It looks like my reading is still a bit slow. But summer has never been my strongest reading time. I don’t know how people get most reading done in summer. That said I did pick up some good books and traveled the world. I went to space and into arctic ice. I hiked through the norther US National Parks and surfed in LA. And I am on track with my reading goals when it comes to quantity. I should consult my reading goals in order get a bit closer to the quality part and what I had planned for this year though. Anyways: book talk August – let’s go.
Über den Wolken wohnen die Träume by Meike Werkmeister | ★★★★★
Book Blurb: Full of anticipation, 17-year-old Morlen flies to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a small coastal town south of Los Angeles. Everything here seems somehow bigger than at home on Norderney: the houses, the tall palm trees, the huge Pacific waves. Heather, an old friend of her mother’s, welcomes her with open arms, but the atmosphere between her and her husband Gary is not nearly as good as the Californian weather. While Morlen tries to sort out her feelings for surfer boy Charlie and host brother Tom, Heather secretly dreams of having an adventure of her own. Will they both find happiness?
First Sentence: Da unten wohnen sie also, die Träume. || So that’s where they live, the dreams.
What I thought: I loved this book. It may actually be my favorite of hers. I could so relate to the 17 year old and her struggles and feelings and I was right back at my own 17 year old self starting my year in the US. But also Heather in her mid-forties wondering if this is all, where she is left in the chaos of the family, yearning for some adventure… I think the other managed to really speak to a very broad audience. This is a book a mother and daughter could read together. And all this while we travel around in California and learning stuff about surfing. And if you know other books by the author you get to meet/mentions of familiar characters. I love that. In on of her earlier books we follow the story of Morlens mom and her homecoming to her daughter.
Elevate count: none, read in German
Characters: Morlen – 17 year old, Heather – host mom and friend of Morlen’s mom, Gary – husband, Tom – oldest son 18, Ellie – older daughter, Hazel – younger diabetic daughter, Curly – the dog, Charly, Ryan, Sofia – friends of Ellie, Jackson – surfer
Setting: home of the family, beaches around Cardiff-by-the-Sea
Medium: paperback
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: none so far
Recommend to: Fans of a good multilayered summer romance featuring older and younger couples. Fans of Meike Werkmeister.
Author’s Origin: born in Munster, Germany | 1979
Additional note: birthday gift from A.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Read | ★★★★✶
Book Blurb: Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.
First Sentence: Joan Godwin gets to the Johnson Space Center well before nine, and Houston is already airless and muggy.
What I thought: TJR books are just easy entertainment and always spot on. I think even one of her bad books is often better than others out there. That said I don’t think is is bad. I loved it. I love space. I loved the characters. The audiobook had me on the edge of my chair and I wanted to know what happened. I was right there with the characters. But that sister … oh my gosh I wanted to murder her.
Elevate count: audiobook, didn’t track
Characters: Joan Godwin – astronaut, astronomer, Vanessa Ford – astronaut, pilot, Francie – niece to Joan, Barbara – sister to Joan, Hank, Donna, Lydia, Griff – astronauts
Setting: nasa, orbit, mission control
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: English
Publications: German title “Atmosphere”
Recommend to: Everyone loving space, the 80’s and a good romance book. And of course fans of TJR.
Author’s Origin: born in East Shore Maryland, U.S.A. | December 20th, 1983
The Greatest Polar Expedition of All Time by Markus Rex | ★★★★✶
Book Blurb: The Greatest Polar Expedition of All Time vividly describes one year aboard the Polarstern, a powerful ice-breaker ship that journeyed deep into the Arctic in 2019, carrying over 100 scientists and crew known as the MOSAiC Expedition. Hailing from across the world, they would become the largest expedition to ever survive a polar winter. Their purpose? To understand—and predict—the impacts of climate change on the Arctic.
Written by the expedition’s leader, the renowned atmospheric scientist Markus Rex, this page-turner reads like a captain’s log of daily life aboard the Polarstern. Living in one of the most remote, dangerous, and electrifying places on earth, Rex describes incredible sights: polar bears playing with scientific equipment, Christmas parties in the bitter cold, frostbitten scientists, and hair-raising storms that threaten to break the Polarstern’s cables and send it flying across the ice. He also reveals breathtaking science from deep inside the sea ice.
First Sentence: Ungesehen und unbetreten, in mächtiger Todesruhe schlummerten die erstarrten Polargegenden unter ihrem unbefleckten Eismantel von Anbeginn der Zeiten. || Unseen and untrodden under their spotless mantle of ice the polar regions slept the profound sleep of death from the earliest dawn of time.
What I thought: This was such an interesting book. We are basically reading the log book of the expedition. In between we get little chapters on certain topics like ice types, polar bears, climate, equipment. I really enjoyed learning about this expedition, the work that went into it, how the scientific community worked together when Covid hit despite political differences to save the mission and the overall goal to get data before the arctic is gone. I personally would have wished a bit more deeper insight in the actual work. But I guess when you just collect data you don’t know yet. Also if you have the chance to get this as book it is probably helpful to see the maps. However I loved the audiobook it was really fun to listened.
Elevate count: none as I read in German.
Characters: characters of the expedition, polar bears
Setting: Arctic circle
Medium: audiobook through library
Original Language and Title: German “Eingefroren am Nordpol”
Publications: German, English and Chinese found
Recommend to: Everyone interested in expeditions, climate change, ship life and science.
Author’s Origin: born in Braunschweig, Germany | November 28th, 1966
Additional note: Read this book as part of my mental preparation for the arctic adventure.
Heard of/Recommended by: C. from church
Das Geschenk der Wildnis by Elli. H. Radinger | ★★★✶☆
Book Blurb: The wilderness is deeply rooted within us: it challenges us, strengthens us, calms us, and opens our hearts – and it gives us new gifts every day. Elli H. Radinger, naturalist and wolf expert, tells exciting and enchanting stories that show what gifts the wilderness has in store for us: adventure, serenity, wonder, silence, darkness, community, resilience, trust, but also frugality and fear are definitely part of it. She takes us on an inspiring journey into nature and to ourselves, showing how the magic of the wilderness changes our lives and our thinking.
First Sentence: Plötzlich ist sie wieder da. | Suddenly, she is back.
What I thought: This was one of those moments when the right book hits you at the right time. It was a spontaneous borrow as I needed to find some book on gratitude in order to recommend books in our church bulletin. I only wanted to skim but I was hooked. I am probably biased so I am not sure how good my recommendation was. I loved how she wrote about the scenery, the tranquility but also observed – on point – how humans behave in the wild. And reminding us that we should sho gratitude.
Elevate count: none, read in German
Medium: eBook through library
Original Language and Title: German
Publications: No English translation found. But she has a lot of other books and in case you are interested a lot about dogs and wolfs. A few on how to handle when a dog dies.
Recommend to: Everyone loving the outdoors of Northern America, and the wildlife that inhabits it.
Author’s Origin: born in Wetzlar, Germany | 1951
Additional note: Read this in order for my book recommendations in the church bulletin.
One Yellow Ribbon by Marthe Jocelyn | ★★★☆☆
Book Blurb: One yellow ribbon unties itself from a child’s hair and transforms into a winter scarf, a farmer’s field and a lion’s mane, among many other magical things, in this delightful board book by celebrated pa-per artist Marthe Jocelyn. Jocelyn’s paper collages in this wordless search-and-find adventure will encourage little ones to look closely at the world around them and explore what they see.
First Sentence: I don’t think there were words in this book.
What I thought: This was a cute little children’s picture book where we follow that yellow ribbon. I do’t know if in the paperback copy the ribbon is real to touch. It looks like it.
Medium: eBook through Kindle library
Original Language and Title: English
Recommend to: Everyone with little children
Author’s Origin: born in Toronto, Canada | 1956
Additional note: read this in order to check of yellow in my rainbow challenge
Book Stats for August
Books I couldn’t finish
Keeping track of the books that weren’t right for me. This month it was:
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi – 10%, not sure but this just dint grab my attention. Might have been my book slump
- The book of Doors by Gareth Brown – stopped at 25%. I can not get into this book even though it hits all my favorites. books, (time) travel, fantasy. I know Meike loved it. I think this is a case of wrong book wrong time. I’ll give it a try later.
New books on the shelves
None! Please celebrate me.
Where did you travel this past month in your books? Do you still pick up picture books? How are your reading goals for the year going if you have some? What is a book I should definitely pick up?
