Spell the Month in Books ~ December

           
Reviews from the Stacks

I found this on one of the blogs I follow, Books are the New Black who found it at One Book More. It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.

December: Winter, Christmas, or Christian themes
What a lovely idea for December. We don't have any winters anymore, nothing like when I was little. But I remember always thinking of Christmas and winter together.

DECEMBER

D
Pasternak, Boris "Doctor Zhivago" (RUS: Доктор Живаго) - 1957
I always have to think about winter when thinking about Doctor Zivago. A big part of the story takes place in one of the coldest parts on earth.

E
Wharton, Edith "Ethan Frome" - 1911
Another good story about life under harsh circumstances, again in winter.

C
Dickens, Charles "A Christmas Carol" - 1843
Who doesn't know Scrooge, a miser who gets healed at Christmas?

E
Sturluson, Snorri "Egil's Saga" (Icel: Egils saga Skallagrímssonar) - 1240
Northern Europe, especially Iceland, always makes us think about snow and cold winters.

M

Ali, Sabahattin "Madonna in a Fur Coat" (TR: Kürk Mantolu Madonna) - 1943
While Turkey doesn't make one immediately think about cold weather, a fur coat certainly belongs to winter.

B
Robinson, Barbara "The Best Christmas Pageant" - 1972
A beautiful part of Christmas is always the little plays the children perform for their parents and other spectators.

E
Austen, Jane "Emma" - 1816
I know I've used Emma before but there are so many parts in that story are set in winter, especially the outing to the Westons.

R
Rutherfurd, Edward "Russka. The Novel of Russia" - 1991
Another book about Russia where a lot of winters take place over the centuries.

Happy Reading!

📚 📚 📚

Six Degrees of Separation ~ From Kitchen Confidential to When We Were Orphans

 

#6Degrees of Separation:
from Kitchen Confidential to When We Were Orphans

#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here.

This month's prompt starts with Kitchen Confidential. Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Goodreads). That's the same this month. So, I looked at the description of the book:

"Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal..."

Not my type of book, I think, so I probably wouldn't even find anything relating to the topic. However, this month, I can go with words in the title again which is something I really enjoy because it takes us through so many different subjects. We start with the word Kitchen.

Ali, Monica "In the Kitchen" - 2008

Carter, Jimmy "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land" - 2008

Tolstoy, Leo "War and Peace" (RUS: Война и мир = Woina i mir) - 1868/69

Bragg, Melvyn "A Son of War" - 2001 (follow-up to "The Soldier’s Return")

Johnson, Adam "The Orphan Master's Son" - 2012

Ishiguro, Kazuo "When We Were Orphans" - 2000

📚📚📚

I couldn't really find a link between the first and the last book. The closest one is probably that the first one is about cruelty in the kitchen whereas the last one takes place in a war, and there is always cruelta in a war.

The other thing the two authors have in common, the first one was born in the USA but travelled all over the globe with his job. The last one was born in Japan and lives in the UK.

And they were both born in the 1950s.

Happy December!

   Happy December to all my friends and readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Fischerboote im norwegischen Winter
"Fishing boats in the Norwegian winter"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:
Snow clouds in Sanitz are a rather rare occurrence. In order to find our winter dream, Hanka and I often travel during the Norwegian winter.
Schneewolken in Sanitz sind ein eher seltenes Ereignis. Um unseren Wintertraum zu finden, sind Hanka und ich oft im norwegischen Winter unterwegs.
(see here)

Another great watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch. Enjoy!

Read more on their website here. *
 

 * * * 

 
Fishing boats are always special. I have not been to the sea in winter often, so this is an even lovlier picture for me. We might have to go to Scandinavia in the colder months one year.

 

 * * * 

 

November was very rainy, just as I remember most Novembers. But I still prefer them to the hot summers we have been getting lately.

 

November is always the time to think about our beloved departed ones. My parents died eight and nine years ago. Time flies, I still cannot believe they are gone.

 

* * *

And here's another German word that I just thought of which might be interesting: Quadratlatschen

This means more or less square slippers.

Latschen is a colloquial (and degrading) word for shoes or rather slippers. Quadrat is a square. Not reallly a shape that sounds comfortable for a foot, though it stands more for large slippers.

Do you have words like that in your language?

 

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *
🎄 I wish you all a happy December! 🎄 

#ThrowbackThursday. The House of the Mosque

Abdolah, Kader (Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami Farahani) "The House of the Mosque" (Dutch: Het huis van de moskee) - 2005

Even though this is not an autobiography, the author's life resembles that of his main character, e.g. he wanted to study literature but studied physics.

The book is a good teacher. The novel contains a lot of information about Iran, immigrants, the political situation, there are symbols, grandmothers, place of women, warning against fundamentalists, fanaticism.

It is hard to  imagine living in the midst of the revolution, therefore this gives you a very good account. They had an ordinary society before, then everything went wrong.

Considering the recent political events, this book is as actual as ever.

We discussed this in our international book club in September 2010.

Read my original review here.    

Nonfiction November 2023 Week 5 New to My TBR #NonficNov

Week 5 (November 27 - December 12) New To My TBR
with Lisa @ Hopewell’s Public Library of Life

It's the fifth week of Non-Fiction November (see here). Our topic is "New to My TBR".

Here is the Official Schedule.

Week 5 (November 27 - December 12) New To My TBR: It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! (Lisa @ Hopewell’s Public Library of Life)

I have not added any books that I found this month through the posts because I just was not well enough to go through that. But I have added a few new (to me) non-fiction books lately, some in German, some in English.

 

Clinton, Hillary Rodham "It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us) - 1996 (Goodreads)
Garfield, Simon "To the Letter: A Curious History of Correspondence – A Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing" - 2013 (Goodreads)
Gauck, Joachim "Toleranz: einfach schwer" [Tolerance: simply difficult] - 2019 (Goodreads)
Specht, Heike "Ihre Seite der Geschichte - Deutschland und seine First Ladies von 1949 bis heute" [Her Side of the Story - Germany and its First Ladies from 1949 to Today] - 2019 (Goodreads)
Uusma, Bea "The Expedition: a Love Story: Solving the Mystery of a Polar Tragedy" (Swedish: Expeditionen: min kärlekshistoria) - 2013 (Goodreads)
Wickert, Ulrich "Frankreich. Die wunderbare Illusion" [France. The Wonderful Illusion] - 1989 (Goodreads)

Quite a variety of topics there. I'm looking forward to reading them all.

📚📚📚

For my lists on Nonfiction November check here.

#ThrowbackThursday. Third Culture Kids

Pollock, David C. & Van Reken, Ruth "Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds" - 2001

"In this publication, the authors explore the experiences of those who have become known as 'third culture kids' (TCKs) - children who grow up or spend a significant part of their childhood living abroad."

If you live/d abroad with your children for only a couple of years or if you grew up in different countries or in a country different from your parents, this is the book to read.

We discussed this in our international book club in September 2007.

Read my original review here.   

Nonfiction November 2023 Week 4 Worldview Changes #NonficNov

 Week 4 (November 20-24) Worldview Shapers
with Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction

It's the fourth week of Non-Fiction November (see here). Our topic is "Worldview Shapers".

Here is the Official Schedule.

Week 4 (November 20-24) Worldview Shapers: One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without it. There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the profound. What nonfiction book or books have impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way? Is there one book that made you rethink everything? Do you think there is a book that should be required reading for everyone? (Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction)

We had this subject last year and I chose
Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto" (GE: Das kommunistische Manifest) - 1848 (see here)

What nonfiction book or books have impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way?
I read non-fiction books all the time in order to get to understand the world better.

Is there one book that made you rethink everything?
I wouldn't exactly say it made me rethink everything, but this year I was especially impressed by:
Keefe, Patrick Radden "Say Nothing. A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland" - 2018
The author describes both sides in the Irish Civil War (also called "The Troubles") and makes us understand why these conflicts going on everywhere in the world always take so long, often cannot be changed at all (see Israel/Palestine).

Do you think there is a book that should be required reading for everyone?
There are a lot of books that should be read by everyone. In general, it would be good if people read more non-fiction and got more information from real experts rather than from those individuals who just plaster their uninformed opinions all over the internet.

📚📚📚

For my lists on Nonfiction November check here.

#ThrowbackThursday. Galileo's Daughter

Sobel, Dava "Galileo's Daughter: A Drama of Science, Faith and Love" - 2000

A very interesting book. Although, we thought the title is not entirely correct since this book is more about Galileo himself than about his daughter. However, the life Galileo led is portrayed very well. Such a brilliant mind - both him and his daughter.

We discussed this in our international book club in September 2006.

Read my original review here.  

Oates, Joyce Carol "Little Bird of Heaven"

Oates, Joyce Carol "Little Bird of Heaven" - 2009

A very dark story, one of JCO's darkest, I would say. Kids who grow up in disrupted families, a murder, coming to terms with that crime, it all goes so well with the author's writing. She manages to build suspense up until the last page and you can never tell where it is going to end.

In one of the descriptions, this book is compared with We Were the Mulvaneys and The Gravedigger's Daughter. There is some truth in that.

While this is probably not my favourite Oates novel, I was surprised that it was rated so low by so many. I don't understand that.

From the back cover:

"When Krista Diehl learns of her father Eddy's arrest on suspicion of the murder of her classmate Aaron's mother, she is stunned. But whatever he might have done - and whoever he was with when he wasn't helping her Daddy - Krista cannot give up her trust in her father, nor her love for him.

The police soon reveal another suspect - Aaron's father, wild Delray. But Aaron knows Krista's father is guilty. And Krista knows Delray is to blame. As the truth of the matter gets murkier, Krista is forced to confront her growing obsession with the brooding, troubled Aaron, an obsession that threatens to consume her and her life. Some loves are doomed from the start. But then again - perhaps some are fated."

Nonfiction November 2023 Week 3 Book Pairings #NonficNov

Week 3 (November 13-17) Book Pairings
with Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home

It's Non-Fiction November again (see here). For the third week, our topic is "Book Pairings".

Week 3 (November 13-17) Book Pairings: This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it’s a historical novel and the real history in a nonfiction version, or a memoir and a novel, or a fiction book you’ve read and you would like recommendations for background reading. You can be as creative as you like! (Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home)

📚📚📚

This is a great topic that repeats every year. As it should because there are so many topics you can talk about. The last couple of years, the subjects I chose were Tulip Fever, Afghanistan and Slavery.

This year, I've decided it should be Feminism. Almost any book about women can relate to that subject. The one that led me to the subject here, that I read in 2023 is:
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi "We Should All Be Feminists" - 2014
But there are some other books that I read last year that go with this topic:
Clinton, Hillary Rodham & Clinton, Chelsea "The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience" - 2019
Ernaux, Annie "The Years" (FR: Les années) - 2008
Obama, Michelle "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" - 2022

I have tried to find some books about women in certain situations, in certain times where it is shown how unfair life could be for the female part of the population - and still is in many, many cases. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written some good fiction, as well.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi "Americanah" - 2013
- "Half of a Yellow Sun" - 2006
Alsanea, Rajaa "Girls of Riyadh" (arab: بنات الرياض‎ Banāt al-Riyāḍ) - 2005
Brontë, Charlotte"Jane Eyre" - 1847 
- "Shirley" - 1849
Dangarembga, Tsitisi "Nervous Conditions" - 1988
Fredriksson, Marianne "Hanna's Daughters" (S: Anna, Hanna og Johanna) - 1994
See, Lisa "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" - 2005
Singer, Isaac Bashevis "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy" (Yidd: נטל בחור ישיבה/Yenṭl der Yeshive-boḥer) - 1983
Undset, Sigrid "Kristin Lavransdatter" (NO: Kristin Lavransdatter) - 1920-22

So you see, there are women from many differnt areas of the world, contemporary and historical women. Unsurprisingly, most of those books are written by women. They are all worth reading. Start with the topic or area that interests you most.

📚📚📚

For my lists on Nonfiction November check here.

#ThrowbackThursday. Nathaniel's Nutmeg

 

Milton, Giles "Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History" - 1999

It's #Throwback Thursday and it's #Non-fiction November. So, I think it's great that this book came up.

This is a historical non-fiction book that's written like a crime novel. We learned a lot about the history in the Pacific, colonialism, the history of the 17th century, how the British East Indian Company and the Dutch East Indian Company fought over parts on the other side of the world and how that affected even today's world, and how one guy and a small island can change the whole world forever.

Read my original review here. 

Brooks, Geraldine "Caleb's Crossing" - 2011

Brooks, Geraldine "Caleb's Crossing" - 2011

In our local book club, we always bring a book we just read and loved and then decide which one the group will read. This time, I had brought "People of the Book" because it is my favourite book of the year. But someone else had brought this one and we thought it funny that we both had chosen the same author.

So, we decided to read "Caleb's Crossing". The story takes place at Martha's Vinyard and Harvard College. It tells about the life of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk was born around 1646 and he learned English and Latin and all the other subject he needed to graduate.

The author explains that her book is based on the life of Caleb and that the stories about the Wampanoag and the island are true but that the rest is fiction. Still, we can very well believe how life must have been for a young English girl at the time. And there is also a lot of documentation about the life of the Native Americans to make the story plausible.

I love historical fiction and this is a wonderful example of how you can describe life in a past century through both real and fictional characters. This was only my fourth book by Geraldine Brooks, I need to read more.

The other readers also really liked the book and the author. We would like to read "Year of Wonders", her first book.

From the back cover:

"Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha's vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. Inspired by a true story and narrated by the irresistible Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brilliantly captures the triumphs and turmoil of two brave, openhearted spirits who risk everything in a search for knowledge at a time of superstition and ignorance."

Nonfiction November 2023 Week 2 Choosing Nonfiction #NonficNov

 Week 2 (Nov 6 - 1): Choosing Nonfiction
with Frances @ Volatile Rune

It's Non-Fiction November again (see here). For the second week, our topic is "Choosing Nonfiction".

Week 2 (November 6 - 10) Choosing Nonfiction: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking. (Frances @ Volatile Rune)

What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book?
I think I mainly want a topic that interests me. History, politics, things going on around us that influence our lives

Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to?
Usually something about what's going on at the moment. Right now the Ukraine war, the refugee situation everywhere. But also the politics in Europe, my country and other countries that might have an influence on our lives.

Do you have a particular writing style that works best?
For non-fiction, I think I prefer a chronological order.

When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you?
I prefer pictures that show me something about the content. A picture of the place that is the main topic, in a biography the picture of the protagonist, or even a nice painting of the subject.

If so, share a title or cover which you find striking:
Some examples from this year:

Bythell, Shaun "Seven Kinds of People you Find in Bookshops" - 2020
Illies, Florian "1913: The Year before the Storm" (GE: 1913: Der Sommer des Jahrhunderts) - 2012
Perry, Matthew "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" - 2022

📚📚📚

For my lists on Nonfiction November check here.

Spell the Month in Books ~ November

          
Reviews from the Stacks

I found this on one of the blogs I follow, Books are the New Black who found it at One Book More. It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.

November: Books about music/musicians
I love music and I love to read about it. So, this was a very nice challenge. Enjoy!

NOVEMBER

N
Simmonds, Jeremy "Number One in Heaven – The Heroes Who Died For Rock 'n' Roll" - 2006
Facts on all those Rock & Pop icons that have left us far too early due to an untimely death.

O
Dinesen, Isak/Blixen, Karen "Out of Africa" - 1937
Who doesn't remember the gramophone Karen Blixen brings to her plantation in Africa?

V
Bjørnstad, Ketil "Villa Europa" (NO: Villa Europa) - 1992
An epic saga about a Norwegian family throughout the 20th century. The author was a musician himself.

E
Austen, Jane "Emma" - 1816
There are always musicians in Jane Austen's novels. In this one, Emma herself plays the piano, and also another girl important to the story, Jane Fairfax

M

Tremain, Rose "Music & Silence" - 1999 
The title already says it all. Music. A story of  the Danish court in the 17th century.

B
Falcones, Ildefonso "The Barefoot Queen" (E: La Reina Descalza) - 2013
Caridad is the Barefoot Queen, a gypsy who makes a living with her dancing.

E
Seth, Vikram "An Equal Music" - 1999
The story of a violonist and his problems with love, his job, his parents, but mainly love.

R
Hislop, Victoria "The Return" - 2008
A young woman comes to Granada to dance and discovers not only the terrible history of the Spanish Civil War but also her own.

Happy Reading!

📚 📚 📚

Six Degrees of Separation ~ From Western Lane to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

#6Degrees of Separation:
from Western Lane to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here.

This month's prompt starts with Western Lane (Goodreads). That's the same this month. So, I looked at the description of the book:

"A taut, enthralling first novel about grief, sisterhood, and a young athlete’s struggle to transcend herself.

Eleven-year-old Gopi has been playing squash since she was old enough to hold a racket. When her mother dies, her father enlists her in a quietly brutal training regimen, and the game becomes her world. Slowly, she grows apart from her sisters. Her life is reduced to the sport, guided by its the serve, the volley, the drive, the shot and its echo.

But on the court, she is not alone. She is with her pa. She is with Ged, a thirteen-year-old boy with his own formidable talent. She is with the players who have come before her. She is in awe.

An indelible coming-of-age story, Chetna Maroo’s first novel captures the ordinary and annihilates it with beauty. Western Lane is a valentine to innocence, to the closeness of sisterhood, to the strange ways we come to know ourselves and each other."

I have read some similar books with stories that talk about children in difficult families. They are all about the same kind of topic, so I have listed them in alphabetical order.

Ashworth, Andrea "Once in a House on Fire" - 1999
Coory, Kasey "Pious Evil. Condemn Not My Children. A Mother's Journey to Insanity" - 2014
Frandi-Coory, Anne "Whatever Happened to Ishtar?: A Passionate Quest To Find Answers For Generations Of Defeated Mothers" - 2010
Lamb, Wally "We are Water" - 2013
Walls, Jeannette "The Glass Castle" - 2005
Wells, Rebecca "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" - 1996

📚📚📚

Obviously, all the books lead back to the first one, so there is a link between the last and the first.  Some of the books are memoirs, the last one is not,  just as the starter story.