Well, the gothic short story itself was very interesting - with content mistakes (from my point of view of an amateur egyptologist 😜). The „illustrated“ ebook was not. Best example is the stretched cover. 🙈

Illustrated version they said - illustrated version my …. Google picture search for cheap licenseless drawings, I assume!!! 🙄🙄🙄

This is the radio drama version of the German parody of The Ringer by Edgar Wallace. The movie made gun of the weird villains Wallace used and was quite funny. For the radio drama they even the sounds of the movie and gave it a voiceover of the main character. I liked it.

The history of Quidditch itself was quite interesting and funny. Along with the audiobook of the „Hogwarts schoolbook“ came two short stories of Quidditch championships which have been quite boring - like warching or listening the live ticker of any football match.

Reading the background information on Styles. A few weeks ago I bought the new „Poirot“ by Aldrigde only to realize I have an older version of this kind of background info book by Anne Hart already on my bookshelf. 🙈🙈🙈 Okay, this way I can check out the development of the Agatha Christie research from 1990 to 2022. 😜 #offtheshelf

I could not help but hear the voice of Peter Dinklage while I read it. 🙈 Definitely a good start into monthly reading of Poirot novels. I like the way Hastings was introduce with a story that concerne his life.

Poirot - the old matchmaker! 🤣🤣🤣

Oh my God, how good is Peter Dinklage as Hercule Poirot? His way of crying „Hastings!“ is perfect. This is definitely the best adaption ever.

Too much golf and a Carson Drew case which he is not even trying to solve, a haunted bridge the plays a major role in the title. I like the cover because it‘s spooky, …

Preparing for today‘s discussion. 💪💪💪

When you prepare your lessons with one edition and your students receive another edition… 🙈😤🙈
This definitely an interesting play about the hovering danger of an atomic bomb in the 70ies. I don‘t think it‘s funny, as it is declared a comedy, but definitely worth reading/watching. And unfortunately, it is quite up-to-dare again.

Dürrenmatt did write the 11th hour on the atomic clock directly into our memory - with satanic, ridiculous laughter.

uThis is the accompanying book to the Egyptian exhibition at Highclere castle. I liked the information about Lord Carnavon‘s life before the disovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. But in general it was suited for readers very much interedt in Egyptology - like me. 😂

Currently falling back into my old passion for Egypt. I learned about this book in a documentary about the discovery of Tutankhamun‘s tomb. Unfortunately the original cannot be found on Litsy, I choose the one that‘s closest.

Finished listening to this over the weekend. A nice story of a magicker girl accidently stumbling over a conspiracy and ending up fighting for her town with the help of tower-size gingerbread men and a vicious sourdough starter. 😂😂😂 Definitely entertaining.

This is somehow the early 2000s version of „Fie Königin“ by Sebastian Conrad, which came out last year. Tyldesley examines the story of Nofretete (Nefertiti) be becoming icon throughout the 19th century, whilst Conrad throws light on her influence in the modern day mass media as well.

As archaeologists and anthropologists we are arch-appropriators of material cultures. The objects we collect from ethnographic contexts, the artefacts we find in the earth, are no longer a part of the material culture to which they once belonged. From the moment of collection or discovery they become part of our material culture, our systems of cultural significance.

As part of my Christmas listening, I wasn‘t able to liste to it during Christmas time - it was too stressful. I took a few longer walks in the last days and enjoyed listening to it while passing through village and the little snow left. I did not remember that Scrooge already realized his mistake during the visit of the first ghost. 🙈 Definitely a classic.

Found this older edition in our village‘s little free library. It had some notes of the former owners, mostly some underlined quotes. In general I found the poems as light as a feaver and definitely suited for children. This is a good introduction to poetry.

When the sun
Shines through the leaves of the apple-tree,
When the sun
Makes shadows of the leaves of the apple-tree,
Then I pass
On the grass
From one leaf to another
From one leaf to its brother
Tip-toe, tip-toe!
Here I go!

This Christmas I gave myself a present - a book journal. I never kept one, but wanted to try it. I am starting it today. 😊

This is nice collection of Moraccan short stories. As the title already gives away, it concentrates mostly on funny stories of kif-smoking Maroccans. The culture of smoking is explained in the foreword. I did not expect some of the stories to be this saucy since Marocco is an Islamic country.

I went through my book shelves and came across this collection of Maroccan stories. Must have gotten it from a little free library and completely forgot about it. 🙈
#offtheshelf

Trying to keep up with my weekly neewspaper reading. Whenever I am up to date, a special edition comes out and gets me off course. The last one was a best literature of 2024 edition. Of course I had to read it more closely. 🙈🙈🙈

This was a very interesting story of a Jewish passport forger in Nazi Berlin. It is well written, so well that sometimes the funny and eventful story covered the terror of being captured. I‘m torn between this is a good thing and the necessary seriousness is missing.

Some tougher reading after Christmas. It is written in a flowing style so far.

I really enjoy the Agatha Christie novels because they give an interesting glimpse of the past. I would have enjoyed to be a dancer at a hotel playing bridge with the guests. Hopefully I would have not ended as a dead body in the library - but one sitting wrapped up cozily in a comfortable armchair in the library.

Driving back and forth between the different Christmas party, right know I can only listen to audiobooks. Reading is not possible, there‘s no time to calm down. I really like the interesting and funny background information of some of the well-known Harry Potter beasts and the additional ones as well.

Driving home for Christmas - with a typical Bill Bryson. I already enjoyed „At home“ and was not disappointed by this one. One interesting and funny fact chases another. I did not enjoy the speaker very mich till he started to sing the Christmas carols, tgat made me laugh hard. 😂😂😂

Even though I don‘t like poetry that much, I enjoyed reading the different kinds of poems of Rumi. They have been annotated to understand same word plays and metaphors which are not common in the Western part of the world, this made it even more interesting.

I tried to find the English translation of this beautiful Ruba‘is of Rumi, but couldn‘t find it online. So it‘s the German translation instead. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

My Harry Potter advent calendar is slowly taking shape now. Some of the contents are weird an I cannot place them and some of the major characters aee still missing, but overall is already looks like Hogwarts.

This was another collection of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple short stories with a somewhat Christmassy background. I liked it because it was entertaining, but it seems like compilation mas mday the audiobook company because I couldn‘t find it as book.

Seems like I came across a stand-alone novel which seems to be not typical for Meg Cabot. The coming off age (or coming off witchcraft) story is nice for the teenager target group but for me as an adult reader the ending was a bit rushed. I couldn‘t believe how gullible Jinx was and that she didn‘t realize where Zack‘s infatuation lies. Completely out of it.

Moving on with my Christmas reading - I have a few novels of Meg Cabot on my bookshelf and never read one. 🙈

A nice collection of some Agatha Christie‘s short stories. One festures the only case Poirot never solved. Definitely two entertaining hours of listening on my daily commute.

I am torn between „Yay, finally the two mysteries in tge story actually do have something to do with each other and do not seem to be constructed to create more suspension.“ and „The used violence is completely unnecessary, unbelievable and over the top.“ I loved the storyline about the book collection though.

Next one of my Christmas reading, even though it doesn‘t have to do anything with Christmas. We are already ar number 14 of the Nancy Drew series - there a lot to go (for the next few years). 💪💪💪

Today, the door (bag) of my advent calender silled out the perfect little gift for a book nerd like me. 🤓 🔖🤓🔖

So, this week I went to the second Harry Potter audiobook on my daily commute. Somehow listening to it feels like Christmas even though it is one whole year again. But hearing about Hofwarts and the Gryffindor common room creates a cozy feeling. And Dumbledore‘s craving for a cup of hot chocolate does its bit as well. ☕️☕️☕️

A very short letter-like telling of how Christm… ehm Hamoulimepp is celebrated in the Lindwurmfeste (no idea how to translate that 🤯). This is a fine criticism of our overboarding Christmas celebrations and shopping-mania thrown in together with some leftover ideas about Zamonia. I liked it!!! 🚪🐲🏰

This (his)story of the Zamonian Christmas comes along with taxonomy plates of the some described things or animals. Like most of the Walter Moers books, they are beautifully illustrated. 🎨🎨🎨

As part of my Christmas reading/listening, last week I listened to the first Harry Potter. It have been some years since I read it and I really enjoyed remembering all those tiny little details that the world of Hogwarts is about.

The next one of my Christmas reading/listening - a relistening of Harry Potter. This time I am listening ro ther German version, I‘ve read the original English one a few yesrs ago. I habe to say that the German translation nails it, sometimes it is even better than the original.

After reading Christmas shopaholoc I realized I definitely missed Becky Bloomwood. The problem with series is that you have to wait some time for the next one and then you loose track. This happened to me with the Shopaholoc series. I really enjoyed following Becky‘s stressful Christmas preparations and the funny occurrences she managed to maneuver herself into. I mean she‘s now the youngest member of London‘s „oldest“ billiard club. 😂

In Switzerland it is a tradition to eat a Grittibänz on December 6th - something that was new to me when I moved here. Now, after two years in this country I was having mine with a hot cappuccino and my first Christmas read.

And then there‘s the recommendation for our students. 💪💪💪

After Gangsta Granny, this is the second David Williams book I‘ve read. It is a beautiful story of a special relationship between grandfather and grandson. Struggeling with dementia the grandpa is reliving his adventures during WWII and the grandson is the only one who gets how to help him - by playing along. The end is a little bit over the top, but then again it is a story for children, so it is fine. 👨‍✈️👨‍✈️👨‍✈️

Wow, if the copyright is already designed like this, what will the rest of the look like? Definitely setting the bar very very high…

I really enjoyed this alone-standing novel of Kinsella. There were a lot of funny and unoredictable scenes, even though they were over the top sometimes. It is definitely a good example of how families work or not, sometimes people prefer to keep things to themselves, but it is always ending with a big bang.