Alexander the Great

How's your jogging going, frankie and dreamcompetitor? I go running twice a week in winter and three times a week in Summer - because I can go before work in Summer. I try to get in a 5km to 7km and an interval training every week. I've had issues with my left knee - runner's knee, apparently - but I'm too addicted to running to ever give up.

I watched the new episodes of Elementary and Once Upon a Time tonight. I was never a big fan of Once Upon a Time, but it was okay. And now I've come to the point where I can't ever stop watching it until the final episode ever, even if at some point I'd hate it. I do love Elementary, though!

I remember when we moved to our new house, I really didn't want to move. My parents loved the new house, but I hated the prospect of moving. The house we moved to was a kind of demo house for the new neighbourhood they'd built, so it had furniture to make it cosy. In one of the bedrooms, there were two books. The guy who sold the house gave me the book and that kind of won me over a little. Only while reading it did I notice that a few pages were missing right in the middle... @Athena At the Boekenfestijn, I will often go through the entire pile to find the book in the best condition too!

The only charity bookstore I've ever been to is the Oxfam store in Gent. I'm sure there's one closer in Kortrijk, but I never go to that city if I can help it. It's been a while, though, so I don't know the prices, but they do sound similar. I know my sister brings the books she's read and doesn't want to keep to the Oxfam bookstore. I'm that guy who reads a book, didn't like it that much but still can't give it away either.

I'm the same way. I won't buy a book that's damaged already - not in a "regular" bookshop. It's different of course if you're in a second hand bookstore, but even then I'll always look for the book in the best condition. Even if it means turning every copy around. That's the reason I almost never buy a book in the bookstore in my town. There's only one small bookstore that's part of a chain and not only are they expensive, but the books are often damaged in the store already. I think/hope they can still sell those books in special sales or do something meaningful with them, otherwise it would be a shame indeed!

I just noticed the same problem with the last book I finished. It's not on my "read" shelf, but if I look for it in my shelves, I can find it.

@bobblybear Pure was not at all what I expected from the blurb either. I didn't hate it, but it was quite strange - and not in the good way. Very mixed feelings on it. Blood & Beauty review Sarah Dunant is becoming one of my favourite authors in the historical fiction genre. She brings 15th/16th century Italy to life so vividly that I just couldn't stop reading. Dunant takes historical events and describes them vividly, filling in what we don't and can never know with her own imagination. Previously, I had only seen the tv series The Borgias and this novel takes place around the same time. I felt Dunant treats the characters with respect and takes care not to present gossip and slander as fact. The main characters were quite complex and I reckon it must be a difficult balance given that these are real people. This had the potential of being an epic novel, but stopped too abruptly to become that. I reckon there's a sequel and I can only fully make up my mind after finishing the entire story, but I loved what I read so far. This book reminded me of the works of Ken Follett and George R.R. Martin.

I'm seeing Rammstein on June 16 I'm from Belgium myself, but as long as they don't play too far north I'm perfectly willing to travel to The Netherlands (or the UK) to see them!

I'm seeing Rammstein too! I'm seeing them in June at Graspop, a Belgian festival. This year, I saw Epica in Brussels and two days later in London. I'm seeing them in Dordrecht (The Netherlands) in June and then five days later at Graspop. If there's an Epic Metal Fest in October, I'm seeing them there too. They're my favourite band as you can probably tell. Also hope to see Tarja at Graspop!

Pure review Pure is unlike any other historical novel I've read. It was never quite clear to me which was the focus - sketching 18th century Paris on the brink of revolution, a story of a man from Normandy dismantling a cemetery in the bustling capital and changing in the process, or a detailed look at an extraordinary year in an otherwise simple life. Nearly every character is peculiar in their own way, interesting and elusive. I did find the women were very one-dimensional and the author could definitely have done better in that department. Heloïse's willingness was hard for me to believe as well. All by all, an odd novel that I don't regret reading, but don't think I'd recommend to someone unless I knew them very well.

Mr. Brightside by The Killers (I actually rarely listen to anything but Epica or the occasional Lacuna Coil)

I loved Nightwish with Tarja, I was a total fanboy. I even have the Nightwish biography! I didn't like it with Anette and I didn't like how much their music changed. When Anette left and Floor replaced her for the remained of the American tour, I thought the Americans were so damn lucky to have Floor as the singer. I did like the new cd with Floor a bit better, but it's not like the Nightwish of old at all. I'm hoping with the new album, it will be better again because Floor will also be participating in making the music. I saw them live with Floor in December 2015 and weirdly enough didn't like them - maybe because it was the end of the tour and they were tired, or because they played so many songs from the Anette era that I don't know at all. But to be clear, I love Floor Janssen. Fun fact: she was in After Forever, the band Mark Jansen was in before he left to found Epica (my favourite band). I think Floor is so strong - how she kept making music with ReVamp, how she battled that burn-out and then found her place in Nightwish. She's a much better fit than Anette imo. Sorry, I went off track there a bit. Tends to happen when I talk about my favourite music! Frankie, this is your chance. Go and fill that gap in the Finnish book market and write your own horror novel!

I would think the Finnish would excel at horror! Something to do with the landscape and the melancholy feeling I associate with nordic countries. Also the music (my favourite metal band is Epica, which is Dutch, but Nightwish was my favourite for years and years and they're Finnish).

I look forward to reading your review. I wasn't 100% convinced when I bought it, so I'm curious what you'll think of it.

I've never gone on a Sunday before, but it was very nice! Not too crowded and there were still plenty of books. There's been times I went and the prices were quite expensive - for Het Boekenfestijn, that is. They do totally ruin you when it comes to prices for books - De Stad was 8,50 € and I almost didn't buy it because it felt so expensive... I knew I'd regret it if I didn't, though. Glad to hear your sister liked it, it seems very interesting! I even found some space on my bookshelves ^^

I went to a book fair today. The books are very cheap there - they're the copies that can't be sold in bookstores because there is very slight damage to them, often imperceptible. There are three of them a year in cities near me - two in Gent, one in Kortrijk - and they last for four days. In the past, I've noticed that if I attend every one every year, you see the same books again and again and you don't find very much. But if you leave some time between them, it feels like those first book fairs again, where you'd come home with a big bag of books without having paid an exorbitant amount. This happened today as well - I think it had been two years since I went to one. I came home with ten books for a total of 40 euros. Faithless, by Karin Slaughter The Returned, by Seth Patrick (based on Les Revenants, a French show I loved) Onsterfelijke laatste woorden, by Terry Breverton (original title: Immortal last words) Restless, by William Boyd The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, or the Murder at Road Hill House, by Kate Summerscale The Bone Garden, by Tess Gerritsen The Miniaturist, by Jessie Burton Alice, het wolvenmeisje, by Kristin Hannah (original title: Magic Hour) Ijzige stilte, by Wulf Dorn (original title: Kalte Stille, English title: Cold Silence) De Stad, by Stella Gemmel (original title: The City) The next challenge will be to find space on my bookshelves... very happy with my catch, though!

Which is the book fair you attend, Needle? I'm in Belgium too and I only know of het Boekenfestijn

Another Dutch book! Hard to believe I've only read one book in English this year. I'm ahead of my reading challenge - the book reviewed below was the 6th this year and I set my goal at 20, when my goal last year was 15. Oorlog en terpentijn review English title: War and Turpentine War and Turpentine was published and almost instantly it became a must-read. Four years after publication I am late in reading it, but better late than never! I enjoyed reading this book. We hear so much about World War I, but a personal story of a soldier always gives us a more intimate look. However, that look only starts around halfway throughout the book - before that, we learn about life in Ghent in the beginning of the 20th century. I liked reading about that very much, because I know the city, but know little of its history. Seeing as I usually read in English, it was special to read a book about World War I that was written by a Flemish author, with memories of and from a Flemish grandfather. More than once, I felt this recognition, also because of my own West-Flemish roots. I really felt this is my history, a part of my identity. That doesn't happen often when I read. Hertmans uses words to paint a raw portrait of a shockingly raw era, both before and during the war. Having said that, I'm not entirely convinced this book is as good as so many people say it is. In the beginning, the author reveals that he has had the notebooks on which the book is based in his possession for years. He kept postponing the project, but sped it up when the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I was coming up and he knew the market would be flooded with books on the subject. I could sense the speed in the chaotic structure. I'm not sure if the blame lies with the author, the editor, or both. It feels as if the book wants to be too much at once. Sometimes, we are served reflections from the author, other times diary fragments, other times memories. It doesn't match, though. It's probably a matter of personal taste, but the author and his personality were too present for me. Especially toward the end, Hertmans loses himself in endless philosophical reflections that don't go anywhere or reveal insights. He seems to want to display his knowledge and his way with words far too often. He is a virtuoso with words and writes very fluently, but especially toward the end, it felt too forced. So this book leaves me with mixed feelings - truly interesting, I'd recommend it, but too much doesn't feel right to be over the moon about this.

In het gezelschap van de courtisane review English title: In the Company of the Courtesan Having studied history and loving to read, historical fiction has always appealed to me. This novel is set in 16th century Venice. I loved exploring that era and exploring the workings of high-end prostitution in that time. However, I think it would have been better if we'd seen more of Fiammetta's point of view, the actual courtesan. Everything is written from Bucino's point of view - the dwarf - and while he's certainly an interesting and complex character, especially toward the end it would not have hurt to see other points of view. The other characters deserved a bit more of the spotlight as well and some plot twists seemed random and didn't serve any purpose, but I still gave it four stars. It's just so easy to read this novel, so easy to get lost in this world and go on adventures with Bucino. Despite the remarks, I loved this journey and would recommend it to anyone.

I've heard so much about Gerard Reve, he's heralded as one of the most brilliant minds of Dutch literature. I haven't read anything by him yet ( ) and the fact that he wasn't mandatory at school might suggest our school system - or at least the Dutch department - was more political than any of us would have guessed. We had to read some Dutch authors, but thinking back on it, it was much more focused on Flemish authors. What kind of books did you have to read at school, Frankie?

@pontalba It's certainly been interesting and also very surprising! I'd compiled a list at the end of 2016 and called it a reading plan. As these things go, other books have been presenting themselves left, right and center, though. That link is indeed the book I read! The Cider House Rules review Brilliant. That is the first word that comes to mind after finishing this novel. The only other novel I've read by John Irving so far was In One Person and in both works, Irving creates a fantastic world that I wasn't ready to leave. The Cider House Rules, about the orphan Homer Wells, his life at the orphanage and later on with his friends at Ocean View, is unlike anything I've read. This must be one of the few novels where the main story is not the orphan looking for his parents. Homer wonders about his mother and imagines her, but never tries to find her. Of course, that would be difficult in the 1940s - but still. Homer lives by rules, both written and unwritten, his entire life. He also learns about bending the rules - and just how far you can go with that. It's a clear theme in the novel, but Irving manages to never overdo it. The characters each have their own past, their own motivations, which is most cases are explored. No character was perfect, yet it made them all even more interesting. Irving doesn't dive deep into their psyche, so you're left wondering at some of their choices, but I like figuring some things out for myself, finding my own explanations. I will surely reread this and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to lose themselves in a book, anyone looking to be completely immersed. -- I loved the Harry Potter series. Then I read The Casual Vacancy, which left me astonished at her talent. Reading the Cormoran Strike novels cemented it for my: J. K. Rowling is my favourite author. Now I know it might be soon to tell after reading only two of his many novels, but both In One Person and The Cider House Rules made such a deep impact on me that I can safely say that John Irving is my favourite male author. Not that the gender of an author matters - just stating it like this since I can't call him my favourite author.

I mostly use The Book Depository, both for myself and for others. If I can't find something there, or it's too expensive, I have a look on Amazon. I live in Belgium, so I don't think Waterstones and Barnes & Noble deliver here. I do love going to Waterstones stores when I'm in Belfast or London. I also reckon if they did deliver to Belgium, the postage would be quite expensive. I've only used Wordery once, to buy a gift for a friend. I'd never heard of the website before.

Take care, Ben. I hope you'll be okay!

Met de deur in huis review I work at a judicial officer's and this book is written by two judicial officers. It's a compilation of stories of what their job entails, memorable anecdotes, tips on how to handle the visit of a judicial officer, etc. It's a very short read - I read it on the way to London and back and I slept in between. It was a very enjoyable read - quite some things are very recognisable from work, but I've also learnt things I didn't know yet. It's a book I'd definitely recommend with the necessary professional pride.

I started reading John Irving's The Cider House Rules last week. At work, a book written by two judicial officers-to-be is circulating and I was next on the list, though. Because Irving's book's 684 pages, I thought I'd take the other book with me to read during travel to London. I thought I'd be adventurous and not take a spare book... then on the way noticed this book had 204 pages. So I obviously finished it and had no choice but to sleep and listen to music on parts of the way back. I went to London and as one does in London, I bought books. I read about Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London many years ago and was interested. I saw this one in London, so I had to buy it. I saw there were two more, Moon over Soho and Whispers Under Ground, as part of a series. Obviously, I had to buy those two. Then I also bought a collection of stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural. I almost bought Misery by Stephen King because I read a fanfiction based on it years ago. I ended up putting it back since I was buying the three Ben Aaronovitch novels already. Of course I now regret not getting the Stephen King one.