koboldmaki

Well I can't help if I get a birthday voucher early, now can I.
King, Stephen: "Lisey's Story" (and it's a hardback. Georgeous.)
James, Henry: "Cathedrals and Castles" (from the Penguin Great Travels or something edition, a very elegant little book.)

Book Title: "Persepolis"
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Page Count: a few
First Published: 2004
Summary: Biography of a childhood and adolescence in Tehran (and Austria) in the form of a graphic novel.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Fantastic. I don't know what else to say, really. I read the first part a while back and now the library finally had the second as well. I loved the art, because it did not cause sensory overload like most graphic novels do for me, being simply black and white and clean shapes.

Book Title: "Dreaming of You"
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Page Count: 373
First Published: 1994
Summary: (from back) A prim, well-bred gentlewoman, Sara Fielding is a writer who puts pen to paper to create dreams. But now curiosity is luring her from the shelter of her country cottage into the dangerous world of Derek Craven - handsome, tough, tenacious - and the most exciting man Sara has ever met.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

I hate Kleypas. Successful writer AND almost Miss America? Screw her! But personal animosities aside, the story was fairly enjoyable. It's just that I like it better when the Romances end shortly before or after the wedding, and this one went on to first child, which, yawn. But it was delightfully over the top, which I prefer in Romance, with a crazy villainess and a very decadent nightclub and stuff.

Book Title: "Die Falken-Saga"
Author: Rainer M. Schröder
Page Count: lots
First Published: 1989-1992
Summary: Four novels about Tobias, a seventeen-year-old boy from a good family, who gets thrown into an adventure with his fathers close friends Sadik and the fortune-teller Jana. Together, they travel across Europe and later the world to solve a riddle set by an old acquaintance of Tobias' father, try to escape the clutches of evil Graf von Zeppenfeld, and finally find treasure beyond their wildest imagination.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

I read the first part of this "Saga" when I was fourteen or fifteen, a friend lent it to me back then, and I devoured it, but I never got around to reading the other parts. I remembered this about two years ago and started to hunt for all four, and when they were complete, I obviously left them in my shelves for another year or so. Anyway. Now I read them, and I really enjoyed them. There were some lengths, and that Sadik kept on quoting proverbs got annoying after a while, but the ending, unrealistic as it was, made up for a lot with its breathless pace.

Book Title: "Die Erbschaft"
Author: Connie Palmen
Page Count: 150
First Published: 1999
Summary: Famous author Lotte Linden is dying, but before she does, she hands over the work for her last book to a young man she has hired to help her cope with her disease, so that he can finish it when she is gone.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Sometimes I hate myself. I've had this book for what, two years? And it was still in foil. I only read it because of a dare. And it was so so good! I missed out on Connie Palmen for so long because of my bookproblem. Anyway. I'll have to read more by her to make a definitive statement about her style, I'm afraid, the book was just too short to get a feel of it. But the story told - and told among other things through books Lotte Linden reads - was touching without being sticky, if you know what I mean.

Book Title: "The Loneliness of the Long-distance Runner"
Author: Alan Sillitoe
Page Count: 88
First Published: 1959
Summary: Short story from the point of view of an underage criminal in detention in the 1950s and his reflections while running.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

So I was forced to ride the train yesterday for several hours, and I - sit down - forgot to take a book. After the first part of the journey was spent in torturous awareness of my surroundings (Sunday mornings on inner-city trains are the. Worst. Thing. Ever.) I caved in and bought a book at the main station. They have two bookshops there, but there was no time to go to the bigger one, which would have had Penguin popular Classics and other good things. So I had to make do with the small display of Reclams the smaller one has by the check-out. The last time I bought a book there, it was either short stories by Roald Dahl or Katherine Mansfield, but I'm sure of another thing: The display has not been touched much since then. I just grabbed the first affordable one I came across (and still thing that 3,40€ is a bit decadent for one short story), and went my merry way. The good thing is: I really liked it. Of course, I was feeling warmly towards Sillitoe already because of his name. Honestly, Sillitoe. Best name possibly ever. Anyway. I liked the voice throughout the story which was audibly working-class without being all written out as dropped H's or anything else annoying (Hagrid for example), the reflections of the protagonist while running felt real and believable and sometimes heart-breaking, and the ending was very appropriate - it could, after all, have been a let-down with a moral or worse.
One thing irks me, though: I want to go for a run now. And I hate running. But the book made it seem like an enjoyable thing!

Book Title: "Niederungen"
Author: Herta Müller
Page Count: 174
First Published: 1982
Summary: Several short and one longer story about family life in a village in the 1950s.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

I had not expected to like this book, just because most german-language literature of a newer date somehow eludes me, but I loved it. This is Herta Müllers (nobel prize etc.) first Prose work, and already she has a very distinct style that is harsh and real and very probing. I may have to read her work in order now to discover how this develops. It was also very interesting to read this as a follow-up to "Dick und Dalli und die Ponies", because the setting of both books is almost exactly the same - a small village in Germany in the 1950s - and both books use mostly the point of view of children, and yet how different are they! I'd like a very brave soul to write a comparison of the two for a university paper.

Book Title: "Dick und Dalli und die Ponies"
Author: Ursula Bruns
Page Count: 174
First Published: 19?? (Hey. If the book doesn't say, Wiki doesn't say, and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek neither, how am I to know?)
Summary: A cousin from town shakes up the already exciting life of sisters Dick and Dalli who live with their aunt and grandmother on a farm that specialises in icelandic horses and shettys.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Oh oh oh so wonderful. Much better than the movie, actually. So much greatness. And Horses. And I loved the descriptions of food. The style was sort of reminiscent of Kästner, in so far as Bruns directly addresses the reader and often makes slightly ironic remarks. Of course, I feel a little brainwashed now, Bruns is very convinced of the superiority of the pony. I want one :(

Book Title: "Emil und die drei Zwillinge"
Author: Erich Kästner
Page Count: 176
First Published: 1934
Summary: The second story of Emil and his detective friends. This time, they go to the seaside and have adventures with boats and circuspeople.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

I thought I wouldn't like it. As a matter of fact, I have thought that I would not like this book ever since I first saw it in the library, which must have been in the 80s, but I loved it, I really did. I never had rational reasons for disliking it anyway. The characters have grown convincingly older, the new story is vastly entertaining, and it still has the same quirky, today rather antiquated style I love about Kästner. Now if only someone could tell me what the hell "echter Karlsbader Zusatz" is. It must be some stuff you put in coffee.

As always, around this time of year,  the Best Book Bazar (ever), the one in the church, yadda yadda yadda.
This time I actually even donated some books (well. I think a lot), so I have enough space in my shelves to fill it with: 

Bruns, Ursula: "Dick und Dalli und die Ponies" (You see, some of my favourite childhood movies are those of the "Immenhof"-series, and this is the book they are based on).
Coetzee, J.M.: "Disgrace" (because, yes, I'd still like to read most winners of the Booker-prize (just not this years)).
Ende, Michael: "Die unendliche Geschichte" ("The Neverending Story", and no,  I can't believe I never read it either).
Foer, Jonathan Safran: "Extremely Loud&Incredibly Close"
Forester, C.S.: "Hornblower & The Hotspur"
"The Happy Return"
"A Ship of the Line"
"Flying Colours"
"The Commodore"
"Lord Hornblower" (orange backed penguins, all of them)
Gaskell, Elizabeth: "Cranford" (admittedly, I already read it, but who can say no to blue linen and gold print?)
Kästner, Erich "Emil und die drei Zwillinge"
Kästner, Erich: "Der kleine Grenzverkehr"
Powell, Anthony: "A Question of Upbringing" (Very surprising find. Usually, all you get are the omnibusses of "Dance to the Music of Time", and I'd hate to buy one and not like the first book and be stuck with it.) 
Walker, Alice: "The Color Purple"
Wolf, Christa: "Kassandra"
Also:  "Kräuter, Tees & Co: Wahre Wunder der Natur"(about herbs and tea, apparently, though the first few pages are all about Our Poisonous World (tm)) 

AND. First time this happened to me: I bought a book I already have. One of James Krüss' novels, I even have the same edition, it's very jarring.

EDIT. I forgot one. Can you believe it. Christie, Agatha: "The Sittaford Mystery"

EDIT AGAIN. Sweet chocolate covered christ. King, Stephen: "It" (a mood-buy thing) and some sort of collection of regency romance novellas for Christmas.

83) Kästner, Erich: "Das doppelte Lottchen" ******
84) Raabe, Wilhelm: "Die Chronik der Sperlingsgasse" ******
85) Christie, Agatha: "Ten Little Niggers" *****
86) Bronte, Emily: "Wuthering Heights" ****
87) Bray, Libba: "The Sweet Far Thing" *****
88) Preußler, Ottfried: "Die kleine Hexe" *****
89) Colette: "Gigi und andere Erzählungen" ****
90) Franck, Julia: "Die Mittagsfrau" ***

Audiobook: Burney, Fanny: "Evelina" ***

Not Finished: Hill, Susan: "I Am the King of the Castle"

Book Title: "Die Mittagsfrau"
Author: Julia Franck
Page Count: 430
First Published: 2007
Summary: The story of Helene, a young woman born in Bautzen, her dealings with her insane mother, her drug-addicted sister, and later her Nazi-husband in the 1930s, with a dash of golden twenties Berlin and the post-war east.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

If you take a little bit of everything from forbidden lesbianism to abortion to opium to spousal abuse to the Holocaust and throw it all together with a bit of pretentious prose, it does not necessarily make for a good book, but it will apparently win prizes. I did not enjoy reading this at all, and I HATED that Franck used no quotation marks in direct speech. But as I had read in a review on amazon that she did not explain what became of the sister or why Helene left her son at the station, and that is plain not true and quite satisfyingly explained, I guess it could be worse.

Book Title: "Gigi und andere Erzählungen"
Author: Colette
Page Count: 126
First Published: 1943
Summary: Four short novellas.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Two I liked, "Gigi" and "Ein 'recht kleines Leben'" (A fairly small life?), the other two read like writing excercises, not like stories.

Book Title: "Evelina"
Author: Fanny Burney
Read by: LibriVox
First Published: 1778
Summary: Epistolary novel about a young, sheltered girl's entrance into the world.
Rating: superfunk - golden  - sweet  - blah - superblah - blergh

My dearest, most admired reader,

what can your poor koboldmaki say to this, her first experience with the writing of Fanny Burney? It pains, nay, it wretches my heart to say that, while certainly the sentiments expressed within the pages of the novel are admirable and at times entertaining, and while one cannot help but value the novel for its place in the history of literature, yet the story was presented in such an awful, time-consuming, unnerving manner that, while I did manage to listen to the whole novel due to the kind-heartedness of the volunteers at LibriVox and my own uncanny ability to phase out when the narration got ever too repetitive, I still cannot rate it higher in my own humble esteem as a mere reader than I did the revered Richardson's "Pamela", which also unnerved me more than it did entertain and educate. Alas, I thought the events described within the pages of this book were no more than, dare I say it, yes, I must say it, a farce, and that the humble heroine of the tale deserved, please to not think less of your poor koboldmaki for saying it ever so frankly, to be slapped.

Hoping that this my frank telling of my opinion of this novel has not estranged, or worse, bewildered my reader to whom I am ever so much devoted, I remain, your faithful,

koboldmaki

(add to this the usual problems the epistolary novel has, such as the lack of realism in the detailed dialogues, and I think I would have thrown the book away after about 200 pages had I actually read it myself, so thanks again, LibriVox.) 

Book Title: "Die kleine Hexe"
Author: Ottfried Preussler
Page Count: 127
First Published: 1957
Summary: The little witch is unfortunately only one hundred and twenty-seven years old, and none of the other witches take her seriously. But of she can't be a great witch, she wants to be a good one. With this decision, a big adventure begins.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Wonderful children's book that will never age, what else is there to say. I took off points for the ending, I have to admit, it was rather unsatifying for me as an adult, but as a child, I think I cheered.

Overwhelming. The language was almost bombastic, and so many things happen that I wish she had made this book into two, but I guess three is just the way to go these days. Not too many people die and it is handled very well, but the ending is a little too open for my taste. I did enjoy the development of Gemma and her friends, though. They all are far too independent to be believed, but since they have magic at their command, I can give them the benefit of the doubt that they will actually achieve their plans.
Now. Alas. Not really a secret passage, no exploding from me, but there were more than enough motives to keep me happy.

Book Title: "Wuthering Heights"
Author: Emily Bronte
Page Count: 279
First Published: 1847
Summary: A bunch of terrible people destroy each other for love.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

The English major in me says that this is a good book. The writing is superb, the descriptions vivid, the characters brilliant, la dee da. But the reader in me says they are all assholes who do stupid things. And I am so, so worried that people actually rank Heathcliff with the great lovers of literature. He kills puppies! He hits young Cathy so hard she looses a tooth! He may very well be old Catherine's half-brother, which, you know, YUCK! So between the superfunk for literary merit and the blergh for enjoyment you get a solid sweet, I just wanted to clear that up.

Book Title: "Ten Little Niggers"
Author: Agatha Christie
Page Count: 201
First Published: 1939
Summary: Ten people, strangers to one another, are invited to a lonely island and killed off one after another.
Rating: superfunk - golden - sweet - blah - superblah - blergh - goatfood

Interesting reading experience for me: I guessed the murderer right. I never do, I usually don't even bother to try. But the suspense was still enough to grip me for longer periods (though I suppose if you are an avid reader of crime, this one will seem rather tame).
I feel the need to read one of the newer versions now. Do they still call it "Nigger Island"? Have they changed the nursery rhyme? What about the figurines? 

(as you can see, there are a lot of entries still hidden. I have a lot to do at the moment, which is good. Still, I'll try not to let any more pile up, and revisit the ones I had to leave out at a later time. Or maybe today, my head is full of jello, work will be difficult.)

I am currently reading:
Franck, Julia: "Die Mittagsfrau" which won the German Book Prize in 2007 and I'm trying very hard to understand why, but it has lesbians and opium and WWII so maybe that's the explanation?
Colette: "Gigi and other Stories", I already read "Gigi" and skimmed the story after that (it felt more like a writing exercise not meant to be read by others), and am currently on the third of four. 
Bronte, Emily: "Wuthering Heights" and what a torture it is. 60 pages to go.
Kleypas, Lisa. "Dreaming of You" which is a quite brilliant romance, but I feel like something not so light at the moment.
Gaskell, Elizabeth: "North and South" though I put that on hold and made myself finish "Wuthering Heights" first.
Rutherfurd, Edward: "London", I'd love to finish it before my birthday but it is SO long-winded I can't get past page 30.

And still listening to "Evelina". I think as a book, I would have thrown it against the wall by now, what with all the emotional turmoil and the heroine not being able to speak for so much sensation and all the nays. But as just a narration, I can tune in and out when it gets too much, it's quite nice.

For free. A german magazine gave away vouchers, and I got one!
Sand, George: "Lelia"
Dumas, Alexandre: "Die Kameliendame" ("Camille", I think.)

Other than that, I have been very good about not buying books. I have also been good about not reading books, ha ha. I've been listening to "Evelina" by Fanny Burney for the longest time now, but that's really more like watching a soap opera. But I've been knitting. I should make a post about that.

Weeeell why not post this list without having completed the entries, right? 

72) Rüther, Tobias: "Helden - David Bowie und Berlin" *****
73) Clarke, Stephen: "Ein Engländer in Paris" **
74) Lee, Harper: "To Kill a Mockingbird" ******
75) Waters, Sarah: "Fingersmith" ****
76) Various: "Irish Girls About Town" ****
77) Remarque, Erich Maria: "Im Westen nicht Neues"******
78) Remarque, Erich Maria: "Der Weg Zurück" ******
79) Barbery, Muriel: "Die Eleganz des Igels" ***
80) Aristoteles: "Poetik"
81) Nothomb, Amélie: "Mit Staunen und Zittern" *****
82) Keun, Irmgard: "Das Mädchen mit dem die Kinder nicht verkehren durften" ******