicated relations caused by isolation, dominant males in family lives, jealousy and sexual pressure.
Clearly situated in another era but nevertheless still very appealing because even today one can imagine these complicated family situations under pressure by economic difficulties and rivalry.
Hard to describe, it is so dense, so direct and short that i would say: just read it.

14: De Leerschool Van Het Lijden by Carlo Emilio Gadda. Somewhat special, somewhat very special. Gadda seems unable to tell a story. Descriptions, enumerations, adjectives, endless descriptions take the place of the story, if there has been a story to start with, or that would lead somewhere, beware!
Sometimes this is hilarious, violent, powerful, breathtaking. But it's also boring, ennoying and relentlessly slowing down your reading. It also makes you wonder sometimes, after another ten pages: what the f*ck have i been reading the last half an hour?
And then, on the verge of despair, there is chapter 5: such an intense personal description, such a beauty of a portrait. Yes, Gadda can write. Yes, it's autobiographic and thus moving. But please, Carlo, you could have written a complete book like this and you didn't!
Why?

15: Afscheid Van De Wapenen by Ernest Hemingway - a classic. Righty so.
What a great novel! Man, woman, the war, friendship, respect, love, despair, cruelty .... All the big themes in a love story that in the same time is a powerful anti-war statement. A story of courage and of despair in the same chapter. A strong "wish i was here" feeling that in the same lines turns to an even stronger "i wish i was not here" sentiment.
The very easy looking writing style reinforces this, the robustness of the story is in this very straight forward writing, empowered by the repeats of words, sentences and feelings which give the storyline in moments a kind of mantra-like voodoo-ism. I am lucky, i am so lucky, i don't know how lucky i am, please tell me we are lucky ...
One can see from faraway that this "lick" is under heavy threats and the repeats try to give some strength to the idea.
Amazing for me is that this story is still so readable, so attractive, whilst it is nearly a hundred years old.
Hemingway is really one of the great writers of his time.

I started in A Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry but i left it in an airplane ...
So now i've got to find this book in a bookshop again before i can continue and i absolutely want to continue cause the start was very promising.
In the meantime i read Hemingway, which was a very nice surprise to. See my previous comment.
While i keep looking for the temporary Gentleman i'll start another book ... :)

>49 Lunarreader: Oh dear, at least if you leave it on the train there is a small chance it'll turn up again at the terminus. Good luck with finding your replacement and picking up where you left off.

>50 Helenliz:
Thanks for your lovely words, much appreciated.
It didn't turn up, no :(
But then again, i'll support the author, the translator and the editor by buying a new copy. :)

16: Het Monster by Ismail Kadare : a nice novel, typical Kadare, very symbolic (a bit too much ...). You can feel that there was no freedom in Albania at the time of writing and the author had to symbolize the oppression, the dictatorship, communism.
Not having been in such a situation it is sometimes hard to understand the exact meaning of all these symbols. But let's be happy that we never lived in a communist country led by an obscure dictator.
The novel also requires quite some knowledge on the Trojan horse history and Greek mythology in general.
Now, before you would start to think that Het Monster is not any good, think again. It is also a beautiful complex lovestory, a sometimes hilarious persiflage on dictators and fear, it contains deep sarcasm on heroism and on presumptious people considering themselves as "great" and makes you think about the levels human imagination can reach.
Kadare's writing is to be savoured, like a good wine, there's more into it then grapes and alcohol, but you've got to be willing to explore it, to do the effort to look for the underlying layers. And then it's not just a drink, it becomes a good wine.
Kadare's book are not just stories, what they can seem to be at first glance, they are fantastic parables.
Only 3 stars however, because of some unexplainable switches on viewpoints in this book.

>52 Lunarreader: Interesting review! I love Kadare, but then again, I've only read three-odd books by him. I'll keep an eye out for this one.

>53 reva8: Hello, reva8, yes i think Kadare is a very interesting author, also given the weird political situation of his homeland and the effect it must have had on his writing, the content of it as well as the form.

Back from holidays with an update on my reading adventures ;)
I did read less while walking the West Highland Way in Scotland as it was more fatiguing then i thought. So more sleep and less books. But the ones i read where rather nice ones.

17: Aankomen in Avignon by Daniel Robberechts. A strange book by an almost mythical author here in Flanders, Belgium.
I read this one just before i started travelling in my holidays, to the point i thought because it's about traveling, about a guy traveling to Avignon in France, or not, or yes, or maybe .... Or multiple times but not completely.... Bemusings, outbursts, wandering, textual experiments ... It is very clear that the writing for Robberechts was not storytelling, oh no, certainly not. It's about thinking, giving your idea, confrontation, convincing and then again it's also about to doubt on everything.
I did read this book a first time when i was in school over 30 years ago, and then i came to the conclusion that reading Robberechts was like working: there can be joy and job satisfaction, but everybody is happy when it's 5 o'clock.
I wanted to re-read this book. The style is still vibrant, the content less appealing however as it is outdated. For the audacious reader, not the classic book on traveling :)

18: The West Highland Way by Robert Aitken. A classic book on the most classic trekking path in Scotland. I did the walk together with my eldest daughter last weeks and it was really nice. Reading only every evening the book on the next stage that we would do the next morning gave me also a "travelling" experience within the book.
Very didactical, well written, well constructed, with plenty of historical, geographical and cultural topics, it is a nice compagnon on the road.

19: Morgen by Graham Swift. OK, who did know that Graham Swift is a woman? I didn't. By the look of his picture he sure looks a man. But he must be a woman. Must.
How can one explain otherwise the book Tomorrow? This book is one long stream of consciousness by a woman on the night before a crucial day in the life of her family: her life, but surely the life or her man and her children.
How is it possible that these typical female thoughts (at least, they look typical female to me, but then again, i'm also a man) can be written down in this way by a man?
But it is a great book. Of course one could easily imagine another end. One could easily imagine another situation, but the description, the way the story unfolds, the small things.... It's Graham Swift and yes, it is a masterpiece.
Only one character but references to many others, like Otis the cat, and yet it tells about all major themes and questions of life: childhood, parenthood, trust, lies, responsibility, care, biology, nature and nurture.
A brilliant point of view taken by Swift here and even more brilliant in the complete setup.
Read this book. Surely if you are a woman, and then tell me if you agree.
Thanks.

And number 20: Tra donne sole by Cesare Pavese, a strange novel, Pavese submerging us in the upper class of Torino, Italy via a main character who is not actually a part of this upper class. Clelia is a girl, successful in her job and with the success would come the respect of her own class and participation, acceptance in the higher classes. At least, that was her idea. But the upper class represents emptiness, even so short after the war (it is 1949), envy, absence of friendship and care. A harsh portrait by Pavese, master in reality writing, who seems to have only sympathy for the ones that stay true, who respect their origin and know themselves.
I like Pavese even more now, after The Harvesters, this short novel depicts another, totally opposite, part of the Italian society. This upper class city part in this novel is even harder, more malicious, then the rural part.
Old book, but not outdated, so i learned upon watching a recent Flemish tv-repo on the "new rich".

Number 21: De Tijdelijke Gentleman by Sebastian Barry. After i started a first time and then lost the book (see post 49) i purchased it again and voilà: a very well written book by Barry who seems to make it his lifetime achievement of writing on the human relations that aren't very successful whilst they could be. The main character in this book reflects on his life and alcohol made it a kind of a roller coaster with ups, but certainly with downs. Tangled between pure luck on one hand, and the circumstances in Ireland with the second World War on the other hand. Taking the luck for granted and in the impossibility to escape from the circumstances, due to the drinking, the catastrophe is closely and the will to avoid it seems to lack.
Barry avoids to have it too much black and white and is a master in nuance. The main theme, in my humble opinion, is that one can not play out of his league. A too big difference in social background between partners in a marriage is and will always be a major issue, love has to be very strong and even then, will love be enough?
Questions that receive no answer because in the end of this book, luck has just ran out. Sadly so.

22: Het Strand by Cesare Pavese, a short novella, but so intense. Pavese places the main character in a triangle of relations of old and new friends, couples and secret lovers, and all of this in a holiday context at the beach. So, in absence of work obligations, time to be lost by reflections, loose interactions, analysis of the others, intrigue, positioning, ... under the umbrella of friendship?
Pavese's book is without any plot, the proze is very condense and leaves at the same time all the space to think about the same themes as the characters in the book.
But, little warning, it's not just some mild reflections in the sunset, it is razor-sharp analysis of the human spirit in a unclear situation of love, forbidden love and potential betrayal. Short but powerful.

23: Engeland en andere verhalen by Graham Swift, a collection of short stories. And normally i am not a fan about short stories ... Short novels i like, but short stories not.
What's the difference you may ask. Well the difference is for me very clear. A short novel has an end, it can leave you wondering why it ended like that or what other ends might have been possible, but it has an end. Sometimes a pretty "open" end, but even then most of the times there is some kind of "closure".
Short stories have practically never an end, it looks very often like you only got a part of the story, an extract if you like.
And i don't like that. Some short stories without an end can be nice if the theme or topic is interesting enough to think about later, then you can start imaging for yourself all the different kind of endings it could bring if you would write further. That is something i like.
But very often the topic is rather dull, because not elaborated, because the short story is .... well, short. And then it's not interesting to rethink about it later and then you just read some pages without.... well, pretty much without anything.

But hear hear, this is not the case if the author is called Graham Swift.
I am now a fan of short stories. Well, of short stories written by Mr. Swift, that is.

Amazing stories like Misses Kaminski. Or "Fusilli" which struck me and made me instantly smile and 2 minutes later i was close to crying. And even more amazing stories like "England". (hence the title of the book)
It is all about the small things in life, sometimes big for one person, but small everyday things, no big deal. The everyday life. But the life we all live. Or could live.
Written by an author who is incredibly great in writing about the small things. It's like Mr. Swift was the main character himself in all these stories, it's like he just lived all these stories.

Read them, get impressed, share and rethink about some of the topics and ask yourself: what would i do? How would i like to end this? And enjoy. Yes, first of all, enjoy.

Interesting on the short story. I think my biggest problem with them is that they need to engage me up front (or, really, i need to figure out how to become engaged in them) If they do, then I don't always mind if they just kind of fizz out (there have been exceptions).

>63 dchaikin: your phrasing is a good synthesis of what i was, somewhat too much elaborated, trying to say. :)
A novel, even the shorter ones, gives you the time to jump in, a short story not.
But i do recommend this one from Swift as it is really a nice collection.

Well, apparently I'm stuck on this idea. See the questions for avid readers thread. I'll keep Graham Swift in mind.

24: In het licht van wat wij weten by Zia Haider Rahman. I kept you waiting for this review but here it is:
What a book! It's about .... everything! Mathematics, History, Politics, Economics, Banking, Migration, Development, Friendship, Social classes, Marriage, Books, .... and about yourself. And yes, all in capitals because it is not just about all these themes, it's so profound, so documented, so impressive.
How much documentation did the author went through? How many books did he read? How wise must one be to come to the insights he shares with us in this book. All the themes of our modern times are put together which gives us lots and lots to think about.
This is the downside of the book for me, if there is one: you want to stop reading every page and Google a lot of things you've just been reading. So it takes some time to get through the + 500 pages. But it's not annoying, it's intriguing. The endless combinations of strategies by politicians, development workers, their mutual influence and the reasons behind it all, or the absence of reasons, i did learn a lot. It feels like non-fiction, the love story in the book reminds you that it is a novel.
Then why not 5 stars? Because for me the final development of the plot is too far fetched, i just didn't believe it. This was in big contrast to the well elaborated passages where the 2 protagonists overlook their life and mainly the storyteller in the book reflects in such an intensive way on his life that i felt seriously invited by some passages to do the same and ask myself: what do i really want?
But hey, read this book!
Final warning: you might never again think the same about some stuff!

Number 25: Maan en Zon by Stefan Brijs. A very nice novel, easy reading, about poverty and social problems on the island of Curacao in the Antilles. Brijs is a Flemish author but has through his wife some connections with the island which was a Dutch colony in earlier years. From the differences between the Dutch colonizers and the locals the story evolves to the differences between the honest workers and the ones using criminal affairs to become rich.
A catholic friar tells the story of 3 generations in a family, every one of them gets the chance to change their lives radically but all fail for different reasons. Poverty is each time the background. This poverty is in big contrast with a car playing another headline in the story: a Dodge Matador. This car becomes the symbol of what could be but never becomes reality. The car emphasises success but becomes the reason why everything seems to fail.
This story is told with so much empathy for the protagonists that it is in moments very emotional. Brijs understands how to involve his readers.
This time Stefan Brijs tells a straight forward story, nothing complicated, and that's allright. The Dutch don't seem so happy that exactly a Flemish author tells their story, also of their failure, on their previous colony, and in this way the book is criticised in the official reviews in the Netherlands as being too simple. But simple is not the same as straightforward.
I do like Brijs his books De Engelenmaker , Arend, as well as Post voor Mevrouw Bromley a lot more, as they are more complex, more layered, but this is also a nice read, very touching, straight to your heart.

26: Intemperie by Jesus Carrasco. A dense, hard story about a boy running away from home, from atrocities, from his personal demon, from stupidity and obedience, from .... his life in fact.
Without spoiling too much: it's not pleasant to read, it's about abuse, violence, poverty, disease, no freedom, no future. So be prepared.
In an unspecified timeframe but not recent, in an unspecified country but probably the Extremadura region in Spain, as the author has his roots there, little or no names but a very detailed very local setting which contributes again to this density, as do the hard and detailed description of interaction between the very few main characters in the novel. All these elements together must provide a universal background so that the reader can imagine this happening closeby.
Internationally acclaimed as being a gem, and yes it is kind of a pageturner, but too unlikely in the end, as if the author wanted to compensate for all the misfortune in the kid's life.

I have now read 26 books this year, hurray :)
While this is maybe a small number for a lot of avid readers here, i consider it as an achievement given my intensive job, family and a large garden. The past years i tried to reach this number without success, so now very pleased with myself :)
I have some more on my list so this could become a very good reading year.

It's nice to reach these goals, we can't do it every year. Congrats!

>70 dchaikin: thanks! My list is far from being so impressive as yours, i have 26 and you at this time the perfect inversion: 62 !
.... I feel like a little kid ... a happy one, be assured ;)

27: a remarkable moment: my 27th book in one year (dates back to 2011), a book about mourning, finished on my late father's birthday, and ... a fantastic book: De H is van Havik by Helen MacDonald.
Surely one of the best books read in years. Surely one of the most touching books. Surely one of the most intimate and personal books you'll ever read.
Because, let's be clear: you have to read this book! Yes, you do.
I'm not going to give a detailed review, for the simple reason that it is impossible. You have to read it yourself.
Don't be afraid of the cover, don't be afraid of the falconry (or must i say "hawkery") jargon, don't be afraid of anything.
This book is taking you out in multiple ways: out to the countryside, out of your comfort zone, out of your everyday worries, out to go back to when you were a child, to what your parents meant for you (or not), out to explore what it is that really, really matters for you.
That's enough reasons to read it.
Thank you Helen MacDonald, thank you for this book, thank you so much. Yes, your dad was maybe a fantastic man, but that's not so important. He loved you. And that is important.
Thank you.

I've been intrigued by what I've read about H is for Hawk. Glad you also enjoyed it. Encouraging.

>73 dchaikin: Good! I did enjoy it and i hope a lot of people will read it because, some days later then when i wrote my review, now i even think that this book can really help people. I, for a start, i have not stopped thinking about some stuff since i read the book. It helped me to reflect again on some important moments of loss in my life. And also on moments related to myself.
Well, let me know when you start :)

and finally ... number 28: Don Giovanni op Sicilië by Vitaliano Brancati, a pretty old book (1942) depicting the "Don Juan" in the Sicilian man, living in a world dominated by this thoughts, ideas about women, dreams about them .... without coming to reality. So there are some rather funny scenes but upon taking a closer look the funny aspect makes place for sadness, solitude and a grande tristesse.
No that one starts to feel sorry for the protagonist, it's too pathetic.
Make no mistake, this is the author's goal, to describe the pathetic, piteous aspects in the men their attitude towards the women. But the style is too old to still be very attractive to nowaday readers.

So the year did end with 28 books read .... long time no see for me. Thanks to all that supported me with nice comments. My apologies that i didn't find the time to post many comments on your lists.
Let's see what 2016 brings ;)