EllaTim's Summer Reading in 2022

Hi everyone. I thought it was time to start a new thread, for summer reading.

I am Ella, living in Amsterdam with Marc. I am a fond allotment gardener, and nature lover.
I like reading fantasy, but also lots of other books.

For this year I want to read more dutch books, more children's books, and find new and interesting worlds to explore.

The picture above is shot in my allotment garden. In full flower right nog.

Reading now:
De Gebroeders Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Books Read till now:

January
1. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (USA, fantasy, 2020) ****
2. De Herinnerde Soldaat by Anjet Daanje ( dutch, 2019, 538 pp) *****
3. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (UK, 2020) ***1/2
4. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (fantasy, USA) ***1/2
5. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews (fantasy, USA, 2015) ***1/2
6. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (fantasy, USA, ***1/2)
7. Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews (fantasy, USA, ***1/2)
8. Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews (fantasy, USA, ***1/2)
9. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (fantasy, USA, ***1/2)
10. Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings (fantasy, USA, ***1/2)

February

11. De Cock en het roodzijden nachthemd by A.C. Baantjer (Dutch, audio, 1995, 135pp) ***
12. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (USA, 2012, fantasy, YA) ****
13. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (fantasy, YA, USA, 1984) ***
14. Mijn Wilde Tuin by Meir Shalev (Israel, non-fiction) ****
15. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Turkey) ****
16. Sarah, plain and tall by Patricia MacLachlan (USA, children’s fiction) ***1/2

March

17. Crispin: The cross of lead by Avi (USA, children’s, historical novel) ***
18. Knot of Shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy, USA, novella) ****1/2
19. Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold
20. Penric and the Shaman
21. Penric’s Mission read
22. Mira’s Last Dance read
23. Penric’s Fox read
24. The Prisoner of Limnos read
25. The Orphans of Raspay read
26. The Physicians of Vilnoc read
27. Masquerade in Lodi read
28. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

April

29. Lenin en Stalin by Maarten van Rossem (Dutch, audio) ***1/2
30. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (UK) ****
31. Magician’s Gambit by David Eddings (fantasy, USA) ***
32. Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings (fantasy, USA) ***1/2
33. The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (USA, historical fiction) ***1/2
34. Geschiedenis in het Groot by Maarten van Rossem (audio, dutch) ***

May
35. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (UK) ****1/2
36. Bezonken Rood by Jeroen Brouwers (Dutch)
37. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth (UK) ***1/2

June
38. Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ***1/2
39. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ***1/2
40. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon (USA/Italy, 1993) ****
41. De Schilder en het Meisje by Margriet de Moor (Dutch)
42. De Tuinen van Dorr by Paul Biegel (dutch, audiobook) ****

August
43. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Japanese) ****
44. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (reread) ***
45. The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths (reread) ***

September
46. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (American Korean) ***1/2The House at Sea’s End ***
47. A Room full of Bones by Elly Griffiths ***1/2
48. Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths ***1/2
49. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths ***1/2
50. The Ghost Fields by Elly griffiths ***12

Oktober
51. Gallows View by Peter Robinson (UK, ***)
52. De Meisjes by Annet Schaap (Dutch, audio) read by the writer herself. ****
53. About Face by Donna Leon (detective, Italy/USA) ****
54. Maandagskinderen by Arnaldur Indridason (Iceland) ***1/2

November
55. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (UK) *****
56. Beastly Things by Donna Leon (Italy, USA) ****
57. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon (Italy/USA) ****
58. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison *****
59. Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison ****

December
60. Nog pas gisteren by Maria Dermoût (Dutch) ****
61. The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ****
62. The Last train to London by Meg Waite Clayton ****

Reading now:

The list is a bit longer than I realized earlier. I had forgotten to count the series of rereads of the Penric and Desdemona novella's by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Reading but not finished (yet)

Jip en Janneke by Annie M.G. Schmidt
Kastanjehove by Tommie Niessen DNF
Droomkoninkje by Herman Heijermans
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
De 100 jarige man die uit het raam klom en verdween by Jonas Jonasson
Immune by Philipp Dettmer
Samarkand by Amin Maalouf DNF
Enchanter’s End Game by David Eddings
Less is More by Jason Hickel
La Gloire de mon Père by Marcel Pagnol
De broers Karamazov by Dostoyevski
Genome by Matt Ridley

A lot of unfinished books. The ones marked DNF I definitely won't try again. The rest maybe next year?
I just had a difficult reading year, trouble concentrating.

Reading plans:

There are some interesting reading challenges going on in the group.
I will be joining Paul's new ABC challenge.

And I'm still exploring other challenges.

Then there is the list of 1001 books.
And I am looking to explore dutch books, the dutch canon, and childrens books!

ABC Challenge:

OVERALL PLAN

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Mijn Wilde Tuin by Meir Shalev.
Maybe a second book, by him, I liked nr 1. Or one of the books of Yuval Noah Harari?

MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
Started Samarkand by Amin Maalouf

APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers

MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"

JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors

AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors

SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors

OCTOBER - INDO CHINE - Authors from Indo-China

NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors

DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
This shouldn’t be too difficult. Lots of writers from for instance Turkish or Iranian descent in Holland.

Dutch and children's books.

For now I'm thinking of reading Publieke werken.
And a bit of Jip en Janneke. The last one is a classic that I didn't get to read as a child as my village (church-held) library didn't hold any books by Annie M.G. Schmidt, who was considered too rebellious and controversial by the catholic church. So a bit of a forbidden book! While actually it is soooo not naughty (but sweet).

And one last one for you never know what.
Come in, all visitors welcome!

Happy new thread, Ella!

>3 EllaTim: Reading the Dutch translation of Enchanter’s End Game right now.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>8 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! I’ve put it aside for the moment, as Dickens is taking all my time, but will get back to it.

>9 drneutron: Hi Jim!

>10 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

Wordle 329 4/6

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Now how come Karen is still on Wordle 328? How does that work? We’re not a day ahead, are we?

Happy new thread, Ella. Lovely garden!

>11 EllaTim: Our new day starts six to nine hours earlier, compared to the USA. Paul is about six hours ahead of us in Malaysia.
The new Wordle is available at 00:00 local time.

>12 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! I love my garden.

>13 FAMeulstee: Ah, that’s it, it starts at local time. Thanks Anita.

Going to the allotment today. Not a lot of time for reading, but I’ll be taking the ereader with me.

Just finished chapter 47, Jo’s lot was described touchingly. Unfortunately there still are lots of homeless people, in our affluent city. And we are still not taking good care of them. When you are made homeless you also lose health insurance. Sleeping out is rough. Not having a place to rest too. I used to work in the park, don’t look in the bushes, there are selfmade sleeping places everywhere.

Happy new thread, Ella.

>14 EllaTim: Homelessness is something that scares me to death and it is inexcusable in a so called civilised country.

>15 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I completely agree. Housing first. One of the first human needs, a roof over your head and a place of one's own.

Chapter 48. The big bang. Beautiful description of moonlit London.

Hi Ella my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Hi John. Nice to see you, my friend, and thanks!

I recommended a favourite non-fiction to Paul: Genome by Matt Ridley. And then I wondered was it as good as I remembered. Am doing a reread now, and yes, I still like it a lot.

Been busy at the allotment. One of these “in order to do this, I have to do that first, and oh something more popping up, and still some other backbreaking job, and you end up exhausted, and first job still hasn’t been done.
But on the positive side, the weather is great, and everything looking lush and beautiful and lots of birds singing. “Im wunderschönen Monat Mai”

A day of small happenings. I just caught my neighbor loading his self-made wooden roof rack on his car, full of one layer of stuff, and then a spare tire on top. He’s 85, and will be driving to his summer home in Croatia, this saturday. 18 hours, no stop. His wife is not as happy about it as he is. Took a picture of him, and his smiling face.
And then walked into a customer quarrel at the supermarket. How not to handle a customer complaint, exemplary. I might decide to start avoiding that shop. We got to see first the embarassed cashier, then his suspicious supervisor, and then the security guy, and all the while the customer really wanted to pay, but the equipment wasn’t working. They wore practically accusing him of trying to shoplift. No no no.

And now on to Bleak House. It has evolved into a detective novel. Bucket, what a character.

Happy new summer thread! Our city homeless situation has definitely gotten worse, especially with COVID. I am not seeing a quick fix here. Hope you continue to enjoy Bleak House.

>22 Berly: Hi Kim! No, no quick fixes. Here neither.

I’m really enjoying Bleak House now that I’ve managed to stop worrying about its size!

Greek composer Vangelis has died. He made a lot of music for movies. I’m listening to part of the score of Blade Runner right now.

Sweet Thursday, Ella. Happy New Thread! I hope you are enjoying Bleak House. My favorite Dickens novel.

Hi Marc! Thanks, and yes, it’s well worth being your favorite!

Wordle:
Wordle 335 4/6

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At last one I didn’t find hard.

And the dutch one:
Woordle 335 5/6

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Strange that it has changed colors.

Dropping by to wish you a splendid weekend, Ella. xx

>25 EllaTim: The changed colors make the whole bright and appealing :-)

Mine haven't changed from the moment I could share:

Wordle 336 3/6

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Woordle 336 4/6

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>26 PaulCranswick: Thanks for dropping by Paul!

>27 FAMeulstee: For some weird reasons my Wordle and Woordle drop my older results, and change colors when they like. Pfff.

Well done, Anita!

Wordle 337 5/6

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This was a tough one, lots of dutch words entering my mind but not the right one in English

35. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (UK, 1853) ****1/2

“Bleak House, Dickens's most daring experiment in the narration of a complex plot, challenges the reader to make connections - between the fashionable and the outcast, the beautiful and the ugly, the powerful and the victims. Nowhere in Dickens's later novels is his attack on an uncaring society more imaginatively embodied, but nowhere either is the mixture of comedy and angry satire more deftly managed. Bleak House defies a single description. It is a mystery story, in which Esther Summerson discovers the truth about her birth and her unknown mother's tragic life. It is a murder story, which comes to a climax in a thrilling chase, led by one of the earliest detectives in English fiction, Inspector Bucket. And it is a fable about redemption, in which a bleak house is transformed by the resilience of human love.”
(Description from WorldCat)

A very 19th century novel. And a Big Book. To really enjoy it, I had to take it easy, and let go of wanting to finish it fast. It was published as a series, at first, so it would have taken months to finish for it’s original public.
I loved some of the descriptions, Dickens at his best, with words and images that stay with you. Of Chancery, but also of the lot of Jo (a chapter that brought tears to my eyes).
It’s a very moral story as well. I had to laugh about the antics of the do-gooding ladies, he’s very sharp about them, trying to save the world, while neglecting their own kids. A fable, a morality, obviously. To apply to government I think.
His views of women, well, there is a weakness there maybe. Esther is sooo nice, that she is hard to believe. And the whole story of her possible marriage to mr. Jarndyce is even a bit creepy!

I flunked the English Wordle, but I found the Dutch one in two!

Woordle 340 2/6

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Luck, one of these words where there are lots of options.
adieu, laden

>31 EllaTim: Sorry you flunked Wordle, Ella, but Woordle in two is great!
I needed 4, the 3rd to check many letters, as there were so many possible there angst, daden, klamp, laden

>32 FAMeulstee: I just guessed the right option first, as I had a choice of possibilities as well. Popular letter combinations in the dutch language.
And I see you used one guess to exclude a number of options.

Wordle 342 4/6

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Well, I got splendid!

Started on De broers Karamazov by Dostoyevski

This is quite a challenge. Talk about wordiness!

I have trouble understanding the philosophical discussions, and I don’t much like them so far. But the story itself is easier to follow, and a study in contrasts.
I’ll see how far I get, but I need some other book to read, something lighter, as well.

Added: and I found one Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
It’s off to a good start, interesting and funny.

>35 EllaTim: - Hi Ella. Have you watched (if they have it in The Netherlands) the Call the Midwife tv series. They are into the 11th season already and are based on the books by Jennifer Worth. Really excellent tv. The very first Jennifer Worth book I ever read was In the Midst of Life and I had never heard of the Call the Midwife books/series at that time. That was also an excellent book.

Happy Friday, Ella. Hooray for Bleak House. I really should get to The Brothers Karamazov. Maybe later this year?

>36 jessibud2: No, I've never heard of it. A pity, we could do with a series like that.

>37 msf59: Hi Mark. Bleak House was worth it. Have you ever read Dostojevski? I think there's people who love him and others who don't.

Wordle 343 5/6

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Tough, found it thanks to a hint from Shelley;-)

Went bookshopping in the city centre. As busy as a fancy fair. After Covid holiday?
Anyway, I bought:
Amsterdam in 10.000 stappen by Hanna Bakx & Roos Hamelink
A walking guide with lots of background information about history. Because there is still so much to see, and know in my town!

Vegan by Jessica Oldfield.
I want to eat more vegetables, and sometimes no meat or cheese or dairy. But how? So this is a vegan cookbook. (Turns out there are a great number of vegan cookbooks in LT’s database)

De Eetbare Stad by Ellen Mookhoek, Geert Timmermans, & Anneke Blokker
Eating from nature in and around the city. Why? We are eating with less and less diversity. By knowing what we can eat not from the supermarket, but from nature around us, you can improve that, and it’s fun.

And now it turns out I bought three books in a row that don’t have a touchstone in LT! They are not in the database.

>40 EllaTim: Didn't you add them to your library on LT?

>41 FAMeulstee: I have added them now. Was easy this time, except for the vegan book, I had to search for it in the KB using a different title. But I found it. And it even points to the right touchstone now! Something I learned from you, remember?

A belated happy new thread, Ella.
>3 EllaTim: It looks like I'm going to find a lot of ideas for good reads here, I'm looking forward to your reviews.

>42 EllaTim: Glad you managed to find then at the KB, Ella, and remembered how to get the right touchstone.

>43 SirThomas: Hi Sir Thomas! Nice to see you here. I’ll be visiting your thread from time to time as well!

>44 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! They were there, how cool is that.

36. Bezonken Rood by Jeroen Brouwers (Dutch)



Oh, my, what a tough read. Jeroen Brouwers spent part of his childhood with his mother in a Japanese internment camp. He writes about the death of his mother and his experiences in that camp.
I wanted to read it, as Brouwers had died recently, and also because two people I knew have had the same background.
I can’t judge the book, it is terribly sad.

Wordle 344 4/6

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Four, thanks to a hint by Shelley. Would never have found it.

Couldn’t sleep last night, bothered by neighbour, urban living has it’s disadvantages. Found out that Karamazov is not suitable reading when you are already feeling agitated, the whole text is full of unrest and agitation!

So question what is suited for calm reading?
Books usually are supposed to be exciting?

For music it’s easier, I just listened to some Elgar, Sea Slumber Song, from Sea Pictures. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KLYzdM0xAM

Wordle 348 5/6

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37. Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth (UK) ***1/2

Jennifer Worth tells stories about her experiences as a young midwife, practicing in a poor Cockney neighbourhood in London. She works from a convent, Nonnatus House, so the nuns are another interesting part of her stories.
Lively, interesting stories for the most part. She shows the poverty but also the strength of the people.
I never knew there was still so much poverty in the fifties.
Some parts I thought a bit less, but in all this was good reading.

Reading now: Genome by Matt Ridley
Fascinating stuff. Did you know our genome is filled with junk genes? Parasitic, useless stuff, that manages to get itself replicated anyway? Some of it is now being used for genetic fingerprinting.

>48 EllaTim: I find the poems of Rutger Kopland are good for calming my mind.

>52 FAMeulstee: Ah thanks for saying so Anita! I will have a look at them.

Pff, I have to write something and it took me all day to get going. A lot on my plate at the moment. And then I start postponing, doesn’t help at all of course.
And now for something completely different!

I started on another of the books my husband rescued from the trash can:
Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
It’s a detective, but also a pleasant read. Quite enjoyable.

38. Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ***1/2



When Commissario Brunetti is summoned in the middle of the night to the hospital bed of a pediatrician, he is confronted with more questions than answers. Three men--a young carabiniere captain and two privates from out of town--burst into the doctor's apartment while the family was sleeping, attacked him, and took away his eighteen-month-old boy. What could have motivated an assault by the forces of the state that was so violent it has left the doctor mute? As Brunetti delves into the case, he begins to uncover a story of infertility, desperation, and illegal dealings. Then his colleague, Inspector Vianello, discovers a money-making scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city. Medical records are missing and it appears as if one of the pharmacists is after more than money. What secrets are in the records? And what has been done with them?

Enjoyable detective story. The book takes place in Venice, a pleasant background of course. Commissario Brunetti is a sympathetic character, and the plot was interesting. At a certain point nothing much seemed to happen anymore, a bit of a dip in the story, and then it took off again. Didn’t much like the ending though.

Inspired by Paul’s idea of books fitting with European capitals, I wondered what books there are for Amsterdam. Well, lots and lots. But I started:

De Schilder en het Meisje by Margriet de Moor

The story of Rembrandt in the year after his wife died, and the Danish girl in one of his drawings.

No translation into English.

Other candidate: Publieke Werken by Thomas Rosenboom, no translation either.

Wordle 352 5/6

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It’s raining cats and dogs here, and I still have to do my shopping. Yuck.
So, I went out in the rain, either that or go hungry, and saw a toddler wearing small rubber boots, stamping his feet in the puddles, another kid wearing a beautiful white flower, and I had a very small chat with the homeless guy selling the ‘daklozenkrant’ (the homeless paper) at the supermarket. An African guy, rain is better than droughts he said. And so it is.

Still reading Genome Fascinating fact: heart attacks are caused more by lack of control over one’s life and circumstances than by cholesterol.
I have read this before, and I wonder why this is not known more. Do people not want to know this? So much discussion of differences in health, but all relegated to the wrong lifestyle, eating the wrong food etc.

The day started with rain, but then there was some sun. Went to the allotment, and picked what seemed like a hundred slugs and snail. Yuck.

Still rainy weather, made a Scottish chicken soup (cock a leekie) to warm up. It works miracles.

Wordle 354 4/6

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Lucky guess

>59 EllaTim: The same here, Ella, with the rain lots of slugs and snails came. The pair of magpies in our garden, and their young, do their best to eat them all. The garden really needed the rain, and my watertank is all filled now.

The snails is less beautiful, but your soup sounds very tasty.
Have a wonderful day.

>62 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Good for them and for you. I like some snails, (the ones that have a house) but slugs are awful. But unfortunately birds seem not to eat them.

>63 SirThomas: Hi Thomas! Oh yes, the soup was great. Ideal for chilly weather. Thanks you, today is looking good.

We had a couple of busy days, and yesterday evening we spent at the first aid in the hospital. Marc had an small accident and nearly severed the top of his left pink. Lots of bleeding and it was painful. A long wait there, but a good doctor, and some stitches, and all will heal again. He’s going to get a scar, but his finger is intact. Thank you doctor! Today we’re going to take it easy.

39. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ***1/2



When renowned opera conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room, the victim of cyanide poisoning, Guido Brunetti, the Vice Commissario of the Venice police, must sift through several suspects.

First book in the series featuring Commissario Brunetti.
Well written and entertaining. Interesting story. Set in Venice, giving it a beautiful backdrop.

Wordle 360 4/6

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Tada! I still find it hardest to think of words that might fit.

>65 EllaTim: Glad to see you enjoyed the first Brunetti, Ella.

>67 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Yes, it’s definitely a series I’ll be reading, Anita. And lots to enjoy there.

Started the second book in the Commissario Brunetti series. I noticed that she makes you care about the characters. No sensational serial murders, just an ordinary murder, but there's a real plot going on that feels pretty realistic here.

It's hot here today, and the bugs are biting. Hot air from Africa.

Woordle 364 6/6

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And the English one? Can’t find a fitting word.

40. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon (USA/Italy, 1993) ****



Early one morning Guido Brunetti, Commissario of the Venice Police, confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid Venetian canal. All the clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti, robbery seems altogether too convenient a motive.

Very good story. Donna Leon makes you feel for her characters. The plot is twisted but felt very realistic. The influence of corruption from higher places sinister.

I already want to read the third book in the series!

Reading De Schilder en het Meisje. Nearly finished.
Going to the allotment today. Nice weather.

Wordle 365 5/6

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I could have been, but I wasn't.

41. De Schilder en het Meisje by Margriet de Moor (dutch) ****1/2



Set in 17th century Amsterdam, the story of a drawing by Rembrandt of a hanged girl: Elsje Christiaens. Margriet de Moor tells both their stories, the girls travel to Amsterdam, hopeful, and the painters afternoon, his story, his grief for his dead wife.
It’s a sad story, of course, in fact it reads like a train wrack, as you know from the start what is going to happen. But the other story, of Rembrandt and his musings, makes it less hard.
Living in Amsterdam this was more interesting to me, as I could picture the places they visit. The historical background is interesting. And some of the pictures Margriet de Moor draws are going to stay with me.

Rembrandt’s drawing is to be seen here:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/343628

Unfortunately not translated into English (German and French translations available).

And so I have started book three of the Commissario Brunetti series. So nice that it’s a long series!

Marc had to spend a couple of hours in the ER today. A small problem, but stubborn, a cut in a finger, that refuses to heal. We spent a saturday evening in the ER a week ago, and it should have healed by now, but it didn’t. He had to get the stiches out today, but his GP didn’t trust it, so different ER this time. They took three röntgen photos, and made him wait, and lots of nurses and other practitioners came to have a look at his black finger, and then nothing. It should heal by itself, and another antibiotic should do the trick.
Anyway, we took the rest of the day for a nice walk in nature, and having dinner outside.

Yikes, that sounds scary, Ella. Is he in pain? I hope not. Hope this round of antibiotics works!

I'm sorry to hear about Marc's non-healing finger. I hope it goes well now with the extra antibiotic treatment.

How nice to have dinner outside! It's one of my favourite things about summer.

>78 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. It definitely was scary. He’s used to everything healing fast, and now it didn’t. We hope the new antibiotics will do the trick.

>79 PawsforThought: Hi Paws. Yes, and with the nice weather we had yesterday it was a real success. We took a walk and saw lots of flowers. Summer.

Wordle 368 6/6

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Wow. I thought I had misspelled, but no I was right.

Ella, can you translate today's De Vogeldagboeken? There seems to be quite a narration there instead of the usual simple translations. I loved the photo he posted today

>77 EllaTim: Sorry to read that Marc's finger has problems to heal, Ella. I keep my fingers crossed that the other antibiotic does help.

>82 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. Do you mean the one that starts with Familie Reiger? There are two later posts on his site, that he hasn't posted yet.

Basically he talks about the birds in the heron family. That they seem to be recovering a bit in Holland. There are Bitterns in the pictures and two species of Herons. But the rarest are the Woudaapjes, Little Bitterns. He says people tell him of new places to find them, but he won't tell where that is, as some people will start doing stupid and damaging things to get to them.
Not a word by word translation, but the gist of what he said.

>83 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Thank you. Awkward and scary, but I think he is improving!

A hot day here. 30 C.
We're at the allotment, and I have started Arctic Dreams, ideal reading for a day like this.

>84 EllaTim: - It was in yesterday's newsletter, Ella, titled: 220622 Kolonie moeraszwaluwen. Lots of beautiful photos, of baby birds too. Thanks for that summary.

>86 jessibud2: I'll have another look Shelley. But later, I'm reading and posting from a mobile phone now. The small screen doesn't make it easy.

Reading Arctic Dreams and liking it.

Nice day, sleeping at the allotment right now. The longest day, long twilight. Yesterday we had a hedgehog in the garden, but it didn't show up today, unfortunately.

Quiet here, Ella, are you still at the alloment?
Is Marc's finger getting better?

--
>86 jessibud2: 220622 Kolonie moeraszwaluwen Colony of "swamp swallows*" (=Black Terns)
* Zwarte stern, Chlidonias niger, Black Tern, Guifette noire, Trauerseeschwalbe *

Black Terns fly fast and graceful like swallows through the marsh, looking for food for their young, who grow up on small rafts, put there by humans. Black Tern colonies are aways lively. The parents fly off and on, giving quarrels when the nests are to close together. Insects, dragonflies, little fish, everything vanishes in the throats of the juvenile birds. Spending Friday morning on a quiet spot near a colony of swamp swallows, here an impression.

*In Dutch the Black Tern is called "zwarte stern", a rare Dutch name for these birds is "moeraszwaluw" which would translate as "swamp swallow".

>89 FAMeulstee: - Thanks for that translation, Anita. His photos are wonderful but when he writes more than just the name, I feel I am missing out!

Ella, I hope Marc is doing better and that you are have a good weekend.

>89 FAMeulstee: >90 jessibud2: Hi Anita, hi Shelley! Thanks for visiting.

Marc’s finger is healing, slowly.

But I’ve been stressed and busy. All three of my brothers have Covid! None of them very ill, but who is going to take care of my mother? I was afraid I’d caught it as well. But I think I’m clean. My mother fortunately does get home help. And she is doing well, up till now. Fingers crossed that it will stay like that.

And my neighbourhood was busy, building plans that are a disaster, and threaten any peace and quiet that we have got left. We’re at the point we all want to move elsewhere.

I’m not reading much, I do have time, but I can’t concentrate.

So sorry to hear all this, Ella. It always seems to come in bunches, the stress, that is. Hang in there!

>91 EllaTim: (((((HUGS)))))

Best wishes to you, Marc, your brothers and your mother, Ella. xx

>92 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. It does, it really does. Now my mother has Covid as well. She is still doing remarkably well, anyway. Fingers crossed. I’m not visiting, for obvious reasons, but I’m calling her every day, for a chat.

>93 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Much appreciated, thanks Paul.

Everybody is doing reasonably well. Fingers crossed for my mother, but she is holding up at the moment.

All this stress means I am only reading fun and easy books. Lots of Brunetti and Venice. Aqua alta nice and atmospheric. Enjoying it.

>94 EllaTim: I hope your mother recovers soon, Ella.

The Brunetti books are enjoyable. I just found book #14 in the e-library. I missed that one, as my library seemed to have a copy, but it was gone missing when I requested it. Have read all others up to #29.

Delurking to say hello!

Hope you have a stress free weekend!

Oh, Ella, sorry to hear about your mum. I hope it's mild and that she can bounce back.

All day here on the news, we have been hearing that we are now in the 7th wave, of the latest omicron variant. Sigh...

All the best to you and your family, Ella - Have a wonderful weekend!

Wordle 385 3/6

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My first Wordle since ? And I guessed it in three! Hurray. Quit now? While I’m winning?

>95 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Thanks, she was doing a bit better today. She is again using antibiotics, bladder infection. It seems to have more of an effect on her than the Covid is having.

I think I must have found the Brunetti series through your thread, you wrote about reading them.

>96 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita. Thanks, and same to you. Stress today was limited to keeping off the midges. So doable.

>97 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. Fingers crossed at her age, but she seems to be weathering it. The weather is nice, and she could sit outside today.

7th Wave? How can we even keep count? It’s horrible isn’t it. And the last version even more contagious than the earlier ones.

>98 SirThomas: Hi Thomas, thank you!

I’m still working through the Brunetti series. It really is just the thing right now. Commissario Brunetti and all the familiar people in the books feel comfortable. The books well written and interesting. I am still reading Arctic Dreams as well, but it does take more energy. And I’m reading the ebook and there are no pictures in it. The book just screams to have pictures included, drawings, maps, photos. I wonder if the paper book does have them.
Added: I looked it up on Amazon. Nothing that I could see, such a pity!

Well, I empathize with your family since I am on round 2 of Covid, day 13 and still running a fever. Argh!! But I am glad your crew seem to be doing well and Brunetti is a great pick for a good solid read. Hang in there!

>102 Berly: Hi Kim! I am sorry to hear it. Yuck, day thirteen. Wishing you well! My mum is still not over it, my brothers are better. I’ll be looking up your thread.

Wordle 396 4/6

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This took some time, as I had to remember that you can use any letter twice

A hot day, and it still hasn’t cooled down much.

A rainy day today. Great. Nice to cool down. Read a bit. Tomorrow visit to my mother, the rain will be over, but the heat won’t be back yet.

Wordle 397 3/6

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Ha! Took some trying. It’s good that words it doesn’t recognize don’t count as a try…

Sweet Thursday, Ella. I have not been by in some time. How are you and the family doing? has everyone recovered? Are you enjoying those books?

>107 msf59: Hi Marc! Thanks for asking. Everyone has recovered from Covid. My mom is getting a much needed hearing aid on tuesday. We’re visiting frequently, taking her out of doors for a walk through the park. She loves that. It takes time and effort, but she deserves that from us.

I’m still tired, so my reading is slow. I’m on a Brunetti streak.

Glad everyone is feeling better! Happy week ahead!

Went to the allotment. We did some sowing. Harvested some zucchini. And saw (heard) a hedgehog. Second time, always when it starts to get a bit dark. Rustling in the bushes is a sign that something is happening there.

42. De Tuinen van Dorr by Paul Biegel (dutch, audio, children’s book) ****



“ Dorr, the once good and happy city, is now silent, sullen and mysterious under the malign influence of a powerful witch.”

This is a fairy tale with a bit of a modern twist. The princess loses the boy she loves, and has to try and rescue him. She ends up in the scary city of Dorr.

I listened to the audio of this book. Well read by Gijs Scholten van Aschat, with music by Floor Minnaert, as the book frequently mentions songs and rhymes. Listening, I felt more under the spell of the story than when I had chosen to read, I think. And I really enjoyed it.

>111 EllaTim: Glad you enjoyed De tuinen van Dorr, Ella.
Gijs Scholten van Aschat has a nice voice, perfect for audio books.

>112 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes he has. And he is a good reader. So important, when you are listening, that you like a reader’s voice!

Reading now. I started following the Women in Translation twitter posts. This month, August.

Someone mentioned Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich, and I had been meaning to read that. Found it in Dutch and started it yesterday. Very good, of course, but will take me some time, not a book to be rushed. A timely read, lots of people promoting nuclear energy, Chernobyl is starting to be a thing of the past, but it isn’t.

I listened to a podcast about dealing with pain and chronic fatigue. Just the thing for me! The person being interviewed made a lot of sense, and she has written a book about it. I am going to listen again, and write some tips down, so useful.

She has a book out Je Vermoeidheid te Lijf. By Annemarieke Fleming. She’s just what I need, she worked at the Spine and Joint Centre, and now she’s working at a very good revalidation centre, and she’s written this after dealing with Long Covid. My fatigue is caused by long-standing back pain. And other circumstances.

at the allotment I am now reading a paper book: Mensen zonder Geld by Jan Mens



It's a real golden oldie. Jan Mens was one of the most-read authors of the Netherlands, at the time of his death (1967).
At this moment his books have fallen out of fashion, completely. Strange, as the one I am reading now starts off excellent, with good descriptions, that have me feeling for the trouble the family in the book is in. Financial problems out of fashion?

Had a day with my mother. She in wheelchair, me pushing. And lots of pausing, taking breaks in the sun.
Over 5000 steps, really good for me. And two small bike rides, from the train station to her house and back.
She’s doing well enough, walking small bits. But eating is a problem, after her corona infection.

>117 EllaTim: Financial problems out of fashion?
No, sadly not, instead many poor people are not able to read. There are 2.5 million functionally illiterate people in our country. And of those 10% is completely illiterate :-(

>118 EllaTim: A visit to your mother, and making a lot of steps, a perfect combination.
Glad your mother is doing well, although not eating enough is worrysome.

>119 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Yes, it is somehow so hard to imagine that so many people are having such problems reading. But it’s true. And many people don’t read a lot because there are so many alternatives nowadays, TV, internet.

No, she lost weight. And she was already so light. She needs some light things to nibble on during the day.

Today I walked just 4000 steps. But a lot of them up and down the Dutch Mountains, that is to say the dike of the Amsterdam-Rhine canal. Looking for water animals in the small ditch at the foot of the canal. Very steep, so I was pretty tired at the end of it all.

Walking up and down is definitely tiring. How high is the canal dike?

>122 PawsforThought: Hi Paws! Nice to see you. The canal dike is a couple of metres high. Maybe five? The problem is it was pretty steep, and rather loose and sandy, so it was a bit scary. The landside of the canal is steeper and deeper than the waterside, as the land is lower than the water.

Finally some rain. Much needed. Woke up from the thunder, but it seems to have passed. But now I can’t sleep. Never mind. Some rain, and lower temps.

Earlier I had started De Bourgondiers by Bart van Loo. I must confess that the book was too much for me.
Now I’ve found it as a podcast.
Here for example: https://podcastluisteren.nl/pod/De-Bourgondiers-met-Bart-Van-Loo

I listened to part 1, and enjoyed it, though I found it necessary to listen closely. Before you know it, you’ve missed something in the complex twists of the timeline.

Still, there’s added music, as a bonus. And Bart van Loo tells the story himself, enthusiastically. He’s a good storyteller.

Hi Ella. I saw over on Anita's thread you made mention of a "soup, of course, with bits of smoked salmon and sour cream is my favorite recipe." Would you share that recipe? Sounds good (and interesting)

Hi Shelley!
zucchini 500gram
1 shallot, I just use onions
garlic 1 part
olive oil 2 table spoons
vegetable broth 800 ml
125 g sourcream
Fresh thyme, 1 table spoon
salmon filet (fresh), I usually use smoked salmon as it’s easy to find and I like that smoky taste
pepper
salt

Preparation

1
Cut zucchini in small pieces. Cut shallots and garlic, simmer in olive oil, not brown, but glassy. Add zucchini and simmer for a short time.
2 Cover with vegetable broth, put lid on, and boil softly for 20 minutes.
3 Take from heat source, add sour cream and thyme, pepper and salt to taste
4 Cut salmon in small pieces, on plates. Add hot soup on top. Add some thyme, as an extra.

I’m an improviser, so I translated this online recipe. For zucchini there are endless variations possible, because it is a fairly bland tasting vegetable.

I found a variation of this recipe with potatoes added, and dill instead of thyme. You can put the soup through the blender, just as you like.

For soup I usually use the largest zucchini that accidentally pop up, after hiding themselves in the vegetable patch, the smallest ones are tastier for salads.

Thanks, Ella! Sounds good. I will definitely try it.

Listened to part two of the podcast De Bourgondiers. Fascinating. It’s the story of the Netherlands before the split into southern and northern Netherlands. That’s when ‘our’ history started, the history of Holland, the northern part. This podcast starts with PhilipII the Bold, around 1340.
This part of history was never taught in Dutch schools, it will be much more familiar to people from Belgium.

Yesterday evening a get-together at the allotment. Very nice. Learned two new ways to get rid of the zucchini mountain: making zucchini-lemon jelly. And pickles!

Reading the book on fatigue. Very useful. Fatigue, pain, reduced immunity, concentration problems, all linked. She explains how this all works. And how to start dealing with it.
I see now that for me chronic pain, fatigue, sensitivity and all this has been part of my life for a long time. And that I have been trying to deal with only the back pain. While the other stuff is just as important, and I need to adress that as well.
I think I will give the book a reread, and probably more!

Started Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
Very mixed feelings until now. His story is certainly interesting. But I have this constant feeling of him having a message he wants to deliver. His opinions are so strong that I wonder about his respect for facts that wouldn’t fit in? I’ve read some reviews, because I wondered what other people made of it, and I do see more people feeling annoyed. Well, I’ll see if I am going to finish it. Maybe not.

De Bourgondiërs is on mount TBR. We were teached briefly about this part of history at school. Of course later times did get more attention.

I liked the first half of Sapiens, where he describes how homo sapiens came to the rise. Of course there are other possible views, there always will be.

>132 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Your schooling was better than mine, or maybe your memory is better. I remember only fragments, without much meaning. 1600 slag bij Nieuwpoort! Yes, but why, what?

Yes, of course. I just felt annoyed, doesn't mean the book is not good, or maybe it means it is worth a read;-)

Wordle 428 4/6

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I got lucky, there were several options.

As a real Amsterdammer I watched the Prinsengracht Concert on TV. On then some more of the old versions of Aan de Amsterdamse Grachten, on YouTube. Being sentimental, once a year.

For any fan of Maggie O’Farrell, Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway this article in the Guardian is a must-read, Maggie O’Farrell on all of these, and Covid, and her newest novel!

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/20/i-cant-grip-a-pencil-maggie-ofarre...

Happy Sunday, Ella. I miss seeing you around but I understand your dealing with some health issues. Has your reading improved?

>136 msf59: Hi Marc! Yes, I’m tired a lot and it really is having an effect on reading. At the moment it’s mainly lighter stuff, detectives, comfort reading. And I’m abandoning a lot.
I’m sorry for not being very present here as well, it’s the same fatigue, as LT also means reading.

43. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Japanese) ****



Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers' style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society's expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko's contented stasis--but will it be for the better?

Such a strange story! Keiko has never been able to live like a normal person, she doesn’t understand how to behave. The convenience store solves the problem of how to be normal for her. It makes her feel needed, useful and happy. But just by staying there for much longer than is considered normal, she starts getting into trouble again.
The reviews on the back of the book call it funny, but I found it mostly sad. Still, it will stay with me and it has an impact, and made me think.

>138 EllaTim: I did think it was a funny social satire, Ella, with a slight sad touch.
All these expectations of family and friends, and the way Keiko deals with social conventions.

>127 EllaTim: I was wondering about that recipe as well. thanks for sharing :)

>139 FAMeulstee: What got to me was she thought she was fitting in, and then it turned out they had thought her weird anyway. And of course she was different, just by doing her best so much.

>140 figsfromthistle: We live to serve, I hope you like it. It’s very easy. I made it yesterday, but I forgot the garlic. Next time.

Wordle 430 6/6

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Phew, indeed.

Wordle 433 5/6

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Yippee!

Went to visit my mother yesterday. Train workers are on strike, but the train to her part of the country was supposed to go. Unfortunately, after waiting for half an hour it was suddenly announced cancelled and I had to wait for another half hour. It was a good place for it though. In this hot day, here was shade and cool, the platform is partly underground. Talked to another passenger who had spent the whole day to get home from the north of France after a walking vacation. Dealing with cancelled trains, unfindable buses.
Coming home, late evening, the city was still really busy. Public standing on the curb of the pubs in my street. Didn’t calm down until two o’clock.

Today is an allotment day, and it’s a lot cooler. Praying for rain, we’ve had enough of heat and people in vacation mood.

>144 EllaTim: Sorry it took so long to get to your mother, Ella. At least the train station was fairly cool.
We also hope for some rain, but it doesn't look like that will come soon.

Enjoy your day at the allotment.

Woordle 434 4/6

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Not in three, but in four. A fun word.

Harvested the last of the potatoes from the allotment garden. Turns out I overplanted, we weighed them and it’s a full 36 kg. I had started reading Trinity by Leon Uris. The book starts with the story of the Irish potato famine. Poor people eating nothing but potatoes did need a lot, something like 8 pounds a day? Seems much. Anyway, it’s an awful story. Some of it happened here in Holland as well, think of the painting by Van Gogh, the potato eaters, poor farmers having nothing but potatoes and some lard. But nowhere near the numbers of people starving to death.
I put the book away, didn’t like it much, and then there were several pages missing or damaged, that I hadn’t noticed. I don’t think he’s the author for me.
Tomorrow we’ll be visiting my mother, she’s getting advice from a dietician. She’s having trouble eating enough.

>127 EllaTim: that sounds very tasty!
All the best for you and your mother.
I hope you feel better soon.

>148 SirThomas: Hi Sir Thomas! Thank you.
Had a nice day at home. Busier evening, at the renters association, an evening about how to reach your neighbours. Lots of complaints by people, it’s so difficult and we need people to be more active. Not a successful evening, the organizing group wanted it to be positive, but the mood was not. Doesn’t work.

Tomorrow I’m planning a kitchen day. I’ve got lots of runner beans, that I need to freeze. And then there’s jam to be made, and maybe more. We’ll see.

Homemade jam, how delicious!
Have a wonderful day!

Yum, jam. What kind are you making?

>150 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas!

>151 PawsforThought: Hi Paws!

I’m making blackberry jam. I picked a lot of them. And there still are more to come.

Started, no restarted, the serie by Elly Griffiths featuring Ruth Galloway. I read The Crossing Places and liked it this time. Last year it didn’t hold my attention, but I now think I had trouble concentrating then, and it seems that my concentration has improved!
I also read The Janus Stone and liked that as well. There were some places where I found it a bit slow, or my attention lagged a bit. And maybe now I should try something different as both books did have a lot of things in common.

>153 EllaTim: Glad you liked the Ruth Galloway books better this time, Ella.
I have read the first four, sadly no more Dutch translations after that one.

>154 FAMeulstee: Really? No more translations? Who makes those decisions, so strange.
Looked it up on WorldCat, I think a fifth book has been translated now: https://worldcat.org/nl/title/1332964619
Onheilstijding

Just published.

The WorldCat site has been totally changed. Probably for use by mobile phone, but I don’t like it. I loved being able to see at what distant places a book could be borrowed.

>155 EllaTim: The last one I read was published in 2012, so I din't expect any continuation.
It looks like an other publisher re-published the first four books last year, and the fifth book this year. I completely missed it, so thanks!

>156 FAMeulstee: Ah, that explains it, happy reading.

Woordle 442 3/6

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In three! Sheer good luck guessing, as there were lots of options left.

Reading now: De Nieuwe Moestuin by Peter Bauwens.
I'm really enjoying making plans for next year, with this inspiring, colourful gardening book. A 'moestuin' is a kitchen garden. Peter Bauwens gives lots of options, what to think of an Italian garden for instance? And there are lots of pictures.
Don't understand why the book has received only three stars on LT.
And a second gardening book: Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway. Home-scale permaculture. It’s very interesting to me. All kinds of new ways to deal with your garden, the soil, plants. This book is a good introduction, very readable, interesting and well explained.
I’m going back and forth between those two books.

Woordle 445 3/6

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Had a couple of days with acute backpain. Yuck. New fysiotherapist, but he started wrong. Anyway, today was a bit better, I could visit my mother. Nice weather, we could enjoy the park together.

Listened to a wonderful new musician, Arooj Aftab. Hard to describe, her music.

And started Angle of Repose from Marc’s thread. Not the easiest book to read, it’s complex. I’ll see how it goes.

Taking an unwanted break from the allotment. It has been raining on and off, which is nice, and much needed, but makes working in the garden not a good idea.
And that back pain does not help. Taking it easy, with lots of breaks is needed. Everything has to be done in small chunks. I need patience, it’s frustrating.

I started Pachinko for the Asian reading challenge. Korea. Heard a lot about it here, lots of people have read it. Up till now I am finding it interesting, and not a hard read at all.

>161 EllaTim: Sorry your back keeps bothering you, Ella.
Patience can be difficult, and yet it is the only way... Sending you a gentle (((hug)))

>162 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita, thanks, that’s nice!

I’m clearing out my balcony, they’re busy scaffolding because they’re going to paint. It’s a good idea anyway, I haven’t gotten around to it for a long time. Even found a small can of gas for a small motorcycle I no longer own.

This evening more reading Pachinko, and listening to Rachmaninov’s Vespers, so beautiful.

Woordle 450 5/6

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Whew. Just in time.

Hope your back feels better soon. And nicely done in Wordle!!

All the best for you and your back!

>165 Berly: Hi Kim, thanks!

>166 SirThomas: Hi Thomas, thank you very much.

Finally the hot weather is over. Still reading Pachinko.

>167 EllaTim: Finally the hot weather is over.
I am very pleased with the temperatures now. A little more rain for the garden would be nice, we didn't get much lately, in other parts of the country there was a lot more.

It will be interesting to see what you think of Pachinko. I have two books of Lee on my shelf and that is one of them.

Happy weekend reading!

>168 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes, temperatures are a lot better for you now. I’m sorry that you didn’t get enough rain, I guess we gobbled it all up. 40 mm one day!

>169 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! Not finished yet, though nearing the end. I am thinking about it! Happy weekend to you too.

46. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (American Korean) ***1/2



This is a family history. The story revolves around Sunja, daughter of a poor peasant family. Her father is born with a crippled foot and a hare lip. The family manages by working hard, and being thrifty. Sunja is secretly wooed by a rich man, she gets pregnant, and then it turns out he is already married in Japan, and he leaves her.
We follow what happens to her, her life, and that of her family and her descendants as she moves to Japan. Here Koreans are discriminated against, Japanese society gives them no opportunities. How are they dealing with this.

As a history of Korean Japan this is interesting to read. Still I felt the book was flawed. The start, the story of Sunja, her family, her marriage was really involving for me. The characters, her mother, her sister-in-law, her husband were well developed, their poverty and how they struggled to deal wit it.
But the story moves away from them to the next generations, here it starts to feel hurried, with lots of time jumps. There are several side stories that I thought could better have been left out. It just didn’t grab my attention so much, unfortunately.
Still, it did give me food for thought.

Saw an interview with Orhan Pamuk on dutch tv. He has a new book out Nights of Plague. Now there is a dutch translation as well. Interesting interview. He writes about an epidemic, but he wrote the book just before the Covid pandemic started. It came out during the pandemic. He talked about visiting the bookshop, where piles of his book were displayed, while there was a lockdown going on!

Now we’re off to a birthday party, it’s outdoors and it’s raining! Yuck. Friend of mine, a real extrovert, she’ll appreciate us visiting, but for me a big party is not my thing at all.

Had a fun, interesting day out at the Floriade in Almere. It’s a green and gardening exhibiton, but this time also architecture, biobased and natural building were important features. Several pavillions by other countries. One from Qatar, from China, from Belgium. So interesting! I haven’t travelled much so I enjoyed these the more.

>173 EllaTim: Glad to read you enjoyed your day at the Floriade, Ella!
The theme this time is "Growing Green Cities", so that broadened the exhibition. Last time, ten years ago in Venlo, there were also some buildings covered in plants. It is so sad this Floriade got so few visitors this time, it probably will be the last one.

>174 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes I enjoyed it. I do understand that some people would be disappointed. I heard from some elderly people that they were, and I think there was certainly room for improvement. For instance, I hadn’t realised that almost all information would be presented in QR-codes. I didn’t have that app on my smartphone, and downloading and installing it there, didn’t work.
I talked to one of the people who had taken part in one of the exhibitions, and he told me it was quite costly to do so. So it must have been disappointing for them as well. Still, Thursday there were lots of visiting schools, and groups from the building world, and I think they were interested, and liking it. And I certainly liked it!

>175 EllaTim: I completely overlooked the QR-codes, Ella. I don't have a smartphone, so they are meaningless to me ;-)
In the buildings we went, most information was next to the displays.

>176 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! O, funny, you did! The building you liked was so crowded we skipped it. And in other places I really missed more info. But unaccessible things are just annoying, of course.

Really tired today, I took part in a hearing for the neighbourhood association. I was nervous, had to state a case, but I already knew there isn’t much chance that they’ll listen. Money usually wins.

Reading Elly Griffith’s series on Ruth Galloway. Not too scary or frightening. Just a nice diversion.

I’ve been feeling tired lately, and now I have angina. No Covid, angina, I did a self-test. But still feeling sick.

Have been reading Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series. They are licht and easy reading, and getting better after the first few. Slightly addictive as well.

I read:
The Crossing Places ***1/2
The Janus Stone ***
The House at Sea’s End ***
A Room full of Bones ***1/2
Dying Fall ***1/2
The Outcast Dead ***1/2
The Ghost Fields ***12
Reading now:
The Woman in Blue
Next up:
The Chalk Pit
The Dark Angel, The Stone Circle, The Lantern Men,
The Night Hawks, The Locked Room

And for something different:
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

>178 EllaTim: Sorry you still feel so tired, Ella.

I like Ruth Galloway, I hope to get to Onheilstijding soon.

Feel better soon, Ella

>179 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! Hope you like Onheilstijding.
>180 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley!

Feeling a bit better today. I’m still sneezing though. Doing a selftest tomorrow. I’m not going to the annual meeting of the Allotment Association, (Covid, it’s inside) but I will be going to a small protest meeting in my neighborhood (outside, so safer?). Finding those decisions stressfull. Want to keep safe, but I don’t want to lock myself up. And Dutch society is doing the Ostrich strategy “when you don’t see it, it ain’t there”. No help at all.

>178 EllaTim: A good series is addictive, Ella, isn't it?

I want to have one month (maybe next month) dedicated to some of my series reading.
Adler-Olsen, Bingham, Camilleri, Child, Clements, Cornwell, Dibdin, Downing, Griffiths, Hewson, Horst, Iggulden, Jonasson, Jungstedt, Leon, Nadel, Nesbo, Robinson, Sandford, Sansom, Silva and Vichi are amongst those series I need to make more headway with.

>182 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! There’s something soothing about a good series, new and familiar at the same time.

Lots of options Paul! Happy reading.

Did a Woordle this time
Woordle 477 3/6

🟩🟩⬛🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Just a matter of luck that my guess was right.

Dropping in to say hello. Hope you are feeling better!

Hi Anita! Nice to see you. I’m getting there..

Yesterday night one of my neighbours decided to have a party on the balcony at 2 a.m. or maybe they were AirBnB guests? Anyway, they were loud and didn’t shut up. No sleep, I found an audiobook on YouTube and listened to that in stead of to their noise.

Lord of the Rings, in a nice audio version.

Wordle 477 3/6

⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛
🟨🟩⬛🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Impressive, it said, not bad, I say.

We had our vaccinations today. I picked a spot at some distance, because we would have had to wait till next week otherwise. But it took some driving, and then there were some roadblocks and at one point we nearly ended up on the escalators to the station (don’t ask, horror), so I’m very glad we made it home safe and sound.

Hi, Ella. Glad you got your vaccinations. Sounds like it was challenging but you got it done.

All the best for you and your health!

>189 EllaTim: Very good, Ella. Which vaccines did you receive? My mother and I received the Moderna bivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccine five weeks ago, along with the high dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine, which I shouldn't have been given, because I'm not yet 65 years old. I'm happy to have the extra protection, though, as this will probably be a very bad flu season, and it already is in Atlanta, where I used to work.

>190 msf59: Hi Marc! Yes, thankfully!

>191 SirThomas: Hi Thomas, thank you very much.

>192 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl! Nice surprise to see you here.
We got Moderna, I don’t know which variant. I saw some discussion on Twitter on it not being the newest variant for the latest Covid strains. :-( but I’m not sure about that, there’s no choice, it’s take what you can get.
The flu shot I’ll be getting in november.
I realised, thanks to this pandemic, that a vaccination is also a protection for the people around us. Don’t get ill, don’t infect your loved ones, very important. So good choice!

Gallows View by Peter Robinson (UK, ***)
A reread. I liked the descriptions of the Yorkshire landscape the best. I would love a holiday there!

>194 EllaTim: My next holiday to West Yorkshire will be a relocation, Ella!

I do like Robinson's books and he will be sadly missed.

>195 PaulCranswick: Happy holidays, then, Paul!

Started Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield.
Book is off to a good start. I like her writing style. It is a tome though..

And I restarted a Donna Leon book I had begun earlier. Had to put both of them aside as I’ve been having a headache for the last couple of days.

I read an audiobook instead:
De Meisjes by Annet Schaap (Dutch, audio) read by the writer herself. ****



Subtitle seven sprookjes, so seven fairy tales. Seven interesting twists on those tales. I liked her version of Bluebeard, for instance, with a subtale of interaction between two sisters.

Found on Anita’s thread, of course!

The headache is not over, so my next book will be another audio.

>198 EllaTim: Sorry to hear about the headaches, Ella. Hope it is just a question of getting a bit more rest and a little less stress about the angina.

See what you mean (your comment at my place) about your stats! Take your time to figure it out. I will put up the posting numbers first. xx

>198 EllaTim: This sounds very interesting, unfortunately it is not available in German.
I hope you feel better soon!

>198 EllaTim: Sorry about the headaches, Ella.
Glad you liked De meisjes. Have you read her other book Lampje?

>200 SirThomas: Her other book available in German translation, Thomas, Emilia und der Junge aus dem Meer.

Thank yo, Anita I will Look for it.

Hi Ella my dear, so sorry to read about your headaches and hope that rest will do the trick for you. We hope that apart from the headaches, you and Marc are both well now that we are in the autumn season, sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us dear friend.

>199 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! It seems to be something contagious, Marc now has it as well. We’re definitely into flu season.
This thread is a mess, and will need some time and attention, but posting stats I can’t mess up, so go ahead.

>200 SirThomas: Hi Thomas. Ah, not available in German, that’s too bad. But maybe later? Once one book has been translated others might follow.

>201 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. It was definitely fun, I haven’t read Lampje but I am reading lots of praise for it. I’m keeping it in mind for later.

>203 johnsimpson: Hi John. Thank you. Marc was ill today as well. Other than that autumn has been very nice, with lots of mushrooms everywhere and a walk in the woods only yesterday. Wishing you and Karen, and all the family a happy season as well. And love and hugs to all of you.

About Face by Donna Leon (detective, Italy/USA) ****



A murder in circles of truckers, turns out to be about garbage, toxic waste, maffia and corruption.

Corruption through the whole of society, a businessman is involved, and through him Brunetti’s father-in-law.

I enjoyed it, the interactions, the people are what makes those books so likable.

I started an audiobook from the library Verdwijnpunt. Unfortunately something goes wrong every time I start it, and it starts in a place I don’t recognize.
I did like it, but it’s nr 11 in a series so I thought to start the series from the beginning: Sons of Dust.

The headache is over, and I had some energy today, so I did some autumn cleaning. Very necessary!

I'm glad you're feeling better again.
But wouldn't it be better to declare dust and cobwebs as Halloween decorations and start reading right away?
I've read a few books in the series, I found them very readable.

207 Hi Thomas! Oh yes, good idea. I have started reading, and as you say very readable.
I do like my Halloween decorations a bit more colourful though. Do you do Halloween decorations, are something like it?
🎃

We had a doctors visit scheduled today. Good news, good scan results! When the doctor is smiling everything is allright. We went out to have a small celebration, but after a long walk through a nearby garden center, and nearly getting lost in between the Christmas stuff trying to locate the wheelbarrows, we called it a day, and just had a glass of whine (Marc) and cherry beer (me) to celebrate.

Hi Ella,
the only thing I do at this time is adjust my reading a bit.
We don't decorate at all - in our youth this didn't even exist (god I'm old) and we don't have kids or grandkids to celebrate the time. Although sweets we always have in the house....

YAY for the Good News!!!
We celebrated with a glass of bubbly with you (Our neighbors invited us they moved into the house 7 years ago yesterday and they also celebrated their Engagement Day) - we take advantage of every opportunity 😉 .
I have a feeling that Christmas stuff hit the stores shortly after Easter.

>206 EllaTim: Oh, Indriðason is such a good mystery writer, I loved his Erlendur series. I have read all books by him that are available in Dutch translation. Right now I am waiting for book 4 of his Konráð series to be available at the library.

>208 EllaTim: Hooray for good scan results!!! So happy for you :-)

Sweet Thursday, Ella. Cheers to the good news. Very happy for you both.

Congrats to you and marc on the good news. Hope your headaches are subsiding, too!

>209 SirThomas: Hi Thomas. So no decorating at your place? No, halloween is very recent, too recent. But when it's getting dark outside (not yet) it feels nice to do something to make the house a bit cosy.
I agree, every cause to celebrate is a good one.

>210 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. I did see a lot of translated books of him, but not all?

>212 jessibud2: >213 EllaTim: Hi Marc, hi Shelley, thank you!

I don't normally post from mobile phone. It's awkward, very small screen. I'm staying the night at the allotment. Have to be up early tomorrow morning, and now of course I can't sleep. So annoying.

>214 EllaTim: As far as I can find there is at least one book by him, Betty, that is not available in Dutch translation.
I have read the 22 of the 23 that are translated ;-)

>215 EllaTim: I hope you did get some sleep, Ella.

>216 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. 23 translated is a good score!

I did get some sleep, finally. Thanks.

Maandagskinderen by Arnaldur Indridason (Iceland) ***1/2



English title Sons of Dust
The first in the series featuring Inspector Erlendur can really be called Reykjavik noir.
A whole class of a Reykjavik primary school consisting of children with bad backgrounds has been very unlucky in life. Palmi, the younger brother of one of them has been visiting his older brother in the psychiatric institution where he has lived his whole life. This time he is just too late to prevent his suicide. What has happened? Have the visits of some unknown man something to do with it?
It’s a sad story, a real noir. The end has a bit of a twist that didn’t really fit the rest of the story, in my opinion, but apart from that I thought it a good start of a series.

The dutch title translates literally as Mondays Children.

>218 EllaTim: Glad to see you finished your first Erlendur, Ella.
I rated this one the same. Only after the third book I really started to love the series.

>219 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Thanks, that’s good to know.

Temperatures are dropping. Oktober was warm, too warm, but now November has started with more autumn like weather, windy, rain, and chill.
Still today the sun was out. We went to the allotment. I picked apples and pruned a hedge row. Lots of brambles, I definitely need new gloves.

Tomorrow will be a rainy day, and I have to write. At least a friend will be coming over to make it a joint effort.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (UK) *****



An inn near the river Thames. A wounded man staggers inside, carrying a dead child. The man is tended to, the child is put aside. But then it turns out the child comes to life, a small miracle, and a matter for stories. The child, a small girl, can’t talk. Soon the story spreads, who is she, and where are her parents?

I loved this story from the start, wonderfully told, a bit of magic, a bit of history, unexpected turns, interesting people. I shed a tear, but it also felt comforting.

I think it will be my book of the year.

Beastly Things by Donna Leon (Italy, USA) ****



“When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Brunetti has little to work with”

I enjoyed this next instalment of Donna Leon’s Brunetti series. The details of ordinary life, the interaction with his family, make this a pleasant read butat the same time a quite real crime has taken place, a story with a serious background.

Glad there are some more books to be enjoyed in this series.

We went to a exhibition today, at the fabrique des lumières. Pictures by photographer Jimmy Nelson, of people from all over the world, the last sentinels he calls them, people from indigenous populations.
In this exhibition they are displayed more than life-sized, also some video’s, with music. It’s quite an experience, you are completely immersed in the images.

Beautiful images, and special. Seeing pictures like that makes me very curious, every picture is like the tip of an iceberg, with so much that can not be shown, so much there is to know, a whole world of a way to live.

https://www.fabrique-lumieres.com/nl/last-sentinels-heroes-near-and-far
The link will probably just work for a couple of days, then the exhibition will end.

>224 EllaTim: Looks great, Ella.
I think I once saw a photo book by him in the library in Dronten. It was way to heavy to take, as we had other things to do. I might look for it in our own library.

>225 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Yes, his photo books are large and heavy! I hope your library has them. We first saw his photos as a small exhibition when we were visiting the hospital, the OLVG in Amsterdam west. I still think that’s the best way to see them, as there is time to really look at them, look at all the details. But he also has a web site.

https://www.jimmynelsonfoundation.com/

>222 EllaTim: A BB for me.

Happy Thursday!

>226 EllaTim: His book Before they pass away is at the library collection, Ella. Probably the copy I looked at in Dronten (same library organisation), but it is on loan now. I'll be sure to take the bike instead of walking, when I get it.

>227 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! Hope you enjoy it!

>228 FAMeulstee: Oh, that’s great. Yes, take the bike;-)

My mum is suffering from confusion again. Convinced she’s hearing things. And now she’s afraid to leave the house. It’s awful to see her frightened, and being unable to offer reassurance. She’s just in her own world.
All this probably the result of some infection again. She’s now getting antibiotics. Hoping they help.

Finding it hard to read, concentrating for a longer period is difficult.

Hi, Ella. Sorry to hear about your Mum. Good luck moving forward. I also really enjoyed Once Upon a River. Glad to hear it was a big hit for you.

Oh, Ella - I'm sorry to hear your mum isn't doing well. I hope the antibiotics help her.

Hi Ella. I so understand that feeling of helplessness with your mum. I am in exactly the same spot right now. I have heard that urinary tract infections can cause all manner of fearful and strange behaviours, especially in the elderly. Good that she is on antibiotics and hope that helps. But you have to be careful with antibiotics, though, as too much or for too long can also contribute to getting a C-difficile intestinal infection, which is exactly what my mother has now.
Good luck.

>230 EllaTim: Sorry about your mother, Ella. It is hard when you are not able to reach her, and ressurance doesn't work. I hope the antibiotics help.

>231 msf59: >232 PawsforThought: >233 jessibud2: 234 Hi Marc, Paws, Shelley and Anita. Thanks for the well wishes. My mum is doing a bit better, less delirious, but weak.

Thanks for the warning Shelley. I am sorry you have to deal wit this with your mother. It's not easy. Best wishes for both of you.

We'll have to wait to see if the antibiotics help. What does not help is getting a new doctor with a new opinion all the time. ("She should be in a nursing home," " maybe it's leukemia, and we'll have to do a bone punction" ) No way to that option, as far as I'm concerned.

Another Donna Leon
Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon (Italy/USA) ****



"Commissario Guido Brunetti, with the help of Inspector Lorenzo Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra Zorzi, investigates the death of a Venetian widow in a Spartan apartment on Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio."

At first it seems like Brunetti is getting worked up over nothing, and that feels a bit unrealistic, but in the end I thoroughly enjoyed this slow-paced story. Psychology more than thrills or action. Still, enough for me.

Visited my mum today. She is really ill.

I thought I wanted some fun book to read, so I started a reread of The Goblin Emperor. There’s a new book, a follow up. Starting the first again I was surprised again, by how much I like it, and also by how comforting it is! A young and frightened boy is named emperor. But he’s doing this so well, it’s a joy to read. Not so realistic, but sometimes you just want something pleasant instead.

I am sorry to hear that - all good wishes for you and your mom!

>237 EllaTim: So sorry about your mother, Ella.

Comfort reads are important, realistic or not :-)

{{hugs}}, Ella

>238 SirThomas: Hi Thomas >239 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita >240 jessibud2: Hi Shelley!

So nice to have friends visit. My mum is in hospital going through a tough time. We hope she manages to get through and recover. Sitting next to her bed, she needs the company of family and friends, it really sinks in, how ill she is, and what she means to me.
She did eat something today! They can’t do a lot, for the most part she just has to recover on her own.

{{Ella}}. I know the feeling. It feels kind of helpless but just know that your being there means a lot to her, whatever else is going on.

>241 EllaTim: Sorry your mother ended up in hospital, Ella.
(((hugs))) to all near and dear.

>242 jessibud2: Hi Shelley Yes, you are right, being there for her, even while feeling helpless is important.

>243 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita. Thank you both for the hugs.

She is doing better now. Eating and drinking again, though with some difficulty. Conscious, recognizing family, and now even can get out of bed! How’s that for an old lady.

I first did a reread of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison *****
and enjoyed it tremendously. A complex world, a young boy finding himself in difficult circumstances, and at the same time this is a real comfort read.

Then I read part two in what is now a series of three.
Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison ****

Sequel to The Goblin Emperor, but this time following the cleric who speaks to the dead as he navigates a hostile ecclesiastical environment, investigates several different deaths, and (much against his inclination) makes a few friends. Like the first book, the goodheartedness of the narrator, despite his learned mistrust, makes this a relatively gentle story even when murder and other nastiness is involved.

A totally different story from the first book. A mystery/detective/adventure story. It is set in the same world, and I liked it. Still, I didn’t love it as I did The Goblin Emperor.

>241 EllaTim: Your post touched me a lot, Ella. Treasure the time you have with your mum as tough as it is seeing her ill. One regret that I will always keep with me is my inability during COVID to get home to be with my mum in her last days.

>244 EllaTim: Pleased to see that the news is pretty good on the recovery front too!

((((((Hugs))))))

>244 EllaTim: Glad to read your mother is doing a bit better, Ella.

>246 PaulCranswick: I’m sorry Paul. I know you really wanted to be there, and it just wasn’t possible. So painful.
{{{{{{Paul}}}}}}

>247 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita!

A cold day. My front windows had to be kept open, as the painters had finally arrived. It was nearly freezing outside. Windows shut at 17.00 hours, but I have been feeling cold all evening. No patience for reading, listened to some music instead.

I have almost forgotten how cold it can get in a European winter.

Keep warm and have a good weekend, Ella.

>250 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Yes, every year it feels like a bit of a surprise. And now we are coming from a warm autumn, into a very chilly start of winter.

Finished a small one:
Nog pas gisteren by Maria Dermoût (Dutch) ****



The story of a girl growing up in colonial Indonesia, a dutch planters family. Beautiful descriptions of the country, house, people, and her family. All seems very idyllic, but then it becomes clear that there are shadows.
People leave, or become lost. The girl has to move away to Holland, leaving everything behind.
It’s a slow story, nostalgic, and beautifully written.

Unfortunately my mum died in hospital last week. We buried her this Monday. She was 96 years old. Born in 1926, one of ten siblings. I thought of what her life was like. First growing up in crisis years, then WWII. Then working hard to build a life with my dad.
She was independent minded, still doing what she could do for herself.
And I’m missing her a lot, the small things, thinking of telling her something, that kind of thing. She always cared, still cared.

And on top of it I have Covid. I did feel like I wanted a break.

>253 EllaTim: So sorry your mother died, Ella, my condoleances.
So while you try to cope with your loss, you got Covid. I hope it is a mild case, and you feel better soon.

>254 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! It feels mild, and I was vaccinated.
And thank you for your condoleances.

My mother made me a reader! She taught me to read in kindergarten. And she gave me a library card when I was six. All women in her family loved to read. She kept reading, until last year.

Oh, Ella! I am so sorry to hear this. Sending my condolences too. I hope your covid isn't too bad and that at least you can rest and take care of yourself.

{{hugs}}

Oh, Ella, I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. She must have lived through so much in her life. Good that you took some time off to look after yourself.
I hope covid isn’t too dreadful for you and that you recover quickly.

Sorry your mother died, Ella, my condoleances.
Glad you only have mild symptoms, hope you get better soon and recover.
All the best wishes!

I am so sorry for your loss, Ella. That's a tough one. Sending many hugs your way.

I'm very sorry that your mother died last week, Ella. Prayers go out from me to you and your family. It's very hard to lose a beloved parent, even if she or he has lived a long life, and even though it's been just over a year since my father's death his absence is still a very painful one, although my mother and I focus on the innumerable good memories of him.

I hope that you recover quickly and completely from your COVID-19 infection.

My deepest condolences, Ella on the loss of your mother. She sounds like a very special woman. "My mother made me a reader!" That is great. My mother gave me the same gift.
I hope you rebound quickly.

I'm sorry to hear this news, Ella.

So sorry for your loss. mrsdrneutron's mom was born around that same time, and looking back on her life, yeah, it's amazing how the world changed.

I'm so sorry about your mom and your COVID, Ella!

Hi Ella my dear, so sorry for the loss of your mother and both Karen and i send our condolences to you and your family, dear friend.

Hi Ella. I hope you are feeling a bit better today. I just posted something on my thread that I bet will make you smile. I know it probably feels like you can't smile right now but I think you will be surprised.
(PS - it's the link to photos)

{{hugs}}

Hi everyone, thanks for your kind words. I need them right now!

>260 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl. It’s so good you can share memories with your mother, supporting each other. Shared grief and shared love.

>266 jessibud2: Stuck in the house, because of Covid quarantine, I’ll come over to visit yours, Shelley!

Finished a Donna Leon:

The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon (USA/Italy) ****



A beautiful title for what was a touching and sad story. Brunetti is asked to do research on something that happened years ago: the granddaughter of a friend nearly drowned, and suffered brain damage as a result. Was it really an accident, or was there more to it?

Merry Christmas

>269 johnsimpson: Thanks John! And a merry Christmas to you and yours too.

The Last train to London by Meg Waite Clayton ****



Story dealing with the Kindertransport, before WWII, from Germany and Austria to England.

The start was a bit slow, and the writing seemed a bit stilted at first. But after the first chapters it picked up.
Part of the story is set in Austria, so there are scenes of the Anschluss, a background of what happened to Jewish people there.
Part is the story of Truus Wijsmüller, a Dutch woman, who started helping children get out of Germany from 1936 on. There’s a statue of her somewhere in my neighborhood. A smart, and courageous woman.
Set in such difficult times, it still was a good story. So sad though when you read it, you know that the children survived but their parents did not.

Malaysia's branch of the 75er's wishes you and yours a happy holiday season, Ella.

Thanks, Paul! Wishing you the same.

>274 Berly: Thanks Kim! Nice to see you.

Reading now:
De mooie voedselmachine by Giulia Enders

All about our guts, and the microbes that live in it. Very interesting.

My twelfth day of Covid. Yuck. People stay safe. There seems to be a lot of virus doing the rounds.
Looking for good info? There's a thread here on LT that has lots of up to date reliable information:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/343783#n8006743

It's a bit scary, Covid has a lot of negative effects on the body. Like negative impact on immune system, leading to worse immunity against other infections. Heart problems, etc etc.
But I think better to know what we are up against than sticking our heads in the sand.

Staying in, the ideal opportunity for listening to podcasts as well. Händels Messiah now.

Also reading: De Goudsmit en de Meesterdief which turns out to be a reissue of Verhalen van de Tweelingbroers. Strange, why change the title, confusing.

Sorry you are dealing with COVID. I am dealing with the fatigue of long-term C. Ugh. Take care!

>277 Berly: Oh yuck, I’m sorry about that. You take care as well.

Still testing positive today. Took a walk outside, icy cold rain. Time for some warming ginger tea. Flocks and flocks of starlings in the trees behind the house. Roosting for the night.

Sorry. Hang in there.

Hi Ella!

Alas, it's line in the sand and onward to next year's threads, I'm afraid. One of my new year’s resolutions is to be a better LT friend.

>280 Berly: Thanks Kim! Finally a negative test today. Hurray!
Still, I feel tired. Tomorrow a quiet evening, for me. No visiting, I don’t feel up to it.

>281 karenmarie: Hi Karen! So nice to see you here. Yes, hurray for LT friends. Wishing you a good 2023!

>282 EllaTim: Finally! Take it easy now, just like you said. : )

I finished the count of books read this year, 63, not as bad as I thought.

Top books:
***** stars:
De Herinnerde Soldaat by Anjet Daanje ( dutch, 2019, 538 pp) *****
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield (UK) *****
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison ***** (reread)

****1/2 stars:
Knot of Shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy, USA, novella) ****1/2
De Schilder en het Meisje by Margriet de Moor (Dutch) ****1/2
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (UK) ****1/2

Happy find:
The Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon!

I'm still tired, going to do the rounds.
Starting up a thread in the 2023 group!

It's here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347038

Everybody: This has been such a nice and supportive group again this year. I'm glad to take part.
Wishing all a happy new year in 2023. And lots of health, and fun, and good reading.

It is nice and supportive because people like you are in it, Ella.

Happy New Year, dear lady and get well quickly and fully.