Athena Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hey everyone, I used Google and found these forums. Since I love to read, I thought I might as well join! I'm a (new) member of other book forums as well, but I thought it'd be nice to find some (more) people who also love to read. I'm hoping to find some nice recommendations here as well as to meet nice new people. Most of my friends and family aren't really into reading that much. They read from time to time, but not as much as I do and often different books than I read. I'd love to talk more about the (types of) books that interest me. I'm a 27-year-old woman who loves to read. I live in the Netherlands and study chemistry (well, chemistry & physics to be more precise, but more focused on the chemistry part). I'm currently working on my master research. I've always loved to read, as soon as I was able to read properly. My favourite genres are fantasy, science-fiction, (contemporary) fiction and chick-lit (as it's called). I also like literature and I have a few detective books. I do own some thrillers and horror books but they're not my favourite genres anymore (I used to read those more when I was younger). I own a lot of books, more unread than read ones. It's my dream to have a room full of books in my home one day. Ever since I'm able to understand English properly, I've been reading books in English rather than their Dutch translated versions. I hardly read any Dutch books these days (I do own quite a few), I just feel the original English flows better than the translations. Of course if the language of the book is originally Dutch then it's a different story (but I haven't read a Dutch book in ages). I once had the aspiration of becoming a writer, but these days it's doubtful it will happen. My other hobbies include writing (but I don't do that that much anymore), spending time with our animals (dogs, chicken, goats), watching something such as a tv series or a film and playing videogames. But I spend more time reading than any of these. I have a disability that makes it tiring for me to hear sounds (all input, but sounds are the worst) so that's why reading is the most easy to do. I'd love to spend some more time watching things or playing games but it tires me out quickly. So I often choose to read instead. I can read pretty fast, and have no problem with bigger books (I love them!). Of course, a smaller book can be nice too. I used to read a lot of information books too when I was younger (books that contain information about a certain subject), but these days I kind of know a lot of things already so I hardly read any new ones (other than for my study). I hope this doesn't sound too arrogant, it's just that I know most of the things I wanted to know (or know where to find the information if needed). I have picked up an information book on occasion only to then find out it didn't contain too much new information. So lately I mostly read novels (books with a story) and not information books. Well that's enough about me, I hope to have some fun here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashleighjane Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 to the BCF I'm sure that you will have fun here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hello Athena! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hello and welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hello Athena....you befriended me on Goodreads.... ....hope you will learn to love it here and you will soon be logging in everyday... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 I'm really liking it here so far! Thanks for the welcome, everyone . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hello Athena, and welcome, I'm sure you'll fit right in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hi Athena, I hope you enjoy yourself at BCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hello Athena, welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Hello Athena and welcome to the forum! Ever since I'm able to understand English properly, I've been reading books in English rather than their Dutch translated versions. I hardly read any Dutch books these days (I do own quite a few), I just feel the original English flows better than the translations. Of course if the language of the book is originally Dutch then it's a different story (but I haven't read a Dutch book in ages). I once had the aspiration of becoming a writer, but these days it's doubtful it will happen. Like you, I'm also a non-native English speaker, and like you, I try to read as many books in English as possible I think it's really important that we do so, so we can maintain our sense and understanding of the language! Do you have any favorite Dutch authors? I'm very ignorant on the subject, and I was wondering if you had any recommendations? Also, some of the members on here are doing Around the World challenges where they will try to read a book written by an author from each (?) of the countries in the world, and I think you could recommend them some titles My other hobbies include writing (but I don't do that that much anymore), spending time with our animals (dogs, chicken, goats), watching something such as a tv series or a film and playing videogames. But I spend more time reading than any of these. Dogs, chicken and goats, sounds like a lovely and probably a lively bunch! I love dogs, what kinds do you have? We have a thread for pets on here, take a look if you like. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see a picture of your animal family Edit: I just went to look at the thread and noticed that you'd already posted on it, sorry! I will now go and read your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hello Athena and welcome to the forum! Like you, I'm also a non-native English speaker, and like you, I try to read as many books in English as possible I think it's really important that we do so, so we can maintain our sense and understanding of the language! Do you have any favorite Dutch authors? I'm very ignorant on the subject, and I was wondering if you had any recommendations? Also, some of the members on here are doing Around the World challenges where they will try to read a book written by an author from each (?) of the countries in the world, and I think you could recommend them some titles Thanks for your welcome! Hmm, well there are some Dutch books I like. Unfortunately there are very few Dutch books in two of my favourite genres, namely fantasy and science-fiction. Some of my favourite Dutch authors though write books for children or young adults, since I used to read much more Dutch when I was younger. Thea Beckman is one of my favourite Dutch authors, she writes mostly historical novels, for young adults. Crusade in Jeans (Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek in Dutch) is my favourite book by her. It's about a boy who gets teleported to the time when there were children's crusades. Thea Beckman has also written a science-fiction trilogy, the first book is called Kinderen van Moeder Aarde, which I love. It takes place in the future and is about two different countries, one ruled by men and military might and another ruled by women and non-violence. I don't know how many of her books have been translated (I don't know if you or anyone here can read Dutch?), though she is pretty famous (Crusade in Jeans has been translated). It's strange because I'm normally not one for historical novels but I love her books. I should reread them sometime (though I don't own all of her books.. maybe I should rectify that XD)! Another book I really liked is Anna Blaman - Op Leven en Dood, I don't know if this was translated in English, it's not that famous I think but I really liked it. It's about a man who battles with depression (it's literature). Another one of my favourites is Arthur Japin - De zwarte met het witte hart, a book about two African brothers, who come to the Netherlands. It's a historical literary novel. One other I really like is Willem Frederik Hermans - Nooit meer slapen, it's about a man, I think a geologist, who travels in Norway to find some answers (again literature). I had to read literature for school you see . There are some Dutch books for adults on my TBR list but I haven't read them yet so I can't comment on them. Dogs, chicken and goats, sounds like a lovely and probably a lively bunch! I love dogs, what kinds do you have? We have a thread for pets on here, take a look if you like. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see a picture of your animal family Edit: I just went to look at the thread and noticed that you'd already posted on it, sorry! I will now go and read your post. I've posted a picture of our dogs, for the chicken I'll have to go outside and take some pictures since we recently got some new chicken and I haven't made any photos yet. Will do that sometime though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hi Athena It sounds as though you have quite an interesting life with so many variations. Your field of study sounds very challenging,but interesting . Do you live on a farm ? Sounds like a mini-one anyhow . Good luck with your reading in the upcoming year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Yep I live on a farm (though we don't have cows or sheep or anything). My parents own the farm and I'm living with them until I'm done studying (which should hopefully be in about half a year). I prefer to travel to university and live here in this beautiful house, rather than living in a room on my own. Our farm is from I think 1629, so it's quite old. Here's a picture of it, this picture was taken before we moved in (about 12-13 years ago), so it's not recent, but I really love this picture. I'd be happy to tell you more about my research some time, but I have to go now, sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thanks for your welcome! Hmm, well there are some Dutch books I like. Unfortunately there are very few Dutch books in two of my favourite genres, namely fantasy and science-fiction. Some of my favourite Dutch authors though write books for children or young adults, since I used to read much more Dutch when I was younger. Thea Beckman is one of my favourite Dutch authors, she writes mostly historical novels, for young adults. Crusade in Jeans (Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek in Dutch) is my favourite book by her. It's about a boy who gets teleported to the time when there were children's crusades. Thea Beckman has also written a science-fiction trilogy, the first book is called Kinderen van Moeder Aarde, which I love. It takes place in the future and is about two different countries, one ruled by men and military might and another ruled by women and non-violence. I don't know how many of her books have been translated (I don't know if you or anyone here can read Dutch?), though she is pretty famous (Crusade in Jeans has been translated). It's strange because I'm normally not one for historical novels but I love her books. I should reread them sometime (though I don't own all of her books.. maybe I should rectify that XD)! I'm one of those people who doesn't read fantasy and sci-fi that much, reading that kind of thing doesn't come naturally to me, unfortunately! But I think a few people on here might be interested in Beckman's novels, maybe you could keep keep talking her up in the sci-fi threads and get some people to read her! I did a search on her and she has been mentioned on here before, in these threads: Children's Books ... For Adults Too? Favorite Author from Your Native Country? Favorite Books from Childhood? Which reminds me that Univerze (a member on here) is also from the Netherlands, she seems to be the one who's mentioned Beckman in the threads. Another book I really liked is Anna Blaman - Op Leven en Dood, I don't know if this was translated in English, it's not that famous I think but I really liked it. It's about a man who battles with depression (it's literature). Another one of my favourites is Arthur Japin - De zwarte met het witte hart, a book about two African brothers, who come to the Netherlands. It's a historical literary novel. One other I really like is Willem Frederik Hermans - Nooit meer slapen, it's about a man, I think a geologist, who travels in Norway to find some answers (again literature). I had to read literature for school you see . There are some Dutch books for adults on my TBR list but I haven't read them yet so I can't comment on them. These all sound like books I might like to read, especially the first one, thanks! I'm going to do a bit of googling and see if I can find copies in English/Finnish. I've posted a picture of our dogs, for the chicken I'll have to go outside and take some pictures since we recently got some new chicken and I haven't made any photos yet. Will do that sometime though . Cool! And don't forget about the goats, too, please How do they get along with the dogs, are they free to play together? Edit: That picture is beautiful, your farm sounds amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 These all sound like books I might like to read, especially the first one, thanks! I'm going to do a bit of googling and see if I can find copies in English/Finnish. You're welcome , I hope you can find them. Cool! And don't forget about the goats, too, please How do they get along with the dogs, are they free to play together? Well the goats are most of the time behind a fence, Pamuk's fine with them (generally they leave each other in peace) but Boris is so young he wants to play with them! But goats play differently than dogs, so it's not a good idea (one of them could get injured). We try to tell him not to play with them (he tries to play even if they are behind a fence) but he keeps trying so far . Thanks for those topics! Sure I can try that, I think Thea Beckman's a great author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Beautiful Athena It'd be so interesting to live in a place that old with that much history ! I dont blame you for wanting to stay there during college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Thanks! I'll tell you about my current research if you want to know (didn't have time yesterday). I'm coding and performing simulations of a system with two types of particles in it, big spheres and tetrahedral clusters of spheres (four spheres attached to each other). These particles could be colloids (small particles, their dimensions are often in the nanometer or micrometer regime). Here's an old picture of the system, just to give you an idea. The system is here in a liquid state, I figured you'd be able to see it better this way rather than when the system is in a solid state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Well the goats are most of the time behind a fence, Pamuk's fine with them (generally they leave each other in peace) but Boris is so young he wants to play with them! But goats play differently than dogs, so it's not a good idea (one of them could get injured). We try to tell him not to play with them (he tries to play even if they are behind a fence) but he keeps trying so far . Yeah, I guess goats would play differently and they might not be very compatible with dogs in that way... Poor Boris, he'd just like to play with everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Athena Sorry for sounding like a Hillbilly (but I AM one ) . Thanks for explaining to me more about your course in college. It's way over my head,so this question may sound stupid,but will this be connected in some way with the health field ? Like will you be doing research on things health-related,like cures for illnesses or whether specific medications will be able to help specific illnesses ? Sorry to sound like a Dingbat. You must have a mighty powerful brain, or else I have a Peabrain . I think it's probably both scenarios . Thank you for trying to explain it to me and for the drawing . I bet your parents are so proud of you for your work in college . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 No problem, you're free to ask . It's not health-related. When deciding what master programme to do, the health programme was one of the options but I didn't pick it. What I'm doing has more application in devices (ie. electronic devices) and lights etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Hi Athena, welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Hello and Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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