Pierke

Ik heb dit boek geluisterd als jurylid voor de Hebban Luisterboek Award 2018.

Het bijzondere levensverhaal van Sonja Barend, op een heel nuchtere wijze verteld. Ik heb niets met Sonja Barend, ben geen televisie kijker en al helemaal geen kijker van praat programma's, maar na het lezen van dit boek vind ik het jammer dat ik sommige van haar programma's niet gezien heb. Het boek gaat trouwens weinig over haar tv carrière, maar over haar jeugd, haar fijne huwelijk met A. (en zijn kinderen die haar in de schoot worden geworpen), over drie keer kanker krijgen, en de verstandhouding met haar moeder. Haar leven word beheerst door het feit dat haar Joodse vader in de oorlog vanuit huis wordt opgepakt en nooit meer terug komt. Ze verteld uitgebreid over haar zoektocht naar wat er precies met hem gebeurd is. Een bevredigend antwoord heeft ze echter nooit gevonden.

A bit too grisly for my taste.

The story of the Spanish flu expertly told from contrasting perspectives, which kept me captivated throughout. It gave me tons of new information and tiny tidbits to treasure.

Wonderfully atmospheric, full of humor and an intricate plot with twists and turns. Even better than the first one, already hoping for a third installment!

Very informative and well written.

A thought-provoking compilation of articles on Pentecostal and charismatic movements in China. Together they give an almost comprehensive overview of the present day state of affairs.

A very well written biography about the life of Margot Asquith during the Great War. It was the enthusiasm of the author for her subject and the historical background that she described so well, that kept me reading and engaged till the end. But alas, I couldn't find much love or sympathy for both Margot and Asquith.

A monograph about life and work of Fou Lei. Making use of hitherto unexplored material, which generated some remarkable assumptions. Written in expressive English; with love and respect for her subject. Highly recommended.

Wrote the index for this comprehensive travel guide to China

The book describes the geometric method for analyzing ethical issues in the technological field, while making use of five moral principles. The Cost-Benefit Principle, the Precautionary Principle, the Sustainability Principle, the Autonomy Principle and the Fairness Principle. It uses the outcome of three experimental studies to clarify the method, besides giving reasons for preferring this method over other methods. Well written, concise, a nice piece of expertise.

Loved every minute of it, although I had to put it down for longer periods because it went so deep. Emotionally raw, but using beautiful language, it's an exposing memoir, that must have needed a lot of guts to write.

Lovely. A real feel-good story. Just what I needed.

An illuminating biography of Ibrahim-i Gulshani and the Sufi order he established. The book gives an idea of the political and religious power wielded by Gulshani during his lifetime and how the order fared after his demise. It was a nice challenge to write the index the book deserves.

Never a dull moment. Reads like a novel. It has given me a very good overview of the history of the region and even clarified a few issues I've hitherto never understood. The audio version is very well read by Eduardo Ballerini.

Interesting book about the origins of the Mandaeans and their religion. Well written and researched. It was a pleasure to index!!

What A delight. Meticiously researched, very detailed, but never boring. One of those books you hope will never end. The audiobook was superbly read as well.

This is the second Ghote book I've read, but although I tried hard it's not my cup of tea. I just don't find Ghote very likable. A pity, for I was looking forward to a nice long series.

Wonderful book about art and storytelling on Bali and a real pleasure to index. It's out now!!

A history of information management and knowledge transfer employed by the teachers of the Lectorium at the Zurich Grossmünster in midst of the 16th century. Very readable and informative. The first time I indexed the word index.

After[a:Jacqueline Winspear 5023 Jacqueline Winspear https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1272389408p2/5023.jpg]' Maisie Dobbs series and [a:Charles Todd 131 Charles Todd https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1251728768p2/131.jpg]'s Bess Crawford series (I know there's a new one coming out next week), I was afraid I wouldn't find a heroine in the same mold or a series with the same kind of atmosphere, but I think I found a new favourite. I put off starting on [a:Nicola Upson 984417 Nicola Upson https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1400494637p2/984417.jpg] Jospehine Tey series although I knew the Scottish connection would suite me very well. I was afraid my admiration for Jospehine Tey and her books (my favourites are [b:The Daughter of Time 77661 The Daughter of Time (Inspector Alan Grant, #5) Josephine Tey https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1394326949s/77661.jpg 3222080] and [b:The Franchise Affair 243401 The Franchise Affair (Inspector Alan Grant, #3) Josephine Tey https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1435079717s/243401.jpg 1620751] of which I own much thumbed 50's Penguin pockets) would somehow be tainted by reading about her fictional counterpart. As the first book has as a backdrop the very successful play Richard of Bordeaux, with which I have no bond at all and the second book only mentions the start of the writing process of a new undistinguishable mystery novel, there's little here that could mar my idea of the real writer and her stories. Josephine is depicted as intensely private, as she was in real life, but that doesn't detain her from putting her nose into other people business, to help her friend Archie Penrose solve several murders. In the first book [b:An Expert in Murder 2444787 An Expert in Murder (Josephine Tey, #1) Nicola Upson https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1356455991s/2444787.jpg 2753859] I found that Tey didn't emerge very clearly, but in the second book her character is more defined. In both books the plots are well constructed, although the second one was a wee bit far-fetched. Nevertheless, it kept me on the edge of my chair till the end. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and see Tey grow into a more distinct figure.

Thanks to Netgalley who provided me with an advance digital copy.

Salad in a Jar by Anna Helm Baxter is another book that tries to cash in on the Mason-Jar-salad-hype. But even if there is a plethora of books to choose from, Baxter's book stands out because of the hands-on, simple, inspiring recipes and the beautiful pictures, always a feature of Ten Speed Press. As a vegan I was glad most recipes didn't use any meat or cheese, besides Baxter gives ample inspiration for combining your favorite ingredients into your own favorite salad.

When the Sidney Chamber books were made into a TV-series in 2014, I was thrilled as it seemed to exude the same atmosphere as the books. The second season, however, had a much grimmer atmosphere and deviated from the books in storyline as well. So I was glad to return to the real stuff in this fifth instalment of the Grantchester mystery series. As usual it did live up to my expectations.Sidney is a bit older now and has been appointed Archdeacon of Ely. Nevertheless, he still struggles with his own frailties. His tries to be a good husband to his beloved Hildegard, a good father to his daughter Anna and of course a good shepherd to his flock. Dickens, the beloved black Labrador is replaced by Byron. The six interrelated stories in the volume are set in the 60's, with allusions to Pink Floyd, the moon landing and free love. The stories explore the dangers of temptation, the power of hatred, the act of revenge, homosexuality and the changing class system. It is not the “whodunit” aspect of the stories, that make the reading captivating. Like in the Alexander McCall Smith books in [b:The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 7061 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #1) Alexander McCall Smith https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459953654s/7061.jpg 826298] series, it is how the protagonist handles the problems that are put before him, that make the tales memorable. Sidney's charm, compassion, humility and believe in the innate goodness of men, are as constant as in his previous investigations.

A delightful group biography of Diana, Nancy, Jessica, Unity, Pamela and Deborah, in short: The Mitford Sisters. I have read most of Nancy's work in the 70's and recently re-read the Pursuit of Love. It lost nothing of its charm. Being familiar with Nancy's novels and Jessica's ‘fictionalised' memoir Hons and Rebels, makes the reading of Laura Thompson's book a much richer experience. But even newcomers to the subject will find it an interesting portrait of an era and the six sisters' role in it.

Thompson places the girls in their impoverished aristocratic background, paints a portrait of the marriage and parents of the brood – there also was a brother Tom -. She goes onto describing each girl's debutants ball and then devotes the rest of the book to what happened when those girls entered English society, at a time when the world around them slowly, but irreversibly descended into World War II.

Thompson tells their story with verve and objectiveness, never trying to exonerate their choices. The background information the reader needs to navigate the lives of these girls, is seamlessly woven into the story. For her research she interviewed the two then living sisters Diana and Deborah and some of the Mitford sister's children. She makes use of these interviews by incorporating them in the story, together with quotes from the copious correspondence between the sisters. This enlivens the text with gems of Mitford witticisms.

The book makes for compelling reading and I would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested in the Mitfords.

Using the epub version of the book, I was rather disappointed with the index and the notes. The index was a perfect but unlinked back-of-the-book index. The notes had the same problem, they were not linked to the notes at the back of the book and if you forgot to bookmark your page, it was a hassle to get back to the page you were reading.

The audio book is read by Maggie Mash, who has a very pleasant voice. I found some of her impersonations a bit over the top.

An unflinching look at the women in Juliet Nicolson's own family, starting with her great-great-grandmother Pepita, the Spanish dancer and closing her story with the birth of her granddaughter Imogen.For one with an ongoing interest in Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, the first part of the story was familiar territory. The story picks up when she tells about the marriage of her parents, Nigel Nicolson (Vita and Harold's son) and Phillipa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt and her own childhood. Her honest and compelling account of being a mother and battling with alcoholism is admirable.The book reminded me of Margaret Forster's [b:Hidden Lives: A Family Memoir 115432 Hidden Lives A Family Memoir Margaret Forster https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408926212s/115432.jpg 111158]. Also a story centered on the women in one family. It's a story that I will savour for a long time.

Had some trouble to get into the story, but once there it was a warm and lovable experience.