everyday life

book report, may

* Aristocrats: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah Lennox, 1740-1832 by Stella Tillyard. It's a biography, based on the letters, written by the Lennox sisters-Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah. Author Stella Tillyard gives a second life to these 18th-century aristocrats, whose extended family included some of the most significant and colorful British political figures of the era. She mixes impeccable research, a sharp eye for detail, and a writing style that's both precise and lively to produce a biography of a clan that doubles as a panoramic history of the aristocracy in the 1700s. It's a joy to read and it's a piece of British history.

* Fallen - The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates. I usually love Oates books, but I didn't like this one at all. It tells the story of Ariah, a woman whose husband threw himself over Niagara Falls. The rest of the book is the story of her life and family, and how she finds love, then loses it again.  

* Sista andetaget - The Last Breath by Denise Mina. This is the third book about the Glasgow journalist Patricia "Paddy" Meehan. Mina is one of my favorite crime authors, but this one was not as good at the two first in the series.

* Vänaste land by Åke Edwardson. The 8th book in the series about Inspector Winter. Not the best in the series, perhaps the weaksest so far.. But an intersting story.

new yarn and new book

I didn't buy any yarn in Visby, but I bought some yarn on sale, the weekend before. A hank of Araucania Quellon and I will knit a scarf of it, later on this year.

And last week I bought Pam Allen's & Ann Budd's Lace Style - and there a couple of patterns I like in this one. And my favorites Tailored Scallops (the cover) and Lily of the Valley Shawl.

And I have a FO to show you, that pink dream is on the floor blocking right now, so later this week I can show you the end result!

book list feb to april

Yet again I have neglected my monthly book list. Here are my reading for February, March and April.

February:

* Inspired by the inauguration of the new US president in January, I read President Obamas Dreams from My Father. It was written before he made the decision to run as a Senator and as a President.

* Peter Collier & David Horowitz The Kennedy's, An American Drama. The Kennedy clans ups and downs from the birth of Patrick Joseph Kennedy 1857 to the death of David Kennedy 1984 (the tragic death continues through the 90s with Michael Kennedy in 1997 and of course with John Kennedy Jr in 1999). It's an interesting saga about the road to the rise of power, with endless tragic deaths in the family.

* Jim Garrison On the Trail of the Assassins. The death of President Kennedy and it's aftermaths. Oliver Stone did the movie JFK after this book. And we will perhaps never get the full truth about this murder,  but this is one theory.

* Åke Edwardsson's5th book in the series of inspector Erik Winter - Himlen är en plats på jorden.

* I skydd av mörkret - Scared to Live  by Stephen Booth. The 7th book in the series of Inspectors Cooper & Fry in Derbyshire, UK. "A dark night, an open bedroom window – and three bullets that strike from the darkness. The victim of the shocking assassination is a harmless middle-aged woman, living a reclusive life in a quiet Peak District village. But is she quite so harmless as she seems?"

March:

* I de dödas namn - The naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin. Set in Edinburgh in July 2005 when the G8 leaders gathered in Scotland.  Facing daily marches, demonstrations, and scuffles, the police are at full stretch. Detective Inspector John Rebus, however, has been sidelined, until the apparent suicide of an MP coincides with clues that a serial killer may be on the loose. The authorities are keen to hush up both, for fear of overshadowing a meeting of global importance – but Rebus has never been one to stick to the rules, and when his colleague Siobhan Clarke finds herself hunting down the identity of the riot cop who assaulted her mother, it looks as though Rebus and Clarke may be up pitted against both sides in the conflict.

Rankin is one of my favorite crime authors and it's always a pleasure to read his books.

* Segel av sten by Åke Edwardsson. The 6th book in the Winter series. Set in the Göteborg's archipelago and in the Scottish highlands.

*I djävulens sällskap - Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson. Set in North Yorkshire Inspectors Banks and Cabbot are working on two diffrent murders. One morning in March, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, a woman named Karen Drew is found in her wheelchair with her throat slit. Back in Eastvale on that same morning, in a tangle of narrow alleys behind a market square, the body of Hayley Daniels is found raped and strangled. Two murders . . . two towns . . .

Robinson is another favorite of mine!

* Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince by JK Rowling. This is book is soooo bitter sweet with the love story and the sudden death of a very important person. Can't wait to see the movie later this summer!

 April:

* Rum nummer 10 by Åke Edwardsson. The 7th book in the Winter series. Has a case 10 years ago any connection with the current case? Is the room number 10 at the hotel any clue?

* Adolf Hitler- a biograph. Written by the Swedish historian Bengt Liljegren. I have  been reading this for months, I started in november. The book is well written, but the main person was perhaps not the funniest fella on this earth.

* Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. Perhaps the thoughest H.P book to re-read. You know what's gonna happen, and when. I cry a lot during this book.

january book list

The first book list of the year!

* The Holy Blood and the Holy Grailby Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh & Henry Lincoln. This is the book Dan Brown read and got inspired to write Da Vinci Code.

In this book, the authors put forward a hypothesis the Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had one or more children, and that those children or their descendants emigrated to what is now southern France. Once there, they intermarried with the noble families that would eventually become the Merovingian dynasty, whose special claim to the throne of France is championed today by a secret society called the Priory of Sion.

There has been a lot of talks about this book, and a couple of years ago it was reveled that Priory of Sion was a hoax. It is a good story nevertheless.

* The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band by Mötley Crüe& Neil Strauss. O'boy- How did these guys even survived to tell their story? I was never a fan of the Crüe, but I heard their songs and read about them in the papers. And a rock n' roll biography is always fun to read.

* Låt det aldrig ta slut by Åke Edwardson. 4th book about inspector Erik Winter. It's a hot summer in Göteborg and in a course of a couple of weeks, 2 women is found dead in a park. Has these two killings anything to do with a unsolved case 5 years ago?

* Skrivet i eld - Written in Bone by Simon Beckett. Is the second book about forensic anthropologist David Hunter. (I haven't read the first one yet.) On his way back from an ongoing investigation into a serial killer in Scotland, David Hunter is asked to examine a fire-death on the remote Hebridean island of Runa. It appears to be a textbook case of the phenomenon known as spontaneous human combustion. But Hunter is certain there is a more rational explanation for what has happened. And although the police seem ready to dismiss this as a bizarre accidental death, he finds himself drawn more towards Brody's gut feeling: whatever caused this, it was no accident. But even as Hunter comes face to face with the knowledge that there is a murderer on the island, the full force of an Atlantic storm descends. Cut off from the mainland, he begins to realize that the burned corpse is only one of Runa's secrets. And as the storm rages, the killing begins in earnest...

* Dalziels död - The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill. A new book about inspectors Dalziel and Pascoe. Can it be true? Has the Fat Man really sung? Caught in a huge Semtex explosion, it seems the only thing preventing Superintendent Andy Dalziel from stepping through Death's door is his size -- and sheer bloody-mindedness. While Andy lies in a coma, an injured DCI Pascoe works to uncover what he feels sure is a conspiracy, despite the security services believing the blast was an accident in which the terrorists blew themselves up. Who, then, are the mysterious Knights Templar, bringing the war in Iraq back home with their gruesome acts of vengeance? And, most importantly, will Dalziel ever wake up to hear the truth..?

* Snö och aska - A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. A Breath of Snow and Ashes is the sixth volume of the best-selling Outlander series of Claire Randall Fraser and her Highlander husband Jamie, the story is an integral step in a bestselling and surprisingly rich tale spanning the time from the Scottish Rising of 1745, to the American Revolution.

readings

I have neglected my reading lists the past months but  here are the lists for October, November and December.

October:

* Den inre kretsen by Mari Jungstedt. The third book about Inspector Knutas in Visby, Gotland. This time a young girl gets murdered while attending an archaeological excarvation just outside Visby. And soon a local politician also get whacked. What the connection between these two deaths?

* Dans med en ängel by Åke Edwardsson. The first book in a series about Inspector Erik Winter. Set in Göteborg and in London in 1997. A body is found in Göteborg and a couple of days later a body is found in London with similar wounds. Winter and Inspector Steven Macdonald tries to solve the murders.

* Luftslottet som sprängdes by Stieg Larsson. The third and the last book in the Millennium series about the reporter Michael Blomqvist and his "sidekick" Lisbeth Salander. This book starts of where the last book ended. And o'boy, what a page turner!!

* Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling. Re-read.

November:

* Kungsholmsmorden by Lars Bill Lundholm. The third story from Lundholm about the police in Stockholm. This story is set in the Kungsholmen neighborhood (where the headquarters of the Swedish police is situated).

* Den döende dandynby Mari Jungstedt. Fourth book about Inspector Knutas and his staff. The title of this book reefers to Nils Dardels painting Den döende dandyn

* Rop från långt avstånd by Åke Edwardsson. Second book about Winter. A dead woman is found just out side the city of Göteborg. Who is she? Why is she dead?

* Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling. Re-read.

December:

* Med lätta bevis - Birds of a Feather by Jacquline Winspear. Second book about Maise Dobbs. Set in London and in Kent 1930, but the Great War is hounting behind.

* Den första hustrun - The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. The story about Henry VIII's FIRST wife,  Katherine of Aragon. I do love to read about the Tudor time! Perhaps not all true but, interesting!

* Sol och skugga by Åke Edwardsson. Third book about Winter. This time a crime close to home.

* Skumtimmen by Johan Theorin. This book is the debut book of Theorin and this book made him a household name. Set in Öland, a young boy disapered in early 1970. 30 years later his mother still suffers her lost and nobody knows nothing about this, or do someone know?

september books

366.253 - i can't let it go, originally uploaded by catsfalk.

Here I give you the September reading list:

* Vargtimmen - The Dead Hour by Denise Mina. The second book in her new series about the reporter young Padddy Meehan, at the Glasgow newspaper Scottish Daily News. Mina is a favorite of mine.

* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I pick this up at the airport on my way to London. The first in a series about Bella and her vampyre love Edward. I have heard much about this series and once I started to read it it was hard to let it go. And it was a fast read. As I understand though, this is the best book in the series of 4.. And I really have no desire to read the rest of them at the moment.

* De dödas ljus - Dying Light by Stuart MacBride. The second book in a series about detective Logan McRae at the Aberdeen police.

* Östermalmsmorden by Lars Bill Lundholm. A story set in Stockholm, in Östermalm - the area where my work is situated. This is the first book I read by Lundholm, but I've seen some of his TV series - among them the lovely Skärgårdsdoktorn.

* Harry Potter and the Prisoner from Azkaban by JK Rowling. Since they change the date for the new movie, I have to read the books instead (and watch the old movies!).

vacation readings in august

my london travel guides, originally uploaded by catsfalk.

It has been my vacation month this August. So I had lots of time to read, and since the weather has been rather rainy, I had plenty of time to read.

There are couple of books I had been browsing in from time to time all summer and that's my London guide books. So now I'm prepard to go.

On my first vacation day I visit my local library and borrowed a pile of books and audio books.

* Kennedys hjärna by Henning Mankell. An audio book read by the actress Helena Bergström.

Louise Cantor is coming home from Greece and finds her son dead. The police write it off as a suicide, but Louise is certain her son never would have kill himself, so she begins to investigate her son life. She trails her son back to Barcelona, Spain and to Mocambique, Africa. And she learns new stuff about her son's life.

Mankell is a favorit of mine but this was perhaps not his best. Something was missing in the end...

* Hemma hos Martina and Underbar och älskad av alla (och på jobbet går det också bra) by Martina Haag. Audio books read by the author. The first one, Hemma hos Martina was first published in the magazine Mama (a mag for Mommy's) and it's about her life as mama with (then) 3 children, pets and a famous, comedian/tv-personality hubby.

And the second book is a novel based on her life as a struggeling actress. This two book has been very popular on the book charts and the second became a succesful film last year. And honestly, I canät see why? OK, the first book, about the life as a mother, I can't relate to, but that should not be the problem... The second book is about a woman in her 20s, trying to get work, her love life. And I can relate to that... But I didn't get it all... Rubbish!!

* Kamratfesten - The Gaudy night by Dorothy Sayers. A classic mystery novel from the 1930s. Harriet Vane gets some help with a mystery in Oxford from Lord Peter Wimsey. Re-read.

* De nio målarna - The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey solves a mystery with a body turning up in a grave yard. Re-read.

* Lord Peters sista fall - Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh. Sayers started this novel in the late 30s, but never ended it. In 1990s Jill Paton Welsh completed this novel.

* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowlings. Re-read.

* Försoning - Atonement by Ian McEwan. Everyone had said so much good about this one it actually became a disapointment.

july books

July was all about crime and mysteries.  Crime novels in the city heat.

* Blodsarv - The Field of Blood by Denise Mina. The first book in a new series by Mina, set in Glasgow, early 80s. I really like Minas Garnethill triology, and this series is promising too. I have already bought the next book in the series. Mina is a favorite.

* I minnenas tecken - Ruling Passion by Reginald Hill. An early Pasoce and Dalziel book. Set in Yorkshire. Hill is also a favorite.

* En bit av mitt hjärta - Piece of My Heart by Peter Robinson. First line says: Monday, September 8, 1969 - And I 'm hooked. =) That date is my birth date.. An Inspector Banks mystery. Anyway, it's two stories in one. One young girl is found dead 1969 and a music reporter is found dead 2006. Is there any connection? (Well of course!!!) Robinson is another favorite!

* Maise Dobbs by Jacquline Winspear. Maise Dobbs was new to me. This was the first book in a series, set in London (and in Kent) 1929 but also  with flashbacks 10-15 years back, to get to know our heroinne. Very Agatha Christie and very nice.

* Tyskungen by Camilla Läckberg. At the moment Läckberg is the most talked about mystery writer in Sweden. Very popular  but the critics does not like her. This is the 5th book in a series about the Police in Fjällbacka. The 6th book came out in May.

june reading list

new books at the library at work, originally uploaded by catsfalk.

Behind my shoulder, at the moment, I have the biggest archaeological library in Sweden. But since I work at the biggest archaeological archive in Sweden, there are no surpises that we share the house. The main subject areas of the library are archaeology, Medieval art and architecture, numismatics and Sweden's cultural heritage and its protection and preservation. So you can always find a nice book to read/to look in, when you want to relax a bit at work and still want to learn something new. The picture above is showing the latest addition to the library.

My reading list for June is not educational at all - exept for the first one on the list:

* Flyga drake - Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs (The Kite Runner) by Khaled Hosseini. A story set in Afghanistan/ USA, starting in early 1970s and ending in August 2001. You can also see the movie The Kite Runner.

* Den du inte ser by Mari Jungstedt - a crime story set in beautiful island of Gotland. This is the first in a series about Inspector Knutas. Read the second book April.

* Djupt vatten - A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon. A Inspector Brunetti book, set in Venice, Italy.

* En smula dröm, en smula kärlek - Frozen Music by Marika Cobbold Hjörne. Set in England and on the west coast of Sweden. Esther is a journalist in England, Linus is an architect in Sweden. Their mother's were life long friends but Esther and Linus never met until they are in their 30s. And their first meeting is not a good one... I love this book, and I think this is Cobbold Hjörnes best one. Re-read.

* Den flammande bägaren - The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon. The 5th book - yepp, the 5th book, in a trashy love series. This one was actually really bad...

may books

When I was in Göteborg, a month ago, on my Archive conference, I attended a seminar by Ewonne Winblad. When I was a teenager you could see Winblad as a news anchor at Rapport. She has now left the TV world and is now writing books. And in this seminar, she talked about her latest book, a biography about Hanna Lindmark (1860-1941) and Mrs Winblad talked about the work writing it. She visited many archives in search of Hanna Lindmark. 

Lindmark is basically unknown, but she had an amazing life, when she was 40 she left her work as a maid and started a home economic school for women. These schools became a huge success and she open a lot of schools and restaurants around the country.

When she died, 1941, she was a very wealthy woman and she donated her all and the schools to four mission churches. But 20 years later Lindmark's businesses are closing down and the churches makes no money of all this. What had happen with all the money and the successful schools? Nobody knew, until a archivist found a closed safe, in the cellar in one of the churches. It happens that one of the pastors had embezzled the money, and the church had the story put away under the rug. I read this book in May, it is called:

* Frälst, Förmögen, Förskingrad: Historien om Hanna Lindmark och Margaretaskolan by Ewonne Winblad. An interesting book of this poor woman who made a furtune of learning girls how to run a house hold. Very intresting what you can find in the archives.

* Nobels testamente by Liza Marklund. For the last10-15 years wring crime stories has been a feamle occupation. Liza Marlund was one of the first who gain huge success doing so.She was/is a newspaper reporter and she got published in mid 90s. This is her latest and it's no good at all. I think it's time for Liza to quit writing crime books and go back to her day job.

* En visa för de döda - A Carol For the Dead by Patrick Dunne. A story set in Ireland and in the Boyne Valley around Newgrange. An Archeaologist is called in when they find a pre-historic body, but when people around her starts to drop dead, she starts to investigate. A good story and it's nice to have an Archeaoloigist in the centre of the story.

* Midvinterblod by Mons Kallentoft. Set in Linköping, Östergötland, a couple of very cold February days. A man is found hanging from a tree and the police are struggeling to find the murderer.

* Pojke försvunnen by Anna Jansson. This is the 8th book in a series about inspector Maria Wern. The books are well written and I like her stories very much. Yet again set in Gotland, a boy has disapered and soon another boy is missing. What's going on?