Book Blogging Around The World (34) : Utrecht, The Netherlands

Name : Judith 
Blog : Leeswammes' Blog

City / Country : (near) Utrecht, The Netherlands

Welcome Judith!

Tell us a little bit about you.

I’m a forty-something woman, but I don’t know how that happened: I do think I must be younger than that, for sure! I have a husband and 2 sons of 13 and 11. I don’t work right now. I enjoy being “at home” for the moment.

My hobbies are reading and blogging. I used to do a lot of genealogy, but I reached the point where I’ve found out enough about my ancestors and the rest is nit-picking. I also like swimming (once a week, with a friend) and walking (around the lake near my home, or in the woods).

Tell us a little bit about your blog.
My blog is mainly about books. I also like trying out new recipes, so sometimes you’ll find something food-related on my blog.

Have you ever lived anywhere else in the world?

Yes, I lived in England for 15 years.

What countries have you visited?

Besides the Netherlands and UK, I’ve been to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Malta, South Africa, and USA (AZ).

Houses at the lake near where I live (it's a residential area with a lake in the middle)

What countries would you like to visit?

I would love to visit New Zealand and maybe Japan. I would also like to go to the Far Oer islands that are situated between Scotland and Iceland.

According to you, what are the positive and negative aspects of being a book blogger in The Netherlands?

Positive is that internet connections are usually good and we have no power cuts to speak of. I can get hold of most books that I want to read one way or another.
Negative is that there is no blogging community. I’ve looked for it during the last Bloggiesta but could not find anything like what I’m used to in the international community that we all belong to. I’ve started a Dutch blog recently (http://boekblogger.wordpress.com/) so I hope to get into contact with more Dutch bloggers that way.

What Dutch authors and books would you recommend?
My favorite author is W. F. Hermans, who published books between the 1940s and 1990s. My favorite book of all times is his book Nooit meer slapen, which is translated as Beyond Sleep.

I also love Renate Dorrestein, a more contemporary author. Her Crying Shame is brilliant but really you can’t go wrong with her books. They are slightly surrealistic (you’d almost not notice) which is good fun.

 

How many languages do you speak?

I speak Dutch and English, a little bit of German and a tiny bit of French.

Do you read more in English or in Dutch?

About equal I think. I read Dutch writers in Dutch (of course). For English writers, it depends on availability and whether I read them because they’re such good wordsmiths or because of the story. If it’s just for the story I might get the book in Dutch, but otherwise, I’ll try and get the English version.

Where do you usually buy your books?

I buy books from the local book store, from second hand stalls, and online: bol.com (the Dutch equivalent to amazon) or bookdepository.com. 

Is getting your hands on foreign books tricky or easy (not mentioning online stores)?

Our local book shop has a selection of newly published English books, so that’s useful and the book store in Utrecht has a lot of English books, so I always check there when I’m in the neighborhood.

Every country has its clichés. What cliché about The Netherlands do you consider disproportionate?

The drugs! You can get them at each street corner and no one bats an eyelid. Well it’s not true. You can get them at some street corner shops in Central Amsterdam and otherwise you really have to know where to go, because although it’s sort of legalized (soft drugs only), you can’t just buy it everywhere. And did you know that a higher percentage of UK and USA young people have tried some form of drugs than Dutch?

One of my overflowing book shelves (I'm getting new ones in a few weeks' time)

One quarter of The Netherlands is below sea level. If you could live under the sea, what creature would you like to be and why?
I honestly don’t like deep water all that much - I like to be able to stand in water! So, I’d have to be a shallow-water creature. Maybe I’d be seaweed and go with the flow.

Quick Q&A:

Favourite thing about living in The Netherlands: Low poverty level, most areas are neat and tidy.
Least favourite thing about living in The Netherlands: So many rules and regulations!
Favourite typically Dutch food: : Vla - it’s a bit like custard but more silky. It’s sold by the liter and people eat it for desert, usually plain. You can get vanilla vla, chocolate vla, strawberry vla, apple and pear vla, vanilla and caramel vla, etc.
Favourite place in The Netherlands: : I actually love the town where I live. Before we moved (back) to the Netherlands, we actively checked out towns to see which one we would like best. This was the one!
Favourite bookshop: Selexyz Broese in Utrecht.

Favourite Dutch author: W. F. Hermans.
Favourite Dutch singer/band: None, I don’t listen to music much.

Favourite kind of book to read while travelling: Something chick-lit.
Plane or train: Train: it’s great to be able to see the country side.

Boat or bus: : Boat: they both make me feel sick, but on a boat at least you can get some fresh air. 
Bike or feet: Bike: we Dutch do everything by bike, even short distances.

Windmills are less common than you might think.
I only sometimes buy flowers, even though they’re quite cheap and cheerful here.

Thank you Judith! It was a pleasure having you up on the hill!  

 
If you'd like to be featured, this post is for you.

French Friday (39) - Guest Post by Kelly

Hello everyone!

This week I am thrilled to welcome Kelly from Kelly's [Former] France Blog, who will talk about her relationship with the French Language! 

Thank you so much for participating Kelly. :)

My relationship with the French language

Bonjour tout le monde! Today I am very excited to talk a bit about my relationship with the French language. Thank you Charlotte for giving me this opportunity to talk about the language I love so much!

As readers of my blog may know, I am a French Language and Literature major in my final year of college. I love French. I speak and read French constantly. I would be unhappy without French in my life!

But my relationship with French was not always so great. When I decided in 6th grade (at the age of 11) to study French, it was solely because I despised Spanish. Over the next 6 years, French and I struggled continuously to keep our relationship afloat. It was frustrating when I didn't understand grammar or couldn't memorize vocabulary words quick enough. Looking back, I think the only thing that kept me in my French classes through my teens were the awesome teachers I had. They were funny and so passionate about the language that it (sort of) gave me hope for my own language skills.

Then in high school came the unit that almost ruined my relationship with French forever: the subjunctive. If you've ever studied French, you know what I'm talking about. I toiled with le subjonctif endlessly, yet I still could never grasp its rules. For a long time I hated French all because of the subjunctive, and almost didn't take Advanced French my senior year of high school.

So why, then, did I continue my French studies?? As my 2nd last year of high school was drawing to a close, I started thinking, like most kids my age, what the future would hold. What would I study in college and where would I go? As I pondered possible courses of study, it suddenly hit me that if I didn't continue my French studies, I'd most likely never study the language again, and a life without French seemed, well, bleak, boring, and very sad.

I'm happy to report that French and I slowly became reacquainted. Sure, it took a lot of studying, and most of all time and practice, to finally get over all the grammar hurdles. But now here I am, loving my French classes, dreaming of when I can get back to the country I grew to love so much, and worrying about what's to come when I graduate in May. As long as it involves French, I'll be happy!