Guus Bosman

I really enjoyed Thanksgiving: An American Holiday, an American History. This book was exactly what I wanted to read over the Holidays. It's a beautiful, interesting history of the celebration of Thanksgiving and how it became a national holiday in the United States. It is full with interesting facts about the history of Thanksgiving, and does a nice job of explaining all the "first Thanksgiving celebration in the United States" claims out there.

I take self-improvement books with a large grain of salt. Still, an enjoyable read.

I saw this book Monday night when I went to the library. I borrowed 4 other books but this one was the first I read and finished because it was so entertaining.

It's a great collection of lawyer stories and jokes. Most of them pretty short, 2 or 3 pages, and very entertaining. "So, do I get to keep the sheep?"

A month ago I read Die Verwandlung by Kafka. It had been a long time since I read a book in German. Kafka is one of my favorite authors and reading this book was a great joy.

The language of the book is so beautiful, and it's really nice to be able to read it in its original language. The opening sentence for example, is a classic beauty: Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt. Note that in English the word Ungeziefer is often translated to vermin, an interesting choice. Would a Dutch translator use ongedierte?

The story was touching and absurd at the same time. A google on the book shows that there are many different explanations for what the story "really" means, and I'm glad I enjoyed it as much as I did without trying the understand the deeper meaning.