Athena's Reading List 2015

[Athena]

A. C. Baantjer and Simon de Waal - De Waal & Baantjer 9: Een Tip van de Sluier

 

 

Genre: Detective

Age-range: Adult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 172

Date read: 06-02-2015

ISBN: 9789048818709

Synopsis (me): A man specifically requests Peter van Opperdoes handles his case. He says someone threatened to kill him, but that he doesn't know who or why, but is he telling the full truth? When his daughter is beat up by two strangers, it appears the threat is real. Will our two detectives get to the bottom of the case?

 

My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon and this was the next De Waal & Baantjer book to read.

 

This book was suspenseful and well written, I liked the writing style. However, I didn't find it as good as the other books in the series (I've read 1-9 now). There were several unexpected plot twists and the book was suspenseful, but I felt it wasn't so suitable to detective out the case yourself. Because for a while in the book, there is a threat but no one has been harmed yet. There weren't that many suspects in the beginning either. As the synopsis and the back of the book say, once the daughter is beat up, then more clues begin to fall in place. This doesn't happen though for the first third of the book at least.

 

I did find the book enjoyable to read, definitely, but I didn't find it as good as the other ones. I prefer it when I can think a bit about a case myself and that wasn't the "case" this time. I did find the book suspenseful and enjoyable and I liked the characters. I also really liked the descriptions of Amsterdam (as I do in each book). Overall then I did enjoy the book but I was a bit disappointed because it wasn't as good as the other ones. That said, it is nice the author(s) are / is trying something different by not having a murder case but instead have someone be threatened and such. I just didn't like the book as much as some of the previous ones in the series (though I did enjoy it!).

 

Rating: (****) (7/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Fantasia 6: Fantasia VI (Sesto Viaggio Nel Regno Della Fantasia)

 

 

Genre: Fantasy

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (ex-library copy)

Pages: 383

Date read: 07-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085921660

Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series)

 

My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon and this was the next, and last, Fantasia book on my TBR (owned books to be read). I previously read books 1 and 2 in the series, but I only own those three, and I thought I'd give book 6 a go since they seem to be generally independent stories, though sometimes with some recurring characters (the main character is always Geronimo Stilton).

 

I liked this book and found it enjoyable but not as much as books 1 and 2. There were several plot twists but some of them I saw coming and found a bit obvious. I felt this book was a bit more predictable, to me, the adult, than books 1 and 2.

 

It was also a bit weird I thought, that in books 1 and 2 there is an evil witch etc., and in this book (or maybe she's been mentioned in books 3-5, I wouldn't know) there turns out to be an even eviler witch. This to me seemed a bit of a cheap way of coming up with another villain, if that makes sense.

 

I did really like the writing style and the illustrations were beautiful. I really liked the characters too. Overall then I did quite enjoy reading this book, but not as much as books 1 and 2. It was still quite an entertaining read and I loved reading it, though. There are quite a few funny bits and I thought the characters were very interesting. Overall then I enjoyed the book but was disappointed with some aspects of it. I did enjoy it a lot though.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

Disney - Donald Duck Dubbel Pocket 2 (re-read)

 

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Genre: Disney

Age-range: Children

Format: Paperback

Pages: 510

Date read: 07-02-2015

ISBN: 9054282088

Synopsis: Stories of Donald Duck and his friends.

 

My thoughts: It was another read-a-thon, so I decided to read the next Donald Duck pocket I owned. Since I re-read book 1 last time, I now re-read book 2.

 

Below are some minireviews of each of the stories.

 

Dagobert Duck en zijn Andere Ik

This was a very enjoyable story of Dagobert Duck and his "other me" who comes from a different dimension. I thought this story was quite entertaining and I loved re-reading it.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Mickey Mouse en de Vervloekte Pandjesjas

This was an enjoyable story about a cursed coat. I'm not quite sure what "pandjes" means, I presume it's a type of coat ("jas" is a coat) from back in the 1980's when these stories were written, but I'm not sure. Either way, the story was quite enjoyable.

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

 

Een Duckstad Klassieker: Het Waait in de Wind

I think this story borrows some elements from the book Gone with the Wind, but I haven't yet read that book so I'm not entirely sure. But definitely some elements, at least. It's a very enjoyable story about Dagobert and Rockerduck being rival candy makers and they start a candy war. Donald and his friends have to help Dagobert win the war, whereas Rockerduck is being helped by the Zware Jongens. I thought this was a very enjoyable story.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Indiana Goofy en de Tafelberg van de Nachtmerries

This was a nice, enjoyable story of Indiana Goofy and a mystery to do with a mountain. I thought it was quite enjoyable.

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

 

Oom Dagobert en het Boek van de Toekomst

This was a very enjoyable story of Oom Dagobert and a book of the future, which makes anything you write in it come true. I thought it was a very enjoyable story.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Oom Dagobert en het Nutteloze Mysterie

This was a very interesting story about an object from outer space. Dagobert finds it. It's quite an enjoyable story with several twists.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Goofy en de Dure Dierenliefde

This was a nice short story of a couple of pages, about Goofy and birds.

Rating: (****) (8/10)

 

Oom Dagobert en de Steen der Onwijzen

This story was suspenseful and a little bit crazy. It was very enjoyable though. Dagobert finds out about this Stone. Now in Dutch the Steen der Wijzen is the Philosopher's Stone is English. The Steen der Onwijzen means as much as the stone of those who are not wise, but I'm not sure what the original English translation was of this name in the English version. Anyway, a legend or such tells of a stone of 'unwise people' which could turn gold into iron (as opposed to turning a metal into gold). Dagobert wants to get this stone at any cost, because if his rival Rockerduck gets it, he could make Dagobert really poor! It's a very enjoyable story and I quite enjoyed it.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

De Verhalen van Goofy: Het Boek der Rijkdom

This is a story within a story. Mickey Mouse is on his way to the cinema, but Goofy stops him and tells him a story that Goofy himself wrote. The story jumps between the two stories, as Mickey has some comments on Goofy's writing. I liked reading this.

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

 

Donald Duck en het Geheim van het Geluk

This is a very enjoyable story about Donald Duck and happiness. The tricky thing is, in Dutch, the word 'geluk' can mean either 'happiness' in English or 'luck'. We have one word for those two things. Either way, Donald is sick of being unhappy so he goes to talk with a someone (for a fee) to tell him how he can become more happy. This guy tells him to look at people who are even worse off than Donald. It's an enjoyable story.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Mickey Mouse - Het Blijft in de Familie

This is a story about Mickey Mouse and one of his relatives from the far future, Meteoor Mouse. It is also about the Zwarte Schim and Zwarte Schim 500, the first one being an ancestor of the latter. Zwarte Schim 500 both travels back in time to kill Mickey so that in his own time there won't be a Meteoor (whom he has trouble killing). Meteoor follows him back in time. While I hadn't read a lot of stories before with Zwarte Schim nor with Meteoor (though he made a brief appearance in one of the Disney stories I read in the past few months I believe), I found the story to be quite enjoyable and easy to follow.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Uit de Oude Dagboeken: Katrien Holmes en de Studie in Rood

This is based on the book Sherlock Holmes and the Study in Scarlet. I found this story to be quite enjoyable. It's about Katrien who goes to work as a teacher for a little boy. So far he's not kept any teacher for very long, because he is so annoying and doesn't want to study. I thought this story was very enjoyable and I quite liked the detective element to it. I haven't yet read any Sherlock Holmes books though I know of them because I've seen films and TV series.

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

 

Mickey's Kapitein Mickey Filmparade

This was an enjoyable story of Mickey and his friends watching a film about two ships, pirates, and Mickey and Boris. I liked the story but I wasn't sure why this 'film' wasn't just the main story, if that makes sense.

Rating: (****) (8/10)

 

Donald Duck en de Snifsnuf Planten

This is an interesting story where Donald is a plant grower and seller. I thought it was an enjoyable story and I quite liked the illustrations of the different plants.

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

 

Oom Dagobert: Het Goud van de Ruimtenevelingen

This is a story about gold in space. I found it enjoyable but not as good as some of the other stories in this book.

Rating: (****) (8/10)

 

Overall I quite enjoyed re-reading this book. Because the first book contained so many of my favourite stories, I've read that first book more often than the rest of them. I remembered bits of these stories but not until I started to read them. Things came back to me as I read the stories and it was really enjoyable to read them again.

 

Overall Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

E. B. White and Garth Williams - Charlotte's Web (Colour Edition)

 

 

Genre: Literature

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 184

Date read: 07-02-2015

ISBN: 9780141331331

Synopsis (GoodReads):The tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs.

 

My thoughts: I have seen a film of this book quite a few years ago. When I saw the book in the library, with its illustrations and big letters, I thought it'd be a nice read for the read-a-thon.

 

This book has nice illustrations. I really liked the characters and the story. The writing style was good though there were a few English words I didn't know. I already knew a large part of the story because of the film, but I still really enjoyed reading the actual book even if the plot twists weren't unexpected for me. It was a very enjoyable story though it was sad sometimes. It's a very moving story about a pig, a girl and a spider.

 

Overall I'm glad I read this book. It's a great story and I found it really enjoyable to read it.

 

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Fantasia 7: Fantasia VII (Viaggio Nel Regno Della Fantasia 7: Settimo Viaggio Nel Regno Della Fantasia)

 

 

Genre: Fantasy

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 384

Date read: 07-02-2015 <-> 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085922025

Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series)

 

My thoughts: When I saw this book at the library I wanted to borrow it. The library has a lot of the books in this series but most often they are all loaned out. Only this one was there now, so I thought I might as well go for it! Obviously I wanted to read book 6 first, which I owned (I read both this read-a-thon).

 

There were just a few lines which summarised what happened in each book. Not that any of is was really necessary to know for this one, but it shows that the main character knows this side character and such. I thought it was nice to find out what happened in the books I haven't read yet, books 3-5 (not that I can remember it at the moment ) (that said, the sentences just give the premises of the books, not the actual how it was done, so it's not really spoiling it other than knowing that it ended in a good way). The book also had a reference in it to book 6, which I just read earlier in the day before I started this book.

 

I quite liked this book and found it to be better than book 6. It was a bit less predictable. There were some great characters in this book. I did feel that the villain in this book only made his appearances a few times throughout the story (particularly towards the end) and I felt it would've been more suspenseful to have more danger as well in the other parts of the story.

 

There were several riddles in the story (like in the previous books) and I found it to be a quite enjoyable read. I really liked the characters and the writing style. If I find the other books I haven't read yet, in the library some time (or elsewhere for cheap), I'll definitely borrow them since I enjoy these books a lot.

 

Rating: (*****) (10/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton 36: Een Diefstal Om Van Te Smullen (Lo Strano Caso Del Tiramisù)

 

 

Genre: Detective

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 128

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN:9789085921004

Synopsis (GoodReads) (note: this is for the English version of the book, the characters have different names in different languages, I presume the original Italian ones are called different yet again):Okay, I'll admit it: I'm a bit of a cheesy mouse from time to time. What can I say? I'm a romantic! That's why Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. This year I had a date with a very special rodent-- Petunia Pretty Paws! But then I got a call from my private investigator friend Hercule Poirat. He had a mystery to solve, and he desperately needed my help. The most beloved, romantic, and famous painting in New Mouse City had been stolen! Now I had to help Hercule AND impress Petunia at the same time. Holey swiss cheese, what was a gentlemouse to do?

(I had no idea the character was called Hercule Poirat in English.. that seems better than the Dutch name. I wonder what the Italian character is called.)

 

My thoughts: I had only ever read a few of the Fantasia books of Geronimo Stilton. When I saw some other ones in the library (including this one), I thought I'd give them a go too. They seemed like short, nice reads for the read-a-thon.

 

This was an enjoyable story about a missing painting. I liked the illustrations and the characters. It was nice to read something with Geronimo Stilton that takes place in his 'normal world' (as opposed to Fantasia). I liked the story but not as much as the Fantasia books. This book is a lot shorter than those, though, so I guess it makes sense they can't put as much into the story then.

 

It was an enjoyable detective type story where Geronimo helps his friend Speurneus Teus (or Hercule Poirat) solve a case of a missing painting. Overall I liked reading it but it wasn't as detailed as the Fantasia books.

 

Rating: (****) (8/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton 58: Grote Griezels: Een Gruwelsaurus! (Il Risveglio Del Brividosauro)

 

 

Genre: Thriller

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 128

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085922162

Synopsis (me):The skeleton of a dinosaur comes back to life.

Note: It seems the order of the books is different in Dutch, in English and in original Italian. What I've written down is for the Dutch order, number 58, but in English and in Italian you'll find two different books when you search for book 58.

 

My thoughts: I borrowed a few of these Geronimo Stilton books for the read-a-thon.

 

There were some characters that were seen in previous books, but because I didn't read those they were new to me. The book was easy enough to follow and I found it enjoyable. It is a story within a story, Geronimo reads a book to his cousin Benjamin, it is a true story of what happened with him and his friend Duifje Duistermuis, and the dinosaur that came to life. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the other Stilton books I read (such as the one about the missing painting, Een Diefstal om van te Smullen). It was enjoyable, but the characters were new to me, there were a lot of them and because they were new to me I had a bit of trouble remembering who was who. I also found the story to be not as good as the other books, a bit predictable, but overall though I did enjoy reading it. It's not one that I would quickly want to re-read though but I did enjoy it and the illustrations were pretty.

 

Rating: (****) (7/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton 64: Wie Wordt de Nieuwe Meesterchef? (La Gara Dei Supercuochi)

 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 144

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085922414

Synopsis (GoodReads) (English version):My cousin Trap was entering the Super Chef Contest, which determines the best cook on Mouse Island -- and he was bringing me along as an assistant! Slimy Swiss cheese, I don't know the first thing about cooking fancy dishes . . . and I didn't think Trap did, either. What an appetizing adventure!

 

My thoughts: I borrowed a couple of Stilton books for the read-a-thon, from the library. This was one of the ones they had.

 

This was an enjoyable story about cooking. The book has quite a few recipes in it too, which is nice. I liked the story and the illustrations. The characters were nice too. Overall I enjoyed reading this story, it was a good entertaining read.

 

Rating: (****) (8/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton 67: Op Missie in Moskou (Il Mistero Delle Sette Matrioske)

 

 

Genre: Detective

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 128

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085922605

Synopsis (me):Geronimo and his detective friend go to Moscow to find seven objects that together form a Matroesjka, for a famous collector.

 

My thoughts: I borrowed a couple of Geronimo Stilton books for the read-a-thon.

 

This was a nice enjoyable detective story. I enjoyed the riddles for the puppets (I'm unsure how to correctly translate poppetjes to be honest). I did guess one of the big twists in the story (but not the other big one). It was nice to learn a bit more about Russia and I liked the illustrations.

 

Rating: (****) (8/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Robin Hood (Dutch translation)

 

 

Genre: Literature

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 222

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085921301

Synopsis (me):The stories of Robin Hood retold by Geronimo Stilton, using Alexandre Dumas' version.

 

My thoughts: I didn't know there were retellings of famous literary works, so when I saw this one, and Alice in Wonderland (see next review), I thought I'd give them a go. I've not read any books about Robin Hood before, but I have seen some adaptations on film and TV.

 

This book contained several different storylines of Robin Hood and his friends. It was really nice to read about Robin Hood. I enjoyed the illustrations and the writing style. The book read easily, though it did contain more text than some of the other Geronimo Stilton books I've read (excluding Alice in Wonderland, that had more text too). I quite enjoyed reading these stories, they are quite fun and Robin is a clever character. I liked the other characters too. Overall I found it to be an enjoyable read.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

Geronimo Stilton - Alice in Wonderland (Dutch translation) (Alice Nel Paese Delle Meraviglie)

 

 

Genre: Literature

Age-range: Children

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 224

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789085921783

Synopsis (me):A retelling by Geronimo Stilton of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

 

My thoughts: I haven't yet read the original Alice in Wonderland (it's on my TBR). I have seen several films of it and played one video game of it.

 

This was a very enjoyable read. I knew the story of Alice in Wonderland for a large part but I quite enjoyed reading this book. The book reads easily and has nice illustrations (more text than some of the original Stilton books, as in not the ones that are retellings of classics). I quite enjoyed reading this book (can you tell I'm getting tired of writing reviews all day long , they started off very long and then got smaller as time went on.. I took less notes too with some of these 'later' books so I have less to draw from as well, so to speak.) Anyway, this is an enjoyable read for children (and adults if they're interested).

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

Francine Oomen and Annet Schaap - Hoe Overleef Ik... 5: Hoe Overleef Ik Mezelf?

 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Age-range: Young-Adult

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 149

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789045111957

Synopsis (me):A book about puberty and how to deal with your life as a teenager.

 

My thoughts: I had heard of this book series before, but back when this series was first written, I think I was in a time of my life where I didn't really feel like reading teenage books anymore so I never really picked one up to try it. But recently some Dutch people I've seen on the internet have been recommending this series, so I thought I'd give it a go. The library had a couple of them and so I borrowed those. This was the first one.

 

For some reason I wasn't expecting a lot from this book. It had had good recommendations but when I was younger it had always seemed a bit of a cheesy book if that makes sense. It wasn't until I came home with the books and had a better look that I recognised the author, I have an omnibus by her on my TBR, of one of her other series. Apparently she is a famous Dutch author and this book series has won a lot of awards. This book for example has won three awards.

 

This book was quite enjoyable. It was better than I thought it would be. The books are one continuing story line. There are various tips to be found throughout the story, about the subject that's in its title (this one is, How Do I Survive Myself). The book has chapters written in a third person view and there are also chapters with emails between Rosa and her two friends (and so these are written in first person). The tips are found in these emails.

 

The book had a lot more depth to it than I was expecting. Various kinds of issues are involved and it was more complicated than I was expecting it to be.

 

The book had illustrations above each chapter and a few times in between, but not that often.

 

The main character seems to do a few stupid things sometimes, but her parents are strict so it's also somewhat understandable. I thought in particular the second half of the book was more interesting as the book gets a bit more complicated.

 

Overall I quite enjoyed reading this book. It had more depth to it than I thought there was going to be, and it was actually a good story for teenagers (and interested adults) and not too cheesy or predictable. At this time of writing I have actually read book 6 in the series, but not yet the other books of the series that I borrowed from the library. I look forward to read those, too.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

Francine Oomen and Annet Schaap - Hoe Overleef Ik... 6: Hoe Overleef Ik Een Gebroken Hart?

 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Age-range: Adult

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 142

Date read: 08-02-2015

ISBN: 9789026996771

Synopsis (GoodReads):A book about how to survive a broken heart.

 

My thoughts: After reading book 5 in this series and really liking it, I continued on with book 6.

 

This book continues the story and the main theme of this book is how to deal with a broken heart. The format is the same as in book 5, chapters from a third-person perspective (Rosa's), and chapters with emails between Rosa and her two friends.

 

This book also has received an award, like the last one. I quite enjoyed reading this book. Yes, there are a few stupid things Rosa does which I thought a bit stupid but other than that it was quite enjoyable. These things though might be quite realistic for some teenagers, I guess I was quite different so it's harder for me to relate. Either way, the characters in this book were pretty good as were the plot twists. Several times I thought one thing was going to happen, but something else happened.

 

What really surprised me was the last part of the book. It had one major twist in it that I really didn't see coming. This really surprised me and made the book that much better in my opinion (the twist, not solely the fact that I didn't see it coming).

 

This book contains good tips of how to heal a broken heart. I don't want to say exactly how that's related to the story as to do so would spoil the end of book 5. But either way, I quite enjoyed this story. I liked the writing style too. It's quite interesting, for example, and the same holds for the previous book in the series I read, book 5, to read Rosa's and her friends' goodbye greetings to each other in their emails, how they sign them so to speak. This was quite creative I thought.

 

Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book. There were quite a few unexpected plot twists, most noticably to me was a major twist near the end of the book. This one really blew me away. I quite liked the characters and the writing style. The illustrations were nice too, though most of the book is just text. I've got a few more of the series borrowed from the library, and I have one ex-library copy that I bought. I hope to be reading all of those very soon. I'll be sure to check the section of the library again, to see if they sometimes have the other books of the series, as well, then I can read them all.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Marie H]

Great reviews, and I must try some of the Geronimo Stilton series - that is a hilarious name!!

[Athena]

Great reviews, and I must try some of the Geronimo Stilton series - that is a hilarious name!!

Thanks! If you do, I hope you enjoy them .

 

P.S. Review coming up and list of new books.

[Athena]

Francine Oomen and Annet Schaap - Hoe Overleef Ik... 7: Hoe Overleef Ik Met / Zonder Jou?

 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Age-range: Young-Adult

Format: Hardback (Library Loan)

Pages: 157

Date read: 09-02-2015 <-> 11-02-2015

ISBN: 9789045110257

Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series)

 

My thoughts: After reading books 5 and 6 in the series I went on to read book 7 (I borrowed a couple from the library).

 

The story continues in this book, with chapters in third person and chapters of emails. The same things apply really that I said in my reviews of books 5 and 6 (the library didn't have 1-4). I quite enjoyed reading this book. I liked the characters (old and new) and the writing style. There were several twists in the story and I felt again that the second half was more suspenseful than the first. Overall I quite enjoyed reading this book and look forward to read the other ones.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Athena]

Yesterday evening there was a book trade event nearby here. I saw the notice when I was in the supermarket last week. Last time I didn't go, I couldn't see myself going in the evening, wasn't sure what it would be like and was worried about driving back after, when I would be tired. Then yesterday morning my mum e-mailed me after she had seen the notice on Twitter. So I told her it sounded interesting but that I was a bit worried about going there and having to drive back being tired. She said she would have time to take me, so we went there together.

 

It was a bit chaotic in the beginning as we weren't sure how things worked. It was in the main hall of the building, where there's also a bar and a pool table. In the beginning (the event was scheduled for an hour) there were a few men playing pool etc. and chatting so it was a bit noisy. I felt like leaving again to be honest. But we stayed a bit longer and my mum bought herself a coffee and me some orange juice. There was a book case that you could take a book out of and then put one of your own back. So I got:

 

Judy Baer - Het Miljoenendillemma (Million Dollar Dilemma) (this sounded interesting, so I thought, why not)

Tatiana de Rosnay - Haar Naam Was Sarah (Elle s'Appelait Sarah) (my mum has a copy of this book and she really liked it. I've seen the film and really liked that, and I was very tempted to get my own copy and read it, so my mum said why not. I loved the film so I hope the book will be good too (or maybe even better))

(I put two books back in the book case in return. Most of the books in the book case I wasn't interested in or I already owned.)

 

It worked this way. You could lay out your books on a table, and then walk around and write your name on a piece of sticky paper and then stick it on the books you want. Then later the owner of the books can trade them with you, or give them to you, or if there's multiple people who want it, they can randomly pick which one gets it. There were only about four tables with a few books on them. Once the guys who played pool and sat by the bar, left, it became quieter and there were maybe 8 people or something (all women). The woman who had organised it was friendly and answered my questions. I stuck my name on a couple of books and then sat down.

 

Not that many people were interested, at first, in the books I brought. So I had marked three books on one table, and the lady said I could just have them. Later they had a look and took one of my books. Here are the three I got:

 

Anne Dunlop - Wat Denk Je Wel?: Is Haar TweelingZus te Vertrouwen?(Cinderella's Sister)

Victoria Clayton - Ierse Honing: Als Wespen op de Honing (Moonshine)

Jessica Adams - Hotmail (Dutch translation) (Single, with / White, E-mail)

 

I don't know any of the authors but their synopses sounded like nice chick-lit type stories and they intrigued me. Then on another table, I had two books marked as well. The organiser told me the owner of the books had already left. She said I should just take what I want, because the book case was getting filled up so they didn't have the space to keep it all. So I took:

 

Tonke Dragt - De Brief Voor De Koning 1: De Brief Voor De Koning

Cathy Kelly - Iemand Als Jij (Someone Like You)

 

which I had marked. And I thought, I might as well take:

 

Jeremy Clarkson - Auto's En Zo (Motorworld / Clarkson on Cars / The World According to Clarkson)

as well, if no one wants it.

 

Just as we were going to leave, a woman walked in and she was interested in one of my books, so I gave it to her. My mum said, while she sat there, that she was interested in a few of my books, so I've given those to her now (I guess kind of like a loan, she will give them back once she's finished them).

 

So in the end I gave away 4 books and came home with 8 new ones! I was scared and nervous at first, but the people were friendly and I think this was successful, even if none of the books are books that I'm desperately to read right now and would go to the book shop for to pre-order etc. But I had fun in the end ! Even if now I'm quite exhausted..

 

EDIT: My pre-order has arrived!

 

Scott Meyer - Magic 2.0 3: An Unwelcome Quest

 

 

I will be reading this after I'm done with my library loans. Very excited to read it!

Edited February 11, 2015 by Athena

[Signor Finzione]

Yay for the pre-order! Three of mine are released tomorrow and I just got an email saying they've all been dispatched - it's so exciting, isn't it?

 

The book trade event sounds great. But if they tried to do that here in Rochdale people would probably just take what they wanted without putting anything back in return.

[woolf woolf]

You made a good deal, eight books for four. I'd like to have a book trade here, but there would be none in english and they would probably be tedious and uninteresting. Also, the people would likely feel the need to be noisy and expansive.

Edited February 11, 2015 by Sousa

[Anna Begins]

Woohoo!  The Meyer has arrived!

[Alexi]

Hi Gaia

 

Just catching up on your thread! Really glad you enjoyed your first Agatha Christie. I've read lots of hers - although not that one actually. I'd like to read them all eventually, and I have another one out from the library. I find them perfect comfort reading. It's interesting what you say about the generalisations of certain characters. Agatha was a fairly well off lady in 1930s England, and she definitely could be snobbish about the less well-off and people from other countries! Hope that doesn't put you off too much. 

 

I'm really glad you managed to go to the book trade because it sounds like you got a good deal in getting 8 for 4  

[Athena]

Yay for the pre-order! Three of mine are released tomorrow and I just got an email saying they've all been dispatched - it's so exciting, isn't it?

 

The book trade event sounds great. But if they tried to do that here in Rochdale people would probably just take what they wanted without putting anything back in return.

It's very exciting!

 

Awww I'm sorry to hear that . 

 

You made a good deal, eight books for four. I'd like to have a book trade here, but there would be none in english and they would probably be tedious and uninteresting. Also, the people would likely feel the need to be noisy and expansive.

 

That's a shame .

 

Woohoo!  The Meyer has arrived!

Yep !

 

Hi Gaia

 

Just catching up on your thread! Really glad you enjoyed your first Agatha Christie. I've read lots of hers - although not that one actually. I'd like to read them all eventually, and I have another one out from the library. I find them perfect comfort reading. It's interesting what you say about the generalisations of certain characters. Agatha was a fairly well off lady in 1930s England, and she definitely could be snobbish about the less well-off and people from other countries! Hope that doesn't put you off too much. 

 

I'm really glad you managed to go to the book trade because it sounds like you got a good deal in getting 8 for 4

I quite enjoyed the book, so I wasn't overly bothered by it (I didn't know she was well off though, that's nice to know!). I don't know how it would be reading multiple books, but I really liked this one and I plan to read more of them.

 

Thanks, me too !

 

P.S. Review coming up.

[Athena]

Francine Oomen and Annet Schaap - Hoe Overleef Ik... 8: Hoe Overleef Ik Mijn Ouders? (En Zij Mij!)

 

 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Age-range: Young-Adult

Format: Hardback (Ex-library Copy)

Pages: 157

Date read: 11-02-2015

ISBN: 9789026999000

Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's part of a series)

 

My thoughts: After reading book 7 in this series, I went on to read book 8.

 

This book was pretty good. There were several good plot twists. Again I felt like the second half was more suspenseful than the first. I liked the characters and the writing style, the book was very enjoyable to read. I thought the fights between Rosa and her mum were getting a bit samey compared with some of the earlier books. I did think the tips in the book were good.

 

I've got books 10 and 11 to read from the library. I already started 10. There are 13 books in total, according to GoodReads. I hope to read them all some time. Even if a few things are getting a bit samey, it's an enjoyable read for me.

 

Rating: (*****) (9/10)

[Nollaig]

I really like the style of artwork on that book, it's pretty!

[Athena]

I really like the style of artwork on that book, it's pretty!

I'm glad to hear that , I like it too! Annet Schaap did the illustrations and artwork I believe, she has illustrated many Dutch children's books and I like her work.

 

P.S. Two reviews coming up.