(Sir)Thomas is reading through the world and the year

This was New Year's Day three years ago - beautiful, but no snow - this year here will be no snow again - and no frost either.

Have a good slide into 2019 for all of you and welcome to my thread.

Hi everybody, my Name is Thomas, I am 58 years young and I live in a small town in northern Baden Württemberg, Germany.
2018 was a good reading year for me - 151 books.
This is my 8th year in this awesome group, and every year is going better and better.

I have also recovered from the loss of many books due to the move.

But as Umberto Eco said:
Throwing a book away after reading it
is like when you don't want to see a person again,
with whom you have just had a sexual relationship.
When that happens, it was just
physical need, not love.

My reading performance in this group:
2013: _84 books
2014: 109 books
2015: _78 books
2016: 107 books
2017: 130 books
2018: 127 books
2019: 151 books

A great idea from Paul Cranswick 3 years ago was A BOOK A YEAR FOR THE FIRST 55 YEARS OF MY LIFE
This is my updated list:
1961 Ein Mann in einer fremden Welt / Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
1962 Die Physiker / The Physicists: A Play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
1963 Platon im Stripteaselokal / Misreadings by Umberto Eco
1964 Am Freitag schlief der Rabbi lang / Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
1965 Der Wüstenplanet / Dune by Frank Herbert
1966 Die phantastische Reise / Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov
1967 Die Vergangenheit der Zukunft (Future History) / The Past Through Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein
1968 2001 - Odyssee im Weltraum / 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
1969 Papillon / Papillon by Henri Charrière
1970 Und die Großen läßt man laufen / Murder at the Savoy by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö
1971 Der Exorzist / The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
1972 Sieh doch die Harlekins / Look at the Harlequins! by Vladimir Nabokov
1973 Momo oder die seltsame Geschichte von den Zeit-Dieben und von dem Kind, das den Menschen die gestohlene Zeit zurückbrachte / Momo by Michael Ende
1974 Carrie / Carrie by Stephen King
1975 Dhalgren / Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
1976 Interwiew mit einem Vampir / Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
1977 Sternentanz / Stardance by Jeanne Robinson & Spider Robinson
1978 Stadtgeschichten / Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
1979 Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis / The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
1980 Der Name der Rose / The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
1981 Cujo / Cujo by Stephen King
1982 Freitag / Friday by Robert A. Heinlein
1983 Christine / Christine by Stephen King
1984 Der Talisman / The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub
1985 Contact / Contact by Carl Sagan
1986 Es / It by Stephen King
1987 Der Elektrische Mönch: Dirk Gently's Holistische Detektei / Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
1988 Fool on the hill / Fool on the hill by Matt Ruff
1989 Hyperion / Hyperion by Dan Simmons
1990 The Stand / The Stand (unabridged) by Stephen King
1991 Sofies Welt / Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder
1992 Fräulein Smillas Gespür für Schnee / Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg
1993 Alpträume / Nightmares & Dreamscapes by Stephen King
1994 Asche zu Asche / Playing for the Ashes by Elizabeth George
1995 Dunkle Kammern / The Dark Room by Minette Walters
1996 The Green Mile / The Green Mile by Stephen King
1997 G.A.S. / Sewer, Gas and Electric: The Public Works Trilogy by Matt Ruff
1998 Wächter der Nacht / The Night Watch by Sergej Lukianenko
1999 Die 13 1/2 Leben des Käpt'n Blaubär / 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers
2000 Das Haus = House of leaves / House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
2001 Jack Taylor fliegt raus / The Guards: A Novel by Ken Bruen
2002 Die Bibel nach Biff : die wilden Jugendjahre von Jesus, erzählt von seinem besten Freund / Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
2003 Ich und die anderen / Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff
2004 Der Turm / The Dark Tower by Stephen King
2005 Olympos / Olympos by Dan Simmons
2006 Am Ende war die Tat / What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George
2007 Der Tod und der Dicke / Death Comes for the Fat Man by Reginald Hill
2008 Das Spiel des Engels / The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
2009 1Q84 / 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
2010 Raum / Room by Emma Donoghue
2011 5 Dinge, die Sterbende am meisten bereuen / The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware
2012 Glaube der Lüge / Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
2013 Das Dickicht / The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale
2014 Die Seiten der Welt by Kai Meyer
2015 Opferweg / Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
2016 Lovecraft Country / Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
2017 Und dann steht einer auf und öffnet das Fenster by Susann Pasztor
2018 Von der Kunst, schlechte Nachrichten gut zu überbringen by Jalid Sehouli
2019 Kurt by Sarah Kuttner

Reading List for January
1. 120, rue de la Gare / 120, rue de la Gare by Leo Malet
2. Nestor Burma in der Klemme / Nestor Burma contre C.Q.F.D by Leo Malet
3. Fischwinter by Keto von Waberer
4. Achtsam morden by Karsten Dusse
5. Agatha Raisin und der tote Richter / Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton
6. Heimsuchung by Jenny Erpenbeck
7. Die Ernte des Bösen / Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
8. Teufelsfrucht by Tom Hillenbrand
9. Einfach so weg by Ayse Bosse and Andreas Klammt
10. Suna by Pia Ziefle
11. Blinde Vögel by Ursula Poznanski
12. Der Mann, der kein Mörder war / Dark Secrets by Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt
13. Totenklage / Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham
14. Totenspiel / Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham

Reading List for February
15. Die Brücke der Vögel / Bridge of birds : a novel of an ancient China that never was by Barry Hughart
16. Die Hölle ist die Abwesenheit Gottes by Ted Chiang
17. Tödlicher Mittsommer / Still Waters by Viveca Sten
18. Der unvergleichliche Jeeves / The Inimitable Jeeves by P G Wodehouse
19. Straßen der Erinnerung: Reisen durch das vergessene Amerika / The Lost Continent: Travels in small-town America by Bill Bryson
20. Mitten aus dem Leben: Wenn ein Sturm deine Welt aus den Angeln hebt by Arne Kopfermann
21. Die Känguru-Chroniken: Ansichten eines vorlauten Beuteltiers by Marc-Uwe Kling
22. Fiona: Als ich tot war / The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham
23. Die unglaublichen Abenteuer des Barnaby Brocket / The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
24. Das mechanische Mädchen / Glitches by Marissa Meyer
25. Wie Monde so silbern / Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Reading List for March
26. Angst und Schrecken in Las Vegas / Fear and loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
27. Ein Gesicht in der Menge / A face in the crowd by Stephen King & Stewart O'Nan
28. Wahlkampf by Eva Rossmann
29. UR by Stephen King
30. Trauer: Der Reiseführer durch ein fremdes Land by Katrin Brunner and Petra Paul
31. Ticktack / Tik-Tok by John Sladek
32. Weißer Tod / Lethal White by Robert Galbraith and Petra Paul
33. Dann eben nicht, Jeeves / Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
34. Fiona: Unten im Dunkeln / This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham

Reading List for April
35. Fiesta in Havanna / The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons
36. Tod im Schärengarten / Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
37. Die Feuer von Eden / Fires of Eden by Dan Simmons
38. Trix Solier, Zauberlehrling voller Fehl und Adel by Sergei Lukyanenko
39. Ausgejodelt by Eva Rossmann
40. Die Tote im See / The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
41. Grabt Opa aus! by Tatjana Kruse
42. P. S. Ich töte dich by Sebastian Fitzek
43. Die Entdeckung der Fliehkraft by Kai Weyand
44. Schottensterben by Gordon Tyrie
45. Verrückte Zeit / Crazy Time by Kate Wilhelm

Reading List for May
46. Fiona: Wo die Toten leben / The Dead House by Harry Bingham
47. Nur du kannst die Menschheit retten / Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
48. Nur du kannst sie verstehen / Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
49. Nur Du hast den Schlüssel / Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
50. Alle Tränen dieser Erde / The Book of Brian Aldiss by Brain W. Aldiss
51. Tagebuch eines Killerbots / The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
52. Modesty Blaise: Die tödliche Lady / Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell
53. Matilda / Matilda by Roald Dahl
54. Der Buddha aus der Vorstadt / The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
55. Ein plötzlicher Todesfall / The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
56. Totenstille by Daniela Arnold
57. Der Elektrische Mönch / Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
58. Auf sie mit Gebrüll! by Hasnain Kazim

Reading List for June
59. "Die Bombe is' eh im Koffer" by Achim Lucchesi
60. Die Toten von Sandhamn / Guiltless by Viveca Sten
61. Dark Call - Du wirst mich nicht finden / When Darkness Calls by Mark Griffin
62. Hexen hexen / The Witches by Roald Dahl
63. Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse by Thomas Meyer
64. Die Messerkönigin / Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman
65. Und dann steht einer auf und öffnet das Fenster by Susann Pasztor
66. Ohrenzeugen by Wildis Streng
67. I.Q. / IQ by Joe Ide
68. Das infernalische Zombie-Spinnen-Massaker / This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong
69. Die Totgesagten / The Stranger by Camilla Läckberg
70. Engel aus Eis / The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg
71. Fiona: Das tiefste Grab / The Deepest Grave by Harry Bingham

Reading List for July
72. Das Wunder von Narnia / The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis
73. Der König von Narnia / The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
74. Dämliche Dämonen / Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham
75. Mürrische Monster / Demoneater by Royce Buckingham
76. Fiese Finsterlinge / Demoncity by Royce Buckingham
77. Stille Feinde / Righteous by Joe Ide
78. Jesus' Sohn / Righteous by Denis Johnson
79. Schnitzelfarce by Pierre Emme
80. Heurigenpassion by Pierre Emme
81. DarkSky: Die fremde Bedrohung by Bernd Stöhr
82. Ein Mann namens Ove / A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
83. Bis einer weint! - 20 böse Ratschläge für gute Menschen by Arian Devell
84. Intelligentes Golf: Gefühl ist erlernbar by Oliver Jungmann
85. Mörderische Schärennächte / Tonight You’re Dead by Viveca Sten
86. Weihnachtsmord auf Sandhamn / Julbord i skärgården und Ett gott nytt år by Viveca Sten
87. G.A.S. (GAS): Die Trilogie der Stadtwerke / Sewer, Gas and Electric. The Public Works Trilogy by Matt Ruff
88. Schneebraut / Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

Reading List for August

Reading List for September

Reading List for October

Reading List for November

Reading List for December

And now let the reading begin!
...next year ;-)

This year we drive to a New Year's Eve menu, there is not much time to read.

Best wishes for 2020!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Welcome back! Looks like your yearly total has been creeping up. Wish I could say the same! 😀

Happy reading in 2020, Thomas!

Wishing you 12 months of success
52 weeks of laughter
366 days of fun (leap year!)
8,784 hours of joy
527,040 minutes of good luck
and 31,622,400 seconds of happiness!!

>17 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana, the same to you.

>18 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul, how did you guess my good intentions for 2020 ;-), especially the last one is one of the most important.

>19 drneutron: Thank you Jim, let's see what 2020 will show.

>20 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, the same to you, most of all - books.

>21 cyderry: Thank you Chèli - we started the new year with champagne and red wine, so the bear carries the right things....

>22 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita, the same to you.

>23 Berly: Thank you, Kim, wishing you the same
2020 is a leap year - a day more for reading - YAY!

The plane is already on its way, but I found the wishes so beautiful that I want to share them with you:

Boarding for flight 2020!!!
Your luggage should contain only the best memories from 2019!
The bad and sad ones will be automatically disposed of beforehand for security reasons.
The flight duration is 12 months. Please fold up your tables, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the flight - the next stops are health, love, happiness and peace!

I wish a

fantastic JANUARY

loving FEBRUARY

remarkable March

wonderful APRIL

enjoyable MAY

successful JUNE

wonderful JULY

relaxing AUGUST

strong September

tasty OCTOBER

cosy NOVEMBER

and a happy DECEMBER

HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR

>25 SirThomas: So beautiful, Thomas. Thanks so much for sharing it.

>25 SirThomas: Glad I have a ticket on this flight!! Wonderful wishes.

Happy New Year, Thomas! The best to you for 2020!

>26 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, I'm glad you like it.

>27 Berly: Thank you, Kim, the same to you.

>28 paulstalder: Thank you Paul, this is a beautiful picture.

>29 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer, and for you.

Little by little I try to follow my friends on LT, but it still takes a while until I am up to date.
On Wednesday I was busy digesting, we visited a birthday party and we had guests ourselves. We didn't want to walk around the whole house wishing everyone a Happy New Year, so we just invited everyone to our place for a glass (or more) of Sparkling Wine. It was very nice.
Yesterday and today I have to work - but soon it will be weekend.

Digesting was hard work ;-).

We spent New Year's Eve with eating in a wonderful restaurant (1 Michelin star), the menu was georgeous:

- Attunement: A glass of champagne and finger food - duck liver terrine, lobster praline, parmesan crackers with white tomato foam
- Amuse bouche: yellowtail mackerel with champagne-lemon foam
- Perigord goose liver marinated in ice wine, dried fruit, mango coulis, brioche
- White Alba truffle, organic egg, potato foam
- White halibut on tomato artichoke ragout, vegetable cassoulet and Beurre-blanc
- Lemon Basil Sorbet
- Filet from Boeuf de Hohenlohe on porcini mushroom risotto, chalotte confit, truffle glace
- Robiola Roquefort cream, pear and fig ragout
- White tea ice cream, chocolate mousse, kalamansi foam
- Passion fruit mousse, dark chocolate from Valrhona, crispy praline mass, sorbet
The espresso was accompanied by various confectionery products - actually a full-fledged desert.

The breakfast on New Year's morning was also very tasty. We drove home very happy.

Oh wow, this menu sounds delicious.

Yes, it was!
Since the restaurant is only about 30 km away from us, we decided to eat there again.
(But maybe a smaller menu)

Now I have made many visits, now it is time for the books:


1. 120, rue de la Gare / 120, rue de la Gare by Leo Malet
In the POW camp, a dying gives Nestor Burma an address.
He begins to wake up from his lethargy. After his release he meets his assistant who calls the same address before he is shot.
The private investigator begins to investigate in Lyon and Paris.
Exciting, entertaining, black-humored.


2. Nestor Burma in der Klemme / Nestor Burma contre C.Q.F.D by Leo Malet
Nestor Burma wants to organize tobacco.
He sees a beautiful woman and has to flee into an air-raid shelter. When the attack ends, he follows her, but she can shake him off.
When he returns to the house where he first saw her, a body is found...
Again, very well written.
It's a pity that many clues that lead Nestor Burma to the solution are only revealed to the reader afterwards.
But that does not diminish the pleasure of reading.

Happy New Year, Thomas!

>34 SirThomas: This author sounds intriguing. My library has Die Sonne scheint nicht für uns and Das Leben ist zum Kotzen. Have you read them too?

>31 SirThomas: Now that's how you do New Year's Eve! It all sounds amazing!

>31 SirThomas: What a wonderful way to end the year, Thomas, looks delicious!

>35 ronincats: Thank you, Roni.

>36 Ameise1: The 2 books are very good to read, their age is hardly noticeable (1942 and 1945).
Unfortunately I don't know the books you mentioned, they seem to be quite gloomy, but very worth reading.
My library unfortunately has no books by Leo Malet at all. I only have some of the Nestor Burma series.

>37 mstrust: It was!
And we only paid a small additional charge for our room. So we had our own sauna in the bathroom.
After the sauna in the morning the breakfast tasted much better.

>38 FAMeulstee: It was very pleasant and very tasty.
Unfortunately we have no children, we don't like big parties and love good food.
So this New Year's Eve dinner came about of its own accord.

3. Fischwinter by Keto von Waberer
A collection of stories about encounters:
Das gläserne Zimmer
A hairdresser meets a customer and moves in with him for a short time. Then she marries someone else.
Was schlimm ist
Ein Mann erzählt einer fremden Frau auf einer Party, dass Männer besser altern und von seinem Seitensprung.
Der Mann im Mond
A woman on an island takes a young man into her house. Her husband, an absent film director, comes back for a short time.
Nora und Nora und Nora
A woman on the beach, she feels alienated herself.
Keiner weiß es
An old man sits in the zoo every day, he meets a young woman who is behaving strangely.
Herr Keim in der Unterwelt
A man comes into a restaurant, it has a new management.
He comes every day, even though he can't stand the food.
Im Spiegel ist Sonntag
A woman is trying to detach herself from her betrothed.
Das andere Gesicht
A woman enters into a relationship with a man, from many cities she had to flee.
Fischwinter
Teenagers and their secrets, a girl has a relationship, her best friend notices her brother.
But then everything falls apart.

Beautifully written stories, a lot remains unsaid and in the dark - not quite my kind of literature.

I did a little quiz that Paul S took over from Carmenere - I love the great ideas of this group.
https://modernmrsdarcy.com/quiz/
I am an Escapist:
If you're an Escapist, you believe that above all, reading is supposed to be FUN. You read because you enjoy it, but also because it helps you relax, especially when your real life feels crazy. You especially appreciate a book that feels impossibe to put down.

I can recognise myself in this description, but reading is quite more than fun for me - it is a livelihood.

>39 SirThomas: We are the same, Thomas, for me the best parties are with the two of us.

>41 SirThomas: I also got Escapist :-)

Hope 2020 is an outstanding reading year!

>42 FAMeulstee: From the number of your post it follows that escapists are the ultimate answer to all questions of the universe, Anita! ;-)

>43 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori - I wish you the same!
The first books of the year give me confidence.

Now to the next book:


4. Achtsam morden by Karsten Dusse
Björn Diemel is a lawyer with problems, he will not become a partner in the firm, as his only client is a mafia godfather. The client has access to him at any time of the day or night.
He has no time for his little daughter and his wife. She gives him an ultimatum, he should take a mindfulness training, otherwise she leaves him and he never sees his daughter again.
At first he thinks it is a crazy thing, but then he applies what he has learned. He becomes calmer, concentrates on the essentials, and in doing so, kills his client. The client was filmed during a murder and is looking for a way out. When Björn doesn't want to help him immediately, he threatens his daughter.
Carefully, he continues to lead the criminal empire in the name of the absent boss, trying to get his life under control, which he manages surprisingly well.
Funny, exciting, many good ideas, a great read.

>41 SirThomas: I got 'Social Reader', and reading is a big part of my life

>41 SirThomas: I took this quiz over on Carmenere's thread. I am An Explorer: The Explorer knows that a reader lives a thousand lives. This type enjoys experiencing a world of possibilities and firmly agrees that reading builds empathy. Explorers are thoughtful about what they read next. They are likely to get their book recommendations from their fellow readers and sometimes fellow travelers, the issues of the day, and their own research.

>44 SirThomas: Sounds brilliant. I've put it on my library list.

>45 paulstalder: "...and reading is a big part of my life" - of mine too!

>46 Berly: I can also recognize myself in the Explorer.
"Explorers are thoughtful about what they read next" - But this happens less often with me.

>47 Ameise1: Karsten Dusse will certainly not win a Nobel Prize, but it is great fun to read his book.

And now to a book that I owe to a note from Paul Cranswick - thank you for that.


5. Agatha Raisin und der tote Richter / Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton
Agatha Raisin has sold her PR agency and is withdrawing to the countryside. But country life is different than she had imagined.
When she submits a purchased quiche to a baking competition, the judge dies.
In the process, her attempt to cheat is discovered. Death is thought to be an accident, but she doesn't believe it and starts to investigate on her own.
Her name is Agatha, she reads Agatha Christie and the book reads like a novel by Agatha Christie in updated form.
A light reading pleasure.

Until now I have a 2/3 ratio in my reading:

2 female authors / 3 male authors
2 paper books / 3 ebooks
2 living authoer / 3 dead authors
2 3...star-books / 3 4...star-books

I am currently reading 2 female authors, a paper book (at home) and an e-book (on the go). Both are still alive.
Let's see what happens in future.

Beautiful picture at the beginning - and interesting statistics, Thomas! I started to watch the Agatha-Raisin-TV series which is quite fun. But I will skip those books. :)

>49 SirThomas: It's always funny to read Beaton's series.

>51 PersephonesLibrary: Thanky you, Kathy, it is a view from the city park to the town hall, a former castle.
In 2016 we had the "Landesgartenschau" here and everything was beautified. It has really become very beautiful.
I also try to avoid watching movies when I have read the book and vice versa. It is usually a source of displeasure.

>52 Ameise1: Yes it was a lot of fun to read the book. You are reminded of Agatha Christie, but Beaton has her own style.

It is really beautiful!

It is a kind of resignation... :-) because I know I will never be able to read all the books I want I need to "outsource" to movies, audiobooks... and I really like the Agatha adaptation.

This is also a good reason ;-).
In my reading choices I tend to be erratic and let myself be guided by the group and by friends - recommendations from my bookseller also help me.
Then I have my favorite writers - Douglas Adams, Elizabeth George, Stephen King, Matt Ruff, Dan Simmons,...
Otherwise I try not to think about which jewels I don't have the time for.

And another BB from this GG (Gorgeous Group) - thank you, Anita.


6. Heimsuchung by Jenny Erpenbeck
The english title "Visitation" doesn't quite fit - Heimsuchung is like the visitation of a plague.
A lakeside property in the east of Germany is infested with people. The history of these people is told, in relation to the property, from the Weimar Republic to the Nazi period and the time of the GDR until after the German reunification.
The owners do not always change voluntarily, the only constant is the gardener.
The language is very pictorial, there are always little jewels hidden, you have to stay alert while reading.
Sometimes the text is erratic, like the protagonists' thoughts.
The beginning was rather deterrent for me, but then I read myself firmly.
The references to German history make you think.
A beautiful book. - (by the way the same initials as book bullet ;-) )

Oh, Jenny Erpenbeck ks on ny to-read-list, too. I wanted to start with Gehen, ging gegangen but now I want to read Heimsuchung first! Happy reading weekend!

>56 SirThomas: You are very welcome, Thomas.
I got the last Nele Neuhaus from the library last week, I hope to read it soon.

>57 PersephonesLibrary: I think Gehen, ging, gegangen is her best book, Aller Tage Abend was also very good.

>57 PersephonesLibrary: I hope, you will enjoy it, Kathy.

>58 FAMeulstee: Enjoy it, Anita.
I think, Aller Tage Abend will be the next one by Jenny Erpenbeck , I have to look for Gehen, ging gegangen in our library.
But in between there are a few other books.

The next book is finished:


7. Die Ernte des Bösen / Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Robin Ellacott gets a leg sent to her.
Cormoran Strike can think of four psychopaths from his past who are capable of this.
The police are concentrating their efforts on the least likely.
As it hits the press, they lose almost all their clients.
They start investigating on their own and end up in danger, just like Robin's marriage to Matthew.
Exciting and pleasant to read.

Next book:
Teufelsfrucht
The suggestion came from a hotel bookcase (motto: get one - bring one). In Bittere Schokolade I was interested in the subtitle - a culinary crime novel. And this in a wellness hotel with first-class cuisine ;-).
So I took it home with me. But it is the 6th volume of the series, so I searched for the first volumes.
The beginning is promising.

>60 SirThomas: I loved that one, too.

>61 SirThomas: My library has got several books by Hillenbrand. Looking forward to reading your opinion.

Happy Sunday, Thomas.

Nice to see your thread ticking along blissfully, Thomas.

Sorry for the delay, we had this week som health issues.
At the beginning of the week my wife suddenly saw rainbows in her eye, I had severe circulatory problems.
So we spent the days with various doctors with various examinations.
Thank God it turned out to be nothing serious. Now we are looking forward to a nice quiet (reading) weekend.

>62 Ameise1: I love all her books I've read so far, she writes in such a way that you are in the middle of the story.
The review of the Hillenbrand book comes below.

>63 PaulCranswick: Sometimes this changes very quickly, as you unfortunately had to learn. With us everything is fine again, I hope with you too soon.

You can also read in a doctor's waiting room:


8. Teufelsfrucht by Tom Hillenbrand
A gastro-critic visits the restaurant of Xavier Kieffer. He wonders about it, as he offers Luxembourg home cooking and not star cuisine. When the critic dies during the meal, Xavier starts to investigate on his own and comes across a food scandal.
Quite nice and quite exciting - but culinary are only the Luxembourgish names of the dishes and the fact that a cook is investigating.
This area is much better implemented by Martin Walker.
But interesting was the good summary of how glutamate works and the production of vanilla.

9. Einfach so weg by Ayse Bosse and Andreas Klammt
A wonderful book for young people who are grieving for someone.
Everyone mourns differently and every kind is right. The book contains stories about dealing with grief, song lyrics, poems, comics and many pages for your own thoughts.
I haven't been a teenager for a long time, but the book has moved me a lot. My wife is a volunteer in the hospice association in the grief counselling, so I can say that the actual target group also finds the book very good and helpful.

10. Suna by Pia Ziefle
A baby that doesn't sleep and doesn't grow right. The doctor asks about the ancestors to find the cause.
So the mother sets off on a search, her mother is Serbian, her father Turkish, she was adopted by a German family.
She tells the story to her little daughter - a wonderful story of her family and her husband's family, about roots, about injuries, about healing.
Last year we had the Baden Württemberg Literature Days in our town and the whole city read a book - Länger als sonst ist nicht für immer - so I became aware of the author. This is her first book.

I became aware of the author because she has the same last name as a former nurse of my MIL.
It was worthwhile to read her books.


11. Blinde Vögel by Ursula Poznanski
The second volume of the series with Beatrice Kaspary. Two bodies are found, the woman has been strangled, the man seems to have shot himself. Beatrice doubts and continues to investigate. There are connections to a Facebook group that deals with poetry.
Some of the participants are behaving strangely, a journalist has also joined the group, is he involved? There are more deaths. The connections only become clear at the end of the showdown.
Interesting are the thoughts of the killer at the beginning of some chapters.
The book is written very well and excitingly, a real pageturner. Some things are a bit exaggerated, but that doesn't diminish the reading pleasure.

I'm glad you and your wife are better, Thomas. And you certainly did have a good reading weekend.

Thank you, Jennifer, health is ok again - and the books anyway.
Just in time for our trip to Hamburg next week.

My calendar had a saying this week from Udo Lindenberg:

Ich bin kein Mann für eine Nacht.
Soviel Zeit habe ich nicht.

I am not a man for one night.
I do not have that much time.

I am not a man for one night either - next week we have our 35th wedding anniversary.

Congratulations! Have a wonderful trip!

So glad none of the health issues were serious, Thomas! And an early Happy Anniversary!

Hope you have been enjoying Hamburg, Thomas.

Thank you, Jennifer, Roni and Paul.
Hamburg is a good town to spend hollidays in it. We enjoy every hour.
I left my tablet at home and the writing on my small smartphone is hard, so updates will follow, when we are at home again.

75 posts are done - 75 books, we will see...
Now we are back from a wonderful trip to Hamburg and it is time for an update:

Saturday morning we went to the railway station and we set out on our way to Hamburg.
It's a pity that you have to mention this extra, but we were lucky and our trains were on time.
Our apartment was fine, bedroom, living room with kitchen, dressing room, 2 bathrooms.
We went to town and strolled around - we had yummy sushi in the Se7en Oceans.
When we were back in the hotel we found that unfortunately a drain was leaking and it stank, so we got another room, just as nice. As compensation there was a bottle of good sparkling wine, so we let the day end comfortably.

Sunday we enjoyed a very tasty breakfast buffet, afterwards there was again a bottle of champagne in the room and a cheesecake - my wife had her 60th birthday. We strolled through the city again, later we enjoyed cake and champagne.
We had a small but fine birthday-dinner in the hotel:
Saddle of deer Tataki / flamed and stained butter mackerel
Grilled corn poussin / breast and leg of Paderborn country chicken
Sorbet

Monday we had a town day again and went for lunch in the Alsterhaus to Yoshi, a very fine japanese restaurant. We had a very tasty sushi plate - much better than the day before.

Tuesday we went to the Miniaturwunderland, the world's largest model railway. You must have been there!
In this week were kindergarten days, Children and caregivers were allowed in free of charge. In this way, even children whose parents cannot afford to pay the entrance fee can be admitted. So it was very crowdy and very very loud! But the shining eyes of the children were almost as beautiful as the model railway.

Wednesday we went to the Museum of Illusions, then we had lunch at Yoshi again. I had a very tasty wagyu beef, my wive her beloved sushi.
In the evening we went to Alma Hoppe, a very fine cabaret and comedy show.

Thursday we had a strolling day again and a very fine lunch in the Dining Room at Fraser Suites:
Coney Island Crab Cake / Times Square Tuna
Crunchy artichoke salad / Delaware River Sea trout
Sorbets
They don't have a Michelin star yet, but they really deserve one.

Friday we had a cultural day in Hamburger Kunsthalle.
Then we had Afternoon Tea in our hotel at a bay window:
Sweets
Champagne apple
Blueberry Tart
Macaron
Caramelised pear tart
chocolate tulip passion fruit
cream puff, vanilla cream, raspberry
Sour cream cream, orange compote, cress
French nougat
Hanseats
Scones
Nature & Chocolate
Apricot & Strawberry Jam & Clotted Cream
Sandwiches
Roast beef, truffle mayonnaise
Smoked salmon, Philadelphia horseradish cream
Classic cucumbers, Frisx cheese, chives
turkey breast, cranberry sour cream

After hours in heaven we went back to our hotel room - packing.

Saturday we went back home by train - again in time.

Yesterday we had our 35th wedding anniversary - very basic.
We slept late then we had breakfast and unpacked the suitcases.
For lunch we had homemade blini witch caviar and champagne.
As second course a noodle soup, one of our favourite dishes.
Christmas we had meat fondue. With this broth we made the soup - delicious.
In the afternoon we had tea with friends.

There were books too:


12. Der Mann, der kein Mörder war / Dark Secrets by Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt
Sebastian Bergman is an unappealing person, especially after the death of his wife and child. But he is almost a genius.
He pushes himself into a murder investigation and contributes to the solution It makes him feel a little better, but he upsets the others lifes.
A quite nice book.

13. Totenklage / Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham
Another BB from this gorgeous group, this time by Paul Cranswick - thank you again, Paul.
D. C. Fiona Griffiths is a junior member of the police and has to investigate a murder of a prostitute and her daughter.
She is really good in her job, but she has problems with rules and orders. And she has her own mental issues...
A very thrilling and interesting book.

14. Totenspiel / Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham
The second book of the series.
Two bodies are found - in pieces. Fiona is investigating again - and in her own life. She wants to know why she is what she is.
She always manages better to lead a normal life.
Another reading pleasure.

And The stats for January:

Books read: 14
Pages read: 5,097 (longest 672 / shortest 169 / average 364)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

Austria: 1 / 1 / 1
England: 3 / 3 / 2
France: 2 / 2 / 1
Germany: 7 / 7 / 7
Scotland: 1 / 1 / 1
Sweden: 2 / 2 / 2

Sum: 16 / 16 / 14

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 7 / 7 / 7
male authors: 9 / 9 / 7

alive authors: 13 / 13 / 12
dead authors: 3 / 3 / 2

date first published:
20th century: 1942, 1945, 1991, 1992
21th century: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 (2 books), 2013 (2 books), 2015, 2018 2019

Your trip and anniversary sound wonderful! You did it up right with all that Champagne.
Now I need an explanation of some of the dishes you listed. What is Champagne apples and hanseats?

Thank you, Jennifer, it was wonderful.
We do not drink very much alcohol, but special events must be specially celebrated.
I took some pictures of the tea-party:

They are not very good, too much backlight - I hope, you can see something.
The wine and the coleslaw in the back are from my lunch.

Hanseaten are some kind of Shortcrust pastry with a little bit jam and sugar glaze.
Champagne apple is a Champagne Cream with sugar glaze formed as an apple:

>76 SirThomas: Well you'll do it comfortably if current progress is any guide Thomas.

>82 SirThomas: The tea party looks grand. Champagne cream sounds like a must try.

what a great trip to Hamburg
and all the best for your new married year

>83 PaulCranswick: You are right, Paul, we are not the adventure travel type. Especially on a decadal birthday.
The Champagne cream was very tasty, not too sweet and very fine.
I don't know how if this one was the best one, but for us it was good enough.
And like Oscar Wilde says:
I have a simple taste, only the best.

>84 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul. We will try our best.

February also has beautiful books:


15. Die Brücke der Vögel / Bridge of birds : a novel of an ancient China that never was by Barry Hughart
Children are poisoned, Number Ten Ox is looking for help, Master Li, an ancient but irreverent Chinese sage is there.
An exuberant joy of telling, Magicians, dragons, gods, beautiful women, strong men, secrets, ...
Thank you, Roni for mentioning.

>60 SirThomas: I love the Robert Galbraith series.

>64 SirThomas: Thank goodness you are both feeling better.

Awesome trip, happy belated birthday to your special other, and also happy anniversary!

>78 SirThomas: >79 SirThomas: and Harry Bingham!!

Thank you, Kim, she is pleased.
So many good books - so little reading time!
When I am retired, I hope I will have more time to read.
But I enjoy my work and I will still be working for a few years.

I love your accounting of your trip to Hamburg. My maternal grandmother's parents were from there. And I'm so glad you enjoyed Bridge of Birds!

Thanks for the pictures of your Champagne apple, and the description of hanseaten. Those are both new to me, and interesting to see.

Belated congratulations on your 35th wedding aniversary, Thomas!
Your trip sounds wonderful, lovely pictures of the tea-party :-)

>89 ronincats: A city this fantastic can only produce ancestors of fantastic people.
I am happy about every recommendation from other readers, Roni.
If I do not like it, at least I have broadened my horizon.

>90 mstrust: You're welcome, Jennifer.
It was not only interesting to see, it was very tasty to eat.

>91 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. We had a really good time in Hamburg.

Speaking of recommendations:
The Stand by Stephen King.
In these times of the coronavirus the impact of the book is even bigger ;-).
The last time I read the book was at the end of August 2019. There will be a reread, but probably not this year.

>82 SirThomas: Yummy, now I'm hungry. Happy Sunday, Thomas.

>93 SirThomas: By the time I managed to finish The Stand the coronavirus could have wiped all of us out!

Now Sabine has passed without damages.
Sabine was a storm with gusts over 120 km/h with us.
Our precautions worked, the waste bins and the decorations on the balcony were temporarily stored in the underground car park. And are now back in their normal place.
There was also a lot of other work and meetings.
But now it is LT-time again.

>94 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, the same to you - another Sunday, the same good wishes.

>95 PaulCranswick: :-)
Yes, it is quite a hunk - but very worth reading.

I have also read a little:


16. Die Hölle ist die Abwesenheit Gottes by Ted Chiang
Recently the film Arrival was shown on our TV. The review was very good, and there was also a reference to the original.
I programmed the film on my recorder.
I haven't seen the movie yet - but I read the book ;-)
It contains 5 short stories:

Der Turmbau zu Babel / Tower of Babylon
For centuries people have been building the tower, now they have reached the vault of heaven.
Miners have been told to dig through the stone. The task is difficult.
Then there's a surprise.
A story from a parallel world.

Geschichte deines Lebens / Story of Your Life
(Filmed as Arrival)
Aliens come to Earth, they're just there.
Linguists are trying to learn the language. They succeed, but it has unexpected effects on the interpreters.
A parable about free will and knowing the future.
Food for thought.

Die Hölle ist die Abwesenheit Gottes / Hell Is the Absence of God
A man loses his wife through an angelic apparition and thereby finds love for God. But does God also love him?
Reflections on the question for what reasons we should love God.

Der Kaufmann am Portal des Alchemisten / The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights
A merchant meets an alchemist who has built a portal with which one can travel into the past and into the future.
He hears some stories of people who have travelled through the portal, then he travels to the past himself to make up for a mistake.
It does not work as he thought it would.
Again a parable about predestination.

Ausatmung / Exhalation
How will the universe end?
The protagonist examines himself and realizes that the universe will soon end by final pressure equalization. His race is non-human and lives on compressed air.
Despite the inevitable end, life makes sense.

Sometimes they are a bit strange stories, but they always give food for thought.

17. Tödlicher Mittsommer / Still Waters by Viveca Sten
The first book of a series placed in Sweden.
The book was quite exciting and easy to read. The author also has a good eye for details and for her protagonists. Her fate seems to be more important to her than solving the murders, which disappointed me a little.
A body is found on Sandhamn beach. The police are starting to investigate. There is much to suggest an accident.
But then his cousin dies too, now everyone is sure it was a murder.
When another body washes up, the situation gets worse.
The police are groping in the dark for a long time, the investigator, Thomas Andreasson knows the place and its inhabitants well, his childhood friend is vacationing there.
Very nice descriptions of the landscape, the reader wants to spend his holidays there ;-).
Nice to read.

Happy Friday, Thomas. Here in Davos the storm was almost 200 km/h. No chance to do anything. Only the grocery shopping took me out of the house.

>97 SirThomas: Sounds intriguing. But I couldn't find it in the libraries here (so far).

>99 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, I do not want to experience these wind speeds. I'd panic.
Even if I would not live under the roof - even if it's not my own.

>100 paulstalder: My copy is an ebook.
It was probably only published in Germany, the individual stories are apparently also included in other books.
Unfortunately, our city library has no Ted Chiang books at all.

Wishing you a great weekend, Thomas.

Thank you Paul, I'll do my very best.
Yesterday, it was sunny and we opened the barbecue season with turkey steak and sausages. But it was a little bit fresh, so we were eating indoors.
Afterwards I read something in the beach chair. Sheltered from the wind and sunny.
Today begins the highlight of the year - Horse market.
There are some horses and agricultural machinery. But nowadays more important: A big amusement park and a lot of market stands. There are brushes, aprons, candy, knives, pots...
Everything your heart desires.

18. Der unvergleichliche Jeeves / The Inimitable Jeeves by P G Wodehouse
A rich simple-minded idler, dependent on his butler. Jeeves is loyal, but doesn't always take his master seriously.
Short, funny stories that make fun of English society life.
Reading the book is like visiting your great-grandparents, they are from another time, but you love them anyway.

19. Straßen der Erinnerung: Reisen durch das vergessene Amerika / The Lost Continent: Travels in small-town America by Bill Bryson
The author travels through America in the footsteps of the vacation trips of his childhood.
He loves America, but not the Americans.
The book is well written, but it's always the same, no matter where he is. Beautiful landscapes ruined by the people. Cities that could be beautiful, but are just motels, drive-ins and shopping malls. Stupid incompetent people.

wish you a good new week

>105 SirThomas: I had a similar reaction. The majority of Bryson's memoirs are fun, but this early one had a different tone, with passages of such snottiness.

>106 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul. Wishing you the same (a little bit belated)
A wonderful picture - spring is coming! I love it, even though I have hay fever. But the colours in spring are almost as beautiful as in autumn.

>107 mstrust: I thought it would be good to begin with the first book of the series. In this case it was obviously a mistake.
I think I will give Bryson another chance - later.

20. Mitten aus dem Leben: Wenn ein Sturm deine Welt aus den Angeln hebt by Arne Kopfermann
The author is a Christian musician and composer. He causes a car accident in which his 11-year-old daughter dies.
In the book he describes how he copes with the death, also with the help of his family and friends. And how he keeps his faith in God.
Very beautifully written, he has also inserted many texts from his songs.

Two quotes:
Gott erhört unsere Gebete oft nicht auf die Weise, wie wir es uns gewünscht hätten, sondern er antwortet vielleicht auf das Gebet, das wir gebetet hätten, wenn wir gewusst hätten, was er weiss.

God often does not answer our prayers in the way we would have wished, but he may answer the prayer we would have prayed if we had known what he knows.

Viele Leute haben keinen Plan, wie sie mit jemandem in einer akuten Verlustsituation ein Gespräch führen sollen. Ich weiß nicht, wie oft ich ich den ersten Wochen den Satz "Ich weiß gar nicht, was ich sagen soll" gehört habe. Und daran ist überhaupt nichts verkehrt! Man muss nicht krampfhaft versuchen, für etwas Worte zu finden, für die es letztlich auch keine Worte gibt. Rick Warren nent das "to show up and to shut up" - da zu sein, aber alle unnötigen Worte wegzulassen.

Many people do not have a plan how to talk to someone in an acute loss situation. I don't know how many times in the first few weeks I heard the sentence "I don't know what to say". And there is nothing wrong with that at all! You don't have to try desperately to find words for something for which there are ultimately no words. Rick Warren calls it "to show up and to shut up" - being there, but leaving out all unnecessary words.

>109 SirThomas: You've read an interesting book here, Thomas. I like Arne's songs. https://www.arnekopfermann.de/
I will have a look for this book, another one on my wishlist

Last November we went to a concert in the next village, where he read from the book and also played songs whose texts are printed in the book.
It was a beautiful evening, despite the serious topic (or just because of that?).
He's a great musician, so are his band mates.
Did you know that he is a big fan of the Gilmore Girls?
My wife and I are now too.

This group is definitely the wrong place to shrink the wish list, or reaching the top of Mount TBR ;-).

>104 SirThomas: It is scary to think, Thomas, that the brilliant Wodehouse probably wouldn't get published today as his beautifully sedentary foolery would surely not be fashionable.

Have a splendid weekend.

Happy Sunday, Thomas. You did some great reading.

>112 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. The same to you.
Maybe Wodehouse could use self publishing - but how he would have found readers?
It's hard to imagine how many excellent books I never get to see.

>113 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. I wish you a wonderful Sunday too.
Well I do my very best ;-).

21. Die Känguru-Chroniken: Ansichten eines vorlauten Beuteltiers by Marc-Uwe Kling
The author is a musician and cabaret artist.
He describes in short stories how a communist kangaroo moves in with him and makes a mess of his life.
Some are great, some are boring.
A light reading pleasure.

>115 SirThomas: A communist kangaroo would always get the jump on you!

>116 PaulCranswick: :-)

Now to somebody who really gets the jump on me (and many other people):


22. Fiona: Als ich tot war / The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham
Fiona as a covert investigator in a fraud investigation. Actually a small case, but it soon turns out that the matter is expanding. The criminals will stop at nothing, who who rebels dies.
Due to her illness, Fiona has advantages because she can easily adjust.
But she merges more and more with her cover identity.
Written in an exciting and great way, I love the series!
Unfortunately, the next volume will not be available in my library until the beginning of April, I feel like a little child waiting for Christmas.

23. Die unglaublichen Abenteuer des Barnaby Brocket / The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
Barnabys family is perfectly normal - and lucky with it.
But Barnaby is different, gravity is pulling him up, not down. First his family tries to hide him, but one day he gets lost and finds many new friends all around the world.
A wonderful little story about friendship and the point that it is ok to be different. And what you do to people when you force them into a corset of conventions. Even Barnaby's parents didn't become who they are by choice.
I liked the book very much and the illustrations by Oliver Jeffers.
Thanks to Stephen (SirFurboy) for mentioning me this little jewel.

24. Das mechanische Mädchen / Glitches by Marissa Meyer
A short story that tells how, as a little girl, Cinder came to live with her stepmother and stepsisters.
Quite nice, but Cinder which I'm currently reading I like better. It's more humorous and better written.
Maybe I should have read this book afterwards.

>115 SirThomas: The Kangaroo stories are great fun.

>118 SirThomas: I definitely should read a Bingham book.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Thomas.

>121 Ameise1:
Yes the Kangaroo stories are a fun-read.
Yes you should!
Thank you, Barbara, I wish you a wonderful weekend, too.

25. Wie Monde so silbern / Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A new version of Cinderella, except Cinder is a cyborg. There are stepsisters, a stepmom and a prince.
But not as expected. And also a queen of Luna who can manipulate brains, a dying emperor and lots of action.
Fairy-tale science fiction - very nice to read.

February was longer than usual, but it is already over - time for statistics:

Books read: 11
Pages read: 3,274 (longest 530 / shortest 32 / average 298)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

England: 2 / 2 / 2
Germany: 2 / 2 / 2
Ireland 1 / 1 / 1
Sweden 1 / 1 /1
USA: 5 / 5 / 4

Sum: 11 / 11 / 10

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 3 / 3 / 2
male authors: 8 / 8 / 8

alive authors: 10 / 10 / 9
dead authors: 1 / 1 / 1

date first published:
20th century: 1923, 1984, 1989
21th century: 2008, 2009, 2011 (2 books), 2012 (2 books), 2014, 2017

>118 SirThomas: I feel like a little child waiting for Christmas.

I love that description of the feeling of waiting for a specific book, Thomas!

Thank you, Paul - it is a lovely feeling to remember the days of childhood, when many things were carefree.

Sorry for the delay, this week was full of variety.
At the weekend we caught up my wife's birthday with the house inhabitants with sparkling wine and finger food.
We are 5 families in the house and are almost like a family among us. So it was a great pity that one of us couldn't be there, he got heart problems and surprisingly got a pacemaker. Meanwhile he is back home and he is doing well.
Then I had some meetings at work and several physiotherapy appointments.
We also had problems with the journey to our holiday, I had to change my booking. But now everything is clear, we go by car and the train shuttle to the island is also reserved. Now we just have to arrive in time.
On Friday we will start, this time the joy is a little bit clouded, because we don't know what else will happen. Italy has now quarantined whole regions.
So I hardly had time for LT, but I could read.

26. Angst und Schrecken in Las Vegas / Fear and loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Ein Reporter berichtet über ein Autorennen und über eine Drogenkonferenz, dabei ist er völlig zugedröhnt.
Ein Buch wie ein Drogentrip (nicht, dass ich eigene Erfahrungen hätte), manchmal erinnerte mich es an Charles Bukowski.

27. Ein Gesicht in der Menge / A face in the crowd by Stephen King & Stewart O'Nan
A lonely man watches baseball and sees people who have died.
He worries about his life without friends, then he sets off on his own and is not surprised by what he finds.
It's nice to read, but there are better kings.

28. Wahlkampf by Eva Rossmann
The first book of the Mira Valensky series. She is a journalist and writes for the society column. In an austrian election campaign she is to accompany a candidate. Then there are dead people. She and her cleaning lady start investigating the political swamp.
The series should get better - let's see.

29. UR by Stephen King
A teacher gets a pink kindle delivered.
He tries it out and finds that he can read stories of great writers from other levels of the Dark Tower on it.
He also tests other features, but then he attracts the attention of the Paradox Police.
A great little story about friendship and relationship.

>126 SirThomas: Belated happy birthday to your wife, Thomas.
I hope there will come no travel restrictions, both for you and us. We planned a short vacation in the north of our country next week, starting Monday...

Happy family greetings Thomas. I echo Anita's sentiments on the life restrictions.

Thomas--Happy belated birthday to your wife and I hope that travel restrictions don't get in your way. Also hope your friend is doing well after surgery. You're killing the books--29 already!

Happy birthday to your wife! It sounds like you had a good celebration.

Also hoping your travel plans aren't impacted. Anybody traveling to the US is having problems now.

>131 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita.
We hope for the best, the car has a full tank, the website of Sylt says everything is OK, tourists should come.
So we're leaving very early tomorrow morning.
I hope your trip can take place without any problems and wish you a wonderful vacation.

>132 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.
We try to live as normal as possible, without much panic. We are still just 60 (or just below) and have neither overweight nor high blood pressure. Our lungs are also OK.
But the precautions are necessary to protect the weak ones who are at risk.

>133 Berly: Thank you, Kim.
He is ok, a little tired, but the heart problems are gone. He is heading for his 89 birthday in a few weeks - the next celebration in the house ;-).
With about 300 pages per book it is not very difficult to reach this number, but you are right - I read a lot.

>134 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer, it was fine.

>135 ronincats: Thank you, Roni.
My boss was going to the USA next week and had already booked everything - motorhome, hotels,...
Now she has to cancel everything.
I'm not sure if the travel ban really helps, the virus is already in the country. Well, there is an election campaign...
At the moment, all seems to be ok for us.
Since we are travelling within Germany, I am hopeful.

30. Trauer: Der Reiseführer durch ein fremdes Land by Katrin Brunner and Petra Paul
The subtitle is: A travel guide to a foreign country.
And it fits very well. The book is divided into different regions (the individual mourning phases), with beautiful pictures and texts.
Since the phases are not linear, you can jump back and forth as needed.
The book is very helpful for mourners and for those who want to help them.

So, here we are. The travel was fine, we started at 5 in the Morning and were on the island at half past 3 pm.
The dinner in the restaurant was tasty.
Today we had North Sea crabs that were not poultry-raised in Morocc, scrambled eggs and champagne at home. It is our traditional first lunch here.
In the afternoon we had a long walk at the beach.



The mood is a little bit scary, all public events are cancelled, schools are closed. Everybody has only one theme: Corona.
Some restaurants are closed, too. Denmark has closed the borders.
We will stay as long as possible and will see what happens.

I hope you have an excellent, worry-free vacation, Thomas. I know it's hard not to be tense, but you have a very pretty beach.

Thank you for the good wishes, Jennifer.
We had two wonderful days on our favourite island.
Now we are packing, we have to depart tomorrow.
Tourists are no longer allowed here, because if CORONA breaks out, there are not enough clinic beds for tourists and locals.
I can understand this decision, but is very short-term.

>141 SirThomas: So sorry, Thomas, but indeed understandable on an island...
We still hope to leave for our short vacation tomorrow...

>139 SirThomas: Beautiful beach. Glad you managed at least a short visit. Safe trip home and stay well.

We needed some time to come to terms with the situation, so I'm not getting back to you until today.

>142 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita, I'm glad you were able to enjoy your trip.

>143 Berly: Thank you, Kim.

We decided to go early in the morning, because we had 800 km to drive. So we went at 4:30 am to the car train loading.
We were not the first in line. The train started rather punctual.
The ride was surreal, very little traffic.
The rest stops were almost completely empty.
At 3:30 pm we arrived at home, tired but safe.
The next days we went shopping - we were low on supplies, since we wanted to be away.
Again surreal, few people on the road, empty shelves. But we got everything we needed.
There are hamster purchases, most sought after are disinfectants (which I can understand) and toilet paper.
I have no idea why you need lots of toilet paper.

I remember a meme that was sent to me:

2019:
The 10% of the richest people own more than 50% of the wealth.

2020:
The 10% of the stupidest people own more than 50% of the toilet paper.

On Thursday we went shopping again, some medicine, flowers and a CD with healing songs for my sister in law. She is infected. She is quite well, she "only" has a high fever, but is depressed. My brother and nephew are fine, they are all in quarantine at home.
It's hard when you put your stuff outside the locked door and don't see anyone. Even though I hadn't touched anything and was far away from the front door, I had a fearful feeling.
It's easier to understand how panic can arise.

Now all shops and restaurants are closed, only food shops and markets are allowed to open.

And there were still CORONA parties, now there is a ban on assembly.
I don't understand the people, you can see the pictures from Italy, where the doctors have to decide who will be connected to the ventilators and who will not - and die. This is what the authorities want to prevent by sealing people off - and these idiots only think about themselves, because they think that the boys are protected. That may be true, but they're infecting other people...

I'm so sorry your family has it. It's great that they have someone like you who will deliver medicine and gifts when they can't go out. I don't know what's up with the toilet paper.
It's Spring Break here, a time when college students traditionally flock to beaches for bacchanal parties, and some are still trying to do that, though the media is coming down on them.
Stay healthy, Thomas!

Thank you, Jennifer.
She is much better today, the fever is down to 37,5°C (99.5°F), so we are hopeful.
In these difficult times there are also good things. People realize what's really important.
This morning someone put a bag of rolls in front of their door, later someone a bag of pretzels.
We had a house-meeting today - everyone on his own balcony, so we were able to talk to each other and see that everyone was doing well.
We are about 60 years old and almost the youngest in the house.

Oh, yes, there were a few books:


31. Ticktack / Tik-Tok by John Sladek
A robot discovers that it is not bound by Asimov's laws and becomes a mass murderer.
A satire on contemporary society and politics.
Quite funny.


32. Weißer Tod / Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
The 4. Cormoran Strike - I love it.
A disturbed young man wants a murder to be solved, he believes to have seen as a child. But was there a murder?
A minister is blackmailed, later he's dead - suicide?
Robin is married, but is she happy?
Exciting and well written.

>145 SirThomas: LOL!!

>146 SirThomas: Best wishes to your SIL. It is scary indeed.

>I love the series by Galbraith!

Happy Sunday and stay well. And don't use up all the TP.

Stay well and hope your SIL continues to improve, Thomas!

Thank you for the good wishes, Kim and Roni.

33. Dann eben nicht, Jeeves / Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
An easy little book in hard times.
Bertie wants to help, screws it up up, Jeeves has to save everything again.
Nice and fine.

There is also good news, apparently you can buy toilet paper again - we hope the best.
Today I took advantage of the sunny but cold weather and cleaned our beach chair and impregnated the wood.
In the morning we took a walk into the fields where there are not many people. To see how green and blooming it is everywhere lifts the mood.

And the best! The public library informed me by mail that Fiona: Unten im Dunkeln was available, I downloaded the ebook immediately and started reading it already.

>154 SirThomas: Is it like the sighting of a dove that we are nearing land, Thomas? Toilet paper ahoy!

Stay safe.

Thank you, Paul.
We went shopping at Thursday - no TP at all.
This is not really a problem for us, we still have some stock. And we don't need so much either - we have a shower-WC, a very pleasant interior, we afforded it in our new apartment.
Yesterday we went to the cemetery and visited my mother in law - A very nice spring walk in the sun.
Few people on the way, all at a distance - as it should be.
On the way back we saw many people with a pack of TP in their hands, so it is really true!
Today we had our regularly balcony-meeting - All inhabitants of our house are well.

34. Fiona: Unten im Dunkeln / This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham
Another exciting book of the series - I love it.
A dead engineer - suicide?
A security guard falls off a cliff - accident?
Fiona starts to investigate, this time also on a fishing boat. Some things are related to the cases in the earlier books, but much remains in the dark.
I wait for the library to have the next book in the series available.

>156 SirThomas: Stay well, Thomas!
So strange that the availability of TP has become a subject ;-)
How nice these balcony-meetings, clever idea to keep in touch.

Thank you, Anita.
It is good to see people - even if it is only from a distance.
Tomorrow my work starts again - I go to the office and get my notebook, then I go home again. Here I made some space over the weekend and reactivated an old phone so that I have a kind of office number.
If the lines to the office remain stable, it should actually work - but at the moment many of our people are at home, so the load should be quite high.
Our holiday was quite relaxing despite all, even though we had the sound of the motorway in the background instead of the sea noise.
We have a nice balcony and were able to go out into nature every day.

Today is my third day in the home office, meanwhile it works out quite well.
On Monday I went briefly to the office and got my notebook, keyboard, mouse and monitor.
Then the setup started.
Here it is much quieter and I can work concentrated.
Nevertheless I am glad when I can separate private and professional life better again. Let's hope for the best.

The statistics for March:

Books read: 9
Pages read: 2,678 (longest 864 / shortest 64 / average 298)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

Austria: 1 / 1 / 1
England: 3 / 3 / 3
Germany: 2 / 2 / 2
USA: 5 / 5 / 4

Sum: 11 / 11 / 10

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 4 / 4 / 4
male authors: 7 / 7 / 6

alive authors: 8 / 8 / 7
dead authors: 3 / 3 / 3

date first published:
20th century: 1934, 1971, 1983, 1999
21th century: 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2020

And the first three months:

Books read: 34
Pages read: 11,049 (longest 864 / shortest 32 / average 325)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

Austria: 2 / 2 / 2
England: 8 / 8 / 3
France: 2 / 2 / 1
Germany: 11 / 11 / 11
Ireland: 1 / 1 / 1
Scotland: 1 / 1 / 1
Sweden: 3 / 3 / 3
USA: 10 / 10 / 8

Sum: 38 / 38 / 30

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 14 / 14 / 12
male authors: 24 / 24 / 18

alive authors: 31 / 31 / 25
dead authors: 7 / 7 / 5

date first published:
20th century: 1923, 1934, 1942, 1945, 1971, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1999
21th century: 2008 (2 books), 2009 (2 books), 2010, 2011 (3 books), 2012 (5 books), 2013 (2 books), 2014, 2015 (2 books), 2017, 2018 (2 books),2019, 2020

I'm wishing you success in your new workspace!

>160 SirThomas: Good luck working from home, Thomas.
I always love to see your statistics.

>162 mstrust: Thank you Jennifer, working is fine and I'm glad I can work. But I hope that sometime in the near future, normality returns.

>163 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita, I found another good idea.
I hope there will be few gaps left by the end of the year.

The alphabet according to my books read in 2020:

A: Achtsam morden
B: Blinde Vögel
C:
D: Dann eben nicht, Jeeves
E: Die Ernte des Bösen
F: Fiona: Als ich tot war
G: Ein Gesicht in der Menge
H: Die Hölle ist die Abwesenheit Gottes
I:
J:
K: Die Känguru-Chroniken
L:
M: Wie Monde so silbern
N: Nestor Burma in der Klemme
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S: Suna
T: Totenklage
U: Die unglaublichen Abenteuer des Barnaby Brocket
V:
W: Weißer Tod
X:
Y:
Z:

The alphabet according to the authors I read in 2020:
A:
B: Bingham, Harry
C: Chiang, Ted
D: Dusse, Karsten
E: Erpenbeck, Jenny
F:
G: Galbraith, Robert
H: Hughart, Barry
I:
J:
K: King, Stephen
L:
M: Meyer, Marissa
N:
O: O'Nan, Stewart
P: Poznanski, Ursula
Q:
R: Rosenfeldt, Hans
S: Sten, Viveca
T: Thompson, Hunter S.
U:
V:
W: Wodehouse, P. G.
X:
Y:
Z: Ziefle, Pia

Thomas--Glad your office space is up and running at home. Mine too. I just have to remember to close the door and actually do some work now! Looks like you are mastering the alphabet from both the books and author viewpoint!

Let see how far I can get.
But I don't want to let the alphabet pick out the books - if there are gaps at the end, it's OK.

35. Fiesta in Havanna / The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons
A book with real background.
Ernest Hemmingway worked as a spy in Cuba during World War II.
How Dan Simmons wrapped this in a novel is great.
After Hemmingways death, Joe Lucas, a former FBI agent, writes down how he was personally sent to Cuba by J. Edgar Hoover to keep Hemmingway under control.
But there are many who have their own interests, and Joe has to be careful to keep an overview. He cannot trust anybody.
Exciting, surprising, great.

Hope you have had a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Thomas.

Hej Thomas, wish you a good start into the new home office week. I am still 'on holidays' but Wednesday I have to work in the library again - and the Caritas shop in the afternoon. The library started uploading masses of texts the students ask for - whole books, chapters, articles ...

Shopping is strange, not many people, but enough of everything - and much better air !!

Happy Easter, Thomas!

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Thomas.

>169 PaulCranswick: Yes we had, Paul, thank you.

>170 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul, the week was fine.
It is amazing what can be done via video conference.
Most of our shopping we do at a farm shop, organic grocery store and a farm butchery.
There is good food and people keep their distance.
In the supermarket it's not so disciplined.

>171 mstrust: Thank you, Jenifer, the same to you!

>172 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, the same to you!

I hope you are all well!

I've been a little slow this week.
Except for work, I didn't get much in the line.
OK, Saturday I cleaned my patio tiles with a scrubber - that took almost the whole day, but now they are much brighter ;-).
Yesterday we watched the Easter mass on TV, St. Peter's was empty - terrifying.

There are also good news, my sister-in-law is now 4 days fever-free and the quarantine is lifted!

And there are also books:


36. Tod im Schärengarten / Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
The second volume of the series.
A lawyer is shot dead at the start of a regatta. Thomas Andreasson investigates again in his old home country.
Nora also reappears, her marriage problems have not improved.
The characters are described very well and act in a comprehensible way. The love affair of Martin Nyrén is described very well, even if one has an early idea who it is.
I think this book is better than the first one, it's not quite as chatty and the characters are already dear to your heart.

37. Die Feuer von Eden / Fires of Eden by Dan Simmons
A hotel complex next to the volcanoes in Hawaii. Guests die - are ghosts to blame?
An owner who wants to sell the complex and hides the dead.
Two women start investigating, neither of them is what she seems.
Not bad and also exciting, but I have the impression that the material would be better suited as a film.

38. Trix Solier, Zauberlehrling voller Fehl und Adel by Sergei Lukyanenko
A youth book full of fantasy and excitement.
Trix Solier, the son of a duke, has to fend for himself when his parents are killed by an intrigue. He tries his hand as a knight's squire, as an actor in a theatre company, and finally becomes an apprentice to a magician. Everywhere he finds friends and learns many new things until he manages to uncover a conspiracy.
A fun read.

>175 SirThomas: great to have good news about your sister. Hope she recovers fully.

Thank you, Paul, she is now completely healthy, just quite weak.
My brother's fine too.
Unfortunately, their son has a slight fever now - thank God he has no other symptoms. But they have been quarantined again.

It's still weird working from home. With every little break I have a bad conscience - this does not happen in the office ;-).
When I get off work, I leave the room so that I am not tempted to continue working.
Unfortunately, my PC is here, so LibraryThing suffers too.
But you get used to a lot.
Yesterday we placed a collective order for the whole house and ordered 9 pizzas. Since our favorite restaurant is not allowed to open, they now have a delivery service.
So we can support them a little bit.
At least the small shops can open again on Monday.
A good sign - and we got toilet paper yesterday!

I'm delighted to hear your sister is better.

Our local pizza place told my husband their business has actually gone up when he called to place an order on Monday!

You have a good Sunday too, Thomas!

Thank you, Roni.
Now we will go for a walk in the sun - where few people will be.
When you can no longer do everything you were used to, you pay more attention to the little things in the surroundings that you might not otherwise notice.
I took this picture on our last walk:

39. Ausgejodelt by Eva Rossmann
The second book of the Mira Valensky series.
This time she investigates the folk music scene in Austria.
A quite entertaining novel.

39. Die Tote im See / The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
I love the Marlowe books.
A man asks Marlowe to look for his wife.
He starts investigating, a body is found in a lake, but it has nothing to do with the current case - or does it?
Old but still intriguing!

40. Grabt Opa aus! by Tatjana Kruse
An inhibited young man inherits a retirement home.
But why is he being assassinated?
The residents are not what they seem.
Totally overexcited, the book cannot be taken seriously - and doesn't want to be.

Dropping by to wish you a peaceful and relaxing Sunday, Thomas.

Hope all is well, Thomas. Hope your weekend is all you want it to be.

Good to hear your sister is better, and fingers crossed that their son is doing okay.
Nice that you have a forest to walk in and that you're getting out.
We have a popular little Mexican restaurant down the street that we ordered dinner from last night. They're doing a brisk business in take-outs and since they are known for their margaritas, they've started selling them bottled to go.

© Light Art by Gerry Hofstetter / Foto Gabriel Perren

greetings from Zermatt
(Germany was part of the theme for the light show on the Matterhorn)

>186 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul - all is well. We had a busy weekend and cleaned all the windows. Especially the roof windows were very elaborate.
But it was worth it - tonight it rained a bit for the first time this month ;-)

>187 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer - he is ok and the fever drops a little.
The forest is beautiful, especially the air is so great.
Bottled margaritas - sounds like a good idea.

>188 paulstalder: Thank you Paul, what a wonderful picture.

42. P. S. Ich töte dich by Sebastian Fitzek
A collection of short stories:
1) Nicht einschlafen - Sebastian Fitzek
man hears voices trying to make him kill his wife.
He thinks he's crazy, what if he's wrong?
Very well done and exciting
2) Schöne Bescherung / Happy Holidays - Val McDermid
A policewoman and her husband, a profiler in search of a serial killer, can they find him before the next murder?
Not so good, a little conventional.
3) Fehler im System - Thomas Thiemeyer
A man thinks life is a simulation and wants to challenge the programmer by killing a person. The story involves addressing his victim before he starts the slaughter.
4) Der fast Perfekte / Det nesten perfekte - Torkil Damhaug
A man wants to kill someone, a woman feels watched and tries to escape, but is her savior what he seems to be?
5) Vita reducta – Petra Busch
A murderer is acquitted for lack of evidence, a relative wants to take revenge and lets him freeze to death in the cold, he seems to succeed, but is there a happy ending?
6 Späte Abrechnung / Christmas Even - Michael Connelly
A break-in at a pawn shop, the burglar dies. Was it really just a heart attack?
7) Ein ehrenwertes Haus - Markus Heitz
A man comes back to the house he lived in with his deceased wife after the reading of the will. Suddenly the tenants start going crazy and there are deaths.
Wie kann es sein, dass die Verstorbene sich rächt?
8) Der Winter nimmt alles / Winter Takes All - Michael Koryta
A carpenter thinks he can talk to the dead, he thinks his son has the gift too, but the latter resists. Until he's proven wrong.
9) Wünsche für Alison / Wishes for Alison - Steve Mosby
A man wishes only the best for his wife, but desire and reality do not always go together.
10) Monopoly - Judith Merchant
A woman has a drunken one-night stand and finds money in her pocket afterwards. She feels used and wants revenge. But was everything different?
11) Pulver / Pulver – Jens Lapidus
A birthday party of young men, drugs are found. How did it get in the pockets?
12) Das Haus auf dem Hügel - Markus Stromiedel
A man reports a murder, but the police find no body.
That doesn't mean that nothing happened.

43. Die Entdeckung der Fliehkraft by Kai Weyand
A teacher whose students are in prison. He sees himself as a philosopher and is in midlife crisis. He is somewhat estranged from his wife, they live side by side. He starts a pen friendship by e-mail with a woman he met at a mass. They get closer and closer. The neighbour's son is mentally handicapped, sees him as his friend.
Sometimes he visits his father in a nursing home, this relationship is not easy either.
Many philosophical questions arise, also from some of his students.
One of them does not know if he is rightly in prison, in the war he was decorated for killing, later he was put in prison for killing his sister's tormentor.
His bicycle dealer also seems to be a philosopher.
A book with many philosophers, many misunderstandings and life lies.
It is written in a very beautiful language, some things reminded me of the book Gut gegen Nordwind.
The open end bothered me a bit, but it gives me a chance to think.

44. Schottensterben by Gordon Tyrie
A body washes up on the beach. Nicol had a fight with the dead guy before, so he buries the body. He's being watched.
By humans and by a highland cattle.
Many have an interest in the corpse, a former professional killer who wants to be left alone, a woman who wants to protect her sister, an annoying tourist couple, a young married couple who have money problems.
Nice, satirical, a little overexcited.

>175 SirThomas: Glad you enjoyed book #2 of the Viveca Sten series. I am up for #3 in June!!

>179 SirThomas: I am so sorry about your sisters family. Round two of quarantine. Ugh. Glad they are all doing okay so far.

>181 SirThomas: Another person enjoying walks. : ) Stay happy and healthy!

Thank you Kim.
There are so many other books, so I think I could manage to wait until June too ;-)

My SIL is now allowed to go out, for my brother is it hard - he is healthy and may not go out.

While walking I get my head free, when you open your eyes, you see many beautiful things - we love it.
Unfortunately it is too far to walk to the forest, but over fields and meadows it is also beautiful.
To compensate, I am listening to Songs of the Wood by Jethro Tull - Good memories of the youth.

45. Verrückte Zeit / Crazy Time by Kate Wilhelm
A boy hacks into a computer, thus a demonstration of a new laser is going wrong.
A large insecure woman works as a psychotherapist.
A small man follows her to draw her. Then the laser beam breaks him down into his components before her eyes. He slowly learns to put himself back together.
The secret service smells a communist conspiracy and hunts them.
Funny, cynical and beautiful.

My library has informed me that the next volume of the Fiona Griffiths series is now available.
Hooray and out for reading!

>194 SirThomas: ...and there are good news!
My brother and his family are allowed back out, the quarantine was lifted this afternoon!

Glad your brother (and family) are allowed out again. Stay safe!

Freeeeedom!

>196 SirThomas: You can count the Griffiths for the BAC Challenge (British Author Challenge), Thomas.

>196 SirThomas: Yay, happy for you, Thomas.
Sadly only the first two books came out in Dutch translation, I loved them both.

>197 SirThomas: More happy news, very happy for your family.

>198 ronincats: Thank you Roni, the same to you!

>199 mstrust: Yaaaay, they are overjoyed.

>200 PaulCranswick: I'd love to, but does the book fit the bill?

>201 FAMeulstee: Thank You Anita, they are very happy.
I hope for you, that the other books will be translated soon, they are really worth reading!

And the statistics for April:

Books read: 11
Pages read: 3,902 (longest 640 / shortest 198 / average 355)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

Austria: 1 / 1 / 1
Germany: 4 / 9 / 9
Norway: 0 / 1 / 1
Russia: 1 / 1 / 1
Sweden: 1 / 2 / 2
USA: 4 / 8 / 7

Sum: 11 / 22 / 21

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 4 / 7 / 7
male authors: 7 / 15 / 14

alive authors: 9 / 20 / 19
dead authors: 2 / 2 / 2

date first published:
20th century: 1943, 1988, 1964, 1999
21th century: 2000, 2009 (2 Books), 2010, 2014, 2019, 2020

And another quote from my calendar:

Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
(James Russell Lowell)

>196 SirThomas: Hurray for Fiona! I love that girl.

>203 SirThomas: Nice job in April -- 11 books is not shabby.

>205 Berly:
Fiona:
Yes, she's awesome.
Unfortunately, there's only one book left for me at the moment.
I'll save it for later.

11 books:
well, I do my best ;-).

And May has also books:


46. Fiona: Wo die Toten leben / The Dead House by Harry Bingham
Again a great book, but the previous ones should be known to understand Fiona better.
The structure of the book is not really new, Fiona meets a corpse, makes connections that nobody else sees and investigates.
But the way the story is told is great. I liked the part in the caves, especially the way she oriented herself.
Her personal Professor Moriarty - Operation April doesn't play such a big role this time, but this is ok.
I love that series.

The next books were inspired by Pauls British Author Challenge


47. Nur du kannst die Menschheit retten / Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
Johnny Maxwell is actually a normal boy, not very popular, but with friends.
He's a good listener and very observant. When in a computer game the aliens send him a message and surrender, he answers them.
They don't want to fight anymore and ask him to give them free passage.
But there are the other players...
Lots of great ideas, lots of puns, I love Terry Pratchett.


48. Nur du kannst sie verstehen / Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
Johnny Maxwell takes a shortcut across the cemetery and is approached by a dead man.
At first he wants to ignore him, but then it turns out that the cemetery is to be built over. He wants to help the dead, but what can a child achieve?
As it turns out, quite a lot.


49. Nur Du hast den Schlüssel / Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
Johnny Maxwell saves a wounded vagrant. He puts the shopping trolley with her belongings in his garage while she is in hospital. But the cart has strange abilities.
How the grandfather paradox is solved, the description of the different trouser legs of the time, simply great.
A time travel novel by Terry Pratchet, a reading pleasure.

50. Alle Tränen dieser Erde / The Book of Brian Aldiss by Brain W. Aldiss
A collection of short stories, at the beginning it was a bit tough, but then I had read in.

Alle Tränen dieser Erde
A sterile world, feelings are suppressed. A man helps an entrepreneur to get angry so he can express his opinion in a meeting. Then he sees his daughter meet with a savage. Did she fall in love? It would seem so, but mankind has made arrangements for that.

Kurze Unsterblichkeit
A man steals an immortality serum and wants to sell it. He's already taken part himself.
On the run, he tries to get the best for himself, but it doesn't work out as well as he thought.

Komisches Inferno
People are dependent on robots, but see them only as soulless machines. But a man sees it a little differently.

Die Unterprivilegierten
Emigrants on their way to the promised land, but is the planet really paradise? or just a zoo .

In der Arena
Humans as gladiator fighters on a world ruled by insects.

Angstträume
The world is divided into rich and poor countries, each is afraid of the other. The earth is exhausted and yet you explore the planetary system and discover life.

Die letzten Worte
A kind of obituary for an artist

Geplant im Jahre 2001
The human race is going crazy. Some scientists are trying to save them. But what is real and what is hallucination?

Popping in to say Good Morning, Thomas!
The Pratchett books sound great, thanks for the reviews!

You're welcome, Jennifer.
The Pratchett books are youth books, which are also well suited for adults.

Sorry for the delay - home office mixes everything up a bit.
Normally when I get off work and close the office door, I'm in private mode. At home the private PC is next to the office computer, so I get a bad conscience every time I turn it on - even in the evening.
So I'm usually online with my smartphone, but it's very difficult to write with it.

But reading is okay ;-)


51. Tagebuch eines Killerbots / The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
A killer robot with organic components. It has reprogrammed itself and is no longer under human control.
He can keep this fact secret, but must use all his skills to protect his clients. It makes friends and kills.
It's a twisted adventure with depth. I loved reading it.
Actually, there are four books, and I was tempted to divide them up to increase my quota of female authors. But I guess it wouldn't have done much good either.
Thanks to Roni for the recommendation.


52. Modesty Blaise: Die tödliche Lady / Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell
Modesty Blaise is young, beautiful and deadly, a mixture of MacGyver, James Bond, and Bond girl.
With her helper Willie Garvin, she tries to prevent the theft of diamonds - using a variety of unusual methods.
Exciting, overexcited and nice to read, even though the book is almost as old as I am ;-).

53. Matilda by Roald Dahl
A little girl with ignorant parents. She loves to read (which makes her even more sympathetic). At school she finds friends and a loving teacher. But the headmistress is terrible.
But with intelligence and wit they manage to turn everything around.
A modern fairy tale with a lot of black humor - I love it.

In our country there are discussions about sense and nonsense of masks. Conspiracy theorists, in particular, are getting loud.
In one discussion I saw a nice example of the effect of masks:

Imagine you're all naked.
Suddenly someone pees on you - you're getting pretty wet.
If you wear pants, your skin doesn't get quite as wet.
If you both wear pants, your skin stays pretty dry.

Today I got good news from Tim - I got a badge!
10 years of full joy and fun!
In this awesome group I am only the 8th year, but it is certainly not the last time - I love being here!

Matilda is my favorite from Dahl, though I'm still finding more and more books from him that I didn't know existed.
>215 SirThomas: Congratulations!

I am celebrating the end of Ramadan, Thomas, a time of thanks and forgiveness and I want to say my thanks to all my LT friends for helping keep me somewhat sane these last few years.

>216 mstrust: Thank you, Jennifer.
You are right - an expedition to Dahl country is always worthwhile!

>217 PaulCranswick: Thanks a lot, Paul.
The same goes for you!

And the last books for May:


54. Der Buddha aus der Vorstadt / The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
The seventies in England, a teenager with an English mother and an Indian father describes his life.
He makes sexual experiences with both sexes, drugs and life and finds his destiny.
Partly written very drastically and sarcastically, but very worth reading.

55. Ein plötzlicher Todesfall / The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
A small English town, a local council dies unexpectedly. And already the intrigues about the succession start.
Under the idyll activity is bubbling and everyone has their own interests, nobody is left unscathed.
Bitterly evil and beautifully written.

56. Totenstille by Daniela Arnold
A serial killer in Augsburg who tortures his victims, a severely injured woman who is no longer recognized by her husband and daughter.
A dedicated policewoman who's new to the precinct.
Exciting and varied, but sometimes a bit bumpy.

57. Der Elektrische Mönch / Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Different storylines, which are interwoven one after the other. A monk from another dimension, a murdered software company boss. A detective looking for missing cats. Samuel Coleridge, a stuck sofa, an absent-minded professor, a ghost, a time machine...
Very nice, but the conclusion is a bit hasty.

58. Auf sie mit Gebrüll! by Hasnain Kazim
A guide to dealing with populists.
At first I was a little disappointed that there were very few concrete practical tips for me, but then the book made me think.
In this way it has fulfilled its purpose.
The book also gives good advice on how to differentiate between whether it makes sense to discuss - and it often does - and when not.
A very good quote from Daniel Patrick Moynihan:
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but no one is entitled to his own facts."

The statistics for May:

Books read: 13
Pages read: 3,869 (longest 577 / shortest 208 / average 322)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

England: 10 / 10 / 8
Germany: 2 / 2 / 2
USA: 1 / 1 / 1

Sum: 13 / 13 / 11

Counting mode: Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / all authors of the books / only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 3 / 3 / 3
male authors: 10 / 10 / 8

alive authors: 6 / 6 / 6
dead authors: 7 / 7 / 5

date first published:
20th century: 1962, 1972, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996
21th century: 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020

>219 SirThomas: Hey, I read that just about a month ago! Excellent writing.

I knew I must had the inspiration from this group.
But I had lost track.
Thank you for the recommendation - it was a pleasure again.

>214 SirThomas: I just posted the visual for the pee analogy on my FB thread -- makes things pretty obvious, doesn't it??!! LOL

>215 SirThomas: Hurray for the badge!! You've earned it. : )

>224 SirThomas: And you've read even more books in May. 13. Congrats.

I'm glad if it pleases you.

It is a wonderful thing to be rewarded for something, just to be part of something great for some time.

The books were a bit shorter than in April ;-).

And the first books of June:


59. "Die Bombe is' eh im Koffer" by Achim Lucchesi
Anecdotes from the life of an aviation security assistant at Frankfurt Airport.
Sometimes funny, sometimes not. He also makes justified criticism of the security concept, when costs are often more important than security.

60. Die Toten von Sandhamn / Guiltless by Viveca Sten
It's like visiting good old friends, you immediately feel comfortable reading.
A young girl is missing on Sandhamn, the search remains unsuccessful.
Later Nora's children find a severed arm. The investigation gets under way.
At the same time the story of an abused child is told at the beginning of the 20th century.
The two stories are of course connected.
In the private life of Nora and Thomas there is also a lot going on.
A very fine book, only the cliffhanger at the end disturbs me a lot.

61. Dark Call - Du wirst mich nicht finden / When Darkness Calls by Mark Griffin
The usual ingredients: a serial killer, a profiler who is new on the job and has a dark past. A lonely policeman who also has to carry his burden, a confused man who confesses to the murder...
But the way they're mixed - terrific.

Your reading is still chugging along nicely, Thomas.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you, Paul, I had that.
It's finally raining, which is good for nature - and for reading!
On Saturday we used a rain break for a walk through the beautiful freshly washed nature.
On Sunday morning the weather cleared up in time for our 8th CORONA concert.
Our neighbours play keyboard and saxophone on the terrace, another neighbour with a saxophone is standing in the car park in front of it.
The rest of us stand on our balconies and enjoy.
This Sunday another neighbour had organized a small choir and an accordion, which were standing on the street - with distance of course. It was also very nice and many sang along.
There are good things even in bad times.

62. Hexen hexen / The Witches by Roald Dahl
Witches live completely inconspicuously among us and hate children. The narrator is 8 years old and lives with his grandmother, a former witch hunter. He gets in the way of a witch and is turned into a mouse.
But he does not let himself be defeated and together with his grandmother he starts to fight the witches.
Drastic, exciting, imaginative, beautiful.

63. Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse by Thomas Meyer
Again a recommendation from the group - Thanks Paul!
Motti Wolkenbruch is unmarried and lives with his parents in Zurich.
His mother tries everything to marry him according to Jewish tradition.
Little by little he tries to escape the confinement at home and to live his own life.
A book to laugh and reflect on. In the beginning it was a bit difficult to read, as many dialogues are written down in the Yiddish idiom.
But once you have read it, it is really fun.

64. Die Messerkönigin / Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman
A collection of short stories - I love it!

65. Und dann steht einer auf und öffnet das Fenster by Susann Pasztor
I read this book in 2018, this year it is part of a reading challenge im my home town. So there is a second round - and the book is worth to be read more than one time:

Karla is dying of cancer, Fred is a volunteer companion from the hospice, Phil is his a little bit nerdy son.
Because Karla is his first client, Fred is very nervous. At first there are big differences, but then they find a way to deal with the situation
The book is heartwarming and -despite the subject- life affirming.
You could say that it's a little too much that Karla is a big fan of Grateful Dead (aka Deadhead), but I don't think so. It fits the book very well.
The book is beautifully written, great to read and makes you think. Nevertheless, it is in no way depressing.

66. Ohrenzeugen by Wildis Streng
It's a local crime story from my area.
A murder of a small animal breeder, a local commissioner, a new commissioner she does not understand the local dialect.
Nice and funny, a nice quick holiday reading.

A suggestion from Kim:

POPSUGAR Bookclub. Great game for book lovers. The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here.

Want to play? Copy this into your post. Look at the list and put an "👍" after those you have read.
35 for me.

1 Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings -JRR Tolkien 👍
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 👍
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 👍
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible - The Torah
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell 👍
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 👍
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 👍
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien 👍
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkner
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger 👍
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens 👍
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 👍
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll 👍
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame 👍
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 👍
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 👍
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell 👍
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 👍
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 👍
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding 👍
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel 👍
52 Dune - Frank Herbert 👍
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 👍
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley 👍
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 👍
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt 👍
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 👍
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - HelenFielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie 👍
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville 👍
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 👍
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker 👍
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 👍
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 👍
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Eupery 👍
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams 👍
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Aleandre Dumas 👍
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 👍
100 Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers

HOpe you've been having a wonderful Sunday also, Thomas!

>235 SirThomas: Pleased to read, that you liked it :)

>239 SirThomas: That's 40 for me, plus a few half reads, like Lord of the Flies and Gone with the Wind. Nice to be a better than average type of person ;-D.

>240 ronincats: Thank you, Roni, I had.
It was a rainy day made for reading and very good for nature - and we were able to go out for a walk in the dry.

>241 paulstalder: You are welcome, Paul ;-).

>242 mstrust: No one in this amazing group is average, Jennifer ;-).

Again a suggestion from the group - this time by drneutron:


67. I.Q. / IQ by Joe Ide
A book like a rap song - fast, hard, intoxicating.
As Jim (drneutron) said:
"Suppose Sherlock Holmes was a black man raised in one of the worst neighborhoods in LA? IQ is that guy - and the star of a fantastic new series by Joe Ide. Gritty, thrilling, unputdownable!"
There is nothing more to say.

Glad you liked it!

>239 SirThomas: Interesting list, overloaded with English books, so I am surprised having read at least 31 (I'd have to check the German translation for a few more, I guess). But why is Hamlet showing up twice? 14 and 98 or is Hamlet not part of the complete works? The same with Narnia (33 and 36): The Lion... is part of the Chronicles, is it not? Number 6: The Torah is part of the Bible.
Wish you a good weekend

>239 SirThomas: I have read 63 of the list, Thomas.

Paul is right about the inconsistencies in the lists being a little annoying. I also spotting the two double inclusions and I was able to count The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe twice!

>246 paulstalder: Thank you, Paul. I didn't notice the doubles, because I didn't read Hamlet or The Lion... . But I should...

>247 PaulCranswick: 63 - Wow!

>248 SirThomas: I didn't read Hamlet either, and I have no urge to read it. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was fun, and I told the story to my children. They liked Narnia very much :)

You're right, I'm gonna give C.S. Lewis a chance.,

68. Das infernalische Zombie-Spinnen-Massaker / This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong
A Zombie-Splatter-Drugs-Comic-Horror-Fun-Trip.
David and John have to save the city and the world again, spider monsters nest in the bodies of the inhabitants and want to control them to conquer the world. Unfortunately, no one but the two can see the spiders.
At the same time the city is sealed off by the army.
Our heroes must fight against all.
It is a special book and I had fun with reading. But sometimes it was too weird for me.

69. Die Totgesagten / The Stranger by Camilla Läckberg
A new colleague for Patrick Hedström, they are called to a car accident. But it turns out that the driver was murdered.
A reality show takes place in a nearby farm and causes a stir in the press when a participant is murdered. Little by little it becomes clear that this is a series of murders that began long before.
At the same time he and Erika plan their wedding, she also takes care of her sister who lives with them with her 2 children after she killed her husband in self-defense.
A down-to-earth Swedish thriller, the killer is a surprise.

70. Engel aus Eis / The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg
Patrik is on parental leave while Erika is working on her new book. In the attic she finds diaries of her mother. She wants to find out why she was so cold and heartless.
A historian is found murdered. Slowly it becomes clear that the dead man is connected to Erika's research. He was her mother's childhood friend.
The different time levels are very cleverly interwoven and the reader gets more and more insights.

Those who like this series should also like the Thomas Andreasson series from Viveca Sten.

71. Fiona: Das tiefste Grab / The Deepest Grave by Harry Bingham
A very exciting story about archaeology and art forgery.
The stories around Fiona Griffiths always have a similar pattern and yet they are always exciting and thrilling.
I love her!
Unfortunately this book is the last in the series so far.

>253 SirThomas: I like the Camilla Läckberg books, and have been doubting about the Viveca Sten books. So thanks for your recommendation, Thomas. I will put Stille wateren on the list :-)

>251 SirThomas: I expect to get to that one by Halloween. I loved John Dies at the End.

>255 FAMeulstee: I think, you will enjoy it - I hope so.

>256 mstrust: Unfortunately there seems to be no German edition.

Sorry for the delay, we were on a short vacation.
It was good to see something different.
We had a nice holiday flat and could be alone if we wanted to. There were also nice parks to walk in.
And good food!

The statistics for June:

Books read: 13
Pages read: 5,014 (longest 544 / shortest 244 / average 386)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

England: 4 / 4 / 4
Germany: 3 / 3 / 3
Sweden: 3 / 3 / 2
Switzerland: 1 / 1 / 1
USA: 2 / 2 / 2

Sum: 13 / 13 / 12

Counting mode: All authors of the books / Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / Only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 5 / 5 / 4
male authors: 8 / 8 / 8

alive authors: 12 / 12 / 11
dead authors: 1 / 1 / 1

date first published:
1980-1989: 1
1990-1999: 1
2000-2009: 2
2010-2019: 9

And the first six months:

Books read: 71
Pages read: 24,371 (longest 864 / shortest 32 / average 343)

Personal rating:
average rating
highest rating
lowest rating

Author nationalities:

Austria: 3 / 3 / 2
England: 22 / 22 / 12
France: 2 / 2 / 1
Germany: 25 / 20 / 25
Ireland: 1 / 1 / 1
Norway: 1 / 0 / 1
Russia: 1 / 1 / 1
Scotland: 1 / 1 / 1
Sweden: 8 / 7 / 5
Switzerland: 1 / 1 / 1
USA: 21 / 17 / 18

Sum: 86 / 75 / 68

Counting mode: All authors of the books / Main Author(s) or Editor(s) per book / Only different authors

Gender:
female authors: 29 / 26 / 23
male authors: 57 / 49 / 45

alive authors: 69 / 58 / 56
dead authors: 17 / 17 / 12

date first published:
1920-1929: 1
1930-1939: 1
1940-1949: 3
1960-1969: 1
1970-1979: 2
1980-1989: 7
1990-1999: 10
2000-2009: 9
2010-2019: 34
2020-2029: 3

Almost to the 75 target already Thomas.

Have a great Sunday.

Thank you, Paul, we are well recovered and unpack our bags.
Afterwards we go for a nice walk, then we want to spend a quiet evening before work starts again tomorrow...
I reached the 75 on holiday, I will report about it tomorrow.

>261 SirThomas: Then I will say congratulations here and again on your new thread tomorrow!

Thanks, Paul, you're always welcome!