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Rated Luchtplaats 8/10

It took me some time before I really got into it, but once I did it was pretty good.

I really like that all of the characters have some real dark edges.

Rated Bloedverwant 6/10

Horror (and vampires) is not my kind of thing, but it wasn’t bad at all. I enjoyed the dynamic between the different characters and the overall atmosphere that was created by the constant chase.

Rated Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal 8/10

Rated Als scheuren in de aarde 6/10

It was a fairly enjoyable read about a love triangle. The surroundings is brought to life really well and it was easy to read.
In the middle there was a section where the obvious was hinted at a bit too much and it felt it dragged on during that part.

Rated James 10/10

It took me a bit to get into it, not sure why. But once I was into it, it was an incredibly fast paced read. Difficult to put down and visually very descriptive.

Rated Het Stravinsky-spel 8/10

Early on while reading I thought it felt a bit snobbish, however nothing could be further away from that in the descriptions of life during the siege of Sarajevo.

Although this is fiction, it did make more interested in reading some of the work by Susan Sontag.

Rated Tirza 8/10

Rated Doorstarters aan de Franse kust 8/10

A fun and easy read about mostly good things in life and some bad things that eventually push people to more good things in life.

Rated De rivier 8/10

This was a nice surprise. After reading the synopsis I was managing my expectations for this book, but I really enjoyed it.
Also nice to learn about Martha Ballard.

Rated Het eiland van Anna 10/10

It is about an island that had to be evacuated in the 1800s, because of flooding, which then in the 1900s became part of reclaimed land. It is about the people that lived there, their descendants and how origin and origin story impacts people’s lives (even several generations later).
It also highlights how immigrants find their way faster if they get equal opportunity to education and employment. Something that many present day societies should take note of instead of the xenophobia we see too much of.

Rated The World After Gaza 10/10

This books goes deep into how we got here (here being the genocide happening in Gaza) and gives some ideas of what that may bring for the future.

From a review: “It is mandatory reading; for a present that is horrifying, for the way in which history that is ongoing needs to be written and understood– the myriad threads that Mishra weaves together include the treatment of Jews in East and West Europe before, during, and after WWII, in the Middle East where they were not blond and blue eyed, the role of the Allies and USA in the Holocaust and the utter lack of guilt and responsibility on their part + parallels with Vietnam, Germany's totally perverse absolution of the guilt + parallels to their colonial history (hardly ever spoken about), India's own hindutva nationalism sharing deeply in the zionist psyche, leaving us reeling today in an abyss of moral & political decrepitude – the colour line stronger than ever, the decolonial project still far too distant in the horizon.”

I’d like to add to that, that decolonization was in fact - for the vast majority of people - the main event in the 20th century as opposed to WWII, which mostly westerners will see as the main event. A perspective changed.

Rated The Book of Disappearance 10/10

A powerful and heavy piece of speculative fiction which asks the following question: "What if all Palestinians vanished from their homeland overnight?"

The book focuses on two characters who are friends, one Israeli and one Palestian. Also, it shows different possible reactions of the government, media and random people.

In the light of the events (the Gaza genocide) that have happened since they book was first published, this story obviously reads very different than it would have otherwise.

Rated De schatkamer van mijn vader 8/10

A very insightful read about a part of Dutch history that only recently is been given a bigger place in the general discussion.
I really enjoyed how the tension in the relationship between father and daughter has resemblances of how the Dutch look back on this part of their history in Indonesia (although the book is mostly about WWII until Indonesian independence).

Rated De Vaticaanse Moorden 6/10

Rated Moeder, antimoeder 8/10

An interesting read on a very much not famous person who still had a very interesting life, with great impact on others. And all of that is despite being on a trajectory of choice that did not make things easier (being a communist post WWII).

Rated Rósa en Björk 8/10

I very much enjoyed reading this one. It is easy to read and always created an atmosphere of calm.

Rated The Summer Tree 8/10

It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did it was a very enjoyable read. Quite impressive that this is the author's first novel. Despite the upsetting ending, looking forward to the next parts of this trilogy.

Rated De vergeten namen 8/10

A book that tells the story about many different people who were involved in the deportations in Lyon in WWII.
I liked that it tells the story about many different people instead of just a handful. Sure all dialogs, thoughs and feelings are made up by the author, but they never felt unauthethic.

Rated At the Existentialist Café 10/10

Rated Beach Vibes 6/10

Rated The North Water 10/10

Rated A Plague of Serpents 10/10

Always a pleasure to read anything by Maitland. Setting the atmosphere and making the characters relatable and realistic - despite the difference in the age they are set in, which also clearly shows - is clearly something that comes easy for the author.

Particularly the scene where the main character (Daniel Pursglove) is interogated and tortured, feels so realistic it made me whince while reading (almost similar to the way some people watch scary movie scenes through their fingers).

The conclusion, which is also the ending of the series felt a bit fast, although not in a rushed kind of way. Perhaps I just didn't want the book and this series to end.

Looking forward to what is coming next from Maitland and which age it is set in.

Rated Death of a Lesser God 10/10

As with all the books in the series - I greatly enjoyed reading this one. Despite never having been in 1950 Bombay, I was always transported there whenever I was reading.
Already looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Rated Gomorrah 8/10

Rated Stormkind 8/10

I was doubting between 4 and 5 stars. I enjoyed this quite a bit. A really well written thriller and the characters have a nice amount of depth, which I often find lacking in thrillers.

Will check out the other books in this series as well.