I also do have used German a bit now and then since high school times when I learnt it but now it has came the time to brush it up too. So, not only to challenge MySwedishSkills I did the same to MyGermanSkills. On 2018 I have read one fat "Wohnen & Garten" magazine I bought on February 2018 in Turku. It was a quite an adventure to try to find another one for the year 2019 but at the end DearMrW brought Me one when arriving for a visit up to TheNorth. He kindly used His time to get Me one from TheBigWorld.
If you want to brush up your language skills; be brave and start with a magazine filled with pictures. It is extremely important to remember that your meaning is to R E A D not to T R A N S L A T E. Just let it go, pick up a book or magazine which theme is familiar to you and you'll notice, all the mysteries will be solved anyway.
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On 2018 I have read:
The Falconer by Elaine Clark McCarthy (in Finnish, mine). No links because I really can't find any proper. This book was published on 1996 and is the author's 1st novel. I wonder what happened to her. I remember this book was quite success when it was published and I read it then. Now I re-read it because I had forgot what exactly happened in the story. Over 20 years ago it was a love story to me. Now I see it also as a warning sign about it if you live your life with the idea "tomorrow I will", "when I get retired, I'll have the time". This book is a good lesson of it that the life is here, now, today. Open your eyes if you have not done it yet. It also makes Me to think what has happen to Elaine Clark McCarthy.
I dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallmann (in Finnish, mine). Also this is an old book, published on 1991. It ended up to Me from MyMother's collection. As a literal creation this doesn't reach any way near Karen Blixen's Out Of Africa but I decided to read this because it bases on the happenings around the same area where Karen Blixen influenced long time before Kuki Gallmann. I almost dropped this book out but decided to continue because of the facts and the begin of conservation that Kuki Gallmann started on the area.
Deautchland im Blaulicht by Tania Kambouri (in Finnish, borrowed from our local library). Its realistic and true stories may upset or offend some people but it all is the reality Tania Kambouri faces in her daily work as a German police officer. It is not any kind of literal feat but it was never meant to be one. It is an open letter or essay about the real life.
Farewell to the East End by Jennifer Worth (mine, in Finnish). I've read the other two of Call the Midwife series. Great peek into the history of British health and social care. Seen also the TV-series (a fan?... perhaps...)
The Midwife's Sister by Christine Lee (mine, in Finnish). This book turns around the mirror to see the other side of the history of British health and social care. Explains more also about Jennifer Worth and makes it then to be more understandable to see Jennifer's side, actions and point of the views.
Leap Of Faith by Her Majesty Queen Noor (in Finnish, mine, bought few years ago at our local library clearance sale). I was a bit disappointed to this book because I expected it to be a personal biography but it turn out to be quite political. Because of its educative and informative aspect I still decided to read it all the way to the end (because human rights, equality and peace interests also me). Its 443 pages made it feel more like a school book than a free time book. Reading it felt much easier when I picked up MyStudentAttitude instead of relaxing when reading it. When I compare this to The Girl With Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee which I read on 2017 I must admit Hyeonseo Lee succeed better to tell her story in objective way. On the other hand Hyeonseo Lee was never in the eye of the storm so she must not feel similar defense, vindication, advocacy nor justification to her biography like Her Majesty Queen Noor must have felt when She finally was allowed to tell Her story by Her own words without anyone to manipulate or falsify it.
Dear My Blank -Secret Letters Never Sent by Emily Trunko (in Finnish, borrowed from our local library). I really recommend parents to read also the books their children to recommend, see the movies their teenagers adore and listen to the music their kids' can't live without. On 2016 and 2017 Reading Challenge I do have read books recommended by YoungLady and really have enjoyed. But THIS book by Emily Trunko... If I had not read it I had missed one whole world. See... I do love correspondence. It has been MyHobby since I was 11 years old. This blog was put up for the original reason to make sharing MyCraft pics easier with MyPenFriends faraway in the big world. Correspondence is vanishing hobby, life style and way to share information and personal thoughts. Sometimes we wonder with MyPenFriends, does anyone else but us write letters on these days when the social media and e-mail is preferred. By THIS book I realized people -young persons too- still have the basic need to write a letter. They perhaps never send them. None perhaps never reads them. BUT Emily Trunko has created a way how at least someone can read them!
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (in English, thank you Dear A. for giving this to Me). Despite it is a science book it feels like a novel. Everyone who is interested about the nature should read this book. I read this on MySvalbardHoliday. To be honest it was quite interesting to read it in a place where no single tree can grow!
Cartes Postales From Greece by Victoria Hislop (in English, thank you Dear A. also for this book). I got this book after MyHolidayOnCrete. Planned to read it in MyHammock on MyHolidayAtHome when looking after TheHouse when the others were away but ended up to Svalbard instead. After finishing The Hidden Life of Trees I started this by the glaciers and felt a bit sorry if I should have saved it later on for another holiday in somewhere warm around Mediterranean. But life is a mysterious place. Finland hit a heat weave while we were close to the North Pole and it kept going on after our return. So, at the end I was reading this book OnMyTerrace InMyGarden wearing MyBikinis because it was all I was able to do in that heat on those days. At the end I got MyMediterranean holiday feeling when reading this!
Toppens hemliga liv by Nan Inger (mine, in Swedish). After high school this is the 1st Swedish book I've read. During all these years I've read at least one Swedish magazine every year not to let MySwedish fade away so fast. I had a dream to study French but learning it OnMyOwn is too complicated. So I decided -at the end- to brush up MySwedish and... ta-dah... German skills. That's why I have moved on reading Swedish books and German magazines. At last one of each per year. This book is children book and level "learn to read" with few pictures, 52 pages and big text. But still it was very educative in the meaning that it reminded me about something in the health care and how it has changed since 1981 when this book was published.
Lillebjörn by Else Holmelund Minarik (mine, in Swedish). Now it was even easier to read another book in Swedish. "Toppens hemliga liv" was not difficult either but this one surprised Me by being so easy; perhaps because I've read a lot these beloved stories about Little Bear in Finnish. Now I feel that after few more Swedish children book I can pick up an easy and thin adult book. I must keep my eyes open...
Hell On 4 Paws by Gwen Bailey (in English, thank you DearMary for giving this book to me). This is more a biography than a guide book to train a dog but if you are familiar to dog training you can pick it all up there in the story. Still it is important to remember not having a puppy and especially not an aggressive rescue dog because of reading a happy ending book! Get ready it all at first, not when you are in. Book the classes even before you have the dog in your house especially if you are the first timer!
Itämeren Auri (= The Rune Singer) by Johanna Valkama (mine, in Finnish). If you want to learn more about Viking times, North, myths, sagas and history, get on with Iron Hearts -series written by a Finnish author.
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (mine, in Finnish). I know a lot about dogs and their training. I know a lot about horses too... and other animals. But I must confess the birds have been absent in MyLife. I am not familiar with them. I don't know them. Well, I love wild birds in MyGarden and have a relationship with them and they don't fear Me. But I mean birds as pets / domestic animals. I do have read books birds included but this really was superior compared to all the other books. It was very educative but still a beautiful story having a bird in a big role, not just flying around the back ground.
The Stories Of Our Christmas Customs by N.F. Pearson (in English, thank you DearFox for giving this book to Me). This is very nostalgic book telling, not only British history of Christmas but rather widely almost the whole truth about it all.
The Wood in Winter by John Lewis-Stempel (in English, thank you Dear A. also for this book). What a beautiful short story!!! What an excellent end for MyReadingYear2018!!!
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Above is listed each 16 of the year 2018 books I've read. 5 in English, 2 in Swedish and 9 in Finnish. 2 books were borrowed from our local library and all the others are mine. I've also read that fat German magazine plus many science books because of MyStudies (school books borrowed from the libraries). I did quite well when aiming to read the books I already have but not read them yet.
