December 2019
Time for Ollibollen. Happy New Year. 🎉
Books read in 2019
I had a productive đź“š reading year. And I reached the goals I’ve planned for this year. I’ve only read new books, and I’ve also managed to include some none fiction work as well. The best book I’ve read this year was The Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. As I’ve written in its review, I initially feared that this book is just a money grab, due to the TV-Show.
Off to the ice field!
Review of Radikalisierungsmaschinen: Wie Extremisten die neuen Technologien nutzen und uns manipulieren
I just finished reading Radikalisierungsmaschinen: Wie Extremisten die neuen Technologien nutzen und uns manipulieren by Julia Ebner.đź“š I’ve got the recommendation for this book via the Episode DA009: RECHTSEXTREME PARALLELWELT of the Denkangbeot Postcast. The book shows how humans are radicalized with the help of the Internet. It has a main topic on the right radicalism. It also shows some of the aspects of radical Islamic groups as well. I was missing any mention of left radicalism in the book :-) as I’m pretty sure these are also using the same mechanisms to achieve their goals.Review of DOORS X - Dämmerung: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1)
I just finished reading DOORS X - Dämmerung: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.📚 It is the last book of the first season, and I liked it the least of all. The protagonists go through the door into the future. And we get a short introduction to a future version of Frankfurt. But only for a short time. Afterward, most of the time is spent in the cave labyrinth and a strange room where your fears come true.
Christmas present from my wife. A beautiful little cat door stopper.
I just started reading DOORS X - Dämmerung: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.📚
Thoughts about the Book of Mormon Musical
Last Friday, I had the chance to go and watch the Book of Mormon, which currently is staying in ZĂĽrich. Atypical for me, I did not know the soundtrack and the story beforehand and was in for a treat. I’ve heard one or two songs beforehand but did not know in which context of the story these will be used and details of the story. It was a strange experience sitting in the venue and laughing after nearly every song.Review of Girl of Glass
Another late review of a book I’ve read: Girl of Glass by Megan O’Russellđź“š. I’m not sure what I should think about this book. The book was entertaining to read, but for some reason, I could not connect with the main protagonist. The story is a Vampires and Werewolf placed into a futuristic SciFi setting. The main character lives in a glass dome where they protect the DNA of plants and humans for a time when Earth is habitable again.Review of Against the Tide of Years
Another book I’ve finished reading this year and where I forgot to post my review: Against the Tide of Years: A Novel of the Change (Island Book 2) by S. M. Stirling.đź“š Some years ago, I started reading the Change World Series and read quite some of the books in there, but I think not all. Further, I also read the first issue of the Island Books. But at the time, I did not read any further as the first issue was quite heavy on the military side of storytelling.
I’m trying to sort out our in-floor heating. It looks like the valve actuators are not actuating the correct valves. So the actuator for my room is heating the place of my daughter. Luckily, it’s an easy fix.
I just started reading Radikalisierungsmaschinen: Wie Extremisten die neuen Technologien nutzen und uns manipulieren by Julia Ebner.đź“š
Review of DOORS ! - Blutfeld: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1)
I just ended devouring DOORS ! - Blutfeld: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.đź“šThis book is the second door to choose from in the Doors series (see here for the review of the first book). This time around, our heroes land in the middle ages around 850 and need to fulfill the task to find the missing person. Initially, it was unclear for me if they can find her, as she could logically one be behind one door.Review of DOORS ? - Kolonie: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1)
I just finished reading DOORS ? - Kolonie: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.đź“š I’ve got this book recommended by our neighbor, you start with the initial start of the story DOORS - Der Beginn: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) and then decide for one of three possible doors the heroes need to go through. The door selection for this book, we dive into an alternate history of our world around the end of the second world war.Review of Born of Embers
I have forgotten to post the review for Born of Embers (The Valdir Chronicles Book 2) by RA Lewis.📚I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book as I quite liked the first issue of the series. The second book directly connects to the end of the first issue. Kalina is now Queen of the Valdir - but she is not happy. I quite liked this part of the book; she is not ready for this role and does not fit it.⤑ Custom controls in SwiftUI (via iosdevweekly).
I’m constantly amazed how you get such animations and transitions in a sane amount of time.
Review of The Obelisk Gate: The Broken Earth, Book 2
I just ended reading The Obelisk Gate: The Broken Earth, Book 2 by N. K. Jemisin.đź“š The second book starts directly after the end of the first book. I’ve liked this issue better than the first one. I think this is because I’ve already known the characters and the world. So I could dive directly into the story. This book expands the world-building concepts from the first issue - and also delivers the explanation and reasoning I’ve missed at the end of the other book.I just started reading DOORS ! - Blutfeld: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.đź“š
It has only been since the onset of the industrial revolution that change has become a dominant influence on human society. I suspect the 90/9/1 distribution is now something more like 85/10/5 — that is, 85% of the world of 2029 is here today, about 10% can be anticipated, and the random, unwelcome surprises constitute up to 5% of the mix. Which is kind of alarming, when you pause to think about it.
The future of police surveillance doesn’t have to be scary. But government and citizens need to step up.
⤑ How to avoid a dystopian future of facial recognition in law enforcement.
Review of The Eye of the World The Wheel of Time, Book I
Review of Eye of the World, The Wheel of Time, Book 1 audiobook đź“š. In preparation for the release of the TV series, I’ve decided to reread the series once again - but as this takes way to long, and I still want to be able to read new books as well, I tried the first issue now as an audiobook. I’m surprised how this book still catches my interest no matter that it is the third time I’ve heard the story now.I just started reading DOORS ? - Kolonie: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.đź“š
I just started reading DOORS - Der Beginn: Roman (Die Doors-Serie Staffel 1) by Markus Heitz.đź“š
I cooked vegetable Lasagna with my daughter.
Review of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
The other day I finished reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb.đź“š I’ve noticed this book due to a mention on micro.blog and checked it out as it sounded interesting. I enjoyed reading about the different patient cases and how the problems get solved. In between the patient session, she tells about her problems and how she is addressing them.One significant helping against readers block I found for myself this year is to always have multiple future sample books inside the Kindle App. So I never run out of a book. And if one does not fit me, I can go to the next sample book until I find my next book.
I’ve also stopped reading books that don’t grab me, as interesting as they may seem and as acclaimed as their recommenders insist. If I’m reading something and I find myself daydreaming or wanting to check my phone or switching to an episode of something on Netflix, that’s a sign that I should put it down and find another book. The only problem with this is that some of my favorite books (Infinite Jest for one) did not grab me in the beginning but picked up in a major way later, sometimes hundreds of pages in. Great books sometimes do not hand everything to the reader on a silver platter and the hard work they demand becomes part of their reward.
⤑ Readers block.
That is the main issue I still fight with. I cannot stop a book once I’ve started it, not mather that I would instead like to read something else. And I know sometimes you need to give a book one hundred pages until it starts to get interesting. So I always fear that I would give up on the title to early.
Review of The Fifth Season: The Broken Earth, Book 1
I just finished The Fifth Season: The Broken Earth, Book 1 by N. K. Jemisin.đź“š I needed some time to get into the book, but once I understood it’s structure, I liked it. The story has good pacing and excellent worldbuilding. I did not understand the ending at all. But I’m stoked to know how it develops further. I’m still confused about it’s ending, which also felt very abrupt. I don’t yet understand where the book will journey.I just started reading The Obelisk Gate: The Broken Earth, Book 2 by N. K. Jemisin.đź“š
@V_ I read that series and it became a favorite. A tough but great read. How did you like book one?
by cm on
@V_ @cm I liked the first issue quite well. It has a natural flow to it. I’m just confused by its ending. I did not understand it at all, and it felt a bit abrupt. I hope that the second issue sheds some more light on the story.
by V_ on
@V_ I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say this; the second book opens up the world a lot more.
by cm on
@V_ good stuff! I really liked it
by toddgrotenhuis on
@V_ i was also treated to that :) thanks to a lovely dutch couple we know. delicious!
by giffengrabber on
@giffengrabber I love them! Luckilly my father makes them for us every year.
by V_ on
@V_ that’s great! :)
by giffengrabber on