MissWatson enjoys her elevenses

I'm Birgit and I live on the Baltic Sea. This year I am concentrating on a manageable number of categories (or so I hope). The title was inspired by a wonderful scene from the Fellowship of the Rings movie.



(Picture taken from my own copy of the DVD)

So, the challenge is to:


The aim (again) is to whittle down my TBR. Double entries are allowed if the book has more than 400 pages. Multiple entries are allowed if the book has more than 500 pages.



January: 2,411 pages
February: 3,319 pages
March: 4,481 pages

1. Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
2. Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
3. L'argent by Émile Zola
4. The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins
5. Ellernklipp by Theodor Fontane
6. The Perpetual Curate by Mrs Oliphant
7. A rogue's life by Wilkie Collins

1. Tanzpause by Vicki Baum
2. My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
3. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
4. Der Hahn ist tot by Ingrid Noll
5. I capture the castle by Dodie Smith
6. Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin
7. Death in the Andamans by MM Kaye

1. Asterix und der Greif by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad
2. Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh
3. Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
4. The man in the wooden hat by Jane Gardam
5. Cox oder Der Lauf der Zeit by Christoph Ransmayr

1. Die Welt im 16. Jahrhundert edited by Peter Feldbauer
2. Catherine the Great : a short history by Isabel de Madariaga
3. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
4. The corporation that changed the world by Nick Robins

1. Rehragout-Rendezvous by Rita Falk
2. Der letzte Tod by Alex Beer
3. Die kalte Mamsell by Elsa Dix
4. Slaves and obsession by Anne Perry

1. Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel
2. L'argent by Émile Zola
3. Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
4. Арктур – гончий пес by Jurij P. Kazakov
5. La petite Fadette by George Sand

1. Immer dieser Kater! by Annette Herzog
2. Totentanz im Pulverschnee by Joe Fischler
3. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

1. Dead Reckoning by C. Northcote Parkinson
2. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer

1. Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky
2. Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch
3. Milchgeld by Volker Klüpfel / Michael Kobr
4. Die Schnelligkeit der Schnecke by Marco Malvaldi
5. Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann
6. These violent delights by Chloe Gong
7. Still midnight by Denise Mina
8. The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

1. Menschenwerk by Han Kang
2. Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? by Lizzie Doron
3. Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg
4. Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir

1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell
1. Die kalte Mamsell by Elsa Dix

Meet Sir Puss. He will keep account of the CATS and KITS. I will just list them here and I have no ambition to read a book for all every month. It if happens, great, if not: so what.

(This is a piece of fabric which my sister made into a bag.)

January MysteryKIT: series
Rehragout-Rendezvous by Rita Falk
Totentanz im Pulverschnee by Joe Fischler
Der letzte Tod by Alex Beer
January Shakespeare: King Lear
Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
RandomKIT: home
Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel
My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
January AuthorCAT: indigenous authors
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
January WomanCAT
Catherine the Great : a short history by Isabel de Madariaga

February AuthorCAT: 19th century
Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
L'argent by Émile Zola
The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins
Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant
Ellernklipp by Theodor Fontane
February WomanCAT: in translation
Menschenwerk by Han Kang
Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? by Lizzie Doron
February ShakespeareCAT: romantic comedy
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
February RandomKIT: cats
Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell

March MysteryKIT: small towns, big secrets
Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch
Der Hahn ist tot by Ingrid Noll
Milchgeld by Klüpfel / Kobr
Die kalte Mamsell by Elsa Dix
Die Schnelligkeit der Schnecke by Marco Malvaldi
Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg
March AuthorCAT: career started at 40 or later
Der Hahn ist tot by Ingrid Noll
Slaves and obsession by Anne Perry
March SFFKIT: historical
Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann
These violent delights by Chloe Gong
March ShakespeareCAT
These violent delights by Chloe Gong

April WomanCAT: Women of Colour
Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir
The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
April AuthorCAT: debut novel
Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir
The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
April MysteryKIT: noir
Still midnight by Denise Mina
Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin
April ShakespeareCAT: revenge
Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin
April RandomCAT: April Showers
Death in the Andamans by MM Kaye

This is for the BingoDOG, and it's been very hard to make up my mind which card to choose!



1. Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
2. Die kalte Mamsell by Elsa Dix
3. These violent delights by Chloe Gong
4. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
5. Арктур – гончий пес by Jurij P. Kazakov
6. Cox oder Der Lauf der Zeit by Christoph Ransmayr
8. Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
10. Tanzpause by Vicki Baum
13. Menschenwerk by Han Kang
15. The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins
16. Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel
18. Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
19. Catherine the Great : a short history by Isabel de Madariaga
21. L'argent by Émile Zola
22. Immer dieser Kater! by Annette Herzog
23. My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
25. Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Birgit's folly



I have a sad penchant for wanting to participate in every reading challenge that comes my way. Here's where I make room for them.
This is the Monopteros which stands in the English Garden in Munich, a nice example of what the English call a folly. Took me some time to find the photo, and it's hard to believe that it's been seven years since we visited Munich.

And here is the All the Year Round Challenge, pinched from Judy's thread (thank you!)
1. A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
2. A book connected to a book you read in 2021 Dead Reckoning by C. Northcote Parkinson
3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland by Iwan Turgenjew
4. A book that fits a prompt that did not make this list
5. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name
6. A book with an image of a source of light on the cover
7. A book set in or about Australia Carpentaria by Alexis Wright
8. Three Books set on different Continents: Book 1 - Europe
9. Three Books set on different Continents: Book 2 - Asia Menschenwerk by Han Kang
10. Three Books set on different Continents: Book 3 - Africa
11. A book from the genre of historical fiction Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh
12. A book related to glass Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
13. A book about a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and maths) Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky
14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Good Reads Ellernklipp by Theodor Fontane
15. A book without a person on the cover Paris-Brest by Tanguy Viel
16. A book related to Earth Day
17. A book from NPR’s Book Concierge
18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander
19. A book that involves alternative reality, alternative worlds, alternative history Die Romanfabrik von Paris by Dirk Husemann
20. A fiction or non-fiction book that is set between 1900 - 1951 I capture the castle by Dodie Smith
21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover L'argent by Émile Zola
22. A book with a Jewish character or author Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? by Lizzie Doron
23. A book that features a loving LGBTQIA relationship
24. A book related to inclement weather
25. A book less than 220 pages or more that 440 pages Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell
26. Two books with the same word in the title - Book 1
27. Two books with the same word in the title - Book 2
28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
29. A book set on or near a body of water Flucht übers Watt by Krischan Koch
30. A book related to mythology
31. A book published at least 10 years ago My brilliant career by Miles Franklin
32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer Scheunenfest by Nicola Förg
33. The next book in a series Slaves and obsession by Anne Perry
34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role Die Schnelligkeit der Schnecke by Marco Malvaldi
35. Two books, one related to flora - Book 1
36. Two books, one related to fauna - Book 2
37. A book that uses all 5 vowels (a,e,i,o,u) in the title or author's name
38. A book by a Latin American author
39. A book from the TIME List of 100 Best YA Books of All Time
40. A book related to one of the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Tarot
41. A book with a theme of food or drink Milchgeld by Klüpfel / Kobr
42. A book with a language or nationality in the title
43. A book set in a small town or rural area Rehragout-Rendezvous by Rita Falk
44. A book with gothic elements
45. A book related to a game
46. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters
47. A book with hand writing on the cover
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Books of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022
49. A book connected to the phrase, "Here (There) be Dragons"
50. A book that involves aging or a character in their golden years The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins
51. A book published in 2022 Die kalte Mamsell by Elsa Dix
52. A book with a time related word in the title

Just for good measure I'm putting the Virago Monthly Challenge here:
Jan – nuns, teachers, governesses: Der Hals der Giraffe by Judith Schalansky
Feb – North American author: My Ántonia by Willa Cathert
Mar – just has one book on the Virago list: I capture the castle by Dodie Smith
Apr – a name in the title: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
May – tells the story of a life:
Jun – book by a Virago author that Virago didn’t publish:
Jul – a book by an Irish author or set in Ireland:
Aug – a journey:
Sep – family relationships:
Oct – now in print with another publisher:
Nov – author from Australia:
Dec – haven’t been able to fit into a theme yet--??? leaving this open for last minute whim!

Today is the first sunday of Advent, which seemed like a good time to set up my thread. I can't quite believe that it will be our second Christmas under pandemic rules. Let us hope that next year will see an end of it.

In the meantime: welcome! And happy reading to us all.

Wonderful CATS! I really like Sir Puss!

Good luck with your challenge! I must admit to a wry smile at 'Birgit's Folly'!

I love the books that escape hatch. They either attack or sneak into your purse.

Isn't there also a mention of second breakfast?

Looking forward to seeing how you fill your categories!

>19 Tess_W: Hello, Tess! It was love at first sight for me.
>20 Jackie_K: Hi Jackie! Ahem. Know thyself is the first step to recovery. Or so I'm told.
>21 majkia: Hi Jean! They are such sneaky, crafty , little things. Gollum-like.
>22 NinieB: Hi Ninie! I seriously considered including that whole conversation in here...

You seem to have everything covered. I like the little signs you made for your categories. And that cat fabric is great.

Hi Birgit
I like the flexibility of your plan. Looking forward to following along.

Great idea for your Category Challenge, Birgit. I am looking forward to following along next year.

Love Sir Puss! I'm another one who struggles to resist a list, Birgit's Folly could be tempting...

Looking forward to following you for another year of interesting reading.

Excellent setup! That's one of my favourite lines in LOTR :)

>9 MissWatson: 11 books in languages other than English and German? That is very impressive! Happy reading in 2022.

That is a good lookin' cat! Especially love the green eyes.

I hope you find lots of treasures in the TBR this year.

>24 dudes22: I hope so, too. If not, I can always change plans.
>25 beebeereads: Thank you!
>26 DeltaQueen50: Same here, Judy!
>27 Helenliz: You are welcome to come along!
>28 rabbitprincess: I agree!
>29 pamelad: If the past years are anything to go by, they will be mostly French.
>30 clue: He's a real beauty, isn't he?

Excellent set up! I really like the signs for each category but especially love Sir Puss.

>32 VivienneR: I am happy to see so many fans of Sir Puss.

I like all the pretty borders on your category photos! They look like china patterns.

That's a great scene in LOTR.

Love the way you've illustrated your categories. The signs are just right.

>34 casvelyn: Thank you! I like tinkering around with them.
>35 hailelib: Isn't it just! I always associate certain books with certain fonts, and I have favourites. Sometimes I think there's a challenge theme in there.

Hope you have a great year of reading!

>37 thornton37814: You too, Lori!

Love >15 MissWatson: Sir Puss. Good luck with your 2022 reading.

>39 lowelibrary: Drop in any time to visit, he loves company! and good luck with your own reading.

Your setup looks great. You always need somewhere to put the new and shiny reads that get in the way of dismantling the tbr mountain.

>41 avatiakh: Thanks. I can't resist a bargain, so I need lots of space for the new ones.

Sir Puss completely steals the show, but I love all your categories. That scene from LOTR always makes me laugh.

Happy New Year to all! I'm back home after a wonderfully relaxing time at my sister's and ready to do some reading.
We listened to some audio books over the holidays which I'm counting for this month's MysteryKIT plus two others, the latest Asterix and a children's book:

Asterix und der Greif
Rehragout-Rendezvous
Totentanz im Pulverschnee
Immer dieser Kater!
Der letzte Tod

Happy New Year and good to hear that you had a great time at your sister's and enjoyed some listening and reading. I just came back from visiting family, too, and am looking forward to spending more time with my books!

>45 MissBrangwen: Hello Mirjam, thanks for dropping in! I hope you had a lovely time, too!

Non-fiction

I started Die Welt im 16. Jahrhundert in December for last year's HistoryCAT but didn't finish it in time. It's part of a series of global history and contains a collection of essays written by specialists for the respective geographical regions. There was much overlap with my previous Feldbauer book, and quite a lot of stuff I knew from other reading, and most of the essays read as if they had been recycled from earlier material. However, the parts about the Islamic world and Africa offered new insights and I found some interesting references in the endnotes, so it's not a complete waste of time.

edited for touchstone

20th century / Bingo: a gift

Tanzpause is a short novella published in an exquisite small volume. A young woman, married to a much older man, meets a former lover at a dance and escapes with him to Italy. Or not? I didn't really like Susanna, an immature childbride which always sets my teeth on edge, but Baum knows how to write characters like her.

Vicki Baum is being rediscovered by German publishers and I ran across some tempting new editions at my bookstore, but I resisted because I knew her books are often included in donations to my sister's library. That's where she found this and gave it to me for Christmas. The other book I received is moving up the TBR...

>48 MissWatson: I have never heard of Vicki Baum, thank you for introducing me to her! I will definitely make a note.

>49 MissBrangwen: She's known mostly for Menschen im Hotel and Hotel Shanghai which I read last year and I was pleasantly surprised.

>48 MissWatson: I was impressed with Hotel Shanghai and Hotel Berlin. I had to order second-hand copies from overseas, but they were worth the trouble. Grand Hotel is now available as an ebook, so I'm putting it on the wish list.

>48 MissWatson: Vicki Baum's works sound interesting. I'll have to see if I can find any copies.

>51 pamelad: We are having a flood of historical fiction set in the 1920s/1930s right now and I guess that's why they are re-publishing contemporary authors, too. Their books are probably much more interesting, so I'm keeping my eyes open.

>52 mathgirl40: She wrote her later novels in English, which is something I want to explore at some point. Danger from deer, for instance.

>53 MissWatson: "We are having a flood of historical fiction set in the 1920s/1930s right now"
I'm glad you noticed it, too. It's really getting on my nerves. Every bookshop I go has tables and tables of historical novels set in that area, all with similar titles, all with similar covers. I suppose there are a few nice ones among them (I read one and listened to a few audiobooks), but why are there suddenly so many??? Sorry for my rant! ;-)

>54 MissBrangwen: It is truly awful, isn't it? Of course, there have always been fashions in genre fiction (I remember how my sister groaned when YA books were 95% about vampires), but it seems to be getting worse because every year there are more authors and publishers trying to jump the bandwagon. At least you can avoid them if they pile them high.

>48 MissWatson: I've not heard of Ms. Baum. Thank you for the introduction! Adding to my WL. Grand Hotel seems to be published as Shanghai '37 in the U.S.

>56 Tess_W: Yes, there have been quite a few changes of titles.

Hi Birgit! And hello, dear Sir Puss! Seems like you are off to a good start into the reading year. I'll also watch out for Vicki Baum, I haven't come across her books until now.

>58 Chrischi_HH: Thanks! Sir Puss loves the admiration!

>54 MissBrangwen: I see that trend a lot. I think once a topic has a big bestseller publishers go wild chasing sales with other titles on the same topic.

>53 MissWatson: I agree about the flood of historical novels on the market right now depicting the 1920's and even the great depression. I thought it was just me!

>53 MissWatson:
Apparently a lot of authors chase the next popular type of book or maybe its the editors and agents strongly suggesting what they are interested in buying. Anyway, I've seen a lot of them too.

>53 MissWatson: I wonder what the next big theme will be?
>62 hailelib: I guess if you make your living from books it's legitimate to try and profit from a craze, but it gets so predictable.

21st century / Bingo: gold on the cover / GR: historical fiction

I have finished Sea of poppies and I am still mulling all that is happening in this novel. We are in British India, they are forcing Indian farmers to grow poppies which they can sell as opium to the Chinese, and there's the good ship Isis fitting out for a journey to Mauritius where she will land a cargo of Indian contract labourers before sailing on to China next. But there's uncertainty about this trade, and we are on the threshold of the first Opium War...
There are so many issues of British colonial rule addressed in this, and so many characters to keep track of, that it is hard to summarise. The most difficult aspect of it is the language, as the author offers no glossary for the many strange words he uses. Some can be guessed from context, others I found in my Hobson-Jobson, but most are totally unknown to me. I continued nonetheless and as the book progresses it matters less and less. Everyone has their own voice and way of talking here, and I really loved this, especially as I realised how the Hindi words had travelled into the Anglo-Indian jargon and changed there. I have also found out that there's a glossary online (https://www.amitavghosh.com/chrestomathy.html) which I want to explore before I embark on the next part of the journey.

19th century / ShakespeareCAT / Bingo: in translation / GR: more than 22 letters in the title

Ein König Lear aus dem Steppenland was much shorter than I expected and somewhat strange. We spend nearly half the time getting introduced to our main character, Martyn Petrowitsch, see him hand over his estate to his daughters, and then the narrator absents himself for some months, so that we only see the results of this action on his return. There's never really an explanation how Martyn's descent into neglect and near-madness takes place.
There's also the odd phrasing of some sentences, as if the translator was excessively literal to keep close to the Russian original. If I ever find the time to look it up...

>65 MissWatson: One of five Turgenev's on my shelf. I need a Turgenev reading project!

>64 MissWatson: I have read the first two books in that trilogy. That online glossary would have been very helpful. You are right that there is so much to keep track of, but it is very well done.

>66 Tess_W: I've got sme on the TBR as well. I'm hesitating because he's notorious for hunting scenes. Even in this short piece there was too much shooting of woodcocks for my taste.
>67 Crazymamie: I downloaded the glossary and it is much fun to read!

in French / RandomKIT / Bingo: for a book club / GR: without a person on the cover

We're not a book club, exactly, just a small group of people who meet occasionally to discuss a book read in French, and this time it is to be Paris-Brest which I bought years ago just because it is set in Brittany.
It's odd, a young man returns home for Christmas and reminisces about the years he lived below his grandmother's apartment which she inherited in a rather unusual way, just at the time when his parents exiled themseves to the South of France after his father was involved in a financial scandal. The relationship with his mother takes up much room, which is a difficult one. And the son of his grandmother's cleaner is the other important person in his life, in a bad way, though.
It will be interesting to hear what the others make of his writing style.

>68 MissWatson: Oh no--I hate hunting scenes!

>70 Tess_W: The narrator is a young man at the time events unfold and I guess there's not much else to do for him on a big estate run by a manager. I don't remember that it plays much of a role in Fathers and Sons...

Saturday notes

Very good reviews of Le Grand Nord-Ouest and Manikanetish, Petite Marguerite, taking a note of both. And Hannelore Helfer undertakes to restore the reputation of Charlotte von Hessen-Kassel, mother of Liselotte von der Pfalz, who was maligned by her philandering husband and the male historians.

21st century / AuthorCAT / Bingo: award winner / GR: set in Australia

Carpentaria is unlike anything I have ever read. The landscape, flora and fauna are unfamiliar, so it took time to look them up. And of course the way in which the indigenous people see the world is outside my own experience, so I do not feel qualified to comment. But I will say that it was a rich and rewarding read.

>73 MissWatson: This has been on my WL for a very long time and your comments made me even more curious.

>74 MissBrangwen: I think this will stay with me for a long time, pondering and wondering.

non-fiction / WomanCAT / Bingo: non-fiction

Catherine the Great : a short history is, strictly speaking, not a biography but a potted history of her reign aimed at a general readership in the UK/US, hence no footnotes (which annoyed me, I confess) and further reading suggestions are in English only. I briefly considered choosing something else. But it turned out to be such an engrossing read that I couldn't put it down. And it was a relief to see that the author focused on Catherine as a ruler and reformer, showing how much Russia changed in those years and why it suddenly appears a Great Power on the European scene. It was eye-opening to see how the Russian-Turkish rivalry played into the partitions of Poland, and she often shows how Russia in the days compared to Britain or France.
I urgently need to unbury her academic book on the same subject from the shelves.

20th century / RandomKIT: home / Bingo: set in another country / GR: published more than 10 years ago

I'm trying to get into the habit of e-reading and found My brilliant career lurking on my Kobo. It did not exactly blow me away. The teenage mindset is well caught, but the "himmelhochjauchzend – zu Tode betrübt" mood swings grating. And there were too many passages that read like mediocre romances. Having "manly" male characters is just too Victorian for me.

Saturday notes

The FAZ marks the centenary of Giovanni Vergas death; I had no idea he wrote the novella on which Cavalleria Rusticana is based. There's also a review of Dissipatio humani generis which sounds like interesting, whereas The dawn of everything gets only a lukewarm reception.
And I need to look up Philippe Contamine soonish...

We're in for a real storm today, one of the flowerpots on my balcony has been smashed already. Perfect weather for reading, though.

>77 MissWatson: I read this last year and had mixed feelings, too. I thought the descriptions of the bush and life on the land and the Australian slang were captured well. But I thought Sybylla was unlikeable: rude, self-centered and always feeling sorry for herself. The story was a bit tedious. But I have to admit that it is a great accomplishment for the 16 year old author, and is important in capturing life in Australia at that time and the remarkable feminist ideas for the era. It wouldn't tempt me to a re-read, but I'm not sorry I read it.

>79 kac522: I agree with you on that. Not sorry I read it, but nothing I need to revisit.

Leaving the house / GR: a woman in STEM / Virago: a teacher

I bought Der Hals der Giraffe because it got lots of favourable reviews when it was published and features on the Deutsche Welle list of 100 important German novels. I picked it up now because I do not really own many Viragos but I think this fits their ethos and publishing programme.

It features a biology teacher at a "Gymnasium" in a small town in Western Pomerania. The school is destined for closure, as there are not enough children left in the area, and we follow her through a school year. The whole thing is written like an internal monologue and her view of the world is through the lens of a biologist, she regards the children always as specimens of a species following natural evolution. She is rigid in her methods and exacting in her teaching, no allowances made. You learn a lot about her, including much that she doesn't say, and yet I obviously missed a lot because I did not see the feelings she develops for one of her students – this was mentioned in the blurb and yet I failed to see it. I guess I am a bit blind to that sort of thing.

So, this was a good read, but won't make a lasting impression. The best thing about this is the book design, which the author created herself. Lovely illustrations, too.

And that completes my January reading, I guess. I didn't get to read everything I wanted to, as usual, but I'm mostly happy with what I did read. The one I enjoyed the most is Sea of poppies. And now I'm making an early start for February with Jezebel's Daughter.

I will be interested in your thoughts on Jezebel's Daughter. I loved The Moonstone and I am hoping to get to The Woman in White sometime this year.

>82 MissWatson: Will await your review on that one before I attempt a read!

>83 Crazymamie: >84 Tess_W: It starts off promising with a man who decides in his will that his firm will give clerking positions to women, too. But it will probably change into the usual sensational mystery soon, we already have extricated an innocent victim from Bedlam...

>85 MissWatson: Jezebel's Daughter sounds promising.

>86 hailelib: What I like about Collins is that there is always a woman who takes the initiative and doesn't rely on men. Yes, it's the Victorian age and they are either bad or still single at the end of the book, but they are usually the most interesting and relateable characters and I always root for them.

19th century / AuthorCAT / Bingo: favourite author / GR: related to glass

I have finished Jezebel's Daughter and find much of what I love about Wilkie Collins in it: strong women and well-built suspense. The small number of protagonists means that you soon realise who the villain is, but the suspense lies in what exactly she will do. In this case, she is the widow of a professor of chemistry at Würzburg University who was obsessed with Borgia poisons. Since he keeps tem in glass bottles, and the one in the dark-blue bottle plays an important role, I'm using tis for the "related to glass" prompt.
The story concentrates on two women whose husbands died on the same day in September 1828. Collins doesn't make much use of this coincidence later, other than to use the women as good and bad examples. Mrs Wagner from London takes her huband's position in the firm and plans to follow his ambition of offering clerking positions to women. Sadly Collins does not develop this theme. She sends her nephew to Frankfurt to the German branch of the firm and he gets involved in the scheming of the other widow, who will go to extreme lengths to ensure her daughter can marry the son of one of the partners. Mrs Wagner also goes to Germany and demonstrates remarkable business skills and a very English commonsense.
The various parts of the story are a bit uneven, at first we have a first-person narrative from the nephew, then he compiles letters and diaries (and there's a marked lack of awareness that part of these are set in Napoleonic, i.e. war times). Some of the details of German domestic life struck me as a bit unconvincing (like tea-drinking in the housewifely knitting circles), so I will probably digress into a little non-fiction history...

>88 MissWatson: Interesting about the details of German domestic life. I will be interested to see how accurate Collins portrayed life or if it was all just made up.

I hope this month to read Trollope's Linda Tressel which is set in Nuremberg. Trollope actually did visit Nuremberg, and I'll think about your comments while reading. A few months ago I read his Nina Balatka, which is set in Prague, and included details of streets, bridges, buildings, etc., so it felt authentic (he did visit there, too). But I'm not knowledgeable enough to know how accurate the domestic life was portrayed.

>88 MissWatson: Exploring the actual facts about the times should be interesting.

>89 kac522: That's a new Trollope, sounds interesting! I'm always amazed to see how widely and easily the English travelled across Mitteleuropa, whereas to me it's a time of small statelets and petty borders everywhere. There's also a big gap in my knowledge about national history between 1815 and 1866 which I need to rectify. That time, the Biedermeier, has a very bad reputation for being boring culturally and repressive politically.

>90 hailelib: I looked at my shelves and found something that I hope will be enlightening: Reise durch das Biedermeier. Reports to follow.

Re-reads / GR: connected to a book read in 2021

Last year I read a book about the Portuguese in Asia and some of the events mentioned reminded me of Dead Reckoning which I last read decades ago. It turned out to be much shorter that I remembered. I bought this long before I knew about the Jack Aubrey series, and I can now say that there is a huge chasm between them. Parkinson writes mainly from his hero's point of view and rushes some of his action, whereas O'Brian offers us a whole cosmos peopled by unique and unforgettable characters.

ETC: touchstone

You are doing well with your challenges! Both the Bingo and the "Around the Year" challenges seem to be working well for you.

>91 MissWatson: "That time, the Biedermeier, has a very bad reputation for being boring culturally and repressive politically."
That is interesting because I think of this time completely differently... Yes, it's the time of Biedermeier, but also of Vormärz and Junges Deutschland - Georg Büchner, Heinrich Heine and so on. It was a time of so much upheaval, so many different aspects and tendencies, although of course in the end it was very repressive.
Although I feel the same about all the different German states and borders. I have given up on trying to learn the details of the politics of that time - it's too boring and exhausting to me :-)

Reise durch das Biedermeier sounds interesting and I am looking forward to your thoughts on it!

>93 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy, January has been a really good month for me, reading-wise.

>94 MissBrangwen: Well, Vormärz, Heine and his contemporaries were sadly missing in my history and German classes, so my view of the time is seriously biased. In recent years I have picked up local history or historical fiction books whenever we visit a museum, and that slowly fills in some of the blanks.

From the Bargain Bins / WomanCAT / Bingo: read a CAT / GR: set in Asia

I found Menschenwerk in one of those tempting bins and picked it up because the name was vaguely familiar. This is a heavy subject matter as the author follows several young people through the Gwanju uprising in 1980, some of them die, others damaged for life. Large parts of it are written as a second person narrative, which feels very strange at first.

21st century

The man in the wooden hat describes the marriage of Betty and Edward Feathers from her point of view, and while charming, it didn't wow me like Old Filth. Mostly because I couldn't relate to her sudden decision to see Terry Veneering on the very same night that Eddie proposed to her. There was not enough information about her previous life to make this understandable. Later, there's not enough to make me believe in her intellectual capacity, and serving at Bletchley Park has become such a trope...

From the Bargain Bins / WomanCAT: in translation / GR: a Jewish author

I found Warum bist du nicht vor dem Krieg gekommen? in the bins shortly after the translator, Mirjam Pressler, had died. She was a Shoah survivor herself, which made this doubly poignant. The names suggest that this is very much autobiographical. The author maintains the child's point-of-view for the events in the sixties very well, when much of her mother's odd behaviour must have been baffling, but it is later explained from her grown-up view.

Saturday notes

The FAZ marks the 70th birthday of Irene Dische whose books I frequently see in the charity shop. Strangely enough, the English originals are much scarcer. One to keep in mind.
And there's an article about an exhibition on painters and writers in the Bodensee region just opened in Friedrichshafen. How fortuitous, we just booked our summer holiday and can got see it. And read some of the authors presented beforehand!

>97 MissWatson: Some of the descriptions of the novels featuring Bletchley Park make me wonder if the authors actually did any research before writing.

>100 hailelib: I know, that's why I mostly avoid such books.

>99 MissWatson: Lake Constance is so beautiful! What a great plan for the holidays!

>102 MissBrangwen: It's our third trip and we hope to explore the Swiss side this time!

Today is my tenth Thingaversary and the years have been wonderful, full of books and new friends. So thanks to my fellow LTers!

In keeping with tradition, I have acquired a few books to mark the occasion:
Flood of fire because I want to finish the series
Süß und ehrenvoll because it sounded intresting
Orchis because of thegorgeous cover
The Stranger Times a BB from Jackie
I capture the castle because everyone else seems to love it
The private world of Georgette Heyer I finally found it
Vernon Subutex tome 1 because of good reviews
Exerzierplatz for sentimental reasons
Bin nebenan the author also wrote one of the funniest comedy shows on German TV
Das amerikanische Hospital because of a review
Gridiron for curiosity

And one to grow on:
Hybris it's a subject I want to know more about

And to round off a nice day, I also found the last arrow in the treasure hunt. Yay!

Congratulations!!! And what a great selection of books!

Happy thingaversary!

>105 MissBrangwen: Thank you, Mirjam.
>106 Tess_W: Thanks, Tess!

19th century / in French / AuthorCAT / Bingo: a capital city / GR: Monopoly token

In L'argent, we meet Aristide Saccard again, last seen in La curée where he made and lost a fortune with real estate during Haussmann's remake of Paris. Now it's the 1860s and he founds a bank, raises the stock price to dizzying heights and loses his shirt again when the other banks take position against him.
The rise and fall of the bank is closely modelled on a real crash, and the details of it were a bit repetitive. What I found surprising was the unvarnished description of sexual violence. The rampant antisemitism is also very offensive to modern sensibilities.
My copy features a painting by Degas of two men wearing top hats, so that fits the Monopoly token. And since it has 536 pages, I'm counting it for two categories.

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your new books.

Happy Thingaversary!

>104 MissWatson: The only one I've read is The Private World of Georgette Heyer. I got the impression that Jane Aiken Hodge was as much competitor as friend, and will be interested to read what you think.

Happy Thingaversary!

>109 hailelib: Thanks! I'm sure I will.
>110 pamelad: Thanks! Having just re-read Black Sheep Imoved it up the pile.
>111 lowelibrary: Thank you!

Re-reads / ShakespeareCAT / GR: character's name starts with an A

I picked up Black Sheep because it is one of my favourite Heyers and it never fails to deliver delighted chuckles. Knowing more about British rule in India now than I did forty years ago I wondered a little how exactly Miles made his fortune. But I read these romances for escape, so I won't let it bother me.

Saturday notes

Well, that was quite a storm but thankfully no lives lost in Schleswig-Holstein. I was surprised to see that some of the farmers braved the storm and the roads and set up their stalls at our market. So I'll be making a vegetable stew later today.
I also browsed the charity shop and came home with a few lucky finds, among them a near-pristine copy of The Thursday Murder Club and of Herzfaden. Can't hardly make up my mind which to read first, so I chose the shortest, which was Coraline.

ETA: A short review on the FAz of Literarische Utopien von Frauen vom 15. bis 20. Jahrhundert which collects utopic novels or essays written by women. First mentioned is Christine de Pizan's Cité des dames which predates Thomas Morus by quite some time.

Escape hatch / RandomKIT / GR: less than 220 pages

Coraline jumped out at me from the shelves at the charity shop and I started reading it as soon as housework was done. I enjoyed this very, very much, and the cat looks a lot like my sister's!

>115 MissWatson: Have read with two granddaughters. Also have seen the movie at least 4 times!

>114 MissWatson: I've got The Book of the City of Ladies but haven't yet read it.

>116 Tess_W: Yes, the movie is now on my list.
>117 hailelib: I've had a copy for ages, deep down in the TBR. Some day.

in French / AuthorCAT

Bel-Ami was a very entertaining and relaxing read, and it was interesting to see the differences and the similarities with Zola: the importance of newspaper in politics, for instance. None of the characters are very sympathetic, although I do feel pity for Madame Walter. But the women were at least interesting. I would have loved to learn more about the enigmatic Madeleine, who is surely plotting the downfall of Georges by now!

20th century / Bingo: love to see as a movie / Virago: North American author

The most lasting impression from My Ántonia are the descriptions of the landscape as the early settlers saw it, and there are some striking images that would make for glorious Cinemascope, such as the plough against the setting sun.

>120 MissWatson: I find most of Cather's books are this way. Especially cinematic for me was Death Comes for the Archbishop, which is set in the American South-West.

>121 kac522: Something to look forward to!

19th century / AuthorCAT / Bingo: about brothers / GR: a character in their golden years

The Queen of Hearts is a heartwarming tale of three brothers living in the wilds of South Wales in their old age. The youngest was a lawyer and was appointed guardian of a young lady in this capacity who comes to spend time with them. A fixed amount of time laid down in her father's will and just before she is due to return to her aunt and the metropolis, our lawyer receives news from his son who wants to marry the young lady and begs his father to keep her in Wales until he can get there. It's a matter of ten days, and the men decide to puit off her departure by telling stories: one every night, to be told in turns by the brothers.
Some of the stories read like material reworked from his novels (or maybe later expanded on in a novel, and there's way too much brain fever, but they give a good overview of the topics that Collins was interested in. No doubt his contemporaries called them sensationalist, but compared to writers like Zola or Maupassant they seem tame, even when he gives us a bigamist.
Still, this reminds me why I like Collins, most of his women characters are wonderful.

>104 MissWatson: Happy Thingaversary! Nice book haul. I hope you enjoy Flood of Fire. I loved that trilogy.

>123 MissWatson: I just started a re-read of The Moonstone. I'm loving it, but it amazes me that I remember absolutely NOTHING from when I first read it in 1988, so it feels like a completely new book!

>123 MissWatson:, Brigit: Would you consider this book a book of short stories? It has been tagged as such by several. It sounds good but I've never met many short stories that I've liked!

>124 mathgirl40: Thanks! I need to read the second book first, but I am really looking forward to it.
>125 kac522: That happens a lot to me lately.
>126 Tess_W: There are ten such stories in the book, and they make up the bulk of the book, so probably yes.

I actually went to the shelf and took down two small volumes of his stories: The Biter Bit & Other Stories and The Yellow Mask & Other Stories. It turns out that all the stories in here are also contained in my ebooks, so I decided I can part with the printed versions. Typeset in 9pt Bembo, which is way too small these days, some odd typos, and they have obviously been taken from some other context, as the concluding remarks for two belong to some other story.

A belated Happy Thingaversary to you!

>129 Tess_W: I posted on your timeline instead of mine! Sorry!

>128 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori!
>129 Tess_W: No problem, Tess!

19th century / AuthorCAT / GR: less than 5000 ratings on GR

On the last day of February, I finished a short novella, Ellernklipp. It was inspired by a real case which happened in the Harz mountains in the 18th century, where a man accepts an orphaned girl in his house and brings her up with his son. Later both fall in love with her, and the man kills his son out of jealousy.

February roundup

I read an amazing amount of books in this short month, and the best have been those 19th century ones. I really like the way they told stories in those days.
I don't have concrete plans for March yet, and events in Europe aren't helping. I may feel a serious need for escapist stuff.

>133 MissWatson: Glad you had a good reading month! I also, for the most part, find the 19th century writers to tell the best stories.

>133 MissWatson: A little escapist reading is sometimes a good thing.

Very belated thingaversary wishes, and thanks for visiting my thread.

Your 19c enthusiasm has almost persuaded me to pick up Wilkie Collins. I don't have a great record with Victorians though, so might wait for a holiday so I can get stuck in.

>134 Tess_W: Thanks, Tess. I'm slowly coming round to some 20th century authors, but I'm afraid they will always be also-rans.
>135 hailelib: Right now it is.
>136 charl08: Thanks, I like to see what you read. And Collins has some fascinating women characters!

Leaving the house / MysteryKIT: small town / GR: set near a body of water

Flucht übers Watt turned out be less bad than I thought it would be. The writing is mediocre, but the story was fun: it's the late eighties and a failed art student decides to try his hand at art theft and steals a painting and some watercolours by Emil Nolde from the museum at Seebüll. This is in the middle of nowhere near the Danish border, so when the cleaning woman surprises him he panics, changes his escape plans and takes the ferry for Amrum instead. He wants to lie low until he can sneak his way back to Hamburg and the States, but things get away from him...and eighteen years later he returns with his American wife who is in the same line of business, to recapture the painting he had to leave behind.
The author captures the atmosphere of the islands nicely, and the local colour helps to tide over the uninspired prose. It certainly helped to take my mind off the news.

AuthorCAT / MysteryKIT

Der Hahn ist tot is the debut novel of Ingrid Noll, published when she was 55. A dry spinster falls in love unexpectedly and chases the object of her infatuation. Some unfortunate people get in the way.
I must say that the author paints a very cruel portrait of her main charachter, and yet it feels completely real and convincing, there were moments where I could see myself in her shoes which was very disconcerting.

21st century / Bingo: title contains a Z

Cox oder Der Lauf der Zeit is a book that wants to be savoured, written in a rich, complex prose. The main character was inspired by the English clockmaker James Cox, but here he is called Alister and he travels to China with three workmates to build clocks for the Emperor Qiánlóng (who was also a real person). But this is not a "true" story, rather a long reflection on time and how to capture it. The descriptions of the Forbidden City and the Imperial Summer Palace are lyrical, almost like a fairytale. A strange book.

Leaving the house / MysteryKIT / GR: food or drink

Milchgeld is first in a series of mysteries featuring a middle-aged police officer in a small town in the Western Allgäu. It's a famous dairy production area, and the case involves a local dairy firm. Lots of local colour, and much grumbling about the rapid pace of modern technology which seems already outdated when you read this book in 2022 – it was written in 2003 before smartphones were ubiquitous.
It fell apart in my hands, so off it goes to recycling. I can see myself picking up the next if it comes my way.

>140 MissWatson: Sounds a wonderful subject for a novel, I wonder if it will be translated into English.

>140 MissWatson: Sounds like something I'd like to read if it is ever translated into English.

>143 charl08: >144 hailelib: According to the German National Library, it has been translated by Simon Pare and published by Seagull Books. It may be hard to find, though.

From series I started / escape hatch / Bingo: published in a year ending with 2 / GR: published in 2022

I bought Die kalte Mamsell on Thursday, hot off the press, because I was looking foreward to reading more about Viktoria and Christian. He's now appointed as detective to Norderney and hasn't even properly started on his job when two people are found dead in the ice pit of one of the nobler hotels. The plot is predictable, but written well enough, and I always love spending time on the North Sea islands.

Leaving the house / MysteryKIT / GR: academic setting

Unless I find something else in the piles, Die Schnelligkeit der Schnecke will have to do for the academic setting: a death happens at an academic workshop for chemistry where Barista Massimo does the catering. This was another short and quick read, sufficiently snarky to make me smile, but I have reservations about the translation which looks choppy. And what's with the weird title? Okay, three-card monte is not really well known in Germany, but still. There's no mention of a snail in the book. I'm seriously thinking this may be a series that I could tackle in Italian...

Series / AuthorCAT / GR: next in a series

If I remember correctly, Anne Perry published her first book at 41, and I have followed her William Monk series for a long time. She writes to a formula, which is not necessarily a bad thing, the reader knows what to expect. But at some time I stopped buying and then reading them, and because I need space I am contemplating to get rid of them. But not before I have read the last ones still waiting, so I picked up Slaves and obsession. I must have read it before, but had absolutely no memory of it. But it explains why I abandoned the series at this point: the murders which set things in motion merely provide the stage in which to grandstand on her chosen issue, in this case slavery and the Civil War. The solution is barely explained, tacked on as an afterthought and unconvincing. I won't be in a hurry to tackle the last ones on the shelf or go looking for more.

From the bargain bins / MysteryKIT / GR: a female police officer

I think I bought Scheunenfest for some challenge prompt and picked it up now looking for something light. It is set in the Allgäu, features two female police officers and packs quite a lot into the story: hiring women from Eastern Europe to take care of aging parents, the travails of farmers in a modern market economy, and on top there's a secret from the German occupation of Norway in WWII. Plus, some local economic history of how people first earned fortunes in the area from whetstones.
This was a pleasant surprise, much better written than the average cozy, a nicely convoluted plot and a very relatable heroine.

in Russian / Bingo: features a dog

Арктур – гончий пес is a short story which I own in a bilingual edition. I bought this decades ago with a thought to practising my Russian. Ah well, plans. It went better than I thought it would. Reading the German translation in parallel with it helped, but also raised many questions about the translator's choices.

Saturday notes

A rediscovery in France is Madame 60 bis which looks fascinating. A long lament in the FAZ about the decline of the "Werkausgabe", classical authors in reader-friendly, annotated and affordable editions. Which means I need to hang on to my ugly Fontane edition, because I'll never find a new and prettier one. The recent Aufbau paperbacks at any rate were a disappointment.

19th century

The Perpetual Curate was off to a very slow start, and two weepy females were almost too much to bear. However, once the young curate is under suspicion for having seduced a young girl things got moving and more entertaining. I ended up liking this a lot, especially because of the Rector's wife.

Leaving the house / SFFKIT: historical / GR: alternate history

Die Romanfabrik von Paris is sold as a historical novel, and the blurb promised an entertaining tale: Dumas' journal "Le Mousquetaire" is hijacked by a nasty character to spread political rumours and pitch Europe into rebellion and revolt. Dumas must flee to Brussels (like so many others during Louis Napoleon's putsch) with the help of an impoverished German countess. Much of the plot is based on real events, but then things got weird. The manipulator hypnotises people with the help of Egyptian amulets and works his way into the inner workings of politics with suspicious ease. The author did his research and obviously enjoys Dumas' books, but his own plot never comes together, there are too many small errors, and the style is pedestrian at best. This could have worked, if Dumas had written it, but Husemann never knows what to do with his idea. I gave up on this after 259 pages. Life is too short.

>149 MissWatson: Sounds like an interesting setting.

>154 thornton37814: It must be. The setting is close to the Schwangau with King Ludwig's fairy tale castles.

20th century / GR: set between 1900-1950 / Virago: single title

I capture the castle is one of those books that crop up again and again, so I finally looked for a copy. A very strange family, to say the least, and I found that abject poverty a bit hard to believe. If they hadn't been "quality" they sure would have been sued for non-payment of rent and evicted. Oddly, it also reminded me of Flavia de Luce and her odd home. But Cassandra was an interesting character.

In French

Reading helps ignore the news, so I am doing a lot of it. La petite Fadette was a pleasant read, although frustrating for her heavy use of regional dialect which was difficult to track down in online dictionaries. You can make a good guess if you know about agricultural work in the 19th century, which I don't. For the rest, it is like a morality tale for children where being good and godly gets you your heart's desire.

Saturday notes

High praise for Les furtifs which may be difficult to find. Looks interesting, though.

leaving the house / ShakespeareCAT / SFFKIT: historical fantasy / Bingo: modern retelling

These violent delights is Romeo and Juliet set in Shanghai in 1926, with our two lovers heirs to rival criminal gangs. Their world is endangered by a strange madness infecting people and making them tear their own throats out. They need to work together to find out what is going on...
I'm afraid this didn't live up to expectations, but then, it has never been my favourite Shakespeare play, and obnoxious teenagers rank high on my list of things I have little patience for. I just didn't like Juliette. I was even less enamoured of the author's writing style, far too 21st century for the chosen setting. This may well be a generational thing, but using exhale as a noun strikes me as odd, for example. There were too many moments where I thought "wait a minute, what is this supposed to mean?"
However, seeing Shanghai at this point in history through Chinese eyes was definitely worth the time I spent on the book.

March roundup

I'm only in the first third of The Anarchy, but it is a very gripping read. Looking back on March: I read a lot, but most of it escapist fare and I didn't have anything on the shelves for the WomanCAT and RandomKIT that I really wanted to read. Best of the month was Cox, oder der Lauf der Zeit.
And today we have snow. What happened to spring and hope?

Non-fiction

I have finished The Anarchy, a fascinating book about how the East India Company brought down the Mughal Empire which makes wide use of Mughal sources. I was surprised to learn that Richard Wellesley laid much of the foundation for the British Raj during his time as Governor General, mostly against the wishes of the EIC directors. And that it was an Afghan warlord who ransacked Delhi and stole the Peacock Throne – the author forgot to tell us what happened to it! I want to read more about that. And now I urgently want to re-read Flashman and Sharpe in India. Oh dear.

>161 MissWatson: both you and Tanya have had favorable review of this book--it's on my WL. Also, have been wanting to read the first Flashman book in the series for sometime.

>162 Tess_W: I think I'll read Dalrymple's Return of a king first before I revisit Flashman to get a bit more historical background on the Afghan war. I'm pretty sure modern historians see things differently from the ones Fraser used for his novels, decades ago.

from the bargain bins / AuthorCAT / WomanCAT

Ellbogen is the debut novel of Fatma Aydemir, who is a journalist of Turkish descent. Her lastest Novel, Dschinns, was reviewed last week and prompted me to take this one from the shelf.
It is the story of Hazal, told by herself, starting two days before her 18th birthday (when she becomes a major according to German law). She wants to celebrate with her friends but they club they have set their heart on won't admit them and they return home, drunk, aggressive, disappointed, and in a subway station they take it out on a student. It ends with Hazal kicking him so he falls onto the tracks. Panic ensues and Hazal takes a plane to Istanbul, a city she knows only from Turkish TV and where she knows only a young man she met on Facebook...

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of it. I couldn't get inside her head, and her decision to stay in Istanbul with all the shooting going on, just baffled me.

>163 MissWatson: I've added Return of a King to the wish list. The Anarchy is already on it.

My favourite William Dalrymple book is From the Holy Mountain, which is about both history and travel.

>165 pamelad: Oh, that looks fascinating! On the list it goes!

leaving the house / MysteryKIT

Still midnight is tagged as tartan noir, but did not strike me as being very noir. It remains pretty unclear what actually happened and I didn't much care for the main character, so I won't be rushing out to read more by the author.

>165 pamelad: Added these to my WL

>167 MissWatson: I remember that I wasn't taken with Still Midnight either but as I really like this author I continued with the series and it did get better although I never really did warm up to the main character. I much preferred her Garnet Hill trilogy or her trilogy featuring reporter Patty Meeham.

>169 DeltaQueen50: I may give those a try if I find them at the charity shop...

non-fiction

The corporation that changed the world is a brief history of the East India Company and made an interesting companion read to Dalrymple's massive The Anarchy. This, however, covers the entire history of the EIC, and the author is most interested in the workings of a corporation, and especially its negative workings. He differs most from Dalrymple in his assessment of Warren Hastings (Robins is not a fan, whereas Dalrymple treats him rather leniently). He also draws many comparisons with modern multinationals who are just as bad for consumers and producers as the EIC was, always looking for cornering the market, establishing monopolies and getting away with every criminal act just because the legal system is rigged in their favour.

20th century / ShakespeareCAT: revenge / mysteryKIT: noir

Knots and crosses was a trip down memory lane to the late eighties, when mobile phones were unheard of and everyone still smoked like a chimney. A very dark story of betrayal and revenge.

>171 MissWatson: This definitely interests me. In the past, I have read about the history of Liberty fabric. As I recall, the EIC played a large role in their develoment. I've added this to my TBR. Thanks.

>173 beebeereads: The author doesn't provide much detail about the fabrics imported from India, but as a general history of the company it's a good entrypoint.

I'll be offline for a few days, spending Easter at my sister's. See you all next week.

>175 MissWatson: Happy Easter!

>1 MissWatson:
Hi, I just joined the group and am rather randomly looking through member's topics. Your 'elevenses' title caught my eye, as I suspected it was a LOTR reference. Generally I'm a tea fan, though I tolerate coffee on occasion (loaded with cream, sugar, etc, to make it taste better).

Wishing you good luck with all your 2022 reading challenges. I hope you had a pleasant Easter with your family.

>176 rabbitprincess: Thanks, rp! It was lovely. Didn't read a single page, though. Must catch up...
>177 Ann_R: Hello, welcome and thank you! It's mostly tea for me, too. Except for Saturdays, when I buy special rolls for breakfast and read the fat weekend paper with at least three cups of black coffee.

leaving the house / AuthorCAT: debut / WomanCAT: WoC

The namesake was a pleasant, elegantly written and soothing read, but I can't help thinking that the lives these people lead are somewhat bland.

Saturday notes

I didn't read a single page during the Easter break and found it hard to get back into the rhythm. Nonetheless, taking note of a few authors mentioned in today's FAZ: Iwan Schmeljow and Walerjan Pidmohylnyi, both suddenly and sadly relevant again.

19th century

A rogue's life is short and very entertaining. Frank recounts his adventures in the criminal life: counterfeiting old masters and money. Not your standard Victorian fare, although he is saved by a good woman in the end.

20th century / RandomCAT: April showers

Death in the Andamans is set in the late thirties, although written much later, but it captures that Golden Age British mystery tone very well, in the way the characters interact. It's Christmas Eve, and a phenomenal storm hits the island just as the guests of the annual picnic return from the scenic location. Some go by boat and of the guests is drowned when the boats capsize. Or was it murder?
This was fun with sparkling dialogue and reminded me very much of Heyer's mysteries, with two young couples.

>182 MissWatson: sounds like something I need to read when I don't want something too heavy, but something still interesting!

>183 Tess_W: It also contains wonderful nature descriptions of the island.

>167 MissWatson: Too bad you didn't enjoy Still Midnight more. I remember really liking it and even have it marked for a re-read.

>182 MissWatson: I have enjoyed all the M.M. Kaye books I've read but they are not easy to find.

Hope you had a lovely time with your sister.

>185 VivienneR: It may have caught me at the wrong time. April has been very busy at work, and I didn't have enough time and concentration for most books. And yes, we had a lovely Easter.

Book bullets / Virago April challenge: a name in the title

Sadly I didn't make a note on whose thread I discovered Lolly Willowes, but it has been a wonderful discovery. Even if I don't fully understand what happens in part three, the writing drew me in. I had never heard of the author before, which is my loss.

>187 MissWatson: You may have picked it up from me as I read it in 2021. I had the same reaction you did. Beautiful writing, part three made me ask "What just happened?"

>188 NinieB: Very likely! The one that interests me most now is After the death of Don Juan which sounds like a very unusual story.

>189 MissWatson: I read Lolly Willowes in a volume that also included Mr. Fortune's Maggot, so that will likely be the next I read.

>190 NinieB: I'll be looking forward to your comments!

Saturday notes
The recent enormous price hikes for paper have arrived in the remainders bin: they now want 5€ instead of 4 for a paperback. Which, unfortunately, didn't stop me from buying Alfons, die Weihnachtsgans. Because it is set on Langeneß, a small island in the North Sea and I plan to read it very soon. And to finally make the trip next time we're on Föhr.
There was also an interesting article in the FAZ about the 250th birthday of Novalis written by Peter Stephan Jungk who discovered the author as a teenager and actually made the journey to the then GDR in 1972 for his 200th birthday, to see his birthplace. The authorities barely took notice of it, and his works weren't in print then. The way Jungk writes about him makes me think I should get on with my Romantik project. Oh dear, all those plans...

>191 MissWatson: Plans are half the fun!

Sad news re the price rises. I saw an article about impending rises here, but haven't noticed it in the bookshops yet. I'd not heard of Föhr but it looks beautiful on Google. Do you go every year?

>192 charl08: We alternative between Föhr in uneven years and other destinations in even years, this summer it will be Lake Constance. Föhr is still a comparatively quiet place in summer, lots of families, but no rich snobs (which Sylt is notorious for), and they don't do big spectacles or sports events, so the beach is a pleasant place for people who just want to swim.

April roundup

The Easter break interrupted my reading more than I thought it would. I liked The Anarchy best but also found two new interesting authors, so overall there's nothing to complain of.

Today is Labour Day in Germany, normally a holiday, so it's wasted on a Sunday. Considering that at the same time an open air fleamarket is being held, the unions had a good attendance at their rally.

Come and join me at my new thread! https://www.librarything.com/topic/341498