This is a very incomplete list of the books I've read. I only started keeping track (at the advice of a friend) when Tony and I were in Göttingen for a year (1993). The list is intended mainly for me to remember what I've read (title and author) and (when possible) to record some impression of it. It is for the latter reason that I'm putting this on line with my other lists. Perhaps someone else might benefit from the ratings -- however brief. Most of the "no ratings" mean that I wrote down no impressions when I originally listed the book (note-- I almost always remarked when it made an especially good impression). To make it more accessable, I'm making the list alphabetical by author. I've included Swedish and German texts as well and short stories, novels, plays and poetry as well as nonfiction.

Crystal's Reading List:

Books, Stories, Plays and Poems I've Read

Sandro Key-Åberg, "Död i Stockholm" [11/93] rating 3.5

---------------------, excerpts from dialogues [10/94] no rating

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [3/94] second reading; rating 4.5

----------------, Restaurant at the End of the Universe [4/94] second reading; rating 4.5

----------------, Life the Universe and Everything [5/94] second reading; rating 4

----------------, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish [8/94] second reading; rating 4

Jez Alborough< Where's My Teddy? [5/01] cute picture book for teddybear lovers; rating 4

Renato Amato, "One of the Titans" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Lars Ardelius, (excerpts from) Nya drömboken [1/94] no rating

Sonja Åkesson, "Jag bor i Sverige (ungefär som m. 9 år ser det) [12/93] rating 4

Binnie Kristol Andersson, "Till min svenska pojke" (poem) [12/93] rating 4

Piers Anthony, A Spell for Chameleon [8/93] didn't like it as well as Incarnations; rating 2

Bettina von Arnim, (excerpts from) die Gunderode [11/93] I prefer her fairytales

Stina Aronson, Hitom Himlen [11/94] the slow pace mirrors the pace of life portrayed in this nordic winter tale; rating 3

Jakob Audorf (Andorf ?), "Nationalliberale Küchenrezept für eine Arbeiterfamilie von vier Personen" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Ingeborg Bachmann, "Alle Tage" (poem) [10/94] no rating

Margaret Bell, A Bridge to the Sky [2/94] comp. to Pillars of the Earth; rating 4

Elizabeth Berg, Range of Motion [09/99] rating 3

Margarete Beutler, "Wiegenlied" (poem) no rating

Maeve Binchy, Light a Penny Candle [3/94] Binchy's debut novel one of my favorite of her books -- during WWII, a shy young English girl finds herself in Ireland under the care of the wild and boisterous O'Connor family; rating 4

--------------, Firefly Summer [9/00] in this one a rich American interrupts the tranquility of a small Irish village; rating 4

--------------, Echoes [11/94] Wealthy David Power and huckster's daughter Clare O'Brien are divided by class in the small, gossipy Irish town of Castlebay; rating 4

A. Birnbaum, Green Eyes [5/01] another Caldecott Honor picture book with gloriously vibrant illustrations aimed especially at the young; rating 4.5

David Bischoff, STTNG Grounded [9/94] did seem to make a great impression -- no rating

Karin Boye, Kallocain [12/94] classic futuristic dystopia; rating 4.5

Charles Brasch, "Ergo Sum" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

---------------, "Shorchen (?)" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

Bertolt Brecht, "Vergnügungen" (poem) [9/94] rating 3

Georg Büchner, Leonce und Lena [3/94] rating 3

Olive Ann Burns, Cold Sassy Tree [9/94] a favorite; rating 4

Alistair Campbell, "Against Te Rauparaha" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

-----------------, "Why don't you talk to me" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

-----------------, "Love Song for Meg" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Janell Cannon, Stellaluna [12/00] popular picture book about bat raised by birds; rating 5

--------------, Verdi [4/01] this one's about a snake who doesn't want to grow up; rating 5

--------------, Crickwing [5/01] the most beautiful of Cannon's books to date, this one's about an artistic cockroach who helps a colony of leafcutter ants; rating 5

Caleb Carr, The Alienist [03/01] I look forward to more by him -- great as detective fiction also fascinating historical study of NYC during the early 20th century [with Teddy Roosevelt as police chief] rating 4.5

Raymond Carver, "Lemonade" (poem from Shortcuts) [7/94] no rating

-----------------, "A Small, Good Thing" (from Shortcuts) [7/94] no rating

-----------------, "Neighbors" (from Shortcuts) [7/94] rating 3

Lauren Child, Beware of the Storybook Wolves [5/01] very clever and fun subversion of story time with funny, vibrant illustrations; rating 4

Stig Claesson, "Julfrid" [10/93] don't recall -- no star at the time

-------------, "Aventyr i land IV" -- [1/94] don't recall

Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl [5/01] young adult, rating 5

Hermann Conradi, "Herbst" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Joy Cowley, "The Silk" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

-----------, "Apple Wine" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Donna Woolfolk Cross, Pope Joan (hf)[1/28/00] I rated it hight, but I remembert expecting/hoping that it'd be even better. I've been interested in the legend of Pope Joan since Dr. Engel's medieval drama class at Vanderbilt; rating 4

Simon Dach, "Lied der Freundschaft" (poem) [2/94] don't recall

Don Daily, The Twelve Days of Christmas Cats [12/99] this cute picturebook gives a fun feline version of the popular song; rating 4

Peter David, STTNG: Imzadi [12/94] David is one of our favorite Trek novelists; rating 4

Richard Dehmel, "Denkzettel für den Verehrten Leser" (poem) [10/94]; rating 3

--------------, "Bekenntnis" (poem) [10/94]; no rating

--------------, "Grundsatz" (poem) [10/94]; no rating

Stephen R. Donaldson, The Real Story (Gap into Conflict I) [4/94] not as good as Thomas Covenant series and Mirror of Her Dreams; rating 3

----------------------, Forbidden Knowledge (Gap into Conflict II) [5/94] the afterword is even better than book; rating 3

Sara Donati, Into the Wilderness by (hf) [8/00] a next-generation continuation of Last of the Mohecans; rating 4.5

Margaret Ekström, "Hjulet" [1/94] no rating

Hans Magnus Enzenberger, "das dunkle Zimmer" (poem) [10/94] no rating

Paul Ernst, "über mir" (poem) [9/94] no rating

----------, "Fanny" (poem) [9/94] no rating

A.R.D. Fairburn, "Song at Sumner's End" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

----------------, "Down on My Luck" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Lou Fancher, A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing, paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher [5/01] In this picture book, familiar characters from A Bug's Life work together to harvest "the One Sweet Big Thing". In addition to teaching cooperation, kids will enjoy the counting numbers in the book: rating 3.5

William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury [1/94] I so hated this book when I was reading, but can understand why it's considered "good literature"; rating 2

Raymond Feist and Janie Wurts, Mistress of the Empire [12/93] I have loved all three of these! -- rating 4.5

Brad Ferguson, ST A Flag Full of Stars [2/94] a good classic Trek -- rating 3.5

Roderich Finlayson, "A Little Gift for Henry" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

-------------------, "Another Kind of Life" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Günter Grass, "Dreht euch nicht um" (poem) [9/94] rating 4

-------------, "Das dunkle Zimmer" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Robert Harris, Fatherland [2/94] alternate history -- what if Hitler had won the war? rating 4

-------------, Enigma [11/00] slower than Fatherland -- about the race to crack German codes during WWII; rating 3.5

Hartmann von Aue, Iwein (MHG epic poem) [6/94] rating 3

Gerhard Hauptman, Vor Sonnenaufgang [9/94] not one of my favorite authors; rating 2.5

(Vorrede) Das Heldenbuch, hrsg. Joachim Heinzle [4/94]; no rating

Karl Henckell, "Benze von Benzenhofen" (poem) [9/94] no rating

-------------, "Berliner Abendlied" (poem) [9/94] no rating

-------------, "Das bejahrte Freudenmädchen" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Herbort von Fritslâr, (excerpts from, i.e., Helene Entführung) liet von Troye [6/94] no rating

J.R. Hervey, "Children Among the Tombstones" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

-----------, "The Return" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

-----------, "Children Among the Tombstones" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Noel Hilliard, "The Girl from Kaco" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

-----------, "The Tree" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 4

Hazel Hutchins, One Dark Night, illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung (pb) [5/01] in this sweet tale a stray cat comes in out of a storm with a gift for her new child friend -- her kittens. The illustrations are a bit dark for our taste, but in honor of Phoebe (former stray black kitty) and Muffin (former stray kitty-mom) we enjoy this book; rating 3

(excerpts from) Isländische Heldenromane; "Zank der Könniginnen," "das alte Sigurdslied," "Sigurds Tod" [5/94] rating 3

"Das Hildebrandslied" (OHG verseepic fragment) [6/94] rating 3

Peter Hoeg, Smilla's Sense of Snow (m) [12/99] a little slow at first (perhaps that's the translation?) but good; rating 3

Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, "Lebenslied" (poem) [10/94] no rating

----------------------, "Vor Tag" (poem) [10/94] no rating

----------------------, "Ballade des Äußeren Lebens" (poem) [10/94] no rating

----------------------, "Terzinen I -- Über Vergänglichkeit II, III, IV" (poem) [10/94] rating 3

Don Holt, Praying With Katie: God, My Cat and Me [5/01] In this short book, Holt shares how during a difficult time in his life, his cat Katie helped him reconsider his relationship to God and his devotional practices. Although the book made me cry, I feel that this is a very special book that I will keep as a favorite. Holt is keenly aware of the traits that make cats so appealing and brings some good insights to some of the traps we may fall into in our devotional practices: rating 4

Arno Holz, "Programm" (poem) [9/94] no rating

----------, (excerpts from) "Phantasus" (poems) [9/94] no rating

Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch, The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit [5/01] we know this cute picture book from the German original Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat and the Dutch translation. Someone pooped on the little mole's head and he wants to know who did it. Maybe we're just strange, but we really enjoy it; rating 4.5

Wite Ihemaera, "A Game of Cards" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] rating 3.5

--------------, "Big Brother, Little Sister" [7/94] no rating

Kevin Ireland, "The Man in the Pool" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

-------------, "Running a Risk" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga The Path to Holistic Healing [4/01] wow! background on history and philosophy of yoga, extremely detailed guide to poses with lots of pictures, adapations with props for beginners or with limitations, sequences for ailments, sequences for a complete yoga course -- for novice as well as more advanced yogis, this book is an amazing resource!; rating 5

Ernst Josephson, "Svarta rosor" (poem) [3/94] no rating

Erik Axel Karlfeldt, "Dina ögon äro eldar," (poem) [2/94] rating 4

Max Kegel, "Stöchers(?) Hintritt" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Konrad von Würzburg, excerpts from Trojaroman, (Helene/Paris Gespräche) (epic MHG poem) [5/94]; great on style however it's a lengthy fragment; rating 3

Lynn Kurland, Another Chance to Dream [10/00] light medieval romance; rating 3.5

-------------, The More I See You [11/00] -- time travel; rating 3.5

Pär Lagerkvist, Sibyl [2/94] not as good as Barrabas; rating 2.5

--------------, "Det är vakrast när det skymmer" (poem) [3/94]; rating 3.5

--------------, "Som ett blommande mandelträd" (poem) [3/94] no rating

Selma Lagerlöf, Herr Arnes Penningar [9/94] rating 3

Jennifer Lash, On Pilgrimage [11/99] Jini is an amazing writer with great insight -- it is delightful to travel with her -- rating 4

Adolph Lepp, "Grober Unfug" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Die Juden [10/93] -- didn't rate highly then

-------------------------, Der junge Gelehrte [10/93] -- read for school, didn't rate highly

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters [12/93] rating 3.5

-----------, The Problem with Pain [3/94] rating 3

Astrid Lindgren, Bröderna Lejonhjärta [1/93] I like this better than Pipi and some of her other books --rating 4.5

Ivar Lo Johansson, Bara en mor [7/94] rating 3.5

"Das Ludwigslied" (MHG verse) [6/94] no rating

Detlev von Liliencrom, "Nach der Hunenjagd" (poem) [9/94] no rating

----------------------, "Zwei Meilen Trab" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Bertil Malmberg, Åke och hans värld [1/94] movie is good, too -- rating 4

T.L. Mancour, STTNG Sparticus [10/93] not one of my favorite trek books; rating 2.5

Fred Marcellino, I, Crocodile [5/01] a crocodile is brought to France by Napolean in this amusing picture book with lovely impressionistic illustrations; rating 4.5

Marienlegenden aus den Alten Passional, hrg. Hans Georg Richert [10/94] rating 3.5

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera [9/93] didn't like as much as I thought I would; rating 3

Owen Marsdall, "Mr. Van Gogh" [7/94] no rating

Isolde Martyn, The Maiden and the Unicorn [01/01] love and intrigue during the war of the roses -- light romantic fiction; rating 3.5

Simon Mawer, The Gospel of Judas [6/01] This book about a priest whose life is affected by his translation work on a new archeological find, a supposed gospel by Judas Iscariot, is not for everyone. Comparisons to The English Patient and The End of the Affair are apt; rating 3

Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes (book on tape, read by author) [8/00] The book alone is worthy of great praise, but McCourt's reading puts this one over the top as a must read/hear; rating 5

----------------, 'Tis [01/01] also enjoyed this book on tape, but not quite as much as the first book -- this one tells of Frank's life as a young man in NYC. We look forward to the rest of the story! rating 4

>Jacqueline McQuade, Good Times With Teddy Bear [2/01] the illustrations (of teddy and his kitten) are what are so loveable in this picturebook; rating 4

Christoph Mechel, "der Löwe" (poem) [10/94] no rating

Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, "Spiel" (poem) [12/93] no rating

Vilhelm Moberg, Utvandrarna [6/94] have read before in English (The Emigrants) -- love this book!; rating 4.5

Franz Mon, "Ich Weiß" (poem) [10/94] no rating

Michael Morrissey, "After the Flood" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Clare Turlay Newberry, Mittens; [2000] this classic picturebook about a lost kitten was a gift from our friend Rebecca Morrow. Through her we have come to love and appreciate the works of Caldecott honored author and illustrator Newberry; rating 4

---------------------, Barkis; [2000] in this picturebook Barkis the puppy gets himself into trouble; rating 4

--------------------, Herbert the Lion; [5/2001] a cute book about a little girl and her pet lion -- the illustrations really sell it; rating 4

das Nibelungenlied (epic MHG poem) [5/94] have read before in English and MHG one of my favorites; rating 4

Friedrich Nietzsche, "Hat man mich verstanden? Dionysos gegen den Gekreuzigten" [9/94] no rating

Andre Norton, Witchworld [10/99] rating 3

Helga Novak, "Kräftig Essen" [9/94] rating 1.5

-----------, "Fahrkarte bitte" [10/94] no rating

Fleur Odcock, "Wife and Husband" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

--------------, "For a Five Year Old" (poem from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Vinscent O'Sullivan, "Palms and Minarets" (from Sactuary of Spirits) [7/94] no rating

Oskar Panizza, Ein guter Kerl: Tragische Szene in einer Akt [9/94] no rating

--------------, "Der Mond" (poem) [9/94] no rating

--------------, "Es liegt hier oft ein breiter Himmel" (poem) [9/94] no rating

--------------, "Räumt endlich auf mit eurem Goethe" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Ian Pears, An Instance of the Fingerpost (hf/m) [7/00] not a quick or easy read, but offers a very detailed glimpse into different aspects of Reconstruction Age England -- mystery, too; rating 4

Sharon Kay Penman, While Christ and His Saints Slept (hf) [12/99] I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't like. This one about one of my favorite periods for historical fiction -- the civil war between Stephen and Maude -- rating 4

--------------------, The Sunne in Splendour (hf) [6/00] -- this one paints, for many of us, Richard III in an entirely new light; rating 4

Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (pb) [5/01] a silly duck is almost taken advantage of by a crafty fox in this sweet classic; the illustrations are not that vibrant, but traditionally cute, the text is what makes this the charming classic that it is; rating 4

excerpts from Prosalancelot -- "Die Lehre der Frau von See", "Herkunft der Tafelrunde" [4/94] ; no rating

Anna Quindlen, A Short Guide to a Happy Life [02/01] very short; rating 3.5

Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho [6/94] fairly slow reading, Gothic novel; rating 2.5

Niklas Rädström, "Mr. Malik Come Down" from Berätat om natten [1/94] rating 3

Heinrich von Reder, "Die Blumenvase" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Bruce Robertson, Marguerite Makes a Book illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt [12/99] this book is absolutely georgeous! I had to buy it as soon as I saw it! Marguerite is the daughter of a medieval book illuminator. Watch as she shops for the ingredients needed for book illumination and as she helps her father with some of the illustrations. Hewitt's illustrations are both realistic watercolors and imitations of medieval illuminations -- including gold details; rating 4.5

Lucia St. Claire Robson, The Tokaido Road [1/94] rating 3.5

------------------------, Walk in My Soul [4/94] about Sam Houston and the Trail of Tearsl rating 4.5

Johannes Roth, (excerpts from) Der Ritterspiegel ("Ritterschlag und Kirchleibensegen")[6/94] no rating

Viktor Rydberg, "Tomten" (poem) [1/94] a Christmas favorite! rating 4

Frank Sargeson, "The Undertaker's Story" (from Sactuary of Spirits)[7/94] no rating

Adnreas Scheu, "Festgesang" (poem) [9/94] no rating

Friedrich Schiller, "die Bürgschaft" [11/93] not one of my favorites of his works

Arthur Schnitzler, Reigen (drama) [11/94] rating 4

Wolfdieterich Schnurre, "Jenö war mein Freund" [11/93] didn't rate highly

Arthur Schopenhauer, (excerpts from) Paränese und Maxionen (zur Freundschaft) [2/94] didn't rate highly then

Jon Scieszka, The Book That Jack Wrote, illus. Daniel Adel [6/01] this clever picture book is another example of nusery rhyme mayhem. Kids will love the rhythmic repetitions. Adults will enjoy the illustrations: rating 3.5

William Shakespeare, As You Like It [3/94] rating 4

Howard M. Shapiro, Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weightloss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss [03/01] surprisingly simple yet effective; rating 4

Sidney Shelden, If Tomorrow Comes [2/94] 3.5

Jane Simmons, Daisy and the Beastie [5/01] Simmons' vibrant paintings of the cuddly characters are what make her books so appealing. In this one Daisy the duckling and her little brother Pip search the farmyard for "the Beastie": rating 4.5

Dava Sobel, Longitude [12/00] fascinating nonfiction tale of the contest for a reliable clock to determine longitude at sea; rating 4

Hjalmar Söderberg, "En Kopp Te" [11/93]; rating 3

-------------------, "Pälsen" [11/93]; didn't rate highly

August Strindberg, "Flöjeln Sjunger"(poem) [3/94] rating 3

Per Olof Sundman, "Discaren" [10/93] don't remember well enough to rate it now, it didn't get a star then

Patrick Süskind, Das Parfum [4/94] historical fiction at its best; rating 4

Margaret Sutherland, "Codling Moth" [7/94] no rating

Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife [7/94] rating 4

Kurt Tucholsky, "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart" [12/93] didn't rate highly

John Vornholt, STTNG Masks [6/94] rating 3.5

Karl Heinrich Waggerl, "Legende vom vergrabenen Herzen" (poem) [9/94] rating 2.5

Anna Lee Waldo, Sacagawea [7/93] this was my second reading of the book; rating 4

Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County [8/94] very short and idealized, but enjoyable ; rating 3.5

Werner der Gärtner, Meier Helmbrecht (MHG verse novel) [1/94] not my absolute favorite medieval text, but highly recommendable -- even in translation -- rating 4

David Wiesner, The Tree Pigs [5/01] clever picture book in which fairytale and nursery rhyme characters walk out of the pages of their own stories and into others; rating 4

Connie Willis, Lincoln's Dreams [11/99] rating 3

Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival (epic MHG poem) [5/94] excerpts only this time, have read previously in English and excerpts in MHG -- rating 3

Stephan Zweig, "Die Welt der Sicherheit" (essay) [10/94] no rating

-------------, "Das Lebenslied" (poem) [10/94] no rating

-------------, "Der Dichter" (poem) [10/94] rating 4

-------------, "Nocterno" (poem) [10/94] rating 4

-------------, "Morgenlicht" (poem) [10/94] no rating

-------------, "Ein Drängen" (poem) [10/94] rating 4

-------------, "Bezehren" (poem) [10/94] rating 4

 Rating Scale 0-5
0 = I wouldn't even waste space on a piece of trash this bad

1= Not very good, but maybe there's some value in the book for someone under certain circumstances

2= I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but it's not too bad

3= This is a good book. I recommend it, but it might not be for everybody.

4=This is a great book. I highly recommend it. Everyone may not love it, but most will agree, I think, that it's a good book.

5=What are you waiting for? Go out and get this book now!