Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Nancy looks a little stoned on the cover of my ebook, but maybe this is how she looked after she inhaled the sleeping fu es? 🤔🤔🤔 The second time in a row I like the story because it made sense most of the times. The notion of hidden pirate ship with a tolling bell made it interesting. Unfortunately for me, the story took a different turn, I liked it anyway. 😊

Librarybelle Yay!! 9h
54 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
post image

Once in a while I am in time with my Nancy Drew reading. 🤪🙈🤪

Librarybelle Yay!!! 2d
60 likes1 comment
review
MariaW
Baudolino | Umberto Eco
post image
Pickpick

I‘ve read Baudolino a few years ago when I was younger. It was nice to listen to it again. It is still not an easy read/listening, but it was nice to hear the exploits of the notorious liar Baudolino again. And this way you get a funnier view of the story of Frederick Barbarossa (who is supposed to be sleeping at the Kyffhäuser in my home region) and the crusades.

49 likes1 stack add
blurb
MariaW
post image

And again, doing some background reading on the current Poirot murder mystery. I would have liked any of the displayed covers compared to the one my ebook did. 🙄

review
MariaW
Alibi: Ein Fall fr Poirot | Agatha Christie
post image
Pickpick

I don‘t get the covers of these cheap ebooks. Somehow I imagined Fernkurs Park to be more opulent, but perhaps I am wrong. It is funny to follow Poirot trying to be an average citizen cultivating pumpkins. For sure he wouldn‘t last long and a murder case would sneak back into his life and Poirot is taking it gratefully. And The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is definitely a good case for a come back.

MariaW I especially like the unreliable narrator. It‘s a nice twist at the end and makes tge reader long for Hastings. 🫶 5d
61 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
MariaW
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Agatha Christie
post image

„There‘s no doubt at all about what the man‘s profession has been. He‘s a retired hairdresser. Look at that moustache of his.“ 🤣🤣🤣 Imagine Poirot being a hairdresser. 🤣🤣🤣

willaful I think he'd love it! Imagine all the hot goss! 😂 6d
Librarybelle 😂 6d
rwmg The snark for clients who did not meet his standards for a suitable hairstyle would be epic. 6d
MariaW @rwmg 🤪 6d
46 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Another case that the Homes brothers are not able to solve and only Enola‘s female insights and her wit make sure there is at least one happy ending. And finally even Mycroft is able to accept her as an equal. Again, the Enola Holmes story are definitely a nice pasttime.

blurb
MariaW
post image

Keeping up with the further reading - I am behind anyway 🙈🙈🙈 - before starting the next Poirot in line. Both books narrate Poirot‘s life as displayed throught the different novels and give background infos on how the novels were written and published.

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

A new case for Enola. This time a cold case with international entanglements lashes back at Enolas unknowing landlady and she has to rescue her. Along we ger to know Florence Nightingale who gives Sherlock a nice telling-off. 🫶🫶🫶

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Just when I was on the verge of quitting the series, no. 22 ends up being one of the best Nancy Drew stories so far. It is only one story that actually makes sense instead of two far-fetched narratives that are weirdly linked to each other.

JenlovesJT47 Oh good, glad to hear it! The plots have gotten more and more ridiculous! But fun. 😆 1w
Librarybelle This is one of the better ones! 1w
48 likes2 comments
blurb
MariaW
post image

It‘s not a Nancy Drew story, if there isn‘t a good kidnapping!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Ruthiella And at least one hidden passage or room! 😂 2w
46 likes1 comment
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Enola has to save her friend Lady Cecily a second time - this time from her own family and societal pressures. With some help of Sherlock she is able to do that in her particularly special fashion and approach. The books are definitely an easy and funny read.

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

My Icelandic library is geowing bit by bit. And this non-fiction book is definitely worth to be added to it. This was a fun read about important historical moments in time in which Iceland actually - and unknown to most - did play a role in word politics. I was laughing out loud a lot.

56 likes1 stack add
quote
MariaW
post image

… but the most popular „facts“ (about Iceland) came back like zombies: two books (…) claim, respectively, that ICELANDERS LIVE UP TO 150 TO 300 YEARS - because pure climate, of course. Which I‘d say is fair reasoning: THE HUMAN BODY IS ORGANIC, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT VEGETABLES AND ORGANIC THINGS LAST LONGER IN THE FRIDGE. 🤣🤣🤣

Blueberry 😆 2w
Dilara 😂 😩 2w
AnnCrystal 🤔 So that's the secret 😂🤣😂💝. 2w
MemoirsForMe 😂😂😂 2w
55 likes4 comments
blurb
MariaW
post image

When this book starts like this, it must be good! 😂😂😂

lil1inblue 🙌 🙌 🙌 2w
Clare-Dragonfly Ooh, I‘m intrigued! My family is planning a trip to Iceland next year. 2w
AnnCrystal 😂🤔🤣🤔😂. 2w
MariaW @Clare-Dragonfly It is a beautiful country, you will like it. 😊 2w
50 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
MariaW
The Borgias | Paul Strathern
post image
Pickpick

This was a very interesting book of the ris and fall of the Borgia dynasty, which started some time before Rodrigo and his infamous family. His uncle was already a pope, a fact which I was unaware of.

review
MariaW
Caesar | Allan Massie
post image
Pickpick

This is an interesting narration of the life of Caesar in form of the memoirs of Decimus Brutus, one of his closests friends - and conspirator against him. Decimus describes the rise of Caesar and then the reasons why why he decides to act against him. The outside point of view is fascinating. And no, Decimus is not the „You too, child?“ Brutus, but his cousin.

Rome753 Sounds like an interested read. 3w
54 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
Caesar | Allan Massie
post image

Using my fancy bookmark. 💕💕💕

AnnCrystal 🤩👌🏼🆒🔖💝. (edited) 3w
julesG 😍 3w
53 likes2 comments
review
MariaW
post image
Mehso-so

I had massive problems following this audiobook because the narration talked about a lot of platitudes and the guiding principles were always ended with the appendix „The Kybalion“, which was quite annoying. But I liked the chapters about correspondance and polarity very much and found them very interesting. So, I‘m torn. ⚡️

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Of course I expected something else, and of course it is somehow an intermezzo between two The city of the Dreaming Books and the to be expected The caste of Dreaming books (which I didn‘t know when I started it; sure the author is making the most of it), but in the end it is a beautiful and creative story about the inhabitants of Buchhaim and how they recovered after the fire Mythenmetz accidently started 200 years with the Schattenkönig. And it

MariaW is the story of an old and lazy Mythenmetz who has lost the Orm realizing it just then during his visit and of course trying to get it back. 3w
AnnCrystal Pretty 🤩📚💝. 3w
66 likes2 comments
blurb
MariaW
The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books | Walter Moers, Optimus Yarnspinner, John Brownjohn
post image

I just love the accompanying drawings of Walter Moers. He is so talented.

AnnCrystal 🆒🤩👍🏼📚. 3w
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
MariaW
The Last Camel Died at Noon | Elizabeth Peters
post image
Pickpick

I listened to the next one (No. 6) in the Amelia Peabody series and liked it very much. The change of the setting and storyline, which were the quite similar in the first four, definitely made No. 5 and this one more interesting. The notion of finding a society hidden from our modern day world reminded me very much of Balck Panther and Wakanda. 😊

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

And of course I bought the Schellen-Ursli book while spending my holiday at his village. This is a sweet Swiss children‘s story written in easy prose. Ursli (the diminutive for the typical Swiss mal first name Urs) wants to lead a dance with Schellen (Swiss name for bell). Unfortunately he gets the smallest bell and now tries to get a bigger one.

mabell I almost bought this in Zurich last month! Now I wish I had 😆 1mo
59 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
post image

Of course I had to check out some literary place this holiday as well. We spent three nights in Guarda, the home of the Schellen-Ursli. The Schellen-Ursli is a famous children‘s story in Switzerland, it is as known as Heidi.

Karisa 😍 1mo
Jari-chan You were so close to me then 😁🇨🇭 1mo
MariaW @Jari-chan Wir haben leider keinen Halt in Chur gemacht, sonst wär ich vorbeigekommen. ? 1mo
Jari-chan @MariaW Das wär ne echt schöne Überraschung gewesen 🤭 1mo
AnnCrystal 🤩📚🎬💝💝💝. 1mo
47 likes5 comments
blurb
MariaW
post image

When you end your holiday with more books in your suitcase than you started with. ???
This is the little free library in Guarda (Canton Graubünden) in Switzerland. The language spoken here is Romansh.

KadaGul How adorable 1mo
AnnCrystal 🤩📚💝. 1mo
61 likes2 comments
blurb
MariaW
Davos Conspiracy | Peter Fieldman
post image

Currently I‘m travelling in Switzerland and came across this nice reading bench in Davos with a view over Lake Davos. The rest of Davos was rather disappointing except for the hiking.

AnnCrystal 🤩📚💝. 2mo
53 likes1 comment
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Dr Watson is missing! Can Enola find him? And she is the only one being able to read the first clue because she can understand the language of flowers. What does asparagis mean again? 😂 And she can add spidermonkey to her skills as well.

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Somehow Enola stumbles into her cases which seem to attract hee brother Sherlock as well. 🤣 I like the idea that she as a woman is able to go her way in Victorian society using this „stigma“ as an advantage and getting inspiration of that fact. And as a left-handed person (who fortunately was not forced to wrote with the right) I found the whole topic of Lady Cecily‘s character very interesting.

60 likes1 stack add
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Definitely worth a zillion rereads! I love the Walter Moers Zamonia books, they are so full of fantasy and crestive ideas. The City of Dreaming Books is a novel for us booklovers for sure. 😍😍😍

Soubhiville I love the cover designs. 2mo
MariaW @Soubhiville They are all drawn by the author, he is an illustrator as well. Walter Moers is so talented. I went over to always buying his books as a hardcover because they are definitely worth it. 😊 (edited) 2mo
59 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
MariaW
post image

Schreib niemals einen Roman aus der Perspektive eines Türknaufs!

julesG Well, there is a spicy book written (partly) from the POV of a door 2mo
julesG I guess the author didn't get the memo 2mo
willaful Still not as weird as the woman having sex with Sexy Covid. 🤢 2mo
44 likes3 comments
blurb
MariaW
post image

Started to reread the The City of the Dreaming Books again because I want to read the second part soon and habe to refresh my memory.

AnnCrystal 🤩💝. 2mo
62 likes1 comment
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Even though Enola stumbles more into her first case and gets lucky solving it, it liked the beginning of the series very much. It shows the struggles of girls and women in the Victorian Age very well and already the use of the word Perditorian makes it interesting.

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Even though the summary of my ebook was far off the murder mystery itself was not. This one is definitely more fast paced than the Poirot ones, it had some features of a thriller. Anthony‘s jolly behaviour made up up for the doubled secret identities and the,politics which I thought were a bit much. Overall a successful mystery thriller. 😊

Librarybelle Glad you liked this! 2mo
59 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
The Secret of Chimneys | Agatha Christie
post image

Somehow there is a mistake in the summary at the beginning of my ebook. Can you spot it?

willaful I think almost every line is a mistake! 2mo
mabell Ha how can you be that far off?? 2mo
Librarybelle Wow! That‘s bad! 2mo
38 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
MariaW
post image
Mehso-so

I‘m not sure what to think. Even though I liked the part with Nancy nosing around in the factory and trying to get hold onto a stolen chemical formula, I get more and more annoyed by the same structure of all the ND novels. I understand that they were written for teenagers, but wouldn‘t they realize that at some point as well. I will stick to reading the next 7 novels because I already bought the ebooks, but after that I will probably bail.

Ruthiella I don‘t think teenagers are the target audience. These are intended for a middle grade reader. 2mo
Librarybelle Let‘s hope there are some new elements to the next story! 2mo
willaful When I realized as a kid that every single chapter of ND ending with an exclamation point, I was done. 2mo
MariaW @Librarybelle I hope so too. 🙈 (edited) 2mo
MariaW @willaful 🤣 2mo
51 likes5 comments
blurb
MariaW
post image

Last to time it was a recipe for super exclusive porcellain, this time it is a formula for a unique silk-making progress. what‘s next? The elixier of the Fountain of Youth or the experiment to transform lead into gold? 🧪🧪🧪

dabbe 🩵🎯🩵 2mo
DebinHawaii Maybe a how-to on exploding oranges!?!💥🍊😉 2mo
MariaW @DebinHawaii I forgot about those! 🤣🤣🤣 2mo
42 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

The second murder mystery solved by sheep is as good as the first one. Definitely an unconventional idea and for sure a funny one. It seems to me that the abrupt solution of the first case was used on purpose because in Big Bad Wool it just happens the same - I had to turn back a page and reread it otherwise it would have slipped my attention.

AnnCrystal 🤩💝. 2mo
61 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
post image

Reading with a view 😍

AnnCrystal 🤩💝. 2mo
62 likes1 comment
blurb
MariaW
Big Bad Wool | Leonie Swann
post image

When the Dramatis Personae are a minority 🤣🤣🤣

Dilara 😂 2mo
LittlebearReads I read this, then gave it to my mom who almost immediately wanted to know which sheep I most closely identified with 😂 2mo
MariaW @LittlebearReads And who are you? I think I am identifying with Sir Richfield - talking about my favourite topics to trees. 🤣 2mo
LittlebearReads @MariaW I think I said Mopple, because he is the memory sheep and I have a rather sticky brain 😂 2mo
48 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
MariaW
The Deeds of the Disturber | Elizabeth Peters
post image
Pickpick

After the last two novels which have been rather disappointing, this one was a new start. For the first time the mystery is not placed in Egypt, but London. It is still situated in surrounding of Egyptology and Archaelogy and plays well with the media‘s frenzy regarding everything that did have to do with Old Egypt. And of course there is Ramses…

67 likes1 stack add
quote
MariaW
post image

Ramses at his best! 🤣🤣🤣

49 likes1 stack add
review
MariaW
Lion in the Valley | Elizabeth Peters
post image
Mehso-so

This one does have a similar plot to the first of the Amelia Peabody novels. A lot of assumed personae, one or two murders and the Master Criminal. The only satisfying point is that the MC won‘t be part of the following novels. And of course Ramses is lighting up the the wholw story with his stoic comments and creative ways to notoriously have his way around the rules and bans of his mother.

bookandbedandtea I love Ramses! Most of the time he's my favorite character in the series. 2mo
58 likes1 comment
quote
MariaW
Lion in the Valley | Elizabeth Peters
post image

Starts well… 🤣🤣🤣

tpixie 😝 2mo
TheBookHippie 🤣 2mo
CarolynM 😆 2mo
63 likes3 comments
review
MariaW
The Mummy Case | Elizabeth Peters
post image
Mehso-so

The third Amelia Peabody adventure follows the structure of first two murder mysteries which is fine for me. But I have to say that at this point Amelia becomes a bit annoying being very self-opionionated, constantly interrupting her son, even though he is very intelligent and brings important insights. Also the notion of a „master criminal“ in Egypt of that time makes me shake my head. The funny comments of Ramses make up for it for some part.

Ruthiella Amelia‘s inability to allow Ramses to finish a sentence will continue until he is grown, I‘m afraid. 😅 It annoyed me too. But the rest was enjoyable enough for me to continue with the books. 2mo
56 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
MariaW
The Mummy Case | Elizabeth Peters
post image

🤣🤣🤣

StaceGhost I love these books! 2mo
LeslieO Me, too! I listened to them all so long ago they were actual books on tape. I loved the narrator. 2mo
CarolynM ❤️ 2mo
53 likes3 comments
review
MariaW
Nona the Ninth | Tamsyn Muir
post image
Pickpick

Even though there have been a lot of characters with more than one personality/soul and a lot of new names for known characters, part three was soemhow easier to follow than part 2. I am glad I started Nona even though I didn‘t like Harrow. What I especially liked was the narration of John in form of psalms because it was the perfect transition to our modern world. It is definitely a possible dystopian future for all of us.

review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

Finished this one last weekend while reading at my favourite summer place - a bench with a beautiful of the river Aare. This murder mystery was nothing I‘ve read before. I passd by this book so many times over the years and was always prevented to buy it by the sheep on the cover and in story. Then I came across a review by @Aims42 of book two and got intrigued. Of course I had to start with book 1 first and got swept off my feet because I was …

MariaW … laughing so hard. The end was a bit short and rather weird. I am not sure what to make of it - maybe it is supposed to be a philosophical one? 🤔 But the other 400 pages made up for it. And I ordered book two right away!!! 🤣 (edited) 3mo
Aims42 Awwwww! I‘m so glad you gave it a chance! I agree the ending was a bit short, some of it I thought maybe was because it‘s a translation? You‘ll love Book 2 I bet! 3mo
AnnCrystal 🤩🌊😍💝. (edited) 3mo
MariaW @Aims42 German is the original - weird right? There are not many books I can read in my mothertongue, but this is one. It is funny that I had to come across a translation (your post) to get hooked. 🤣🤣🤣 I think the ending is meant to be that short, somehow the journey seems to be the reward. 3mo
Aims42 @MariaW Haha, that is funny how it was the translation from your mothertongue that you saw first 😆 I like your ending theory, it‘s not the destination it‘s the journey 😍🥰 3mo
49 likes1 stack add5 comments
quote
MariaW
post image

I am telling you, those are NO NORMAL SHEEP! Look at them, how they‘re putting their heads together! They‘re PLOTTING how TO FINISH YOU OFF! 🤣🤣🤣

42 likes1 stack add
review
MariaW
post image
Pickpick

I liked the idea that a staged murder could be used for a real one and I completely understood that Ariadne Oliver got freaked out of that thought and called her buddy Poirot to come over and find out about it. Writing murder mysteries and ending up being in one is another pair of shoes. 😂😂😂

review
MariaW
The Curse of the Pharaohs | Elizabeth Peters
post image
Pickpick

The second Amelia Peabody adventure was as funny as the first one - even though Amelia‘s appraisal of herself is sometimes a bit much and annoying. But the interesting background story (the unexplainable curse of the pharaoh) of the murder mystery made up for that. And of course Radcliffe helps to tone it down as well.