Anita (FAMeulstee) goes there where the books take her in 2021 (12)

Welcome to my twelfth 2021 thread!

I am Anita Meulstee (58), married with Frank (60) 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

The last three generations: Callisto (2000-2006), Chimay (2004-2016) and Eoos (2009-2011)
  

The boys: Gladdich (2006-2009) and Ari (2010-2017)
 

total books read in 2021: 288
79 own / 208 library / 1 borrowed

total pages read in 2021: 94.339

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currently reading:

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books read in December 2021 (22 books, 9.816 pages, 4 own / 17 library / 1 borrowed)
book 267: De pop (The Doll) by Bolesław Prus, 928 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 61)
book 268: Tiril en de toverdrank by Bette Westera, 96 pages, TIOLI #16 (msg 62)
book 269: De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) by Alan Holinghurst, 498 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 63)
book 270: De rustelozen (Flights) by Olga Tokarczuk, 441 pages, TIOLI #15 (msg 64)
book 271: De verboden tuin by Wessel te Gussinko, 278 pages, TIOLI #4 (msg 88)
book 272: De roos uit het beton (Concrete Rose) by Angie Thomas, 316 pages, TIOLI #5 (msg 89)
book 273: De opdracht by Wessel te Gussinko, 560 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 88)
book 274: Het stille woud (The Hermit of Eyton Forest; Cadfael 14) by Ellis Peters, 208 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 90)
book 275: De hoogstapelaar by Wessel te Gussinko, 371 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 88)
book 276: Het grofmazige net (The Mind's Eye; Van Veeteren 1) by Håkan Nesser, 280 pages, TIOLI #18 (msg 91)
book 277: Op weg naar De Hartz by Wessel te Gussinko, 501 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 88)
book 278: Herkomst (Where You Come From) by Saša Stanišić, 347 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 126)
book 279: De man die even wilde afrekenen (Murder at the Savoy; Martin Beck 6) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, 240 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 127)
book 280: Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas R. Hofstadter, 923 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 128)
book 281: J.B.W.P. : het leven van Johan Polak by Koen Hilberdink, 313 pages, TIOLI #8 (msg 129)
book 282: Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren, 110 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 164)
book 283: Ideeën : derde bundel by Multatuli, 782 pages, TIOLI #1 (msg 165)
book 284: Reis door de nacht (Journey Through the Night) by Anne de Vries, 515 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 166)
book 285: Onzichtbare man (Invisible Man) by Ralph Ellison, 525 pages, TIOLI #9 (msg 167)
book 286: De moordclub (op donderdag) (The Thursday Murder Club) by Richard Osman, 432 pages, TIOLI #12 (msg 176)
book 287: Geduldig gereedschap by Rutger Kopland, 40 pages, TIOLI #6 (msg 177)
book 288: De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages, TIOLI #7 (msg 178)

December 2021 reading plans

TIOLI December 2021
#1: Read a nonfiction book by an author who wrote a book of fiction that you have read in the past
- Ideeën : derde bundel - Multatuli, 782 pages
#2: Read a holiday book which contains a number in the title
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#3: Read a book with a celestial body in the title or on the cover
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#4: Rolling Challenge: Read the first or the last (aka most recent) book in a series
- De verboden tuin - Wessel te Gussinko, 278 pages (e-library)
#5: Read a book where the author’s last name could be used as a first name
- De roos uit het beton (Concrete Rose) - Angie Thomas, 316 pages (e-library)
#6: Read a book with an alliterative title
- Geduldig gereedschap - Rutger Kopland, 40 pages
#7: Read a book with "Night," "Long," or "Dark" in the title
- Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) - Astrid Lindgren, 110 pages (library)
- Reis door de nacht (Journey Through the Night) - Anne de Vries, 515 pages (e-library)
- De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 - Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages
#8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)
- Herkomst (Where You Come From) - Saša Stanišić, 347 pages
- De hoogstapelaar - Wessel te Gussinko, 371 pages (e-library)
- J.B.W.P. : het leven van Johan Polak - Koen Hilberdink, 313 pages (e-library)
- De man die even wilde afrekenen (Murder at the Savoy; Martin Beck 6) - Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, 240 pages (library)
- De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) - Alan Holinghurst, 498 pages (library)
- Het stille woud (The Hermit of Eyton Forest; Cadfael 14) - Ellis Peters, 208 pages (library)
#9: Read a book with 500 pages or more
- Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) - Douglas R. Hofstadter, 923 pages (library)
- Onzichtbare man (Invisible Man) - Ralph Ellison, 525 pages (e-library)
- Op weg naar De Hartz - Wessel te Gussinko, 501 pages (e-library)
- De opdracht - Wessel te Gussinko, 560 pages (e-library)
- De pop (The Doll) - Bolesław Prus, 928 pages (e-library)
#10: Since this is the month of “Peace, good will toward men” read a book with either PEACE or GOOD in the title or subtitle
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#11 Read a book with an unrealistic-styled illustration on the cover
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#12 Read a book where someone on the cover (front or back) is wearing or holding glasses
- De moordclub (op donderdag) (The Thursday Murder Club) - Richard Osman, 432 pages
#13: Read a book about a combination of the mental health and legal systems
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#14: Read a bloody book
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#15: Read a book whose first sentence has seven words or fewer
- De rustelozen (Flights) - Olga Tokarczuk, 441 pages (e-library)
#16: Read a book with at least three numbers in the first paragraph
- Tiril en de toverdrank - Bette Westera, 96 pages
#17: Read a book whose story takes place in a COLD setting
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#18: Read a book from a 'What should you borrow?'-list
- Het grofmazige net (The Mind's Eye; Van Veeteren 1) - Håkan Nesser, 280 pages (e-library)

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.

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Some big tomes I might read in 2021:
✔ Op zoek naar de verloren tijd (In Search of Lost Time 1-7) - Marcel Proust, 4063 pages
Ideeën (1-7) by Multatuli, 3846 pages
Man zonder eigenschappen (The man without qualities) by Robert Musil, 1785 pages
De razende Roeland (Orlando furioso) by Ludovico Ariosto, 1783 pages
✔ Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl) by Uwe Johnson, 1596 pages
✔ De essays (The complete essays) by Michel de Montaigne, 1557 pages
De kracht van Atlantis (Atlas shrugged) by Ayn Rand, 1373 pages
✔ De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1112 pages
Luitenant-kolonel de Maumort by Roger Martin du Gard, 1077 pages
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht deel 3 translated by Richard van Leeuwen, 1047 pages
Baron by Theun de Vries, 1016 pages

Totals since 2008:

Books: 2.692
Pages: 740.357

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

Books read in Februari
book 19: Morgen toen de oorlog begon (Tomorrow, when the war began; Tomorrow 1) by John Marsden
book 20: Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 4) by Elelna Ferrante
book 21: Over paden : een ontdekkingstocht (On trails : an exploration) by Robert Moor
book 22: Tegenstroom (A Necessary End; Inspector Banks 3) by Peter Robinson
book 23: Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves
book 24: Veranderingen (Change) by Mo Yan
book 25: Het holst van de nacht (The Dead of the Night; Tomorrow 2) by John Marsden
book 26: Nachtvlucht (Night Flight) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
book 27: Kindertijd (Childhood) by Tove Ditlevsen
book 28: Denken aan vrijdag (Friday on my mind; Frieda Klein 6) by Nicci French
book 29: Sodom en Gomorra (Sodom and Gomorrah; In search of lost time 4) by Marcel Proust
book 30: Rinkeldekink by Martine Bijl
book 31: Beminde (Beloved) by Tony Morrison
book 32: Lijken op liefde by Astrid Roemer
book 33: Alleen : de Pacific Crest Trail by Tim Voors
book 34: Het nut van de wereld by J.M.A. Biesheuvel
book 35: Het enige verhaal (The Only Story) by Julian Barnes
book 36: Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen
book 37: Huis van volmaakte eenzaamheid (House of Splendid Isolation) by Edna O'Brien
book 38: Afhankelijkheid (Dependency) by Tove Ditlevsen

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

books read in April
book 55: De Cock en de dwaze maagden by A.C. Baantjer
book 56: Wachten op het donker (The Night is for Hunting; Tomorrow 6) by John Marsden
book 57: Een andere kant van vrijheid (The Other side of Dawn; Tomorrow 7) by John Marsden
book 58: Oeroeg (The Black Lake) by Hella Haasse
book 59: De duivelse droom (The Devil's novice) by Ellis Peters
book 60: De man die kon rekenen (The Man Who Counted) by Malba Tahan
book 61: Zondeval (The Hanging Valley; Inspector Banks 4) by Peter Robinson
book 62: Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo
book 63: Van oude mensen, de dingen die voorbijgaan (Old People and The Things That Pass) by Louis Couperus
book 64: Over liefde en over niets anders by Toon Tellegen
book 65: Jheronimus Bosch: Visioenen van een genie (Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius) by Matthijs Ilsink
book 66: Drie dingen over Elsie (Three Things About Elsie) by Joanna Cannon
book 67: De waarheid over honden (The Truth about Dogs) by Stephen Budiansky
book 68: De naam van mijn vader by Rindert Kromhout
book 69: De vriend (The friend) by Sigrid Nunez
book 70: De vergelding (The dark vineyard) by Martin Walker
book 71: De drie musketiers (The Three Musketeers) by Alexandre Dumas
book 72: Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl
book 73: Alles tegen (Odds Against) by Dick Francis
book 74: Het jaar van de tuinier (The Gardener's Year) by Karel Čapek
book 75: Winnetou (Winnetou) by Karl May
book 76: Verloren woorden (The lost words) by Robert Macfarlane
book 77: Smalle paden (Thin Paths) by Julia Blackburn
book 78: Foon by Marente de Moor
book 79: Archief van verloren kinderen (Lost Children Archive) by Valeria Luiselli
book 80: De drieëntwintig dagen van de stad Alba (The Twenty-three Days of the City of Alba) by Beppe Fenoglio
book 81: Tussen Orinoco en Amazone (In Trouble Again) by Redmond O'Hanlon
book 82: Afscheid van Berlijn (Goodbye to Berlin) by Christopher Isherwood
book 83: Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults In The Room) by Yanis Varoufakis
book 84: De Schotse marsen (The Marches) by Rory Stewart
book 85: De heilige Rita (The Blessed Rita) by Tommy Wieringa
book 86: De jaren (The Years) by Annie Ernaux

books read in May
book 87: De 3 bestaat niet by Gerbrand Bakker
book 88: De vermiste prins (The Missing Prince, Rangers Apprentice 15) by John Flanagan
book 89: Een vrouw in de poolnacht (A Woman in the Polar Night) by Christiane Ritter
book 90: De eerste wandelaar by Flip van Doorn
book 91: Grijs verleden (Field Grey; Bernie Gunther 7) by Philip Kerr
book 92: Het geheime netwerk van de natuur (The Secret Network of Nature) by Peter Wohlleben
book 93: Een paleis voor de doden by Herman Clerinx
book 94: Overtuiging (Persuation) by Jane Austen
book 95: Ik aanbid je (Falling in Love; Brunetti 24) by Donna Leon
book 96: Het zout der aarde (Salt of the Earth) by Józef Wittlin
book 97: De hengelaars van Castelnau (The origin of the world) by Pierre Michon
book 98: Het pad der dolken (The Path of Daggers; Wheel of time 8) by Robert Jordan
book 99: De Cock en de dode tempeliers by A.C. Baantjer
book 100: Brekebeen (Bonecrack) by Dick Francis
book 101: Wit konijn, rode wolf (White Rabbit, Red Wolf) by Tom Pollock
book 102: Asterix en het gouden snoeimes (Asterix and the Golden Sickle) by René Goscinny
book 103: Vlucht van de havik (Celtic bride) by Margo Maguire
book 104: Als het zaterdag wordt (Saturday Requiem; Frieda Klein 6) by Nicci French
book 105: Een lied voor Achilles (The Song of Achilles) by Madeline Miller
book 106: De betovering van lijsten (The infinity of lists: from Homer to Joyce) by Umberto Eco
book 107: Piranesi (Piranesi) by Susanna Clarke
book 108: Portnoy's klacht (Portnoy's Complaint) by Philip Roth
book 109: In het licht van de vuurtoren (The lightkeeper's daughters) by Jean E. Pendziwol
book 110: De onbeduidende Jude (Jude the Obscure) by Thomas Hardy
book 111: De passievrucht (A Father's Affair) by Karel Glastra van Loon
book 112: De vergaderzaal by A. Alberts
book 113: De zwarte heuvel (On the black hill) by Bruce Chatwin
book 114: Rituelen (Rituals) by Cees Nooteboom
book 115: De bibliotheek bij nacht (The library at night) by Alberto Manguel
book 116: Getemde schoonheid (Briana) by Ruth Langan
book 117: Ik wou (I Wish) by Toon Tellegen
book 118: Quarantaine by Ilja Leonard Pfeiffer
book 119: Claudius de God (Claudius the God) by Robert Graves
book 120: De Cock en de blijde Bacchus by A.C. Baantjer
book 121: Zondagochtend breekt aan (Sunday Silence; Frieda Klein 7) by Nicci French

books read in June
book 122: De dag van de doden (The Day of the Dead; Frieda Klein 8) by Nicci French
book 123: De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
book 124: Connemara: Luisterend naar de wind (Connemara. Listening to the Wind) by Tim Robinson
book 125: Vrijwilliger in Spanje (Volunteer in Spain) by John Sommerfield
book 126: De zwarte diamant (Black Diamond) by Martin Walker
book 127: Circe (Circe) by Madeline Miller
book 128: In Siberië (In Siberia) by Colin Thubron
book 129: БAM : een reis van niets naar niets by Jelle Brandt Corstius
book 130: Sneeuwblind (Snowblind) by Ragnar Jónasson
book 131: Robinson Crusoe (Robinson Crusoë) by Daniel Defoe
book 132: Het geluid van de berg (The Sound of the Mountain) by Yasunari Kawabata
book 133: Wat wij zagen by Hanna Bervoets
book 134: Geachte Muizenpoot en achttien andere gedichten by F. ten Harmsen van der Beek
book 135: De tijgerkat. Herinneringen aan mijn kindertijd en andere verhalen by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
book 136: Cliënt E. Busken by Jeroen Brouwers
book 137: Wraak en andere novellen (Legends of the Fall) by Jim Harrison
book 138: De gierzwaluw by Remco Daalder
book 139: Een roos van vlees (A Rose of Flesh) by Jan Wolkers
book 140: Het veelkleurig land (The Many-Colored Land; Saga of the Exiles 1) by Julian May
book 141: De 90ste verjaardag van Louis van Roosgaarde by Jan Terlouw
book 142: De gouden halsring (The Golden Torc; Saga of the Exiles 2) by Julian May
book 143: De druiven der gramschap (The Grapes of Wrath) by John Steinbeck
book 144: Johannes Viator by Frederik van Eeden
book 145: De troonveroveraar (The Nonborn King; Saga of the Exiles 3) by Julian May

books read in July
book 146: De tegenstrever (The Adversary; Saga of the Exiles) by Julian May
book 147: Kapitein Corelli's mandoline (Captain Corelli's Mandolin) by Louis de Bernieres
book 148: Aristoteles & Dante ontdekken de geheimen van het universum (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
book 149: Bij gaslicht by F. Bordewijk
book 150: Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl) by Uwe Johnson
book 151: Bonjour tristesse (Bonjour tristesse) by Françoise Sagan
book 152: De ziener by Simon Vestdijk
book 153: Tokio mon amour (A Tokyo romance) by Ian Buruma
book 154: Eeuwige jeugd (The Waters of Eternal Youth; Brunetti 25) by Donna Leon
book 155: De Peloponnesische oorlog (The History of the Peloponnesian War) by Thucydides
book 156: De N.V. Mateor by Havank
book 157: De Patrick Melrose-romans (The Complete Patrick Melrose Novels) by Edward St Aubyn
book 158: Pluk de dag (Seize the Day) by Saul Bellow
book 159: Heidi: kind van de bergen (Heidi) by Johanna Spyri
book 160: De rekening (The invoice) by Jonas Karlsson
book 161: Het behouden huis (An Untouched House) by Willem Frederik Hermans
book 162: Shuggie Bain (Shuggie Bain) by Douglas Stuart
book 163: Hele verhalen voor een halve soldaat by Benny Lindelauf
book 164: De gouden speld (Dead Man's Ransom; Cadfael 9) by Ellis Peters
book 165: De outdoorwaanzin by Are Kalvø
book 166: Het stille huis (The House in the Forest) by Michèle Desbordes
book 167: De trein naar Pavlovsk en Oostvoorne by Toon Tellegen
book 168: Huivering (A Song for Drowned Souls; Martin Servaz 2) by Bernard Minier
book 169: De gevangene (The Captive; In search of lost time 5) by Marcel Proust

books read in August 2021
book 170: Een bijna volmaakte vriendschap (I Called Him Necktie) by Milena Michiko Flašar
book 171: De wilde vrouwen van Pella by Theun de Vries
book 172: Hart van de winter (Winter's Heart; Wheel of Time 9) by Robert Jordan
book 173: In tijden van afnemend licht (In Times of Fading Light) by Eugen Ruge
book 174: 't Hooge Nest (The Sisters of Auschwitz) by Roxane van Iperen
book 175: Fandorin (The Winter Queen; Fandorin 1) by Boris Akoenin
book 176: De wetten van water (Stillicide) by Cynan Jones
book 177: De klokkenluider van de Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) by Victor Hugo
book 178: De zusterklokken (The Bell in the Lake) by Lars Mytting
book 179: De Indiase bruid (Calling Out for You; Konrad Sejer 5) by Karin Fossum
book 180: De Cock en moord op bestelling by A.C. Baantjer
book 181: Gösta Berling (The Saga of Gösta Berling) by Selma Lagerlöf
book 182: De lachende politieman (The Laughing Policeman; Martin Beck 4) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
book 183: Het wonder dat niet omvalt by Ernest van der Kwast
book 184: Witte tanden (White Teeth) by Zadie Smith
book 185: Thomas Mann en de zijnen (Thomas Mann and His Family) by Marcel Reich-Ranicki
book 186: Een klein leven (A Little Life) by Hanya Yanagihara
book 187: Bloedgeld (Hot money) by Dick Francis
book 188: De goede oude man en het mooie jonge meisje (The Nice Old Man and the Pretty Girl) by Italo Svevo
book 189: 1794 by Niklas Natt och Dag
book 190: Zwemmen in het donker (Swimming in the dark) by Tomasz Jedrowski
book 191: Reis naar het einde van de nacht (Journey to the End of the Night) by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
book 192: Vermoedens omtrent Jakob (Speculations about Jakob) by Uwe Johnson
book 193: De tuin van de familie Finzi-Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) by Giorgio Bassani

books read in September 2021
book 194: De grote ronde : een wandeling by Thomas Rosenboom
book 195: Lotte in Weimar (The Beloved Returns) by Thomas Mann
book 196: Ons soort mensen by Juli Zeh
book 197: Strijd om de kathedraal by Jacques Vriens
book 198: Beschadigd (Damage) by Felix Francis
book 199: De verborgen geschiedenis (The Secret History) by Donna Tartt
book 200: Een wisse dood (The Pilgrim of Hate; Cadfael 10) by Ellis Peters
book 201: Turks gambiet (The Turkish Gambit; Fandorin 2) by Boris Akoenin
book 202: Kameraad Baron (Comrade Baron) by Jaap Scholten
book 203: Alles op de fiets by Rutger Kopland
book 204: Effi Briest (Effi Briest) by Theodor Fontaine
book 205: Wat niet verdwijnt (Earthly Remains; Brunetti 26) by Donna Leon
book 206: Schemervluchten (Vesper Flights) by Helen Macdonald
book 207: Het boek van de lach en de vergetelheid (The Book of Laughter and Forgetting) by Milan Kundera
book 208: Dit zijn de namen (These Are The Names) by Tommy Wieringa
book 209: Dagboek van een oude dwaas (Diary of a Mad Old Man) by Junichirô Tanizaki
book 210: Je keek te ver : een wandeling by Marjoleine de Vos
book 211: Kindernovelle en andere verhalen by Klaus Mann
book 212: Pastorale (English pastoral) by James Rebanks
book 213: De herinnerde soldaat by Anjet Daanje
book 214: De voortvluchtige (The Fugitive; In Search of Lost Time 6) by Marcel Proust
book 215: Verheven koninkrijk (Transcendent Kingdom) by Yaa Gyasi
book 216: Zilvergaren (Spinning Silver) by Naomi Novik
book 217: Waarom sommige landen rijk zijn en andere arm (Why Nations Fail) by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson
book 218: Illustere voorgangers (Of Illustrious Men) by Jean Rouaud

books read in October 2021
book 219: Strijd en metamorfose van een vrouw by Édouard Louis
book 220: Darius de Grote is niet oké (Darius the Great Is Not Okay) by Adib Khorram
book 221: Stilte heeft een eigen stem (The Fountains of Silence) by Ruta Sepetys
book 222: Het huis met de geesten (The House of the Spirits) by Isabel Allende
book 223: Spervuur (Crossfire) by Dick & Felix Francis
book 224: De begrafenis by François Bon
book 225: Bezonken rood (Sunken red) by Jeroen Brouwers
book 226: Zondagskind by Judith Visser
book 227: Pieterpad deel I: Pieterburen - Vorden by Toos Goorhuis & Betje Jens
book 228: Het land der zieners (The Surveillance) by Julian May
book 229: Truffels & tandoori (The Hundred-Foot Journey) by Richard C. Morais
book 230: Dit alles zal ik je geven (All This I Will Give to You) by Dolores Redondo
book 231: Toffee (Toffee) by Sara Crossan
book 232: Pax (Pax) by Sara Pennypacker
book 233: Party tijdens de Blitz (Party in the Blitz) by Elias Canetti
book 234: Het eind van de kaart by Albert Helman
book 235: Stad in de storm by Thea Beckman
book 236: De wereld volgens Garp (The World According to Garp) by John Irving
book 237: Het meer (The Lake) by Yasunari Kawabata
book 238: Darwin, Wallace en de anderen by Alexander Reeuwijk
book 239: De brief voor de koning (The Letter for the King) by Tonke Dragt
book 240: Was Getekend by Astrid H. Roemer

books read in November 2021
book 241: Salammbô (Salammbô) by Gustave Flaubert
book 242: Majoor Frans by A.L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint
book 243: De tijd hervonden (Time Regained; In Search of Lost Time 7) by Marcel Proust
book 244: We hebben altijd in het kasteel gewoond (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) by Shirley Jackson
book 245: Smeulend vuur (Konráð 3) by Arnaldur Indriðason
book 246: De dronken detective (My gun is not so quick) by Craig Strete
book 247: Mijn jaren bij de politie by Ellie Lust
book 248: De kaart van mijnheer Selden (Mr Selden's Map of China) by Timothy Brook
book 249: Gebroken (Shattered) by Dick Francis
book 250: De zwembadbibliotheek (The swimming pool library) by Alan Hollinghurst
book 251: De Nederlandse maagd (The Dutch Maiden) by Marente de Moor
book 252: Adres onbekend (Address unknown) by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
book 253: Vergiffenis (The temptation of forgiveness; Brunetti 27) by Donna Leon
book 254: Leviathan (Murder on the Leviathan; Fandorin 3) by Boris Akoenin
book 255: Middaguur by Dörte Hansen, 302 pages
book 256: Paddy Clarke ha ha ha (Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha) by Roddy Doyle
book 257: Geheimen van het Wilde Woud (The Secrets of the Wild Wood) by Tonke Dragt
book 258: De dag dat de keizer hoffelijk mijn tranen droogt (The Day He Himself Shall Wipe My Tears Away) by Kenzaburo Oë
book 259: Meisjesherinneringen (A Girl's Story) by Annie Ernaux
book 260: In krabbengang (Crabwalk) by Günter Grass
book 261: De ware aard (The raven in the foregate; Cadfael 12) by Ellis Peters
book 262: De kleur paars (The Color Purple) by Alice Walker
book 263: Zij namen het woord by Margot Dijkgraaf
book 264: Al wat schittert (The Luminaries) by Eleanor Catton
book 265: De brandweerauto die verdween (The Fire Engine That Disappeared; Martin Beck 5) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö
book 266: De interventie (The Metaconcert) by Julian May

Monthly statistics
January: 18 books / 5.137 pages / 165,7 ppd
February: 20 books / 5.689 pages / 203,2 ppd
March: 16 books / 5.805 pages / 187,3 ppd
April: 32 books / 9.247 pages / 308,2 ppd
May: 35 books / 9.682 pages / 312,3 ppd
June: 24 books / 8.547 pages / 284,9 ppd
July: 24 books / 9.501 pages / 306,9 ppd
August: 24 books / 8.180 pages / 263,9 ppd
September: 25 books / 7.822 pages / 260,7 ppd
October: 22 books / 7.202 pages / 232,3 ppd
November: 26 books / 7.711 pages / 257,0 ppd

--
Previous threads in 2021
book 1 - 18: thread 1
book 19 - 38: thread 2
book 39 - 54: thread 3
book 55 - 86: thread 4
book 87 - 121: thread 5
book 122 - 145: thread 6
book 146 - 169: thread 7
book 170 - 193: thread 8
book 194 - 218: thread 9
book 219 - 240: thread 10
book 241 - 266: thread 11

--
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 - 38.209 pages (104,7 ppd)
2011:   84 books - 30.256 pages (82,9 ppd)
2012:   53 books - 18.779 pages (51,3 ppd)
2013:   13 books - 3.692 pages (10,1 ppd)
2014:   17 books - 3.700 pages (10,1 ppd)
2015:   29 books - 10.080 pages (27,6 ppd)
2016: 253 books - 72.391 pages (197,8 ppd)
2017: 453 books - 110.222 pages (302,0 ppd)
2018: 534 books - 111.906 pages (306,6 ppd)
2019: 413 books - 110.873 pages (303,8 ppd)
2020: 226 books - 79.216 pages (216,4 ppd)

Lists on my WikiThing (all updated)

The best books I have read, by year first published
My Five star reads
The books by Nobel prize winners I have read
The Booker prize winners I have read
The Pulitzer prize winners (fiction) I have read
The winners of some Dutch literary prizes

Series I read, a list to keep track

Alan Banks by Peter Robinson (re-read 4/20)
1 Stille blik; 2 Nachtlicht; 3 Tegenstroom; 4 Zondeval; 5 Schijnbeeld; 6 Woensdagkind; 7 Zwanenzang; 8 Innocent Graves (not translated); 9 Dead Right (not translated); 10 Verdronken verleden; 11 Kil als het graf; 12 Nasleep; 13 Onvoltooide zomer; 14 Vuurspel; 15 Drijfzand; 16 Hartzeer; 17 Duivelsgebroed; 18 Overmacht; 19 Uitschot; 20 Dwaalspoor; 21 Dankbare dood; 22 Slachthuisblues

Ari Thór Arason by Ragnar Jónasson 1/3
1 Sneeuwblind; 2 Inktzwart; 3 Poolnacht

Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr 7/12
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 15/20
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 57/70

Erast Fandorin by Boris Akoenin 3/7
1 Fandorin; 2 Turks gambiet; 3 Leviathan; 4 De dood van Achilles; 5 Bijzondere opdrachten; 6 Staatsraad; 7 De kroning

Frieda Klein by Nicci French 8/8
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 26/29
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 Vergiffeni; 28 De troonopvolger; 29 Duister water

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;

Konráð by Arnaldur Indridason 3/4
1 Smeltend ijs; 2 Boven water; 3 Smeulend vuur; 4 Þagnarmúr (not yet available in Dutch translation)

Konrad Sejer by Karin Fossum 5/14
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 Veenbrand; 12 De fluisteraar; 13 De verduistering; 14 Zwanenzang

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

Op zoek naar de verloren tijd (In Search of Lost Time) by Marcel Proust 7/7
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) 10/15
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; 14 Het licht van weleer

Van Veeteren by Håkan Nesser 1/11
1 Het grofmazige net; 2 Het vierde offer; 3 De terugkeer; 4 De vrouw met de moedervlek; 5 De commissaris en het zwijgen; 6 De zaak van Münster; 7 Carambole; 8 De dode op het strand; 9 De zwaluw, de kat, de roos en de dood; 10 Van Veeteren en de zaak-G; 11 De vereniging van linkshandigen

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
2021 Abdulrazak Gurnah

Books acquired in 2021: 40

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

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

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

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

May (13)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 1 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 2 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 3 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 4 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 5 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 6 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood. Deel 7 - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Nieuwe wandelingen door Nederland met pen en potlood - J. Craandijk (e-book)
Radetzkymars - Joseph Roth
De wereld van gisteren - Stefan Zweig
Het zout der aarde - Józef Wittlin
Cliënt E. Busken - Jeroen Brouwers
Wat wij zagen - Hanna Bervoets

August (4)
Strijd en metamorfose van een vrouw - Édouard Louis
Een bijna volmaakte vriendschap - Milena Michiko Flašar
Tonio Kröger en andere verhalen - Thomas Mann
Een beter milieu begint niet bij jezelf - Jaap Tielbeke (e-book)

September (1)
Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera - Nicholas Chambers

October (3)
Tiril en de toverdrank - Bette Westera (Kinderboekenweekgeschenk)
Gozert - Pieter Koolwijk (Gouden Griffel)
Pieterpad deel II: Vorden - Maastricht - Toos Goorhuis

November (3)
De wandelaar - Adriaan van Dis
Zelfmoord - Édouard Levé
Geschiedenis van geweld - Édouard Louis

December (3)
Leugenaar - Charlotte Link (e-book)
Schaduwstad - Elizabeth Day (e-book)
Goëtia – Frits Lapidoth (e-book)

Welcome!

Happy new thread, Anita!

>18 drneutron: Thank you, Jim!

Happy new thread Anita.

Only 37 books acquired? That seems very restrained to me.

Happy new one, Anita.

As usual, those dogs are beautiful. Makes me a bit sad, though, to see that they mostly had short lives, except for Chimay. Is that usual for those breeds? Must have been so hard on you, not to have been able to have them longer.

>20 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte.

The shelves are full, so for each book that comes in, an other book has to go. So I try to read from the library as much as possible. And then once in a while a library book is so good, I need to own a copy (5 of those this year). Last year we acquired 42 books. Covid restrictions help, as we enter bookstores less frequently ;-)

>21 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley.

In almost all purebred dogs are many (genetic) problems. Over 100 years of closed studbooks makes inbreeding unavoidable. Through time one or two populair sires add to the problems. It is one of the reasons we stopped breeding. Eoos was the saddest loss, she was spayed, and died of anaphylactic shock just before her second birthday. I thought it was bad in Chow Chows, but then we got Ari, the Pekingese, and found the situation in that breed was even worse.
These days some breeders try to turn the tide with outcross, but most purebred breeders still think they can manage the problems within the breed :-(

Happy new thread, Anita! I love the dogs.

Hi Anita my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Happy new thread, Anita. xx

>24 swynn: Thank you, Steve! The dogs were the best company we ever had. Besides eachother, of course.

>25 johnsimpson: Thank you, dear John.

Happy new thread!

>1 FAMeulstee: So wonderful. And I thought 9 years way too short a time to hold my wee Gertie.

Happy New Thread, Anita. I hope you are having a great week.

>27 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Susan.

Time with a beloved pet is always to short.

>29 msf59: Thank you, Mark.
The weather is cold and rainy, good to curl up on the couch with a book :-)

Happy new thread, Anita! Hope you read some fabulous books today.

Happy new thread Anita!

>1 FAMeulstee: Such handsome dogs.

>32 bell7: Thank you, Mary.
Not fabulous, but reading some decent reads :-)

>33 humouress: Thank you, Nina.
Thanks, they are missed. Although I am coping better without dogs around, than I thought I would.

Happy new thread Anita! I'm so glad we got to meet Ari on our visit to Rotterdam.

I don't know why, but I'm surprised that Ari was a Pekingese. I think I must have assumed he was a chow chow too.

And I just noticed that Callisto and Chimay had blue tongues. Is that the breed or iconic to them? Jasper has a couple of pink pads and one white toenail.

>35 Sakerfalcon: Thank you, Claire.
Ari also loved meeting you, he used to love human attention :-)

>36 humouress: Yes, Nina, Chow Chows (and Shar Pei's) always have blue tongues.
In some black breeds (like Newfoundlander, Belgian Shepherd) there are sometimes a few dark spots on the tongue.
LOL, Ari was a lot smaller. I shared many pictures in my threads between 2010 and 2017.

>37 FAMeulstee: Quite so; so I don't know why I hadn't realised. I guess he was just larger than life.

>38 humouress: Ari himself always thought he was a VERY large dog. His personality didn't fit his size ;-)

>39 FAMeulstee: Ah. Well that's why, then :0)

Happy new one!

>41 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita!

Happy new thread, Anita!

>43 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella!

Happy new thread, Anita.
Have a wonderful weekend!

>45 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, happy weeken to you!

Read, not yet reviewed:
#267: De pop (The Doll) by Bolesław Prus

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) by Alan Holinghurst
De rustelozen (Flights) by Olga Tokarczuk

Hi Anita- happy reading :)

>48 LovingLit: Thank you, Megan, I hope you enjoy your reads :-)

Happy Saturday, Anita. I had a good week with birds, books and quality Jackson time, so no complaints here. I highly recommend Still Life, which I just finished. I will be watching your thoughts on The Line of Beauty. I could not fit it in for December but maybe for early next year.

Have a great weekend.

>50 msf59: Two lifers in a week is great, Mark, and time with Jackson is always good. I have seen you warbling about Still Life, sadly it isn't available in translation yet.
Enjoy your weekend.

>26 PaulCranswick: Sorry, Paul, I just noticed I missed you up there. Thank you!

I want to read Still Life too but it isn't in the shops here yet.

>52 FAMeulstee: It is ok, Anita, I hadn't for a change noticed! xx

>53 PaulCranswick: Then we both have to wait, Paul.

>54 PaulCranswick: But I didn't want to leave it unanswered :-)

>55 FAMeulstee: That is the same attitude as my own, Anita. I don't like to think that any of my visitors would think that I had ignored their visit. xx

>56 PaulCranswick: We share that attitude, Paul, and a few others.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#267: De pop (The Doll) by Bolesław Prus
#268: Tiril en de toverdrank by Bette Westera
#269: De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) by Alan Holinghurst
#270: De rustelozen (Flights) by Olga Tokarczuk

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
De roos uit het beton (Concrete Rose) by Angie Thomas
De verboden tuin by Wessel te Gussinko

Hi Anita! You've got some books to review I'm really looking forward to hearing about...The Line of Beauty especially...and some reading-nows I'm curious about, too. *smooch*

>59 richardderus: I hope to write some reviews tomorrow, Richard dear.
Sneak preview: I loved The Line of Beauty, almost as good as The Swimming Pool Library.

book 267: De pop by Bolesław Prus
library, translated from Polish, English translation The Doll, 928 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book with 500 pages or more

Originally published as feuilleton in the 1880s, this Polish classic tells the story of Stanisław Wokulski who makes a fortune because he falls in love with Izabela Łęcka. Noble Isabela's family is impoverished, as all her father and grandfather did was spending a lot of money to keep up appearaces, without any substancial income to support this lifestyle. So Wokulski thinks his only chance is in getting rich enough. But Izabela is aware of her class, and wants a rich nobleman.
We get to see a lot of Warsaw, and its inhabitants of all classes. The huge differences in life of the poor and the rich. The nobility feels way above the rest. And the Jews... they are not liked by the rest of society, not even by some of their own.

Praised as the Polish "Anna Karenina" and/or "Madame Bovary", the comparisons fell rather flat. Personally I liked Anna more than Emma, but Izabela is neither the main character, nor comparable to those two.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 268: Tiril en de toverdrank by Bette Westera
own, Dutch, Children's Book Week gift 2021, no translations, 96 pages
TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book with at least three numbers in the first paragraph

Set somewhere in Scandinavia, 9th century. King Harold Haardos has conquered almost all of Scandinavia, and the small village where Tiril lives is the only village not yet under his reign. The villagers want to fight, based on false rumors. Tiril wants her father to convince the villagers of the good intentions of the king. When her father fails, she goes on a quest, with her friend Thialfi, to find a magic potion that can make him speak better.
Some of the Norse gods appear in between the chapters.

Dutch title translated: Tiril and the magic potion

book 269: De schoonheidslijn by Alan Hollinghurst
1001 books, library, translated, Booker prize, original title The Line of Beauty, 498 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)

After his time at university in Oxford, where Nick Guest became friends with Toby Feddens, the son of a conservative MP, Nick moves into the house of the Feddens in London. Partly to keep an eye on Toby's unstable sister, Catherine, if no one else is around.
Nick is fairly openly gay, seems accepted in the Feddens household, and has some affairs. This is the time of Thatcher, and everyone around is in it for the money. Nick's affair with Wani (Antoine), a son of a very wealthy man has to kept secret, as Wani is engaged to marry. Nick is devastated when Wani gets AIDS, and finds out his first lover has also died of it.
When the long affair of MP Feddens with his secretary comes out, and the Feddens family falls apart, Nick suddenly isn't welcome anymore, and him being gay also a problem...
There is way much more to say about this book, but I am lacking the words right now. There are way better reviews on LT.

Great read, Hollinghurst is a superb writer. I think I liked his The Swimming Pool Library slightly better. This book is more moderate in sex scenes, I guess that is easier to handle for some readers.
The scene of Nick dancing with Margaret Thatcher at a party is unforgettable, and enough reason to read this book ;-)

English and Dutch are the same

book 270: De rustelozen by Olga Tokarczuk
library, e-book, translated from Polish, Nobel prize, English translation Flights, 441 pages
TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book whose first sentence has seven words or fewer

Short stories about flights (both running away and being in a plane), or maybe not stories, more impressions of people in motion all over the globe.
Some are almost stories, although they are in parts all through the book. One story line is about a woman who gets missing/lost on an isle in Kroatia, an other about a woman in Moscow who runs away from her husband (veteran with PTSS) and handicapped child. The human body itself, and how people tried to preserve through the centuries. People traveling, meeting briefly at airports. This all shaked and stirred, as if each piece in this book fel down there accidentally. And yet a fascinating, confusing read, as it feels they are all connected.

Dutch title translated: The restless

Read, not yet reviewed:
#271: De verboden tuin by Wessel te Gussinko
#272: De roos uit het beton (Concrete Rose) by Angie Thomas

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
Het stille woud (The Hermit of Eyton Forest; Cadfael 14) by Ellis Peters
De opdracht by Wessel te Gussinko

>64 FAMeulstee: I have yet to read anything by her, that plow-driving thing wasn't to my taste so I Pearl-Ruled it after 40pp. Maybe this will appeal.

>63 FAMeulstee: *aaahhh* So glad you enjoyed it. The BBC made a miniseries out of it that I quite liked.

>62 FAMeulstee: Doubtless interesting, but not nearly proficient in Dutch. Yet.

>61 FAMeulstee: Hm. Not something I think I'd enjoy. So thanks for taking the hit!

>66 richardderus: Thank you, Richard dear.

I loved Drive your plow, not sure you would like this one better. You can give it a try, but she might not be a writer for you.

I added Alan Hollinghurst to my favotite writers. The library has two other books by hime, looking forward to read The stranger's child and The Sparsholt affair next year.

Maybe you might be able in a few years?

Well, I was glad I finished The Doll, and wouldn't recommend. Although others liked it way more, an average rating of 3.95 on LT.

Happy Friday!

>65 FAMeulstee: Glad you liked that one. I enjoyed it quite a bit as well. It's still fresh in my mind after all this time.

I have started The doll a few times now and have yet to make it past the first few pages. One of these days....

>68 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, happy Friday!

Glad to know, sometimes our taste is similair.
I hope you like The doll better, if/when you get past the first pages ;-)

Happy Friday, Anita. Good review of The Line of Beauty. I am so glad you loved it. I hope to get to it early next year. Have a great weekend.

>67 FAMeulstee: Maybe you might be able in a few years? my target is reading an adult novel in 2023. We'll see how close I get.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads!

>70 msf59: Thank you, Mark, I hope to read more Hollinghurst books next year.

>71 richardderus: That is an ambitious target, Richard dear.

--
Yay, weekend has started, the workman went home, and it is nice and quiet around.
In our neighborhood the roads and sidewalks are renewed and upped. A long project that started last year, and will finish a few months into the next year. The work is now around our house, so there is noise from 7 to 4. Our garden is now 6 inches below the sidewalk, instead of the same level. So early next year the garden has to be done, which means workers around again :-(

Hello Anita, what lovely dogs up top. Pets add so much to our lives.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Not sure how I managed to get 73 posts behind - well, there is the little matter of the Joplin trip - but I am here now and hopeful of keeping up with you from here on out, Anita.

Have a wonderful weekend!

>73 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. You are right, the dogs were faithful companions for 35 years.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

>74 alcottacre: Yes, it was Joplin, Stasia, kept you away ;-)
You might want to look at >63 FAMeulstee: the review of my next Hollinghurst.
Happy weekend!

>72 FAMeulstee: The work on the pavements sounds exhausting to live with. When I lived in central Edinburgh the city council decided in their wisdom to install huge stone slabs for the pavement. The work required unbelievably loud machinery and I spent a lot of time away from the flat!

Hope the required garden remodel means you get to do some fun stuff like put in some new plants?

I have Hollinghurst on the shelf, one of my charity shop acquisitions that I really will pick up *one day*....

>76 charl08: Thank you, Charlotte, it is exhausting. The worst should be over in two weeks. Loud machinery is bad to have around, but with the windows closed it is doable. And we walk at least an hour each day, so that time is noise free.

The front garden needs a complete redo, so that will involve new plants. And it needs a decision about the cedar tree, it is getting to large, and I am not sure it will survive an upping of the ground around. But I do love that tree, it provides nice shade in summer.

Good Morning Anita. Once again, I am amazed at the number of books you read this year, and others.

Good luck with the renovations.

>78 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda, the books treat me well.
And thanks, the redo of the front garden will be early next year, I hope.

>64 FAMeulstee: I need to try other books by Tokarczuk. My book group enjoyed Drive Your Plow, and I leant it to a friend whose family was from that area, and she loved it too

The work near your house and the noise sound exhausting. I hope it will be finished soon.

>77 FAMeulstee: It is possible to up the level of the soil around a tree. Don’t do it too fast, no more than 10 cm a year. You have to make sure not to compress the soil, as the important thing is to take good care of the roots of the tree. You could hire a tree specialist if you can afford the money, to advise you on taking good care of it. Ceders are beautiful trees!

>75 FAMeulstee: I did pop up to >63 FAMeulstee: for your review of your next Hollinghurst, which sadly my local library does not have. The only one of his books that it does have is The Stranger's Child, which I keep meaning to get to.

>80 banjo123: Drive Your Plow is still my favorite, Rhonda, I might try The Books of Jacob next.

>81 EllaTim: The new pavement is much needed, Ella, and the parts that are finished look much better. One or two weeks, and they are far enough from our house.
We might hire a tree specialist to get advise, it looks that is affordable (around 200 euro). We won't be able to save it forever, a cedar tree in a small frontgarden eventually gets too large. It was probably planted by the first tenant in 1982 or 1983. It was topped before we moved in, so it got very wide, the branches go way out of the garden (more than 5 meters), if they ever break down they would damage parked cars. On the other side it grows on to the walls of our house. So at least it needs to be pruned, and we hope a tree specialist can tell us more.

>82 alcottacre: Sorry your library lacks The Line of Beauty, Stasia. My library didn't have it either, so it had to come from a library in an other province. I will probably read The Stranger's Child next year.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#271: De verboden tuin by Wessel te Gussinko
#272: De roos uit het beton (Concrete Rose) by Angie Thomas
#273: De opdracht by Wessel te Gussinko
#274: Het stille woud (The Hermit of Eyton Forest; Cadfael 14) by Ellis Peters
#275: De hoogstapelaar by Wessel te Gussinko

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Het grofmazige net (The Mind's Eye; Van Veeteren 1) by Håkan Nesser
Op weg naar De Hartz by Wessel te Gussinko

Reviews will follow after I finish the last book by Wessel te Gussinko, so I can lump all four together.

Anita 275 books read thus far! Amazing!!!

>72 FAMeulstee: Do you need to lift the whole garden or could you get away by just doing raised beds around the edges? I know nothing about gardening but am always happy to look at plants. I'm always happy to see flowers etc in my garden. It's not that I have a black thumb but neither do I have a green thumb.

>85 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda.

>86 humouress: Sadly the whole front garden has to be done. Nina. Only raising the sides would create a drainage problem with heavy rain, as the garden is now the lowest part in the street. Of course we could turn the garden into a pond, but then the cedar tree would die for sure.
My backgarden is very colorful, with many tulips in spring and a lot of roses in summer. Luckely that was partly raised in our first years here, so there only minor adjustments on the side of the street (our house is at the corner of tthe street).

   

Four books about Ewout Meyster. I started reading them because the last two won a Dutch literary prize.

book 271: De verboden tuin by Wessel te Gussinko
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 278 pages
TIOLI Challenge #4: Rolling Challenge: Read the first or the last (aka most recent) book in a series

Ewout is ten years old. His father was killed by the Germans in WWII. Ewout doesn't really belong with his friends. When they play, he wants things done his way, and his friends want other ways. This makes him mad, and he escapes in violent fantasies, where he makes others do things his way. At school he has similair problems.
The book is written from Ewout's pespective, and I neither liked Ewout, nor the way it was written.

Title translated: The forbidden garden


--
book 273: De opdracht by Wessel te Gussinko
library, e-book, Dutch, no translations, 560 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book with 500 pages or more


Ewout is 14 years old, on his way to summer camp. His hero's are Churchill and Rooseveld, and he has read about them. They had trouble in life before they became important. Ewout wants to be important, so at home he has practiced sentences and gestures in front of the mirror, to become more like his hero's. Of course this doesn't work out the way he thought, and the ten days at summer camp are no fun.

Title translated: The assigment (or task)


--
book 275: De hoogstapelaar by Wessel te Gussinko
library, e-book, Dutch, Bookspot Literatuurprijs 2019, no translations, 371 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)


In De hoogstapelaar Ewout is 17 years old. He still thinks highly of himself, giving advise to his friends how to be become better (more influencial) persons. But his friends have idea's of their own, and one by one they leave Ewout behind, so at the end he still is alone.
Ewout still is an annoying main character, and it was no fun to be in his head for 371 pages.

Title translated: The braggart (Hoogstapelaar is an oldfashioned word)


--
book 277: Op weg naar De Hartz by Wessel te Gussinko
library, e-book, Dutch, Boekenbon Literatuurprijs 2021, no translations, 560 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book with 500 pages or more


In Op weg naar De Hartz Ewout is 23 years old. He didn't finish highschool, and hasn't found his way in life. His former friends are doing way better. Five years ago he met professor Somsen, who became his mentor. Somsen is a fraud, and manipulates Ewout, but Ewout doesn't see it. Ultimately Somsen goes beyond what Ewout can take (involving his troubled girlfriend), and Ewout breaks with him, being alone again.

Title translated: On the way to De Hartz (in the book De Hartz is an estate/resort)


--
I am glad these books are done. Being in Ewout's head for nearly 10 days was no fun. Done and dusted, on to the next book!

book 272: De roos uit het beton by Angie Thomas
library, e-book, YA, translated, original title Concrete Rose, 316 pages
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book where the author’s last name could be used as a first name

Prequel to The Hate You Give, where we get to know more about Maverick. At 17 he becomes a father, and has to make hard choices when the mother leaves the child with him, and disappears. Taking care of his son, going to school, and working in between isn't easy. But Maverick is determent not to go back selling drugs, as his father is in prison because of that. Together with his mother, and a nice, older couple who run the local grocery, Maverick manages to keep out of trouble. But then he finds out his former girlfriend ia also pregnant, and he will be a father again.

Dutch title translated: The rose from the concrete

book 274: Het stille woud by Ellis Peters
library, translated, original title The Hermit of Eyton Forest, 208 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)

Cadfael book 14
The father of one of the shool boys at the monasty has died. His grandmother wants him back home, so she can rule the estate, But his father made arrangements to let him stay at the monastry. The abbot stands firm, but then the boy disappears. Meanwhile a guest is found murdered in the woods. And recently a hermit and his assistent came living near.
It takes some time before Cadfael finds out how all are connected.

Enjoyable read.

Dutch title translated: The silent wood

book 276: Het grofmazige net by Håkan Nesser
library, e-book, translated from Swedish, English translation The Mind's Eye, 280 pages
TIOLI Challenge #18: Read a book from a 'What should you borrow?'-list

Inspector Van Veeteren book 1
A woman is found dead in her locked bathroom by her just awaking husband. He remembers nothing from last nigh, and is convicted for murdering his wife. When he is murdered in prison, inspector Van Veeteren has to adjust his thoughts, the murderer of both is still out there.

Slightly enjoyable read, felt sometimes a bit disjointed. On to the next instalment

Dutch title translated: The wide meshed(?) net

Ewout sounds awful! I'm glad you're done with him, what a rotten companion to spend one's days with.

Happy Wednesday! *smooch*

I feel a bit sorry for Ewout, especially after the last book. Good for you for sticking with it; I doubt I'd have read past the first book.

>92 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, some other readers loved these books. Not me ;-)
Happy Wednesday and *smooches*

>93 humouress: Thank you, Nina. The last two were the books that won awards, and one of my goals it to read them all.

Up to date with reviews

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht deel 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Herkomst (Where You Come From) by Saša Stanišić

>95 FAMeulstee: Looking forward to your thoughts on Gödel, Escher, Bach. I love that book

>96 swynn: It is a re-read, Steve, I loved it back then (early 90s I think).

The book was a victim of the great 2005 cull, so now I have it from the library.
I am at about 1/3rd, and liking it, not the love like 30 years back.

>95 FAMeulstee: The copy of Gödel, Escher, Bach somewhere in this house was borrowed in the 1980s, probably early in the 1980s, and may never be returned to its owner, since she stood me up for lunch dates 4 times in a row.

>98 quondame: That is enough reason to keep it, Susan.
My original copy was from 1988 (5th edition), the one I am reading from the library is the 6th edidion from 1999.

>91 FAMeulstee: I quite like the Van Veeteren books, Anita - sort of Mankell light with a slightly more grounded if just as cynical detective.

Have a great weekend.

>100 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, happy weekend to you.
I liked the first Van Veeteren good enough to get the second book from the e-library. Not as good as Mankell, but I really need some lighter reads in between this month.

>93 humouress: I felt a bit sorry for Ewout as well! But the books don’t sound very appealing, good for you for finishing them.

>90 FAMeulstee: I like Cadfael as well. Interesting, a bit cozy, not a lot of violence.

Did you see the documentary about Adriaan van Dis tonight? I loved how he dealt with what looked like a schoolclass full of kids. Now if he had been our teacher?

>102 EllaTim: Some readers loved the Ewout Meyster books way more than I did, Ella. And as the last two were the awarded books, I had to slog through ;-)

Yes, the Cadfael books are rather cozy. Sadly only 5 left to read.

No, I didn't see the Adriaan van Dis documentary.
Yesterday I only watched the press conference and the 20:00 news.

Celebrating the shortest day of the year.
Over here the sun did rise at 8:46 and will go down at 16:26.
Happy Midwinter Day to all!

--
Read, not yet reviewed:
#278: Herkomst (Where You Come From) by Saša Stanišić
#279: De man die even wilde afrekenen (Murder at the Savoy; Martin Beck 6) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö
#280: Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band (Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas R. Hofstadter

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 by Richard van Leeuwen
Ideeën van Multatuli. Derde bundel by Multatuli
J.B.W.P. : het leven van Johan Polak by Koen Hilberdink

>102 EllaTim: We just watched the Adriaan van Dis documentary, Ella. I loved the parts in Paris, and there with Breyten Breytenbach. He was good with the schoolclass. And I felt sorry for his unfortunate hip replacement.

I expect you're glad to see the Solstice behind us...the second half of Winter's always easier for me to celebrate.

>106 richardderus: Yes, Richard dear, now the days get longer and the temperature goes down. All good things :-)
We were walking our daily walk around the Solstice. It was just after sunset and in the south-west the clear sky was beautiful orange/red.

I hope 2022 is a year with special moments Anita.

>108 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline.
Seasons greetings to you, and may 2022 be a better year to all of us.

>107 FAMeulstee: The sunset sounds lovely. I am also relieved to see the short days getting longer again.

Just spreading the news on some of the more active threads...

There's this new thing I made... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022

Happy holidays!

>111 drneutron: Yes, thank you! I saw it, Jim, when you just made the new group.
I added myself, and will create my thread on New Years Eve.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

>110 charl08: It was lovely, Charlotte. Today we were late, so it was all dark when we started.

Delurking to say Hi! I can't believe how much you read every year. Awestruck. : )

>89 FAMeulstee: I loved The Hate U Give, so I really need to get to that one!

Merry Christmas, Anita!

>114 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita, the same to you!

>115 Berly: Thanks, Kim, always good to see you here!
This year is only half of what I read in 2018 ;-)
I am just glad I can spend so much time reading.

>116 alcottacre: Yes you should, Stasia, but you have so many others in the Black Hole needing your attention ;-)
Concrete Rose was a very good read, for me The Hate U Give was slightly better.

Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d5/a2/d5a2ada47f63cf66369376c7a674368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

>63 FAMeulstee: I also really enjoyed The Line of Beauty and to my shame have not read any more by him.
>89 FAMeulstee: I wasn't a big fan of The Hate U Give so haven't bothered with Thomas' later books.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Anita! May it be filled with joy and good cheer!

Merry Christmas, Anita! Have a wonderful holiday with dear Frank.

Merry Christmas Dear Anita!

>118 SandDune: >119 johnsimpson: >121 Carmenere: >122 msf59: >123 Whisper1:

Thank you, Rhian, John, Lynda, Mark, and Linda!
A Merry Christmas to you and yours.

>120 avatiakh: Thank you, Kerry, I hope to read The stranger's child and The Sparsholt affair next year.
If you didn't like The Hate U Give, there is no need to continue.

book 278: Herkomst by Saša Stanišić
library, e-book, translated from German, Europese Literatuurprijs 2021, English translation Where You Come From, 347 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)

Saša Stanišić was in his teens when the war in Yugoslavia started. With his mother he fled from Bosnia to Germany, where later his father joined them. In this book he looks at cultural and geographical origins.
Becoming a refugee turns your world upside down, finding a place in new surroundings, learning a new language, and knowing the country you grew up doesn't exist anymore. Later in life he returns to the small village where his father came from, talking with his grandmother, who slowly declines into dementia.

Interesting read, I loved the first parts, but didn't like the last. There the reader is send jumping through the pages in an odd way.

Dutch title translated: Origin

book 279: De man die even wilde afrekenen by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö
library, translated from Swedish, English translation Murder at the Savoy, 240 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)

Martin Beck book 6
Viktor Palmgren, a well known rich businessman, is shot in the Savoy hotel in Malmö, while having diner with some collegues. The murderer escapes through an open window. No one has a clue why this happened, or the slightest idea where to find the murderer. Martin Beck is send to Malmö to lead the investigating team.

Enjoyable read

Dutch title translated: The man who wanted to pay off

book 280: Gödel, Escher, Bach : een eeuwige gouden band by Douglas R. Hofstadter
library, non-fiction, translated, original titleGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, 923 (899 + XXIV) pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book with 500 pages or more

I remember loving this book, when I read it back in the 1980s. I loved Escher, I liked math (that was still fresh enough after higschool exams in 1982), I just started working as a computer programmer, and was less charmed by Bach.
This time it was a harder read, my math wasn't so fresh, and my work ended in 1995 because of disability. Not that it got over my head, well sometimes nearly, but it had lost the magic of the first read.

I don't regret the re-read, although the book lost a bit of what it was in my memory.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 281: J.B.W.P. : het leven van Johan Polak by Koen Hilberdink
library, e-book, non-fiction, Dutch, no translations, 313 pages
TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book that you have borrowed in the last 12 months (and really ought to return!)

Biography of Johan Polak (1928-1992), very rich Jew, publisher, homosexual.
Survived the war because his mother was one of three heirs, owning a factory that was important to the Germans. They were lucky, the Dutch man who got control of the factory was an honest man, and did all he could to save the Jewish owners and their families. After the war the factory was given back, sold in the 1950s, making the heirs very rich.
After the war Johan wanted to study medicine, like his older brother did, but was rejected. So he studied classics, and was a Latin and Greek teacher for some years. He loved books, collected books, especially beautiful books, so he started a publishing company with Rob van Gennep: Athenaeum - Polak & Van Gennep. Rob wanted to earn money with publishing, Johan just wanted to publish beautiful (often unsellable) books. Johan's forture was used to sponsor the company, but eventually the partners split, and Rob started his own publishing company.
Johan always felt guilty about his homosexual feelings. He had a lot of affairs, and supported his lovers financially, often a long time after the affair ended.

An interesting read, Athenaeum - Polak & Van Gennep (now in other hands, Johan sold it in 1989) still publishes beautiful books, there are a lot of them on our shelves. This made me curious about the founders. I remember reading in the papers about the auction of Johan Polak's large collection in 1992.

Dutch title translated: J.B.W.P. : the life of Johan Polak

Read, not yet reviewed:
#282: Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren
#283: Ideeën : derde bundel by Multatuli

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 by Richard van Leeuwen
Onzichtbare man (Invisible Man) by Ralph Ellison
Reis door de nacht (Journey Through the Night) by Anne de Vries

>129 FAMeulstee: Interesting Anita. I, of course, have visited bookhop Athenaeum, though I usually go to Scheltema. The publisher’s office is quite near to it. Didn’t know about the background.

>131 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. I have never been to any bookshop in Amsterdam, so I only "know" them from articles and stories. As around 1992 was in our "rich" years, we even thought about going to the auction of Johan Polak's collection, but eventually did not. This collection, and the one from Boudewijn Büch (also auctioned, in 2004) were famous at the time.

>126 FAMeulstee: I just this morning read a review of this, the multiple endings did sound a rather unusual choice.

>133 charl08: Yes, Charlotte, without that final part it would have come close to a 5* rating. In my e-book edition the pages were not the same as in the paper edition, so there was no way to follow the different endings. I did try at first, but ended up reading straight through (as it is not intended).
But don't let this keep you from reading Where You Come From, as the first 3/4 is very, very good.

Hi Anita! Best wishes to you and Frank at Christmas.

>128 FAMeulstee: I’ve been considering a re-read of Godel, Escher, Bach soon. Like you, I’ve wondered how I’d do with it after all these years.

>129 FAMeulstee: He sounds fascinating! I can understand that it wouldn't be translated, but feel disappointed nonetheless.

>128 FAMeulstee: ...better you than me...

>127 FAMeulstee: Dear old Beck! Happy memories.

>126 FAMeulstee: Very interesting, how people end up where they do.

Happy holiday celebration, Anita.

Best wishes to you and yours for now and the new year!

>135 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, the same to you and Bill.

>136 drneutron: I hope you get to it, Jim. Curious what you think of it after so many years.

>138 witchyrichy: Thank you, Karen, wishing you and Bob the same.

>139 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, have a merry first Chrismas in your new place.

>137 richardderus: I understand, Richard dear, and your Dutch is sure not up to reading this one.

I won't force it to you... ;-)

Beck is very enjoyable, sadly with each book read there are less books left to read.

It was, and with his background I learned some more about the war in Bosnia. The last quarter of the book was a little confusing, without it would have been very near to a 5* read.

The same to you!

>142 mahsdad: Thank you, Jeff, the same to you and yours.

Have a lovely holiday, Anita.

Happy Holidays Anita!

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain."
Zig Ziglar

With you and the group life is like a dance class - thank you.
I wish you and yours all the best in theese days and Merry Christmas!

>144 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, the same to you.

>145 quondame: Thank you, Susan, what would we do without books!

>146 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, glad we could dance :-)

Happy Christmas, Anita! I have a copy of Godel, Esther, Bach but was trying to decide if I should try to read it. It sounds like I should.

Merry Christmas, Anita! Your books read number is truly astounding! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing week, despite the lockdowns.

These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for you and here's to next year!!

I'm late to the game for holiday wishes but I will say an early Happy New Year to you and Frank, Anita.

Happy day after Christmas, Anita. I hope you have a splendid new year!

>148 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda!
Well, read it and then decide.

>149 AMQS: Thank you, Anne! Lockdowns don't change my life much, we only missed the diner in the restaurant at my fathers place. Frank cooked (most prepared at home) and we had a lovely Christmas diner with the three of us.

>150 Berly: Thank you, Kim!
I can't see the picture, but I did see it on some other threads. Some clever texts :-)

>151 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, I don't mind late wishes ;-)
I will do the rounds on the last day of December. Happy New Year from both of us.

>152 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, the same to you!

I would like to wish you and your family the very best of the season and good health and happiness for 2022. And, of course, lots of good books :0)

>155 humouress: Thank you, Nina, the same to you and yours.

Read, not yet reviewed:
#282: Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren
#283: Ideeën : derde bundel by Multatuli
#284: Reis door de nacht (Journey Through the Night) by Anne de Vries
#285: Onzichtbare man (Invisible Man) by Ralph Ellison
#286: De moordclub (op donderdag) (The Thursday Murder Club) by Richard Osman

Reading now:
De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 by Richard van Leeuwen
Geduldig gereedschap by Rutger Kopland

Getting awfully close to 300, Anita. Are you going to make it by year end, do you think? I wish you the best!

>158 alcottacre: No, Stasia, I am not going to make it to 300 this year.
I have 400 pages left in De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 (=The Arabian Nights book 2 of 3, a tome of 1000+ pages), and I am halfway the other (Dutch poetry). That is going to be it, making it to #288. Which is slightly better than the 226 of last year.

>159 FAMeulstee: Slightly better?! Sounds lots better to me - and 288 is about twice as many as I read, lol.

>160 alcottacre: My top year was 2018 with 534, Stasia, and 2017 and 2019 were both above 400...
You read more than half of 288 in less than half of the time this year ;-)
You are still the 75ers champion with your 2010 reads, both in books and number of pages.

OMG! I broke 75 and I'm happy. LOL. I am bowing in both of your general directions. : )

>162 Berly: Thanks, Kim. I have a lot of time to read, and less of a social life ;-)

book 282: Pippi Langkous by Astrid Lindgren
library, translated from Swedish, English translation Pippi Longstocking, 110 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book with "Night," "Long," or "Dark" in the title

Pippi lives with her horse and monkey in a big house, and does everything children are not supposed to do. With Tommy and Annika, living next door, Pippi has many adventures. Even going to school becomes a memorable adventure ;-)

Loved this as a kid

English and Dutch title are the same

book 283: Ideeën : derde bundel by Multatuli
own, e-book, Dutch, non-fiction, no translations, 782 pages
TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a nonfiction book by an author who wrote a book of fiction that you have read in the past

Third of seven books of Ideas by Multatuli. Essays, one-liners, and interwoven the story of Woutertje Pieterse. Written in the second half of the 19th century.
He critisises the government, parliament, publishers, preachers, teachers, etc. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes boring.

Dutch title translated: Ideas of Multatuli. Third bundle

book 284: Reis door de nacht by Anne de Vries
library, e-book, Dutch, English translation Journey Through the Night, 515 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book with "Night," "Long," or "Dark" in the title

The De Boer family just moved to Drenthe, when the Germans occupy The Netherlands in May 1940. Father and eldest son Jan soon become involved in the resistance.

This Dutch classic tells a very good story. It has been in print ever since first publication (of the four seperate books) in the 1950s.

English and Dutch title are the same

book 285: Onzichtbare man by Ralph Ellison
1001 books, library, e-book, translated, original title Invisible Man, 525 pages
TIOLI Challenge #9: Read a book with 500 pages or more

The story of an unnamed African-American, who finds out the hard way that racism has not ended with the end of slavery in the previous century.

English and Dutch title are the same

Got my booster vaccination tonight. They moved to an other location, and I am very relieved it went all smooth this time. I was very, very nervous after last time in July. I could not keep my arms and hands still, shaking all over. Mayby that helped, as we had no trouble at all that Frank went with me, everyone was very nice to us.

Well, that gives hope for next times, as I suspect this wasn't the last vaccination.
No side effects (yet).

>168 FAMeulstee: I sure as heck hope you stay symptom-free but am super pleased you're fully boosted!

*smooch*

>169 richardderus: Still free from side effects, Richard dear, just a bit stiff and sore where the needle went in :-)
*smooch*

--
Back to my last books of 2021:
121 pages to go in De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 by Richard van Leeuwen and three poems left in Geduldig gereedschap by Rutger Kopland.

When I am finished, I will return to write the remaining reviews and make my December and 2021 stats.

>168 FAMeulstee: - Yay, Anita! And yes, I think each time you get through it a bit more easily, will make the next time easier, too (sadly, I think that *next times* are going to be the new normal, but if they keep us healthy, it's a small price to pay).

Happy New Year, Anita. Have a good and safe holiday weekend. I should revisit Invisible Man. It has been a long time.

Good luck on getting no side effects! I'm not looking forward to my booster, either!

Very glad you got your booster, Anita! I did have some side effects, I was a bit stiff all over for a day, but no matter, small stuff.

Wishing you and Frank a very good new year, with lots of reading and good books involved. And I am still hoping we will get back to more normal times!

>171 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley, it was a BIG relief it went well this time. That indeed makes next time easier, although the one bad experience won't be wiped away with this.
Like you I do expect we will have next times to go.

>172 msf59: Thank you, Mark, happy New Year!
Invisible Man was no easy read, the fight in the first chapter takes you right into his horrible world.

>173 The_Hibernator: Thank you, Rachel, I wish your booster will be without any side effects. But that will be a while, over here you have to wait at least 3 months after an COVID infection before you can get a next vaccination.

>174 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella, glad you also had only mild side effects.
Happy new year to you and Marc. I do hope we can get back towards more "normal" in daily life, and appriciate every small step on that way.

book 286: De moordclub (op donderdag) by Richard Osman
own, e-book, translated, original title The Thursday Murder Club, 432 pages
TIOLI Challenge #12 Read a book where someone on the cover (front or back) is wearing or holding glasses

Cozy murder mystery, involving 4 seniors, living in a luxury retirement home. The come together on Thursdays, looking at cold cases, as one of the members was a police woman. She can't take part anymore, and is replaced by an other resident. When a real murder occurs, the members of the club try to beat the police in solving the mystery.

Dutch title translated: The murderclub (on Thursday)

book 287: Geduldig gereedschap by Rutger Kopland
own, Dutch, poetry, no translations, 40 pages
TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book with an alliterative title

Poetry, originally published in 1993, by well known Dutch poet, a psychatrist who wrote under pseudonym.
He writes about his mother getting older, sufferening from dementia. And what stays of fading memories.
I always enjoy his poems.

Dutch title translated: Patient equipment/tools

book 288: De vertellingen van duizend-en-één-nacht 2 translated by Richard van Leeuwen
borrowed from a friend, translated from Arabic, 1112 pages
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book with "Night," "Long," or "Dark" in the title

Dutch translation of the complete The Arabian Nights in 3 volumes.
The sultan was betrayed by his favourite wife, and decides he will only sleep with virgins and kill them the next day. When Shahrazaad is choosen to be the sultans next bride, she starts telling him a story, and he lets her live to find out how the story ends.
In this volume (among others) two longer stories: the travels of Sinbad, and the battles between the brothers Adjieb and Gharieb (and various Middle Eastern kings), where Gharieb converts to Islam, and wins every battle by praising God at the start of the battle.
In this second book 117 tales/fairytales/fables, told in nights 250 to 684.

Dutch title translated: The tales of one thousand and one nights volume 2 (of 3)

December 2021 in numbers
  (Totals for this year between brackets)

*December numbers are a bit flattered, as I read about 900 pages earlier this year and only finished those books in December

22 books read, 9.816 pages, 316,65 pages a day
  (288 books read, 94.339 pages, 258,5 pages a day)

--
books:

own books: 4 (79)
borrowed from a friend: 1 (1)
from the library: 18 (208)

male author: 16 (190)
female author: 6 (98)

originally written in Dutch: 9 (79)
translated into Dutch: 13 (209)
- original language:
  Ancient-Greek: 0 (2)
  Arabic 1 (1)
  Chinese: 0 (1)
  Czech: 0 (2)
  Danish: 0 (3)
  English: 6 (122)
  French: 0 (21)
  German: 1 (20)
  Icelandic: 0 (3)
  Italian: 0 (9)
  Japanese: 0 (4)
  Norwegian: 0 (3)
  Polish: 2 (3)
  Portuguese: 0 (1)
  Russian: 0 (3)
  Spanish: 0 (2)
  Swedish: 3 (9)

fiction: 19 (228)
non-fiction: 3 (60)

paper books: 8 (183)
e-books: 14 (105)

mystery/police procedural: 4 (51)
childrens/YA: 4 (29)

1001 books: 3 (42)
  Total 1001 books since 2008: 225
Dutch Canon: 0 (3)
  Total Dutch Canon since 2008: 35 of 125

--
pages:

0 - 100 pages: 2 (20)
101 - 200 pages: 1 (43)
201 - 300 pages: 3 (80)
301 - 400 pages: 4 (76)
401 - 500 pages: 3 (32)
501 - 999 pages: 7 (33)
1000+ pages: 1 (3)

longest book 1112 pages (1596 pages)
shortest book 40 pages (40 pages)
average book 446 pages (328 pages)

--
own books read were on the shelf since:

before 2008: 1 (45)
2008: 0 (2)
2009: 0 (1)
2010: 0 (1)
2015: 0 (2)
2016: 0 (3)
2017: 0 (1)
2019: 1 (7)
2020: 0 (6)
2021: 2 (11)

--
date first published:

4th century BC: 0 (2)
12th century: 1 (1)
16th century: 0 (1)
18th century: 0 (1)
19th century: 2 (15)

20th century
1900s: 0 (1)
1910s: 0 (1)
1920s: 0 (5)
1930s: 0 (13)
1940s: 1 (5)
1950s: 1 (11)
1960s: 1 (19)
1970s: 2 (13)
1980s: 2 (29)
1990s: 3 (32)

21st century
2000s: 2 (23)
2010s: 3 (92)
2020s: 4 (24)

--
ratings:

0   (8)
2 (28)
9 (105)
6 (90)
4 (49)
1   (5)
0   (3)

--
Best books in December


De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) by Alan Holinghurst
Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren

===

walking in December: walked 30 days, 180,5 km; average 6,02 km/a day
(walking in 2021: walked 324 days 1945,7 km; average 6,01 km a day)

e-biking in December: biked 1 day, 25,6 km; average 25,60 km/a day
(e-biking in 2021: biked 41 days 901,0 km; average 21,98 km a day)

In 2021 my reading numbers perked up a bit, from 226 books in 2020 to 288 books in 2021.

The new "Charts and Graphs" is fun to use, my readings since 2008:


In 2021 I read a lot of books translated from English (122) and original Dutch (79)


So for next year I will try to read more books translated from other languages.

What a great reading year you had Anita.

>161 FAMeulstee: You are still the 75ers champion with your 2010 reads, both in books and number of pages.

Well, I am glad it is not a contest because I would have failed miserably the years I was in school!

>168 FAMeulstee: I hope that you continue to be symptom-free from the booster.

Happy New Year, Anita!

>181 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline, it was.
Next message will have my favorites of the year.

>182 alcottacre: LOL, no contest, Stasia, but I keep an all time list ;-)
Thanks, still going good, and so is Frank.
Happy New Year! (a little more than 3 hours to go over here)

Best of 2021 in order, all 5* reads:

Een jaar uit het leven van Gesine Cresspahl (Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl) by Uwe Johnson

De druiven der gramschap (The Grapes of Wrath) by John Steinbeck
Shuggie Bain (Shuggie Bain) by Douglas Stuart
Een klein leven (A Little Life) by Hanya Yanagihara
De jaren (The Years) by Annie Ernaux
Meisje, vrouw, anders (Girl, woman, other) by Bernardine Evaristo
De brief voor de koning (The Letter for the King) by Tonke Dragt (re-read)
Geheimen van het Wilde Woud (The Secrets of the Wild Wood) by Tonke Dragt (re-read)

>183 FAMeulstee: I am glad to hear that you and Frank are still going good!

>184 FAMeulstee: Thanks for the list, Anita. I keep all of the year end wrap ups in the hopes that I will actually get some of the books read at some point.

4½* reads in 2021:

Cliënt E. Busken by Jeroen Brouwers
Jeugd (Youth) by Tove Ditlevsen
Het verhaal van het verloren kind (The Story of the Lost Child; Neapolitan Novels 4) by Elelna Ferrante
Een bijna volmaakte vriendschap (I Called Him Necktie) by Milena Michiko Flašar
Effi Briest (Effie Briest) by Theodor Fontane
Ik, Claudius (I, Claudius) by Robert Graves
De schoonheidslijn (The Line of Beauty) by Alan Holinghurst
De zwembadbibliotheek (The swimming pool library) by Alan Hollinghurst
Boven water (Konráð 2) by Arnaldur Indriðason
't Hooge Nest (The Sisters of Auschwitz) by Roxane van Iperen
Vermoedens omtrent Jakob (Speculations about Jakob) by Uwe Johnson
De dood in Rome (Death in Rome) by Wolfgang Koeppen
De naam van mijn vader by Rindert Kromhout
Christus kwam niet verder dan Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli) by Carlo Levi
Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren
Verloren woorden (The Lost Words) - Robert Macfarlane
Het veelkleurig land (The Many-Colored Land) by Julian May (re-read)
Winnetou (Winnetou) by Karl May (new unabridges translation)
De essays (The Complete Essays) by Michel de Montaigne
Pastorale (English pastoral : An Inheritance) by James Rebanks
Dit alles zal ik je geven (All This I Will Give to You) by Dolores Redondo (re-read)
Een vrouw in de poolnacht (A Woman in the Polar Night) by Christiane Ritter
Was getekend by Astrid Roemer
Stilte heeft een eigen stem (The Fountains of Silence) by Ruta Sepetys
Ik wou (I Wish) by Toon Tellegen
De tijgerkat (The Leopard) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Volwassenen onder elkaar (Adults in the room) by Yanis Varoufakis
Het zout der aarde (Salt of the Earth) by Józef Wittlin

>185 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia, have you had your booster?
And the next list is below, at your present reading speed you would be able to manage a lot next year!

Hi Anita!

>179 FAMeulstee: and >180 FAMeulstee: Wonderful stats for 2021! Congrats on such a great reading year.

>188 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen, reading was (again) my escape in this second COVID year.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/5d/02/5d029540654e5a9636b45767a774368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

>190 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, the same to you and Karen!

I arrived safely in 2022, and my 2022 thread is up!

Forget your stresses and strains
As the old year wanes;
All that now remains
Is to bring you good cheer
With wine, liquor or beer
And wish you a special new year.

Happy New Year, Anita.

>193 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, happy New Year!

>128 FAMeulstee: Too bad that the shine wore off of Gödel, Escher, Bach. I'm tempted to reread it myself.

>195 swynn: It was still a good read, Steve, just not as amazing as it was long ago.
The Escher illustrations were as beautiful as ever :-)

Very glad you got your booster, Anita.
I wish you and Frank a very good new year with books and friends!

>197 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas, happy new year!