JustJoey's Books etc. in 2017

Read in 2017

December
52. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam (2009) - 4 stars
51. Old Filth by Jane Gardam (2004) - 4 stars

November
50. Le mystère Henri Pick by David Foenkinos - 3,5 stars

October
-

September
49. Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (2015) - 3 stars
48. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (2012) - 4 stars
47. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - 2,5 stars

August
46. Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence by Stefano Mancuso - 4 stars
45. Stern by Thomas Heerma van Voss - 3,5 stars
44. Cadres noirs by Pierre Lemaitre - 4 stars
43. Zwarte dageraad by Cilla Börjlind (2014) - 4 stars
42. Third Voice by Cilla Börjlind - 4 stars

July
41. Spring Tide by Cilla Börjlind (2012) - 4 stars
40. The test by Hjorth Rosenfeldt - 4 stars
39. The Silent Girl by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2014) - 4 stars
38. The Man Who Wasn't There by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2012) - 4 stars
37. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (2006) - 2 stars
36. Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (2007) - 3,5 stars

June
35. The Man Who Watched Women by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2012) - 4 stars
34. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark (Author) (1959) - 3 stars
33. Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Briggs Myers (1980) - 3,5 stars
32. Dark Secrets by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2010) - 4 stars
31.The Naked Shore: Of the North Sea by Tom Blass - 3 stars
30. De bedreigde vrijheid uw vrije meningsuiting in gevaar? by Johan Op de Beeck - 4 stars
29. Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah (2016) - 2,5 stars

May
28. The Girl Before by JP Delaney - 3 stars
27. The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins - 3 stars
26. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet - 3 stars
25. Hallo muur by Erik Jan Harmens - 2 stars
24. Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod (1978) - 3 stars

April
23. Dijk by Hans Maarten Van den Brink (2016) - 4,5 stars
22. Heaven and Hell by Jón Kalman Stefánsson (2007) - 4 stars
21. Het hout by Jeroen Brouwers (2014) - 3 stars
20. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (1984) - 4 stars
19. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - 4 stars

March
18. The end of the night by François Mauriac - 4 stars
17. De greppel by Herman Koch (2016) - 2,5 stars
16. Thérèse Desqueyroux by François Mauriac (1927) - 4 stars
15. De Franken in België en Nederland heersers in de vroege middeleeuwen by Luit Van der Tuuk - 2 stars
14. Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power by Michael Kranish - 4 stars
13. The Seventh Child by Erik Valeur (2011) - 3 stars
12. Het meisje op de weg by Michael Berg (2015) - 4 stars

February
11. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1961) - 2,5 stars
10. After the Fire by Jane Casey - 4 stars
9. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - 2 stars

January
8. Good as Gone by Amy Gentry - 3,5 stars
7. Thuisvakanties voor beginners minder stress, geen gedoe, lagere kosten, meer plezier by Jan Dijkgraaf - 2,5 stars
6. De wedergeboorte van een moffenmeid een verzwegen familiegeschiedenis by Jan Hopman - 4 stars
5. The Exiles Return by Elisabeth de Waal - 3,5 stars
4. Een volle agenda, maar nooit druk: benedictijns tijdmanagement by Denise Hulst - 3 stars
3. En attendant Bojangles by Olivier Bourdeaut (2015) - 4 stars
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (RTT/QTR/16th Century) - 2,5 stars
1. Summer by Edith Wharton (RTT/PC/1917) - 4,5 stars

Welcome to my 2017-thread.
I'm Monica and I'm back for my 8th year on LT and with this group. I'm a 50-something historian living in the Flemish (northern) part of Belgium and work as an archivist, a job far more exciting than it sounds.

I enjoy reading books, mainly world literature, classics, historical fiction, non-fiction and new novels. In between, I like to read detectives and mysteries. I'm not into SF, horror and fantasy, but maybe someone can convince me to read out of my comfort-zone.

Over the years, I've set myself a few reading-challenges. My new year's resolution is to revive and finish some of these challenges and participate in some others. Btw, I love to welcome visitors to my thread.

My previous threads:
- 2016-thread
- 2015-thread
- 2014-thread: part 1 - part 2
- 2013-thread
- 2012-thread
- 2011-thread: part 1 - part 2
- 2010-thread: part 1 - part 2

My other threads:
- Tour through Europe;
- Global Reading-Tour;
- Reading through Time
- 1001 Books to read before you die

Another early starter! Welcome back!

>2 drneutron: - Thank you, Jim. After having been late to start this year, I thought it would be nice to start early next year. Thanks for setting up the group.

Planned reads remaining for January 2017
- Le Pont de Buena Vista by Maurice Denuzière (RG/PC/Bahamas)
- Kees de jongen by Theo Thijssen (RG/QTR/Benelux)
- 1493 by Charles Mann (RTT/MTR/First encounters)
- The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat (EEC/PC/Malta)

Planned reads for February 2017
- To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (RTT/PC/1927)

Reading Globally Personal Challenge
- January: Bahamas: Le Pont de Buena Vista by Maurice Denuzière
- February: Barbados: Caribbee by Thomas Hoover
- March: Belize: The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw by Bruce Barcott
- April: Bermuda
- May: Bolivia
- June: British Virgin Islands
- July: Brunei
- August: Bulgaria
- September: Burkina Faso
- October: Burundi
- November: Cambodia
- December: Cameroon

Reading Globally Quarterly Theme Reads

January - March: works by writers from the Benelux countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg)
- Kees de jongen by Theo Thijssen
- The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch
- Onder professoren by Willem Frederik Hermans

April-June: travel writing by non European and non North American authors
-
-
-

July-September: works by writers who write in what are considered minority languages within their own country
-
-
-

October-December: writers from the Scandinavian countries and associated territories: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
-
-
-

Reading through Time Quarterly Theme Reads

January-March 2017 - The 16th Century
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
- Dissolution by C. J. Sansom
-

April-June 2017 - 17th century
-
-
-

July-September 2017 - 18th century
-
-
-

October-December 2017 - Napoleonic Era
-
-
-

Reading through Time Monthly Theme
January: First encounters: 1493 by Charles Mann
February: Storico Italia: The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
March:
April:
May: Oh What a State of Affairs
June: Fight for your Rights
July:
August:
September:
October: Gothic
November: Noir or Darkness
December:

Reading Through Time Personal Challenge
January: 1917: Summer by Edith Wharton - finished 2017/01/01
February: 1927: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
March: 1937
April: 1947
May: 1957
June: 1967
July: 1977
August: 1987
September: 1997
October: 2007
November: 2017
December: 1907 or 2017

Tour through Europe
Malta: The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat
Cyprus:
Macedonia:
Croatia:

Hi Monica! Just marking my spot so I can follow along. You have some great reading lined up for January!

Interesting setup here. I am following you so I can find some interesting global books!

Hi Monica, I hope to get to The discovery of heaven next year too.

Good to see you here early, Monica! I'll be eager to get your take on 1493, as I own but haven't read it yet. I'll read The Assault by Harry Mulisch in January, and I look forward to your review of The Discovery of Heaven.

Great to see you will be back again in 2017, Monica - as usual my favourite Belgian in the group!

I have both The Discovery of Heaven and The Assault on the shelves and will read at least one of them next month.

Hi Monica! I've got you starred.

Hi, Monica!

>11 cbl_tn: - Hi Carrie, lovely to see you here. Yes, I'm excited to get started in January. I thought it would be a good idea to plan my reads in 2017. I learn from the best :-)

>12 thornton37814: - Hi Lori, you're very welcome. I hope to read up to your expectations ;-)

>13 FAMeulstee: - Hi Anita, I noticed a small Dutch buzz around here. Must have something to do with the Reading Global Theme. Will you be joining or is it a random read?

>14 kidzdoc: - Hi Darryl, good to see you here too! I loved The Assault when I read it a couple of years ago (for my personal challenge of reading the Dutch and Flemish classics) and look forward to hear what you think about it.
The Discovery of Heaven is a bit of a door-stopper. The book's notorious for having been a bestseller while few people have actually read it. But I thought I could challenge myself when being confronted with a "local theme".

>15 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, how wonderful to see my favourite Malayan Brit here :-)
I guess your choice for the Mulisch-books has something to do with the RG-theme? Mulisch is indeed designated as one of the best Dutch writers but there are plenty of other fish in the Dutch pond, not to mention the Flemish fish;-). Anyway, I hope you enjoy the read, whichever you choose.

>16 DianaNL: - Hi Diana, yes I thought I noticed a brighter light here somewhere :-)

>17 scaifea: - Hi Amber!

>18 Trifolia: I see that the US edition of The Discovery of Heaven is over 700 pages in length. I don't think I'll be reading it this coming quarter, or anytime soon, given all the tomes I plan to read in 2017.

>18 Trifolia: My motivation isn't the Global reading group, it is probably for others, but for me it is other 75 members and my own shelves.
I recently have read De avonden, Boven is het stil and Het diner, all inspired by other members of this group who were/had been reading it. I hope to get to some more Dutch reads this year: Mulisch, Hermans, A.F.Th, Verhulst, Alberts.

Hi Anita, it seems we are cross-posting. We were on Darryl (Kidzdoc)'s thread where I offered him my favourite Flemish (and a few Dutch) books that have been translated into English. And now I'm chasing you here on my own thread :-)
I've read the three books that you mentioned. I once had a thread with a list of my Dutch books on the Dutch group but I stopped listing them since no one seemed to care much and since I listed them elsewhere anyway. Maybe I should revive it somehow because it's a clean list. You can check it out here, if you like: http://www.librarything.com/topic/121351

I'll also read some Dutch and Flemish books next year, trying to read as many titles of the Dutch canon (http://www.librarything.com/bookaward/Nederlandse+literaire+canon+in+honderd+en+enige+werken%2C+2002) as possible and mix them with some newbies etc.

>21 Trifolia: We fequent the same threads, Monica :-)
I starred your thread in "Nederlandstalige lezers", so I will see when you start to use it again.
I have looked at the Dutch canon before (and the 1001 books), I will probably read some of those too.

>22 FAMeulstee: - I've updated the list in the first message of my thread. You can find it here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/121351#2845380.

Hi Monica!

>24 The_Hibernator: - Hi Rachel!

Hi Monica!! Great to see you here!! Look forward to following your reading in 2017!!

>26 crazy4reading: - Hi Monica, nice to finally meet my namesake here on LT :-)

Happy New One, Monica.

Found you and

Happy New Year!

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

>28 Ameise1: To you too, Barbara. Thanks for the stars!
>29 DianaNL: And to you, Diana. That looks like a leap of faith!
>30 The_Hibernator: And also to you, Rachel. I hope we'll meet more frequently here or on your thread.
>31 PaulCranswick: And obviously to you too, Paul, for about the umptieth time (not that I mind, quite the opposite. I'll try to save them in a box for when I need them later this year).
>32 ChelleBearss: And to you too Chelle. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and your family!

(an extra wish for in the box, Monica)
Wishing you all the best, good health and lots of happiness for 2017 :-)

>34 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I will cherish it and wish the same to you!

Hello Monica--Thank you for visiting my thread. I look forward to following you in 2017 too. Re your planned January reads, I read Summer las year, and it is a wonderful, but devastating read. I also read The Discovery of Heaven several years ago, and liked it very much.

Best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

>36 arubabookwoman: Thanks for visiting, Deborah. I started with Summer today and love it so far. However, I can feel something's bad going to happen. If this book is a forecast of my reading-year to come, it looks very promising! And thanks for reassuring me to read TDofH. It is a door-stopper, so I'll have to be brave😉

I wish you from my heart health, happiness, satisfaction and much exciting read in 2017. May all your wishes come true.


from my hometown Zürich, Switzerland

I actually finished my first book of 2017 at 00.08 a.m. I could not sleep because of all the fireworks but Summer by Edith Wharton was a great book and hard to put down anyway I'll review it later today after I get some rest.

>39 Trifolia: Congrats on finishing your first book so shortly after midnight.

Hi, Monica. I like your Reading Through Time personal challenge and the way you've structured it. Great idea!

psst...Lurking forward to a Happy New Year!

>40 Ameise1: - Thanks Barbara. It felt good to achieve a goal 8 minutes after the start of the new year. I hope it will set the standard for the rest of the year :-)

>41 countrylife: - Thanks, Cindy. I've set up this challenge some years ago but abandoned it for the last few years to read more randomly. But in retrospect, I think I read the best books when I made plans, so I pick up where I left off. Lovely to see you here btw!

>42 dragonaria: - Oh excellent, you found me. You don't need to stay out in the cold. You're welcome.

1. Summer by Edith Wharton (RTT/PC/1917) - 4,5 stars


Read for: Reading Through Time Personal Challenge: 1917

A powerful novella with a limited scope: interaction of three key players in a small village in New England during some summer months. We get to see the story through the eyes of 19-year-old Charity, the adopted daughter of a somewhat cranky widower, lawyer Royall.
Young and naive as she is, she falls in love with Lucius Harney, a young architect who makes a study of old houses in the village. A romance develops. Ultimately there are some events that follow each other rapidly and lead to a climax.

Although the end is very clear, the reader is still left with many questions. The romantics will be disappointed, the critics will think that Charity has gotten more than she ever deserved, while the realists will find that it is the right solution in the circumstances. Much will also depend on the personal situation and even age of the reader. A young person will probably have hoped for more, while a more sedate reader will realize that life often runs differently than hoped for and that is not always a bad thing. Personally, I do not think Charity got her dream-life but Wharton gives away enough elements in this story to tell us that, taking all circumstances into account, she will recover and have her chances.

I know too little of the works of Edith Wharton and the 'mores' of that time to know what she meant herself, but that's really not necessary to like this novella. This is a story which raises many more questions than it gives answers and ultimately these are the best books. Wharton also uses a very beautiful style that enhances the atmosphere. The characters would have been powerful enough to play a leading part in a novel. In this case it would certainly have been on the same level as Pride and Prejudice of Jane Austen. Due to the limitations of the short story, the characters are not fleshed out well enough to achieve that level but it is and remains a very beautiful story, even after 100 years.

Glad to see you've already finished one. I did earlier today. Yours was a novella; mine was one with lots of photos but a smaller amount of text. However, it was enough text to present historical background on many of the things pictured.

Happy New Year! I see you've made a great start on this year's reading.

Happy New Year, Monica! Sorry for the late greeting, but I've finally finished with my Christmas and New Year's Day work stretch and now have time to make the rounds.

>45 thornton37814: >46 cbl_tn: >47 kidzdoc: - Thanks for visiting, Lori, Carrie and Darryl.

I have updated my list of books per country for my personal Reading Globally-challenge. I've also added the books I read for my European Challenge which I've almost finished. I'm pleased to see that I'm already over 30% with 72 countries but I'll have to figure out where to find books for countries like Tuvalu and Monserrat...
Obviously, I have read more than one book for some countries, but I'm only adding one book per country. My choice is based on the most "appropriate" book for this list, e.g. because the author is a native, the book is a classic or it's my favourite.
If anyone's interested, you can find my list and map here.

Aaargh, it's taking me forever to get through Wolf Hall... Working full-time again after the holidays does not help either.

>48 Trifolia: I don't know if this could help you, Monica, in the Crime, Thriller and Mystery group someone created a thread called State by State list, for books set in every USA State, but later the rest of the world was added.

>50 FAMeulstee: - Thank you, Anita! What a list. And indeed, there are books for Tuvalu and Monserrat... who knew :-) I actually prefer to choose a native author or a classic but if that isn't possible, I'm choosing whatever is available.

2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009) - 2,5 stars


I had the weirdest experience while reading this book. I've been working my way through all 674 pages and when I say "working", I mean "Working". Somehow, this book and I never made a connection and I was so relieved when I turned the last page. And all the time, I was wondering why we did not connect. First, I thought it was the language, so I switched from English to Dutch and back again but that didn't change anything. Then I thought it might have anything to do with the fact that it's not my favourite era but I've read plenty of 16th century-books that I loved. I wondered if it had anything to do with the point-of-view, which I thought created distance between the reader and the book, but I've read weirder books with weirder points-of-view that worked for me. And then finally, as I was having breakfast this morning, it dawned on me: I couldn't connect with the book because I couldn't care less about the characters. Normally, I find it quite easy to make up my mind about a character: like, dislike, admire, loathe, adore, despise, etc. But in this case, I just didn't feel anything and apparently, I find this very important. For a brief moment, I was worried that something had hit me on the head and I had lost my ability to empathize with fictional characters, so I started another book. Fortunately, I discovered that I empathized with the characters immediately and was able to picture them right away. With Wolf Hall, all the characters were blurred. I just could not picture them, could not relate to them, could do nothing with them. This is a first for me and I hope it will be a last either. Needless to say, this book was a big disappointment for me. I had high hopes that I would like it because so many other readers whose judgement I trust apparently loved it. I read their reviews but it just feels like I've been reading another book. I just gave it 2,5 stars because I don't want to feel like I've wasted a whole week on a book I gave a lesser rating and because it has given me an important insight. So maybe it was worth the effort after all.

>52 Trifolia: To be frank, it took me ages when I read this one in 2015 and I won't read another one of her in the near future.

>53 Ameise1: - What a relief to find out I wasn't the only one struggling with this book.

>52 Trifolia: I struggled with Wolf Hall too last year, Monica, you can find my thoughts here

>52 Trifolia: I just gave it 2,5 stars because I don't want to feel like I've wasted a whole week on a book I gave a lesser rating and because it has given me an important insight. So maybe it was worth the effort after all.

I will certainly allow that her technique will not be for everyone. I admire your tenacity Monica, struggling through a book you didn't like at all.

>52 Trifolia: Thank you for taking the hit for several of us! I have been reluctant to read it thinking that I would prefer a good biography or history of that era. I love historical fiction, but I prefer to read about fictional characters in a historical setting. I don't want to confuse fiction with fact.

>55 FAMeulstee: Your thoughts are pretty similar to mine, Anita. It was a frustrating read, wasn't it?

>56 PaulCranswick: Thank you for your kind words, Paul. I kept reading because I kept hoping I'd eventually understand why so many people loved this book. It didn't work though.

>57 cbl_tn: My pleasure, Carrie. I had expected a lot from Thomas Cromwell as the main character of the book. He's mysterious enough to make a great character of fiction, but it didn't work for me.

>58 Trifolia: I am starting to wonder if it was the translation, Monica.

>59 FAMeulstee: Probably not since I tried both the English and Dutch version and it did not make any difference.

3. En attendant Bojangles by Olivier Bourdeaut (2015) - 4 stars


After the Wolf Hall fiasco, I needed to read something completely different. So when I read Lunarreader's review on his thread I decided this might be the perfect book for me. And it was: a beautiful, heartbreaking, thought-provoking novella about the ups and downs of madness and love. It was a short, but impressive read, told from two points of view which gave an interesting twist to the story. The novella does not allow the author to elaborate on his characters, but Bourdeaut has given plenty to his readers to make it worth its while. This book was quite a surprise and I loved it.

I'm glad that you had a good one.

>61 Trifolia: Thanks Monica, I added Wachten op Bojangles to mount TBR :-)

>61 Trifolia: I'm glad you found a book that worked better for you than the last one!

4. Een volle agenda, maar nooit druk: benedictijns tijdmanagement (A full agenda, but never busy: benedictine time-management) by Denise Hulst - 3 stars


The title of this book grabbed my attention, because I have a soft spot for books about time-management and time-efficiency. The author explains that the benedictine rule can be applied in our lives to get things done: knowing when to start, knowing when to stop, being in the moment, etc. It is an interesting premise and the book contained some eyeopeners but nothing that I did not know already.

>65 Trifolia: Sometimes it's good to be reminded of things we already know!

>65 Trifolia: Surely if you need to read these and borrow it from the library, it is virtually guaranteed you'll return it late!

Have a great weekend, Monica.

5. The Exiles Return by Elisabeth de Waal - 3,5 stars

The manuscript of this book was retrieved from the family archive of Edmund de Waal, known for his book The Hare with Amber Eyes. He found it between some documents from his grandmother who had made several attempts to write a book. Also this manuscript never got published. On the one hand is understandable because the book has too many flaws to comply with the literary standards that were applied in those years. But then that is unfortunate because the work still has a certain literary value that makes it worthwhile to read it. The story, or rather the various stories are set in postwar Vienna where some of the original inhabitants who fled before the war, return to build a new life. We follow an introverted professor who hopes to start where he left off his broken career, a wealthy Greek who buys and renovates a luxurious little palace in order to receive guests and a depressed daughter of an exiled Austrian princess who wants to escape her oppressive American surroundings. There are also a number of family members and other figures who connect the main characters in a greater or lesser extent. Although the book has a clear beginning and end, the book seems not finished to me. The story is too thin and the story-lines are too light. But there is potential. Especially in the fragmentary, the Waal is masterful. With few words she creates an atmosphere that lingers, conveys feelings that touch you. de Waal gets under the skin of her characters and lets you see the world through their eyes. For that reason alone this book is worth a read.

>68 Trifolia: Congrats for this great review, Monica. The Hare With Amber Eyes will be my next read.

>69 Ameise1: - Thanks, Barbara. I hope you'll like it as much as I did.

6. De wedergeboorte van een moffenmeid een verzwegen familiegeschiedenis by Jan Hopman - 4 stars

Report by a Dutch radio-journalist of the quest for the history of his mother's family, allegedly Nazi-sympathizers before, during and after World War II and more specifically the fate of his aunt, who worked for the Nazis, was sent to a psychiatric hospital after the war and then moved to Scandinavia and South-America where she died in sad circumstances. The author describes how he became curious to find out more about his family's past and how he tracked down witnesses, relatives, people who knew her and sources where he could find information.

In the first place, he wanted to find out why she worked for the German occupiers (she worked in the Jewish registration office): what were her motives and what was her role which led to her estrangement from his family. But much to his surprise, he found very trustworthy sources which proved that she was in fact working for the resistance and not only helped Jews to escape their fate, but also helped to sabotage the work from the occupiers and gathered information for the resistance. Obviously, after the war, her role was not so clear, possibly because she was in a very bad mental shape by then and because she relied on and kept close contact with her brother who was a true sympathizer of the Nazi-party. Even after finding out these facts about his aunt, he's still not sure about the true motives of his aunt.

The author has done a very good job in reconstructing the past of his aunt in a bigger context and he managed to fold all this information into a very readable and noteworthy book. The book shows that history is rarely as black and white as we are sometimes inclined to believe and that people sometimes become heroes (or victims) because of the circumstances. It calls upon the reader to be less judgmental before and even after knowing all the facts.

Although this book is non-fiction, it reminded me of The Darkroom of Damocles by W.F. Hermans, because of the haziness of the role of the main character. Highly recommended.

>71 Trifolia: Good review, Monica, I will look for it at my library.

>52 Trifolia: I read Wolf Hall a few years ago and don't remember a thing, so I checked what I wrote at the time: I liked the writing (in English) but the figures kept distant as well. A pity you didn't connect but now you had two 4-starred-books which followed.

Wish you a good weekend - enough coffee, chocolate, ... and books to go for

Thanks for stopping by my thread , Monica! I confess I have not read Wolf Hall. Hilary Mantel and her works just have not appealed to me so far. A wonderful review of The Exiles .

>72 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. At times it was a bit difficult because of the names and especially the abbreviations that were different in the Netherlands from what I'm used to, but it was the while.

>73 paulstalder: Hi Paul, I don't mind reading a book that I don't really like, because it makes me appreciate the other ones so much more :-) I'm glad you liked WH better than I did though.
PS Would that be Swiss or Belgian chocolate?

>74 vancouverdeb: My pleasure, Deb. I love your current thread-topper. That lady must be practicing smart-reading :-)

>75 Trifolia: that's true. I often happen to come avross books i start reading and don.t like them much - but i finish them and appreciate other books the more.
If you prefer belgian chocolate - go for it. If you like some swiss chocolate, i could send you some 😉

Monica, Monica, wherefore art thou, Monica?

>78 PaulCranswick: - Wherefore I do not know... must ask my mom :-)

A major project at work kept me away from LT for the past few weeks. I have not read much either and my reading-plans all fell apart. Life's too busy right now to stick to any challenges. I'm already happy if I'm able to read every now and then and occasionally check in here. Bear with me, please.

Happy Sunday, Monica. I know RL can be busy.

7. Thuisvakanties voor beginners minder stress, geen gedoe, lagere kosten, meer plezier by Jan Dijkgraaf - 2,5 stars

One of the perks of an e-book-subscription is that I sometimes come across books that I would not find nor look for in a bookshop or a library. And even if I would find them, I would not bother buying or lending them. This is one of these books: a non-fiction book on the advantages of a "staycation", - taking a holiday at home - and why we should not travel anymore.
The author sums up a lot of reasons why it's better to stay home, why we should not travel and how we can organize a staycation. The undertone of the book is humorous and I often had to laugh with his arguments that were often silly, but - to be honest - to some extent made sense (why do we bother to travel for hours under horrible conditions to arrive at a noisy hotel with awful hotel-guests, terrible food, risk being robbed or attacked, suffering from the heat, exhaustion or other discomforts, etc., while we have all the comfort we need at home). It did make me think about the reasons why I am travelling but it could not convince me to stay home. Although I do have a very good home, we do not have mountains here, to mention only one reason why I still like to go travelling.
All in all, it was a good book because it did make me think about something that is obvious to me, but not convincing enough to make me change my mind.

Nice review, Monica. Yes, it's a pain to travel at times, especially by air, but all we all know the unique experiences not available at home and the ability to spend time with family and friends easily outweigh the inconveniences, at least for me.

>82 kidzdoc: - Indeed I am fortunate that most of my friends and family live very close (it's Belgium, so you cannot live further away than a three hour drive, unless you emigrate), but I would miss the change of scenery and what makes other countries unique. Maybe the author wanted to give the less fortunate who are not able to travel some arguments to make the pill taste less bitter... or maybe he belongs to this group of people who do not like to travel...

Thanks for visiting btw.

Hi Monica, good to see you around!
We did staycations for years, due to my home sickness and phobias. I didn't mind then, but I am glad the last years we are able to travel a bit :-)

>79 Trifolia: Will bear of course. :D

I know all about reading plans falling apart.

It is great to see you back, Monica! I wish I could " smart read' like the lady in my thread topper. I'm afraid I'm a much slower reader! :)

> 84 - Hi Anita, it certainly isn't a punishment to take staycations in the Netherlands. There are so many beautiful places to visit and to enjoy in your country.

> 85 - Hi Paul, :-)

> 86 - Hi Deb, never mind, I prefer smart people who read slow to slow people who read "smart" :-)

8. Good as Gone by Amy Gentry - 3,5 stars

A mystery-novel set in Texas. After having been kidnapped as a teenager, a young woman comes home. But is she really the daughter who went missing and what really happened. The book is told from different points of view. While the mother tells the story from the present, the young woman spirals back to her memories of the past and slowly unravels what really happened. And the outcome is more surprising than expected.
Not the best mystery I've ever read (the characters lack personality), but it's an enjoyable read and somewhat different from the British and Scandinavian crime-novels I usually read.

9. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter - 2 stars

Admittedly, I have given up on this book after about 100 pages. I had heard a lot of good comments on this book and the premise looked interesting, but it did not work for me. I thought it was a bit trite and sometimes even ridiculous and that was not what I had expected. Maybe I was not in the right mood for this book, but I had expected something different, so I decided to give up eventually. Not my habit, but it can happen.

Hm, over the past few days I must have read the equivalent of three books, unfortunately always 20 or so pages from different books. The joys (?) of having too big a choice, too many interests and an unfocussed mind... Recognizable, anyone? A cure, anyone? :-)

>90 Trifolia: Sorry to report, but I think your condition, though very recognizable, is not treatable. We are all doomed here.

Happy weekend, Monica.

Oh, dear, a two star read! Best that you gave stopped reading it before you wasted too much time! Happy Weekend, Monica!

Hope you have a great Easter weekend!

Hi Monica, wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend.

Wish you a quiet Easter, Monica - I read two books in the last five weeks, but there will come other times again :)

For a moment there, I thought I'd landed on the wrong thread. Where did JustJoey go?

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who abandoned Beautiful Ruins.

>91 alcottacre: - It's the thought that counts, Stasia...

>92 Ameise1: - Thanks, Barbara

>93 vancouverdeb: - Indeed, Deb, there are too many other books that I think are worth reading so I don't like to waste my time on a book that has not grabbed me after 100 pages. Although according to the Pearl-rule, I might have stopped a lot sooner...

>94 ChelleBearss: - Thanks, Chelle, I did and I hope you did too.

>95 DianaNL: - Thanks, Diana, to you too.

>96 Ameise1: - Thanks, Barbara. What a beautiful flower-arrangement! I hope you had a lovely Easter-weekend too.

>97 paulstalder: - A quiet, belated Easter to you too, Paul. I can sympathize with two books in five weeks. I have not done the maths yet, but I think you beat me on this one. But you've been in Israel, right?

>98 countrylife: - Aha, someone noticed... I shed my old skin. Somehow I did not feel like JustJoey anymore, for all kinds of reasons, so I thought I'd change my LT-name. But I'm still here and I have not changed much, so I'm glad you found me, Cindy.
And yes, it's always nice to notice that people share opinions on books.

Do you have another username, Monica?

>100 Ameise1: - Yes, I do. It's MGovers now. I hope you get used to it.

I will. Why did you change it and was that difficult?

>102 Ameise1: - I did not feel like JustJoey anymore for all sorts of reasons, so I thought I'd change my username. And no, it was not difficult. Just went to "Settings" and then "Change or delete", filled in the requested username and password and submitted. A couple of days later, it automatically changed. Excellent job by LT.

Oh, thanks so much for the explanation.

I'm going to duplicate the JustJoey entry in the Threadbook and change the name to MGovers so folks can find you under either for now. In the future, I'll add new threads to the MGovers entry.

ETA: Never mind. Looks like you got it already...

Oh! Good thing I noticed you as MGovers! Great to see you , Monica! I hope you had a nice long weekend !

>99 Trifolia: yes, I happened to be in Israel, hiking the Israel National Trail which was rather time consuming :)

Thanks for the explanation about your name's change.

>104 Ameise1: - You're welcome, Barbara.

>105 drneutron: - Thanks anyway, Jim. It's good to know that someone's looking after things. Much appreciated.

>106 vancouverdeb: - A good thing indeed, Deb. I had a nice long (but altogether too short) weekend.

>107 paulstalder: - I've been looking at and admiring your pictures of your trip. It must have been quite different from the Swiss alps. I cannot recall you have done something similar (i.e. outside Switzerland) ever since I met you on LT, but I may be mistaken?

10. After the Fire by Jane Casey - 4 stars

The sixth installment in the series about policewoman Maeve Kerrigan is an entertaining page-turner which captivates from the first to the last page. Several story-lines and different narrative viewpoints are skilfully interwoven and in between runs Maeve, a maverick and a slob with a good set of brains who handles her affairs in her own opinionated way. A touch of humor, a little drama, a believable plot, well-dosed excitement, true-to-life characters, ... more than enough ingredients so for a few hours of pure relaxation. I'm a bit wary to digress on the story-line and give away spoilers, but I was not disappointed with this one.
I have read one other book by Jane Casey (not in this series) and I remember I liked it too. She seems to be a safe choice if I'm in need of some brain-candy.

>109 Trifolia: I just looked this one up online at my library. They have got some of this series but not from my branch. Will see if I can order one. It looks like my cup of tea.
Happy Wednesday, Monica.

>108 Trifolia: You are right, that's my first such adventure. I did some hiking, even one where we spent one night in a an alpine cabin in Italy when we hiked in the Swiss National Park. But I never carried my tent along we me :) So, I did a lot of new things here.

Struggled to find you with your new "handle".

Have a glorious weekend, Monica.

Continuing where I left off. I'll be doing short reviews because it's been months since I read them, so I only remember the essentials: whether I liked it or not and why.

11. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1961) - 2,5 stars

British classic I have been wanting to read for a very long time but never got to it about a teacher's influence on a group of young pupils and the consequences to all involved.
Slightly disappointing because I had expected more of this book. It was a good book and I understand why it became a classic but I found it too superficial and not subtle enough.

12. Het meisje op de weg (The girl on the Road) by Michael Berg (2015) - 4 stars

A very fine Dutch thriller set in the south of France with entertaining characters and a few excellent surprises. When a woman finds a girl on the road, she and her boyfriend let her stay the night. But in the morning both the girl and the boyfriend are missing. Not top-notch but very entertaining and a quick read.

13. The Seventh Child by Erik Valeur (2011) - 3 stars

Complicated story, set in a former orphanage in Denmark where it appears that over 20 years ago, there was a cover-up by rich and famous people. It seems someone from the past is taking revenge. Quite a few people get nervous and then someone is murdered.
Told from different points of view, it was difficult to follow the story, not so much because the story was so difficult in itself but because there were so many characters and not every story was relevant or interesting. It was a long read also and I did manage to sit it through, but the end was a bit of a disappointment. This would have been a far better book if the author had drastically reduced the number of pages.

14. Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power by Michael Kranish - 4 stars

Indeed, this biography of Donald Trump revealed a lot about his past, his ways, his actions and his entourage. It certainly was enlightening. Very well researched, very well written book that sheds a better light on the man who baffled the world by being elected president of the US. After having read this book, I understand how he was able to do so.

15. De Franken in België en Nederland heersers in de vroege middeleeuwen by Luit Van der Tuuk - 2 stars

I take a special interest in the early middle ages, so I could not get past this recent book about the Franks by this author who has written some excellent books on this period of time. This one was a disappointment however, because it did not add anything to the knowledge that currently exists about this period of time. And I thought it was rather poorly written. Not his best book, I'm afraid.

16. Thérèse Desqueyroux by François Mauriac (1927) - 4 stars
18. The end of the night by François Mauriac (1935) - 4 stars

Excellent psychological novel about Thérèse Desqueyroux, a young woman who, according to the wishes of the families, marries her neighbor. However, romance quickly disappears and she decides to poison her husband. He survives and although Thérèse has to stand trial, she is acquitted because her husband gives a false statement in order to keep his wife out of jail. But although she is free, her husband and his family hold her captive and abuse her psychologically. The story ends with the expulsion of Thérèse from her home in the Landes and her being set up in Paris.

The second books starts years later and we find Thérèse in Paris. She's become an emotional and physical wreck and that is how her daughter finds her. The latter fled to Paris in order to be with her self-declared lover but Thérèse does not want her daughter to stay with her. The story becomes more complicated with some other psychological story-lines.

I enjoyed both books, although I got a bit frustrated by almost all the characters. But the writing is excellent and the psychology very subtle, human and believable.

A few weeks after I read the books, I saw the movie which starred Audrey Tautou as Thérèse. I really don't know why they chose her to play this role because I find this actress is not able to convey many emotions anyway, let alone such a complex character as Thérèse. But the books were excellent. Highly recommended if you like psychological stories.

17. De greppel by Herman Koch (2016) - 2,5 stars

This was a typical Koch-book in which we see the world through the eyes of a middle-aged man. In this case, he's the mayor of Amsterdam and life has been good to him, until his world is falling apart.
As always, poignant and superficial at the same time. I'm not a huge fan of Koch, but his books are easy to read and have this satisfying combination of humor and tragedy which I find quite appealing.

Not sure if anyone's reading this but for anyone who does, here are my comments on the books I read in April

19. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny - 4 stars

Another part of the detective-series featuring inspector Gamache. This one is set in a very remote convent in Canada where music, jealousy and financial problems play an important role. The inspector has a lot of trouble with the seemingly placid monks, but even more with his labile colleague and his evil boss. A bit worrying at times, but very entertaining. A quick and enjoyable read of a series of which I read a few books so far (years ago) and would like to pursue.

20. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner (1984) - 4 stars


Introspective book about a middle-aged woman who stays in a hotel in Switzerland. Little by little we find out why she left her home temporarily and how she copes with the consequences of her "behavior". A bit outdated in this day and age (and imo even for the time is was published), but nevertheless a bitter not so sweet story about what it's like to be a lonely, naive and not so brave woman in a different environment.

Hi Monica, delurking to tell you that I was reading this.

The book about Trump sounds interesting. I've looked it up in the online catalogue of my library, and yes they have it, all copies lent out, so it seems more people wanted to now more about him;)

>120 Trifolia: Hi Monica, I've read my first Inspector Gamache book this year but it was one of the middle of that series. I liked it very much so I decided to start properly. Unfortunately, my library hasn't got these books therefore I put the first one in my wishlist.
Wishing you a wonderful week.

>122 EllaTim: - Thanks for letting me know, Ella. I can recommend the book about Trump. Hard to believe sometimes it's supposed to be a non-fiction book.

>123 Ameise1: - Hi Barbara. I read the first "Gamaches" some years before I registered on LT, but I remember I liked the atmosphere. I was not disappointed after all these years. Safely recommended.

21. Het hout by Jeroen Brouwers (2014) - 3 stars

I've been wavering to review this book. It's written by one of the most famous Dutch authors of the past decades. While many people find Brouwers' books superb, I find his style a bit over the top, his stories and characters too extreme. But he is a good writer and I can see why many people like his books.
This story is about a young teacher who, almost by accident, starts teaching in a school for boys lead by a religious order. He soon finds out there are a lot of monks who physically and emotionally abuse the pupils. So he has too choose to close his eyes to the abuse or follow his conscience. But the choice is rather difficult, because he soon becomes an outcast himself.

This book is hard to review because the theme of pedophilia and abuse is relevant but painful and I'm unsure if fiction-books are the right medium to vent feelings and thoughts. Brouwers' style is not subtle and he tends to be quite sarcastic and outspoken. I'm not extremely sensitive but I personally did not like the way Brouwers handled this theme and I can't help feeling he was trying to seize the moment when the pedophilia-scandals by church-officials became a hot issue over here. That's only my opinion of course. I'm glad I read it though, even if it's only because I now, after having read three of his books, realize that Brouwers is an author whose books I'll probably never enjoy reading.

So here I am again with yet another attempt to revive this thread. I'll start by logging all the books I've read so far. I really hope to get back on track this time.

23. Dijk by Hans Maarten Van den Brink (2016) - 4,5 stars

When a colleague disappears upon retirement, a man reminisces about the years they worked together and how everything has changed over the years. A very fine read for someone like me who's approaching (...) the age that young people consider to be middle-aged. Excellent nostalgic tale.

24. Rest You Merry by Charlotte MacLeod (1978) - 3 stars

A bit of old-fashioned fluff about a middle-aged professor who finds a dead body in his house and solves the case with the help of a young lady he falls in love with. First book of a series which was fun but which I will not pursue. One can take only take so much fluff.

25. Hallo muur by Erik Jan Harmens - 2 stars

A personal account of the author's life, an author and poet, affected by his alcohol-addiction. Although this is an autobiography, I could not really empathize with the bigger part of the story. It might have something to do with the author's writing-style.

26. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet - 3 stars


27. The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins - 3 stars


28. The Girl Before by JP Delaney - 3 stars


I read these books because of all the fuss that was made about them and I was busy with RL at the time, so I could not concentrate on the more serious stuff. Fuss is not always a very good reason for reading a book...

Nice to see you back, Monica. I hope everything is ok at your place.

>130 Ameise1: Hi Barbara, thanks for visiting. I'm doing ok, although I have not done a lot of reading lately. I seem to have lost my focus, started a lot of books, abandoned them, etc.
Yesterday, I heard of the passing away of Rebecca (rebeccanyt), one of the most inspirational readers I ever known and that made me realize how much she has meant to my reading-experience over the past seven years. With everything that has been going on in my life, I've been off and on LT far too often and have read far too little good literature. I need to get focused again and try to concentrate on what has given me so much joy in the early years of LT when I read quite a few exceptional books. I think part of my problem is that I find it increasingly difficult to master the plethora of books that is available and I set myself too many unreachable goals. The result is that I get overwhelmed. I'm working to get back on track though and I hope to find my own pace and limited but personal choice of books again.

>131 Trifolia: You have described my own problems too, Monica. In my case it is made worse still by my magpie tendencies to keep adding new books.

I will miss Rebecca terribly even though her activity understandably waned over the last couple of years - her influence on my reading was on a par with anyone in the group and I respected her views and her precise intelligence immensely.

It is lovely to see you posting again dear lady. xx

It's lovely to see you posting again, Monica! I too love to read good literature, but I've also considered my mom's mantra . She says she reads " purely for enjoyment." Sometimes we have to indulge our love for just plain good story telling.
Great to see you posting again! But we all get busy and I understand that too!

>131 Trifolia: Monica, I know time is too short to read all good books. Every January, I enthusiasticly start several challenges just to neclect them in the first half of the year because I feel to restrict. I usually go to my library and my first look goes to their recommendations. So I've read some great books this year. Furthermore, there are some LT members who have a similar reading taste as I have. When I see a good review I give it a try. I love Deb's Mom's advise. It fits perfectly with me.

Wishing you a good start into the new week.

Good to see some new posts here, Monica, you remind me I want to read some of Jeroen Brouwers books.
To many good books, to little time. I am lucky, I have tackled some in the last year, as since July 2016 my reading speed has gone up, and I finally got to some classics I thought I would never read.

Hi Monica! Hope all is well with you

>132 PaulCranswick: - I can relate to the magpie-issue as well, Paul. My e-book-subscription to KoboPlus is not helping either. Gone are the days (decades ago) that I had to reread books because the library was closed and I did not have the personal library I have now... But am I really nostalgic? I don't think so :-) Good to see you here, Paul, btw.

>133 vancouverdeb: - Your mom's a very wise woman because in the end, that's what reading is about, isn't it. I'll go over to your thread to see what you've been reading lately. You've always been inspirational and have pointed out some excellent books. And I really need some inspiration now. Thanks for visiting my thread. It feels good to know I have not been forgotten.

>134 Ameise1: - One of the things I love (and missed) about LT is people like you who like to share their passion about books. Our reading-taste is indeed quite similar, so I'll take a closer look at your thread to find out what you recommend. It will probably be a tie between you and Deb :-)

>135 FAMeulstee: - I noticed you have read a LOT of books this year, Anita. Very impressive. It's my ambition to read more classics too. I took a stab at the 1001-list, but still have a lot to reading to do. There are quite a few gems there to be discovered!

>136 ChelleBearss: - Hi Chelle, thanks for asking. I'm doing fine. Confronted with a bit of a reading-slump, but I'll probably get those book-juices flowing again now that I'm on LT. I noticed you have been busy too. Congrats with you beautiful daughters!

Hi Monica! I read His Bloody Project last year and I guess I missed whatever the judges saw that put it on the Booker shortlist.

My reading has slowed down this year because of everything going on in RL. I guess moving will do that! I start with a plan every month, but in practice it's been a shortlist that I end up choosing from. Some are books I have to read (ARCs or books to review for publication), but I still manage to fit in one or two books that I want to read for fun.

>138 cbl_tn: - Hi Carrie, yes RL can get in the way of all those beautiful plans, but if it provides a shortlist, it's helpful anyway :-)
I'm still plowing to review or at least mention the books I read since June. So here goes

29. Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah (2016) - 2,5 stars

30. De bedreigde vrijheid uw vrije meningsuiting in gevaar? by Johan Op de Beeck - 4 stars

A non-fiction book written by a former Flemish, well-respected journalist about the endangered freedom of speech. It's an essay well worth reading. Since it is not translated in English, I put a link to my review in Dutch here.

31.The Naked Shore: Of the North Sea by Tom Blass - 3 stars

This book has been compared with The Edge of the World by Michael Pye, but whereas Pye had its focus on history, this book is more of a travelogue about the places situated at the shores of the North Sea. I found it very agreeable both to read about the places I know quite well (I grew up within arm's length of the sea and live not too far off now) and about the places that I'm looking forward to visit because of this book. Autumn in Denmark sounds very tempting.

>141 Trifolia: Sounds interesting. Yes to autumn near the sea. I've never been to Denmark, but I've visited the coast of the Pas de Calais, in autumn, with friends. Wonderful, the rocks, the sea, and the birds. Might just be Northsea, or just not?

What was it about Denmark that attracted you?

So delighted that you enjoyed The Lighthouse. It's a different book and not a cheerful one, but a fascinating read! My background is half Icelandic, and this past spring my son and his wife visited Iceland. They have traveled a lot, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, London, Paris, USA, Denmark and the Netherlands, but my son said Iceland is the place that fascinated him the most and the place he would chose to live if he had to chose another place to live other than Canada. He said it's a simple life, very beautiful and unpolluted. I thought that was interesting .

Happy Friday, Monica.

>142 EllaTim: - I've never visited Pas de Calais except when passing through on my way to Brittany or Normandy, but it's pretty high on my list of areas to visit, since people keep recommending it to me. The North Sea actually stops at the Channel, so Pas de Calais is not the North Sea.

In the book, the author writes very beautiful things about life in remote places by the North Sea and he praises the sunset in autumn. It's made me think that when I go to Denmark, it should be in the fall.

>143 vancouverdeb: - I did enjoy The Lighthouse very much, Deb. It was exactly what I needed and it worked its magic.
I would love to visit Iceland one day (as I have a soft spot for all Northern countries). One day, who knows...

>144 Ameise1: - Happy Friday (evening) to you too, Barbara.

I've had a thrilling summer. Not because it was very eventful, but because I read a few crime-series.
I'll describe them in general, because I always find it difficult to talk about a crime-book without giving away too much of the plot. So here goes:
First up was an excellent Swedish crime-series pivoting around Sebastian Bergman, a former forensic psychologist, working for the police, who has his own trauma to live with. He's not an agreeable man (to say the least), but what a character. Imo, one of the best series I read in years. Not perfect, and if, like me, you read the books almost one after another, you might be bothered by some cliche but all in all, highly recommended to crime-fans.

32. Dark Secrets by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2010) - 4 stars


35. The Man Who Watched Women by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2012) - 4 stars


38. The Man Who Wasn't There by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2012) - 4 stars


39. The Silent Girl by Hjorth Rosenfeldt (2014) - 4 stars


40. The test by Hjorth Rosenfeldt - 4 stars


In between I read a few books in a crime-series set in Iceland with the lawyer Thóra Guðmundsdóttir in the lead. I skipped the first book, liked the second one, but the third one was a miss for me because of the characters that were so shallow, so I did not pursue the series. I'm tempted to give it another trybecause it might just be this one book that's not to my taste. And I love the setting!

36. Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (2007) - 3,5 stars


37. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (2006) - 2 stars


I continued with my crime-series-addiction by reading the Swedish series with the young policewoman Olivia Rönning and the former policeman Tom Stilton. It had its flaws, but that was compensated by all the rest: intriguing plots, excellent characters and everything else that is needed in a good crime-series.

41. Spring Tide by Cilla Börjlind (2012) - 4 stars


42. Third Voice by Cilla Börjlind - 4 stars


43. Zwarte dageraad by Cilla Börjlind (2014) - 4 stars

I've become hooked on what I've heard referred to as Scandi Crime. I loved Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series and Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q. I'm getting towards the end of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series. Just dipping my toes into Camilla Lackberg and Assa Larsson. They're certainly not cozies, are they?! I'm looking forward to giving your recommendations here a try.

Happy November 1st!

Hej Monica,

You did some reading this summer! Great to see that you had a thrilling summer :)

I just came across this rose 'Just Joey'. I didn't know that there is a rose featuring your old username.

Hi Monica, I have been absent from threads for the past couple of months and stopping by to see how things are with you.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

Hi Monica, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Hope you had a great holiday season!