The books I read this summer (vacation)

Summer vacation is ideal for lots of reading. Especially if vacation is 4 weeks of staycation.  So I am not surprised I come up with a nice list of books from just a few months, and some seem already far away in my memory. 

Jo Claes- Dood in December

Since last year I got Jan and Kabouter Jo Claes addicted too. And Jan buys all books he wants to read himself, no library option. So now we have a full shelf exploding with Jo Claes books and it's perfect to bring to the beach and enjoy.

Dood in December brings stories of librarians of ancient books, that gets killed and disposed off in a way that resembles Fiere Margriet.  And so he manages to merge into a police detective story once again a lot of cultural details, historical details and a piece of Leuven folkore.  Typical Jo Claes. Well  done and excellent beach material. 

Jo Claes - Want alles gaat voorbij, maar niets gaat over. 

I'm not reading Jo Claes chronologically so this one dates back a little bit but still refers to multiple cases before that I did know.

It's quite a gruesome book I thought with multiple befriended couples of the police detective being murdered. Serial killing for revenge. But this time I was more thinking in the right direction that usually. But not entirely, anyhow. 




Korneel De Ruynck - Was het nu 70, 80, of 90? 

I've gifted this book to Jan for his birthday but was the first one to read it. Ha, I must have been the most enthousiastic about it. He did read it in the week after me though. 

I bought the book rather impulsively thinking of the Studio Brussel radioshows and parties and also the TV programs from Steven van Herrewegen that we all loved to watch about the 80ies and 90ies. So I somehow expected a sense of humour that is not in the book.

Nevertheless reading all technological evolutions (communciation, media, transport, stores, ...) from before my birth and during my childhood triggered a lot of nostalgia.   Lots of "oooh yes, I remember that" thoughts.  I think it'll be a book that interests Kabouter too. 




Cora Carmack - Losing it

An easy read romantic but also humoristic book.  A young women wants to lose her virginity in a one-night stand but is so nervous that she has a panic attack and escapes...to find out the next day that her one-night stand is her new college teacher.   Ha awkward. 
I would have added some more absurd awkward moments later in the book as the relationship and confusion smoothens out rather well in a "and they live happy forever together" ending. 

Maureen Myant - Zoeken naar Lena

A little Czech boy witnesses a Nazi razzia in his village that kills all males and departs women and children.  When he gets split from his little sister he decides to go look for her. 

In the beginning I found the book's writing style too simplistic, as it is written by the boy and for children, which was conflicting with the harsh content.  But that improved (or I got used by it and dragged into the story).   A story full of good people victimized by the war,  paranoia who to trust or not and a painful ending because world war 2 and the nazism has caused so much trauma that couldn't just end well.  

Heidi Stiegelis - Je moet niks

Entering the vacation period with the goal to let go and take distance of a bunch of stuff because I felt my energy and emotions were reaching bottom levels. So I was intrigued by this title in the library.  "I don't have to anything" felt like a great rebellious statement and one that could help me.   So I had picked it up impulsively.  (I also pick up my books in the library in just a couple of minutes without long consideration). 

So when I started reading, I was disappointed that it was written by a health/lifestyle coach with a lot of references to people searching weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.  That wasn't on my mind. 
I read through it though and just remember the concept of your self-esteem by 3 "kleine goede doelen" a day.  Interesting concept but other than that it wasn't the book I wanted. 

Eva De Wit - Een Zomer in Frankrijk

A (too) light book about some Dutch women all on a turning point in their life and decide (in my mind too impulsively and lightly) to leave for a summer in France where they'll work on a campground.  Of course the Dutch want to be on a campground, haha. 

Things don't go as planned,  people don't communicate as they should...and it all works out perfectly in the end. 

Not much depth in this book, but good easy reading vacation literature. 

Rhys Bowen - Oorlogsdochters

UK high society in war time.  Some join the secret service but they can't talk about their job.  But not everyone in society might be anti-German.  So there's paranoia, but also a search for adventure and love.  
All elements for a good roman but I miss a bit the impact of the war on the ordinary people.  

Nora Roberts -  The Villa

An Italian - America wine family business is being targeted with sabotage.  The family needs to pull together, but do they all do ?  Unusual people need to work together. 

It was a nice book, although I couldn't imagine that one wine brand would run like such an "imperium".  At least the characters seemed more realistic all-round than in many romans. 

Muna Shehadi - Rosalinds Leugen

I've picked up this first book of a triology so if I like it, I can follow-up with 2 more.  When cleaning out the house of their parents, 3 sisters discover documents that reveal their parents are not their biological parents. 2 sisters for odd reasons seem to ignore it but Rosalind persues and infiltrates in some unrealistic easy way into the live of her potential biological parents. 

To be honest: I'm only in the middle of the book so I don't know yet how it'll end up :).