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6
Jan

#Biography Thomas Becket

Academy Awards, USA 1965   Becket (Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton)

 

 

JANUARY
Thomas Becket by John Guy
Finish date: 05 January 2022
Genre: biography
Rating: B


Review: From my notes I see that the book captured
my interest starting with the “broken relationship” between King Henry II and Thomas Becket in chapter 12. So You have to plod on during the first 40% of
the book that was just a description of a middle class man who climbed the social, academic and political ladder. I was impressed by Becket’s mother and how keen she was  to see what her son needed for his future (education etc).

Bad news: Some key issues (Constitutions of Clarendon 1164, turning point in king-archbishop relationship) took a few chapters to get through. Tip: read about people/issues quickly on Britainexpress.com ( great reference website ) and it will save you time. The chapters can be ‘skimmed’ if you then wish.

Good news: This book really gave me an idea what happened in that period 1120 (birth) – 1170 (murder) -1220 (veneration of the saint). Focus is on the ruthless, untrustworthy vindictive character of King Henry II and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury the ambitious, uncompromising zealot and how they clash. Sparks fly!

Personal: The only history about Henry II I knew  was from the movie Lion in Winter with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. I loved the film. It takes place years after Becket’s murder and I must admit Henry II is painted in the embellishment of Hollywood colors and does not divulge what (excusez le mot) a badass he was! Hepburn brought Eleanor of Aquitaine alive for me and I’ve read more books about her.

Trivia: She was one of the longest living royalty in the Middle Ages…reached the age of 82 and outlived 8 of her 10 children.

#WorthYourReadingTime 

(published 2012, 448 pg)

 

1
Jan

#MountTBR January reading list

01.01.2022

  • The hardest thing you have to change is your mind….. 
  • I’ve decided to start this most difficult challenge !
  • #MountTBR2022

 

  1. According to my KINDLE I have 1352 unread books.
  2. If I want to bring this number down to zero
  3. …I would  have to read 10 books a month for the next 11 years!
  4. It is time to join Bev’s challenge Mount TBR 2022
  5. @MyReadersBlock
  6. You can participate on her blog or via her Goodreads group!
  7. I think the ONLY challenge I will be joining in 2022 is
  8. Goodreads Mount TBR  2022

 

  1. Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2022
  2. The link provides ALL the information  you need to…
  3. Choose a level,
  4. Open a topic under one of the challenge level folders
  5. Name your climb.
  6. Reviews are optional

 

  1. When I look at this reading list…my hearts sinks.
  2. 40 books….bought in 2015….still unread on my Kindle.
  3. ….and there are many more books to read!
  4. So, today I start…

 

January 2022 – TBR

  1. A Manual For Cleaning Women (43 stories) – Lucia Berlin 
1. A Manual for Cleaning Women Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin by Lucia Berlin Lucia Berlin
Finish date: 02 January 2022
Genre: 43 short stories
Rating: B+


  1. The Housekeeper and the Professor – Y. Ogawa

2. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa by Yōko Ogawa Yōko Ogawa
Finish date: 03 January 2022
Genre: novella

  1. Thomas Becket – John Guy
JANUARY
3. Thomas Becket Warrior, Priest, Rebel, Victim A 900-Year-Old Story Retold by John Guy by John Guy John Guy
Finish date: 05 January 2022
Genre: biography
  1. The Confessions of Nat Turner – W. Styron

JANUARY
4. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron by William Styron William Styron
Finish date: 06 January 2022
Genre: historical fiction

 

  1. Memoir – Out of Africa – I. Dinesen

JANUARY
5. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen by Isak Dinesen, Karen Blixen (no photo)
Finished date: 07 January 2022
Genre: autobiographical anecdotes

  1. Non-fiction: A Cultural History of Causality – S. Kern 

JANUARY
6. A Cultural History of Causality Science, Murder Novels, and Systems of Thought by Stephen Kern by Stephen Kern (no photo)

Finish date: 09 January 2022
Genre: cultural history

  1. The Silence of the Sea – Yrsa Sigurdardottir

JANUARY

7. The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Finish date: 09 January 2022
Genre: CF

  1. The Hummingbird – K. Hiekkapelto (16.05.2015)

JANUARY
8. The Hummingbird (Anna Fekete, #1) by Kati Hiekkapelto by Kati Hiekkapelto Kati Hiekkapelto

Finished: 10 January 2022
Genre: crime fiction

  1. The Hunting Dogs – J. Lier Horst

JANUARY

9. The Hunting Dogs by Jørn Lier Horst by Jørn Lier Horst Jørn Lier Horst

Finished date: 11 January 2022
Genre: Nordic noir

  1. Kolymsky Heights – L. Davidson


10. Kolymsky Heights by Lionel Davidson by Lionel Davidson Lionel Davidson

Finish date: 10 January 2022
Genre: CF

 

  1. Gaudy Night – D. L. Sayers
JANUARY

11. Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10) by Dorothy L. Sayers by Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy L. Sayers

Finish date: 13 January 2022
Genre: novel wrapped in a mystery

  1. Collected Stories – Isaac Bashevis Singer

JANUARY

12. Collected Stories (Isaac Bashevis Singer Classic Editions) by Isaac Bashevis Singer by Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer

Finish date: 15 January 2022
Genre: Short stories

  1. Captains Courageous – R. Kipling
JANUARY

13. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling by Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling

Finish date: 17 January 2022
Genre: novella

  1. Dawn of the Belle Epoque – M. McAuliffe
JANUARY

14 Dawn of the Belle Epoque The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends by Mary McAuliffe by Mary McAuliffe Mary McAuliffe

Finish date: 17 January 2022
Genre: Non-fiction
 
  1. The Art of Racing in the Rain – G. Stein
JANUARY

15. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein by Garth Stein Garth Stein

Finish date: 22 January 2022
Genre: Fiction
 
  1. The Collected Short Plays  –  Thornton Wilder, Volume I

JANUARY

16. The Collected Short Plays of Thornton Wilder, Volume I by Thornton Wilder by Thornton Wilder Thornton Wilder

Finish date: 19 January 2022
Genre: Plays

 

  1. Separate Tables – Terence Rattigan

JANUARY


17. Separate Tables by Terence Rattigan by Terence Rattigan Terence Rattigan

Finish date: 28 January 2022
Genre: Play

 

  1. The Crossroads of Should and Must – E. Luna
JANUARY

18. The Crossroads of Should and Must Find and Follow Your Passion by Elle Luna by Elle Luna Elle Luna

Finish date: 20 January 2022
Genre: self-help

 

31
Dec

New Year’s Eve 2021

 

  1. Time to start the New Year’s pre-show with the cats…Ben & Jerry!
  2. Let’s pop that bottle of champagne that has my name on it!
  3. #GelukkigNieuwJaar
  4. #HappyNewYear2022

26
Dec

#Merry Christmas 2021…big chill!!

 

  1. Big chill in The Netherlands this morning….ice storm is predicted for afternoon.
  2. We are in total lockdown and with this weather nobody
  3. is going anywhere #MerryChristmas2021.
  4. I’m in the -12,8 C zone!!

 

24
Dec

Merry Christmas….Santa is coming!

  1. Glad to report  that despite a
  2. …FULL LOCKDOWN for the second year
  3. …in The Netherlands
  4. …Santa will able to visit us!
  5. But he will have to VAX-up. MASK-up
  6. and show his PCR test in last 24 hours!
  7. Reindeers have a special exemption…
  8. They have herd immunity.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

23
Dec

#Non-fiction Things I Have Withheld (essays)

 

Quick Scan:

  1. The first thing that impressed me was the title:
  2. Things I Have Withheld
  3. This book explores the meanings of silence and the things we cannot say.
  4. There are letters  to James Baldwin and Kenyan writer Binyaranga Wainaina.
  5. But Miller also offers musings on his family’s secrets….

 

Who is Kei Miller?

  1. He is my selection for #ReadingDiversely
  2. Caribbean literature.
  3. Kei Miller  is a Jamaican poet, essayist, and novelist. (info wikipedia link)
  4. He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Exeter.

 

Conclusion:

  1. These are high quality essays
  2. …well written and they touch the soul!
  3. Unfortunately only 6 of the 14 essays touched MY soul.
  4. The introduction  is the hook… very personal, powerful.
  5. Miller’s first letter to James Baldwin  was absolutely wonderful!
  6. Second essay: Mr. Brown, Mrs. White  and Ms. Black
  7. highlighted the classism “…on these rocks that we call islands
  8. …that we call home.”
  9. The author shines as a storyteller in the essay that will catch
  10. every reader’s eye The Old Black Woman Who Sat In the Corner
  11. But after the first 6 essays there was less storytelling and more ramblings.
  12. The result is a mish-mash names, observations during Carnival in Kingston
  13. …trips to Kenya  and Ghana Africa and he text drowns in a sea of memories.
  14. Mr Miller tries to bookend the collection in the last essay
  15. …another letter to James Baldwin that was not as good as the first
  16. …but by now my interest was waning.
  17. #GoodRead essays 1-6 then
  18. ….I say try it and see if your like it more than I did.
22
Dec

#Non-fiction Plot and Structure

Finish date: 21.12. 2021
Genre: non-fiction; craft of writing
Published: 2004 (240 pg)
Rating: C

 


Review: This was a very basic book about the nuts and bolts of writing fiction. I enjoyed it as a introduction to the craft of writing. The more I learn how fiction is written the better I can judge a book. Characters are the spin-in-the- web.  All plot and conflict stems from characters.

New perspective: a character has 3 dimensions physical attributes (physiological), social upbringing that justifies his/her actions (sociological) and these to elements results in the psychological side of the character that  influence  his/her actions.

Last thought: As other readers have mentioned, the author repeatedly uses examples from Stephen King and Dean Koontz, referring to them as “masters”. I’m not saying they’re bad writers, but were there literally no other books that could better illustrate your points?

20
Dec

#Merry Xmas 2021

  1. Xmas in lockdown will be tense this year with 2 new kittens.
  2. I need eyes behind my head to stay one jump ahead of them!
  3. Loved this foto (see below) which sums up any household
  4. …that is trying to combine Peace on Earth with Xmas tree with ornaments!

 

 

One last message especially for Jinger @intrepidarkansawyer

  1. Fitting humans with technology to enhance their biological capabilities.
  2. This cyborg is finally @home with:
  3. 1 new hip and 2 new eyes!
  4. Thank you Santa for all these gifts! Merry Xmas!
  5. This is my best portrait with
  6. BFF (best feline friend) Mork (RIP 22.02.2021).

 

19
Dec

#Total Lockdown….first in Europe against Omicron

 

  1. The Netherlands is…
  2. …last to start booster program
  3. first in…FULL LOCKDOWN in Europe
  4. 19 Dec – 14 Jan 2022…and probably longer.!
  5. Omicron infections are to double every 1,5-2 days.
  6. Will …Santa be able to visit us?
  7. That is still in doubt…after another year
  8. still NO herd immunity.

 

News conference last night and our PM Mark Rutte was visibly shaken by the tsunami Omicron that is on the horizon. He said this is The MOST serious moment in the pandemic crisis for us. Health care workers are stretched to the limit and are ready to snap!
Total lockdown started 2 hours ago…here in The Netherlands. Everything…and I mean everything is cancelled.
 
Let this sink in— worldwide cumulative #Omicron spiked up Upwards arrow 31% in just **one day**. You can try to delude yourself that a slightly “milder” virus won’t kill many people — but only if you lie to yourself about how exponential math works.
PLEASE …anyone not protected…, please get the vaccine!!
 
I’m cancelling my Xmas dinner with friends (…I had all food ready in freezer and my wine cave was filled to the brim). My vaccine jabs are waning…and my booster ( one of the lucky …to get one!) will kick in as of two weeks after jab on 12 December. The #Omicron wave will hit hospitals hard—pray for doctors, nurses & respiratory therapists over the holidays. #MaskUp #VaxUp #GetBoosted and Stay safe …stay @home.
12
Dec

Dutchman Max Verstappen Formula 1 World Champion

Enjoying a bottle of champagne today!

What a Dutch champion racer…just 24 years old.

He really gave 7x World Champion Lewis Hamilton

…a run for his money!!

Not getting much sleep tonight.

#Bravo Max

#Bravo Red Bull Racing

 

 

UNFORGETTABLE   YEAR OF RACING – CLASS PHOTO 2021

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