Wulf C. Krueger

I had finished a nice-enough book and was looking for the next good read. My wife chose from my list for me and picked this one. She chose well.»Books had always been her solace; novels gave her the space to be bold, brave, beautiful, if only in her own imagination.«This book drew me in, chewed me up and spit me out. If a book really “speaks” to me, I step into it. I stop being a reader and become a silent, helpless bystander, a powerless observer.Give me a book that's well-written, serious and empathetic and I'm in trouble.Elsa lives in Texas during the Great Depression. Cast out by her own parents for “dishonoring” them (by conceiving a child without being married), she is forced to marry her child's father and live on his family's farm.»Elsa had discovered within herself a nearly bottomless capacity for love.«Against everyone's expectations - hers not the least - she not only settles in but learns to love her new life. Until the circumstances force her to flee - with now two children and without the father who has left the family - to an uncertain future in California.»I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.... The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. —FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT«We witness how Elsa, her parents-in-law (whom she comes to love more than her birth parents) and her children struggle. This book breathes life into history; almost a hundred years later it makes you see and feel how harsh life must have been.»A fifty-foot zigzagging crevasse opened in the yard. Dead roots stuck out from the crumbling dirt sides like skeletal hands.«In fact, the entire first quarter of the book was outright painful for me. Almost overwhelmingly so. “[b:The Four Winds 53138081 The Four Winds Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594925043l/53138081.SY75.jpg 79888572]” is so carefully, almost tenderly written, that Elsa's emotions, her pain, actually reached me. I felt those emotions and the experience was stunning. Especially when things turned from bleak to worse.I wanted to quit, to drop this book, to get away from all that and just before actually quitting things at least changed. No god, no fate, no destiny, not a light at the end of the tunnel but there is a certain turning point when things start growing instead of declining.That's when I realised those horrifying 25 percent had actually been worth it. There is no simple happily-ever-after for anyone in this book. There's simply no room for that but what we do get - in spite of a somewhat open ending - is closure.All the terror and horror we've witnessed; deep poverty, catastrophe, death, all kinds of loss, it's all worth it in the end. Elsa lives life as well as she manages to and rises far beyond her own expectations. Having been an observer of that was very, very exhausting but I still feel deeply affected and grateful for the unique experience.Kristin Hannah whose “[b:The Nightingale 21853621 The Nightingale Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598993363l/21853621.SY75.jpg 41125521]” I loved and whose “[b:The Great Alone 34912895 The Great Alone Kristin Hannah https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501852423l/34912895.SY75.jpg 56275107]” was a great book has managed to write an instant classic. A unique masterpiece that lets you not only experience the Great Depression Era but allows you to draw your own conclusions with respect to even modern economic systems...And even if you - like me originally - don't care about the Great Depression (it's long gone, isn't it?); this book is worth reading on many levels.»Courage is fear you ignore.«“The Four Winds” is easily 2021's best book and has more than earned its place among my favourite books of all time.Thank you, [a:Kristin Hannah 54493 Kristin Hannah https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517255843p2/54493.jpg], for being a literary force of nature. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

What's left to be written about “[b:The Hobbit, or There and Back Again 5907 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again J.R.R. Tolkien https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546071216l/5907.SY75.jpg 1540236]”, one of the great masterpieces of classic fantasy, written by the “founding father” of high fantasy, [a:J.R.R. Tolkien 656983 J.R.R. Tolkien https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1622832627p2/656983.jpg]?“The Hobbit” was lauded by Tolkien's friend and fellow author C. S. Lewis, by poet W. H. Auden, celebrated for its influence on the entire fantasy genre.To me, it was the metaphorical door to new worlds... I own both several physical copies as well as several ebook editions. I have read “The Hobbit” in both English and German.The one edition I value the most is a German paperback by “DTV” from November 1974 with the title (mis-)translated as “Der kleine Hobbit” (“The Little Hobbit”).It has a ridiculous cover featuring a squint-eyed Smaug with butterfly wings and a tiny spider in front of him. It's probably the worst cover in “The Hobbit”'s publication history. This very book, though, is the one my mother read about 35 years ago while we were on holidays in the middle of nowhere in the Bavarian Forest. I asked her what she so concentratedly read and she showed me the cover - I was appalled! A children's book, obviously! And she even recommended it to me! To me! Someone who had OBVIOUSLY outgrown childhood at my advanced age of... ten!I harrumphed and condescendingly told her I had more serious things to do - like beheading the advancing army of stinging nettles with my stick-sword or fighting the fly amanita invasion!Only after my mother likened the house of our relatives which we were visiting to Elrond's home (which wasn't too far off the mark!), after her telling me about the dark depths of Mirkwood, only after all of that did I take her up on her offer and read “The Hobbit” for the first time.This is how I opened the doors to (high) fantasy for myself and Tolkien was followed by [a:Terry Brooks 9629 Terry Brooks https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1280785812p2/9629.jpg], [a:Robert Jordan 6252 Robert Jordan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1538507642p2/6252.jpg], [a:Joel Rosenberg 8593 Joel Rosenberg https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1307113706p2/8593.jpg] and many many others. I taught myself reading with Sherlock Holmes but I really started reading with “The Hobbit”.Since then I've read it many times for myself and always felt at home. When my children were old enough, I read “The Hobbit” to them every night and, to make it more “real”, I gave them laminated map print-outs from [a:Karen Wynn Fonstad 11590 Karen Wynn Fonstad https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1331319642p2/11590.jpg]'s wonderful “[b:The Atlas of Middle-Earth 22332141 The Atlas of Middle-Earth Karen Wynn Fonstad https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403205224l/22332141.SX50.jpg 1502479]” for every step of the journey. For easier collecting, all three got a binder. I read to them every night and when we were finished with “The Hobbit”, we moved on to “[b:The Lord of the Rings 33 The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33.SX50.jpg 3462456]”. (Plus printed maps again, of course!)Sometimes, I was throat-sore, sometimes I read way past their bedtime but we had a wonderful time. I kept reading to them for many years. (If you wonder: The magic didn't “stick” fully - none of them are true readers but at least they still own their binders of maps...)Now my children are adults and I'm back to reading for myself. For me, it was time for a return to the magical world Tolkien created. It was time to return to the cherished memories of my late mother and those reading nights.For YOU, though, it is now time to pick up a copy of “The Hobbit” and create your own memories.Five out of five stars - and two asteroids to beat: 2991 Bilbo and 2675 Tolkien Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

During my recent re-read of “[b:The Hobbit, or There and Back Again 5907 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again J.R.R. Tolkien https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546071216l/5907.SY75.jpg 1540236]” I remembered that years ago I had bought this “atlas” in order to immerse myself even more fully into Tolkien's world and to provide my children with maps to the adventures I was reading to them at the time.In this atlas, you'll find brilliant maps in two colours that are in all aspects very fitting to their source material. You'll find the maps sorted by ages as well as regional maps, e. g. The Shire, as well as maps relating to the books and, last but not least, thematic maps, e. g. landforms, climate, vegetation and population.It shows that the author is an actual cartographer because Fonstad's maps feel real - like they were made by observance and not by obviously extensive research.“[b:The Atlas of Middle-Earth 92003 The Atlas of Middle-Earth Karen Wynn Fonstad https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529947259l/92003.SX50.jpg 1502479]” is an amazing feat and every Tolkien enthusiast should own a copy!Five out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

»“Um.” I try to think of how to explain it. Years of undying love, occasional jealousy, missed opportunities, bad timing, other relationships, building sexual tension, a fight and the silence afterward, and the pain of living life without him. “Our Airbnb's air-conditioning broke.”«Now, this was interesting. I had deliberately aimed low - I'm on holidays; in, at and around my pool. It's 31°C (roughly 88°F) and I wanted a nice fluffy romance and, yes, I got it. The quotation at the beginning (in which Poppy, our heroine, explains how the happily-ever-after began) pretty much perfectly sums up this nice little romance.»“Ready,” I confirm, and Alex Nilsen sweeps me up into his arms and carries me down a motherfucking mountain. No. I really could not have invented him.«If it had just been that, I'd have been satisfied: I smiled at the amusing banter, the interludes of Poppy's and Alex' ten years of holidays were nice - it was an allround feel-good book at this point. For the absence of any smut I'd have subtracted a star and that would have been the end of it.[a:Emily Henry 13905555 Emily Henry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg], whose oeuvre I first sampled last year, reading “[b:Beach Read 52867387 Beach Read Emily Henry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589881197l/52867387.SX50.jpg 67832247]” (and having felt underwhelmed by it), surprised me, though, by writing a travel-romance that actually celebrates home.Not “home” as in our birthplace; not “home” as in the place we live in or some region we're from (although all of those have their merits). [a:Ferdinand von Schirach 3048443 Ferdinand von Schirach https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1340958280p2/3048443.jpg], a German lawyer (of all people!), wrote in his glorious “[b:Kaffee und Zigaretten 44128391 Kaffee und Zigaretten Ferdinand von Schirach https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551092142l/44128391.SY75.jpg 68620284]” »Heimat ist kein Ort, es ist unsere Erinnerung.« (“Home is not a place, it's our memories.”).Henry basically builds upon this idea: Both Poppy and Alex have known each other for more than a decade, have gone on holidays together for ten years and made the corresponding memories of and with each other. These memories also feel plausible because they're rarely the huge, momentous ones but mostly comprise the little things, e. g. a tipsy mistake like “too many wine”.They have fallen hard for each other during this time and are afraid of that, of the “what-ifs”. They found “home” in each other but shied away from it.I was once on a short visit to a Dutch woman. She invited me to her house and, well, I somehow felt like I had... arrived. I was at home. It's now twenty-two years later and I'm still at home. With her. Our adult children are out partying (vaccinated and all around responsibly) and hopefully finding home (this time the one we live in!).So this book kind-of hit close-to-home (sorry, couldn't resist!) and while light and fluffy, it has a slightly more nuanced undercurrent and I like it a lot for that. Emily Henry says it best in the “Behind the book” part at the end: »This is, ultimately, a book about home. [...] I hope this book carries you somewhere magical. I hope it lets you feel ocean breezes in your hair and smell spilled beer on a karaoke bar's floor. And then I hope it brings you back. That it brings you home, and fills you with ferocious gratitude for the people you love. Because, really, it's less about the places we go than the people we meet along the way. But most of all, it's about the ones who stay, who become home.«It did for me.Unexpected five out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Reading “[b:Piranesi 50202953 Piranesi Susanna Clarke https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953.SY75.jpg 73586702]”, I mostly felt unbelievably bored: Piranesi lives in a house with infinite halls; some of them submerged, in some there is an ocean and all feature statues depicting people of all kinds. Piranesi has developed a kind of faith based upon the house and how he feels it cares for him; even going as far as considering himself the child of the house.We witness Piranesi as he wanders the halls of the house; fishing, talking to birds, the statues and the skeletons of the other thirteen people Piranesi believes to have lived in the house and, consequently, in the entire world because to Piranesi the house is the world.There is one other living person in Piranesi's little house - the Other! The Other is - like Piranesi - some kind of (pseudo-)scientist who devises occult rituals to find “Great and Secret Knowledge” and for years, Piranesi has almost religiously and unquestioningly followed the Other's instructions, believed what the Other believes and catered to the Other's whims.This is where my issues with the book start: Piranesi is extremely naive and only very late in the “story” starts questioning what he's being told. He thinks of himself as a scientist but instead of actually applying scientific methods, Piranesi shys away from looking too closely at the facts as he comes across them.Piranesi is the archetypical “noble savage”; a wild human, uncorrupted by modern civilization, innocent and, thus, prone to deception. His house which he reveres as a deity - “The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.” - “gives him life” and Piranesi believes himself to be in actual communication with the house itself.This kind of glorification of one lifestyle which is perceived by a modern author as pure and unadulterated is something I absolutely abhor. Combined with the pseudo-religious elements and the absence of an actual story (I refuse to accept the poor excuse of “transgressive thinking” as one) this makes for the second-worst reading experience for me in 2021.One out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

»Because real love, once blossomed, never disappears. It may get lost with a piece of paper, or transform into art, books, or children, or trigger another couple's union while failing to cement your own.But it's always there, lying in wait for a ray of sun, pushing through thawing soil, insisting upon its rightful existence in our hearts and on earth.«I recently watched the series “Modern Love” and - quite aptly - loved it. Since it was based on the New York Times column of the same name, I had high hopes there might be a collection of this column and that's how I found this book which comprises about 40 of the most memorable essays from the column.I laughed, I cried and sometimes I did both at the same time. Some of the stories hit close to home, others deeply impressed me. Even right now while writing this and recalling some of the stories I'm a sniffling mess.The one defining quality of this collection of essays is its unapologetic honesty and truthfulness to its subject - love in all its forms.Whether you're young or old, no matter the gender or sexual preference: Waste no time, get this book and read it.Five out of five stars and a place among my favourite books of all time.P.S.: To C., »He wasn't really a texter anyway, so his lack of response didn't necessarily reflect the weirdness of my text. It was probably normal for non-texters to see a text and not reply to it. They saw it, found it charming (or not), but didn't think it required a response. Totally standard.« ;) Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This is a tricky one... I loved the premise: Nora Seed is seriously depressed - at the age of 15 she quit professional swimming, severely disappointing her father. Her mother died. Her brother, she feels, is in a rough spot because she quit his band.Even her elderly neighbour doesn't need her anymore and now her cat has died.She just doesn't want to go on.»She imagined being a non-sentient life form sitting in a pot all day was probably an easier existence.«(Or wishing to be one's cat, yours truly would like to add.)At this point, Nora tries to end it all (if YOU consider suicide, please google “suicide” in your native language and call one of the hotlines you're going to find!) - only to find herself in the eponymous “[b:Midnight Library 52578297 The Midnight Library Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602190253l/52578297.SY75.jpg 74043794]”.The concept of the Midnight Library builds upon the hypothesis of the multiverse which basically states that there is a(n) (infinite) number of parallel universes just like ours. Those universes may overlap, or consist completely independently of each other and will, by definition, diverge from each other with every single choice someone makes.When Nora enters the Midnight Library and finds an infinite number of books, she learns that each book represents one possible life she might have lived. The one life she just tried to leave is her “root” life.From her “root” life sprout innumerable other lives of which Nora may try any life she can sufficiently describe (e. g. asking for a “happy” life is not enough as she has to define what makes her life happy).Once she opens the book that corresponds to her description, she enters that life and lives it until she is either so disappointed that she leaves and returns to the library, or she finds a “perfect” life into which she settles, forgetting the entire ordeal of getting there.And this is where the cookie starts crumbling a bit: In one life Nora chooses, she is a glaciologist - but in her root life she wasn't and how is she supposed to navigate a scientist's life not actually being one?Even more problematic to me: What about the lives of her alter egos? Ok, so if she leaves an usurped life, its original “occupant” will just feel weird but be well.What if Nora stays in such a life, though? She would - quite literally - be taking a life. A life that its occupant presumably enjoyed. A life no more or less worth living than Nora's root life.Is “root”-life Nora's life worth more than that of the non-root Nora's? If we really accept the premise of the multiverse - wouldn't all those parallel worlds be equally worthy of existence?What if she robs humanity's only chance at salvation because she steals the life of the one person who might have saved the planet? (Yes, highly unlikely in reality but this is more of a philosophical question.)The Talmud states in Sanhedrin 37a: “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.”Isn't the opposite also a valid idea? If we take a single life, don't we destroy a whole “world”?What about partners or children even? Nora would basically be “the other woman”, the one who cheats. The person who stole a child's true parent. (Because Nora might grow into a version of said parent but she will not ever be that parent.)Isn't that a horrible betrayal?And if we take that “permanently taking a life” seriously - doesn't that ultimately amount to murder? (Or maybe: Suicide - again?)Nora even recognizes this fatal flaw of the entire concept at one point:»Everything was right, and yet she hadn't earned this. She had joined the movie halfway.«Unfortunately, this flaw - not having earned this - is inherent in the very premise of the book and it cannot be fixed because there's only one life that Nora has earned a right to...“The Midnight Library” doesn't really deal with these questions because it mostly avoids them: The longer Nora stays in a “borrowed” life, the more she grows (or declines) into it. Thus, referring back to the earlier glaciologist example earlier, she might have grown into that life of a scientist. I can accept that even though it's somewhat deus-ex-machina. I fully buy into the concept of “second chances” (or more) and I found Nora endearing. I liked how she learnt what was right or wrong for her. I'm not entirely happy with the ending (even though it's a happy one) because it is the easiest way out of the prime dilemma (by avoiding it entirely). I cannot fully overcome the “taking a life” issue (or the weaselling out of it) and yet I cannot not like this book either. Four and Five Schrödinger stars out of five - you get to open the box! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

So far, this was definitely the weakest instalment in the otherwise amusing Bridgertons series.The story isn't really that interesting and the narrative dragged on rather uninspired so that I was actually bored at times which isn't exactly my intention when reading a fluffy easy-to-read romance.What annoyed me the most, though, and made me almost quit this book was Colin Bridgerton himself. So, you know, this series of books is set in the early 19th century and, fortunately, as a society we've made a lot of progress - Women's suffrage, emancipation, feminism, and so on.And I'm really happy about that.Thus, I already have to temporarily suspend a lot of truly heartfelt convictions and disengage large parts of my brain in order to be able to enjoy this kind of book: I have to completely disregard more than 100 years of social, societal and emancipatory advances. I do so and, consequently, tolerate a whole lot of outdated nonsense and I find that all the more difficult if a book isn't truly worth it. I can do it because I love to giggle at amusing, witty bantering in a love story which, fortunately, happens a lot in the Bridgerton series. I can do it because I truly hope that any reader will know that the story is set in the bad old times and that times have greatly changed for the better. And I do temporarily suspend my convictions because I crave happy endings - sorry, can't help it. How dare you, though, Colin Bridgerton, to be angry at your love interest because she's acting on her own, because she's at least somewhat independent?! How dare you berate her for having a secret?! How dare you, Julia Quinn, to belittle your cast and, in extension, yourself and your audience like that?! (Not to speak of actually harmfully influencing younger, impressionable readers.) At the one major altercation between Colin and Penelope, I was about to rage-quit because I just couldn't stand that level of drivel.And it went on!»The shock was gone, replaced by a simple, primitive need to claim her, to brand her, to mark her as his.«Excuse me?! He wants to “brand her”, like cattle?! And how does Penelope react only a little later, thinking about herself?»She had been born for this man«Again, I was about to quit when things evened a little out at least and this possessive crap was slightly reigned in.Ultimately, though, Colin Bridgerton turns out to be just the despicable guy I had him pegged for:»She had no right to put herself in such a precarious position without consulting him first. He was her husband, or would be, and it was his God-given duty to protect her whether she desired it or not.« I just hope this series doesn't get any lower than this because I don't think I can take much more of this kind of backwards madness. Two out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I very much liked “[b:The Goblin Emperor 17910048 The Goblin Emperor (The Goblin Emperor, #1) Katherine Addison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373039517l/17910048.SX50.jpg 24241248]”, the first book in this unusual series. Unfortunately, this successor fell clearly short of greatness.The book's eponymous “Witness for the dead”, Thara Celehar, is a humble, demure and thoroughly traumatized prelate who has - more or less - been exiled because he had an affair with a married man who proceeded to murder his wife.Celehar is originally called upon to investigate the murder of an opera singer but large parts of the book are not actually about this investigation but about a forged will, a serial murderer who kills his newly-wed wives, a ghoul who needs banishing in the country side and a lot of other small “sub-plots”.That's where my issues with this book start: There is not one consistent primary storyline but there are several that are mostly unrelated to each other. Just like our thoroughly likeable hero Celehar, we're following him in his exploits. The writing and world-building is so well executed that I, at times, felt like I was witnessing what happened. Everything felt plausible and intrinsically “real”.Unfortunately, reality tends to be a lot about routine which isn't very exciting. While I smiled at Celehar feeding stray cats, and I commiserated with him for his insomnia, his need to ration; it's just not very interesting.At times, especially when Celehar went to banish the ghoul, I wondered what narrative purpose this side story had - which turned out to be none.At another time, Celehar is to undergo a “trial by ordeal” which amounted to spending the night on the “Hill of Werewolves”:»The path, paved in ancient flagstones, meandered a good deal; I resisted the impulse to try to take a shortcut, even in places where it looked reasonable. I was halfway up the hill before I encountered the first ghost.«Sounds great, doesn't it? And it's not just a single ghosts, it's an entire battle between ghosts! And it culminates at the end of the page like this:»Now all I had to do was to get through the rest of the night without going mad.«I was drawing in my breath sharply, I felt my lungs expand, I held my breath; preparing to turn to the next page where I was shocked to read this:»When I reached the gate at dawn, the canon was not the only one waiting for me.«I immediately deflated.There are lots of missed opportunities in this book that had - by its merits of good writing, a complex world, interesting characters and an author who knows how to capture her readers - every chance of greatness but failed.The murder of the opera singer? Solved pretty much by chance instead of using the setting of the opera house itself, its huge cast pretty much all of whom despised the victim.The explosion of an airship, similar to the Hindenburg Disaster? In terms of the overall story just a side-note.Or the shy beginnings of a romance between Celehar and the director of the opera, Pel-Thenhior: Of course, after the horrible ending of his previous relationship, Celehar is understandably reluctant to act upon his attraction to (and fledgling feelings for) Pel-Thenhior. The longer both interact, the more obvious it becomes that Pel-Thenhior, too, harbours more than just good will for Celehar but this remains a loose end like so many others.Still, “The Witness for the Dead” is definitely not a bad book. It's just one that, sadly, failed to realize its immense potential.Three out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

It's summer, the weather is fine, the water in my pool has 34°C (roughly 93F) and I'm exhausted from work. Nevertheless, my holidays are nearing (two weeks from now!) and I'm slowly getting into “Summer Reading Mode”.That means that I prefer easy, quick-to-read novels that simply amuse me and, thus, I was only too happy to take up on “An Offer From a Gentleman” in which Sophie Beckett, a late earl's daughter - born out of wedlock, though - captures the heart of Benedict Bridgerton - and vice versa.There's not much to be said about this specific book; it's more or less a Cinderella story. A fluffy fairy tale in which everyone gets what they deserve. You don't read this for philosophical depths or “enlightenment”.If you read this book, you do it purely for entertainment; it's the literary equivalent of candyfloss, a TV romcom or a soap opera.If that's what you're in the mood for, you can hardly go wrong with this book. Although... If you ponder reading this third book in this series, you know perfectly well what to expect anyway: It's more of the same in a good way. Four swooning stars out of five.P.S.: Yes, he blackmails her. Yes, he asks her to become his mistress. Since it's inherently consistent with the fictitious universe of “Bridgertons” I choose to suspend my moral indignation. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

»Himmlische Dämpfe erfüllten den Raum. »Wussten Sie, dass sich das Kaffeearoma aus rund tausend verschiedenen Einzelaromen zusammensetzt? Wein bringt es gerade einmal auf vierhundert.« Dupin hatte es nicht gewusst oder, genauer: Er hatte es immer schon gewusst. Schließlich war er aus gutem Grund süchtig.«Selten ist mir eine Rezension so schwer gefallen wie bei diesem Buch - dem immerhin zehnten Krimi um Dupin, der auch im Buch dieses Jubiläum feiert.Dabei stimmt die Mixtur eigentlich wie immer... Bannalec ist voll Sympathie für seine Figuren und läßt auch die Nebenfiguren wachsen:»Riwal selbst war ein Phänomen, immer wieder: in einem Augenblick ein bewundernswerter Rationalist, Techniker, bodenständiger Pragmatiker, im nächsten ein mystischer Erzähler.« Auch Dupin ist ganz er selbst - mal grantig und ungeduldig, mal empathisch und aufgeschlossen. Diesmal - vor dem reizvollen Hintergrund der Belle-Île - ermittelnd, ist er (zumindest nach überstandener Überfahrt!) ganz in seinem Element. Neben seinem üblichen “normalen” Kaffee, darf Dupin diesmal sogar einer wunderbar zelebrierten Kaffee-Zeremonie beiwohnen, die zudem noch inhaltlich, sprachlich und in ihrer Länge perfekt beschrieben ist - ein Traum für jemanden wie mich, der ebenfalls dem Kaffee - auch in diesem Moment - huldigt! Daß Dupin dann noch den hausgemachten Whisky - den Six Reines de la Belle-Île - probieren und genießen darf, läßt meine eigene Sehnsucht nach Frankreich (obschon ich mein Herz vor vielen Jahren an das Languedoc-Roussillon (in der heutigen Region Okzitanien) verlor) nur noch größer werden. Dupin hat diesmal “gefühlt” nur drei (eigentlich zwei) Tage Zeit zur Lösung des Falles, aber über weite Strecken entwickelt sich die Geschichte eher langsam - streckenweise zu langsam. Dann wieder passiert sehr viel in schneller Folge und - schwupps - fällt Dupin die Lösung geradezu in den Schoß. Es ist diesmal sehr viel Glück bei der Aufklärung des initialen Mordes und der weiteren Vorkommnisse im Spiel und das hat Dupin schlicht nicht verdient. Selbst der Autor läßt Dupin über die Natur der Zeit philosophieren - und das sprachlich sehr nett und bildhaft formuliert: »Die Zeit verlor alle gewöhnlichen Maße und Strukturen. Sie dehnte sich, rollte sich plötzlich zusammen, verdichtete sich, blieb stehen, dann sprang sie wieder.« Genau das habe ich aber auch bei der Lektüre verspürt. Das ist schade, denn durch das stark variierende Tempo, das sich gegen Ende in einer spektakulären Such-Aktion dramatisch steigert, fühlte ich mich zeitweise literarisch “mild berieselt” und dann wieder atemlos gehetzt. Die Naturbeschreibungen sind wieder großartig gelungen und der Bezug zu real-existierenden Orten, z. B. die Glasbläser des Studios “Fluïd” und ihre wunderschönen Gläser (kosten aber leider auch EUR 45,– pro Stück!) lassen die Insel und ihre Bewohner geradezu lebendig werden. Es sind also keine “groben Schnitzer”, die sich Bannalec hier leistet, sondern es ist eine Vielzahl an Kleinigkeiten, die stören - die vernachlässigten Nebenfiguren (Nevou, LeMenn, Claire), die plump-falschen Fährten, relativ viele lose Enden, die überhastet wirkende Auflösung, ein 87 Jahre alter Kunstgriff (“Twist”) am Ende und eine bestenfalls maue Jubiläumsfeier - das alles ist verzeihlich, aber das implizite Versprechen auf intelligente Spannung und Fortentwicklung; dieses Versprechen konnte auch die schönste “Bretonische Idylle” für mich nicht hinreichend einlösen. Insofern - mit leisem Bedauern - drei von fünf Sternen. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Well, I'm flabbergasted - and not in a good way. “Survive the Night” was supposed to be a quick mystery/thriller diversion which quickly turned out to be a roll-your-eyes and hit your head against some hard surface to distract yourself from the intellectual pain this book evokes.In Sager's newest work - and I mostly enjoyed his earlier ones - we meet Charlie. Charlie's best friend, Maddy, was murdered barely two months ago by a stranger. The “Campus Killer” who is still at large and - presumably - on the prowl to find their next victim.The killer's modus operandi is to grab their victims when they're alone and ideally at night. Since there were at least three known murders before Maddy's, everyone is alert, there are brochures about “re-taking the night” and, of course, Charlie is fully aware of all of that.Now, after the initial shock has worn off, Charlie decides to (more or less temporarily) move back to her grandmother. How to get from her campus to her place in Ohio, though?Wait a few weeks till Thanksgiving and drive home with her boyfriend? Take public transport?No, that's too obvious for dear clever Charlie and, thus, she smartly decides to take a ride with a complete stranger. A stranger who seems suspicious to her before she even enters his car. At night. Alone. For a multi-hour trip.What could possibly go wrong?!This is the premise of the story and it's completely ludicrous. Wait, though, because it's still getting “better”: Since the murder Charlie suffers from clinically-diagnosed hallucinations and, thus, got prescription meds against them.She doesn't like them, though, so she just throws them away and prefers to zone-out from reality from time to time. While on the road with the afore-mentioned suspicious stranger...Now, one might assume a young person to have at least enough brain to trust oneself more than a random stranger. Not so in Charlie's case: Josh, her suspicious stranger, is more trustworthy to her than herself. Duh.Even if we accept that without judging such foolishness, it remains a fact that Charlie always makes the worst and most idiotic of all possible choices. An example: While in the hands of Josh and knowing full well that something is horribly wrong, they meet a police officer. Charlie ponders asking for his help but ultimately decides against it because she doesn't want to endanger him...Charlie's ideas of trustworthiness are rather simplistic anway:»He's still catching snowflakes, for God's sake, his tongue hanging out like a dog's. That's not something killers do. Kids do that. Nice people do that.«Yes, riiiiight... Anyway, all the “twists” can be smelt from miles away, every new revelation made me roll my eyes and pretty much everything about this book is so infuriatingly bland that I'm still wondering if Sager really wrote this.To sum it up: If you're into reading how an extraordinarily intellectually-challenged young woman gets into a car with a suspicious stranger, only to proceed making all the wrong decisions and, accidentally, surviving the night; then, yes, go ahead, read this book and afterwards proudly proclaim together with me: “I survived this book!”One star because it's a book. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Die Mumins kennen wohl die meisten von uns - eine Familie von Mumintrollen, die in einem kleinen Tal leben und diverse Abenteuer erleben. Geradezu ständig wächst die erweiterte Familie - da kommt mal ein Hemul dazu oder die kleine Mü - und die Reaktion der Mumineltern ist schlicht und liebenswert:»Der Muminvater und die Muminmutter hießen alle Neuankömmlinge ruhig und freundlich willkommen, stellten zusätzliche Betten auf und vergrößerten den Esstisch.«Meine frühesten Erinnerungen sind jene, in denen meine Eltern abends an meinem Bett sitzen und mir aus den Mumin-Büchern vorlesen. “Mumins vorlesen” - das war für mich als Kind der Inbegriff der Liebe.Gerade dieser dritte Band hatte es mir damals - und hat es mir noch heute - besonders angetan, denn hier ist die Welt der Mumins friedlich: Die beiden vorherigen Bände, “[b:Mumins lange Reise 2544668 Mumins lange Reise Tove Jansson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338657110l/2544668.SX50.jpg 3336834]” (erschienen 1945) und “[b:Komet im Mumintal 2994457 Komet im Mumintal Tove Jansson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1338656938l/2994457.SY75.jpg 1760649]” (erschienen 1946) spiegeln die Schrecken des zweiten Weltkriegs sowie den zeitgenössischen Ausbruchs des Vesuvs wider.In der “Drolligen Gesellschaft” ist die Familie vereint im Mumintal und [a:Tove Jansson 45230 Tove Jansson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419249529p2/45230.jpg] schöpft aus den Vollen ihrer Fantasie - da werden aus unachtsam in einen Zauberhut (natürlich ein Zylinder!) geworfenen Eierschalen plötzlich Wölkchen, die nicht nur betreten, sondern gar wie eine Seifenkiste gesteuert werden können - das wollte ich auch gern, aber tragischerweise hat sich keiner der je von mir “erprobten” Zylinder diesbezüglich bewährt!Geliebt habe ich auch immer die Sprache (obschon ich nur die deutschen Übersetzungen gelesen habe). Sowohl die frühe Übersetzung durch Vivica und Kurt Bandler als auch die hier zugrunde liegende moderne Übersetzung von Birgitta Kicherer.Hier mal ein kleiner Vergleich:Vivica und Kurt Bandler, 1954: »Er hatte hundert Tage und hundert Nächte geschlafen, und die Träume schwebten noch um ihn herum und versuchten, ihn in den Schlaf zurückzulocken.«Birgitta Kicherer, 2001:»Er hatte hundert Nächte und hundert Tage geschlafen, und jetzt wimmelten die Träume noch um ihn herum und wollten ihn wieder in den Schlaf zurückziehen.«Wo bei Bandlers die Träume “schweben” und “locken”, so sind sie bei Kicherer handfester und “wimmeln” und “ziehen” - ich kenne das Original nicht, aber die neue Variante klingt für mich plausibler.“Halbe Sachen” gibt es bei den Mumins üblicherweise auch nicht - selbst der Zauberer lächelt buchstäblich von Kopf bis Fuß:»Alle hatten den Zauberer lachen gesehen, aber niemand vermutete, dass er lächeln konnte. Jetzt breitete sich jedoch ein Lächeln auf seinem Gesicht aus. Er war so froh, dass es überall sichtbar wurde, an seinen Ohren, an seinem Hut, an seinen Stiefeln!«Geprägt ist dieses - wie aber auch die anderen Mumin-Bücher - vom gegenseitigen Respekt und der Liebe der Figuren zueinander. Atypisch für die Zeit erscheint auch die schlichte und aufrichtige Toleranz: Der Hemul trägt ein Kleid und macht einen Knicks - ist eben einfacher und potentiell weniger “entblößend” als eine tiefe Verbeugung in einem Kleid!Tove Jansson hat aber auch nie die tieferen Gedanken gescheut und so macht sie sich in der “drolligen Gesellschaft” anhand der komplexen Besitzverhältnisse um den “Königsrubin” Gedanken um das Verhältnis zwischen Gerechtigkeit und Recht - und löst diese Herausforderung zum Ende auf bestechend einfache wie wunderschöne Weise.Auch die Beziehung zwischen Sammeln und Besitzen wird kongenial thematisiert: »Du bist kein Sammler mehr, nur noch ein Besitzer, und das macht überhaupt nicht so viel Spaß.«Letztlich aber, wenn es darum geht, was quintessentiell “muministisch” ist, so ist das ganz einfach: Liebe ist alles. P.S.: Wer mehr über die Mumins wissen möchte, dem sei “Zépé's Virtuelles Muminforschungszentrum” des unvergleichlichen Mumin-Kenners Christian “Zépé” Panse wärmstens empfohlen! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Phew... 816 pages, 10 days and I feel like I aged 10 years because this was such a tiresome read.We find ourselves in the most fanciful and easiest fantasy world to write: A (probably) dystopian future on planet Midgard (yes... the subtlety is killing me...) in which humans are in a constant state of rebellion against their angel/fae/werewolf/ overlords who enslaved and/or killed their leaders.Fortunately, not only does this Midgard feature powerful magic, supernatural beings and great weapons of mass destruction (brimstone missiles!), no, it also features modern technology like smartphones and email...Bryce Quinlan is a “half-breed” between human and fae and, of course, supernaturally beautiful, tall, sexy and almost suicidally depressed about the murder of her more-than-a-friend-but-not-quite-a-lover-even-though-their-love-is-eternal werewolf companion and the latter's entire pack.Along comes the “dark and brooding” kind of male angel (yes... an angel... of death to boot...), Hunt Athalar, enslaved to the afore-mentioned overlords for being the rebellion's leading general and the deceased rebellion leader's lover. Both having lost their respective lover/love interest/ they initially loathe each other to fall all the harder later on. To be honest, this romance aspect in a “GoodReads Choice Award” winner for fantasy was a minor reason for me to read this.Do not fall into the same trap, though: Most of the time, the tension between both is luke-warm at best due to their insecurities, the level of which surpasses that of a 14-year old. Whenever they're really “hot and bothered” (yes, actually spelt out like that because we're all morons...) and are about to rip into each other, their phone rings and... interruptus. It's unbelievable. As if all that wouldn't yet be enough to thoroughly ruin any book, Maas tops it off: Maas seems to be primarily a young-adult author. She tries hard (and completely unsuccessfully) to make this an “adult book” - but she lacks the means and resorts to liberally sprinkling a “fuck” into pretty much every sentence. Now, don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less about expletives in general if used “normally” - most of us swear from time to time. Here, though, we're exposed to so many that it's just annoying:»Ruhn's blue eyes glimmered in his shadow-nest or whatever the fuck he called it.« That would still be fine and simply make me roll my eyes (which the characters here do all the time as well...) but even Maas' story drags on, and on, and on, and on. There are so many false leads, minor twists, dead ends and what-not that I oftenly got confused about why someone did something and about the motives of the plethora of annoying stereotyped characters. I don't think any major cliché in the world is absent from this book; from the ambitious mother who's envious of her daughter's success, that daughter being a “wild child” with substance-abuse issues, to Bryce's daddy issues and both hers and Hunt's survivor's guilt. The adorable sidekick who makes a valiant sacrifice - it never stops until the very end of the book. The last 200 pages at least pick up the pace but it's all way too late, too cheesy and cliched to redeem this book. While I do understand that many adoring young girls probably voted a billion times for this turd to become a winner, there's no reason whatsoever an adult with a working brain should expose themselves to this kind of drivel. One star out of five - and I'd like all those wasted hours back, please! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Wir befinden uns im Jahr 1954 und treffen auf Cécile, ihren Playboy-Vater Raymond, seine junge Geliebte Elsa sowie Anne, die Raymond heiraten möchte. Last and least, gibt es noch Cyril, einen jungen naiven Mann, der zu Céciles Geliebtem wird.Klar, angesichts der relativen Freizügigkeit dieser Novelle kann ich mir einerseits den moralischen Aufschrei der ehrenwerten Gesellschaft dieser Zeit lebhaft vorstellen. Wenig überraschend sprang wohl auch die Kritik jener Tage schnell auf den Zug dieses Skandals im Wasserglas an.Was aber letztlich bleibt ist die Geschichte einer verwöhnten 17-Jährigen, die gerade eine Prüfung verhauen hat und den Sommer mit ihrem Vater am Meer verbringt. Elsa, seine Geliebte, “stört” die beiden nicht signifikant in ihrem “Lotterleben”, das in Wahrheit einfach nur entspannt und weitgehend frei von den gesellschaftlichen Konventionen zu sein scheint.Eine empfindlichen “Dämpfer” erhält das unbeschwerte Beisammensein durch die Anreise von Anne, einer konservativen - um nicht zu sagen: spießigen - Dame, die sich sogleich anschickt, Verantwortung für Cécile übernehmen zu wollen, um den gesellschaftlichen Ruin von Raymond und sich selbst abzuwenden. Empfundene oder tatsächliche Gleichgültigkeit ist Annes herausragende Eigenschaft.Dafür Anne schnell mit vernichtenden Urteilen...“»Deine Ansichten sind modern, aber ohne Wert«, sagte Anne.”... und tut ihr Bestes, Cécile nach ihrem Vorbild “umzumodeln” und Cécile ihrerseits suhlt sich förmlich im “Mißverstanden-werden” und Selbstmitleid:“Die Natur hatte mich dazu geschaffen, glücklich, unbekümmert und liebenswürdig zu sein, und durch ihre Schuld geriet ich nun in eine Welt der Vorwürfe, des schlechten Gewissens, in der ich mich verlor, denn ich war zu unerfahren in der Kunst der Selbstbetrachtung.”Wie viele Jugendliche ihres Alters rebelliert Cécile gegen Autoritätspersonen in ihrem Leben und manipuliert mehr oder minder geschickt insbesondere ihren Vater und reagiert auf Bestrafung mit Melodramatik...“Es war das erstemal, daß ich Grausamkeit kennenlernte.”... sich dabei auf ein kurzzeitiges Einschließen in ihrem Zimmer beziehend.Cécile ist schnell in ihren Urteilen...“Ich sah mit Staunen, wie dieses Mädchen, dessen Beruf es hart an die Grenze der käuflichen Liebe gebracht hatte, so romantisch wurde, so empfänglich für die Kleinigkeit eines Blickes, einer Bewegung – sie, die der knappen Sachlichkeit eiliger M��nner ihre Erziehung verdankte.”... und voll anmaßender Borniertheit... “Sie hatte auch ein ganz besonderes Lachen, ein sehr volles, ansteckendes Lachen, wie es nur Menschen haben, die ein wenig dumm sind.” Wahrscheinlich hatte dieses Buch seine Zeit, aber, wie so viele sogenannte “Klassiker”, erscheint es eher ratsam, sich mit moderner Literatur zu befassen und nicht mit angestaubtem Manierismus und Teenager-Zorn. Zwei von fünf Sternen. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I haven't read much by [a:Loreth Anne White 150272 Loreth Anne White https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600924344p2/150272.jpg] yet: I have read two books of her “A Dark Lure” series and liked those well enough to keep an eye on White.Consequently, this book came as a bit of a “shock” because it's a complete departure from the narational lines established by those previous books.In “[b:Beneath Devil's Bridge 55542167 Beneath Devil's Bridge Loreth Anne White https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601696179l/55542167.SY75.jpg 86589894]” we read about an old case from 1997 which regains attention 24 years later due to a young true-crime podcaster, Trinity, who interviews the incarcerated murderer of Leena Rai, Clayton.As it seems to be all the rage these days, “Bridge” features time jumps between the original investigation of the murder in 1997 and Trinity's podcast - excerpts of which are used as a device - in 2021.Rachel, the leading detective in 1997, now retired from her Police Department, around 60, instigated by Trinity's podcast and the fact that suddenly the convicted murderer, the man who confessed everything and then decided to not ever talk about the case again; the fact that Clayton talks now, privately, makes Rachel “re-open” the case and moves to get to the truth - this time!»Yet beneath my love there lies a whisper of unarticulated disquiet, a silently mounting anxiety, something heaving and writhing below in my unconscious«“Bridge” is one of those books that have no obvious flaws - the premise is interesting, the story well told and the language adaequat, in some cases clever and imaginative (»an explosion of truth«). It's also a page-turner - on my Kindle I always keep the percentage to which I've read the book visible. The less I glance at this indicator, the more a book engrosses me. In this case, I noticed the indicator at 4%, 24%, 48% and around 94%. Twists and plot twists abound and yet the story is intrinsically plausible and sufficiently honest to enjoy oneself - and while not unpredictable, in some cases, I sat and pondered possibilities. »No matter how much we pretend otherwise—mothers, daughters, grandmothers—there is always a part of us deep down inside that remains the little girl we once were. Whether we are fifteen or forty or eighty, that little person still lurks beneath everything we do, or think, or try to become, or fight against. She's always there.«So why award only four stars out of five? To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself - “Bridge” is entertaining enough and intelligent enough. And yet, some facets felt lacking - what's the deal about the therapist? He plays a central role and yet remains pretty bland as a character. The ex-cop's daughter - she, too, is centre stage and yet I struggled to remember her name...“Beneath Devil's Bridge” is a well-done, suspenseful who-dun-it that's very readable and enjoyable but lacks a bit of a soul. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

This is the kind of book most of my fellow males will avoid like the plague. All the more so if they ever - by accident, of course! - happen to come across the “Author's Note” in this book which explicitly states “Since my readers are almost exclusively women”...Well, here I am, and I profess: I greatly enjoyed this book despite knowing that it most certainly is (mostly) literary fast food - good to sate ones primal desires but not really nourishing.And I couldn't care less.I really enjoyed the lovely family dynamics between the Bridgertons and I loved the witty bantering between Anthony and Kate. I just can't help but root for such wonderful characters and their relationships, their eccentricities and how they overcome them.Is it realistic? Not at all. Historically accurate? Very unlikely. Romantic, cute and thoroughly enjoyable? To me at least, absolutely.You'll have to be able to generously ignore macho “gems” like this one...»It was as if a certain side of her were visible only to him. He loved that her charms were hidden to the rest of the world. It made her seem more his.«... which this book features in numbers. The men are “real men” (and hardly stop short at clubbing their female prey and dragging them to their cave), the women are kind and gentle and it doesn't take much to dishonour a lady for life... If you can stomach that, you might find yourself actually enjoying it. Four out of five stars for this guilty pleasure. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

[a:Ferdinand von Schirach 3048443 Ferdinand von Schirach https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1340958280p2/3048443.jpg] ist ein beachtlicher Streiter für Recht und Gerechtigkeit - sowohl als Jurist wie auch in seiner “zweiten Karriere” als Schriftsteller. (Jedes seiner bisher veröffentlichten Bücher ist übrigens uneingeschränkt lesenswert.)Er hat ein feines Gespür für das, was Recht ist, was Recht sein könnte und was Recht sein sollte und die Klugheit, sich dafür auf vielerlei Ebenen einzusetzen.In diesem wirklich kurzen Essay (ca. 3.000 Worte) leitet von Schirach nun aus den Werten der US-amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung die Notwendigkeit sechs einfach anmutender neuer, moderner Grundrechte für ein besseres Europa ab:Artikel 1 – UmweltJeder Mensch hat das Recht, in einer gesunden und geschützten Umwelt zu leben.Artikel 2 – Digitale SelbstbestimmungJeder Mensch hat das Recht auf digitale Selbstbestimmung. Die Ausforschung oder Manipulation von Menschen ist verboten.Artikel 3 – Künstliche IntelligenzJeder Mensch hat das Recht, dass ihn belastende Algorithmen transparent, überprüfbar und fair sind. Wesentliche Entscheidungen muss ein Mensch treffen.Artikel 4 – WahrheitJeder Mensch hat das Recht, dass Äußerungen von Amtsträgern der Wahrheit entsprechen.Artikel 5 – GlobalisierungJeder Mensch hat das Recht, dass ihm nur solche Waren und Dienstleistungen angeboten werden, die unter Wahrung der universellen Menschenrechte hergestellt und erbracht werden.Artikel 6 – GrundrechtsklageJeder Mensch kann wegen systematischer Verletzungen dieser Charta Grundrechtsklage vor den Europäischen Gerichten erheben.(Quelle: https://www.jeder-mensch.eu/informationen/) Diese angestrebten neuen Rechte mögen simpel wirken, vielleicht gar naiv (z. B. Artikel 4), aber wie, wenn nicht durch einklagbare Rechte, können wir die Risiken, die die unglaublichen technologischen Errungenschaften (Artikel 2, 3 und 5) unserer Zeit mit sich bringen, handhabbar machen? Diese neuen Rechte beschäftigen sich gleichzeitig mit den großen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit - dem Erhalt unserer Lebensgrundlage (Artikel 1) und der Wahrhaftigkeit (Artikel 4) untereinander.Insofern bin ich einmal mehr dankbar für das, was Ferdinand von Schirach leistet und unterstütze dieses Projekt aus Überzeugung. Auf eine Sterne-Bewertung verzichte ich angesichts der Natur und des Umfangs dieses Essays. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Die “Junge Frau” ist ein leises und berührendes Buch, ohne jemals ins Sentimentale abzugleiten. Es liest sich schnell, leicht und locker, ohne es an Empathie für seine Protagonistinnen mangeln zu lassen oder das teils tragische Schicksal zu banalisieren.In zwei Erzählungssträngen erzählt Schröder die Geschichte von vier (eigentlich fünf) Frauen einer Familie: Zunächst ist da Senta Köhler, geboren im beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert, die ungewollt von einem “feschen” Fliegerheld des Ersten Weltkriegs, Ulrich, schwanger wird.Senta bekommt das Kind, leidet aber vermutlich an postnatalen Depressionen; die Ehe zerbricht, das Kind, Evelyn, bleibt beim Vater. Senta geht nach Berlin zu ihrer Freundin Lotte.Im Berlin der 20er und 30er Jahre sind Frauen wie Senta und Lotte - selbständig, selbstbewußt und frei vom Antisemitismus der Zeit - eine Seltenheit. Senta heiratet letztlich in Berlin einen jüdischen Reporter, Julius Goldmann.Ruhig und um so bedrückender erzählt Schröder von den zunehmenden Schikanen nicht nur durch die Nazi-Machthaber, sondern auch von Profiteuren der Diskriminierung. Können Senta und Julius letztlich fliehen, so werden doch Julius' Eltern letztlich in Treblinka ermordet.Es ist selten, daß es einer Autorin so scheinbar einfach gelingt, vom Schicksal Einzelner im Holocaust gleichzeitig so eindringlich und doch unaufgeregt und unaufdringlich zu erzählen.Evelyn, Sentas Tochter, wächst derweil bei ihrer Tante Trude, Ulrichs Schwester, auf. Trude wird zur überzeugten Nationalsozialistin, die in einem “Delirium aus Hass, Angst, Enttäuschung und Wut” lebt und letztlich stirbt.Gerade die Geschichte um Senta, die nie aufgibt, die anständig bleibt und die aufsteht und tut, was sie tun muß, gerade diese Geschichte hat mich sehr bewegt.Im zweiten großen Handlungsstrang erleben wir, wie Hannah, Sentas Urenkelin, ihrer Familiengeschichte durch Zufall gewahr wird. Hannah ist Evelyns (wir erinnern uns: Sentas “verlorene” Tochter) Enkelin und besucht diese hochbetagte alte Dame und Seniorenheim und findet dort den Brief einer israelischen Anwaltskanzlei, die die Suche der verlorenen Familie in Gang bringt.Schröder schreibt Hannah zu einer wunderbar modernen und glaubwürdigen jungen Frau, die es ihrerseits nicht leicht hat: Eine Affäre mit ihrem Doktorvater, eine Promotion, an der sie kein wirkliches Interesse hat und keine Zukunftsperspektiven in Sicht.Nur die greise Großmutter ist von der Familie noch gegenwärtig: Der Vater ist seit der Einschulung fort. Die esoterisch angehauchte Mutter Silvia, die vor zehn Jahren an Krebs starb, weil sich der nun einmal nicht mit Zuckerkügelchen (“Globuli”) heilen läßt. Silvia, die aber auch schon vor ihrem Tod oft durch Abwesenheit - physische wie emotionale - “glänzte”, weil sie es wiederum von Evelyn nicht anders kannte.All das ist kein leichtes “Erbe”, aber mit zunehmendem Verständnis für die komplizierten Familienverhältnisse der Vergangenheit wächst Hannah und es tun sich durch Begegnungen, unter anderem mit Rubi, der Enkelin eines weiteren Zeitzeugen, ungeahnte Wege für die Zukunft auf.Das Buch endet offen und doch voller Hoffnung. Mir wiederum bleibt nur zu hoffen, daß Alena Schröder noch mehr zu erzählen hat. Volle fünf Sterne für dieses unsentimentale, aber dafür um so bewegendere Buch. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Recently, I came across “Bridgerton” on Netflix and - much to the dismay of my family - I really enjoyed it. Now, what would be more sensible than to look for the “source material”?So I did and was somewhat mystified why, at the time of writing this, “The Duke and I” only features an average score of 3.87. Looking into this made it obvious that one scene from the Netflix series was based on something many reviewers considered a “rape scene”.Fully expecting this to be exaggerated, I started reading - and found myself enjoying things very much: The chemistry between Daphne and Simon that permeates the entire book and that has been transformed so nicely to the TV screen, the bantering, the family - everything was pretty much great.If you like romance (I certainly do! :) ), tinged with fictitious history (I do enjoy a good historical novel at times as well), you can hardly go wrong. Then came that scene...I don't want to dive into it in any detail or argue in any direction but, yes, that scene left a bitter taste. Especially since Daphne fluctuates between regret and justification of what she did.It did mar my enjoyment of this otherwise very amusing, quick and easy read to some extent.Everything that came after was slightly tainted even though Quinn makes things work between Daphne and Simon and at least this reader. Your mileage may vary.A slightly guilty-feeling four stars out of five. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Puh... Das also war Kluftinger 11 und einem von uns beiden geht langsam die Puste aus. Ich habe jetzt extra mal nachgeschaut: Klüpfel und Kobr sind jeweils Jahrgang 1971 und 1973.Weite Teile des Humors der beiden Autoren stammt aber eher aus dem miefigen Altherren-Umfeld: Angefangen von Vodka-saufenden Russinnen, über einen indisch-stämmigen Priester, dessen Darstellung zum “Fremdschämen” gereicht (»Goßer Gottowielow-ben-disch. Heah, wie peisen deine Starke ...«) bis hin zu ganz peinlichen Klamottenkiste (“But I do not want that he is the Führer.”) - Klüpfel und Kobr ist kein Fettnäpfchen zu schade, kein Witz zu banal, um ihn nicht weidlich und nach den eigenen bescheidenen Künsten auszuschlachten.Auch über berechtigte Anliegen wird sich von diesem Duo der dümmlichen Peinlichkeit gern und ausschweifend mit solchen Schenkel-Klopfern lustig gemacht:“Handel treibenden Menschinnen und Menschen (m / w / d)”Ganz ehrlich: Ich habe die Faxen von Leuten dicke, die im Jahre 2021 immer noch meinen, sich über Emanzipation, Diversität, Geschlechter-neutrale Sprache, etc. lustig machen zu können. Es sind Witze auf Kosten von Menschen; eine Art von “Witz”, die einfach nicht mehr sein muß.Ganz unabhängig von all dem: Die Story ist eher schwach, denn Kluftinger ermittelt in einem alten Fall, bei dem er einst einen gravierenden Fehler gemacht hat. Es liegt also auf der Hand, daß wenig “Action” geboten wird, viel in den Achtzigern herumgestochert und wenig substanziell Neues passiert.Auch sonst ist eigentlich alles sehr voraussehbar - Kluftinger, der immer schon ein wenig “exzentrisch” war, wird dieses Mal allerdings noch mehr zur Karikatur seiner selbst. Ein Waschversuch scheitert aufs Lächerlichste, Mama und Papa werden genüßlich manipuliert und der einzige Lichtblick, die neue Kollegin Luzia Beer, wird schnell “gefügig” geschrieben.Alle Probleme werden im Nu gelöst und alle halbwegs interessanten Ansätze (Lucy Beer, Flüchtlingsschicksale) werden kaputt geschrieben oder gleich ohne echtes Interesse links liegen gelassen. Konflikte (z. B. Maier/Beer) bleiben verschwommen bzw. lösen sich ganz fix von selbst.Einzig die wenigen ernsthaften Momente - zum Beispiel im Gespräch mit der Mutter des Opfers - sind noch lesenswert und glaubwürdig. Sie retten diese 500-Seiten-Peinlichkeit zwar auch nicht mehr, aber zumindest heben sie es vom grottigen 1-Sterne-Niveau auf zumindest wohlwollende zwei Sterne.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Just when I thought [a:Andy Weir 6540057 Andy Weir https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg] was a “one-hit wonder” for his great and exciting “[b:The Martian 18007564 The Martian Andy Weir https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg 21825181]”, he comes along and writes something that completely blew away my mind.“Project Hail Mary” is spectacularly well done, features even more “scientific vibes” and despite being deeply rooted in science fiction, everything in this book feels (shockingly) plausible and believable.Earth is dying from climate change... Dr. Ryland Grace, a grumpy (ex-)scientist gone school teacher, is Earth's last line of defense and her last hope. As part of the crew of the interstellar spaceship “Hail Mary”, tasked with finding a solution for the afore-mentioned climate change issue, Grace ships out into space. How this came to be and Grace's exploits in space are narrated alternatingly (mostly) between chapters. First, we learn how Grace wakes up after an induced coma and then - by witnessing his memory coming back in flashbacks - the book tells the entire story in two parallel but ultimately converging storylines. Weir masterfully entwines the two storylines with each other and reveals piece by piece. He starts slow (»A teacher! I'm a schoolteacher! I remember it now!«), spins his story and material up to a riveting, amazing, fantastic middle part that dumbstruck me and comes furiously to a wonderful, brilliant, humane and alien ending.“Project Hail Mary” was compelling, funny, made me laugh out loud at some points and sob and/or cry at others. Its broad angle of humour from the amusingly simple...»I clench my teeth. I clench my fists. I clench my butt. I clench every part of me that I know how to clench. It gives me a feeling of control. I'm doing something by aggressively doing nothing.« ... to the subtle irony and sarcasm (examples omitted to avoid spoilers). Grace is discernibly human: He is childish, yet serious. Realistic, yet optimistic. A selfish nerd, and optimistic scientist. In other words, he's basically a good guy; nerdy, weird but a nice guy. Not as selfless maybe as he'd like (to imagine) at times... But maybe there's hope for Grace yet... Because he never loses his basic optimistic outlook (it may be impaired and buried at times) despite seemingly unbeatable odds and, ultimately, that's what I believe in, too. That despite our Earth starting to die from climate change, we will eventually prevail. »I bet they did work together. Maybe it's just the childish optimist in me, but humanity can be pretty impressive when we put our minds to it. After all, everyone worked together to build the Hail Mary. That was no easy feat.« Nor was it an easy feat to surpass “The Martian” and compose a masterpiece that's even better. And yet, Andy Weir did it.If you have even a tiny bit of a nerd inside you, if you like your science fiction somewhat plausible, if you're not turned off by science - if any of that applies, go and read this book. It's really, truly brilliant. Six out of five stars. ♩♫♪♪♫ Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

It's 1982 and Vivian “Viv” Delaney leaves her confining home to find fame and fortune in New York City. By chance, Viv ends up in Fell, New York, where she finds a job as a night manager at the eponymous Sun Down Motel. At the end of November 1982, Viv disappears.35 years later, in 2017, her niece, Carly Kirk, follows in Viv's footsteps after the death of Carly's mother, Viv's sister. Carly also flees her overbearing brother, her college courses and her life in general, in pursuit of Viv whose fate she's determined to discover.Consequently, Carly, too, goes to Fell and also gets a job at the Sun Down Motel - as the night manager. She even moves into Viv's old flat and proceeds to not only discover but experience the past...The book switches (mostly from chapter to chapter) between Viv's story in 1982 and Carly's in 2017. While this is currently an often-used storytelling device which would usually distract and, potentially, annoy me, in this instance, it actually adds to the atmosphere of this book.Its dense, chilling atmosphere, the late night setting (and weary days) is, in fact, one of the major selling points: It has been a long time since I actually lost sleep over a book because I wanted to read just one more chapter...The writing is (mostly) subtle and elaborate, be it about a “featherlight click sound” or “the perfect, silent hush of night”. Most of all, though, I enjoyed the two converging stories of Viv and Carly who both come to realise not all is as peaceful as it seems in Fell.I worried for both young women pretty much all the time - a run-down motel, at night, strange noises, the only guests a man who can't sleep anywhere else, cheating spouses and a strange travelling salesman...For the most part I was guessing what had happened to Viv and what might yet happen to Carly, both of whom I found very likeable. “The Sun Down Motel” read like a mystery thriller with a supernatural touch (which was, actually, the only part I did not really enjoy, especially not the part at the end...).For the thrills it gave me, the sleep it stole and its satisfying writing, “The Sun Down Motel” gets four very much deserved stars from me. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I seem to be the odd one out but this new Murderbot novella simply didn't work for me. At times, it felt very slow while, at other times, the story raced along - a very uneven pacing, unfortunately.Mensah and the others hardly played any role and our beloved Murderbot pretty much acts as some random security consultant, trying to make sense of a murder.Apart from the (here rather superficial) xenophobia aspects, all the moral aspects of the previous books in this series were largely neglected.To be totally frank, most of the time I was actually bored reading this. Here's to hoping for more than a “filler episode” next time and more exciting new adventures in the future. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

Oh, well, from the lofty heights of Obama's presidential memoirs which I enjoyed, I went on to read this. I needed a short moment of pure escapism and easy-going reading: “Please excuse me for a moment while I disengage my brain!”For that purpose, this novel worked well enough - albeit not perfectly but we'll come to that.Anyway, this is the third instalment of a loosely connected series about the romantic endeavours of a group of twenty-somethings (I guess). It started out well with Everly's romance with her boss (Calloway) and now we're reading about Sophie, Everly's successor as Calloway's personal assistant, who meets Camden Cox, a notorious womanizer.Sophie and Cox end up in Vegas where they “accidentally” marry each other in a drunken stupor. The remainder of the book is - expectedly - about how they find out they don't want a divorce.The ensuing chaos is amusing enough; ok, everything is clichéd and rather simplistic but that was to be expected. Worse, though: Every single character feels like an exaggerated parody of themselves and whereas Sophie is fairly likeable, Cox is - for the most part - annoying. This kind of machismo...»Ever so gently, I backed us out of the parking spot. A man did not simply drive a supercar. A man had to coax it. Caress it. Make love to it from the driver's seat and be respectful of its power.«... and what it says about Cox' ideas about women made me cringe. He constantly and unchangingly calls Sophie “sugar”. Uh... And she's pretty much fluttering her eyelids at him, enjoying his manly attention...So, while this book was still a funny romance, it was just a little too sappy, too simplistic and too clichéd for me to completely enjoy it and, thus, it only garners three out of five stars from me. Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram