#ThrowbackThursday. July 2011 Part 2

 

I've been doing ThrowbackThursdays  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 second week of July 2011.

Mitchell, Margaret "Gone With the Wind" - 1936
I have read this book ages ago - at around the same time I watched it in the cinema for the first time. I love this story, book or movie, both are great.
I did enjoy reading about the "life" of a war, the anticipation, how everyone wants this to happen for some reason or another, how they plunged into the fights and how they returned defeated and hopeless. This is what war does to any people.

Naipaul, V.S. "A House for Mr. Biswas" - 1961

I love V.S. Naipaul. He is a wonderful writer. Not only does he tell us about a life we would never be able to look into, but he does it in such an excellent way.

A story about disappointments in life and shattered dreams, written in an exquisite way.

Naipaul, V.S. "Half A Life" - 2001
An interesting take on life in different settings. A lot of information about post-independence India, Africa and Europe during that time, a comparison, a view about completely different cultures and lifestyles. 

Seth, Vikram "A Suitable Boy" - 1993

The story is settled in India in the fifties though the book was published in 1993 as an "epic about life in India". I've read quite a few Indian novels by now but This is by far the most positive novel about India even though it also seems to be a good recollection of Indian life and politics.

Although the main focus is on the family that is looking for "a suitable boy" (to marry) for one of their daughters, the novel centres on four families with different backgrounds, both Hindus and Muslims.

Seth, Vikram "An Equal Music" - 1999

This one tells us the story of a violonist and his problems with love, his job, his parents, but mainly love.

You cannot compare this book at all to his former novel, but it was very good, as well. 

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

Top 5 Tuesday ~ Music

Top Five Tuesday was originally created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, but is now hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan’s blog or leave a comment on her weekly post. I found this on Davida's Page @ The Chocolate Lady.

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This week’s topic is a Freebie. Before I joined, one of the topics was Music. Meeghan said: "February seems to have a ‘national ukulele day’ so what are your top 5 books about music, musicians, or instruments."

I liked that idea and was sorry to have missed it. So, today, my Top 5 Tuesday is about Music. I found some very different literature.

Ahmad, Aeham "The Pianist from Syria" (aka The Pianist of Yarmouk) (GE: Und die Vögel werden singen. Ich, der Pianist aus den Trümmern) - 2017

Dylan, Bob "Chronicles. Volume One" - 2004

Leroux, Gaston "The Phantom of the Opera" (F: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) - 1910

Mercier, Pascal "Lea" (GE: Lea) - 2007

Tibballs, Geoff "The Good, the Bad and the Wurst. The 100 Craziest Moments from the European Song Contest" - 2016

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🎼 Happy Reading! 🎼

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Top Ten Tuesday ~ Favourite Books from Ten Series

    

"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". It was created because they are particularly fond of lists. It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.

This week's topic is: Ten Favourite Books from Ten Series (We all have a favorite book in our favorite series, right?)

I'm not a big series reader but I managed to find enough of them.

Allende, Isabel "The House of the Spirits" (E: La casa de los espíritus) (The House of the Spirits #1) - 1982

Buck, Pearl S. "The Good Earth" - 1931

Follett, Ken "The Pillars of the Earth" (Kingsbridge #1) - 1989

Ghosh, Amitav "Sea of Poppies" (Ibis Trilogy #1) - 2008

Mantel, Hilary "Wolf Hall" (The Wolf Hall Trilogy #1) - 2009

Ruiz Zafón, Carlos "The Shadow of the Wind" (E: La sombra del viento - El cementerio de los libros olvidados #1) - 2001

Scott, Mary "Breakfast at Six" - 1953

Sendker, Jan-Philipp "Whispering Shadows" (The Rising Dragon #1) (GE: Das Flüstern der Schatten) - 2007

Stroyar, J.N. "The Children's War" - 2001

Turner, Nancy E. "These is my Words" - Sarah Agnes Prine Trilogie #1 - 1999 - ILK

I have usually chosen the first one of the series. If I didn't like the next ones, I would not have carried on, so you can depend on it that I liked them all.

📚 Happy Reading! 📚

Allende, Isabel "City of the Beasts"

Allende, Isabel "City of the Beasts" (Memories of the Eagle and the Jaguar #1) (Spanish: La ciudad de las bestias) (Las memorias del Águila y del Jaguar #1) - 2002

I found this book ages ago but my TBR pile is so large that it took me half a decade until I tackled this book. Not for want of interest. I love Isabel Allende.

I wasn't aware that this is supposed to be a young adult book but it definitely is also suitable for "old" adults like me. I love this story about a teenager who is taken out of his usual habitat and has to get on in a totally different world. First, he has to find an address in New York without any help but with many obstacles. But the real adventure starts when he leaves for the rainforest with his grandmother. Together with the daughter of their local guide, he explores the area. They rely on each other for their different knowledge and he grows up.

That is the beauty of this story. It's magical, they meet not just the natives but also their spirits, something totally alien to them as well as to us as readers.

There are two more books about Alex and Nadia, "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon" (El Reino del Dragón de Oro), and "Forest of the Pygmies" (El Bosque de los Pigmeos). I totally intend to read them.

From the back cover:

"An ecologial romance with a pulsing heart, equal parts Rider Haggard and Chico Buarque -- one of the world's greatest and most beloved storytellers broadens her style and reach with a Amazonian adventure story which will appeal to all ages Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold has the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. With his mother in hospital, too ill to look after him, Alex is sent out to his grandmother Kate -- a fearless reporter with blue eyes 'as sharp as daggers' points'. Kate is about to embark on an expedition to the dangerous, remote world of the Amazon rainforest, but rather than change her plans, she simply takes Alex along with her. They set off with their team -- including a local guide and his daughter Nadia, with her wild, curly hair and skin the colour of honey -- in search of a fabled headhunting tribe and a legendary, marauding creature known to locals only as 'the Beast', only to find out much, much more about the mysteries of the jungle and its inhabitants. In a novel rich in adventure, magic and spirit, internationally-celebrated novelist Isabel Allende takes readers of all ages on a voyage of discovery and wonder, deep into the heart of the Amazon."

Six Degrees of Separation ~ The Museum of Modern Love

Heather Rose

Rose, Heather "The Museum of Modern Love" - 2016

#6Degrees of Separation:

from The Museum of Modern Love (Goodreads) to The Lady and the Unicorn

#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 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose.

I have not read this one, so here is the description:

"A mesmerising literary novel about a lost man in search of connection - a meditation on love, art and commitment, set against the backdrop of one of the greatest art events in modern history, Marina Abramovic's The Artist is Present.

'Art will wake you up. Art will break your heart. There will be glorious days. If you want eternity you must be fearless.' From The Museum of Modern Love

She watched as the final hours of The Artist is Present passed by, sitter after sitter in a gaze with the woman across the table. Jane felt she had witnessed a thing of inexplicable beauty among humans who had been drawn to this art and had found the reflection of a great mystery. What are we? How should we live?

If this was a dream, then he wanted to know when it would end. Maybe it would end if he went to see Lydia. But it was the one thing he was not allowed to do.

Arky Levin is a film composer in New York separated from his wife, who has asked him to keep one devastating promise. One day he finds his way to The Atrium at MOMA and sees Marina Abramovic in The Artist is Present. The performance continues for seventy-five days and, as it unfolds, so does Arky. As he watches and meets other people drawn to the exhibit, he slowly starts to understand what might be missing in his life and what he must do.

This dazzlingly original novel asks beguiling questions about the nature of art, life and love and finds a way to answer them."

So, I tried to go with a word in the title. The starter word is museum.

Atkinson, Kate "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" - 1995

I don't have another book with museum that leads me anywhere, so I have chosen the first name of the author.

Morton, Kate "The Clockmaker's Daughter" - 2018

Edwards, Kim "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" - 2005

Powers, Charles T. "In the Memory of the Forest" - 1997

Guterson, David "Our Lady of the Forest" - 2003

Chevalier, Tracy "The Lady and the Unicorn" - 2003

The starter book is about art and a museum, the last one is also about art.

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This month, I loved all the books I presented. If you don't know them, I recommend them heavily.

Spell the Month in Books ~ August

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

August: Water

Such a tough one. I had to cheat with some of them, as you will see. First ; had to go with books that have water on the cover. And then I had to get a German title in. Two Us with water seemed impossible. If you have a suggestion from the books I read, let me know. 😉

AUGUST

A

Taylor, Andrew "The Ashes of London" - 2016

U
More, Thomas "Utopia" - 1516

G
Ghosh, Amitav "The Glass Palace" - 2000 

U

Gulbranssen, Trygve "Beyond Sing the Woods" (NO: Og bakom synger skogene) - Und ewig singen die Wälder - 1933

S

Grenville, Kate "The Secret River" - 2005

T

Ackroyd, Peter "Thames. Sacred River" - 2007

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Happy Reading!

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Happy August!

  Happy August to all my friends and readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch
"Sommerwiese mit Mohnblüten"

"Cranes and Deer in the Meadows"

Frank says to this picture:
"Our small, colourful year-round singers - the goldfinches. They like all kinds of seeds, but teasels and thistles are particular delicacies. In 2016 they were named 'Bird of the Year'."

"Unsere kleinen bunten Ganzjahressänger - die Distelfinken. Sie mögen Samen aller Art, aber besondere Leckerbissen sind Karden und Disteln. Im Jahr 2016 wurden sie zum 'Vogel des Jahres' gekürt.."

Read more on their website here. *

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July was far too hot for me. I cannot stand any heat, I just seem to be functioning on a very reduced level and can only wait for the end of the season to be feeling alive again. And no, you won't hear me complain that it gets too cold in winter. I can always wear another layer of clothing. Having just written that, I noticed that I talked about that last month, as well. But it still bothers me.

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Do you know the Word "Schadenfreude". It's a German compositum of the words "Schaden" for "Harm" and "Freude" for "Joy". Wikipedia explains it like this:  "... is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, pain, suffering, or humiliation of another." Sometimes, it can be excused if someone does something bad and is more or less "punished" through it backfiring. And then people feel Schadenfreude because they feel justice has been done. Like karma. Any other reason is not really nice but we see it all the time.
 
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 My favourite book last month was "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese. 

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When we moved here five years ago, my brothers and their wives gave me this rose bush. It is called Marianne and the flowers look like my favourite one: the peony. But, contrary to that one, this rose blooms at least twice a year and for ages. And it has the sweetest smell. 

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The old German word for August is Ernting or Erntemond. 

Ernte is the German word for harvest which explains the origin of the name.

 

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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 August! 🚙