Connie is back, part 2

Welcome to my Second Thread

I'm known to most of you, but here is a small introduction.
I'm Connie (68) and I live in the Netherlands (which might explain my English being a bit off sometimes). I am retired and have worked in a school for kids from age 12 to19 for 15 years.
Not as a teacher but as a kind of assistant to the deans. So lots of lists and administrational things. And organizing parent evenings.

Since I can't rehome books (I just can't part with them) they just move to another room in the house. My favorite genres are Fantasy and Thrillers, but I like novels too. Especially in summer when it's warm and sultry.

I'm married to Peet (70) and we have one son Jeroen (37) and one daughter Eveline (35)
Jeroen lives with his girlfriend Rianne (33) near by and they have a daughter Lonne (2 years old)
Eveline lives with her boyfriend Cyrille (38) in another town, Maastricht, half an hour from us by car.
They have two girls, Fiene (4 years old) and Marie (1,5 year old).

This lovely collage was a gift for my birthday a few days ago.

Here is a picture of the family, made a few years ago.



My family
Cyrille, Jeroen, Peet
Rianne, Eveline, Me

Fiene, a few weeks ago when she fooled me with a fake ponytail (she used part of a carnival wig).
This was in our livingroom cluttered with Barbie stuff and Peet on the background.

Lonne, this morning searching for Easter eggs

Marie.
So happy with her candy

This is where I will keep track of all books read in 2021: ROOTs, new and shiny tree-books, e-books.



001. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - book - BFB # 1 - ROOT # 1 -
002. Bloedrode maan - Geoffrey Huntington - ebook -
003. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - book - BFB # 2 - ROOT # 2 -
004. Graaf in Moskou - Amor Towles - ebook -
005. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 3 -
006. Het boek van vergeten woorden - Pip Williams - ebook -
007. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 3 - ROOT # 4 -
008. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - book - BFB # 4 - ROOT # 5 -
009. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison - book - ROOT # 6 -
010. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 7 -
011. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 8 -
012. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 9 -
013. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini - book - ROOT # 10 -
014. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell - book - ROOT # 11 -
015. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - book - BFB # 5 -
016. De vrouw en de weduwe - Christian White - ebook -
017. 1953 - Rik Launspach - book - ROOT # 12 -
018. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - book - ROOT # 13 - BFB # 6 -
019. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 14 - BFB # 7 -
020. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende - book -
021. Livaks fortuin - Juliet E. McKenna - book - ROOT # 15 -
022. Here is the Beehive - Sarah Crossan - ebook - read in English -
023. Verdwenen - Val McDermid - book - ROOT # 16 -
024. Win - Harlan Coben - book -
025. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - T. Kingfisher - ebook - read in English -
026. Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews - ebook - read in English -
027. Sweep in Peace - Ilona Andrews - ebook - read in English -
028. One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews - ebook - read in English -
029. Sweep of the Blade - Ilona Andrews - ebook - read in English -
030. Sweep with Me - Ilona Andrews - ebook - read in English -
031. The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow - ebook - read in English -
032. Roverandom - J. R. R. Tolkien - book - ROOT # 17 -
033. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood - book - ROOT # 18 -
034. Wie niet horen wil - Nicci French - book -
035. Een verre horizon - Santa Montefiore - book -
036. De Nazaten van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 19 -
037. Winter in de kleine bakkerij - Jenny Colgan - ebook -
038. De druïde van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 20 -
039. Heks van vuur en oorlog - S. Christina - book -
040. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley - book - BFB # 8 -
041. Wen er maar aan - Maike Meijer - book -
042. Schaduwland - Robert Bryndza - book -
043. Het geheime kistje van Elle - Aline van Wijnen - book -
044. De elfenkoningin van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 21 -
045. De wakers van Shannara - Terry Brooks - book - ROOT # 22 -
046. Het bloemenmeisje - Anya Niewierra - ebook -
047. De helden van New York - R.J. Ellory - book - ROOT # 23 -
048. Klifi - Adriaan van Dis - book -
049. Vrij uitzicht - Anya Niewierra - ebook -
050. Niemand zeggen - M.J. Arlidge - book -
051. Het laatste offer - Petra Hammesfahr - book - ROOT # 24 -
052. Dorsvloer vol confetti - Franca Treur - book - ROOT # 25 -
053. Ronja de roversdochter - Astrid Lindgren - book - ROOT # 26 -
054. De overlevenden - Jane Harper - book -
055. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett - book -
056. De weg naar Callisto - Torsten Krol - book - ROOT # 27 -
057. Doods geheim - Robert Bryndza - book -
058. Een voor een - Ruth Ware - book -
059. De brief voor de koning - Tonke Dragt - book -
060. Geheimen van het Wilde Woud - Tonke Dragt - book -
061. Valse getuige - Karin Slaughter - book -
062. Gegijzeld - Clare Mackintosh - book -
063. Ons huis - Louise Candlish - book -
064. Middernachtbibliotheek - Matt Haig - book -
065. In het niets - Christian White - ebook -
066. De offers - Jeroen Windmeijer - book - ROOT # 28 -
067. Leon & Juliette - Annejet van der Zijl - book - ROOT # 29 -
068. Het negende huis - Leigh Bardugo - ebook -
069. De tiende vrouw - Roel Janssen - book - ROOT # 30 -
070. Een weg door de bergen - Elizabeth McGregor - book - ROOT # 31 -
071. Kerewin - Keri Hulme - book - ROOT # 32 -
072. Wreed spel - Angela Marsons - book -
073. Over the Woodward Wall - A. Deborah Baker - ebook -
074. Olympos - Dan Simmons - book - ROOT # 33 -
075. Wie wind zaait - Nele Neuhaus - book - ROOT # 34 -
076. Artemis - Andy Weir - book -
077. Door het sleutelgat - Ruth Ware - book -
078. The Crow Folk - Mark Stay - book -

This is where I will keep track of Chunksters, books with more than 500 pages



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman - 573 pages -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens - 505 pages -
03. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George - 587 pages -
04. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George - 724 pages -
05. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - 574 pages -
06. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald - 600 pages -
07. De eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna - 512 pages -
08. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley - 688 pages -
09. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett - 734 pages -
10. Kerewin - Keri Hulme - 783 pages -
11. Olympos - Dan Simmons - 777 pages -

This is where I will keep track of all my bought books in 2021 (excluding e-books)



01. Een dodelijke opleiding - Naomi Novik
02. De verloren legioenen - David Hair
03. Het keren van het tij - David Hair
04. Het onzichtbare leven van Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab
05. Een voor een - Ruth Ware (gift from Peet)
06. De schemering en de dageraad - Ken Follett (gift from Peet)
07. Het oneindige verhaal - Michael Ende
08. Klifi - Adriaan van Dis
09. Het geheime kistje van Elle - Aline van Wijnen
10. Win - Harlan Coben
11. Een verre horizon - Santa Montefiore
12. Wie niet horen wil - Nicci French
13. De brief voor de koning - Tonke Dragt
14. Heks van vuur en oorlog - S. Christina - (gift from Peet)
15. Schaduwland - Robert Bryndza
16. De zevende zus - Lucinda Riley
17. Doods geheim - Robert Bryndza
18. Niemand zeggen - M.J. Arlidge
19. De overlevenden - Jane Harper
20. Geheimen van het Wilde Woud - Tonke Dragt
21. Rosa en het vriendschapsengeltje - Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker
22. Wat wij zagen - Hanna Bervoets
23. Valse getuige - Karin Slaughter
24. Gegijzeld - Clare Mackintosh
25. Ons huis - Louise Candlish
26. Middernachtbibliotheek - Matt Haig
27. Wreed spel - Angela Marsons
28. Stad der nevelen - Carlos Ruiz Zafón (gift from Peet)
29. De duivel en de duistere diepte - Stuart Turton
30. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
31. Artemis - Andy Weir
32. Door het sleutelgat - Ruth Ware
33. The Crow Folk - Mark Stay
34. Bij het licht van de maan - Santa Montefiore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And for Book Bullets that hit me here.



01. Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles BB by Jackie_K that followed me from 2020
02. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue BB by Susanj67
03. De boekwinkel voor gebroken harten by Robert Hillman BB by John Simpson
04. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow BB by curioussquared
05. De jachtpartij by Lucy Foley BB by Nickelini
06. Moon of the crusted snow by Waubgeshig Rice BB by Nickelini
07. The other passenger by Louise Candlish BB by Susanj67
08. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia BB by curioussquared
09. De gastenlijst by Lucy Foley BB by QuestingA
10. The Crow Folk by Mark Stay BB by Jackie_K
11. The midnight library by Matt Haig BB by Persephoneslibrary
12. Schuldig in eigen ogen by Agatha Christie BB by Robertgreaves.
13. Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan BB by Nickelini
14. Bermtoeristen by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky BB by Sibylline

Cursief is read

This is where I will keep a list of the ROOTs I read in 2021.
My rules are simple: A book counts as a ROOT when it has been on my shelves for more than 6 months.



01. Draken van een verdwenen maan - Margaret Weis & Tracey Hickman -
02. Het boek der stormen - James Clemens -
03. Livaks waagstuk - Juliet E. McKenna -
04. Een duister vermoeden - Elizabeth George -
05. Verloren onschuld - Elizabeth George -
06. Het Paradijs - Toni Morrison -
07. Een inktzwart hart - R.J. Ellory -
08. Een mooie dag om te sterven - R.J. Ellory -
09. Duizend schitterende zonnen - Khaled Hosseini -
10. De vliegeraar - Khaled Hosseini -
11. Het stille huis - Ruth Rendell -
12. 1953 - Rik Launspach -
13. Laten wij aanbidden - Ann-Marie MacDonald -
14. de eed van de zwaardvechter - Juliet E. McKenna -
15. Livaks fortuin - Juliet E. McKenna -
16. Verdwenen - Val McDermid -
17. Roverandom - J. R. R. Tolkien -
18. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood -
19. De Nazaten van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
20. De druïde van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
21. De elfenkoningin van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
22. De wakers van Shannara - Terry Brooks -
23. De helden van New York - R.J. Ellory -
24. Het laatste offer - Petra Hammesfahr -
25. Dorsvloer vol confetti - Franca Treur -
26. Ronja de roversdochter - Astrid Lindgren -
27. De weg naar Callisto - Torsten Krol -
28. De offers - Jeroen Windmeijer -
29. Leon & Juliette - Annejet van der Zijl -
30. De tiende vrouw - Roel Janssen -
31. Een weg door de bergen - Elizabeth McGregor -
32. Kerewin - Keri Hulme -
33. Olympos - Dan Simmons -
34. Wie wind zaait - Nele Neuhaus -

For my RL Book-club I will read books for the challenge we set for 2021
We have 21 categories and per category we have to read 21 books between the members, max. 4 books per person per category.

The categories are

Big fat books
** Een mooie dag om te sterven by R.J.Ellory
** De eed van de zwaardvechter by Juliet E. McKenna
** Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge
** De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett
New to you authors
** Het boek van vergeten woorden by Pip Williams
** Klifi by Adriaan van Dis
Beautiful covers
** Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
** The Crow Folk by Mark Stay
Recommendations
** De vrouw en de weduwe by Christian White
** Het bloemenmeisje by Anya Niewierra
** De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt
Fairytales
Alphabet
** Bloedrode maan by Geoffrey Huntington
** De vliegeraar by Khaled Hosseini
** De weg naar Callisto by Torsten Krol
Numbers
** 1953 by Rik Launspach
** Het negende huis by Leigh Bardugo
** De tiende vrouw by Roel Janssen
Not occidental
** Duizend schitterende zonnen by Khaled Hosseini
Snake
** Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien
Object with Awareness
** Het oneindige verhaal by Michael Ende
** Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Festive days
** Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews
** Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan
Name of a City
** Graaf in Moskou by Amor Towles
** De helden van New York - R.J. Ellory
Non-hetero love
** Een duister vermoeden by Elizabeth George
** Laten wij aanbidden by Ann-Marie MacDonald
** In het niets by Christian White
Holiday
** Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore
Allitiration
FF on the cover
** Het laatste offer by Petra Hammesfahr
** Dorsvloer vol confetti by Franca Treur
** De offers by Jeroen Windmeijer
Highest rating on LT or GR
** Een inktzwart hart by R.J. Ellory
** Win by Harlan Coben
** Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh
LOT (=ROOT)
** Draken van een verdwenen maan by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
** Het Paradijs by Toni Morrison
** De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks
First name
** Livaks waagstuk by Juliet E. McKenna
** Ronja de roversdochter by Astrid Lindgren
Weather
** Het boek der stormen by James Clemens
** Wie wind zaait by Nele Neuhaus
Relay
** Verloren onschuld by Elizabeth George
** Olympos by Dan Simmons

Happy new thread, Connie!

I'll be back later to see the updated first messages.

Happy new thread, Connie. I am always happy when my friends come back to the group and it has cheered me no end to see you back with us this year. xx

Thanks Anita and Paul!

Happy Easter and happy new threat. Your granddaughters are so beautiful.

>14 Ameise1: Hi Barb. Thanks. And not only on the outside. Fiene is such a wonderful sister to Marie. Lonne is very smart, or rather wise for her age. And Marie is just a little heartbreaker. I'm Very happy with them.

I'm currently reading to many books simultaneously.

The once and future witches by Alix E. Harrow - E-book
Livaks fortuin by Juliet E. McKenna - Treebook - Almost finished
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher - E-book
Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan - E-book

>16 connie53: I am stopping my practice of multiple book reading for this month at least, Connie. It will be one at a time for April at least.

I am reading Moth Smoke at the minute and enjoying it a lot.

>16 connie53: Here the same, Connie, although for me it is not a problem. Three books are multiple months effords, not suitable to read on one go. The other three are different enough to keep the stories straight.

>3 connie53: >4 connie53: >5 connie53: So nice to see pictures of Fiene, Lonne and Marie. They grow so fast! You are lucky to have them all near.

>17 PaulCranswick: That's what I decide on a regular basis too, Paul. But I find myself reading more than one over and over again.

Thanks, Anita.

Oh, those girls are absolute *darlings*! Thanks so much for sharing them with us!

And happy new thread, Connie!!

Happy Easter, Connie! Happy New Thread! You have such beautiful grandchildren. They must bring much joy into your lives. We are waiting for our turn.

Happy new thread! You have a great looking set of grandkids.

Thanks Amber, Mark and Jim! I totally agree with all three of you!

Finished Livaks fortuin by Juliet E. McKenna and give it

My Review

Wonderful relaxed reading. I needed that for now. Livak and her friends face another attack from the Eliëtimm. This time Eresken unleashed a war between the north and the middle of Einarinn.
Livak has been sent on a journey north to find out if in a book of songs references or spells are hidden that could be the origin of an other kind of magic used by the Northern people and the Eliëtimm. That could mean that the Eliëtimm are somehow descendants of the people in the north. The wizard Usara is also coming along, as are Sorgard and Sorgren. Of course they get into all kinds of difficulties again. I just enjoyed reading this. It is a pity that the following parts are no longer translated.

Happy new thread, Connie and Vrolijk Pasen!
I cannot help but repeat myself that your granddaughters are so cute. You must be very proud of them.

>26 Trifolia: I can't be anything but proud. And a slave to their wishes, I spoil them very badly.

>27 connie53: - Never mind, that's what grandmothers are supposed to do :-) And rightly so.

Lovely pictures, Connie! You probably have got a busy Easter weekend - lovely nontheless!

>29 PersephonesLibrary: Thanks, Käthe.

Today it was really strange weather. We were supposed to visit our son and his family but because of the forecast they decided to visit us instead. First Jeroen thought he might pick us up by car but than he had to ride the distance four times. So they came here and it was a pleasant visit. In the meantime outside it was raining and storming, then sunny, then hail, then sun again, all in ten minutes time. We were happy we did not have to cycle through that weather.
In the afternoon I tried to read, but not one of my books could keep my attention, so up I went to one of the bedrooms to see a book that could work and I found it.



Verdwenen by Val McDermid

The BLURB from the back

It's every parent's worst nightmare... Stephanie Harker is travelling through the security gates at O'Hare airport, on her way to an idyllic holiday. Five-year-old Jimmy goes through the metal detector ahead of her. But then, in panic and disbelief, Stephanie watches as a uniformed agent leads her boy away - and she's stuck the other side of Security, hysterical with worry. The authorities, unaware of Jimmy's existence, just see a woman behaving erratically; Stephanie is brutally wrestled to the ground and blasted with a taser gun to restrain her. And by the time she can tell them what has happened, Jimmy is long gone. But as Stephanie tells her story to the FBI, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems with this seemingly-normal family. What is Jimmy's background? Why would someone want to abduct him? And, with time running out, how can Stephanie get him back? A breathtakingly rich and gripping psychological thriller, The Vanishing Point is Val McDermid's most accomplished standalone novel to date, a work of haunting brilliance.

So I spend all afternoon reading this book and loving it.

I made asparagus for diner combined with boiled eggs, ham , fried potatoes and butter sauce.

Now going to watch some instalments of 'Grantchester'

Happy new thread! Love the family photos.

Thanks Reba!

Hi Connie. What nice pictures of your grandchildren! Yes, grandmother is allowed to spoil them!

I usually read more than one book at a time as well. I keep a relaxing book for my reading at bedtime when I am tired. In the mornings I pick up something more demanding. That is, when I am feeling up to it. Different books for different moods.

>30 connie53: Same weather here, I was on the phone with my mum, Easter visit will have to wait a bit longer. And I watched it snowing, and clearing up, and the sun coming through...

The Val McDermid sounds great. And hmmm, asparagus!

>33 EllaTim: The Val McDermid is really great so far, but she never disappoints as far as I'm concerned.

Hi Connie my dear, happy new thread and what lovely photo's of your gorgeous Granddaughters.

Hope that you and Peet are both well my dear and that you and the family had a really lovely Easter. We had the kids over and Amy is in full sail now with only four weeks to go before she has the baby. Sending love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

>27 connie53: what >28 Trifolia: said...you are only doing your socially appointed task when you indulge your beautiful granddaughters. Proceed without guilt!

Have a beautiful April, free of the blizzards afflicting your British neighbors.

>35 johnsimpson: Hi John and Karen. Thanks for the well wishes. We are fine, just waiting for our vaccinations. We have no idea when it will be our turn. I must be a very exciting time for you, waiting for the baby to arrive. Lots of hugs back at you!

>36 richardderus: Ahh Richard! Now I feel I can spoil them to the limit. Buying them books and having sleep-overs. Fiene especially is asking for them and we will do that as soon as we have had our shots.
I don't know about staying free of blizzards. It is snowing right now with heavy wind. But we can stay indoors today, so warm and cozy.

>35 johnsimpson: Full sail?! I love that expression, John.

Hope all is well, Connie.

>38 PaulCranswick: All good, Paul. Just reading and hoping the weather will finally turn into spring. I long for some sun but now it's snowing fiercely.

Finished Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan and I give this

My Review

Reading a book in English is in some cases quite difficult and that is also the case here because it is such an incoherent text. But the story is broadly accessible and it is an intriguing story about a forbidden love, about infidelity and friendship written in a diary formula. At least that's how I see it. Loose comments without knowing who or what it is about. That is already a challenge in Dutch, but for me in English it was for sure. The end really took me by surprise. Very well done.

Finished Verdwenen by Val McDermid and give it

My Review

Exciting book right up to the last minute. There are so many surprises and plot twists in it you'd think I was prepared for anything, but the ending was really WOW. This book is about everything, maternal love, friendship, infidelity, faithfulness, betrayal and love. I am not going to tell you anything about the content, which is not really useful if you want to read this book yourself.

Bought and started to read today: the new Harlan Coben - Win



The Blurb from the back cover

Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On New York's Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead not only on Patricia's kidnapping but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up in this dead man's apartment. But he's interested - especially when the FBI tell him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism, and that he may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not:: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his own unique brand of justice ...

And finished and the book gets

My review

This book is about Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III) and his family. His family is very rich and they have useful contacts everywhere, both in the highest circles as in the lesser circles. Win has expensive cars and a few helicopters at his disposal. His PA is Kabir who is very good at researching and structuring things. Win himself has mastered all kinds of combat sports and can defend himself against anything. He is distant in nature and can think logically, but does not have much feeling or emotions. He doesn't love anyone, just in a platonic way his friend Myron Bolitar (who has no role in this story). He has sex for the sake of sex without being in a relationship. He even has an app on his phone that allows him to meet like-minded women. And he is incredibly tenacious when he finds a trail of a wrong and does not shy away from any means to find out the truth.
Harlan Coben has written an exciting story in the style of how Win would work and think. That makes this a very different book from all his other books. The atmosphere is more businesslike and a summary of factuality's. However, that makes it very interesting to read.
When a murdered man, a suitcase with Win's initials and a Vermeer stolen from the Lockwood family, are found in a penthouse, the police has found a new lead in the kidnapping case of Patricia Lockwood, Win's niece, 20 years previous. Win must find out exactly what happened to prove his innocence and find the other missing painting (a Picasso). But nothing is what it seems.

Also Reading.



Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood book

The blurb from the back cover

It's 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories?



A Wizard's guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher ebook

The blurb from the back cover

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance.
But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries...



The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow ebook

The blurb from the back cover

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. But when the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote - and perhaps not even to live - the sisters must delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive. There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Happy Sunday, Connie! I hope you are enjoying a nice weekend. It looks like you are getting plenty of reading in. I really enjoyed Alias Grace. I am a big Atwood fan. I hope you like it.

And I have mixed feelings about the two Atwood's I've read so I wonder how you liked this one. Should I give it a go?

>45 msf59: I am too, Mark. I'm trying to buy all books by her that are translated.

Hi Connie, you have done a lot of reading lately, and good ones. Still a cold weekend wasn't it? But next week is supposed to be nicer, so wishing you a good week ahead.

>48 EllaTim: Hi Ella. Yes it was, but mainly it was a wet weekend. I can use some sun by now! If I have a good week ahead you have one too. Enjoy!

Finished A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher and give that book

My Review

What a nice and funny book this is. Unfortunately not translated into Dutch, but the English was easy to do for me. Mona is a 14-year-old girl who works in her Aunt Tabitha's and Uncle Albert's bakery. She makes all kinds of delicious things. Mona has a little bit of magic that she can use to tell the dough what she wants them to do. Taste good, don't burn and things like that. The dough comes from a large vessel in which the sourdough starter grows. Mona is responsible for it, she has to feed it and make sure it grows and she calls him Bob!
But then bad luck strikes and she is arrested for a murder she did not commit. She just found the victim in the bakery. She is brought before the Duchess by the Inquisitor Oberon. The Duchess, however, acquits her but then Mona notices that anyone suspected of having magic, gets killed or disappears. When the little brother of the murdered girl, Spindle finds her and they become friends, an adventure begins. Spindle is a street boy and he brings her all kinds of pamphlets who urge the people of the city to report people with magic. Mona and Spindle go to the Duchess who barely knows anything about the pamphlets and the murders and disappearances and they all decide to do something about anti-wizardry. When an enemy army approaches the city walls it's up to Mona to save the city using Mona's magical powers with dough. Mona finds she can do more than she thinks she can. A Young Adult book but I really enjoyed it.

Now reading

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews



The blurb from the back Cover

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can't leave the grounds because she's responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina. And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night.... Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans--an alpha-strain werewolf--and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she's facing is unlike anything she's ever encountered before. It's smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

Bought two more new books, I'm so bad

Something went wrong translating this book. On the cover it says 'De verre Horizon' but inside it says 'Een verre horizon' This is the translation of The distant shores.



Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore No touchstone yet

The blurb from the back Cover

Margot Hart travels to Ireland to write a biography of the famous Deverill family. She knows she must speak to the current Lord Deverill - JP - if she is to uncover the secrets of the past. A notorious recluse, JP won't be an easy man to crack. But Margot is determined - and she is not a woman who is easily put off. What she never expected was to form a close bond with JP and be drawn into his family disputes. Shouldering the blame for running up debts that forced him to sell the family castle, JP is isolated and vulnerable. With help from his handsome son Colm, it seems as though Margot might be the only one who can restore JP's fortunes. Will the family ever succeed in healing rifts that have been centuries in the making?

And



Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French No touchstone yet
This is the translation of The Unheard.

Jason and Tess broke up amicably a year ago and share custody of their daughter Poppy. Tess has yet to get used to her new situation, but is happy with the help she is getting from her friends. She tries to get over the fact that Jason is now married. She's herself is dating again and she's pretty happy, she tells herself, until her daughter Poppy starts speaking a foreign language and draws a picture with black crayon. A drawing showing a figure falling from a tower. Tess becomes convinced that Poppy has witnessed a crime. She goes to the police, but she is not believed. Then she decides to investigate herself ...

Finished Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews and it gets

My review

First part of the Innkeepers chronicles and I really like this book. A living Bed & Breakfast (the Inn) what more could you want. It was not difficult to read in English and there is some tension and some romance. And vampires and werewolves which are in some competition over the owner of the Inn, Dina Demille.
When in the village where Dina lives, a number of dead dogs are found that have been horribly battered and she meets her new neighbor Sean Evans, they decide to prevent worse things together. Because the injuries of the dogs are not normal but rather come from some other creature. Dina, who is no stranger to other species, recognizes a werewolf in Sean, which makes things more complicated. And then a few vampires arrive who are also looking for the strange creature. During an attempt to find it, a number of them are killed and one is left deadly wounded in the inn. And that attracts a new vampire who has to heal him. That's Arland, the three of them are going to battle. Lovely reading, going to start part 2 immediately.

Part 2

Sweep in peace by Ilona Andrews



The blurb from the back cover

Dina DeMille doesn't run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance. Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper...

Hi, Connie!

>53 connie53: This one sounds really fun - adding it to the list!

The whole series is fun, Amber!

>55 connie53: I realized as I was looking it up that it's #2 (even though of course your review says so - ha!), so I added the first book to my list!

Ad all 5, Amber.

Happy Saturday, Connie! Have a nice weekend. We are still waiting for our weather to warm up. It has been cool here, all week. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from getting out birding nearly every day.

>57 connie53: Will do!

>58 msf59: Hi Mark, have a good weekend too. The weather is not that good here too. It's dry but cool. Only yesterday the sun was nice enough to sit outside with my book and a sweater on. Next week is not going to be better.

>59 scaifea: Very good, Amber. once you've started you want to gone on.

Finished Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews and give it

My Review

Second part of the Inn keepers Chronicles and a very exciting part. Dina Demille is asked to host 3 alien nations who want to hold a peace talk. That creates the necessary difficulties, because these nations have been on the warpath for decades. They have to come to an agreement to ensure peace and economic stability on the planet where all three are based. With the help of Sean and Arland, Dina tries everything to bring it to a successful conclusion.

Moving on to part 3



One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews

The blurb from the back cover

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest...the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don't stand too close, or you may be collateral damage. But what passes for Dina's normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who's been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

Finished One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews and this book gets too

My Review

Part 3 in The Inn Keepers Chronicles. And it is just as wonderful a book to read as the first two volumes were.
Dina has to put everything she has when she gets a message from her sister Maud and that message is a cry for help. Together with Sean and Arland, Dina travels on one of Arland's spaceships to a harsh planet where Maud and her daughter Helen are trapped after the death of Maud's vampire husband. This is really just a small introduction story in which we get to know Maud and Helen. After some skirmishes with the other visitors to the café where they find Maud and Helen, they can safely return to the Inn.

And there new difficulties await. A Hiru, a hideous and smelly but peaceful creature, asks Dinah and the Inn for protection. She has to comply with that because that is the honor and task of the Inn. The Hiru, a dying race with only about 30 individuals left, are threatened by the Draziri, a people who kill for the sake of killing. And their attacks on the Inn can only barely be repelled. A police officer who has been watching the Inn since Book 1 learns the truth about the Inn, but ends up contributing to the final all-out attack.

Starting in part 4



Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

The blurb from the back cover

Maud Demille is a daughter of Innkeepers—a special group who provide ‘lodging’ to other-planetary visitors—so she knows that a simple life isn't in the cards. But even Maud could never have anticipated what Fate would throw at her.

Once a wife to a powerful vampire knight, Maud and her young daughter, Helen, were exiled with him for his treachery to the desolate, savage planet of Karhari. Karhari killed her husband, and Maud—completely abandoned by his family—has spent over a year avenging his debts. Rescued by her sister Dina, she's sworn off all things vampire.

Except... In helping Dina save the world, she met Arland, the Marshal of House Krahr, one of the most powerful vampire houses. One thing led to another and he asked for her hand in marriage. She declined. Arland is not used to hearing the word ‘no;’ and try as she might, Maud can't just walk away from Arland. It doesn't help that being human is a lot harder for Maud than being a vampire.

To sort it all out, she accepts his invitation to visit his home planet. House Krahr is extremely influential and Maud knows that a woman—a human, with a very questionable past—who's turned down a proposal from its most beloved son won't get a warm reception. Maybe she’s not sure about marrying Arland, but House Krahr isn’t going to decide for her. Maud Demille has never run from a fight, and House Krahr will soon discover that there's a lot more to Maud than they’re expecting.

I just fly through the books by Ilona Andrews

Finished Sweep of the Blade - Ilona Andrews -

My review

Part 4 of the Inn-Keepers Chronicles, but actually this is part 1 of the books about Maud, Dina's sister.
Maud and her daughter Helen went to Arland's planet. There she will meet his mother Ilemina and that is not easy, because Arland is important to the House of Krahr. He is their Lord Marchall and that means he is in charge of many things. So Maud has to do everything she can to prove that she is worthy to stay with him. Helen, who is half human - half vampire, also creates the necessary difficulties because she can do much more than the average 5 year old. Very entertaining and nice to read.



And started and finished - Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews -

The Blurb

A charming, short novella in the Innkeeper Chronicles, from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ilona Andrews. Thank you for joining us at Gertrude Hunt, the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, during the Treaty Stay. As you know, we are honor-bound to accept all guests during this oldest of innkeeper holidays and we are expecting a dangerous guest. Or several. But have no fear. Your safety and comfort is our first priority. The inn and your hosts, Dina Demille and Sean Evans, will defend you at all costs. But we hope we don't have to. Every winter, Innkeepers look forward to celebrating their own special holiday, which commemorates the ancient treaty that united the very first Inns and established the rules that protect them, their intergalactic guests, and the very unaware/oblivious people of planet Earth. By tradition, the Innkeepers welcomed three guests: a warrior, a sage, and a pilgrim, but during the holiday, Innkeepers must open their doors to anyone who seeks lodging. Anyone. All Dina hopes is that the guests and conduct themselves in a polite manner. But what's a holiday without at least one disaster?

My Review

This book is thin and easy to read on a sunny afternoon. We are back with Dina and Sean and at the Inn. It keeps reading and this story is actually too short to be in-depth. Therefore a 7.

Happy Wednesday, Connie. We are going camping, starting tomorrow afternoon so I will be offline for a couple of days. I will probably not get much reading in either. Boo!!

Enjoy, Mark! Being off-line is sometimes really nice!

Hi Connie, it seems you're really into Ilona Andrews' books. It's not really my cup of tea, but I'm glad you seem to enjoy them.
Wishing you an excellent start of the weekend!

Thanks, Monica. I love all genres of books and this books were just fun reads.

>158 msf59: If you don't love crime books, these are not for you, Jackie.

Finished

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow This book gets

My Review

What a great book this is. The three Eastwood sisters were estranged in their childhoods. Bella, Agnes and Juniper grew up in a motherless family and with a fairly easily flammable father. Bella and Agnes have fled early and Juniper is left with her grandmother Mama Mags and her alcoholic father. Juniper learns from her grandmother that there is power in the poems, fairytales and stories told by the grandmothers, mothers and aunts and passed down through generations. When Juniper finally also flees after the death of her grandmother and her father has died in a suspicious way. She flees to New Salem and there she ends up in a suffragette demonstration. Bella and Agnes are there too, although they don't know that about each other. When Bella accidentally casts a spell, it's mayhem all over. At that moment, the three sisters sense that the others are nearby and a tower appears in the square where they are standing. The tower of the last Three. And then the women of New Salem begin to secretly meet and exchange spells and stories. The three sisters face Gideon Hill, a city administrator with the ambition to become mayor.
This is a story about the power of words, of women and the power of love and sacrifice. I am very impressed with this. Read the book yourself if you want to know exactly what is happening.

And Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien gets



My Review.

Funny story that Tolkien wrote for his children. The book has 3 parts. The introduction (long) tells about the origin of the story with dates, certainties and deductions, then the actual story follows, which is nice and then a very long piece with an explanation of some sentences or clues that occur in the story. Nice to read.

>68 connie53: I must admit that I am not familiar with that Tolkien book, Connie.....intrigued!

Have a lovely weekend.

Hi, Connie!

I'm adding the Harrow to my list - it sounds really good!

Finished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and this book gets

My Review

Canada, between 1851 and 1872. Grace Marks is in a detention-center where she will be for the rest of her life. She has been found guilty for participating in the murders of her boss, Mr. Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. Grace worked for them as a maid. Her co-perpetrator, James McDermott, is guilty of the murder of Kinnear because he fired the fatal shot and was hanged for it.
This is a true story and Margaret Atwood has used many books and other publications to provide an intriguing picture of the case. Simon Jordan was also actually involved in this. He is a young neurologist who has new ideas on how to fix memory loss. He's been able to visit Grace and record her story and see if he can get some of the still remaining questions answered. He does this with verve. Grace has been in the detention-center for 16 years now and, due to good behavior, is allowed to work in the house of the director of the detention-center. He comes to talk to her regularly and while she is working on her quilts, he listens to her story. That story is told in a simple way because Grace is a simple girl.
Grace is a young Irish woman from a family with many children who emigrate to Canada. Her mother dies on the boat trip and Grace has to take care of the smallest children. Her father is a lazy dude and only occasionally has work and therefore sends Grace out to work. Happy to be able to leave home, she moves from one family to another until she comes to work for Mr. Kinnear. Everything goes wrong there.
The story is partly the story that Grace tells and partly a number of exchanges of letters between head officials and some sections about Simon. You slowly get a sense of how the story could have happened. With the occasional aha moment. But you don't really know anything for sure at the end. You do get a good idea of ​​how things went in those days with the poorer and the rich families. Very nice book to read.

Your reading has been so very successful, Connie! It's a pleasure to see so much readerly happiness.

Alias Grace, besides being a very good read, was made into a TV miniseries that was a very good watch.

>72 richardderus: Hi Richard. I know and I did see that series, but I hardly remember a thing about it. So this book was 'new' to me.

I can't remember the time when I did not read. So yes, I read a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Started in this book yesterday and almost finished it. Today is going to be a sunny and warm day. So I probably will finish it today too.



Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French

The Blurb

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly colored paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

Finished Wie niet horen wil by Nicci French and this book gets

My review

Nicci French's latest book was a bit disappointing. It's a big book, but the line spacing is actually a bit too big. So you get a lot less story than you expect based on the size of the book. The story is exciting and the ending was quite unexpected. I hadn't seen that coming. I thought Tess was a bit premature with her action. She is rather quickly going to the police with her suspicions and that seemed rather strange. But still it was a good book and I finished it in 1,5 days.

Started yesterday and finished today



Een verre horizon by Santa Montefiore and give it

The blurb

Margot Hart travels to Ireland to write a biography of the famous Deverill family. She knows she must speak to the current Lord Deverill – JP – if she is to uncover the secrets of the past. A notorious recluse, JP won’t be an easy man to crack. But Margot is determined – and she is not a woman who is easily put off.

What she never expected was to form a close bond with JP and be drawn into his family disputes. Shouldering the blame for running up debts that forced him to sell the family castle, JP is isolated and vulnerable. With help from his handsome son Colm, it seems as though Margot might be the only one who can restore JP’s fortunes.

My review

I don't really understand why Santa Montefiore's books can always bring me to tears. The story always catches me, but actually they are ordinary romantic stories where you can see from afar how it ends, namely everything turns out well and they are a loving couple in the end.
The road to it is often a bit different, but there is always a difficulty that comes along that way, that needs to be solved. This time it is a number of misunderstandings between the members of the Deverill family and the arrival of Margot Hart. She has a contract with the new owner of the castle to write a book about the history of the family. That does not go well with a number of family members.

Stats for 2021: January, February, March and April

TBR on May 1 2021: 422 including 52 e-books = 370 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 33
Tree-books read in 2021: 22 including 18 ROOTs
e-books read in 2021: 11

Total tree-books into the house: 12 (5 read)
10 books bought,
2 books as presents

Finished De Nazaten van Shannara by Terry Brooks and the book gets

My Review

Nice to return to Shannara again. That has been a while ago. Fortunately, it is still fun to read. Par and Coll Ohmsford are summoned to a lake somewhere to meet the Shade of the Druid Allanon and more Ohmsfords are summoned to come as well. They all receive an assignment from Allanon. The adventures are a bit predictable: battles with creatures of shadow and fear, misunderstandings and dangerous roads. Just nice to be back.

Now starting in;



Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan

The blurb from the back cover

In the Cornish coastal village of Mount Polbearne, the Christmas season has arrived. But holiday bliss soon gives way to panic when a storm cuts the village off from the mainland. Now it will take all of the villagers to work together in order to ensure everyone has a happy holiday.

And



De druïde van Shannara by Terry Brooks

The Blurb from the back cover

In the three hundred years since the death of the Druid Allanon, the mysterious, evil Shadowen have seized control and are ruining the Four Lands. Using Cogline as messenger, the shade of Allanon summons the four scions of Shannara: Par, Coll, Wren, and Walker Boh. To Walker Boh he gives the duty of restoring the lost Druid's Keep, Paranor. For that, Walker needs the black Elfstone, but his search leads him only to a trap. Meanwhile, the King of the Silver River, a fabulous being as old as mankind, creates a daughter named Quickening and sends her to help. She is joined by Morgan Leah and Pe Ell, an assassin who plans eventually to kill her. They find Walker Boh dying after an attack by the Shadowen, Rimmer Dall. Quickening heals him and tells him that the Elfstone is in the hands of another ancient being, the Stone King, who seeks to turn all the world to stone. The journey will lead them to the far north, through the Charnal Mountains and beyond, into a perilous and unknown land. And no one knows what horrible monsters the Stone King has set to guard his citadel.

Hi Connie my dear, hope all is well with you, Peet and the family and that you have a really good weekend.

We are still waiting for Amy to give birth, her due date was Thursday and that came and went and as i type we are still waiting, it will come when it is good and ready i suppose.

Sending love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

>77 connie53: I'm really happy to read that you're still enjoying the Shannara books! A good weekend's reads to you, Connie.

Thanks John and Richard. Today promises to be a good one with lots of sun. I probably spend it reading out in the garden.

John, the waiting is the worst part of it. I hope Amy will have a smooth delivery ahead.
We are doing all right. I had my first shot last Thursday with no side effects to mention. A sore arm was all I felt. Peet will have his first shot next Friday.

@ Richard. I forgot the Shannara books were so nice to read so I was really surprised.

Finished Winter in de kleine bakkerij by Jenny Colgan this book gets

My review

This is of course a really 'feel good' series, but this part doesn't really work for me. I was quite irritated by the endless repeating of facts. They came up in just about every chapter. The story itself is likeable, but the book could have used a better editor.

Someday I need to finish reading the Shannara series.

It seems that the last book in the Shannara series will be published in 2022.

There is this little bookstore in the shopping center nearby. I get my groceries in the center and, now shops are open again and I like to support my local shops instead of buying everything online, I pop in the bookshop regularly. I wanted to make a reservation for the new book by Lucinda Riley that will be published next Thursday and I saw a book that I wanted to read sometime and then read for the girls. And it was a special edition published by the foundation 'geef een boek cadeau' (Give a book as a gift) so.....

De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt



The blurb from the back cover

A young messenger.
A secret mission.
A kingdom in peril.

It is the dead of night.

Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day.
But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help.
A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the GreatMountains - a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood.

Tiuri's journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places.

He must trust no one.
He must keep his true identity secret.
Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter...

>84 connie53: It is so nice that they re-publish classic Dutch childrens books this way, Connie.
I hope you and your grandchildren will enjoy it.

I hope so too. I think they have to be a bit older then they are now.

>86 connie53: I think I was seven or eight when I read it the first time.

>87 FAMeulstee: Yes, that might be the right age for it. So in 3 years time I can read it to Fiene.

Two new books into the house

One a gift from Peet for mothersday.



Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina

Part one in the series about Lara Polaris
Original Dutch

The blurb from the back cover

In a land where magic is prohibited, 16-year-old Lara tries with all her might to suppress her powers. But then she is tested for witchcraft, and her world is turned upside down. The witch sign is tattooed on her neck and slowly but surely she is cut off from the rest of the world.
She gets to know her fellow companions; David, Noah, Philip and Alex, and together they start a resistance against the oppression. But just as everything seems to fall into place, Lara discovers a dark family secret. Magic is prohibited for a reason, and that reason is closer than she thinks ...

And because I like his books a lot and I was ordering the first book anyway



Schaduwland by Robert Bryndza

The blurb from the back cover

Criminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector's too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn't add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.

The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

But the elusive serial killer they're hunting isn't the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

Happy Wednesday, Connie. I am back and trying to catch up on all the threads. Not an easy task. I hope you are doing fine. Glad you enjoyed Alias Grace. I liked it too.

>90 msf59: thanks, Mark! We are doing fine. I had my first shot last Thursday and Peet gets his first one this Friday.

Finished De Druïde van Shannara by Terry Brooks and it gets

My review

I also enjoyed this book. This time we get to know Pe Ell and Horner Dees. The others in the company are Morgan Leah, Loper Boh, Carisman and also the girl Quickening (I know: a very strange name.), who is formed from trees and grasses, by the King of the Silver River. Together they set out to find the black elf stone in the lands of the Stone King Uhl Belk. Lots of fights and adventures.

Now reading a book I got from Peet this morning Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina see>89 connie53: for the blurb from the back cover.

Finished Heks van vuur en oorlog by S. Christina

Now this was not the best book I've read. And it gets

My review

Bit of a disappointment. This book has a good starting point, but the effect is a bit too sloppy for me and at times unlikely. The end was rather exciting.

This morning I went to the bookstore to get the newest book by Lucinda Riley - De zevende zus. I did pre-order that one and will start reading it NOW.



The blurb from the back cover

The mysterious seventh sister was always untraceable, but when Georg Hoffman reveals he might be on her trail, Maia and Ally discover two clues: the address of a New Zealand vineyard, and a drawing of a special, star-shaped ring. CeCe, who lives in Australia, starts to investigate.
This is only the beginning of the thrilling search for the seventh sister, because the woman with the special ring has just embarked on a long journey. It will be a race against time that takes the sisters all over the world. They try to follow her trail in New Zealand, Canada, England, France and Ireland, but they always seem to be one step behind ...

Yesterday my daughter Eveline and Fiene visited us for mother's day. We had a nice time outside on a playground in the neighborhood. Eveline brought a book she had read and that was a real fun book, sometime hilarious, so she lend it to me to read. I made a small start in it yesterday.



Wen er maar aan by Maike Meijer

Original Dutch by a woman that is an actress and writer of scripts for TV-series.
She made the illustrations too.
Translation of the title: 'Get used to it.'

It's about a 40+ woman that finds herself in menopause and is completely thrown about it.

The blurb from the back cover

In her revealing diary, unemployed actress M. records the small and large decline in her life and all the things that happen in menopause. Her adolescent son Ole threatens to leave the nest and sex with husband Koos is something that has to happen now and then. "It's like a six-monthly check-up at the dentist, only less often." Meanwhile, she longs for a star role. She wants to prove to herself - and above all her son - that there is still a future in her.

Another BFB # 8. This book is not a ROOT.



De zevende zus by Lucinda Riley, 688 pages

My review:

Another good story by Lucinda Riley, but one that starts up a bit slow and I feel it was written in a bit of a rush with short sentences that speed up the reading, but also feels a bit simple. When the seventh sister's story goes back to the past as usual, it works again for me. The story of the seventh sister goes back to Ireland in 1920 and tells about Nuala, a girl who grows up in a poor peasant family with seven children. They all have to work hard to stay afloat and besides that, the whole family is deeply involved in the IRA. Nuala and her sister Hannah convey messages to other members of the resistance and do laundry and cooking and provide temporary shelter to people who have to go into hiding. That continues in all the episodes that make up the story. Via Hannah to her daughter and so on with the Irish struggle for freedom as the common denominator.
In the present, the book is about Merry (Mary) who, after her husband's death, wants to take a trip to change her mind. Meanwhile, the D'Apliese sisters are on their way from all over the world to Geneva to the house where they lived as children. They want to honor Pa Salt by throwing a wreath in the sea in the spot where their father, Pa Salt, is said to have drowned. They have clues about the seventh sister and start looking for her so she can be there too. I'm not going to say more because of spoiler stuff. A huge cliffhanger at the end. And the announcement of an eighth book.

Finished Wen er maar aan by Maike Meijer this book gets

My review

Funny and sometimes a bit wry book about an unemployed actress who fights for a new role and against the mesopause. Nice snack.

Started in Schaduwland by Robert Bryndza yesterday



The blurb from the back cover

Criminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector's too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn't add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.

The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive.

But the elusive serial killer they're hunting isn't the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

And finished Schaduwland and give it

My Review

An exciting story. Kate, a professor of criminology and her assistant and partner as an occasional private investigator Tristan, investigate the disappearance of a university colleague, Magdalena.
Kate and her son Jake recently found the severely mutilated body of Simon Kendal during a dive in a reservoir. The body was stuck 20 meters below the surface of the water to a hook on the church tower of a sunken village. When the police dismiss this as an accident, Kate cannot believe it and when Simon's mother calls for her help, because she doesn't believe it either, that is another reason to investigate. They find many more names of people, mainly girls, who disappeared or were found dead around the reservoir. It slowly becomes clear that there is a pattern. Meanwhile, Magdalena has no intention of resigning herself to her kidnapping without a fight. Exciting and with the surprising return of Peter Conway as an extra.

>84 connie53: I am VERY much tempted to get this book in its original language. Though I just saw a German translation... but the cover art is just wonderful!

>94 connie53: It's so funny to see books that are bestsellers in other countries, too. I haven't read any book by Riley, but they must be lovely pageturners!

How is your Monday going?

>100 PersephonesLibrary: Could you read a book in Dutch, Käthe? If that's the case, just give it a try.

re: Riley books. They are pageturners and there are a few standalones too. So maybe you could start with one of them.

My Monday was really quiet, I spend it reading outside.

Starting ROOT # 21 De elfenkoningin van Shannara by Terry Brooks



The third volume of The Heritage of Shannara, which continues one of the most popular fantasy series of all time "Find the Elves and return them to the world of Men!" the shade of the Druid Allanon had ordered Wren. It was clearly an impossible task. The Elves had been gone from the Westland for more than a hundred years. There was not even a trace of their former city of Arborlon left to mark their passing. No one in the Esterland knew of them -- except, finally, the Addershag. The blind old woman had given instructions to find a place on the coast of the Blue Divide, build a fire, and keep it burning for three days. "One will come for you." Tiger Ty, the Wing Rider, had come on his giant Roc to carry Wren and her friend Garth to the only clear landing site on the island of Morrowindl, where, he said, the Elves might still exist, somewhere in the demon-haunted jungle. Now she stood within that jungle, remembering the warning of the Addershag: "Beward, Elf-girl. I see danger ahead for you . . . and evil beyond imagining." It had proved all too true. Wren stood with her single weapon of magic, listening as demons evil beyond all imagining gathered for attack. How long could she resist? And if, by some miracle, she reached the Elves and could convince them to return, how could they possibly retrace her perilous path to reach the one safe place on the coast?

Hi, Connie! I hope the week is off to a good start. We still have cool weather here, far below the average temperature. This has not kept me from getting out for my bird walks, though. Migration is still happening, just more slowly.

>103 msf59: I know Mark. Here the weather is far below the average too. And rain kept me from walking. I don't mind a drizzle, but I draw a line at downpour!

The week started of great since we heard today that Peet's lung scan came back negative. There is a small dot somewhere that was seen two years back and Peet had his yearly control x-ray two weeks ago and because there was a little difference he had to go for a scan last week. Today we heard that the change was probably due to a different angle of approach when the last x-ray was made. So no change at all. And we were really happy about that. Our week is made.

I had started in book >102 connie53: but suddenly I was reading a totally different book.

Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen



The blurb from the back cover

A gripping family story in which a young woman discovers who her grandmother really was, which helps her get to know herself better

Belarus, 1941. During a raid in her native village, the Jewish Ella witnesses her entire family being murdered in front of her. She manages to escape herself and flees into the forest, where she is taken in by a group of resistance fighters who are hiding there. She finds love there, but loses it again. After liberation, Ella, who has nothing left to lose, receives false papers named Elle and travels to Paris to pass on information about fugitive Nazis. When she meets a Dutch person who falls in love with her, she agrees to marry him and go to the Netherlands. She is completely silent about her origins and her past.

Netherlands, 2013. Janna is going through a difficult time after her husband has left her. When her grandmother Elle dies during the same period, Janna helps her mother clear out grandma's house. She finds a worn-out box in the attic containing things she can't place: a Star of David, an old ID in illegible language, and a smooth metal ring. Was her quiet, closed grandmother very different from what she has always thought?

>104 connie53: That is good news, Connie, about Peets scan!

We walked late today, at 19:00 when it finally got dry.

Finished Het geheime kistje van Elle by Aline van Wijnen and the book gets

I was somewhat hesitating between a 7 and an 8, but the fact that the story was intriguing enough to keep me reading all afternoon and I learned some things about the Russian resistance during WO II made me decide on an 8.

My Review

Based on a true story. Ella is a young Jewish woman studying at Minsk University. In the summer she returns to her family in a small village where her parents, two brothers and two sisters still live with her grandfather. Then the Germans invade Russia and eventually her entire family is murdered and Ella can only escape by fleeing into the forest. She ends up in a camp of resistance fighters. Ella takes part in the group's small and large attacks against the Germans.

Years later, after the death of Ella (who now calls herself Elle), her granddaughter Janna finds a small box containing a number of objects including a Star of David and a identity card. Janna and her parents have no idea to whom those things might belong. When her friend and colleague, Angel, in her enthusiasm, engages her friend and investigative journalist, Nick, and a personal situation gives Janna all the time to investigate, they decide together to try to find out the origin of the objects. The trail leads to what is now Belarus and Nick and Janna decide to drive there. Janna also discovers that she can, dares and wants much more than she previously thought.

>104 connie53: One of the times that "no news is good news" for certain, Connie!

>104 connie53: Congratulations Connie! What a relief, all clear.

>84 connie53: How nice to look forward to reading the book with your granddaughters.

>107 richardderus:, >108 EllaTim: Thanks Richard and Ella. We are still very happy.

Finished anther one and this book gets

My review of De elfenkoningin van Shannara by Terry Brooks

Third part of The Heritage of Shannara sub-series. This time we mainly follow Wren Ohmsford, the nomad girl with some Elven- and human blood. She has been instructed to find the elves and to bring them back to the Four Lands. She sets off with Garth, her teacher. On the way they are joined by Stresa, the splinterscat and Faun, the little treeweed (very adorable). Very occasionally also Walker Doh and his story appear. Furthermore, there are of course all kinds of dangers to brave, mountains and ravines to conquer. Starting in the last part of this sub-series in the great Shannara series.



De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks

The blurb from the back cover

Although some of the goals to keep Shannara safe had been met, the work of Walker Boh, Wren, and Par was not yet done. For The Shadowmen still swarmed over the Four Lands, poisoning all with their dark magic. Each Shannaran had a special death waiting for him- at the hands of The Shadowmen-unless Par could find a way to free them all with the Sword of Shannara.

I think I'm totally crazy. I'm now vacuuming my books and rearranging them across the shelves. I found another spot where I could put at least ten books but that was a spot at the end of the line where the Z is. I will be doing that for the rest of the week working my way to the bedrooms.

I'm really crazy, but I'm loving it.

>111 connie53: That is always a good thing, Connie, finding empty spots on the shelves. Enjoy the re-arranging.

Thanks, Anita!

Bought another book. I was reading a book by Robert Bryndza and had a look at the list of his books and noticed I missed one, so... to the local bookstore I went to order it.



Doods geheim by Robert Bryndza part 6 in the Erika Foster series.

The blurb from the back cover

On a cold icy morning, a mother wakes to find her daughter’s blood-soaked body frozen to the road. Who would carry out such a horrific killing on the victim’s doorstep?
Straight off her last harrowing case, Detective Erika Foster is feeling fragile but determined to lead the investigation. As she sets to work, she finds reports of assaults in the same quiet South London suburb where the woman was killed. One chilling detail links them to the murder victim – they were all attacked by a figure in black wearing a gas mask.

Erika is on the hunt for a killer with a terrifying calling card. The case gets more complicated when she uncovers a tangled web of secrets surrounding the death of the beautiful young woman.

Yet just as Erika begins to piece the clues together, she is forced to confront painful memories of her past. Erika must dig deep, stay focused and find the killer. Only this time, one of her own is in terrible danger…

Sweet Thursday, Connie. I hope you are doing well. We are finally warming up here and it will be very warm over the weekend. No complaints here. Are those books treating you well?

>114 msf59: Those books certainly do, Mark. I wish I could say something similar for the weather. Here is still too cold and rainy. And this weekend will be stormy and even wetter. So no sitting outside with my book for me.

Finished De wakers van Shannara by Terry Brooks and this book gets

My Review, short but I can say to much without spoilering.

Delicious closing part of the Heritage series within the Shannara series. Almost all of Allanon's assignments have been completed but there are still some things to be solved. It remains exciting, with grand battles and quests.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the challenge you can see up in >1 connie53: my RL book-club reached our goal yesterday so we decided to alter the goal from 2 books p.p. to 4 books p.p., from 10 books per category to 21 per category.

Finished Het bloemenmeisje by Anya Niewierra and this book gets

This is an original Dutch book, not translated
Title: The flower girl

My review

Intriguing book with rather heavy topics, such as rape and assault. It is the story of Nina and Théa. 2 Women who meet for the first time when they are already in their mid-40s. Théa had a quiet, sheltered childhood, Nina on the other hand lived with her mother deep in the Pyrenees and has not seen anyone else in all that time. She still has vague memories of men passing by from time to time. Her mother treated her like a slave and regularly locked her up in a dark room when she had to get her supplies in town. They are discovered as a helicopter crew has to search for new dangerous situations due to forest fires, see A girl, Nina, sitting at a funeral pyre with her mother on it. The transition to a world full of people and noise is major. But Nina is a smart girl and finally ends up going to study at a university in Paris. She completes a study in pharmacy and specializes in herbalism that makes her famous. Théa recognizes her in a magazine. This is how Nina comes into contact with Théa, who turns out to be her twin sister. Together they search for answers as to why they are separated at birth and why they have lived such different lives.

Hi Connie. I see you have been enjoying the Shannara series. Congratulations on finishing them, or are you sorry? Sometimes, when a series is really good I really regret reading the last book.

It's still way too cold here, but good for reading. Have a nice weekend.

>117 connie53: That sounds fascinating! I'm glad it was well-written and enjoyable to read.

Hoping your weekend is full of good fun.

I'm also here to wish you a lovely weekend, Connie.

Hi Ella, Richard and Paul. Nice of you to visit my thread.

@ Ella. I still have a few to go. 4 books I think. It was nice to go back to Shannara and I will go there soon(ish)

@ Richard. It was fascinating, Richard. And really well worked out with a very plausible story.

@ Paul. Thanks. We could use some warmer and less stormy weather, but otherwise is promises to be a good one.

Hi, Connie! Happy Sunday!

Thanks, Amber! For you too.

Hi, Connie. I hope you had a good weekend. I had a good one, socializing with friends, birding and of course reading.

Hi Mark, thanks for visiting. For my weekend adventures, see below!

I needed a comfort buy. Things are not well with Peet. He probably has diabetes and is feeling very wobbly and unwell.

Thursday last week Peet fell (again)) with his bike and Peet was brought home by one of his psychologist (he had an appointment but fell down while getting of his bike) and his bike was brought home by a stagiaire who works there too. So I phoned the GP to make an appointment for a general examination on Friday. She told us to go to the hospital, have blood taken to test for glucose. And if that was normal she could send us to the neurologist. And then it was Pentecost weekend and Monday was a day off too. So on Tuesday we went to the hospital for that, Peet was not allowed to eat or drink. And was feeling weak and unstable. When he had to get out of the car he could not use his legs, they could not hold him up. So I phoned the GP again and he came by in the afternoon. The glucose was a bit to high and we have to go for a second blood test and if that is too high too he gets treatment for diabetes and he has to go to the neurologist but that could take a while.

So I really needed a comfort book

"

Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge No touchstone yet.

The blurb from the back cover

A crimewave sweeps through the city and no-one is safe. An arson at the docks. A carjacking gone wrong. A murder in a country park. What connects all these crimes without causes, which leave no clues? Detective Inspector Helen Grace faces the rising tide of cases which threatens to drown the city. But each crime is just a piece of a puzzle which is falling into place. And when it becomes clear just how twisted and ingenious this web of crime is, D.I. Grace will realise that it may be impossible to stop it . .

I'm so sorry to hear that Peet is having some trouble, Connie. I hope his doctors are able to find the cause easily and that there's also and easy and simple treatment.

There's a lot of diabetes (both types) in my family, and so I know that there are good ways to treat and manage it these days. *hugs*

>126 scaifea:. I know Amber. My dad had diabetes and I'm used to it being part of everyday live.

I finished De helden van New York by R.J. Elorry yesterday and gave it

My review

One thing is certain R.J. Ellory can write and has written a very exciting story. Raw and certainly not for wimps, but very intriguing. Frank Parrish is a New York police detective just like his dad who was a 'hero of New York'. But the reality is different.
After a traumatic hostage situation, Frank is forced to go to a psychologist, but he doesn't like that at all, because there are a number of murders to solve, namely those of a small drug dealer and his sister. But the psychologist gives him the freedom to talk about his father. Meanwhile, he gets a new partner, Jimmy Radick. Together they find similar murdered or missing girls who are all linked by their being adopted and followed by childcare. It's difficult to penetrate in such an institute. Frank follows his intuition and decides to break some police rules.
Definitely recommended for someone who likes exciting police thrillers.

>125 connie53: So sorry about Peet not feeling well, Connie. Falling with his bike is scary. I hope the doctors find a cause and solution soon.

>129 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I do hope so too.

Finished Klifi by Adriaan van Dis and this book gets

My review

A very strange book, but a nice writing style. Jácob Hemmelbahn fled with his parents from Hungary in 1956 because of the Hungarian revolution. And now he is an old man, widowed, having worked as a librarian for 50 years, where he also met his wife. When the city became too busy for them, they moved to the countryside where they had bought a house on top of a mound. And that's good. Climate change has made the weather unpredictable and a hurricane is passing over the Netherlands. His neighbor Kees lives at the bottom of the mound on a rickety farm, but does odd jobs for Jácob. So he is working there when the water of the river starts to rise and the people who live in a kind of camp (The pit) come up to escape the water. The house is overrun by the people from the pit and Jácob shares everything he has with everyone. There are a lot of strange characters walking around. Soldiers come and set up an emergency hospital and act quite hostile. Jácob lets it all happen and sees his house and capital disappear. Not a bad idea per se and the execution is not that bad either.

And finished Vrij uitzicht by Anya Niewierra. This book gets

My review

This book was written before Het bloemenmeisje and Anya used the structure of that book here first. A Dutch woman returns to Mosset, a little town in France, where she went on holiday with her mother when she was 18. There she met a boy whom she fell madly in love with. Due to an event in which a victim falls, they fled back to the Netherlands in a hurry, but now Tess' mother has passed away and after the funeral she decides to go back to Mosset to process that. She likes her stay a lot and eventually she moves to the village permanently. The town is dominated by a chateau with a mystery surrounding it. Tess wants to renovate the chateau to turn it into an apartment building, but that is not well received by all residents of Mosset

Happy Sunday, Connie. It looks like you have been doing some great reading. Glad those books are treating you well.

Lots of good reading indeed, Connie, and what a good choice for a comfort-buy book.

>125 connie53: Diabetes is no easy thing to live with, but it's easier than a neurological problem. I'm crossing everything I can cross that Peet has a solution that will bring him back to health and steadiness very, very soon.

Sending hugs to you, dear lady, across the Atlantic.

>132 msf59:. Thanks, Mark, the books are treating me real well. And the weather does too. Nice and warm. So my afternoons are spend in the garden with books.

>133 richardderus:. Thanks, Richard. If I could choose a would go for diabetes and stay clear from the neurology things, but we have to deal with what we get.

Tanks for the hugs and the crossed everythings.

Finished Niemand zeggen by M.J. Arlidge and this book gets

My review

This book is absolutely worthy of 5 stars because it is so ingeniously put together and all the ends come together so beautifully at the end. Once there, all you can do is say, "Mr. Arlidge, please write a new book quickly." .

Helen and her team are puzzled when several deaths occur for which no explanation can be found. There are no suspects and Helen cannot find any connection at all. In addition, the team is divided by her disagreement with Joseph Hudson, which is also tearing up the team internally. Somewhere in the second half of the book I thought I knew what was going on, but the ending was completely unexpected.

It is not going well with Peet.

Monday evening around 8.00 pm I was sitting in the garden reading when I heard a loud noise and rushed inside. Peet had fallen down (because of his unstable walking) and he was lying in the living room. He is 1.94 meters tall and weighs around 95 kilos. I could not get him up again and he could not do it on his own. We tried to pull/push him in a chair, but nothing worked. I ran to our neighbor but nobody was home. I phoned Jeroen, but he was home alone with a already sleeping Lonne. I rang Peets friend Jos, he came over but he recently had surgery for an aneurysm in his aorta and was forbidden to lift heavy stuff. And Peet is heavy stuff. Finally we could get Peet up in a chair and I phoned the hospital.
They have an emergency department and a GP evening post for medical help when the GP's are closed. They could not do anything and just advised us to ring our GP the next morning and let Peet sleep on the couch. So I made a bed for him and he did sleep there. Yesterday I dismantled a spare bed and carried it downstairs. Jeroen came to help assembling it again and Peet slept in the living-room. We have to do something about regulating his medication. He is taking sleeping pills in the morning. That is not a good idea and might explain his dizziness and unstable walking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished Het laatste offer by Petra Hammesfahr and it gets

My review

What a shame when a basically exciting story is so poorly developed, translated and printed. Lots of names and very few blank lspaces, so you can hardly tell the different events apart.

>136 connie53: So sorry to read about Peet's troubles, Connie, that must have scared you a lot!
Taking sleeping pills in the morning doesn't sound good. Did he see the GP meanwhile?

(((hugs)))

Oh, I'm so sorry that Peet's having a rough time (which mean you're having a rough time, too). Sending lots of hugs and I'll be keeping you both in my thoughts, friend.

>136 connie53: So sorry to hear about Peet's medical problem. His fall sounds like a terrible time for both of you. I hope adjusting his medications can help. Best to you both.

Hi Connie my dear, so sorry to hear about Peet's fall, it sounds like you are both having a bit of a rough time of things. Thinking about you both and sending love and hugs to you and the family dear friend.

Thank you John. It's really heavy sometimes.

Hi everybody. Thanks for all the good thoughts and well-wishes. It helps a lot to read them.

Today we again went to the hospital for the blood test. They not only tested for diabetes but also for Liver functions and minerals. Afterwards Peet was very down and was meaning to phone the GP again. But we know he can't help us when he does not have the results and not before we have seen the neurologist (in 6 weeks time). So when he was put on hold and as number 7 in line he decided break off the call. It sometimes takes all my patience to not get mad or scream.

I did compensate by buying some new books



Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt

The blurb from the back cover

There is no place where you can get lost as quickly as in the Wild Woods, the thrilling and mysterious sequel to The Letter to the King.

A YOUNG KNIGHT.

AN ENCHANTED FOREST.

A DANGEROUS QUEST.

One of the king's most loyal knights is missing. The Wild Wood, that's where he would go, but many don't come back from that Wood. Yet Tiuri, on his black horse Ardanwen, goes there. He finds a dark fortress, a mysterious damsel, he plays a game of life and death… Tiuri comes face to face with a ruthless enemy who is preparing a cowardly attack on the king. Can a 17-year-old boy save the kingdom?

And



Rosa en het vriendschapsengeltje by Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker

Title translates into 'Rosa and the little friendshipsangel Original written in English but no book to be found in that language.

The blurb from the back cover

The book tells the story of Rosa, a lively and cheerful toddler. She likes to draw, but the assignment she has now received makes her gloomy. She has to put her family on paper, which is hard for her because she doesn't have a mother and the other classmates do. Rosa is afraid that she will be considered strange and the children will laugh at her. She comes home gloomy and before going to sleep she muses: I wish I wasn't so alone…. And Frederik the little friendship angel hears that. Frederik springs into action and tries to solve the problem.



Wat wij zagen by Hanna Bervoets

Book as a present when you buy other books in the Dutch book-week

Title translates into 'What we saw'

The blurb from the back cover

When Kayleigh runs into financial trouble, she applies for a job as a content moderator for an online platform she's not allowed to name. Her job: to assess which offensive videos, photos and diatribes should be removed. The work is hard. Kayleigh and her colleagues see horrific things happen, and the platform's guidelines are often inimitable. Nevertheless, Kayleigh feels at home, within the moderator team she finds brotherhood. And when Kayleigh falls in love with her colleague Sigrid, the future smiles on them. Or does it just seem that way? What we saw is a story about who or what determines our worldview.

Now reading



De Overlevenden by Jane Harper

The blurb from the back cover

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community on Tasmania he once called home.
Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...

Peet's troubles are very disheartening, I know, but you're both doing the correct things to get a solution and not simply trying to make his situation *feel* better.

Your book-haul is a thing of beauty! A lot of very, very good reading ahead for you.

Happier-weekend *smooch*

Thanks Richard. That means a lot to me.

Oh that waiting around for results business is so hard, Connie. *hugs* for the both of you, friend.

Hi, Connie. Sorry to hear about Peet's medical issues. Please keep us updated.

>142 connie53: re required patience -- There are many of us, I'm sure, who know exactly what you mean! Here are hugs and wishes for strength, patience and a good outcome. ( (Connie) )

Thank you all. Tomorrow we have an appointment with a woman form the city counsel. They offer support to people like me and Peet. Not only some place you can talk but also practical advise. I'm hoping she will be able to help us.
I know we are not the only people with these issues and I'm happy there is a such a group as hers to help us now.

In the meantime I keep on reading

I've finished De overlevenden by Jane Harper and this book gets

My review

Another great book by Jane Harper. In the beginning you are a bit overwhelmed by names and it is not really easy to determine the mutual relationships. But if you can let that go, the story engulfs you. Kieran returns to his native village with his wife Mia and their newborn daughter Andrea to visit his parents. His father suffers from dementia and he and his wife will move to an institution where he can be better cared for. Kieran and Mia are supposed to help, but they soon find themselves reunited with their old circle of friends. Then Kieran formed a seemingly inseparable group with Sean and Ash. But when a very heavy storm hit their village and two people were killed and a girl disappeared without a trace, everything changed. And now Kieran is back and a girl is found dead on the beach. Everything is told from the point of view of Kieran who has always felt guilty about the deaths of the two men. But the distance of his absent years allows him to take a closer look and discover the truth about the day of the storm. Exciting and very captivating.

And I've started De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett



The blurb from the back cover

It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns. In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined: A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land. But the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.

Well we had a busy week. The lady from the City Counsel was really nice and she sad some things I did not think of before. I tend to take everything out of Peet's hands, He told her that he did not cook anymore because he could not stand in the kitchen for a even a little time. She asked him if he had thought about peeling potatoes at the dinner table sitting down.
And I thought: How stupid am I doing everything for him?
When he asked me if I could clean an apple for him. I gave him a plate and a knife! Ha.

She also talked about Peet going to daytime activities that are organized for people like Peet. So we will go and have a look at some of the centers in the neighborhood.

And we went to the neurologist. Thanks to our GP, who put us on a list for when somebody else canceled an appointment, we got a telephone call if Peet wanted to come today. The neurologist ordered a MRI scan of neck and back and some additional blood tests. She thinks it might be a wedged in nerve in his neck or back of something like a hernia.

Will be continued...

Books:

Finished De schemering en de dageraad by Ken Follett and it gets

My review

What wonderful books these are. I was drawn into the story by Edgar and Ragna. Aldred is also an appealing character. The story is set before the other 3 books in the Kingsbridge trilogy. And for a prequel, it's wonderfully fat. The story is also about the hamlet of Dreng's ferry. Dreng is an unpleasant man who runs the ferry. That is, he has his wife, his mistress and a slave girl to do it. Edgar and his brothers and mother are allowed to live in an abandoned farmhouse after their father's death. The farm is in an almost unworkable place so that is quite a challenge. Edgar has a talent. He is good at visualizing how things should work. He is building a kind of bridge, which should make the ferry superfluous. Dreng does not agree with that, of course, because that is his source of income.
There is also a role for the brothers Wilwulf, an earl, Wynstan, a bishop and Wigelm, a feudal lord
Ragna is the daughter of Count Hubert of Cherbourg and she is betrothed to Wilwulf.
That is how she ends up in England.
The story tells of the growth of Breng's ferry until it is renamed and called Kingsbridge. Sometimes the story is cruel and rough. But you empathize with the main characters so much that it actually just fits into the story. Definitely recommended for people who love historical stories.

>149 connie53: Glad the visit of the lady from the City Counsel went well, Connie.
Your only experience is with Peet now, she has way more experience, so she gave you good advice.
And then also to the neurologist last week. When wil Peet get the MRI?
Ouch, nerve problems in the spine can be very painful.

>149 connie53: One of the many issues around caregiving, Connie, is that one loses perspective and thus simple fixes are invisible to the caregiver. I'm so gladdened to know that there is such useful and important assistance available through your local authorities.

Have a splendid weekend!

Yeah, it’s weird how being close to a situation can blind you. We’ve learned so much about caring from my mother-in-law from the caregiver we hired for night duty.

We now have a rollator for Peet and it makes it easier for him to get around in the house.

The reading goes on, of course



I read and finished De weg naar Callisto by Torsten Krol which is a ROOT. I gave it

The blurb from the back cover

Odell Deefus may be a little dumb, but when he discovers a freshly dug grave at the back of Dean Lowry's house, he understands that it's intended for him. When he finds an old lady's corpse in the freezer, he knows that she has been murdered. And when the bomb in his car explodes, levelling every building in the vicinity, and Odell must suddenly hide the body of a terrorist, even he recognizes that things are getting seriously weird. This blackly funny novel of our times follows what happens when Odell Deefus takes one wrong turn on the journey of his life and crashes into a world of oddballs, misfits, drug-dealers, religious fanatics and crooked cops, hypocrisy, torture and bloody murder. In "Callisto", Odell Deefus discovers a vast web of corruption and deceit leading to the dark heart of America.

My review

Weird and at times a bit bizarre book. Odell Deefus is an otherworldly man who is not that bright. When he ends up with engine trouble somewhere around the town of Callisto, an adventure begins, in which Odell ends up in all kind of strange situations. He knocks on a house and the resident, Dean, invites him in. Dean knows a thing or two about cars, but it's already too dark to see what's going on and the men spend a pleasant evening with spirits and beer. Odell discovers a newly dug grave in the backyard. Dean had told him not to go in the back yard and now Odell thinks that grave is for him. When Dean wakes him up in an unpleasant way that night, Odell knocks him down with a club. He takes Dean to his bedroom and continues sleeping on the couch. The next morning, Dean is found dead and Odell is mistaken for Dean by a visitor. Terrorism kicks in and Odell tries to weather or change each new situation as best he can, but things get horribly out of hand, involving the FBI and a few other secret government agencies. The book is written in a certain rhythm. I thought it was an okay book, but it's still real weird.

>153 connie53: A rollator is a great thing! I'm glad it's helping Peet stay mobile.

The book sounds like it could either be played for laughs or grimaces, and the author chose grimaces. Maybe not the easiest choice to follow....

Yesterday we went to the hospital for an MRI of Peets neck and back.
This morning Peet was called on his mobile when I was out for groceries. If all the results of the blood tests are in by tonight, we have an appointment for tomorrow for the results. If they are not in we have an appointment for next Monday. We hope for tomorrow of course.

In the meantime I've finished another book

Een voor een by Ruth Ware the book gets

The blurb from the back cover

The shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask - would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

My review

This book starts off really confusing with a lot of characters and not quite clear connections between them. The story is told by two people. Erin, the hostess of the chalet and Liz, one of the guests.
The guests are the shareholders of a company that is not doing great. They rented the chalet for some skiing and to determine what they will do. Let another group buy their business or continue on their own. There are, of course, 2 camps and the shareholders are equally divided between the camps. Liz is a former secretary and once bought 2% of the shares. She is pressured by both sides for her vote. Then a guest disappears and they can't go out to search because a terrible avalanche partially destroys their chalet. If more people disappear or are found dead, panic sets in. Who's next?



Now I started Een brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt
Original Dutch

The blurb form the back cover


A young messenger.
A secret mission.
A kingdom in peril.

It is the dead of night. Sixteen-year-old Tiuri must spend hours locked in a chapel in silent contemplation if he is to be knighted the next day. But, as he waits by the light of a flickering candle, he hears a knock at the door and a voice desperately asking for help. A secret letter must be delivered to King Unauwen across the GreatMountains - a letter upon which the fate of the entire kingdom depends. Tiuri has a vital role to play, one that might cost him his knighthood. Tiuri's journey will take him through dark, menacing forests, across treacherous rivers, to sinister castles and strange cities. He will encounter evil enemies who would kill to get the letter, but also the best of friends in the most unexpected places. He must trust no one. He must keep his true identity secret.Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter... The Letter for the King is the thrilling story of one boy's battle against evil, set in an enchanted world of chivalry, courage and true friendship.

Fingers crossed that you get the tomorrow-appointment, Connie.

I finished De brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt today and gave it

My Review

Delicious delicious. So in my old age I started reading something by Tonke Dragt. And these books are a lot of fun. There is always something happening and it is exciting, but not really horrible or anything. That wouldn't fit in a children's book. Tiuri sets off to deliver a letter. And that happens at a very important moment for him, namely just before he will be knighted. If he interrupts the rituals for that ceremony, he cannot become a knight. Tiuri chooses to help and sets off with the letter. He doesn't have to go far and he can be back before people notice he's gone. The man to whom he has to pass the letter is seriously injured and asks Tiuri to ensure that the letter is delivered. And so Tiuri embarks on a great journey through mountains and valleys, meeting friendly people and villains, being chased and finding a friend. Absolutely fun to read to children from the age of 7 and up.

>156 scaifea: Hi Amber, not all results were in, so we have to wait until next Monday.

Thanks for the update on, Peet, Connie. Good luck tomoorw!

>158 msf59: Hi Mark, the appointment is for Monday. Amber was referring to the possibility we could go yesterday, but only if all the blood results were in, which apparently did not happen, cause we didn't get a call we could come yesterday.

Now reading and started yesterday Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt the next instalment in the series about Tiuri



The blurb form the back cover

One of the King's most trusted knights has vanished in the snow, so young Sir Tiuri and his best friend Piak must journey into the shadowy heart of the forest to find him. The Wild Wood is a place of mysteries, rumours and whispered tales. A place of lost cities, ancient curses, robbers, princesses and Men in green. As the darkness surrounds him and reports grow of secret plots and ruthless enemies, Tiuri finds himself alone and fighting for survival - caught in a world where good and evil wear the same face, and the wrong move could cost him his life.

I was doing my groceries early this morning so I would be back home before the heath strikes again. I made a quick stop in the small bookstore in the mall and there is was, the book I was waiting for



Valse getuige by Karin Slaughter

The blurb from the back cover

You thought no one saw you. You were wrong.

Leigh and her sister Callie are not bad people – but one night, more than two decades ago, they did something terrible. And the result was a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, devastated by violence.

Years later, Leigh has pushed that night from her mind and become a successful lawyer – but when she is forced to take on a new client against her will, her world begins to spiral out of control.
Because the client knows the truth about what happened twenty-three years ago. He knows what Leigh and Callie did. And unless they stop him, he's going to tear their lives apart …

Just because you didn't see the witness … doesn't mean he wasn't there.

Finished Geheimen van het Wilde Woud by Tonke Dragt and this book gets too

My Review

And a delightful sequel to The Letter to the King. Tiuri and Piak are sent on their way again, this time to the unknown and, according to the stories, dangerous Wild Forest. There they must search for the missing Knight Ristridin who has not returned from an assignment for the king. Tiuri and Piak experience all kinds of adventures. They get to know the Green Men, lose each other and are captured. And then there's the threat from the South from Eviellan, where the Red Knights come from. Nice uncomplicated read.

Now reading >161 connie53:

Glad you enjoyed De brief voor de koning and Geheimen van het Wilde Woud, Connie.
I did read them so many times in my youth, that the books fell apart.

Much good reading to distract you from your wait, thank goodness. I hope you and Peet get all the results as early on Monday as possible.

We have an appointment for 10.30 am. So we will leave in half an hour. My sister or my brother in law will take us there. I now think I could do with a drivers license.

I hope all went well yesterday, Connie. Any more insight about Peet's health?

Tomorrow we have an appointment with a neurosurgeon, because on the MRI it showed that the vertebrae in Peet's neck are damaged by the fall he made getting off his bike 4 weeks ago. That was also the time when he started getting trouble walking and the strength in his arm went away.
The vertebrae moved a bit and now are pressing on the nerves, tendons and blood vessels in the back of his neck. The neurosurgeon will determine what can be done about that. Maybe he will perform surgery and scrape some of the protrusions from the vertebrae away to make room for them so they can perform as they should again.

To be continued!

>167 connie53: *hugs*

It's good that they've discovered what's causing the problems - here's hoping they solution is quick and easy.

Hi Connie my dear, hope all goes well for Peet with the Neurosurgeon and that they can find the cause and rectify it. Sending love and hugs to you, Peet and the family from both of us dear friend.

>167 connie53: Glad they found a cause. I hope they find a way to repair it fairly easily.

Well. He certainly talked about the surgery, but he also needed more information. So we went for a simple X-ray after we left him. On Tuesday we have an EMG and on Wednesday in the morning an CT-scan and in the afternoon a new appointment with the neurosurgeon. More transportation to organize, but I did it with help from my sisters and my daughter.

I bought 3 new books just because I wanted to



Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh

The blurb from the back cover

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems with her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination: "The following instructions will save your daughter's life..."

Someone needs Mina's assistance and knows exactly how to make her comply.

When one passenger is killed and then another, Mina knows she must act. But which lives does she save: Her passengers...or her own daughter and husband who are in grave distress back at home?



Ons huis by Louise Candlish

The blurb from the back cover

On a bright morning in the London suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought on Trinity Avenue.

Nothing strange about that. Except it's your house. And you didn’t sell it.

FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE.

When Fi Lawson arrives home to find strangers moving into her house, she is plunged into terror and confusion. She and her husband Bram have owned their home on Trinity Avenue for years and have no intention of selling. How can this other family possibly think the house is theirs? And why has Bram disappeared when she needs him most?

FOR RICHER, FOR POORER.

Bram has made a catastrophic mistake and now he is paying. Unable to see his wife, his children or his home, he has nothing left but to settle scores. As the nightmare takes grip, both Bram and Fi try to make sense of the events that led to a devastating crime. What has he hidden from her – and what has she hidden from him? And will either survive the chilling truth – that there are far worse things you can lose than your house?

TILL DEATH US DO PART.



Middernachtbibliotheek by Matt Haig

The blurb from the back cover

Independent Nora's life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?

I finished Valse getuige by Karin Slaughter and that book gets

My review

A new Karin Slaughter always makes me happy, but this one was a bit intense both in subject matter as in execution. Sometimes I really skipped bits. It is of course also a heavy subject, pedophilia. But it's a Slaughter so I múst read it.
Callie and Leigh are sisters. They are actually called Calliope and Harleigh, but they soon abbreviated those names. They have been through something terrible and are each trying to live with it in their own way. That becomes difficult when they are confronted with it again in a terrible way and their secret threatens to be made public. Good book, but you have to be able to handle it.

Now reading

Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh

see >171 connie53: for more details and the blurb!

Great book so far!

>171 connie53: I fully support buying "just because I want to" books! And Peet is clearly in the hands of caring and competent medical professionals, so I'm sure you're feeling a bit reassured about his prognosis.

Happy weekend, Connie!

>173 richardderus: Thanks Richard! I sometimes just have to!

And yes, things are looking a bit better with Peet now.

>174 connie53: Totally agree that sometimes you just have to...and you should!

So glad to hear things are better with your husband. Hope the trend continues.

Finished Gegijzeld by Clare Mackintosh yesterday and this book gets

My Review

How well put together is this book. The tension builds up slowly and you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. The larger story is alternately told by Mina and Adam. You feel that there is a kind of tension between them which is partly caused by their 5 year old daughter Sophia. Sophia is a smart girl, but events in the first year of her life make it difficult for her to bond.
When Mina gets the chance to be a flight attendant on a non-stop flight from London to Sidney, she gladly joins. Such a long flight has never been done before and there are all kinds of important people on board.
Adam will be watching Sophia in the meantime, but Adam also has his secrets.

Between the chapters of Mina and Adam, there are also pieces in italics that tell the story of passengers on the plane. They all have their own reasons for wanting to go to Sydney. Sometimes you know their name, sometimes just certain personal characteristics. And then the big puzzle begins. Because who is who and what are they doing there. I've been taking notes to find out for myself what it was like. And that made it even more special to read this great book. Definitely recommended.

Now reading Ons huis by Louise Candlish

See >171 connie53: for more info.

>176 connie53: The full five stars! That says a lot. I'll go request it from the library. "Thanks" Connie. Book-bulleting me from across the North Atlantic Ocean. These Dutch people....

>176 connie53: I'm sorry, Richard (not)!

Connie, I read about Peet's health troubles. Please taken care xx

Well the neurosurgeon wants to fuse two vertebrae in Peets neck. Removing an intervertebral disc to make room for the muscles, nerves and veins. The intervertebral disc will be replaced by a kind of little cage that will keep the vertebrae apart for a while. But he can't promise that it will be better (of course he can't). It can get worse too. But we decided to go for it. Even the slightest improvement will be welcome and the change that Peet gets worse or (worst case scenario) dies on the table is very small. He has to stay for 2 nights and it will decided what happens next. Rehabilitation center or nursing home for a while. It's all in the stars!

>179 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana.

>180 connie53: Thanks, for the update, Connie. It sounds like you are making the right decision with Peet. I hope everything goes well.

>180 connie53: Hoping all goes well for Peet, Connie.
Did the surgeon set a date?

All the best for you and Peet!

The surgery will be on the 12th or on the 19th. There was a bit of confusion about what date the doctor mentioned and what his secretary told us.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

I finished Ons huis by Louise Candlish and it gets

My review

I had some trouble with this book. Fiona and Bram don't have the best marriage and when Fiona catches Bram having an intimate affair, she kicks him out of the house. They want to keep a safe place for the children. So Fiona lives in their house during the week and Bram in the weekend. They rent a small flat where they can take turns staying when they can't be in the big house.
When Bram causes a serious accident, things get worse very quickly. He flees the scene of the accident, but that is seen by someone who blackmails Bram afterwards.

When Fiona comes home with her new boyfriend after a weekend, it turns out that the house has been sold and the new residents have already moved in.
The story is told by Fiona in a kind of podcast and by Bram in a long document. But are they telling the truth or are they both trying to cover themselves and keep some things secret?
A very unexpected turn at the end.
Why did I have trouble with it? Just because it didn't feel good. Too many twists maybe and improbabilities

>185 connie53: Your disappointment rings true with me...improbable things really happen, but fiction needs to follow rules life does not.

>180 connie53: A plan is a good thing, and one known to be effective is a better thing.

Hi Richard, thanks for your kind words. Yes, I think a doctor has to present all of the scenarios, also the bad ones. But I hope it will be a positive one of course!

Finished book 64 for the year. A non ROOT.

Middernachtbibliotheek by Matt Haig BB by Persephoneslibrary. I give it the full

My review

I'm just gonna do it. I give this book 5 stars because I think it is a beautiful book that should get all the attention, especially from people who are going through a difficult period or have lost all hope. And yet it is not a gloomy book, but a book that is hopeful and also has a life lesson in it.

Nora Seed is a young woman who is having a hard time. She lives in a rickety apartment, no one really needs her, she hasn't seen her brother in a long time and they broke up with an argument, her music career has gone haywire and now she has also lost her job and her cat was found death in the street. In fact, nothing works for her and everything works against her. She makes a decision and ends her life.
Then she wakes up in a library with the same Mrs. Elm from her school, who used to comfort her and with whom she played endless games of chess. She gets the chance to live lives that she could have had if she had made a different choice somewhere in her past.
Wonderful to read and really something to think about for yourself. Highly recommended and a potential rereader.

I wish Peet was a reader so he could read this too.

>188 connie53: Good review, Connie, I have seen it on other threads. It is on my list, and after your review I will move it a bit closer to the top.

Late last night we heard that my daughter was in the hospital with Marie, who was having trouble breathing and needed medical care. They thought she had RS-virus or a pneumonia. There was no bed available for a little child, so they were transported by ambulance to another city in the middle of the night. She had antibiotics and was treated with a nebulizer to help het breath and dissolve the slime in her longs.

Here is Marie last night



And here this morning



A pedagogical employee from the hospital brought her a coloring book and a stuffed animal.

>190 connie53: Oh, poor Marie, must have scared her parents and grandparents.
I see she got a book about being in the hospital. Will she go home soon?

We don't know about that. They are in a very nice room in the hospital in Weert

Parent and child room

How frightening to have such a little child be so sick. It looks like she's feeling better today at least and also that the hospital has very nice facilities for them. Hope she's completely well very soon.

Oh my on Peet's problems. It sounds like the surgery plan is good.

Have his doctors figured out why he had the fall from his bike? Have you heard about his lab results?

Poor Marie. How scary for you all. I hope she is feeling better quickly.

I just talked to Cyrille, who saw the pediatrician while Eveline was getting a breath of fresh air, and Marie will have to stay another night at least. Her oxygen levels are still too low and they want to try a smaller nebulizer for home, like the one you can use for asthma (a puffer?). If that works and Eveline and Marie know how to use it and the levels have gone up, she can go home at the end of the afternoon tomorrow.

>193 RebaRelishesReading: thanks Reba. She is feeling better Eveline told me. But she still sleeps a lot and is a bit grumpy.

>194 streamsong: Hi Janet. He was a bit unstable to begin with. He had several falls in the last year, but this last one did the most damage. His lab results are al within range. So that is good.

Oh, no! I'm sorry to read about Peet's status, and Marie's illness. That sounds like RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, which we typically see in the United States between September and April, with a peak from November through February. Due to social distancing and kids staying home from school and daycare the RSV season didn't begin here until late spring, and we are now inundated with babies and toddlers with RSV and other lower respiratory infections that we normally wouldn't see at this time of the year.

I pray that both of your loved ones get better soon.

Hi Darryl, how are you doing? Yes, they diagnosed it as RSV too. They had to look for a bed for her and found one 70 km away from Maastricht in Weert (You might recognize that city's name from your train trip to Maastricht the day Fiene was born and I had to cancel our appointment.) because there was no bed to be found in the cities around Maastricht.

On top of that I have to mention that Lonne has a stomach flue. She is now on the mend but she was really ill. They even came back from a short holiday last week because she was not feeling well and the weather was awful to top that. So they just went home a day earlier.

I hope this will end the list of sick members of my family.

>197 connie53: Hi, Connie! I'm doing well, after a 12 day case of gastroenteritis that I finally got over early last week.

Our hospital is nearly full as well, due mainly to infants and toddlers with RSV bronchiolitis, and at least a dozen teenagers with eating disorders brought on by restrictions due to the pandemic. I saw nine girls 15-20 yo with anorexia nervosa and unspecified eating disorders on Friday, the most I've seen in one day in my 21 year career as a hospitalist.

Yikes, Lonne is sick too?! That's more than enough illness for one family in a calendar year. I hope that she also recovers soon.

Covid did a lot of kids and teens a lot of damage, Darryl. It's the same here.

I hope there will be an end to all the illnesses soon and no new ones to appear. I'm really done with that.

Marie is home again. They were cheering in that picture (or something that has to look like cheering)

Here's a cheer from far away to join them :) HOORAY!

Dear Connie, I hope the family all are gradually getting better health wise - what a worrying time for you.

Peet probably shouldn't strain himself too much on the bike if he has had shocks from his diabetes and was probably a little disoriented. Gentle exercise to build up to the bike - thank God the Netherlands is relatively flat.

Hope both the youngsters will be home by today. As an asthmatic myself I empathise with anyone struggling to breathe and especially young ones because it is difficult for them to articulate their issues.

Positive vibes and loving wishes from Malaysia!

>200 connie53: What a lovely picture, and I'm so glad that Marie is well enough to come home.

>200 connie53: Fabulous! I'm glad that Marie was discharged from the hospital and is doing well. That is a lovely photo of her and her mother.

>200 connie53: Aw, lovely! And yay that Marie is home again!!

Thanks everyone.

Peet will have his surgery Monday the 19th.

>202 PaulCranswick:. Peet does not have diabetes, Paul. And believe me, he has been tested several times in the last months. And he can only move around the house using a rollator. He can't even go upstairs. So a bike is out of the question in the coming months after his surgery.

>206 connie53: Good news on the schedule for Peet's surgery, and thank goodness >200 connie53: Marie is home. Much is going well!

Will be sending good thoughts for Peet, and you, especially on the 19th.

Thanks, Richard and Reba!

We will need the good thoughts!

Sweet Thursday, Connie. Thanks for keeping us updated. I am glad Marie is home and feeling better. I am also glad to hear Peet has a surgery date. How is he doing?

>210 msf59: Bad, he can't really walk even whit his rollator. He sleeps in the livingroom because he can't use the stairs to our bedroom. He has to have help with everything. He has not even strength in his hands to shave so he was growing a beard but that did not look good on him. So I shaved him yesterday. We can't wait for the surgery and hope that it will bring back some if not everything of his abilities. If only he could walk better and could climb the stairs to sleep and shower. That would help a lot.

Finished In het niets by Christian White and the book gets

My review

Sammy Went, age 2, disappears from her house and no one knows where she has gone. Searches turn up nothing and the family of Sammy, her mother Molly, her father Jack, her sister Emma and her brother Stuart have to live with her disappearance. But that's not easy. In the village of Manson (USA), where they live, a large part of the people are members of a sect called The Light Within, which mainly works with snakes. If a snake bites you, God will save you, or you will die and go to Him in heaven, it is something like that, but it is not completely clear to me. Molly is an ardent follower of this faith, Jack who was born into that faith community has broken away from it.

28 years later, Kim Leamy, who lives in Melbourne, get a visit from a man. He tells her that he thinks she is Sammy Went and would like to find out if that is correct. When Kim is confronted with a DNA result, she cannot ignore it and decides to go to America to learn more about her 'family'.

The story alternates between 'Then' and 'Now'.
In 'Then' we also meet Travis Eckels and his brother Patrick.
All kinds of secrets are revealed. If something happens in one period, it also has consequences for the other period. There is a homosexual relationship, a strange family in the street, a pastor with a double agenda, a missing young woman. I didn't see the ending coming at all which was a nice surprise

>211 connie53: I'm sorry that Peet is so badly disabled, Connie. I pray that his surgery makes a major improvement in his condition.

Thanks, Darryl. It's rather frustrating to be responsible for everything and do everything alone. Sometimes it gets just to much. So lets hope the surgery will help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now reading De offers by Jeroen Windmeijer
Original Dutch, translates into The sacrifices



The blurb from the back cover

Three children are murdered in a short time in a closed community near Lake Titicaca. Everything indicates that they were ritually killed. Dutch research student Luc and his Bolivian colleague Nayra become involved in the case. Has the long-dead tradition of child sacrifice been revived? What haunts the misty peaks of the Andes?
In Latin America, Christianity, which the Roman Catholic conquistadors brought with them, is deeply intertwined with the original nature religion. The Indians see Mother Earth as a caring mother, who gives people abundance. Sacrifices are necessary to maintain the balance. But sometimes a very big sacrifice is needed…

>214 connie53: Oh, that really intrigues me. Capacocha is a fascinating topic!

I am so sad to learn how badly affected Peet is, and only wish I could do more than hope the 19th speeds up its approach.

I was sorry to read that Peet has been struggling Connie. I hope the surgery will help.
Glad Marie is doing well, that last picture of her is lovely.
And glad you are enjoying your reading!

>125 connie53: Thanks Richard. Your thoughts are enough for me. It is a great support to think about all the LT-ers that are thinking of us.

>126 scaifea: Hi Ella, we hope so too. We are certainly happy Marie is her a bit naughty self again. I can escape to reading any time!

>211 connie53: I am so sorry to hear Peet's condition, Connie. You are in our thoughts. I hope you are finding comfort with the books.

Finished De offers by Jeroen Windmeijer ROOT # 28, Book for 2021 # 66

This book gets

My review

This is clearly a book written by an anthropologist because the facts in the story are well thought out and well, but extensively, discussed. That bothered me a bit, because I like a bit of speed in my books. Somewhere after a third of the book, that momentum starts to pick up. But it still keeps falling back into anthropological explanations at times and that is at the expense of the story.
This is told by Lucas, a young forestry student from Wageningen University who spent 6 months working in Bolivia on a project for re plantation of forests. A few days before he will return to the Netherlands, he is confronted with the murder of a boy. Then it turns out that this is already the third boy who has been murdered, always with an interval of 6 months and always around the solstice.
The story is mainly about the inhabitants of the villages who, in addition to the western religion to which they have converted, also hold on to the old religion of the nature gods. This often clashes with the priests who have come from Europe to effect the conversions.

Finished Leon & Juliette by Annejet van der Zijl ROOT # 29, Book for 2021 # 67 and it gets

My review

A very interesting story that really happened. The author has done a lot of research and written a very believable short book.
Leon Herckenrath left Rotterdam in October 1818 for Charleston in South Carolina in the USA. He is the youngest son of the mayor of Monsterambacht and ideally suited to seek his fortune in faraway America. Slavery is still practiced in South Carolina. And that is also the case in James Magnan's household where Leon goes to work as a secretary. When he becomes seriously ill, he is nursed by nine-year-old Juliette, daughter of one of the slaves. She takes such good care of him that he eventually gets better. And he buys Juliette from James and immediately has it recorded that he sets her free as well as all her future descendants who will no longer be slaves.
In 1823 Leon and Juliette married in secret. Such a marriage is not tolerated. To the outside world, Juliette is a freed slave.
When children are born, Leon decides to have all those children brought to his mother in Monster one by one. Finally, Juliette goes with the newest baby. Leon travels back and forth between his family in the Netherlands and his business, which is going very well, in Charleston. But the situation becomes dangerous and skirmishes erupt between the North of America and the Southern Federation.
The book describes very well what life was like in America at that time and how it is slowly changing, but the underlying story is about Leon and Juliette and their love that has conquered almost everything.

Hi Connie - I'm so sorry that Peet is having a rough time. Give him our best and let him know how many people that he doesn't know are pulling for him. And for you! It is very hard that you have everything on your shoulders and you are dealing with it like a superwoman. I hope you can find some ways to nurture yourself, too.

Love that photo in >200 connie53:. Hooray for Marie and the doctors!

>221 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. And thanks for the compliments. I feel like a very tired superwoman though. It's time something happens to better things.

Marie is a very lovely girl. And she is still doing fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Finished Het negende huis by Leigh Bardugo and give it

My review

I really liked this book, but I read it in chunks, with longer intervals, which forced me to get back into it when I resumed, mainly because it's an unknown form of magic Alex Stern has. She can see dead people and she can call and absorb them to send them to do things for her. She has been asked by the ninth house, the house of Lethe, because of this talent. Her tutor Daniel Arlington (called Darlington) will show her what to do there. The house of Lethe oversees the other eight houses, each possessing and practicing a different branch of magic. But then Darlington disappears and Alex has to make it on her own and nothing turns out to be what it seemed to be. Complicated magic, but entertainingly written. I probably would have appreciated it more if I had read it in a day or two

Yesterday Peet and I went to the hospital where Peet will have his surgery coming Monday. We went for an ECG and to do some blood tests and had a talk with the ward doctor about things like allergies and medication. And to ask questions about the surgery and what happens after that. They perform this surgery to make sure Peet won't get worse and to stabilize the current situation. Any improvement will a welcome thing, but they can't give us any hope for that.
Peet will probably spend some time in a rehabilitation center and it's not certain what will happen after that period. The doctor was kind of shocked that I took care of Peet for such a long time without any practical help. He certainly wanted to give me some time without that burden. And I'm kind of glad that I will have that now. But it's a rather double feeling.
Friday we will go to the hospital again and have a talk with the anesthetist.

I'm glad that Peet's surgery is going forward as planned. I was very impressed with the rehabilitation hospital that my father stayed in for nearly three weeks after he recovered from his stroke and days long seizure last year; when I first saw him there I didn't think there was any way that he would be able to come home and function independently, but within days he was vastly improved, and after two weeks there it was clear that he would recover most of his prior function.

You and Peet will be in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted.

I'm thinking of you and Peet, Connie. *hugs*

Thanks, Darryl and Amber!

In the meantime there is some reading done too.

Finished De tiende vrouw by Roel Janssen ROOT # 30
Original Dutch



The blurb from the back cover

When the beautiful journalist Tessa Insinger steps aboard the sailing yacht Joyeuse in the middle of the night, she has only one goal: revenge. The ship is owned by Eric Pincoff, a megalomaniac property developer working on a modern version of Charlemagne's European empire. Also on board are Pincoff's Chilean bodyguard and his attractive British banker.

Once at sea, Tessa discovers that the key to the businessman's empire is hidden in the names of Charlemagne's ten wives. Hot on the heels of Pincoff's numerous assailants, a battle for the code ensues on the Joyeuse. Everyone thinks they are outsmarting each other, but Tessa knows that only one person on board can use the code.

My review

I hadn't heard great things about this book, but I actually liked it.
Tessa has a secret, but actually everyone in this book has a secret. Tessa is out for revenge, so she makes sure she gets in touch with Eric. She poses as a freelance journalist who is fascinated by Eric's reputation as a wealthy project developer and not those small projects but things like an airport at sea.
Eric is interested and invites her for a sailing trip on his luxury yacht so that she can conduct her interview in peace and in the meantime enjoy a quiet trip to Guernsey. Also on board is his handyman and bodyguard Bobby. The journey starts anything but quiet but with a shelling by a number of men in a speedboat. Arriving on Guernsey, she also meets Orville, Eric's banker there. He also joins the yacht when Eric decides to sail on to other tax havens. Soon Tessa begins to carry out her plan and sows mistrust among the 3 men.

Starting ROOT # 31



Een weg door de bergen by Elizabeth McGregor

The blurb from de back cover

Ten years have passed since David Mortimer last saw Anna Russell. Their love affair ended when she disappeared. Drifting through life ever since, David has never married and is devoted to scientific work - thinking about the book he's always meant to write about the botanist, Ernest Wilson, and his extraordinary exploits in China. But David's isolation is about to change. He receives news that Anna has been seriously injured in an accident. More devastating still is the revelation that he has a daughter, Rachel, whom he has never seen. Both now urgently need his help - and more than one danger is threatening them.

I hope Friday's appointment goes well as does the surgery on Monday.

You've been fighting a heroic battle.

We are now trying to change the face to face appointment to a telephone call. Because of the floods traffic is rather hectic and we are not sure we can drive there.

Sorry to hear about the flood traffic, Connie. Good luck with that. I hope the telephone calls work out.

>229 connie53: I hope the change got made!

We were supposed to visit the hospital today to talk to the anesthetist about Peets surgery. Eveline would drive us there. From Maastricht to Roermond then half way back to Sittard, back to Roermond and then back to Maastricht. She loved to do that for us. But the highway takes her past all the little villages that were flooded between Maastricht and Sittard. That meant heavy traffic from military and other transports for the aid to the area and closed sections off the highway. So we called the hospital and asked if the appointment could be by telephone and that was possible. So we exchanged some information about medication, previous narcosis and other medical history. Really nothing that had to talked about in person.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished Een weg door de bergen by Elizabeth McGregor and this book gets

My review

Despite the abundance of information about all kinds of exotic trees, I did enjoy this story. David and Anna have a special relationship as they both study at Oxford. But then Anna suddenly leaves and David is left stunned. Anna has returned to Boston to live with her mother again. David writes letter after letter but never gets an answer. Ten years later, he receives a call from Grace, Anna's mother. She asks him to come to Boston because Anna has had a serious accident and is in a coma in the hospital and because she needs him to take care of his daughter Rachel. Completely confused, David travels to America. He never knew he had a daughter. Rachel turns out to be a girl who suffers from autism (Asperger's) and has a passion for maps and bridges. By retelling the travelogue of the botanist Ernest Wilson, which he had previously told Anna just before she left, he tries to get through to her and get her out of her coma, aided by Rachel's drawings. I thought it was a nice story.

Now started in Dodelijke opleiding by Naomi Novik ROOT #32



The blurb from the backcover

From the New York Times bestselling author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic.

I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life. Everyone loves Orion Lake.

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you're inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die. El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school's many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions - never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school. Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it . . . that is, unless she has no other choice. With flawless mastery, Naomi Novik creates a heroine for the ages - a character so sharply realized and so richly nuanced that she will live on in hearts and minds for generations to come.

>232 connie53: I'm so relieved for y'all. Not being out in the traffic, not to mention the flooding isn't *over* and the general stress of being where you're not needed...well, it's a great thing it's handled and you're all safe.

So glad you were able to change to a telephone appointment with the doctor but so sorry about all of the flooding in your area.

Now reading a very old ROOT.



Kerewin by Keri Hulme bought in 2011, ROOT # 33, BFB # 10

The blurb from the back cover

This unusual novel, set in New Zealand, concentrates on three people: Kerewin Holmes, a part-Maori painter who has chosen to isolate herself in a tower she built from lottery winnings; Simon, a troubled and mysterious little boy; and Joe Gillayley, the Maori factory worker who is Simon's foster father. Elements of Maori myth and culture are woven into the novel's exploration of the passions and needs that bind these three people together, for good or ill. It's not easy reading, but the story is compelling despite its stylistic eccentricities and great length. The novel is the winner of the Pegasus Prize.

>235 connie53: Looking forward to your thoughts about Kerewin, Connie, as it is also a very deep ROOT on our shelves.
I am almost sure we bought our copy in the 1980s.

I also look forward to your thoughts on The Bone People, Connie. I've owned a copy of it for over a decade, but I haven't read it yet.

I hope things went well today, Connie. I wondered if the flooding would delay the operation.

Gentle hugs for you and Peet.

Checking in for a status update on Peet and on you....

So quiet here, Connie, I hope all went well last Monday...

Here I am again. It was a bit hectic the last few days. The surgery went well and according to plan. Peet was supposed to spend the night after surgery in the ICU. But that was not possible since there was no bed available. So he went back to his old room. We went to visit Monday afternoon. He was doing fine, but a bit confused by the anesthesia. Tuesday evening around midnight I got a call that he was taken to the ICU because there was a decrease in strength in his right leg and they wanted to monitor him more closely which is easier there because they have more nurses during the night than on a ordinary ward. But I panicked and tried to reach Jeroen and Eveline. There I-phones shut off for the night (that's standard procedure for any I-phone. You have to make a list with people that can reach you at all times). So I had a very short and restless night, not really knowing what happened and how serious it was. The hospital is almost an hour away from where I live, so not a thing you do on your bike. Wednesday morning I talked to Eveline and she would pick me up at the train station so I took the train to Heerlen and we went to the hospital together. Peet was doing fine but still confused and not willing to do what he was told. He wanted to get out of bed all the time so they had to restrain him and tied him to the bed. That made him more mad. At this moment he is back on his old room and doing all right. But I don't expect him to come home soon. He probably will have to stay in some kind of medical revalidation place.

To be continued!

>241 connie53: Hi Connie! Oh, how confusing for you, not really knowing what is going on, and worrying about Peet. Sorry, that he was so confused, must have been awful for him.
But glad to hear the surgery went well, and he could leave the IC and go back to his room. I hope recovery will go easier from here on! Best wishes for both of you.

Thank you Ella!

>241 connie53: Good to see a message from you, Connie!
Glad to read the surgery went well, sorry you had a bad night afterwards.
I hope you get some rest now, and Peet will recover well.

>241 connie53: That must have been a very stressful experience for you and Peet, Connie. I'm glad and relieved that the surgery went well, and that he is doing okay.

Thanks, Anita and Darryl. He will stay in hospital at least until Monday. His wound is really getting better very soon, but his body is another matter. He is rather confused and falls asleep sitting straight up and having trouble swallowing because of mucus in his throat and is getting logopedic help for that. An X-ray was made to exclude pneumonia.
We take it day by day and have made a kind of schedule whom visits when. Most of the time I go with Jeroen when he goes there.

So sorry to hear about all of your challenges. Hope they find a solutions to the problem's Peet is experiencing so that everyone can rest again and healing can continue.

>241 connie53: Chiming in with my well-wishes and wellness wishes. I'm so sorry that Peet's had some more troubles, but he's in the proper place for the situation to be dealt with.

Here's to hoping it's a less stressful weekend ahead.

Sending positive thoughts that Peet improves

I will visit him today. In about an hour I'm off to the railway station.

Thanks for the well wishes.

Hi, Connie. Thanks for keeping us updated on Peet. I am glad the surgery went well and I hope he is showing more improvement today.

*hugs* Connie. Thinking about you and Peet.

Hi all. Peet is doing better. The strength in his right leg is variable. When he was sitting in a chair next to his bed he couldn't lift it or move it at all. But later when he was in bed again he could which was quit surprising to the visiting doctor. He asked for new X-rays to be made later today from Peet's neck to see if everything is still in place, like the little plate they put there to keep the vertebrae in place. We will hear the results from those x-rays later today or tomorrow.
Now he has developed a pneumonia and he gets antibiotics and some long specific physiotherapy. He gets physiotherapy for his legs and arms too.
But, on the good side, he is make little jokes and he can laugh a little. He could talk to me in a coherent way and remember things from last week and from much earlier. He is not that confused anymore. So now we have to get the pneumonia away as soon as possible.

I have to recap what I'm reading not only for you all, but for me too

Here we go:

Reading in English



A song below water by Bethany C. Morrow

The blurb from the back cover

In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers.

Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school's junior year.
But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.
Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it's only Tavia and Effie's unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.



Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

The blurb from the back cover

Master fantasist Seanan McGuire introduces readers to an America run in the shadows by the Alchemical Congress, a powerful society focused on transmuting reality itself. Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story. Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math. Roger and Dodger aren't exactly human, though they don't realize it. They aren't exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet. Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He's not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own. Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn't attained.

In Dutch



Een dodelijke opleiding by Naomi Novik ROOT

The blurb from the back cover of the English version

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you're inside, there are only two ways out: you graduate or you die. El Higgins is uniquely prepared for the school's many dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions - never mind easily destroy the countless monsters that prowl the school. Except, she might accidentally kill all the other students, too. So El is trying her hardest not to use it . . . that is, unless she has no other choice.



Wie wind zaait by Nele Neuhaus ROOT
Original German.

There is saying in Dutch that says 'Wie wind zaait zal storm oogsten'. translated: 'He who sows the wind will reap the storm'

The blurb from the back cover

In the office of WindPro, a company that operates windmills, a night watchman is found dead. Shortly afterwards, when a farmer who chairs a citizens' initiative against wind farms is murdered, Detective Pia Kirchhoff investigates. The farmer turns out to have so many enemies that almost everyone around him is suspicious. Every suspect has his own motive and nothing is as it seems. Until someone has to pay.
Who Sows the Wind is an intelligent thriller on a current theme, in which Nele Neuhaus shows once again that ordinary people not only easily become victims of a serious crime, but that they are also capable of committing a bloody murder.



Olympos by Dan Simmons ROOT

The blurb from the back cover

Helen of Troy is in mourning for her dead husband, Paris. Killed in single combat with the merciless Apollo, his body is nothing but a scorched and blasted thing. Hockenberry, her lover, still sneaks from her bed after their nights of lovemaking. And the gods still strike out from the besieged Olympos, their single-molecule bomb casings quantum phase-shifting through the moravecs¿ force shield and laying waste to Ilium. Or so Hockenberry and the amusing little metal creature, Mahnmut, have tried to explain to her. Helen of Troy does not give a fig about machines. She must dress for the funeral. And man and the gods and the unknown players in this tragedy must prepare for the final act. And a battle that will decide the future of the universe itself.

>253 connie53: I'm so glad to hear that Peet is more "with it" now! That is a bad feeling indeed, and for him to grasp his memories again is wonderful.

Pneumonia is pretty inevitable when someone's laid out flat. I hope they kill those bacteria with the antibiotic very quickly.

*hugs*

Finished in the last few days

Kerewin by Keri Hulme ROOT # 31, BFB # 10

My review

I really thought this was a wonderful story. Kerewin is a young woman who has rather idiosyncratic ideas. She's an artist, but she's lost her talent a bit and has withdrawn from city life and built a tower on the very tip of an island that belongs to New Zealand. She has not had contact with her family for a long time and is actually fine with that. She has created her own little paradise and lives of what the land and nature can give her. She hunts and she fishes.
One day she sees a boy standing on the windowsill on the outside of her tower. He climbed halfway up the tower somehow. When she lets him in she notices that he can't talk but that doesn't stop her from developing some kind of friendship with him. Soon she also meets Joe, the adoptive father of the boy (called Simon). The three of them form a odd trio. The story ripples on, with beautiful language that feels magical at times. Of course there are some upsetting events. Simon wants to stay with his father at all costs and Joe, who has lost his own wife and child and promised his wife he will always take care of Simon, occasionally becomes violent towards Simon. It also turns out that Simon carries a secret from his past with him.
It could have been shorter, but I did enjoy it.



Finished Wreed spel by Angela Marsons

The blurb from the back cover

The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game... When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal stabbing, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But as further disturbing events come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone even more sinister at work. With the investigation gathering momentum, whilst also trying to expose the secrets of a sick paedophile ring, Kim finds herself in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment. Pitted against a dangerous sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time - it's personal

My review

Very special to read a thriller where you know from the beginning who the perpetrator is and that the tension still remains in the remainder of the book. You really want to know how the perpetrator is found by the police.
Alexandra Thorne, psychiatrist, sets up her patients to kill the ones who harmed them. She lets her patients imagine taking revenge on the perpetrator by talking them through a visualization story
Slowly her patients get the idea it would be a good way to get rid of the shame and depression from which they suffer.
Kim Stone has her own demons from the past to battle when she has to deal with the first murder. A rapist is murdered and all traces lead to his victim. Kim has to stay ahead of Alex, but Alex is also very interested in Kim and her history.



Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

The blurb from the back cover



Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.
Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.

They live on the same street.
They live in different worlds.

On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under, an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.
And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

My review

I thought this was a very sweet story. Two children, from the same street, leave for school. Zib is a girl from a family that is not so structured. She is free to do what she likes to do. And that is going on an adventure in the woods and discovering things. Avery is a boy from a very structured family and he does not like unexpected things. Yet they meet at a wall that blocks their way to school. They climb over it and end up in a completely different world. Together they make their way home through forests and fields, past rocks and rivers. Because they depend on each other and they both have a different way of solving problems, they complement each other well. They get help from the Crow girl, a girl made up of a flock of crows, and from Niamh, a girl made up of ice and water, and by some impressive owls. But there are also enemies and nothing is as it seems. Very nice to read.

Thanks Richard. I'm really hopeful again that he will be better then before.

*Hugs* right back at you!

>253 connie53: Your latest update was more heartening, Connie. Hopefully Peet's rehabilitation will go smoothly and that physio will work wonders.

My you have been reading!

Hi Paul, Thanks for visiting. Reading is a thing I never give up and is a place to go to in difficult times.

>259 connie53: Indeed so. xx

I'm glad that Peet is doing better, Connie!

Thanks Paul and Darryl, I did go again yesterday. 4,5 hours from home and only 1,5 hour of those spend with Peet. The remaining hours I spend on public transportation. There were a few things wrong there. Something happened in a train that needed attention from ambulance or police. So my train was suspended and I had to wait for the next one. Buses were slow too. I was very, very tired when I came home.

Peet was the same as the day before. The situation is a bit weird. Peet can move his leg sometimes, but not all the time. That's going to be investigated today I hope. Communication with the doctor is a bit difficult. I hope Eveline can get some answers today. She is great doing that kind of things.

>262 connie53: Sorry to read Peet has still trouble with his leg, Connie. I hope you get some answers soon.

Hi, Connie. Glad to hear Peet is doing better. I hope they can clear up that pneumonia quickly. I see, you are able to get plenty of reading in, which I am sure is a good thing.

>263 FAMeulstee: We did not get any answers yet, Anita. I will visit tomorrow morning and try to find out what they think they could/should do. Eveline did not hear anything new this morning.

>264 msf59: That sure is a good thing, Mark.

All healing thoughts for Peet and for you!

>262 connie53: I'm glad you're able to get some relief from reading. A counselor once told me that being in a situation like yours is like being a pitcher of water pouring support onto another. You have to find ways to keep your pitcher full. Please take care of yourself! I'm glad you have Eveline to help.

Angela Marsons sounds like a very good mystery writer. I've never read anything by her.

Update on the books bought and read.

Bought a few



De duivel en de duistere diepte by Stuart Turton

The blurb from the back cover

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam, where he is set to face trial for a crime that no one dares speak of.

But no sooner is the ship out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. Strange symbols appear on the sails. A figure stalks the decks. Livestock are slaughtered. Passengers are plagued with ominous threats, promising them three unholy miracles. First: an impossible pursuit. Second: an impossible theft.

Then: an impossible murder.

With Pipps imprisoned in the depths of the ship, can his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes solve the mystery before the ship descends into anarchy?



Stad der nevelen by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This is a book with short stories belonging to the series The Cemetery of Forgotten Books

The blurb from the back cover

Presents a complete collection of the author's short stories, some of which were not previously published, featuring such characters as a boy who decides to become a writer to impress the rich girl he has fallen in love with and an architect with plans for an impregnable library.

Reading the same book as in >254 connie53:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Today a decision is made about Peet. He may move to a physiotherapy center here in town. That will make visiting him less complicated. It all depends on the fact what kind of care they can give him there. He is not making much progress due to his lack of will to go for it. He has to do exercises with his legs and arms. But he doesn't do them as much as he should. We are wondering if something else is going on. Some kind of dementia maybe.

Stats for 2021: January to July

TBR on August 1 2021: 406 including 52 e-books = 354 tree-books
Total books/e-books read in 2021 so far: 73
Tree-books read in 2021: 55 including 32 ROOTs
e-books read in 2021: 18

Total tree-books into the house: 29 (23 read)
25 books bought,
4 books as presents

>267 connie53: Hoping Peet can be moved to the nearby facility, Connie.

Hi, Connie. Thanks for the update on Peet. I hope the transfer comes in and he gets the care he needs.

Oh, I hope Peet can move to the facility closer to you, Connie. *hugs*

Adding my wishes Connie! Having him closer to you will be helpful for you, and for him, i think.

Thanks everybody!

Well, there is some good news. Peet will be moved to the local facility tomorrow. It's on the premises of the hospital and is officially called 'Zorghotel' (Carehotel). Yesterday Jeroen and I did visit him for the last time in the hospital in Heerlen. We are all very happy because I can visit there by bike and he is also making some progress with moving his legs and arms.

Another book into the house



Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The blurb from the back cover

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?

>273 connie53: Good news! I’m glad for you. And hurray for the progress.

>274 connie53: Sounds exciting, Connie.

>273 connie53: Oh, that's great news, Connie!

>273 connie53: That is great news, Connie. Hopefully the Zorghotel will encourage if not push Peet to be a better participant in his rehabilitation process.

Wonderful news about Peet! I'm delighted to hear that he's making progress, and very much more so that you won't need to travel for hours just to see him.

>274 connie53: I very much enjoyed that book, so I hope you will as well.

>273 connie53: Great news! Hope he keeps making quick progress.

I'm so glad that Peet will be so much closer. And good that he is making progress with his arm and leg movements.

It's so easy to become depressed in the hospital. I hope the rehab place can encourage him.

Your stats are wonderful! I have only managed to read a few ROOTS this year and a small fraction of the number I purchased this year.

Hmm, Hail Mary looks like another to add to the ever-growing list.

Thanks everybody

Peet is now settled in a nice room, very hotellike but with a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and a geriatrician. There are physio facilities, a restaurant, a lounge and an outdoor terrace. I even can hire a room if I want to stay over. Not really my plan, but it could be practical for some other couples. You can also make an appointment with a hairdresser, a pedicure or manicure.
Peets costs will be payed by our insurance, but those extra's are not included of course.
And the food is better too!

I received my ordered copy of Artemis by Andy Weir



The blurb form the back cover, NOT my review

WELCOME TO ARTEMIS. The first city on the moon. Population 2,000. Mostly tourists. Some criminals. Jazz Bashara is one of the criminals. She lives in a poor area of Artemis and subsidises her work as a porter with smuggling contraband onto the moon. But it's not enough. So when she's offered the chance to make a lot of money she jumps at it. But though planning a crime in 1/6th gravity may be more fun, it's also a lot more dangerous. When you live on the moon, of course you have a dark side...

>278 richardderus:. I loved Mars, so I think I will love this one too.

>282 connie53: I'm very glad! And all the news about Peet's recovery situation is good.

>281 connie53: Wow, Peet's setup sounds wonderful! The best part, though, is that he's closer to you now. Whew!

Sweet Thursday, Connie. I am so glad to hear Peet is settled in to his new place. I am sure this is a big relief to you. How is Hail Mary?

>281 connie53: Wow, that sounds like a really nice facility. Hope it helps Peet get better really quickly.

Good to see that Peet has been moved to a place for his recovery that will be easier for you to visit, Connie. It is life consuming when dealing with an ill spouse. Make time for yourself too.

I will, Meg. Today is my day. The kids will visit him today and I don't need to go. So some LT-ing for me and lots of reading I hope. But first breakfast!

Peet is really improving. He can lift his leg again, but he is also getting frustrated by his limitations. And he is not a very patient man.

Thanks Richard, Amber, Mark, Reba and Meg.

Finished Olympos by Dan Simmons yesterday and this book gets

It's hard to write a review, but here it is

My review

It's been a while since I've read the first part iIlium/i of this epic series and it was hard to follow everything at once, but I finally managed. An abundance of gods and goddesses are engaged in a struggle for supremacy. Some on the side of the Greeks and some on the side of the Trojans. There is also an SF side to the story. A union between Mars and Earth allows the gods to move in an instant. I was especially happy with the super intelligent robot Mahnmut and the human Thomas Hockenberry.
The small enclave of Ada, Ardis Hall, also plays a fine role.
I can't say too much about it, reading the book is an experience in itself.

I finished book # 75 of this year! Yeah

But it was not a great book.

Wie wind zaait by Nele Neuhaus - >254 connie53: for more info

My Review

I don't really know what to think of this book. It was not easy tp get into the story. Too many characters and I often got them mixed up. In the end I did finish it because it is a book for the challenge at my RL book-club.
The characters are all eligible to have committed the murders and they all have something to hide. They are constantly spinning around each other and really nothing much happens. I don't think I'll be reading anything from this author again.

I have started a brand new book (to me that is) that arrived last week




The blurb from the back cover, not my review

Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Peet is finally doing a bit better. He walked about 40 meters with help from a rollator when he had his physiotherapy session today. And that's a real big thing, because last week he could just move about 5 meters with support from 2 persons.
The problems he had with swallowing are slowly improving too but he has to eat in a slow pace and not combine drinking and eating. They place one of the caregivers next to him at the table and he/she observes him during meals. But he has to eat more than he does now. Only one slice of bread is not enough for a big man like he is (1,96 meters) and he lost lots of weight in the last few months due to not enough movement. So his muscles have to gain power again.
I'm very happy with the place he is in now. It's really a beautiful and looks like a proper hotel. The caregivers are very nice and helpful. I got a mail with a code with which I can log in to Peet's personal files and see his progress. They keep a kind of logbook and I can see what they think and what Peet did and what they did.

For those who are interested to take a look. I hope the link works

https://www.zorghotelroermond.nl/

>291 connie53: Sorry #75 wasn't a better book but congratulations on reaching 75 so early in the year.

Thanks, Reba!

>291 connie53: I like the Peet news!

I also didn't care for Artemis. Not as fun to read or as fully immersive as either of his other books. Still, yay for 75!

>291 connie53: Congratulations on reaching 75, Connie!

Sorry you didn't like Wie wind zaait, I found it one of the lesser books in the series. If you want to give the series a second chance, I would recommend to try Sneeuwwitje moet sterven.

Glad to read Peet is doing a bit better.
The zorghotel looks like a good rehab facility, I saw at the website that they even have a library :-).

Hi Connie my dear, congrats on hitting 75 books for the year, i finished book 50 on Sunday. Good news about Peet doing better and in a good Rehab facility. Sending love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

>291 connie53: Hi Connie. Nice to see that Peet is doing better. I took a look at the site of the zorghotel and it looks great. Kind people are so important. And good food, and a library;-)

Congrats on hitting the goal!

I'm so glad that Peet is doing well. Applause for him walking! I took a look at the link and it looks very nice indeed.

Congrats on 75!

I'll be interested to see what you think of Artemis.

Congrats on hitting 75, Connie. Glad to hear some good news about Peet. I also thought Artemis was just okay. I still want to read his latest though.

>300 msf59: Me too, Project Hail Mary is on the shelves waiting. Artemis is a nice easy read so far but nothing like Mars and I needed a nice book, so I'm enjoying myself with it.

Thanks for the congrats everyone. It's nice to have made it to 75 and Peet is really doing better and improving. They think he might be home again by the end of September.

I bought another book today

Door het sleutelgat by Ruth Ware



The blurb from the back cover, not my review

When Rowan comes across the advert, it seems too good to be true: a live-in nanny position, with an extremely generous salary.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare – one that will end with her in a cell awaiting trial for murder.

She knows she's made mistakes.
But she's not guilty – at least not of murder.
Which means someone else is...

>302 connie53: Sounds like a good one!

Finished Artemis by Andy Weir and this book gets

My Review

I'm hesitating between 7,5 and an 8. A 7 is not enough for a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was just the book I needed right now. So it will be an 8. The style and the story is nothing like the story of the Martian (Mars as book title). This story takes place on the moon that is inhabited by a group of people. Jazz Bashara is a young woman who earns her money by smuggling things to the moon that are not available there. On Earth she has Kelvin, a boy she met through a pen-pal program at school when they were 9. Over the years they have set up a smuggling line together. Although it is successful, life on the moon is expensive and Jazz can only just afford a mini-flat. And she wants to change that. So when she receives a proposal from the multimillionaire Trond Landvik, she thinks she has found a way. But nothing is less true. She must think up a complicated plan to satisfy Trond's terms and collect her million. And that is only possible if nothing goes wrong and that is just not the case...
The story is peppered with terms about gravity, oxygen and much more technical scientific explanation, but that doesn't really bother me and I just took it for granted. Great book, but don't expect a story like "Mars".

Now reading

>302 connie53:

>304 connie53: I'm always happy when a book lands just the right way with a reader! And w00t for Peet's probable homecoming in September...that is so encouraging.

>305 richardderus: Hi Richard. Yes it was the right book for me.

My feelings about Peet coming home are a bit ambiguous. It's good news that he is improving enough to come home but he will be depending on me for lots of things. He is a man that likes things to be easy. So I will have to be firm and make him do the things he can do and not do them for him because that's easy for him. He has to realize that by doing things himself he is also training his strength and coordination. And that's what is making me a bit uncertain about his coming home.

He is a man that likes things to be easy. *snork!* Yep. Totally understandable that you're a little uncertain about his homecoming. Here's hoping things go much more smoothly than you could have hoped. *hugs*

>307 scaifea: Hi Amber, glad someone recognizes my uncertainty about that. I just have to keep hoping that his recovery will be better than we expected and hoped for and he can do things like dressing and showering and climbing stairs by himself and I can go away for a day or a few days.

Finished Door het sleutelgat by Ruth Ware and the book gets

My review

There's something about Ruth Ware's writing style that always annoys me a bit and I'm not quite sure what it is. Maybe the many hints to what's to come or the invisible secrets you feel but can't quite put your finger on.
When I'm finally into the story, it's very exciting and one after the other revelation follows, which then takes you on a completely different track.
The story begins with some attempts by Rowan to write a letter to a highly regarded lawyer. Rowan tries several times and the letters get longer and longer until the final story is the last letter.
Rowan has responded to an unlikely online advertisement seeking a nanny for a family that has settled in a remote part of Scotland. They offer a ridiculously high salary with all kinds of extras and room and board. Rowan sees it as an opportunity to escape the nasty job she now has and gets the job to her utter amazement. She moves to the estate and the day after her arrival, the parents, Sandra and Bill, have to leave on business and she is left alone with the youngest three of the four daughters. Rowan has to win the trust of the girls, but when she is in bed at night she hears all kinds of noises in the attic above her, it sounds like someone is walking there, the next days and nights more and more inexplicable things happen and Rowan is exhausted by the sleepless nights and the worries about the girls.
Very exciting at the end and an incredibly unexpected last page.

And started in another new book, one that was recommended by Jackie_K

The Crow Folk by Mark Stay



The blurb from the back cover, not my review

Faye Bright always felt a little bit different. And today she's found out why. She's just stumbled across her late mother's diary which includes not only a spiffing recipe for jam roly-poly, but spells, incantations, runes and recitations . . . a witch's notebook. And Faye has inherited her mother's abilities. Just in time, too. The Crow Folk are coming. Led by the charismatic Pumpkinhead, their strange magic threatens Faye and the villagers. Armed with little more than her mum's words, her trusty bicycle, the grudging help of two bickering old ladies, and some aggressive church bellringing, Faye will find herself on the front lines of a war nobody expected.

Hi Connie my dear, We also can understand your uncertainty about how Peet will be when he comes home and what he will be able to do. We hope that his recovery has been better than expected and that he can do things so that things will be easier for you, and i think you need a few days away to recharge the batteries. We both send love and hugs to you, Peet and the family and hope that you have a good weekend my dear friend.

Thanks John.
And YEAH!!!
Tomorrow I finally leave for a long weekend with my friend Vera. I have not seen her in a year and I'm really, really looking forward to that. Peet is still making some progress and he is taken care of so I don't have to worry about him. I will visit him on my way to the train station and then I'm off.

>310 connie53: Good for you, Connie, to get a break for yourself. Enjoy your long weekend with Vera.
Glad to hear Peet is stil making progress.

Thanks, Anita!

Sweet Thursday, Connie. Have a lovely visit with your friend Vera. Sounds like a nice getaway.

I'm *so* glad that you're getting a chance to get away for a bit with your friend! So well deserved, and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Have a great long weekend with your friend, Connie!

Hope you have a lovely weekend. Remember, it's important to take care of yourself as well as your spouse!

Thanks! In just an hour I will be on my way.

>317 connie53: Have a delightful time, Connie!

Have a lovely weekend Connie - sounds fairly sure that you will. xx

Hi, I'm back again from a wonderful weekend. We really had a good time. We had a great Italian diner in a restaurant but the most important thing is we talked a lot. Vera has some problems too and we talked about all things until 04,00 in the night. We spend lots of time in the garden too (with sweaters and umbrellas against the drizzle) even had breakfast outside once.
It was so nice to be able to spend time without worries.

On the reading

I finished The Crow Folk by Mark Stay, BB by Jackie_K

My Review

Light and airy witch story. Exactly what I like to read. Faye is a witch, only she doesn't know it herself until she finds a book her mother left her with spells and recipes and a whole new pattern for ringing the church bells. Her mother calls it the Kefapepo method. When Faye accidentally tries out some little things, the other two witches in the village, who have been living in secret, discover that there must be another witch. They soon discover that it is Faye.
The arrival of a group of scarecrows led by Pumpkinhead, who have come from their crosses on the fields, stirs up a lot of consternation in the quiet Kentish village of Woodville. The people are still impressed by the start of WWII and now the remaining inhabitants have to deal with a whole new invasion.
Faye thinks she knows what to do, but is stopped by the other 2 witches. Fortunately, she stands her ground and everything ends well. Although at the end of the book the dark clouds are already gathering on the horizon. Fortunately, part 2 is coming soon.

I'm now reading De duivel en de duistere diepte by Stuart Turton



The blurb from the back cover

It is 1634 and the governor general of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies is sailing back to Amsterdam to take up a position among the Gentlemen 17, the group controlling the powerful Dutch East India Company. Among the passengers are his wife and daughter, and his mistress and her two sons, as well as Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest problematary, in chains as his prisoner, and Arent, the problematary's assistant and bodyguard. But the voyage is cursed, and mysterious and inexplicable events revolving around the demon Old Tom terrorise the passengers and crew. With Pipps incarcerated, will Arent be able to solve the mystery before they all become the demon's victims?

I'm glad that Peet is doing so much bettter, but I understand your concern with having him at home. Are there health workers that can come to your house to help out? In the US we call them 'home health aides'.

Hooray that you were able to visit your friend and have a wonderful stress-free weekend.

Your last two books sound interesting - yay for light hearted reading to take us away from tough times in our lives.

>321 connie53: Oh, that sounds really terrific!

>320 connie53: I'm happy with you for a fun, relaxing weekend, and finishing what sounds like a very satisfying book as well.

Oh, yay for a fun, relaxing weekend! You deserved it!

I am glad you had a nice time with your friend and I am happy to hear that Peet is improving. Stop over at my thread, for some special news.

>324 scaifea: Thanks, Amber

>325 msf59: Hurrying over there, Mark

Bought another book. I can't seem to stop myself doing that

Bij het licht van de maan by Santa Montefiore



The blurb from the back cover

Flappy Scott-Booth is the self-appointed queen bee of Badley Compton, a picturesque Devon village. While her husband Kenneth spends his days on the golf course, she is busy overseeing her beautiful house and gardens, and organising unforgettable events, surrounded by friends who hang on to her every word.
Her life is a reflection of herself – impossibly perfect.

Until the day that Hedda Harvey-Smith and her husband Charles move into the village. Into an even grander home than hers. Taking the front seat on the social scene, quite literally.
That simply will not do.
Flappy is determined to show Hedda how things are done here in Badley Compton. But then she looks into Charles’s beautiful green eyes. And suddenly, her focus is elsewhere. She is only human, after all…

>326 connie53: Omigosh! It's E.F. Benson's Mapp & Lucia books! Queen Lucia et alii...how great to update them.

Hi Connie my dear, i am so glad that you had a lovely weekend with your friend Vera and that you had a really good talk, well into the night and that you had a lovely meal. I am pleased that Peet is doing well and i will let Karen know.

We had a lovely trip down to Salisbury last week, From Monday to Friday we visited lots of nice places and perused and bought books from some nice shops, two large ones were amazing and we could have spent a lot more money than we did.

Sending love and hugs to you, Peet and the family from both of us dear friend.

Thanks John. Give Karen and your family hugs from Holland.

Hi Richard. As I have never heard of Mister Benson I did some research and I think I do agree with your conclusion!

I just want to say that I'm sorry for not being around LT enough to read all the threads. You might all know about Peet's situation and that is making me feel rather down and weary sometimes. Even up to not been able to read as much as I'm used to. My mind wanders away and I can't keep concentrated on things.