Merle

What would my bookshelves be without the recommendations of my friends? Well, much more empty for sure and my bank account would be quite happy as well! Not complaining, though! Because if it weren’t for books, I wouldn’t have any friends at all. There are so many books and friends I could mention here, it was hard to pick, so I decided to go waaaay back. And somehow this turned out more like a walk down memory lane than a proper rec list. But hey, you get nice anecdotes out of it …

If you have read my review for the first book in this series, you know that it’s one of my all-time favourites. Of the three books, however, the second one is my least favourite – which still means that I enjoyed reading it a lot; it’s just not as magical as the first and not as shocking as the last of the original trilogy. So, what attribute does this one get? Well, it’s quite horrific! Not in writing or structure, characters or plot. It’s the themes and topics addressed that had me shuddering more than once. Remember I called the first book dark? Well, this one’s all ‘hold my Waters of Venice’ and literally goes to hell! And hell is not a cosy place …

There are books, and then there are books. You know, the ones that have turned into part of your DNA. This is one of mine, so it’s simply impossible for me to write an unbiased review. Instead, I give you my rave-y ramblings on the first instalment of one of my all-time favourite series …

Better suuuper late than never! I’m happy I did manage to squeeze in my 2019 survey into 2020, even though it barely worked out. Anyway, here are some of the books that accompanied me through 2019 plus what I thought about them …

The first three months of the year are just the worst, but readingwise, February was alright. I didn’t make my 2,500 pages goal but I came close. The books I read were a mixed bag, though. While the rating might not show that at first glance, I had issues with almost all of them – except for my childhood favourite!

When I was younger, my grandpa read lots and lots of books to me: Erich Kästner, Otfried Preußler, Wilhelm Busch, Janosch, Paul Maar (basically all German children’s classics except for Michael Ende – I’ve never read a single one of his books), and Astrid Lindgren. Although there’s one or two I’d enjoy reading again, I’ve forgotten all about them. Seriously, I just had to consult Goodreads to come up with a list of children’s books that were read to me. I’m sure I loved them all very much – after all, they made me fall in love with the written word, – but they just don’t feel like “my” books, because I never read them myself …