#theessenceofthebook — Public Fediverse posts

⬆️ 'LITERALLY and indisputably EVERYTHING that seems to stand innocently in the book case over there really bulges stealthily over the confines of the covers and disturbs us, unperceived but incessantly.'
#TheEssenceOfTheBook

Lovely collectors' item that was published in both Dutch and English, with a clear nod to Pirsig's classic (though mostly to the title, see Alttext). Musthave and mustread for lovers of cats and books, and especially of the combination.

#Bookstodon #Read

'there were none so blind as those who had already decided what it was they saw.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 59/52 ★★★☆☆

A group of guerilla gardeners engage in a deadly bond with a survival bunker building multibillionaire. In spite of the full plot, the broad collage of characters, and references to Shakespeare, it also felt something was missing. Still a very entertaining and thought provoking read.

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#SurvivalOfTheRichest

‘Freedom begins the moment we forget ourselves.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 57/52 ★★★★★

Delightful story by Dave Eggers. Wonderful artwork of the hardcover print edition with beautiful illustrations by Shawn Harris. Heartwarming narration of the audiobook by Ethan Hawke.
Pure joy!

EDIT: For Dutch readers, here's a more extensive review: https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/12/31/fabelachtig-mooi-jeugdboek-van-dave-eggers-recensie/

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Jeugdliteratuur #ChildrensBooks

‘Even so, there are obvious limits to our understanding.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 55/52 ★★★☆☆

This story was just intriguing enough to keep going, and the critique on historical interpretations (and misconceptions) well executed. But that's it.
Ian McEwan is one of the authors who turned me from someone who enjoyed reading into a reader. But for me the time has come to leave him be, with gratitude.

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Fictie #Fiction
#Poëzie #Poetry

“You’ve always had wings. Now they do. What’s unfair about that?”

#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 53/52 ★★★☆☆

A light and delightful little story.

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Jeugdboeken #ChildrensBooks

‘I don´t make a taller fence, but fight to build a better bridge’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 51/52 ★★★★☆

EDIT:
Hopeful thoughts by Amanda Gorman paired with beautiful artwork by Loren Long. A gem.

Here's my review in Dutch - with links to videos by readers who turned the poem into song: https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/12/31/zing-mee-met-change-sings-recensie/

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Poëzie #Poetry
#Kinderboeken #ChildrensBooks
#SingAlong

´your education is not only in your head anymore: like hers, now your knowledge is also in your body, every bit of it, including your heart.' ★★★★☆
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 46/52 ★★★★☆

Not sure yet whether the ending to this impressive trilogy is painful or hopeful. A very compelling story.

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read

'What you four need is taking care of.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 43/52 ★★★★☆

A rather repulsive story, but not a bad book at all.

Review in English: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7919027587

Recensie in Nederlands: https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/10/12/the-cement-garden-recensie/

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Literatuur #Literature

'‘We matter greatly and not at all.’'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 40/52 ★★★★★

A stream of collective consciousness, is what I like to call this book. Here's why I think it is very much worth your while::
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7131789407

En hier vertel ik dat iets uitgebreider in het Nederlands:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/09/28/een-razend-rustig-verhaal-boekbespreking/

#Boeken #Bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Fiction #SpaceTravel #Time

'If you stare at the sidewalk long enough, it starts to stare back.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 39/52 ★★★★★

Here's why this heartwarming work by @DavidZinn is an ABSOLUTE mustread/musthave:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7876762321

En hier vertel ik dat iets uitgebreider in het Nederlands:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/08/31/tijdelijke-kunst-vereeuwigd-boekbespreking/

WON-DER-FUL!

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#Lezen #Read #StreetArt #Anamorphosis #Pareidolia #EphemeralArt #DavidZinn

'In his experience, things generally got worse, and on the rare occasion when things actually seemed to get better, it was only as a dramatic prelude to a cataclysmic worsening.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 37/52 ★☆☆☆☆

It couldn't get much worse than Adams's Mostly Harmless, I thought. But it didn't get much better, either. So I quit at page 42.

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read #SciFi #THHHTTG

'We need to learn to share this land, otherwise we will be sharing it in our graves.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 34/52 ★★★★★

Gut wrenching. A beautifully written horrible (hi)story. Nuanced and multifaceted, but clear support for ending Israel's occupation of Palestine.

I wrote a review in Dutch:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/08/06/een-eindeloze-geschiedenis-boekbespreking/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read #Aanrader #MustRead
#FreePalestine

'Oh, I don't know.. you've got to have hope, right?'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 32/52 ★★★★★

Here's why I recommend this book, in English:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7498410959

Hier waarom ik het boek aanbeveel, in NL:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/07/11/getekende-mensen-boekbespreking/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#Lezen #Read #GraphicNovel #Striproman #ChrisWare

‘Tijd winnen, tijd winnen. En waar bleef de tijd? Nergens bleef de tijd, en er was niets gewonnen, alles verloren.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 30/52 ★★☆☆☆

Ooit las ik dit voor school. Toen vond ik het rete interessant. Dit keer: mwah. Wel goed gekozen vooruitwijzingen naar de toekomst / het heden: een vertaalmachine, surveillance, zelfs een soort van transhumanisme (die Dendermonde tamelijk kritiekloos oplepelt).

#Boeken @boeken

#Lezen #Fictie

‘Beauty is not a virtue that floats free of cost.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 29/52 ★★★★☆

Interesting!
Here's my review in English:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6460659180

En hier mijn bespreking in NL:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/06/09/the-garden-against-time-recensie/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#Lezen #Read #Nonfiction
#Commons #Commoning #Solarpunk

'We live in strange times. We also live in strange places: each in a universe of our own.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 27/52 ★★☆☆☆

Mostly nostalgic.
See also my discussion of rereading THHGTTG:
English: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6569274087
NL:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2024/06/16/herleeservaring-the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#Lezen #Read #SciFi
#THHGTTG #HHGTTG
#TowelDay #TowelDay2025

'there are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that you haven't started wondering about yet.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 25/52 ★★☆☆☆

Still in awe over Dahl's mind (who lets a giant peach, carried by seagulls, bump against a rainbow which was just painted by cloud men). But also sad that the only escape from a poor upbringing is through fantasy, and about the nasty bodyshaming.

#Boeken @boeken
#Books @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Jeugdliteratuur #ChildrensBooks

'The question is: what do we make of this?'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 23/52 ★★★☆☆
Imaginative and amusing

#Boeken @boeken
#Books #Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read

'We apologise for the inconvenience.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 20/52 ★★☆☆☆

I apologise for the low rating. As I am rereading THHGTTG, I am reminded of why this fourth volume of the trilogy did not stick with me. It contained too much uninteresting romance, and not enough Marvin.

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read #Herlezen #Reread #SciFi

''Hop, hop!'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 18/52 ★★★★★

Marvellous! Both the book itself, as well as other works by Rufus Butler Seder that it led me to.
Here's why I loved it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7484743829
Hier lees je dat in het NL: https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/04/13/bewegend-beeld-op-papier-boekbespreking/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Kunst #Art
#Scanimation #Serendipity
▶️

‘It seems to be a hallmark of the human species: abysmal communication skills.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 17/52 ★★★★☆

Here's why I recommend this book 🇬🇧🇺🇸
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6060418732

En hier lees je dat in 🇳🇱:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/03/23/remarkably-bright-creatures-recensie/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Luisterboek #Audiobook
#Fictie #Fiction
#Feelgood

‘Nothing has proved more threatening to our democracy, or more devastating to Black communities, than white fear of Black freedom dreams.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 16/52 ★★★★★

Here's why this is a mustread (in 🇬🇧🇺🇸):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6074327469

En hier lees je waarom in 🇳🇱:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/03/16/het-slavernijverleden-in-het-heden-boekbespreking/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#Lezen #Read
#Mustread #History #Slavery #1619Project

'With Cats, some say, one rule is true: Don't speak till you are spoken to.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 15/52 ★★☆☆☆

I adore cats, and I can certainly appreciate light verse. This, however, did not appeal to me all that much.

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

'We own this mess.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 13/52 ★★★★★

Urgent and relevant. Concrete and concise.
My advice: Don't just read the titles of the chapters, but read the whole book (or listen to the author read the audiobook).
Then follow up on Snyders advice.

https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/02/20/lessen-voor-nu/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon

#MustRead

'People don't just happen. We sacrifice former versions of ourselves.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 11/52 ★★★☆☆

Raw. Razorsharp. Painful. Loving.

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Nonfiction #Lezen #Read

#BlackHistoryMonth

‘without any of the reassurance that comes from social acceptance or the bliss of cohesion, how do you know how to be?’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 10/52 ★★★★☆

Here's why I recomend this book 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 :
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58700482-on-connection

En hier lees je dat in 🇳🇱:
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/02/16/kae-tempest-on-connection-recensie/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Essays #SpokenWord

‘People who do not know what others in a group actually think often decide that it is safer to go along with what appear to be the dominant norms in order not to stand out.’
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 8/52 ★★★★☆

Must read. Here's why in 🇬🇧 🇺🇲
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6214923141

En hier in 🇳🇱
https://verzameldezinnen.nl/2025/02/08/erbij-staan-en-ernaar-kijken-boekbespreking/

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Geschiedenis #History
#TweedeWereldoorlog
#WWII #WorldWarTwo #Holocaust

'Is this still your story, Reader?'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 7/52 ★★★☆☆

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7229784308

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Schrijven #Writing
#Literatuur #Literature

'Any artist who isn't an activist is a dead artist.'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook

#BoekPerWeek 6/52 ★★★★☆

Here's why this book would be worth your while:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6460892863

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#GraphicMemoir #AiWeiwei #Kunst #Art

'Why do we call our planet Earth, when clearly it is ocean?'
#DeZinVanHetBoek #TheEssenceOfTheBook
#BoekPerWeek 4/52 ★★★★☆

My (preliminary) review of the audiobook:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6940761382

#Boeken @boeken
#Bookstodon @bookstodon
#Lezen #Read
#Luisteren #Audiobook