Journal of a Dutch 30-something

It's been a little while since this tag was making the rounds on many of the blogs I read, but I really liked the idea, so here is my take on The Happy Tag, which has only one rule: to list things that make you happy in a number of categories.

If any of you want to play as well, please do!


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1. More than a month has gone by (again) without me posting anything here. I really do want to, but there are only so many hours in a day and so many things to do... I did write two other things though: a guest post about The March Family Letters for Hamlette's 'Little Women read-along' and an article about two nativity 'adaptations' for the newest issue of Femnista.



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Best in books 2013

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)
Sigh, let's tackle the most difficult question first. I'll make it a top 5, in no particular order
1. Her mother's hope by Francine Rivers
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
3. Promise me this by Cathy Gohlke
4. Crusade in jeans by Thea Beckman
5. Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

( Much more bookish questions )

On her blog Edge of the Precipice, Hamlette hosted a Tolkien Blog Party of Special Magnificence to celebrate Bilbo and Frodo's birthday last week. Unfortunately, I could not fully participate in the party last week, as I was away for work... Even though the party is officially over, I still wanted to post the tag questions, just because they are so much fun! And it's still great fun for Tolkien lovers over at Hamlette's blog, as she started a Lord of the Rings read-along!


1. Have you read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit? If so, how many times?

Yes, I've read both LotR and The Hobbit twice. I also read The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales, which I both loved!

( If you want him, come and claim him! )

Hello everyone,

Its been quite a while since I've posted a meme, so here are two - for your enjoyment - and some other things I've come across and wanted to share!

Found this meme via litlover12

1. One book that changed your life?
I can't say 'changed my life', but I've learned a lot and been very impressed by Arena by Karen Hancock

( More bookish questions )

And this second meme I got from moonplanet who provided me with the impossible letter 'U' and wasn't even sorry for it ;-)

The idea is to post five things which make you happy and start with the given letter. If you also would like a letter, please comment.

1. UK
I'm an Anglophile, I don't know why... I've loved the English language, culture, history and books and movies coming from the UK since I was a young teenager. I've been to the UK 6 times now and enjoyed each and every visit. It's a joy to see the beautiful countryside and the interesting historical monuments and to hear the lovely British accents around you. And ofcourse to buy the best chocolate chip cookies in the world at Tesco's!

( Happiness meme )

Are you all still missing The Lizzie Bennet diaries very much? I know I am. And even though we get a new story (Sanditon) from the producers already in May, I was still excited when I found this other vlog-adaptation of a classic novel: The Autobiography of Jane Eyre. I can't predict if it's going to be anywhere near as good as LBD, but I'm loving these first vids.



So, this is apparently one of the movies Dan Stevensleft Downton Abbey for
Looks nice and only for the cast I would want to watch this, but I don't know about the story. Might get pretty intense. But am I the only one who wasn't thinking about Downton, but about Sense and Sensibility '08? I mean, Edward Ferrars, Elinor Dashwood ánd Willoughby reunited!