Chrischi_HH reads for a new home in 2021

Hello fellow readers! My name is Christiane and I live in the north of Germany. This is my seventh year joining the Category Challenge, though my activity in the group has decreased in the last few years. I thought about not even participating this time, but it's just too much fun with the CATs!

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. The pandemic has changed our lives, our plans, our daily routines. I read a bit more than the year before, but spent less time online (in private) due to working from home and needing a break from the screen. This part of my life will not change back over night, therefore I might continue to be less active here than I would like to be.

And another thing probably cutting into my reading and online time: In the second half of 2021 (hopefully!) we will build a house! I'm really looking forward to moving into a new home with a garden, but we have quite some planning and work to do. To keep up the motivation, I'll use the house for my categories.

These are my eight categories:
- Stairs: TBR
- Garden: Wishlist
- Windows: LT book bullets since 2015
- Bricks: Series
- Living room: CATs
- Kitchen: GeoKIT
- Pictures on the wall: BingoDOG
- Storage: Overflow

There won't be target numbers for the respective categories. I'll just try to fill the categories as good as possible and to reduce my wishlist a little bit. Overlap is allowed. Regarding an overall target, I'm aiming for 25 books.

Currently reading:
exit Racism
Unsichtbare Frauen
The Wind in the Willows (audio)

Next up:
2022 :)

Books read in 2021:
1. Das Känguru-Manifest by Marc-Uwe Kling (audio) 4★ (finished 05-01-2021)
2. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 4★ (finished 16-01-2021)
3. Hygg Hygg Hurra! (Engl. The Year of Living Danishly) by Helen Russell 4.5★ (finished 02-02-2021)
4. Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen (Engl. Sweet Bean Paste) by Durian Sukegawa 4.5★ (finished 04-02-2021)
5. Mord auf dem Golfplatz (Engl. The Murder on the Links) by Agatha Christie 3★ (finished 11-02-2021)
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 4★ (finished 22-02-2021)
7. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen 4★ (finished 15-03-2021)
8. Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde by Campino (audio) 4★ (finished 03-04-2021)
9. Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks (Engl. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness) by Arundhati Roy 4★ (finished 10-04-2021)
10. Ronja Räubertochter by Astrid Lindgren (audio) 4★ (finished 30-04-2021)
11. Stettin Station by David Downing 4★ (finished 02-05-2021)
12. Koriandergrün und Safranrot (Engl. One Hundred Shades of White by Preethi Nair 4.5★ (finished 16-05-2021)
13. Honigtot by Hanni Münzer 3.5★ (finished 17-06-2021)
14. Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel: Abenteuer im Europaparlament by Martin Sonneborn (audio) 4★ (finished 29-06-2021)
15. Der Wal und das Ende der Welt (Engl. Not Forgetting the Whale) by John Ironmonger 4★ (finished 04-07-2021)
16. Die Walfängerin (The Whaler) by Ines Thorn 4★ (finished 18-07-2021)
18. Trümmermädchen by Lily Bernstein 4★ (finished 09-08-2021)
17. Der große Sommer by Ewald Arenz 3.5★ (audio) (finished 14-08-2021)
19. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 3.5★ (finished 02-10-2021)
20. Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen by Daniela Krien 4★ (finished 09-10-2021)
21. Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus by Petra Oelker 3.5★ (finished 31-10-2021)
22. Aldrig mere fri (Engl. Farewell to Freedom) by Sara Blædel 4.5★ (finished 21-11-2021)
23. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie 4★ (finished 06-12-2021)
24. Das Schneemädchen (Engl. The Snow Child) by Eowyn Ivey 5★ (finished 17-12-2021)
25. Drei Wünsche by Petra Oelker 4.5★ (finished 22-12-2021)

Statistics:
Pages read: 3,083+336+494+235+428
*January: 335
*February: 1,124
*March: 409
*April: 542
*May: 673
*June: 466
*July: 336
*August: ?
*September: 0
*October: 494+235+428
*November: 374
*December: 368+456+118
Audiobooks: 4 (27h44 ~ 1,344 pages)
From own shelves: 12
Borrowed - from library: 7 - from family/friends: 2
Rereads: 0
New books bought: 9 (2 read)
Read in German: 18
Read in English: 6
Read in Danish: 1
Books by female author: 17
Books by male author: 8

EXTRA
Magazines read: 4
National Geographic (German): 2
HSV supporters news: 2

Countries visited in 2021

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com
Countries visited: 7
Denmark, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, UK, USA

STAIRS
- books from tbr -

SOUNDTRACK: Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

A pile of books can quickly reach heaven, we all know that. Without a staircase, the upper books will be just as hard to reach as the rooms we are planning on the 1st floor. Unfortunately, there won't be any ocean view from our future stairs...

Unread books owned prior to 2021 (excluding audio books): 41

1. Das Känguru-Manifest by Marc-Uwe Kling (audio)
2. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
3. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
4. Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde by Campino (audio)
5. Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks by Arundhati Roy
6. Ronja Räubertochter by Astrid Lindgren (audio)
7. Honigtot by Hanny Münzer
8. Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel: Abenteuer im Europaparlament by Martin Sonneborn (audio)
9. Der Wal und das Ende der Welt by John Ironmonger
10. Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen by Daniela Krien
11. Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus by Petra Oelker
12. Aldrig mere fri by Sara Blædel

GARDEN
- books from my wishlists -

Soundtrack: The Beatles/Ringo Starr - Octopus's Garden

I grew up with a garden and still think that gardens are true paradise. I need one, I want one. With green grass, some smaller trees, flowers and butterflies, birds - and of course some homegrown vegetables and fruits.

1. Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen by Durian Sukegawa
2. Mord auf dem Golfplatz by Agatha Christie
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
4. Koriandergrün und Safranrot by Preethi Nair
5. Drei Wünsche: Eine Weihnachtswundergeschichte by Petra Oelker

WINDOWS
- LT book bullets since 2015 -

Soundtrack: Nada Surf - 80 Windows

Windows are essential for a house. They spend natural light, you can look out to the garden or street or sky and find beautiful little things. Just like I always "find" new books here on LT... ;)

1. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (avatiakh, 2016)
2. Das Schneemädchen (The Snow Child) by Eowyn Ivey (LibraryCin, 2017)

2021 BBs:
1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (VivienneR) |
2. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (PaulCranswick)
3. Die rote Stadt by Boris Meyn (MissWatson)
4. Below stairs by Margaret Powell (DeltaQueen50)
5. The Gown by Jennifer Robson (DeltaQueen50)
6. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (PaulCranswick)
7. The Vanishing Half by Brit Benett (RidgewayGirl)
8. A Long Way Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley (cbl_tn)
9. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (MissBrangwen)
10. The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay (dudes22)
11. The Quiet Game by Greg Iles (dudes22) | series
12. White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht (dudes22)
13. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (dudes22)
14. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (dudes22)
15. Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir (clue)
16. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (clue)
17. Die vielen Talente der Schwestern Gusmão by Martha Batalha (MissWatson)
18. Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien (MissWatson)
19. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (VictoriaPL)
20. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain (VictoriaPL)
21. Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck (VictoriaPL)
22. Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick (VictoriaPL)
23. At the Wolf's Table by Rosella Postorino (VictoriaPL)
24. The Turnout by Megan Abbott (VictoriaPL)
25. The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley (VictoriaPL)
26. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (Jackie_K)
27. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Jackie_K)
28. Midnight in Siberia: a train journey into the heart of Russia by David Greene (Jackie_K)
29. Shakespeare by Bill Bryson (Jackie_K)

Read: 1/29

Link to my 2020 BBs | Read: 0 of 42
Link to my 2019 BBs | Read: 0 of 29
Link to my 2018 BBs | Read: 0 of 56
Link to my 2017 BBs | Read: 7 of 51
Link to my 2016 BBs | Read: 4 of 34
Link to my 2015 BBs | Read: 13 of 73

BRICKS
- Series -

Soundtrack: Arctic Monkeys - Brick by Brick

Red bricks, that's what buildings in our area have looked like for centuries. And we like that, so we had no dicussion on the outer appearance of our future house. Phew. We will need loads of them and therefore they are the perfect title for my series reading.

*Series I am reading:
Jo Nesbø - Harry Hole (read 10/12)
Petra Oelker - Rosina&Claes (read 9/10)
Sara Blædel - Louise Rick (read 4/9)
David Downing - Station series (read 3/6)
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot / Miss Marple (read 3/46)
Hjorth & Rosenfeldt - Sebastian Bergmann (read 1/5)
Ursula Poznanski - Beatrice Kaspari (read 2/4)
Marc-Uwe Kling - Känguru Chroniken (read 2/4)
Derek Meister - Rungholt (read 1/5)

*Series I'd like to start:
Andrea Camilleri - Commissario Montalbano
Stieg Larsson - Millennium trilogy
Stuart Neville - Jack Lennon
Jean-Luc Bannalec - Dupin series

1. Das Känguru-Manifest by Marc-Uwe Kling (audio, Känguru #2)
2. Mord auf dem Golfplatz by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #2)
3. Stettin Station by David Downing (Station series #3)
4. Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus by Petra Oelker (Rosina&Claes #9)
5. Aldrig mere fri by Sara Blædel (Louise Rick #4)
6. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #3)

LIVING ROOM
- CATs -

Soundtrack: The Kooks - Sofa Song

The living room is the room we spend most of our time in. Often with a book in the rocking chair or on the sofa. The perfect place for reading through this year's CATs! I will definitely participate in the RandomCAT. GenreCAT and HistoryCAT sound great as well, but I might only occasionally drop in.

RandomCAT
January: (LOL) | Das Känguru-Manifest
February: (Fruits & Veggies) | Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen
March: (Surprise!) | ?
April: (LT Library) | Stettin Station
May: (Monopoly) | Koriandergrün und Safranrot
June: (Reimagined) | ?
July: (Summertime) | Der große Sommer
August: (Travel) | ?
September: (Prize Winners) | ?
October: (Giving) | ?
November: (Furtune & Glory) | ?
December: (Seasonal Reading) | Drei Wünsche

GenreCAT
January: (non-fiction) | Hygg Hygg Hurra!
February: (biography) | Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde
March: (action & adventure) | Ronja Räubertochter
April: (literary fiction) | Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks
May: (short stories & essays) | ?
June: (historical fiction) | Honigtot
July: (romance) | Die Walfängerin
August: (poetry/drama/GN) | ?
September: (children/YA) | The Wind in the Willows
October: (horror/supernatural/paranormal) | ?
November: (SFF) | ?
December: (mystery) | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

HistoryCAT
January: (Middle Ages) | -
February: (Modern) | Mord auf dem Golfplatz
March: (Early Modern) | ?
April: (Ancient) | ?
May: (Dynasties, Civilizations & Empires) | ?
June: (Military, War, Revolution) | ?
July: (Social History) | ?
August: (own country) | Trümmermädchen
September: (religion/philosophy/politics/law) | ?
October: (country/region of choice) | ?
November: (events) | ?
December: (adventure, exploration) | Das Schneemädchen

KITCHEN
- GeoKIT -

Soundtrack: The Cat Empire - The Wine Song

Is there a better way to travel the world in pandemic times than to cook or bake dishes from different countries and regions? German sausages, Italian pasta, Indian curry, Swedish kanelbullar, American pancakes and all those delicious recipes out there - we love to try something new, accompanied by a glass of wine. :)

AFRICA
ASIA
*India: Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks by Arundhati Roy
*Israel: Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
*Japan: Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen by Durian Sukegawa
EUROPE
*Denmark: Hygg Hygg Hurra! by Helen Russell
*Germany: Honigtot by Hanni Münzer
*Sweden: Ronja Räubertochter by Astrid Lindgren
*UK: Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore / Mord auf dem Golfplatz by Agatha Christie
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
*USA (Alaska): Das Schneemädchen by Eowyn Ivey
OCEANIA
POLAR

PICTURES
- BingoDOG -

Soundtrack: Ásgeir - Pictures

A home without pictures on the wall? Not possible. Family photographs, photos from our beautiful area or holidays, or maybe an art print? A mixed bag of everything, like our BingoDOG.



1. one word title: Honigtot
2. by or about marginalzed group: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. dark or light word in the title: Das Schneemädchen
4. character you'd be friends with: Die Walfängerin (Maren)
5. arts & recreation: Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde
6. title describes you
7. you heartily recommend: Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen
8. nature or environment
9. classical element in title
10. 2 or more authors
11. impulse read!: Waking Lions
12. contains a love story: Bringing Down the Duke
13. read a CAT or KIT: Koriandergrün und Safranrot (RandomCAT)
14. Southern hemisphere
15. made you laugh: Das Känguru-Manifest
16. suggested by another generation: Hygg Hygg Hurra! (by my mum)
17. new-to-you author: Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks (Arundhati Roy)
18. set somewhere you'd like to visit: Der Wal und das Ende der Welt (Cornwall)
19. about history or alternate history: Stettin Station
20. 20 or fewer LT members: Trümmermädchen
21. less than 200 pages: Drei Wünsche
22. senior citizen protagonist: Mord auf dem Golfplatz
23. type of building in title: Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus
24. about time, or time word in title: Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen
25. about or contains magic: The Starless Sea

Read in order: 15 - 12 - 16 - 7 - 22 - 2 -11 - 5 - 17 - 19 - 13 - 1 - 18 - 4 - 20 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 3 - 21

Bingo! 2-7-12-17-22 | 10 April
Bingo! 16-17-18-19-20 | 09 August
Bingo! 1-7-13-19-25 | 02 October
Bingo! 1-2-3-4-5 | 17 December
Bingo! 21-22-23-24-25 | 21 December

STORAGE
- Overflow -

Soundtrack: James Brown - Just Enough Room for Storage

A storage room is absolutely necessary. Where else should we put all the things we don't need every day? Food cans, extra pots and pans, sports equipment, Christmas decorations. Books that don't fit elsewhere, will be listed here.

And here we go, all set for a new year. My categories are ready - and you are welcome in my new thread!

Hi Christiane, I am very happy that you decided to have a thread for 2021! Congratulations on the building of your home - you must be so excited! Having that garden is going to be wonderful, we all need an outdoor space to escape to, especially in the world today.

Welcome back! It's great to see you :) Have fun building your new house and enjoy that garden!

Oh what amazing news about your house - I hope you have a huge amount of fun building and decorating!

Great to see you. I like the way you've linked up your categories to the rooms. I like your idea of "ethinic" cooking. I might do some of that myself this winter.

What a neat idea for your challenge! I hope your new house plans go well and you end up with a house you adore. Also, of course, I wish you a great reading year.

How nice to see a picture of the Elbphilharmonie here!

I hope you have a wonderful year, both reading-wise and concerning your new house! How exciting!

>12 DeltaQueen50: >13 rabbitprincess: >14 Jackie_K: >15 dudes22: >16 majkia: Hello everyone! Nice to see all the familiar faces again. :)
>17 MissBrangwen: Welcome to a new face here! I live in Lübeck, and have spend some years in Hamburg, too. :)

Thanks for all your good wishes. The parcel has been reserved for more than a year now, but next spring the building process is going to start. First only the general work in the area, but later in the year we hope to see our house growing. Although quite a few things have changed underway, and not everything is exactly as we had hoped for, we are looking forward to the final result.

Good luck with your 2021 reading and also the new house.

Welcome back! Congrats on your house, Christiane, that is such a big endeavour, so all the best of luck for it. I love the way you built your categories around it. Very creative!

Creative categories. Hope you have a great year of reading and enjoy the new home.

Building a house is a big project and I hope yours goes well. Also, good luck on your reading plans.

>19 Tess_W: >20 MissWatson: >21 thornton37814: >22 hailelib: Thanks for stopping by and your good wishes. :) I'm looking forward to get started!

Good luck with the house building - how exciting! And how fun that you structured your challenge to reflect the building of your house. Clever.

And keep up with my friends here, Christiane. Have a great 2021.

Happy New Year, Christiane! Oh, building a house.... how exciting!

Happy New Year fellow LTers! I hope you had a good start into a hopefully better year. I wish you health and happiness, beautiful moments and new memories.

>24 Crazymamie: >26 lkernagh: Thank you! We are indeed excited, even more so because many months will pass before we can really start. But hey, in the end it's the planning that counts. :)

>25 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the kind wishes, Paul!

Before 2020 ended, I catalogued my few audiobooks and have started one as first book for the January RandomCAT. And I've been reading a non-fiction book about racism, which includes links to short videos and longer documentaries. So I'm off to a promising start. :)

I am new to the category challenge, wishing you all good things for your new house. As Mamie said, what a great idea to use the areas of the house for motivation. I love that you included pictures - will you be collecting new ones, or more trying to find good 'homes' for existing collections?

>28 charl08: Thank you so much, and welcome to the group! Regaring the pictures, I don't know yet. For a start I chose to use my own pictures from my Flickr account, but I might update them along the way. :)

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Book #1:
Das Känguru-Manifest by Marc-Uwe Kling, 2011
Audiobook, 5h15 (~304 pages), German
Genre/Tags: fiction, humour, satire, cabaret, cangaroo, Germany, Berlin, series
Category: Stairs (TBR), Bricks (series), Living Room (RandomCAT)
Bingo: (15) made you laugh
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Yay, book number one done! And it's an audiobook! I started to listen to the cangaroo chronicles last year and in order to get my audible credits down I needed to proceed. While making just another jigsaw puzzle I enjoyed the second entry in this series and had to giggle many times.
The author – a cabaretist – and his flatmate – the communist cangaroo – invite us to new adventures in Berlin. Political activities, going to the cinema or just their daily activites. Everything has an absurd and slightly silly touch to it. At the same time, though, the book is really smart and highly entertaining.

(Only available in German for now.)

Book #2:
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, 2019
Paperback, 335 pages, English
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, romance, Victorian, England, Oxford, suffragettes, feminism
Category: Stairs (TBR), Bricks (series), Kitchen (GeoCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (12) contains a love story
Countries visited: UK
Rating:

Annabelle Archer is one of the first women to study at Oxford, thanks to a scholarship of the rising suffrage movement. Through her task to recruit men with influence to support the movement, she encounters the Duke of Montgomery, one of the most powerful men in England. What follows is a story of passion, resistance and strategy, of wanting something that is not in reach.

I liked this book a lot. An entertaining and easy read, that did not feel too „chick-lit“-like, thanks to the Victorian, educational and suffragettes background. There is quite some sex in it during the last third, which I didn't really find necessary in that extent, and which some people might find disturbing. Overall a good debut, though!

I forgot to mention: I also finished another magazine, the National Geographic (Germany) issue from February 2015... And there are still so many more to read and get rid of...

Oh, and I bought a hula hoop! Let's see how that goes. :)

Book #3:
Hygg Hygg Hurra (Engl. The Year of Living Danishly) by Helen Russell, 2015
Paperback, 398 pages, German
Genre/Tags: non-fiction, memoir, Scandinavia, Denmark, hygge, happiness
Category: Living Room (Jan GenreCAT), Kitchen (GeoCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (16) suggested by another generation
Countries visited: Denmark
Rating:

My mum recommended this book to me, and although I usually stay away from everything with "hygge" on it, I agreed to read it. And I'm glad I did! Most hygge books and blogs and instagramers only mention parts of what really make the Danish hygge – typically candles and tea and pastry and coziness etc. But there is so much more to it!

Hygg Hygg Hurra! - the Germany titel is just so, so stupid, the English The Year of Living Danishly is much better! - does look at all these hygge elements. Helen Russell and her husband move to Denmark for him to work for Lego. During this year, Helen engages in finding out more about living the Danish way of life. Month by month, she tells the reader about their experiences as expats in Denmark, from language struggles to different social habits. And these are supported by statistics and data from interviews with specialists. The book is a combination of fun-to-read expat memoir and a fact-based report of why Denmark has been ranked the happiest country in the world for many years.

My own experiences during my four years of living in Denmark were often confirmed, but I also recognized quite a few differences due to me living in Copenhagen and them living in rather rural Jutland. Some of the facts I knew or rememberd from the news at that time, others were new and interesting. If you want to know how the Danes can be so happy in their little country, read this book!

Book #4:
Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen (Engl. Sweet Bean Paste) by Durian Sukegawa, 2013
Paperback, 220 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, Japan, leprosy, friendship, food
Category: Garden (wishlist), Living Room (Feb RandomCAT), Kitchen (GeoCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (7) a book you heartily recommend
Countries visited: Japan
Rating:

Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen was on my library reading list for y few years, and I don't remember where I got the recommendation. I picked it up for the February RandomCAT and found a little treasure.

Sentaro runs a Dorayaki snack bar, with convenience bean paste and only few customers. One day an old woman shows up and reveals her way of cooking bean paste. She helps Sentaro to increase revenues, but she hides a secret that can be dangerous for the success of his snack bar.

I was sucked right into the cherry blossom in Japan and enjoyed reading these 220 pages. Both chararcters and plot are charming, and although a serious topic is covered, it is a heartwarming read. Recommended!

There is a movie adaptation (is or was available on Netflix), but I haven't watched it yet.

Both congrats and good luck on the house!

>32 Chrischi_HH: Hygg Hygg Hurra! / The Year of Living Danishly looks really interesting and good! I don't think I'd have come across it otherwise so thanks for sharing.

>32 Chrischi_HH: I read The Year of Living Danishly a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. The saga with the flagpole in their garden and their neighbours made me laugh out loud.

>33 Chrischi_HH: Definitely a BB for me!

>34 pammab: Thank you! And you're welcome. I found it really interesting.
>35 Jackie_K: Glad to hear that you also enjoyed reading it. Yes, the flagpost story is indeed funny, but the Danes are very serious about it. :)
>36 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

>32 Chrischi_HH: That's a BB for me, too! I have only been to Denmark as a tourist, but I enjoyed it a lot. We wanted to go there for our honeymoon last October but couldn't because of Covid, but we definitely want to make up for it once it's possible again!
It's good to have this book recommended by someone who actually has lived there like you did!

>38 MissBrangwen: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. And I keep my fingers crossed that travelling will soon be possible again...

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We've had the most beautiful winter weather for the past few days. 10cm snow, temperatures below 0°C (up to -15°C at night) and sunny sky during the day. I love these wonderful winter days and have tried to go outside as much as possible. Tomorrow the weather is going to change again, though, and we'll get our grey and wet winter days back again...

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Book #5:
Mord auf dem Golfplatz (Engl. The Murder on the Links) by Agatha Christie, 1923
Paperback, 240 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, mystery, crime fiction, Britain, series, Poirot
Category: Garden (wishlist), Bricks (series), Living Room (Feb HistoryCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (22) senior citizen protagonist
Countries visited: France, UK
Rating:

I read the first Poirot in 2015 – and it took me six years to get to the second entry in the series. Embarrassing. Like this it will take me forever to go through Agatha Christie's books...

Mord auf dem Golfplatz is mostly set in France, where a man is found dead. Soon there are several suspects, and the police officer and Poirot with his friend Hastings have to figure out what really happened.
I enjoyed reading this classic Agatha Christie mystery. With some details not mentioned in full, as times it was hard to follow the story, and I was annoyed by the love story of Hastings and Cinderella. I guess it was kind of a normal story back in the days, but from today's point of view I simply found it irritating. Anyway, I'll certainly proceed with Poirot.

Book #6:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, 2003
Paperback, 268 pages, English
Genre/Tags: contemporary fiction, mystery, Britain, autism, Aspergers, YA
Category: Garden (wishlist), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (2) by or about marginalized group
Countries visited: UK
Rating:

Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was on my wishlist for many years. I even had it in my hands a few times at the library, but never took it home. Now I finally decided to read it.
Christopher is a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome. He finds his neightbour's dog murdered and starts his own investigations which turn his world around.
This is a quick read I really enjoyed. It was fun to follow Christopher on this journey, to see how he crosses his own borders and leaves familiar territory. A few of the descriptions were a little bit too long, but overall this is a clever and rewarding story. Recommended!

>40 Chrischi_HH: I have that book on my TBR. I think I will move it near the top!

>41 Tess_W: It's a short book and worth being moved up. I hope you'll like it when you get to it.

Ok, seems like it's not really getting better with me posting here... I hope you are all healthy and doing well, and had nice Easter holidays?

Here in the north of Germany the weather still can't decide whether it's winter or spring, but at least the days are getting longer. Last weekend we finally met our families again, though of course still not in the pre-covid-normal way. And I went shopping last week, for the first time in months. I only visited to smaller local businesses, but it was nice to browse the offers. And tomorrow the restaurants and cafés are allowed to open the open-air areas - not sure though if that can pay off with only about 10°C.

Since my last post I finished three books, two paper and one audio. In the past few weeks I found myself often listening to music streams (with chat and virtual dancefloor) and that really cut my reading time. I want to try to balance this more in the future. I love these streams, but I miss my reading time.

The finished books are:
Waking Lions
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

And an audiobook written & read by German punkrong singer Campino (Die Toten Hosen), about his life, his music and his passion for Liverpool FC.

Reviews will follow soon, but: I have my first BINGO! :)

>43 Chrischi_HH: Yay on your first Bingo! The weather really feels like typical April. It's sunny today, but I can't really see many cafés opening their open-air areas yet, it is such a financial gamble.

>43 Chrischi_HH: Congratulations on your first bingo line!

Well, I just can't keep up here, obviously. But hello, I'm still around (kind of) and still reading (sometimes) and still being well! I do have issues with spending leisure time online, though, as my work and also big parts of my voluntary work happen online. I mostly use LibraryThing on my computer - which I keep switched off most evenings and weekends. But I managed to keep up my introduction posts with the statistics, so that's something!

My boyfriend is away for a few days for the first time in what seems like ages, and I'm enjoying a quiet weekend with stacks of books around me. I finished book number 20 today, but I realised that I only posted 6 reviews so far. Let's see if I can get that updated. :)

I hope you are all doing well and also going back to a more or less normal life with the vaccinations now easing the pandemic.

Book #7:
Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, 2014
Paperback, 409 pages, English
Genre/Tags: fiction, migration, refugees, guilt
Category: Stairs (tbr), Windows (bb), Kitchen (GeoKIT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (11) impulse read
Countries visited: Israel
Rating:

Waking Lions was a book bullet from avatiakh back in 2016. And a good one it was!
Dr. Eitan Green has always been a good man, being a dotcor and living with his family. But one day, he accidentally hits and kills an African migrant with his car, in the middle of the night on a deserted road. He drives off unseen – that's at least what he thinks. The man's wife knows what happened and claims much more than money.
I felt totally drawn into this drama, that opened a whole new world for me. It showed a new part of Israel to me, combined with a story of guilt, morale and desire. I'm happy I picked it up five years after the book bullet hit me.

---



Book #8:
Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde by Campino, 2020
Audiobook, 9h25 (~368 pages), English
Genre/Tags: non-fiction, biography, music, football, subculture
Category: Stairs (tbr), Living Room (GenreCAT), Windows (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (5) arts & recreation
Countries visited: Germany & England
Rating:

Campino has been the singer of Die Toten Hosen, a very popular German punk band. I knew that he loves football and that he has close connections to Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany and Liverpool FC in England. Therefore I was happy that he published his autobiography last year. I listened to it on several lunch break and weekend walks and really enjoyed these entertaining walks.
The story is centered around the Liverpool's title season 2019/2020 and dived back and forth in Campino's personal history. There were lots of interesting and new-to-me fact in there, about his German and English roots, about the beginning of his music career and his love of football. A must read for every fan of Die Toten Hosen! I was only surprised that in some parts I didn't like his way of speaking, I expected that to be different somehow. And sometimes the back and forth in time confused me, but maybe my listening sessions were too short. :)

Book #9:
Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks (Engl. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness) by Arundhati Roy, 2017
Harcover, 543 pages, German
Genre/Tags: contemporary fiction, transgender, Indian literature, Kashmir, war
Category: Stairs (tbr), Living Room (GenreCAT), Kitchen (GeoKIT), Pictures, (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (17) new-to-you author
Countries visited: India
Rating:

When Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks was published, I heard a lot about it. I saw it on sale last year and just had to buy it. This spring I took the time to read it. It is a brilliant book, even though I lost a little bit track on the way. There are so many parts of the story, so many characters and so unusual names and words for European ears/eyes. I did not catch everything that was probably in there, but I liked it and I know I will read it again one day to discover more details.

>46 Chrischi_HH: Hello and good to see you! I fully understand trying to get away from the computer. Working from home has been such a drain. I am very happy that I can now spend all my working hours at the office again.

>47 Chrischi_HH: I found the Gundar-Goshen in German translation while on holiday on Föhr. Obviously one to move up the TBR!

>49 MissWatson: Hi Birgit! Nice to see you here. :) I am still partly working from home, but by now this is mostly my own choice. I have started to enjoy these rather quiet days (in the office we are up to 16 persons in the room), and hope that we will keep having this choice for the coming months and years. I do like to be in the office, but not five days a week.

I hope you'll like Waking Lions when you get to it.

Book #10:
Ronja Räubertochter (Engl. Ronia, the Robber's Daughter) by Astrid Lindgren, 1981
Audiobook, 5h22 (~543 pages), German
Read by Ulrich Noethen
Genre/Tags: fiction, children's, adventure, fantasy, classics
Category: Stairs (tbr), Living Room (GenreCAT), Kitchen (GeoKIT),
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Sweden
Rating:

Ronja Räubertochter is one of my sister's favourites – but I had never read it. Last year I bought the audiobook, which I now chose for my daily lunch break walks. Ronja is the daughter of robber Mattis and his wife Jovis and lived in a castle in the woods. One day, her father decided that it's time for her to go out of the castle and get to know the forest and its dangers. Ronja soon falls in love with the new freedom and the beauty of nature, and meets their archenemy's son Birk.
This is a lovely story for children and everyone who likes Astrid Lindgren. A good adventure story with lots of love and little lessons for life.

---



Book #11:
Stettin Station by David Downing, 2009
Paperback, 291 pages, English
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, mystery, thriller, espionage, WWII, Holocaust, Berlin
Category: Bricks (series), Living Room (RandomCAT), Windows (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (19) about history or alternate history
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Stettin Station is the third installment in David Downing's station series with John Russell. It is November 1941, and John still lives with his German wife Effi in Berlin. He finds himself between opposing spy requests from the Americans and the Nazis, facing the ongoing deportations of Jews – and his own fate in a deserted city that is soon becoming the Allies' target.
I found this installment to be different from the first two, probably because of the setting of the progressing war, that is now directly affecting John and his family. A fast read, and can still happily recommend this series.

Great to see you posting! I think I took the same 2016 book bullet for Waking Lions as you did, but I still haven't gotten to the book yet. Hopefully, I will soon.

>50 Chrischi_HH: That is quite a crowd! I'm on my own most of the time, so the office is actually quieter. But a lot of my colleagues will opt to do some teleworking even after the pandemic, and management is planning to make it much more flexible, so that is something positive about this weird time.

>52 DeltaQueen50: I'll try to be here more regularly again. So many threads to catch up with! I hope you like Waking Lions when you get to it.

>53 MissWatson: My employer is also thinking of more flexibility, but things are slow and I don't really see that coming. Hence I am enjoying it while I can!

Book #12:
Koriandergrün und Safranrot (Engl. One Hundres Shades of White) by Preethi Nahir, 2003
Paperback, 382 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, India, England, migration, food, family, romance
Category: Garden (wishlist), Living Room (RandomCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (13) read a CAT
Countries visited: India
Rating:

I don't remember where I first came across Koriandergrün und Safranrot, but it had been on my wishlist for a few years, I think. In an Indian village, Nalini is known for her delicious food. When she and the two children follow her husband Raul to England, their lives change dramatically, not only because Raul disappears and leaves them almost nothing behind.
This a great book to get carried away. The story is told from Nalini's and her daughter Maya's perspectives. It provides a mix of India and England, love and loss, a mother's own needs and her care for the children. I really enjoyed reading it.

Book #13:
Honigtot by Hanni Münzer, 2015
Paperback, 466 pages, German
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, crime fiction, Germany, WWII, familiy
Category: Stairs (TBR), Living Room (GenreCAT), Windows (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (1) one word title
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Honigtot tells the story of the German singer Elisabth Malpran and her children. After Elisabeth's Jewish husband disappears their privileged lives change dramatically and survival becomes the only goal.
I found this to be a gripping book and was close to giving it more than 3.5 stars. But: Some parts were overly brutal and sexual, in my opinion this wouldn't be necessary here. And I found it a bit too constructed, some parts were just too unrealistic.

It has been a huge success in Germany, and there are two more books in this trilogy (as far as I understood they can be read as standalone books). If I come across the second book, I will read it, but I will not actively look for it.

------------



Book #14:
Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel: Abenteuer im Europaparlament by Martin Sonneborn, 2019
Audiobook 7h42 (~432 pages), German
Genre/Tags: audio, non-fiction, politics, Europe, satire
Category: Stairs (TBR)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Martin Sonneborn is a German politician from Die Partei, being a satire party pointing out what does go wrong in politics – of course not just in a factual way, but by exaggerating or wollingly making a fool of themselves and others. He was part of the European Parliament and in this audiobook he lets us follow closely along.
I listened to the audiobook during my lunch breaks and felt absolutely entertained. At the same time I wanted to cry out a few times. What the hell is going on in politics? What kind of people are actually sitting in the EP and taking decisions impacting all Europeans? Well, it's not surprising that lobbyism plays a role, the right-wing politicians try to manipulate and that bureaucracy is craving too much time and money. Martin Sonneborn presented his experiences in a fun way – and I wish this would have had more of an impact on today's politics...

>56 Chrischi_HH: How funny, I picked up a copy of Honigtot just before I moved out of Germany. I wonder where I put it, as I really should read it soon.

>57 RidgewayGirl: Oh, that's a funny coincidence. I'll be interested in what you think about it when you find and read it. :)

Book #15:
Der Wal und das Ende der Welt (Engl. Not Forgetting the Whale) by John Ironmonger, 2015
Paperback, 464 pages, German
Genre/Tags: England, Cornwall, fiction, apocalypse, pandemic
Category: Stairs (TBR), Windows (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (18) set somewhere you'd like to visit
Countries visited: UK
Rating:

This book was recommended by several of my favourite independent book stores, so not buying it was out of question. I was not disappointed. It was a little bot strange to read this during the ongoing pandemic, although during summer was somewhat different from what it is now.
At a small village's beach a young man is washed up and welcomed as new inhabitant. Just a bit later a whale is washed up at the same shore. It soon becomes clear that something big is going on, something that will endanger their lives.
I am happy I chose to read Der Wal und das Ende der Welt. It is a smart book, written in a charming way. A strong community can beat a pandemic, support each other and stay human – something I would love to see much more of in real life nowadays.

--------------------------



Book #16:
Die Walfängerin (Engl. The Whaler) by Ines Thorn, 2016
Paperback, 336 pages, German
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, 18th century, Germany, coast life, romance, whale fishing
Category: Living Room (GenreCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (4) character you'd be friends with
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

When you finish a book with a whale – why not read another? I borrowed this from my mother while I spent y few days at their house this summer. It is set in the 18th century at the island „Sylt“ in the very north of Germany. Maren is a fisherman's daughter, soon to be married to her childhood friend Thies. But then Rune, the most powerful man from the island proposes to her – and she refuses. After a storm her family is ruined financially and Maren is forced to ask Rune for help. He suggests her to join him and his men whaling during the upcoming season.
Die Walfängerin sent me back in time and I feel that the background was well researched. The romantic story was slightly too much at times, but the whole story was weaved in a good way. And I liked the main character of Maren. Recommended, as long as you can cope with the details of whaling.

>59 Chrischi_HH: Ohhh...I'm a sucker for books about the North Frisian islands. BB taken.

Book #17:
Trümmermädchen by Lily Bernstein, 2020
Paperback, 497 pages, German
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, WWII, Germany, Cologne, resistance, family
Category: LivingRoom (HistoryCAT), Windows (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (20) 20 or fewer LT members
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Another book borrowed from my family, in this case from my sister. It is set in Cologne, during and after WWII. Anna grows up with her aunt and uncle, her uncle owning a successful little bakery. When their Jewish neighbours diappear and uncle Matthias is called up to war, the women are alone. During an air raid the bakery is destroyed, which leaves them unprotected and without any income. Anna joins a black market gang to help her aunt, and soon falls in love. A love that can be dangerous.
I found Trümmermädchen to be an excellent read. It was not perfect, but I really liked the characters and the way we follow Anna growing up too fast during the war and the cold winter of 1946/1947. The story is fictional, but based on true events which makes it even more compelling. An emotional book that I can heartily recommend. Unfortunately it has not been translated to English, as far as I know.

-------------------



Book #18:
Der große Sommer by Ewald Arenz, 2021
Audiobook 7h35, (~320 pages), German | read by Torben Kessler
Genre/Tags: fiction, coming of age, friendship, romance, Germany
Category: LivingRoom (RandomCAT)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Friedrich is 16 and not very good at school. Therefore he is not allowed to go on summer holiday with his family, but must live with his grandparents and study for his reexamination. His grandfather is very strict, so Friedrich is not exactly looking forward to the summer holidays. But then he meets the girl Beate and everything changes.
I mainly bought this because of the title, and Der große Sommer is indeed a great summer read. Going swimming, having fun with friends, warm summer rain – you'll find it all in there. I enjoyed listening to the story. What I didn't like is that there is some tension being built up over a large part of the book, and that the ending feels very short compared to that. And it was less exciting than what I had expected. Nevertheless, recommended for warm summer days. (Though only available in German at the moment.)

>60 MissWatson: I hope you like it when you get to it. :)

Book #19:
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, 2019
Paperback, 494 pages, English
Genre/Tags: fiction, fantasy, magic realism, magoc, books about books
Category: Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (25) about or contains magic
Countries visited: US
Rating:

I loved The Night Circus, thus I was happy to find The Starless Sea in a local book store.
Zachary stumbles across a mysterious library book that to his big surprise contains details from his own life. He follows the clues given in the book in order to fin out more. The clues lead him to a masquerade party and into a magical, but dangerous labyrinth beneath the Earth.
Once again, Morgenstern created a wonderful world full of magic, with a story twisting as much as the labyrinth's tunnels. Partly I had problems to bring the pieces together, because the person in focus changes from chapter to chapter and the story is not narrated in chronological order. But I liked it enough to say that I will definitely read it a second time.

-------------------



Book #20:
Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen (Engl. Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything) by Daniela Krien, 2019
Paperback, 235 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, historical, German reunification, rural, romance
Category: Stairs (TBR), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (24) about time, or time word in title
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen was a recommendation in on my my favourite local book stores. The setting is the summer of 1990, a small farm village close to the just opening inner German border. Maria lives with her boyfriend Johannes on his family's farm. One day she accidentally meets Henner, the 40-year-old neighbour. He is seen as rather distrustful by the villagers, but Maria soon develops a strong desire for him.
This is an intense love story with the interesting background of the German unification. I liked this one!

Book #21:
Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus by Petra Oelker, 2009
Paperback, 428 pages, German
Genre/Tags: crime fiction, mystery, historical, Germany, Hamburg, series
Category: Stairs (TBR), Bricks (series), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (23) type of building in title
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus is the ninth entry in the Rosina & Claes series, set in the 1770s in Hamburg. Two women are being found dead, a third can excape from death just in time. As Rosina discovered the first body in the frozen Alster, she sets of to find the murderer. The reader follows her quest through the city, which is once again described very neatly.
I have enjoyed teh series a lot, because I always feel set back in time. The background is well researched, the language (mostly) appropriate. I also kept guessing wrong throughout the book, so the crime part was good enough, too. What I didn't like in this one, is that there were a few side stories, that were never really finished and that were rather disturbing the main plot. Nevertheless, I'll go on with this series.

----------------



Book #22:
Aldrig mere fri (Engl. Farewell to Freedom) by Sara Blædel, 2008
Paperback, 374 pages, Danish
Genre/Tags: crime fiction, mystery, nordic, human trafficking, prostitution, series
Category: Stairs (TBR), Bricks (series)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Denmark
Rating:

Another series I enjoy reading is the Danish crime fiction series about investigator Louise Rick. Aldrig mere fri is the fourth entry. One morning, a young woman is found dead in an area, where the prostitutes are to be found at night. The same day, Louise's best friend, journalist Camilla Lind, calls her to report that they found an abandoned baby in a church. All clues lead into the Copenhagen prositution milieu, but soon it becomed evident that there are new foreign players trying to get their foot into the business.
This was the best in the series to far. I found this nerve-wrecking and could hardly put the book down. Beside the investigation, there is a lot of humanity, especially represented by Louise's and Camilla's friendship. And as I lived in Copenhagen for a few years, I love to read about the city. Recommended!

Book #23:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, 1926
Paperback, 368 pages, English
Genre/Tags: crime fiction, mystery, Great Britain, Poirot, series
Category: Bricks (series), Living Room (GenreCAT)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: UK
Rating:

In November I went to our local library for the first time in months and took four books home with me. The first was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, the third Poirot installment. This was fun, and I was surprised by the ending. (Well, I did guess right somewhere on the way, but then thought it to be too unlikely.)
I want to read all of Christie's books, but that will take ages with my current speed... :)

-------------------



Book #24:
Das Schneemädchen (Engl. The Snow Child) by Eowyn Ivey, 2012
Paperback, 456 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, magic realism, fairy tale, fantasy, historical, Alaska
Category: Windows (LT book bullets), Living Room (HistoryCAT), Kitchen (GeoKIT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (3) dark or light word in the title
Countries visited: US (Alaska)
Rating:

Das Schneemädchen was a book bullet from LibraryCin back in 2017. We didn't have much snow here, but I was in the mood to read a winter book. In the 1920s, Mabel and Jack move to Alaska to start a new life. They lost a child years ago, and have remained childless, which is still a burden for them. When the snow begins to fall, they build a girl of snow outside their house. The next day, the snow girl is gone – and with it the scarf and the pair of gloves – and a child appears between the trees. Who is this child?
This was a lovely story about a grieving couple, a new life in a rough area, nature, love and a Russian fairy tale. For me it was the perfect book for some cosy days in December.

Only one more to go for my challenge, which means I will finish it for the first time since a few years! That does make me happy, even though there are so many more books that I would have liked to read. But there is always next year!

>66 Chrischi_HH: You can do it! And books are patient, they are always happy to wait for us.

Book #25:
Drei Wünsche: Eine Weihnachtswundergeschichte by Pera Oelker, 2011
Hardcover, 118 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, historical, Hamburg, Germany, Christmas
Category: Garden (wishlist), Living Room (RandomCAT), Pictures (BingoDOG)
Bingo: (21) less than 200 pages
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

This has been one my wishlist for at least 8 years, so I was happy to find it in the library. It is a little book of just 118 pages, featuring three very different women. Close to Christmas, they are in very different situations. At the end of the story their paths cross and they all experience their very own Christmas miracle. A very enjoyable read, that is set in the same time period as the historical crime fiction series that I've been reading. A pleasure to meet one or two characters in a happier setting. :)

Wow, I succeeded! 25 books was my goal, and 25 books I read. This is the first time in ages that I could reach my goal, which makes me very happy. And five Bingos! Can't remember that I ever had that many.

All in all it was a very good reading year. Mostly I really liked the books I chose, I continued with five series, came across various new authors, could cross off a few books from my long wishlist. Nothing to complain about here. :)

BUT: I really should think about my thread topics. In 2020 I had "travel" - the virus came and brought travel band with it. In 2021 I had "building a house" - but we still live in our appartments, the house was not built. We cancelled our plans because it became too expensive and there was no realistic timing behind anything on the sellers side. We might be lucky in 2022, though, with an older house not even 10km away from where we live now. So please keep your fingers crossed! :)

I wish you all a happy new year 2022, with good health, happiness and lots of books! See you over in the 2022 group (I just need to think about a less risky topic).

>69 Chrischi_HH: Fingers crossed for you for the older house! See you in the new group :)

The final stats:



Books read in 2021:
1. Das Känguru-Manifest by Marc-Uwe Kling (audio) 4★ (finished 05-01-2021)
2. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 4★ (finished 16-01-2021)
3. Hygg Hygg Hurra! (Engl. The Year of Living Danishly) by Helen Russell 4.5★ (finished 02-02-2021)
4. Kirschblüten und rote Bohnen (Engl. Sweet Bean Paste) by Durian Sukegawa 4.5★ (finished 04-02-2021)
5. Mord auf dem Golfplatz (Engl. The Murder on the Links) by Agatha Christie 3★ (finished 11-02-2021)
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon 4★ (finished 22-02-2021)
7. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen 4★ (finished 15-03-2021)
8. Hope Street: Wie ich einmal englischer Meister wurde by Campino (audio) 4★ (finished 03-04-2021)
9. Das Ministerium des Äußersten Glücks (Engl. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness) by Arundhati Roy 4★ (finished 10-04-2021)
10. Ronja Räubertochter by Astrid Lindgren (audio) 4★ (finished 30-04-2021)
11. Stettin Station by David Downing 4★ (finished 02-05-2021)
12. Koriandergrün und Safranrot (Engl. One Hundred Shades of White by Preethi Nair 4.5★ (finished 16-05-2021)
13. Honigtot by Hanni Münzer 3.5★ (finished 17-06-2021)
14. Herr Sonneborn geht nach Brüssel: Abenteuer im Europaparlament by Martin Sonneborn (audio) 4★ (finished 29-06-2021)
15. Der Wal und das Ende der Welt (Engl. Not Forgetting the Whale) by John Ironmonger 4★ (finished 04-07-2021)
16. Die Walfängerin (The Whaler) by Ines Thorn 4★ (finished 18-07-2021)
18. Trümmermädchen by Lily Bernstein 4★ (finished 09-08-2021)
17. Der große Sommer by Ewald Arenz 3.5★ (audio) (finished 14-08-2021)
19. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 3.5★ (finished 02-10-2021)
20. Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen by Daniela Krien 4★ (finished 09-10-2021)
21. Die Schwestern vom Roten Haus by Petra Oelker 3.5★ (finished 31-10-2021)
22. Aldrig mere fri (Engl. Farewell to Freedom) by Sara Blædel 4.5★ (finished 21-11-2021)
23. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie 4★ (finished 06-12-2021)
24. Das Schneemädchen (Engl. The Snow Child) by Eowyn Ivey 5★ (finished 17-12-2021)
25. Drei Wünsche by Petra Oelker 4.5★ (finished 22-12-2021)

Statistics:
Pages read: 7,322
*January: 335
*February: 1,126
*March: 409
*April: 543
*May: 673
*June: 466
*July: 800
*August: 497
*September: 0
*October: 1,157
*November: 374
*December: 942
Audiobooks: 4 (27h44 ~ 1,344 pages)
From own shelves: 12
Borrowed - from library: 7 - from family/friends: 3
Rereads: 0
New books bought: 18 (3 read)
Read in German: 18
Read in English: 6
Read in Danish: 1
Books by female author: 17
Books by male author: 8

EXTRA
Magazines read: 4
National Geographic (German): 2
HSV supporters news: 2

Countries visited in 2021

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com
Countries visited: 7
Denmark, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, UK, USA

Given your past luck with themes, maybe you should have a theme of 'covid' - that'll see it off! ;)