Chrischi_HH's walk through Lübeck 2019

My name is Christiane and I live in the north of Germany. This is my fifth year joining the Category Challenge, though my participation has decreased a bit in the last two years. I don't read as much as some others here do, but let's see what 2019 brings.

As I miserably failed to deliver on my own goals last year, I'll simply repeat my 2018 challenge in 2019: My 8 categories focus on books from my own shelves and my (loooong) wishlist, but there is room for spontaneous choices if needed. The categories represent landmarks in my hometown, and during the year I'll post some pictures showing you around. Promised!

Here are the eight categories:
- Salzspeicher: TBR
- Marzipan: wishlist books
- Hüx Street: LT book bullets since 2015
- Passat: Geo focus Lübeck/Germany
- Holstentor: Classics
- The 7 towers: series
- The devil: CATs & KITs
- Brodtener Ufer: overflow
Plus one:
- Town Hall: BingoDOG

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 (which is far from what I would like to read in a year, but I should try to be realistic for once).

Currently reading:
Lübecker Geheimnisse
The Red Notebook

Next up:

Read in 2019:
1. Der Tote im Eiskeller by Petra Oelker 3.5* (finished 28/01)
2. Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling 3.5* (finished 17/02)
3. Im Schatten des Feuerbaums by Carla Federico 3.5* (finished 23/02)
4. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 5* (finished 20/03)
5. Der Pinguin meines Lebens by Tom Michell 3.5* (finished 31/03)
6. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 4.5* (finished 21/04)
7. Kald mig prinsesse by Sara Blædel 4* (finished 11/05)
8. Die Listensammlerin by Lena Gorelik 3.5* (finished 31/05)
9. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 4.5* (finished 30/06)
10. Fünf by Ursula Poznanski 4.5* (finished 13/07)
11. Passagier 23 by Sebastian Fitzek 3.5* (finished 21/07)
12. Carl Hagenbeck by Haug von Kuenheim 4* (finished 28/07)
13. In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts by Eugen Ruge 4* (finished 02/09)
14. Der Augensammler by Sebastian Fitzek 4.5* (finished 07/09)
15. Die Landkarte der Finsternis by Yasmina Khadra 4* (finished 28/09)
16. Rungholts Ehre by Derek Meister 4* (finished 16/10)
17. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood 3.5* (finished 30/10)
18. Kun ét liv by Sara Blædel 4.5* (finished 27/12)

Statistics:
Pages read: 7,360
*January: 414
*February: 1,089
*March: 782
*April: 320
*May: 658
*June: 531
*July: 1,016
*August: -
*September: 1,200
*October: 849
*November: -
*December: 501
Audiobooks: 2 (8h26+7h37)
From own shelves: 12
Borrowed - from library: 0 - from family/friends: 3
Rereads: 0
New books bought: 9 (3 read)
Read in German: 12
Read in English: 4
Read in Danish: 2
Books by female author: 9
Books by male author: 9
Fiction: 16 | Non-fiction: 2
EXTRA - Magazines read: 0

Countries visited in 2019

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com
Countries visited: 12
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea (Republic), Russia, Sudan

SALT STORE HOUSES
- books from tbr -

The Salt Store Houses are a group of storage houses that were built between 1579 and 1745. From here, the salt was shipped to Scandinavia. The location was ideal with water connections almost from the salt mines to the export destinations and salt trade was one of the main reasons for Lübeck's success. Today, the houses accomodate a clothing shop.

Unread books owned prior to 2019: 37

1. Der Tote im Eiskeller by Petra Oelker (owned since 2017)
2. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (owned since 2018)
3. Kald mig prinsesse by Sara Blædel (owned since 2016)
4. Die Listensammlerin by Lena Gorelik (owned since 2015)
5. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (owned since 2018)
6. Fünf by Ursula Poznanski (owned since 2015)
7. Carl Hagenbeck by Haug von Kuenheim (owned since 2018)
8. In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts by Eugen Ruge (owned since 2017)
9. Der Augensammler by Sebastian Fitzek (owned since 2017)
10. The Natural Way of Things by CHarlotte Wood (owned since 2018)
11. Kun ét liv by Sara Blædel (owned since 2016)

MARZIPAN
- wishlist -

Marzipan is the main sweet treat Lübeck is known for. There are several manufacturers in town, and "Lübecker Marzipan" is listed as trademark and connected to quality and heritage. No visitor goes home without a visit in one of the shops or the popular café by Niederegger (the biggest brand here), and also locals often enjoy the delicious treat as little bar or huge cake. So what could be better for this category than marzipan?
My sweet wishlist is continuously growing, partly because of book bullets here on LT (which are covered in the next category), but also thanks to friends/family, reviews in magazines, tv shows or the internet, award longlists or favourite authors. This year I'll be trying to get a few books off that list.

1. Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling
2. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

HÜX STREET
- LT book bullets -

So many BBs hit me every year that I need a post to collect them and remind myself of all the great books I have yet to read. :) "Hüxstraße" is a small street in the city centre with lots of small, independet shops and nice restaurants and cafés. I cannot go there without buying something, so I think that perfectly matches the "book bullet concept".

BBs read:
1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (from lindapanzo, 2015)
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (from LittleTaiko, 2017)
3. Fünf by Ursula Poznanski (from DeltaQueen50, 2015)
4. The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (from pamelad, 2017)

2019 BBs:
1. Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson (Dark Iceland series #1) (rabbitprincess)
2. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (sturlington)
3. Warcross by Marie Lu (VioletBramble)
4. Quicksand by Nella Larsen (japaul22)
5. The Children's War by Monique Charlesworth (VictoriaPL)
6. Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey (Marie Antionette trilogy #1) (LibraryCin)
7. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (mathgirl40)
8. The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman (mathgirl40)
9. The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips (mathgirl40)
10. Small Island by Andrea Levy (LittleTaiko)
11. The Royal Phisician's Visit by Per Olov Enquist (Nickelini)
12. The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen (rabbitprincess)
13. Nerve by Dick Francis (cbl_tn)
14. Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Arch Tait (LisaMorr)
15. Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans (christina_reads)
16. Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson (VictoriaPL)
17. The Healer by Antti Tuomainen (VivienneR)
18. Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by Helene Cooper (japaul22)
19. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evely Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (japaul22)
20. The Good People by Hannah Kent (japaul22)
21. Paradise by Toni Morrison (japaul22)
22. The Seas by Samantha Hunt (japaul22)
23. Bretonische Verhältnissy by Jean-Luc Bannalex (Commissaire Dupin #1) (MissWatson) / acquired
24. Kongens hunde by Martin Jensen (#1) (MissWatson)
25. Geschichte Dänemarks by Carsten Jahnke (Reclam) (MittWatson)
26. Das Geheimnis des Strandvogts by Volker Streiter (MittWatson)
27. A Terrible Country by Keith Gessen (RidgewayGirl)
28. Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent (RidgewayGirl)
29. Milkman by Anna Burns (RidgewayGirl)

Link to my 2018 BBs
Link to my 2017 BBs
Link to my 2016 BBs
Link to my 2015 BBs

PASSAT
- geo focus: Lübeck/Germany -

Passat is a four-masted steel barque which was built in Hamburg in 1911. The sailing ship was used for general garco and nitrate through the world and rounded Cape Horn 39 times, also being the last ever cargo ship rounding Cape Horn. In 1959 Passat was purchased by the municipality of Lübeck, where the famous ship has become an iconic landmark, museum, event venue and favourite place to get married. Today, Passat is one of the last remaining windjammers and located in Lübeck-Travemünde. For this category books from Lübeck and the wider area of Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein will count.
Don't we all need a safe harbour to always return to?

Possibilities:
Lübecker Geheimnisse
Die Hanse
Thomas Mann
Heinrich Mann
Petra Oelker
Sandra Gladow

1. Der Tote im Eiskeller by Petra Oelker (18th century Hamburg)
2. Carl Hagenbeck by Haug von Kuenheim (Hamburg)
3. In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts by Eugen Ruge (DDR)
4. Rungholts Ehre by Derek Meister (14th century Lübeck)

HOLSTEN GATE
- Classics -

The Holsten Gate was built in the 15th century as a city gate at the western boundaries of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. Once it was part of a series of four consecutive gates, which were built in different eras. The other three do not exist anymre, just like the southern and eastern city gates. In the 1860 the Holsten Gate was almost torn down, but fotunately the decision was made to restore the buliding. Regular restorations are required, because the Holsten Gate was built on unstable ground and is therefore a bit tilted. Since 1950 it has been housing a museum.

THE SEVEN TOWERS
- Series -

Lübeck is also known as the city with the seven towers. The owers of the five churches St. Jakobi, St. Marien, St. Petri, St. Aegidien and Lübeck Cathedral. Located on the old town hill, they have been visible from far away throughout the centuries and form a well known landmark. Today, they are also used in the city's marketing. Can you spot them all?

*Series I am reading:
Jo Nesbø - Harry Hole (read 9/11)
Petra Oelker - Rosina&Claes (read 7/10)
Sara Blædel - Louise Rick (read 3/9)
David Downing - Station series (read 2/6)
Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot / Miss Marple (read 1/46)
Carla Federico - Chile saga (read 3/3)
Hjorth & Rosenfeldt - Sebastian Bergmann (read 1/5)
Ursula Poznanski - Beatrice Kaspari (read 1/4)
Derek Meister - Rungholt (read 1/5)

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

1. Der Tote im Eiskeller by Petra Oelker (Rosina & Claes #7)
2. Im Schatten des Feuerbaums by Carla Federico (Chile saga #3)
3. Kald mig prinsesse by Sara Blædel (Louise Rick #2)
4. Fünf by Ursula Poznanski (Beatrice Kaspary #1)
5. Rungholts Ehre by Derek Meister (Rungholt #1)
6. Kun ét liv by Sara Blædel (Louise Rick #2)

THE DEVIL
- CATs & KITs -

Close to the entrace of one of Lübeck's main churches, there is a little devil relaxing outside. As story goes, Lübeck's people told the devil that they were building a new tavern when they were actually building the church - and so the devil helped them with the work. When the devil realized this betrayal, he threatened to destroy the church with a huge stone. And so he was promised a tavern close by, which today is the "Ratskeller". He let the stone fall right next to the church, where he now sits and smiles to everyone passing.
I found this cute little bronze statue the perfect fit for the CATs, because sometimes they are all too tempting - too many books, too little time!

RandomCAT
January: your name | -
February: travel | Im Schatten des Feuerbaums
March: Brexit/EU | The Nightingale
April: Rooster/ToB | The White Tiger
May: dance | Die Tänzerin von Auschwitz
June: card deck luck | -
July: birds | Fünf
August: back to school | -
September: equinox | In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts & Die Landkarte der Finsternis
October: spin-offs etc. | -
November: childhood memories | -
December: December | -

CalendarCAT
January: (storm, flood, ice) | Der Tote im Eiskeller
February: (Safer Internet Day) | Qualityland
March: (International Women's Day) | The Nightingale
April: (World Penguin Day) | Der Pinguin meines Lebens
May: (VE-Day | Die Tänzerin von Auschwitz
June: Pachinko
July: -
August: (commemoration day for the construction start of the Berlin Wall) | In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts
September:
October: (Nordic Film Days) | Rungholts Ehre
November: -
December: -

TBRCat
January: first in, last out | -
February: a borrowed book | Im Schatten des Feuerbaums
March: special occasions | -
April: challenge books | -
May: need to get to | Die Listensammlerin
June: book bullet | Pachinko
July: more than one | Fünf
August: excitement | -
September: classics | -
October: visual appeal | -
November: gifts | -
December: sale books | -

SeriesCAT
January: in translation
February: children's/YA
March: favourite authors
April: started series | Kald mig prinsesse
May: newest book
June: complete
July: fantasy
August: different region
September: culinary cozy or by the sea
October: historical | Rungholts Ehre
November: female protagonist | Kun ét liv
December: new to me | -

BRODTENER UFER
(overflow)

1. Passagier 23 by Sebastian Fitzek (audioplay)
2. Der Augensammler by Sebastian Fitzek
3. Die Landkarte der Finsternis by Yasmina Khadra

TOWN HALL
- BingoDOG -



1. author uses middle name or initial
2. debut novel
3. about/featuring siblings: Der Tote im Eiskeller
4. book bullet: Pachinko
5. mentioned in another book
6. related to medicine/health: Fünf
7. animal in title/cover/significant role: Der Pinguin meines Lebens
8. artistic character: Im Schatten des Feuerbaums
9. Eastern European author/setting: In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts
10. children's or YA
11. alliterative title
12. part of a series: Kald mig prinsesse
13. read a CAT: Qualityland
14. prize-winning book: The White Tiger (Booker)
15. weather word in title or book involves weather event
16. short stories or essays
17. made into a movie
18. fairy tale
19. graphic novel
20. main title has 6+ words
21. cover has at least 2 human figures: Die Listensammlerin
22. book in translation: Die Landkarte der Finsternis
23. food-related title/topic
24. LT rating of 4.0+: The Nightingale
25. title contains homophone words

Read in order: 3 - 13 - 8 - 24 - 7 - 14 - 12 - 21 - 4 - 6 - 9 - 22

Here we go again, another year of books and fun! I'm going to fine tune my above posts in the coming weeks (and maybe change a thing or two), including pictures and descriptions. And start with the planning for all the fantastic CATs and the Bingo, yay!

Welcome to my thread!

Welcome back for another year of challenge reading!

Good luck with your reading!

>12 Chrischi_HH: Welcome back, Chrischi. That view of the Holstentor is lovely!

Welcome back and have fun with your challenge! Good luck with those series!

Welcome back - hope you have a lovely reading year.

Looking forward to following along with you in 2019.

Excellent to see you and your tour of your town back again.
I know what you mean about not keeping up with some people around here - I don't know how they do it and all it does is increase my wish list faster than I can diminish it...
Goood luck with your reading for the year.

Good luck for 2019! I've given up trying to stay kept up with everyone - I'd spend all my time reading threads and none reading any books! I visit as many threads as I can, but have to be realistic!

>20 Jackie_K: That's what I was thinking too! I am spending all my time reading what everyone is reading and planning my reading. Better start some actual reading soon!

Good luck with your 2019 reading!

Good luck with your reading in 2019!

Nice set up! Looking forward to the pictures!

Thanks everyone! :)

>19 Helenliz: >20 Jackie_K: >21 JayneCM: You are right, it's almost impossible to keep up with everyone. I'll still try to do that, but in my own speed. Reading my own books should by priority no. 1, reading the threads no. 2.

>25 Chrischi_HH: I'm with you on reading is the number 1!

I miserably fail on my goals every year. Good luck this year! Happy New Year!

>27 The_Hibernator: >28 thornton37814: >29 Tess_W: Thank you so much for your New Year wished. A happy New Year to you, too, and lots of good books!

Here we are, it is 2019. Pictures in my first posts are now all set, though I will change one or two over time. I started a first book, Lübecker Geheimnisse, which contains 50 little stories about Lübeck. I will read this story by story over a longer period, and I'll be happy to share a few of them with you.
As first fiction book I decided to go with a historial mystery set in Hamburg, book 5 in a series I started a few years back: Der Tote im Eiskeller

Happy New Year to all of you, may 2019 be a good one with health, lots of good moments and of course a ton of great books!

Happy New Year, Chrischi. I heard about the storm and the flooding on the news yesterday, I hope you are safe and dry?

>31 MissWatson: Hi Birgit, Happy New Year to you, too! We were safe and dry, yes, thank you. Only the center was flooded, as usual. The water was higher than the last years, though, but as far as I know nothing serious happened.

Book #1:
Der Tote im Eiskeller by Petra Oelker, 2005
Paperback, 414 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, historical fiction, Germany, Hamburg, mystery, series
Category: Salt Store Houses (tbr), The Seven Towers (series), Passat (geo focus), The Devil (CalendarCAT)
Bingo: About or featuring siblings
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

My first book in the new year was a the next in a series I started years ago. It is set in 18th century Hamburg and one thing I particularly like about this series is that the background feels so real and so close. I know the city well and am always happy to learn about its history. The local police officer, Wagner, is supported by Claes, a succesfull salesman, and Rosina, a travelling comedian.

Der Tote im Eiskeller is the 7th installment. Once again, Rosina is involved into finding out the truth after a man is murdered. This time, it is not so much Claes who supports her, but rather his wife Anne. After a stormy night a man is found dead in an ice house, and in the following days three other wealthy men are found – not dead, but set into embarrassing situations in the public. Does one crime have to do with the other? Is the dead man's brother involved? Wagner, Rosina and Anne follow up all threads, also in the city's darkest corners and into the military spiderweb.

I enjoyed reading this book, mainly due to the historic descriptions of the city. This time, I found the crime fiction part somewhat underwhelming, it came a bit short. However, I wull go on with this series.

This book also is a hit when it comes to my own categories. It is from my TBR, it is a series book, set in my local region (65km away) and I can use it for the CalendarCAT. It is a bit of a stretch, but when I started reading, we had the yearly little storm and flood here – just like the background setting in the book. :)

Hi everyone! I'm still here! The first weeks of January I had to work a lot and didn't do much else besides eating and sleeping. ANd now we just came back from a 2 week vacation (Canary Island cruise . it was lovely!). I hope to be back in a more regular way in the future. At the moment, I am reading one book (Im Schatten des Feuerbaums, the third installment in a trilogy which I have always read on vacations) and am listening to another (Qualityland, an audiobook recommended by my sister and Birgit/MissWatson).

>34 Chrischi_HH: Glad you had a good time on your cruise and looking forward to seeing what else you've been reading! :)

>34 Chrischi_HH: Hi! Are you enjoying Qualityland? We listened to this on a car trip and had a lot of fun repeating the best bits.

>34 Chrischi_HH: Canary Island cruise sounds lovely - that's something I've been thinking about doing one of these years; which cruise line was it?

>35 rabbitprincess: Thanks RP! I'll try to keep on reading and posting, but once again I am struggling a little bit. :(
>36 MissWatson: Review coming up just below. ;)
>37 LisaMorr: It was lovely! The islands are so beautiful and the local food is so good! I hope to be back one day, for longer and not just a day here and a day there. IMO this is the only disadvantage of a cruise, you just don't have enough time to see everything. We went with TUI Cruises and Mein Schiff 1, which is German. The ship is new (less than a year) for just below 3,000 passengers. For us as newbies this was just right. We were told that the Mein Schiff audience is typically more relaxed/quiet than Aida and even more the international cruise lines, but we have nothing to compare it to, so we don't know if that's true. {Do you have Instagram? I posted quite a few pictures, my name is for_more_hygge}

On Sunday I finished my first ever audio book:



Book #2:
Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling, 2017
Audiobook, 8h26 (384 pages), German (narrated by Marc-Uwe Kling)
Genre/Tags: fiction, science fiction, dystopia, robots, satire, humour, German
Category: Marzipan (wishlist), The Devil (CalendarCAT)
Bingo: Read a CAT
Countries visited: -
Rating:

The author Marc-Uwe Klingt became known for his cangaroo trilogy, with the socialist cangaroo. I have not read or listened to these yet, but right before my holiday Birgit/MrsWatson pushed Qualityland to the top of my wishlist.

The story is set in the future, where a huge part of our daily life is automated. Talking drones are delivering parcels, cars are driving on their own and the humans don't have to think much anymore. Qualityland is a satire of the technology evolution that we are already facing today, with all its (dis)advantages. Isn't it nice to get delivered whatever you want without even having to order it? But what if you get something, that you actually don't want?

I found the story very smart, because there is so much truth in it, but it is also really entertaining. I like the way the audio version was narrated by the author, though I have no listened to others to have any kind of comparison.

Sometimes I found myself drift away while listening, though, losing focus. I'm not sure if it's because of the story or simply because I'm not used to audiobooks. I give it 3 ½ stars, but will certainly try more audiobooks, including the cangaroo books. :)

Fits the Safer Internet Day in February, so I'm countig it for the CalendarCAT.

>38 Chrischi_HH: Hi Chrischi, I'm glad you liked it. I do not listen to audiobooks very often, myself, because I also tend to drift off. And the narrator can make or break an audiobook, I just couldn't stand Hannelore Hoger reading Mittagsstunde. But Kling does a really good job of reading his own stuff, and the advantage of the Känguru books is that the chapters are mostly dialogue and very short.

>40 DeltaQueen50: I also don't listen to many audio books but did find that I needed to learn how to listen. At first I would drift off or fall asleep, but I found that if I did something else along with listening it worked better for me. So I often play a simple computer game of "Match 3" while I listen. I also found that at first a YA book, a series book or a re-read worked best. The less complicated the book the easier it was for my ears to adjust.

>39 MissWatson: >40 DeltaQueen50: Good to hear that I'm not the only one with these struggles. Maybe I just need to "practice". :)

>40 DeltaQueen50: I play sudoku while listening to audiobooks, but usually I listen while cooking or exercising. I avoid funny books when at the gym. It's really embarrassing to burst out laughing while using the equipment.

>41 Chrischi_HH: I listen while driving. When I was commuting more, I listened to all sorts, Dickens worked really well. Now I drive less often to work, it's short stories, so I don't have huge gaps between chapters and forget where I'd got to...

>41 Chrischi_HH: - I love audiobooks but I usually only listen to them when I am out walking or puttering around in the kitchen. I would totally fall asleep if I listened in bed and I just don't trust the "sleep" function to stop the audiobook. Nothing worse then resuming the audiobook in a weird spot, confused and wondering what I may have missed.

>42 VivienneR:
>43 Helenliz:
>44 lkernagh:

I love audio books. They have enabled me to double by "reading" time. I have a 30 minute commute each way so that's an extra hour per day of "reading." I also read when I go to bed with the timer, mostly set it for 30 minutes and it always turns off. Rarely have I fallen asleep! I wish I could "listen" while I cook and work in the kitchen, but the husband always has the TV on in the family room (great room--family room and kitchen) so can't do that. I also listen while I walk so I would say I read an extra book per week, maybe more by using an audiobook. We drove to Boston last year for vacation, 12 hours each way and needless to say I think I listened to 3 entire books and started on the 4th by the time we got home. I used to read 50-70 books per year, but since I've been listening to audiobooks I usually top 100 each year.

>38 Chrischi_HH: Lots of nice pics, thanks for pointing me to Instagram!

>39 MissWatson:, >40 DeltaQueen50:, >41 Chrischi_HH:, >42 VivienneR:, >43 Helenliz:, >44 lkernagh:, >45 Tess_W: I must admit that I probably haven't given audio books enough of a chance. Back in the early '90s I had a regular drive from Orange County (south of LA) to Bakersfield, CA and depending on when I got out of Bakersfield, it could take from ~2 to 4 hours. Someone gave me an audio book of The Gunslinger narrated by Stephen King, who I love, and I thought it would be great to listen to during the commute.

I really liked it, but I just couldn't focus on it while driving, so I was constantly rewinding to listen over and over because I didn't want to miss anything. I've never gone back to try them again - I feel that whatever else I was doing would detract from listening or my listening would detract from what I was doing.

From reading all these posts, maybe there's some options I could try, like listening while walking.

>46 LisaMorr: You're welcome! :)

Really interesting discussion on how we all handle audiobooks differently. I can totally see myself listening to them when travelling by train, but not so much when driving a car. I'm not a regular driver, so I think I would feel distracted. I get to work by bike and as I am crossing a few bigger streets, I prefer not to use earphones to hear what's going on around me.
What sounds best to me is listening while being on trains/planes, when walking or when ironing. That's what I am going to try next, because I hope that also works vice-versa and motivates me to do the ironing more regularly. :-)))

Book #3:
Im Schatten des Feuerbaums by Carla Federico, 2012
Paperback, 705 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, historical fiction, family saga, women, romance, Chile
Category: The Seven Towers (series), The Devil (TBRCAT)
Bingo: Artistic character
Countries visited: Chile
Rating:

This is the last entry in Carla Federico's Chile trilogy. My grandmother owns all three books, and I have always borrowed them for holiday reading in summer. Last year, I didn't find the time for it, so I took the chance when we left for our cruise holiday.

The book follows the story of Aurelia and her best friend Viktoria in 1909's Santiago de Chile. While Viktoria wants to become a nurse and to fight for women, Aurelia follows her to the city to become a professional painter. But soon Aurelia fall in love with a wealthy man, gives up on her dreams and gets separated from her best friend. Both women suffer from big changes in their lives and have to take their lives into their own hands.

Thr first two books told the story of Aurelia's and Viktoria's mothers and grandmothers and I enjoyed reading about the third generation. The early 1900s are an interesting time in Chile, and I think the author did a good job in mirroring the diverse life in her book. However, the romance part and especially the ending is – for my personal taste – a bit too much. On holiday I don't care about that and can still enjoy the book, but I'm not sure if I would have liked it if I had read it at home.

>48 Chrischi_HH: That's an interesting observation about feeling more charitable towards a book when reading it in the holidays. This might explain the selection at airport bookstores...

>49 MissWatson: Yeah, that might be a reason. On holiday I am more willing to relax and read something "light", which I rather try to avoid at home. Especially when we talk about romance and chick lit, thats's typical holiday reading for me.

At the moment I am reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which I am enjoying immensely. I am about halfway through, so there will still go a few days. In the meantime I wanted to show you two pictures from Lübeck. I shot them on one of the few days with hardly any wind, so the reflections were almost perfect:

.

Happy weekend everyone!

>50 Chrischi_HH: What beautiful photos! Also, I'm glad you are enjoying The Nightingale, which is sitting on my shelves although I haven't read it yet.

>50 Chrischi_HH: What a beautiful city and wonderful photography! I enjoyed The Nightingale too!

Gorgeous pictures!

What fabulous pictures!

Excellent photos!

>50 Chrischi_HH: What brilliant photos - the water is like a mirror!

I'm here to echo what all the others are saying - "Gorgeous Pictures"!

>50 Chrischi_HH: - What fabulous pictures! I love how the water is so still, making a perfect mirror. Looking forward to your thoughts on The NIghtingale. I haven't read that one yet.

Love the photos.

Beautiful!

Thanks for all your lovely comments. I'm happy you like the photos - and I promise that there will be more throughout the year. But now, I finished another book:



Book #4:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, 2015
Paperback, 531 pages, English
Genre/Tags: historical fiction, WWII, Holocaust, France, women, sisters, family, Resistance
Category: Salt Store Houses (TBR), Hüx Street (BBs), The Devil (RandomCAT&CalendarCAT)
Bingo: LT rating of 4.0+
Countries visited: France
Rating:

The Nightingale was a BB from lindapanzo back in 2015. My sister had listened to the audio a while ago and thought this was the perfect Christmas gift for me last year. So now I just had to read it. And I'm glad I did!

We get to know Vianne, living in a small French city with her family, and her younger sister Isabelle, who has always been a little rebel, running away from schools. When France is entering the war and the Germans later occupy the country, both find their ways to cope with the always changing situations and to do something good in these ugly times.

The Nightingale seems to be neatly researched, I even learned a little bit. As I grew up in Germany, I know quite a lot about how war was being here, but I didn't know many details about the occupation and the action of the French Resictance. The story is a mix of love and beauty, but also of the terrors of war and loss. Not always easy to endure, but still unputdownable. I loved every single page of it.

>61 Chrischi_HH: A 5 Star Read! The Nightingale seems to rate highly with everyone - good thing I have it on my shelves!

>61 Chrischi_HH: I have that book on my ereader and am going to move it to the front!

>62 DeltaQueen50: >63 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. :)

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Book #5:
Der Pinguin meines Lebens (Engl. The Penguin Lessons) by Tom Michell, 2015
Paperback, 251 pages, German
Genre/Tags: autobiography, penguins, Argentina, friendship
Category: The Devil (CalendarCAT)
Bingo: anima lin title
Countries visited: Argentina
Rating:

My mother bought this book in a sale and gave it to me to read it first. In Der Pinguin meines Lebens author Tom Michell tells the story of his encouter with a penguin back in the 70s when he worked as a College teacher in Argentina. When travelling, he saw penguins at a beach, covered with oil, all being dead. But then he realized that one of them was not dead. An impulse made him take the penguin with him, clean it from the oil and feed him. When he tried to bring the penguin back to the ocean, it followed him right back instead of swimming his own way again, so Tom decided to bring it home with him to the College.
This was a short and very enjoyable read. Tom does not only tell the penguin's story, but also included information about people, politics and landscape of Argentina. I felt both entertained and learned some bits about a far away country.

I chose this one for the April CalendarCAT and World Penguin Day. I'm counting it, even though I finished it a day early.

>64 Chrischi_HH: I have that book on my TBR - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

>64 Chrischi_HH: Sounds delightful! It's a BB for me!

Book #6:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, 2008
Paperback, 320 pages, English
Genre/Tags: fiction, India, corruption, poverty, murder, Booker Prize
Category: Marzipan (wishlist), The Devil (RandomCAT)
Bingo: prize-winning book
Countries visited: India
Rating:

The White Tiger has been on my radar for quite a while, and I was happy that I found a copy in my favourite little used book store. I was even more happy – and surprised – when I saw that was an original copy from India. Maybe it was an immigrant or a tourist who brought it here, I don't know.
I did not know in detail what the story was about before starting the book, but I was sucked right into it. Balram is a smart young boy from a small, poor village in India. One day, he becomes the driver of a rich man and get the chance to see a different world than the one he had been used to, the world of servants and masters. Balram is a very loyal servant, until one day he sees a possibility to become a master on his own.
There is so much inside this book: Indian castes and freedom, poverty and wealth, fear and hope, inequality and justice. It is impossible to write a review that lives up to the book, so please read it yourself (if you haven't done so already anyway). This is one that I see myself reading a second time in a few years.

I love the cover, by the way. Colourful, and closely connected to the story.

>65 Jackie_K: >66 Tess_W: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. It's a little book that made me smile. :)

>67 Chrischi_HH: - I really enjoyed that book too when I read it a couple of months ago. I didn't really know what to expect going into it and was pleasantly surprised. Balram's voice so engaging.

And another month has passed. I tend to keep the computer offline after work and to not read as much as I would like to... But hey, I finished two books in May:



Book #7:
Kald mig prinsesse by Sara Blædel, 2005
Paperback, 311 pages, Danish
Genre/Tags: fiction, Nordic, Denmark, crime fiction, mytery, internet dating, series
Category: Salt Store Houses (TBR), The Seven Towers (series), The Devil (SeriesCAT)
Bingo: part of a series
Countries visited: Denmark
Rating:

Kald mig prinsesse (Engl. Call Me Princess) is the second book in the Danish crime series with investigator Louise Rick, set in Copenhagen. It is a typical police procedural with focus on what happened and who did it. The book takes the reader into the online dating world. A woman is found to be raped and severely beaten when meeting a man she first met online. When a second victim is reported to be dead, the pressure on Louise and the team increases.
I liked this second book in the series. It is fast-paced, and I enjoy the combination of investigator Louise and her best friend, the journalist Camilla. I also found the overall topic of the internet dating world, one which I have never really been active in, quite interesting. I'm looking forward to the next book, which is already waiting on my shelves.

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Book #8:
Die Listensammlerin by Lena Gorelik, 2013
Paperback, 348 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, German, Russia, family, illness, lists
Category: Salt Store Houses (TBR), The Devil (TBRCAT)
Bingo: two human figures on cover
Countries visited: Germany, Rusia
Rating:

Die Listensammlerin was a BB from another forum from 2014, and I remember I bought it a station book store when I had a longer waiting time. I was meaning to get to it soon, but never did it. So May's TBRCat was my chance.
Sofia loves lists. She writes lists about everything, because they give order to her life. Her young daughter was born with a half heart, and Sofia is still trying to adapt to these circumstandes. Her grandmother suffers from dementia and Sofia herself struggles to get back to writing books for a living. A second plot line is set in the 1970's Sovjet Union, with focus on Grischa from an underground movement. Towards the end of the book, both story lines are connected and family secrets are uncovered.
Unfortunately I didn't like the book as much as I had hoped for. I cannot really say why, though. I think partly it was due to the style of writing, with rather long, convoluted sentences. And partly maybe the way the story was set up, as it took me a while to get into it and to understand how the characters were related to each other. I know a lot of people who liked the book, so maybe it is just me...

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New pictures from Lübeck will follow in the next few days. :)

End of September. Already. 15 books read. Only. Hardly any Lübeck pictures posted.

This is not what I had hoped for, but I guess not being here that often is generally a good thing for me - because this means that I am not sitting with my computer all the time. In the past months I've often head enough computer time at work and have tried to stay offline in the evenings. However, only having read 15 books in that time is not enough. I really should stay away from my smartphone, too...

I hope you all had a good summer and enjoyed the sunny days. I must admit that my summer was great. I spent a lot of time outside with friends, went swimming, drank wine and spent a lovely week in Greece with my sister. I had not heard of the island before booking, but my first time at Zakynthos will certainly not be the last. I totally fell in love with the landscape, the small bays, the clear and salty water and the people. There are a few pictures on my Instagram, if you want to have a look (my name is for_more_hygge).

I have seven open reviews and will post them whenever I find the time (which will not happen in the coming two weeks, because I will spend most of the time in Denmark - first in Copenhagen and then in Jutland with my boyfriend's family).

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Book #9 | Pachinko

Book #10 | Fünf

Book #11 | Passagier 23 (audioplay)

Book #12 | Carl Hagenbeck

Book #13:
In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts (Engl. In Times of Fading Light) by Eugen Ruge, 2011
Paperback, 426 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, Germany, Russia, DDR/GDR, family
Category: Salt Store Houses (TBR), Passat (Geo focus), The Devil (Random & CalendarCAT)
Bingo: Eastern European setting
Countries visited: Germany, Russia
Rating:

In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts tells the story of an East-German family, spanning over four generations from the 1950s to the early 2000s. The reader moves back and forth in time and sees family events through the eyes of different family members. The lives and events seem mundane, but feel very realistic and capture the respective times very well.
I liked this book, but due to some longer reading breaks I sometimes had problems to get back into the story. With the time shifts and changes of perspective it is better not to have many breaks, though the table of content might help (I only discovered it towards the end). And it certainly helps if you know a bit about (East) German history.

Chosen for August CalendarCAT (Commemoration Day for the Construction Start of the Berlin Wall), but also counted for the September RandomCAT (autumn equinox).

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Book #14:
Der Augensammler (Engl. The Eye Collector) by Sebastian Fitzek, 2010
Paperback, 442 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, Germany, Thriller, Mystery, Serial Killer
Category: Salt Store Houses (TBR), Brodtener Ufer (overflow)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Der Augensammler has been sitting on my shelves for quite a while, because I simply was afraid of it. I've heard many times that it is disgusting and shocking and couldn't imagine reading it at home. I decided that the holiday in Greece is the right time for it. And I'm happy I did!
The main story is the hunt of a serial killer killing children and taking one of their eyes. He gives the parents and the police 45 hours to find the child alive. Our main character, a former detective and now journalist covering crimes, is drawn deeply into the dark net that the killer has set for him.
I found this to be much less disgusting than expected. (Maybe reading Harry Hole is a good preparation...) All in all a very good thriller, that was hard to put down. There is a second book, Der Augenjäger, which I will read soon.

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Book #15 | Die Landkarte der Finsternis

>71 Chrischi_HH: Zakynthos is actually the only Greek island I've ever visited - I really liked it, too. I'd love to visit some of the other islands as well.

Welcome back. Looking forward to your comments on Pachinko.

>74 Jackie_K: A friend of mine loves Kefalonia. But I guess all Greek islands are beautiful...

>75 MissWatson: Thank you. Let's see when I find the time to write a small review, but I can say that I really liked Pachinko.

Another month, another book. :) I hope to be able to add the missing reviews above until next weeked.

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Book #16:
Rungholts Ehre by Derek Meister, 2006
Paperback, 536 pages, German
Genre/Tags: fiction, Historical fiction, Germany, Mystery, Crime fiction, Middle Ages, Hanseatic League
Category: Passat (geo focus), Brodtener Ufer (overflow), The Devil (Calendar & SeriesCAT)
Bingo: -
Countries visited: Germany
Rating:

Oh well, another new series... My aunt recommended this one to me and as the books are set in Middle Age Lübeck, during the successful years of the Hanseatic League, I couldn't resist.

Rungholt is one of the well-off merchants in Lübeck. When his apprentice Daniel is accused of murder, Rungholt believes in him and sets of to find the true murderer. Soon he finds himself in a intricate net beween friends and enemies, rich and poor, and struggles on the parallel planning of his daughters engament.

I found this first book in the series very entertaining and enjoyed reading it. I also felt the historical setting convincing, even though the author mixes some things together, which happened about 100 year apart from each other (as he mentions in the epilogue). I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

(Read for the October SeriesCAT, but also counting it for the CalendarCAT – end of October is the 61st "Nordic Film Festival" in Lübeck, so a book featuring the Hanseatic League certainly fits well.)

Oh my, this year has been flying by. With supersonic speed. Only 18 books read , hardly any pictures, some missing reviews and generally only little time spent on LT. Real life had taken over on full speed. I had a good year, with fantastic holidays in the Canary Islands (or rather: a cruise ship) and on Zakynthos, lots of football (the first time in many years that I felt passion for a team again), quite a few concerts, two short visits in Copenhagen, time with family and friends, and lots of work. However, I missed to have more time for myself, and I think I spent too much time playing stupid games on my smartphone.

The last two books I finished in October and December were The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood and Kun ét liv by Sara Blædel. I liked both of them, and am especially happy for the Danish Louise Rick series by Sara Blædel. Kun ét liv is the third book in the series, and now I need to find the next books somewhere.

I have hope that next year will improve in terms of reading, and I am setting myself some other goals (such as less time with the mobile phone!). Let's see how that goes. Over the next few days I'll post my new thread over in the 2020 group and I'm looking forward to another year of reading in this lovely group. It's a pity that I have been around so little, I would love to follow along a bit more again next year.

Enjoy the last few days of 2019 - see you in 2020!

You were so busy it was good that you actually got any reading done!

Happy New Year!