Weekly Reading Roundup
September 10, 2012 11 Comments
Last week I was back into my reading mood and finished 4 books, which is about standard for me. I spent some of the Tuesday (and subsequent Tuesdays) at the school library at my sons’ school, helping out as a volunteer parent. That turned out to be fun and not too demanding (yet). Lots of kids came in to use the computers or to take out books. I also helped a teacher finding a new book for her home reading, which was fun to do (it’s always fun to discuss books with fellow book lovers).
On Saturday it was Heritage Day and lots of old buildings opened to the public. I visited a 16th Century farm that I’d cycled past so often and had always wanted to see from the inside. The building had been updated in places (like, in the 17th and 18th Century!) and still looked very old and beautiful. There was a wide selection of furniture from all kinds of eras, which was fun to see. Obviously, the owners (and those before them) had kept many of the family heirlooms as part of their daily furniture.
Sunday night was Twitter Reading Club night, where a group of us discussed a (Dutch) book via Twitter. A little hectic, but good fun. This was the 3rd time I took part.
This week: general elections on Wednesday (I think I have a vague idea who to vote for) and a book swap on Saturday with a group of internet bookies. I have a suitcase of 50+ books waiting to bring out with me. Let’s hope I don’t come back with too many new books!
*****
Books I finished in the last week: 4
![De urenfabriek [The Hour Factory] by Fleur Brockhus](http://leeswammes.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/urenfabriek.jpg "De urenfabriek [The Hour Factory] by Fleur Brockhus")
Click on the blue links to see the review
Choose the Life You Want by Tal Ben-Shahar. A kind of self-help book with ideas on how to improve your life. Nothing too pushy, some great ideas. 4 stars.
Triburbia by Karl Taro Greenfeld. The lives of a group of fathers all living in Tribeca in New York. 3.5 stars
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. In the late 19th Century an older man farming an orchard is visited by two pregnant girls who do not want to leave again. He takes care of them, and their offspring. 4.5 stars
De urenfabriek [The Hour Factory] by Fleur Brockhus [Dutch]. Chick-lit about a young woman who takes a job at a lawyer’s firm and discovers how the long working hours and stressful job influences her quality of life. 4 stars
.
Books I’m reading and planning to read
.
Reviews
What I Did by Christopher Wakling. A young boy runs out in the street, his worried father grabbing him just in time. What happens next completely changes the lives of the family members. Not likely to end well. 4.5 stars
Also check out
Check out all the Book Blogger Events in September and October.
My New Arrivals (books that I recently bought, borrowed or received)
I’m joining the R.I.P. VII event!
*****
That’s it!
What are you reading this week?
I’m reading “Great House”, my second Krauss book and I’ve liked it so far
Have fun in the *Great House*, Ally!
4 in a week, that’s incredible! Heritage Day sounds brilliant, I can’t help but wish we had one here. There are quite a few historic buildings still in use by companies, and while it’s great that they are used sometimes you think it’d be nice to see inside them.
Charlie, indeed, it’s great to get a chance to peek inside the beautiful old buildings near us. The buildings that take part in the open day are listed buildings, and maybe they are forced to take part, I’m not sure about that, though.
When I looked at the covers I thought you read a German book, but then I noticed the additional “e” in fabriek. I am always amazed how similar Dutch and German sometimes are and then again I see a sentence and don’t understand a single word,
.
Rikki, that’s right, sometimes German and Dutch are very similar. But did you know that we say “zee” when you say “Meer” and we say “meer” when you say “See”? Isn’t that funny?
Strange! But even more so when you know that we CAN say See when we mean the sea, just that it is feminine, instead of masculine. Languages are fascinating. Well, you know this,
I’ll be adding The Orchardist to my wishlist , Ive heard great buzz about it.
Have a great reading week
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
Ooh, Ishiguro. I loved The Remains of the Day, and want to work through the rest of his books now.
I love the sound of the Orchardist, too.
Stephanie, *The Remains of the Day* was such a beautiful book, I agree. * Nocturnes* is a book with short stories, which I never enjoy quite so much. But, maybe from this writer, I will like them.
I like the idea of “a reading mood.”