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. *
 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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?

 

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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 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
Garfield, Simon "To the Letter: A Curious History of Correspondence – A Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing" - 2013 
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 
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.

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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.

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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."