Six Degrees of Separation ~ Orbital

Samantha Harvey
Harvey, Samantha "Orbital" - 2024

#6Degrees of Separation:

from Orbital (Goodreads) to A Clockwork Orange 

#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.

The starter book this month is Orbital by Samantha Harvey. As so often, I have not read the book. 

Here is the description:

"A book of wonder, Orbital is nature writing from space and an unexpected and profound love letter to life on Earth

Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. They are there to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?"

Sounds interesting but I have been really disappointed by the last Booker Prize winners I read, so it might take a while, if ever, until I pick this up. But I have read other books about space travel and I will start with my favourite one of them and then go back to using words in the titles.

Weir, Andy "The Martian" - 2011

Bradbury, Ray "The Martian Chronicles" - 1950 

Kadaré, Ismail "The Fall of the Stone City" (aka Chronicle in Stone) (AL: Darka e Gabuar) - 1971

Löwenstein, Anna "The Stone City" (Esperanto: La Ŝtona Urbo) - 1999

LeBor, Adam "City of Oranges. An Intimate History of Arabs and Jews in Jaffa" - 2006

Burgess, Anthony "A Clockwork Orange" - 1962  

What do the first and the last book have in common? Well, they both are a work of science fiction.

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Spell the Month in Books ~ January

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 byReviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.

January: New (This could be new-to-you books, new additions to your TBR list, recently published books, or something else that you connect with the word "New")

January - We had this topic last year and I had chosen some books that I wanted to read this year. Did I finish them? No, not really. But I'm still working on it. So, this year, I will use some books that I read last year plus a few that I want to read next year.

JANUARY

J
Tomalin, Claire "Jane Austen - A Life" - 1997 

Jane Austen is one of my favourite authors. I have read all her novels, even the ones she didn't finish, some letters and short stories, so: a lot about her.

Claire Tomalin is a British journalist and biographer. She has a good reputation, especially for her biographies.

After reading this book, I understand why. 

A
Follett, Ken "The Armour of Light" - 2023 
After four books about Kingsbridge, their cathedral and the inhabitants, rich and poor from 997 until the 16th century, here is the follow-up for the Industrial Revolution.

N
Dickens, Charles "Nicholas Nickleby. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" - 1838/39 

This has everything a Dickens novel needs: villains and virtues, rogues and good people, a helicopter mother from the Georgian era, just a caleidoscope of people from his time with lots of intrigues. Not to forget the great names he gives his characters.

Of course, this is a novel against social injustice. And while we might think that is better today, some things never change.

U

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Urfaust. Faust Fragment. Faust I" (Faust) - 1772-1808 

"Goethe's Faust is a classic of European literature. Based on the fable of the man who traded his soul for superhuman powers and knowledge, it became the life's work of Germany's greatest poet. Beginning with an intriguing wager between God and Satan, it charts the life of a deeply flawed individual, his struggle against the nihilism of his diabolical companion Mephistopheles.

Part One presents Faust's pact with the Devil and the harrowing tragedy of his love affair with the young Gretchen. Part Two shows Faust's experience in the world of public affairs, including his encounter with Helen of Troy, the emblem of classical beauty and culture. The whole is a symbolic and panoramic commentary on the human condition and on modern European history and civilisation." (Goodreads)

A
Arenz, Ewald "Alte Sorten" (Tasting Sunlight) - 2019
(I added both the German and the English title.)
"An extraordinary bond develops between an angry teenage runaway and a middle-aged woman running a large farm on her own, as they work the land and slowly heal … the sublime, achingly beautiful debut that everyone is talking about…" (Goodreads)

R
Towles, Amor "Rules of Civility" - 2011

This is not the same as "A Gentleman in Moscow" but it is also a good one. A completely different area, a different situation, but you get a similar feeling. This one takes place in New York around the life of a young girl who comes to New York.

Amor Towles is certainly an author who knows how to capture an audience.

Y

Ian Buruma "Year Zero. A History of 1945" - 2013 

"A marvelous global history of the pivotal year 1945 as a new world emerged from the ruins of World War II

Year Zero is a landmark reckoning with the great drama that ensued after war came to an end in 1945. One world had ended and a new, uncertain one was beginning. Regime change had come on a global scale: across Asia (including China, Korea, Indochina, and the Philippines, and of course Japan) and all of continental Europe. Out of the often vicious power struggles that ensued emerged the modern world as we know it." (Goodreads)

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Those are three books I should be able to read next year. But - one of them is more than 1,000 pages long. So, we'll see.

Happy Reading!

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#ThrowbackThursday. January 2012 Part 3

 

I've been doing Throwback Thursdays for a while but I noticed that I wrote a lot of reviews in a short time when I first started. One of my blogger friends always posts the reviews of one month but that would be too much. So, these are my reviews from the third part of January 2012.

Mistry, Rohinton "A Fine Balance" - 1995
This book is absolutely wonderful. The ending is not entirely unexpected and any other ending would have been too fictional, too much trying to find paradise on earth. Beautiful writing. 

Orwell, George "Nineteen Eighty Four" - 1949

Has Orwell's negative Utopia arrived, did he predict well? Yes and no. "Big Brother" IS watching us. Even as I type this, I know that anybody who would like to, will be able to read this. However, I think "Big Brother" are all of us. 

Raittila, Hanny "Canal Grande" (SF: Canal Grande) - 2001

A group of Finnish scientists is going to Venice in order to prevent it from sinking. The Finnish and Italian mentality and … uhm … work ethic clash, to say the least.

A funny, totally absurd novel, partly chaotic, partly incredibly hilarious.

Rhys, Jean "Wide Sargasso Sea" - 1966
This is considered a "prequel" to "Jane Eyre", what happened to Mr. Rochester in his first marriage in the Caribbean, how did the marriage come about and how did it end up in such a dreadful way.

Sackville, Amy "The Still Point" - 2010
In 1899, Edward Mackley sets out to be the first person to reach the North Pole. His wife Emily stays behind in England to wait for him. A hundred years later, their great-great grandniece Julia starts sifting through the papers, journals, letters, anything left behind by the two while going through a rough patch in her own marriage.

Read my original reviews, for the links click on the titles.

Happy January!

Happy January to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Winterblüten"

"Winter Flowers"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"The Christmas roses bloom in our garden even in January. That is why we show Hanka's watercolor 'Winter Blossoms' on the first calendar page."

"Die Christrosen blühen bei uns im Garten auch im Januar. Deshalb zeigen wir auf dem ersten Kalenderblatt Hanka Aquarell 'Winterblüten'."

Read more on their website here. *

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December is always the time to prepare for Christmas. It can be hectic, it can be busy, but hardly ever is it calm. For me, the beginning was still very busy with doctor's appointments and physical therapy. And several visits to friends and family who had to spend a little longer there.

Also, of course, preparing for Christmas, making plans for menus etc. But that I love. And I managed to buy presents in advance, as well. Yay.

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Some lovely concerts and theatre visits. Some visits to Christmas markets (Bremen and Osnabrück). And advent meetings with friends and family. Always a treat.

And the best part of the month was the visit of our sons. They arrived it almost punctual this year and made it back with just half an hour and an hour delay respectively. Quite a difference to the 12 hours last year!

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In Germany, we celebrate New Year's Eve (which we call Silvester) in lots of different ways, quiet or loud, with friends or family, on big parties. But we never forget to watch "Dinner for One" which is broadcast on all public TV channels, several times during the day.

The film is only 18 minutes long and is based on a play written by Lauri Wylie. There are only two characters, Miss Sophie and her butler, portrayed by British comedians May Warden and Freddie Frinton. In 1962, German entertainer Peter Frankenfeld watched the sketch in Blackpool and persuaded the two of them to come to Germany and film it there. It has been on German TV every New Year's Eve since then. From there, it made its way into Scandinavia and many other European countries, though not into the United Kingdom. However, here it's tradition! 

 

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My favourite books last month were 
"Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" (PL: Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych) by Olga Tokarczuk
and
"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig.

* * *

One of the best gifts I received last year was this Lego set. Of course, I had to replace the lady reading the book with a figurine that looked more like me, but other than that, well done, Lego. This is absolutely beautiful.

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* 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. 

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2025 I wish you all a Happy January 2025

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my friends and readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Segelschiffe der Hanse Sail bei Sonnenuntergang"

"Sailing ships of the Hanse Sail at sunset"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:
Die Hanse Sail ist das größte maritime Event an der Ostseeküsten Mecklenburg – Vorpommerns. Jahr für Jahr kommen Anfang August bis zu 150 Boote und Schiffe nach Rostock und Warnemünde.

The Hanse Sail is the largest maritime event on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Every year, up to 150 boats and ships come to Rostock and Warnemünde at the beginning of August.s.
(see here)

Enjoy this great watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch!

Read more on their website here. *
 

 * * * 

2024 was not such a great year for my family. Lots of illnesses. My brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour and already had three surgeries. My 42 year old nephew had a heart attack. And we are all getting older and have our little and larger ailments.

And worldwide there were only bad news everywhere, wars, elections with bad outcomes, natural disasters.

* * * 

It's tough to choose my absolute favourite book of the year, so I will present the first one of the year that I put on the list:
Kingsolver, Barbara "Demon Copperhead" - 2022

 (Watch this blog for the complete list.)

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So, everyone, let's hope for a great 2025. I wish you all the best!

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* 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. 

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🎉 I wish you all a Happy New Year! 🎉