What I do

Over the past few months I have had plenty of time to do what I like. With severe restrictions of course. One of the things I love doing is reading and I figured I would have plenty of time to do just that. And then I didn't. Yes, I picked up a book, but I couldn't stick to it. However, during the last few weeks I did finally pick up a book and finish it. Several in fact. Although that came about in a roundabout kind of way.

I have written several blogs about what I watched. Romantic comedies was what I started off with, but lately I have been more into a different type of film. Car chases, fighting, action, space. And then I subscribed to Amazon Prime and found a whole world of films and series. 

The series follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, he finds a community grappling with its first homicide in 20 years. The cops immediately arrest him, and eyewitnesses claim to place Reacher at the scene of the crime. While he works to prove his innocence, a deep-seated conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will require Reacher’s keen mind and hard-hitting fists to deal with. One thing above all is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.

I thought I might as well give it a go and Janice (who mentioned it): thank you so much! I watched the whole series on two consecutive days. In: I watched the whole series one day and then watched the whole series again the next day! Since then I watched the whole thing a further two times. And decided to read the book the series is based on. Which I finished in two sittings as it was gripping me the whole way.

An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.

At the same time I had bought another book. Based on a film this time: the Martian. This is a film I had wanted to see in the cinema and never got around to it for some reason. I regret that to this day as I loved it. I did watch it several times on television though, but never the complete thing. Until they had another broadcast and I managed to record it. By the end I knew I wanted it on DVD. It arrived the next day and I watched it again. Which led to me buying the book.

On the back of both those books, I bought other books by the same writers. In the case of Lee Child (Reacher), I bought several of the same series about the main protagonist. I am now on book 3, which so far is the hardest to get through, but I still want to know how it ends. I have number 4 waiting already. There are about 24 books so far, so I have a bit to go. 

So there you have it: I started reading again. While still watching a lot of television (new MacGyver seasons 1-3, the Transporter series plus of course films with a higher body count than I have ever seen in my life so far). 

The reads

I moved into my own place back in the summer and one of the things I had really been looking forward to, was finding my old favourites. As in books. First of all, bookcases had to be put up to actually house the books, but once they were up and the books were in, it was beautiful. There was a contented hum in the background of my bedroom.

So, what did I read over the past few months? The first book I read was actually not an old favourite, but a new book on my Kindle: The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina. Yui loses her mother and daughter in the 2011 tsunami in Japan and we see her struggle from newly bereaved to finding peace. Several other characters with their own stories come in, which really add to her story. I give it 4,5 stars and would highly recommend it.

A book that I had read prior to that was by Fredrik Backman and it was called Anxious People. When I last wrote about the books I had read (click here), I had only just started it and I found it a struggle. I am pleased to say I did finish it and I did like it a lot. How things can change in a few chapters! A bridge, a bank robbery, an apartment viewing and two police officers. Linked together by the people who were there. As I did find it hard to get into at first, I give it 4 stars for that reason, but still recommend it highly.

A few years ago I found a kindle book in the basement bargains, written and self-published by Jodi Taylor, a British writer. Despite the poor editing (especially at the end of the book), I loved her way of writing and have bought and read everything she has done since. One of the series she writes is supernatural/thrillery and I had my hesitations at first. I recently bought the third in the series: Long Shadows. 

For me the continuing story about Elizabeth Cage is not so much thriller, more extremely unsettling, the first two books even more than the third. Elizabeth is going on a short holiday and does not want to 'see' things, but not even a day into her break, life has other ideas. More is revealed about her and where she comes from in the course of the book. I give it 4,5 stars and would recommend, but only as a third in the series (the others being White Silence and Dark Light).

The last book I will be discussing today is by Ruth Goodman, a lady who has gone 'back in time' by living like a Victorian for a year! She has written several books, including one about that experience, but the one I read was How To Be A Victorian (also tying in nicely with the books about St Mary's by Jodi Taylor). From sleeping to eating, from work to play, everything is explained at several levels. Very interesting, very entertaining (from the comfort of a heated home and with a full belly) and very enlightening. Also the book reads like the author talks, which is great as you can hear her in your head reading the passages out loud. If you are interested in history, this is a real good book to start with. Five stars from me.

My recent reading list

Here are some of the books I have read or have tried to read in the past six months or so. Starting with 'Interview with the Vampire' by Anne Rice. I must admit upfront, that I would never have read this book had it not been for the book club I am in. It was at times a bit of a slog and it definitely wasn't my type of book, but I did finish it. Basically it's about a vampire and the life he has lead. There is biting involved.

I also read 'The Good Soldier Schweik' by Jaroslav Hasek. This is a Czech writer who wrote this book/story almost contemporary to the period in the book, ie World War I. It follows the life and adventures of Schweik, who ends up as a soldier in the Austrian/Hungarian army somewhere. It was originally written as short stories and combined eventually to a book. Which probably makes for the similar stories all the time. It was a good read though, as it gave a bit of insight as to how the author at least saw the war going. The book is also on the world literature list I believe.

I tried to read 'Hotel New Hampshire' by John Irving. I remember reading it while in high school and loving it. But this time around I hated it. I could not like the characters in it and after only a chapter or so, I gave it up. I think that all the things that were good back in high school (sex, anarchy etc) were now things that weren't nice to read about at all. 

This year I started with 'A Robot in the Garden' by Deborah Install. A lovely book set in the near future where androids are normal in every day life. And then one day Ben finds a robot (a big step down from an android) in his garden and wants to get it fixed. The book follows his journey with the robot (called Tang) as they go on a trip around the world. After a slow start, I really got into this book. At times it was funny, at times it was disturbing, at times it was thought provoking. Well worth the read.

Then I continued with an author I had managed to avoid all throughout my time in Norway. But book club you know and I started reading 'Knife (Harry Hole #12)' by Jo Nesbø. I soon realised I had been right to avoid. Perhaps it was because it was already part 12 of the series about this murder detective Harry Hole, perhaps it was just the gruesomeness of some of it. Whatever it was though: a few chapters in, I quit. Not for me thank you. 

'Dinner at Rose's' by Danielle Hawkins was my next read. It was sort of a romcom. Well, no, it was a romcom. Set in New Zealand, Jo moves back home from Australia after she catches her boyfriend with her best friend. Finding a job in the place she grew up, she meets up with her old friend Matthew, her honorary aunt Rose and several others. Then Rose becomes ill. I found this book an easy read. Nothing too strenuous for the mind, nothing too gory or gruesome and a happy ending?

Right now I am reading 'Anxious People' by Fredrik Backman. I have loved previous books by him, most notably A Man Called Ove which has me in tears each time I read it, this one however is a bit more of a struggle. I will finish it though.

Library at Wimpole Hall

After this there are several others waiting on my Kindle: The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson; The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin; The Phone Box at the End of the Earth by Laura Imai Messina; How To Be A Victorian by Ruth Goodman; House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland; Dancing By The Light Of The Moon by Gyles Brandreth (collection of poems); The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. 

Time flies

The front of the medal

Goodness me, time flies if you are not watching! Unless of course it's our living room clock, which seems to lose more time every day. 

And the back

Nothing much has changed here. Still walking. Still working. Still doing the same stuff I did last time. I did receive my first medal on Monday. Not sure what I had been expecting, but not the beautiful, intricate and heavy medal I got. I can't wait to get the next one, which is on its way as I write (Pyramids of Giza).

Another back

Last Sunday I went on a walk with my Dad. It was a great walk, which from a shoe point of view went perfectly. The area was great as well, and I even saw two 'nisser' or Scandinavian gnomes. Well, I say saw, but everybody knows that you cannot see them as they disappear into thin air then. So, these must have been faithful representations of them. 

A yellow-hatted nisse

Oh, my Dad got his call-up to get vaccinated. He will be stung in April. My Mum still has to wait and there is no telling when it's going to be my turn. Not even having a vital profession helps in that case...

I have also started reading a bit again. I have been hopelessly neglectful over the past few months and not even being a member of a book club helped in that. One book I never even started and another I did start, but it was Norwegian crime that I didn't read then and now realise why I didn't. Not my style or type at all. 

A toad crossing.
It goes underneath the road and saves toads
from getting run over during their trek back to mating grounds

I have started now again, also helped by the fact that it is my turn to host next time: A Robot in the Garden. A book that I read on the recommendation of Dorothy Jayne (Tiny Toadstool Cottage). A bit of a slow start, but once it got going...

That's it for now, hopefully I will have more to tell you next time. Or at least show you some nice photos...

Most photos taken during the walk with my Dad

Back to books

Years ago, when I was small, I had a little problem and my mother took me to see the doctor. He prescribed some anthelmintic drugs and in no time I was fit and dandy again. Never a bother again. Ever. Well, as far as I know anyway. 

Then, over the past few days I read this book. Which was about disease. Not a novel. Not a pleasant beach read. Basically a what is what in the major human contagious diseases. Plague, smallpox, measles, some I can't pronounce, tuberculosis, polio and right at the end even some life style ones like heart disease. 

There were several diseases in the book that dealt with critter based diseases. Malaria and Dengue Fever for example are spread by mosquitoes. But there were also ones that involved worms, either outside or inside (see the anthelmintic stuff at the top: I was dewormed!). 

It was a gripping read. So many scary afflictions to die of and only one has been eradicated so far (Smallpox). In fact, I was one of the last generations of people still getting vaccinated against smallpox in the Netherlands. Ah, that might have been a better opening...

Anyway, the book was really interesting as it not only offered up the bland symptoms of syphillis and puerperal fever (also known as childbed fever), but also direct accounts of people who suffered and/or died from those diseases or saw first hand what they did. There were doctors and researchers aplenty, as were the quacks (this cures all: from cancer to in-grown toe nails), who were always ready to make a buck or two. 

The most 'current' chapters were on Influenza and Sars (the book was written in 2014, so before the current Covid-19 pandemic). The actions taken at the time of the Spanish flu are almost the same as the actions taken now. The origins are mostly likely similar too as recent research has been showing.  

So, if you want a gripping read about all that can go wrong within the human body when it gets attacked by critters, viruses, bacteria or just plain greediness: this is the one!

So, these books then

Lately I have been reading a fair amount of books. As I mentioned the other day: I read mostly at work, although I will read a few chapters before going to bed as well. Although the other night it turned out to be nearly a quarter of a fairly big book! 

So, what have I read then? First I read a book that was set by somebody in my book club: An Olive Grove at the Edge of the World. Basically an autobiography of the writer and his partner setting up home in rural New Zealand. It was written in the form of blog posts and concerned everything from olive harvests to killing chickens. It was a fun read and I gave it 3 out of 5.

My next outing was The Tattooist from Auschwitz. Another true story, this time about the man who had to tattoo all those numbers on the prisoners who lived to see at least one other day. One of those was a woman he fell in love with and tried to spend time with outside working hours. For some reason it just never really did much for me though. The main character or the story never grabbed me. The only reason I gave it 3 out of 5 stars was the story. The story telling was what kept the score down!

Next came The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The cat Nana is telling about his life with his owner and how at some point they go travelling in the silver van. The owner wants to find him a new home, but doesn't mention why. This story had me hooked from the beginning. It had me smiling, it had me laughing and in the end it had me bawling my eyes out. Obviously I gave it 5 out of 5.

Then it was the turn of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It was a documentary book, telling the story about Henrietta Lacks and her family and how her cells became the most important in the world, helping to find cures and medicines for everything from Polio to Diabetes. HeLa cells may be immortal and generated billions of dollars, but her family lived from pay check to pay check, not even knowing their wife/mother/friend was famous. It was a really thought provoking book, especially in this day and age of personal liberties and privacy. Another 5 out of 5.

My last book so far was Little. I didn't know who it was about really, not until I read the last couple of pages when I wasn't even close to the end. Marie is born in Switzerland, loses her parents, leaves Bern for Paris with her employer, lives at the Palace of Versailles all the while making wax figures of body parts and people. It was quite a macabre book, filled with drawings by the author, but for some reason it kept me gripped. In the end I gave it 4 out of 5.

My next outings will be: Early Riser by Jasper Fforde; A Country Escape by Katie Fforde (no relation); Maybe This Time by Jill Mansell; The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg (love her) and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman.

Alphabet rice

I have this bottle. A beautiful blue bottle which holds a liter of water. I can use it again and again. It's a lovely bottle. When I go to work, it comes with me. In my bag, nice and snug. But then one day, I was perhaps a bit rough with the bag and when I opened it, out came the bottle: empty! A liter of water had emptied in my bag, soaking my bag, my book, my lunch and several other things. 

From then on, I was very careful with the bottle. But alas, a week or so later: another mishap. Fortunately this time not in my bag, but in my cooling bag which is plastic and can be emptied out easily. Of course the story doesn't end there, because last Friday, you've guessed it, the same problem again! The bottle was closed, but through a wrong move it opened and emptied itself over the contents of the bag, the bag itself and the seat the bag was standing on.

One of the things that had been in the bag, also the first time around, was my Kindle. I like to read you see and do a lot of that at work. Not while driving, although plenty of passengers pass me their papers or phone to do exactly that (it's dangerous folks!), but during my 15 minute breaks I have every hour. Back to the Kindle however. It had been in my bag the first time around and came out of it unscathed. A few drops on the cover and that was it. 

This time around though: a bit more water. This was at the start of my shift and even though I tried to get as much water removed from it, it seemed some of it had found its way inside and frozen the screen. I tried several times during my shift, but no go. When I got home that evening, I asked my mother for some rice and even though she only had dessert rice, it was rice. So, I put my Kindle in a container and poured the rice onto it. 

I also tried to load the Kindle and that was promising: the orange loading light did come on and the screen did flicker briefly. Only briefly though and it was still frozen. On Saturday, I removed it from the rice and left it on the table. Again I tried loading it, but with the same result: orange light, a brief flicker and nothing else. 

On Sunday morning, I decided to take my Kindle up to my computer. Perhaps it could talk some sense into my Kindle. I plugged it in and lo and behold: the orange light came on. And then... the screen changed! And within five minutes I had a working Kindle again. 

From now on I will keep my Kindle well away from my lovely water bottle. But, when I will get myself a new Kindle at some point in the future, I might just invest in a waterproof one...

Library

What to do with the large amount of books I own. Well, after much deliberation between me and myself, I have decided I will not buy more bookcases. Nor will I put up the ones I own already. The books still need a room to sit though and it was staring me in the face!

As I go down (or up) the stairs, there is a wide ledge on one side, which is perfect for books. Yes, the furthest ones are a bit difficult to reach (I will get a tall person to remove them for me for my next move), but most of my books have found a place. There are still three small crates with books left and they might just stay crated as well, as I have picked my favourites from those as well. 

The other crates containing craft, cookery and travel books will find their way into my home soon as well. I hope....

Of cubic meters and books

When I moved from the Netherlands to Norway, I had about 15 cubic meters of stuff to take with me. Which translates to about 530 cubic feet. In other words: a lot! Mind you, I took a few hefty pieces of furniture with me (some of which have since found their way to the eternal furniture showroom in the sky). And books. And DVD's. Knick-knacks, thingummies, whatyamacallits and other assorted stuff. 

Now is the time to re-pack. And after finishing the DVD's (why does it have to be capitalised??), today's turn was for the books. When moving here, I used cardboard boxes. They tend to bulge. Split. Break. But, I had found a solution: plastic crates. 

I used those plastic crates to keep my yarns in, but they were the perfect size for books, because they wouldn't become too heavy! In they went. Children's books, favourite authors, a bit of literature. Also my M*A*S*H cookbook, my knit the Dutch royal family and maps. So many maps. But even after filling thirty of those crates, I still hadn't come across my London A-Z!

Up to the attic I went once more and there it was: hidden under some empty boxes. The box containing not only my London A-Z, but also maps of Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and several other places. 

Thirty of those small crates equal about 1 cubic meter (about 35 cubic feet), so number 31 made me start the next one. Of course I also have the larger crates and there it is about 16 crates to the cubic meter. So far, I have one cubic meter there as well, and about one more to fill before starting on my cardboard boxes. And then there is the stuff that can't be boxed, like furniture and such. 

Is there anything sadder than empty book cases?

Now I need to get myself a reliable mover. Anyone got any ideas??

PS: You may have missed my previous post about my new digs, due to a slight hiccup with posting, making it a draft again and then posting again. Why not scroll down and check it out? 

Romantic

Once upon a time I would drive groups of men who hadn't seen their wives and girlfriends for a couple of weeks. On our way home they would buy little stuffed animals with hearts and such. They would phone their wives/girlfriends and there would be a lot of 'miss you' and 'kissy kissy' going on. Okay, and once a porn film, but that is another story altogether.

Anyway, when seeing what those men did and hearing what they said, my stomach usually tried to a few somersaults. I felt that if I had a boyfriend/husband who behaved like that, we would need to have some serious discussions! Mind you, some might think it's romantic. 

The boyfriend who was romantic with me one day, did not come with teddy bears and roses. He did not say smooshy words on the telephone. He brought painkillers and the most regular bar of chocolate he had in his cupboard. But to me, that was so romantic (the relationship didn't last. Lack of romance on my part really). 

When I started my current reading frenzy (read something with some cultural oomph), I was told Dr Zhivago might be good! It was romantic after all....

It was worse than the kissy kissies. It was worse than the stuffed animals. And there was not a rose in sight either. Instead there was revolution. Attempted murders. A young girl led astray by a much older man. Hunger. Terror. A man with an arm and a leg cut off as a warning. Deportation. War. Burnt down villages. Ruined crops. Oh, and there was a two-timing B^%$#@^d. Well, three-timing really! 

I don't know what some people call romantic. But honestly: dismemberment and war are romantic? A married man having it off with not one, but two other women and yes, having children with both of them! 

Juliet's balcony in Verona. 

All that aside though: I thought the book was really good. Once I got into it, which took a few chapters. Having read the (abridged) Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitzyn helped me to understand some concepts Pasternak was talking about, mainly about the deportations and the gulags. The translators (Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) did a great job. The footnotes they provided helped as well, explaining about the Russian Orthodox Church and its rituals and several other things like the revolution and its aftermath. 

So, what's next? Well, ehm... probably a simple romance novel where a boy and a girl meet, have a fight, fall in love and live happily ever after. 

The literary quest

An order for a colleague's twin grandchildren

As you know I knit. A lot. But I only do so at home. When I am at work, I read. Well, I try to anyway, it's quite difficult at times. I love to read romance novels, but lately I have also started to read the 'classics'. Books that are perhaps a bit more challenging than just boy meets girl, they get in a fight, they make up and live happily ever after. 

My first try a few weeks ago was '1984' by George Orwell. A book that definitely stuck with me. I then asked for some suggestions, which I got, and ordered some more books. One of which you didn't recommend, but I had heard the title and thought why not?

So, about 10 days ago I started in 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley. Another book about a society long into the future, after it was found that our current (ie 1931) society was not working as it should. 

First off: I finished it. I found it slow-going at times, feeling that certain things could have been expanded upon. There was one area that had me reading it several times because it was so confusing (no dedication as to who said what, just a lot of said text). The name Lenina was quite weird as well, since I kept seeing Sandra Bullock in my mind (she played Lenina Huxley in 'Demolition Man'), but I got over it eventually. 

Talking of Lenina, I found her grating to the extreme, which had nothing to do with her or the author, but more to do with me and my way of thinking. I just found her a spoilt brat, which of course is exactly what she is, but then again, she is meant to be that way. She is after all an Alpha! 

The book didn't have the immediate impact '1984' had. Instead (and together with the later addition of a foreword by Aldous Huxley in 1946, good reading in itself), it is on a slow burner really. It contains some thought-provoking ideas and yes, some of those have already come to reality. Although some of them fortunately haven't. 

My next book: Doctor Zhivago (and not Doctor Gigolo as one of my Polish colleagues inadvertently said), recommended I believe by Cecilia, aka Madi's Mom.

Really done!

Yes, this time it's true. I am really done! I now knew what to do and even though there were still a few hiccups, I managed to get it done in about 3 hours. Could be a bit less. I've got 4 books each (father's and mother's sides) on the way and then 5 magazines from my father's side. I can't wait to see them, but I will have to, since I had them sent to my parents' instead of here. The chances of them not arriving in time for my journey to the land below the water are too big!

In other news: I will sleep well tonight...

Done!

Halfway through Sunday afternoon I was done with the second book. I then located the book I had printed last year (after our road trip through Eastern Europe) and then went on to the Blurb page. 

Oh yes, the files were the wrong size. How did I do that again? Half an hour later I had finally found out and had resized. Oh no, I hadn't. Try again. And again. Oh, bother, the front and back page should be in a different file. Start again. 

Finally, after about an hour of this, I had gotten to the next stage. Which proved to be an even bigger hurdle, since I really don't know what it's about! Something about enclosed font. I think. But my book was completely written in Candara. Nothing to do with Arial. Make sure everything is in Candara. Try again. Nope! 

In the end, with a head fit to bursting (FIGURATIVELY), I gave up and sent a 'help me in your simplest words' message to Blurb. An hour or so later I got the answer I needed and continued. But of course then the whole lay-out looked terrible. Instead of nice round photos, there were black borders.

More editing was needed and eventually (at 8pm), I gave up. Hopefully I will get it done today, because the books need to be ordered. 

Getting a book published is hard!

Office

As you know I work as a busdriver. But the last four days I spent sitting behind my computer doing a lot of searching, typing (ten fingers fortunately), constructing stories, checking, rereading, removing letters and words, rearranging etc etc. 

Apart from having something to show for it at the end (and the end is getting closer now), it is hard work. I cannot understand people who actually do it for a living: sitting behind a computer screen day in day out. I think I would go batty!

I did go out today though. Finally. I had only been out once or twice to see whether a package that was due last week had arrived (it hasn't), but today I needed to get to the shop. No bread, milk long overdue, no dinner left, no fruit. And how lovely it was to feel the sun on my head and the wind in my hair. 

Then I got back home and got stuck straight back in. And this afternoon was the afternoon of incredulity. When I checked my father's ancestors for pre-marriage pregnancies, I found two. Out of thirty or thereabouts. When I checked my mother's ancestors, I found a few more. Well, I found over twenty. Out of thirty or thereabouts! My jaw just kept dropping and dropping, until I was nearly in the basement. 

Ah well, tomorrow it's back to work. I am not completely finished with my mother's book yet, but it is looking good so far (57 pages) and I will be able to do some work in the evenings. Next week is my deadline (I always have an absolute deadline) and then it's back to normal life. 

I will give my eyes some rest now though, and watch some television and read a bit. An early night and back on the bus!

Goodness...

Both this and the school class photo feature.
With thanks to Anvilcloud for cleaning them up. 

Well, my 'probably' yesterday turned out to be correct. There were i's to be dotted, t's to be crossed and s's to be squiggled. But not only that: I had missed a story! I had been wondering where it had gone and it turned out, it had never arrived at its rightful chapter. And then last night when I was in bed, I realised I had another story with first hand information and a lot of photos. So, guess what I did first thing this morning?

But, as of this afternoon: 99 pages and it is done. Dusted. Ready. Finished. As long as I don't look at it too much, because I am sure to find something else to add. However, there is the small matter of another book to finish, this time the one of my mother's side. For some reason though, her family is higgledy piggledy all the way, starting with names and continuing in everything else. However, even this book already has already 52 pages and there are some things I still want to add. The reason it is smaller is that on my father's side I have used the contemporary stories of living family members, whereas on my mother's side, I will not be doing that. 

Anyhoo, Madi's Mum Cecilia once asked me which side was my favourite, story wise. Well...

There is of course the Royal Connection on my Mum's side. Being descended from the first King of Belgium is nothing to turn away from you know! But then there is the soldier who died in a Japanese PoW-camp while working on the infamous Birma railway on my Dad's side. 

There is the story of my grandmother finding food during the World War II on my Mum's side. And there is the letter from an ancestor to another ancestor on my Dad's side. 

My maternal grandmother (my Oma) doing something with fruit

There is the man who got killed by a priest on my Mum's side. And there is the man who (allegedly) killed someone in Orléans (France) on my Dad's side. Unfortunately I have not been able to find anything more on that, so he does not feature in the book. Perhaps for part 2?

On both sides there are too many stories (really too many) about women giving birth to children and then those children not making it past their fifth birthday, in many cases not even past their first. I've found one unwed mother on either side. Poverty and riches on both sides as well. 

So, overall I can say that both sides are equally interesting. Just for completely different reasons!