Just a mishmash of reading today--destination The Netherlands, of course. I've already mentioned Geert Mak's Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City, which will likely take a little time to work my way through, but I'll continue to chip away at it. I think Mak writes quite a lot about the older history of the city, though it seems as if (flipping ahead a bit) he takes the reader up through the 1960s or so. A reader here suggested Russell Shorto's Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City for the reading list. It is due out in paper in August so I have added it to my wishlist. It will make an excellent companion book to the Mak.
I keep adding titles to my list (and pile of books), don't I? Two 'finds' on my own bookshelves, a recommendation and a few more library books, one of which I brought home yesterday. It might be a little bit of a stretch but Blue Balliett's juvvie novel Chasing Vermeer might be fun since it is peripherally related to my reading and concerns a missing Vermeer painting. It's a puzzle of a book, literally, with codes and illustrations and all sorts of clues peppered throughout the text. Michael Pye's The Drowning Room from 1995 was a New York Times Notable Book. They called it "an imaginative fictional re-creation of life in early-seventeenth-century Amsterdam and New York." I had thought of reading something that touched on the NYC angle (first known as New Amsterdam!), so this will be a great addition to the list, or in any case a couple more reading possibilities. And the latter two have long sat on my own bookshelves.
Cath suggested The Tea Lords: A Novel of Java by Hella S. Haasse, which I know a number of bloggers read and wrote about last year (or was it the year before?). I seem to recall hearing good things about it so was happy to look for a copy. It's set in 1870s Java, which was part of the Colonial Dutch East Indies at the time--another interesting angle. I am hoping to ease this one into my reading next (as soon as I finish something first that is . . . ).
And then there are books I come across in my meanderings and am not entirely sure whether I want to read, or own at least. If I can find a library copy all the better. Unfortunately it has been hit or miss when it comes to finding the titles locally, which is why I love interlibrary loan. The first of my requests looks like it will be good, Pete Jordan's In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist. I was thinking when I requested it that it would be perhaps too much bike and not enough city, but after spending a little time perusing the book, I think it will be a good read. Even though I am much more a walker than a cyclist, there will still be plenty to keep me occupied. It's "part memoir, part history of cycling, part street-level tour of Amsterdam". As it is due back to its home library later in July it will get to jump to the head of the line.
It has some helpful notes at the beginning, like the meaning of a few words that come up very often in my reading:
straat: street
gracht: canal
plein: square
steeg: alley
weg: way
dijk: dike
And how he's going to handle the Holland/The Netherlands references:
"Also, throughout this book, the name ' Holland' is used interchangeably with 'the Netherlands', as is 'Hollanders' for 'Dutch/Netherlanders'. Since the provinces of North and South Holland (home to the nation's three most populous cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague) comprise only two of the Netherlands' twelve provinces, many citizens of the non-Holland provinces rightly take offense at the term Holland being used to denote the entire nation. "
I've been wondering about that as I see Holland used frequently and have been unsure in what context I should be using it.
As for my daily reading I have been spending as much time with Louis Couperus's Eline Vere as I can. I am officially at the halfway point. I only have about 260-ish pages left to read, which is more or less the size of an average novel (even a little shorter really). If I look at it that way (rather than at those 500+ pages that make the book look pretty brick-like) maybe the last half will fly by even faster than it seems to be going now. I am hoping just one more week of reading will do the trick. And yes, I am still loving the story and am growing even more fond of Eline though she is a very conflicted character.
I've also started reading the Dutch crime novel Shadow Sister by Simone van der Vlugt. She's called "Holland's Queen of Crime" and I can see why. I read The Reunion a few years back and knew then I wanted to find more of her work. She has yet to be published here in the US, but thankfully she has been translated and published in the UK. Shadow Sister is a twisty-turny story about a teacher threatened by one of her students. She feels exposed to the world and uneasy about her situation and it is to her twin sister she turns for support. I won't say anymore about this one now, as I don't want to give away anything good and I most definitely want to tell you about it later, but it is a perfect summer vacation page turner--a psychological suspense story! I have already ordered her most recent novel Safe as Houses, too (must really stop buying more books . . .).
Next week is a short work week for me due to the Fourth of July holiday. I'll hopefully be writing about the June instalment of Anna Pavord's gardening book and there will be my usual short story reading, but several days will be given over to more Dutch reading--I've got a book to tell you about, some travel writing and a treat--once again Cath will be guest posting just before the holiday. Lots to look forward to next week, especially as the week will end in a holiday and in turn a long weekend, which means extra reading for me, I hope. Until then, happy reading everyone.
*Postcard at the top of this post is courtesy a Dutch Postcrosser who sent me some touristy shots. I have lots of cards to share with you, too.