Alexander the Great

I saw Memento this weekend. Very interesting and atypical, but I liked it!

@frankie Interestingly, what made me pick up WNtTaK is that a few years back, I was obsessed with Columbine, wanting to understand, to grasp it. I was especially intrigued by Klebold, as Harris always seemed like the lost case between the two of them. Then discovering Nightwish' "The Kinslayer" was about Columbine, when I was so into Nightwish, was almost creepy. I just went and read your review of Columbine. I hope I can find the book by Sue Klebold that you mentioned, as well. My therapist didn't mention any books and I think really her being away is one giant exercise. She did very much stress she would still be available and I could mail her all the time and she'd get back to me. She knew I'd panic and when and she told me before she even left how she would help me through that from on her holiday. But it still sucks. I do realise I'm very lucky with her!

I have that book and was thinking of reading it next because of this! The book I'm reading now is one I borrowed from a colleague, though, so I'm taking that first. There are some allusions to Columbine in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The long sentences make for difficult reading at first, but you do get used to it and the experience is worth it. Of course it's not exactly a beach read. I did like how atypical Eva, Kevin's mother was - and how unapologetic yet remorseful she was. My reading's been downhill a bit because I'm not doing well mentally and my therapist's on holiday so I'm not seeing her for about four weeks, when usually I see her every week. And stuff like this is at the root of my issues - her being away. I can mail her and she answers but last week, she had some issues and couldn't get mails out when I was at my worst. I'm at the halfway point now. I hope I feel better soon. An Epica song during spinning class and the teacher liking it so much was awesome, though (we got to put in requests). Lots of changes at work and people being on holiday doesn't help either. I need for things to be the same as usual, I don't deal well with change at all I'll be glad when this is over, my therapist back, work back to normal.

You never told us you live in a bookstore!

We Need to Talk About Kevin review It took me a while to get used to the writing style, but I did feel like the read was worth the effort in the end. This is not an easy book to read. There are no characters I could relate to, or even liked. The sentences are long and feel quite artificial at first. I considered giving up on it, but then decided against that because the content is compelling, there's no denying that. This book is written in the form of letters written by Eva, whose son committed a high school massacre, to her husband. As someone else said - while every letter starts with "Dear Franklin" and reads like a letter, at some point it turns into prose. Eva's memory of events that happened years ago seemed too detailed to be credible, which is why this would have worked better as a regular book. It wouldn't have been so glaring, wouldn't have required quite so much suspension of disbelief. I have mixed feelings about the book. As I said, it took me a while to get used to the style and I'm not entirely sure what I feel about this book. It's not a book I feel sad to be finished with, but it's not bad either. I do feel like it's one of those books you can only really judge after having finished it. At first, it seems boring and pretentious - but it's worth it to stick with it until the end. Because even though I didn't like any of the characters and even though Eva attributed characteristics and intent to her son at an age where he surely was too young to even be capable of that - this is a riveting read. It's unlike any other book. You're not really supposed to like any of them, I think. I thought the juxtaposition between Eva and her husband, Franklin, was intriguing. Whereas Eva would see evil in her son at every turn, to the point where as a reader you start to question just how truthful her memories are - Franklin bends over backwards to make excuses for his son, refusing to believe he could ever do wrong. I've felt exasperated at both, but mostly at Franklin. Then again, we only get one side of the story and it's Eva's. The twist in the end I only saw coming about a page and a half before it was explicitly stated - and it really turns the book around. If there's such a thing with a book like this, it did have a satisfying and interesting end. In a way, the book is like Kevin a bit - impossible to really like, impossible to feel attached to, impossible to feel relaxed around. But it's so different, so intriguing, that you can't just put it down and walk away. I'd recommend this book, but not to everyone.

I'd say 200 pages is really giving it your best shot! I used to be unable to quit a book, but sometimes it's the only possibility. What a shame for this to happen when you looked forward to it!

@frankie I watched GG when it aired, but I don't think I've seen every single episode and I also think I forgot a lot. I plan to re-watch the entire series - do you recommend waiting to read the book until after I've seen it again, or are there no real spoilers?

Wow, I really admire you for having the courage to reorganise all of those! Looks like a book lover's heaven

@Athena The headset is terrific indeed! I've had a chance to try it out a few times and I love it. @frankie I have a great connection with her. She's on holiday now and I'm not seeing her for about four weeks - due to my specific issues, it's about the worst thing for me, but she's available through email and has replied to my emails frequently, so I know I'm very lucky. Sickened wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but didn't really live up to its full potential for me. The Dark Room review The Dark Room tells three stories of people living in 20th century Germany: Helmut, a young man living in the 1930s who isn't allowed to participate in the war due to physical issues. Lore, daughter of Nazi parents who has to lead her siblings to safety after her parents were taken away by the Allied. Mischa, a teacher in 1990s Germany who has questions about who his Nazi grandfather really was. It took some time to get used to Seiffert's spare prose, but this worked very well with the subject matter. The author's voice is detached, but doesn't shrink back from anything and is not cold either. The three protagonists aren't related and never meet during the story - something many authors would probably not be able to resist. We get a glimpse of these lives, of what it's like for German people dealing with what happened. We don't get all the answers - they don't either. There is much confusion and the line between guilt and innocence, between awareness and ignorance is very blurry. This book will stay with me and I'll certainly be recommending it.

I hope you feel better soon, Athena! I've had that happen to me when my goddaughter wasn't doing well - I was feeling sad and worried, and didn't enjoy the beginning of Library of Souls as much because of it. When she did better, I enjoyed it a lot more. Good luck reorganising!

It's still a dream to visit one day! I don't like fish though... not as food, not as animals, and I'm always worried I'll starve! The language is so mesmerising, too. I love how different it is as a Finno-Ugric language it from Germanic languages (I do love German and Danish and such too). I still can sing along to Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan - even though I have no idea what the individual words in the song mean, just generally what it's about. I learnt the word Kiitos from Nightwish' "End of an Era" dvd and know how to pronounce Tampere thanks to Floor Jansen

I would love to be Finnish, but I'd keep the January 2nd nameday. I like that one best! I probably already told you this sometime, but ten years ago I was planning on studying Finnish at university and moving to Finland ^^ Ah, the influence of Nightwish on a teenager!

Maybe it's on this website? http://www.namedaycalendar.com/ I sense there will be books and coffee involved! Also ice cream.

I found it here: http://www.mynameday.com/a.html Not sure how official that is, but I like the date ^^ I'll have to celebrate for 26 years worth then! Edit: Also found this website, looks better: http://www.namedaycalendar.com/search/alexander

I have the week off work starting on Monday and I'm looking forward to getting a lot of reading in. I read after work and sports, but it's nicer having more time for it so I don't have to stop reading so much. This week is the only holiday I'm allowing myself - we only get 20 days, 2 of which we already have to take to bridge gaps with holidays on Thursday and on Tuesday. I also counted yesterday and 5 of my 20 days go to Epica - either seeing them, or seeing them so far away it's best to take the next day off because I get home so late. I also look forward to get some more running in. For my birthday, I got a gift card and money for Runner's Lab to get a new pair of running shoes, which I did last week. I love getting new running shoes there because they do measurements and they watch the pressure and set of your feet on a computer and explain and I'm just a huge nerd really. Anyway, I was talking about it to my therapist the next day - she's a runner too, but is healing from a knee injury. She always has great suggestions and she always manages to talk sense into me about the running. It helps me a lot that she knows exactly what I mean, and what I need. She said she bought a Bluetooth headset in Runner's Lab, with bone conduction. So you don't put it in your ears, but in front of them, and the sound travels through your cheekbones. Your ear remains exposed, so you can still hear the sounds of cars and traffic and such when you go running and it's better for your hearing. I got to try it out today (I run without music on Wednesdays because it's not very sociable in a running club) and it was awesome. During my week off, I also want to listen to a lot of music. I'm really a lot into music. And listening to Epica, Lacuna Coil, Vuur, Disturbed, and others I find myself playing the air guitar so often it makes me want to be able to play the guitar! Also, very unexpectedly, Simone's (singer of Epica) liked three more tweets, always makes me super happy!!! But - books! After Library of Souls, I needed a rebound. The entire Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children trilogy was so intense, so invigorating and moving and utterly fantastic that I needed a completely different book to follow up. Sickened review Sickened is a memoir by Julie Gregory in which she describes recollections of her life with a mother who suffers (and made Gregory suffer) from Münchausen by proxy. Without a doubt, it's terrible what she went through. Her youth was so terrible that if this were a work of fiction, I would probably feel like it was too much, just not possible. Knowing it all really happened really gives me pause. The child abuse Gregory faced went much further than the Münchausen. It was hard to read, because of the content, but at the same time I couldn't put it away to go and do or watch something else. As long as I was reading it, it felt like doing that would be dismissing this. I felt nauseous at times, felt like I didn't want to read on, but had to. However, toward the end, it felt more like Gregory was writing therapeutically. The reflections and metaphors became a bit much. I realise she is no professional writer, but as a whole, it felt very unhinged. There was no structure, no build-up, no context. Just a series of paragraphs, vaguely linked. I think it would have worked even better if it was written as a story, with characters you feel a connection to, or at least get a sense of. That would have made it cut even deeper and linger longer.

The name day reminds me of the A Song of Ice and Fire books - they celebrate their name days there! Reading about it in your topic here, I've just discovered my name day is January 2nd. I shall celebrate henceforth!

Thanks, that's terrific news! Thank you so much for sharing that, you've made me one happy guy!

Jeanne is home since Monday. I saw her on Tuesday and she's doing well ❤️ Library of Souls review Library of Souls is everything its predecessors were, but bigger and better. The adventure is top-notch - there is a lot of action, but also time for the characters to reflect on the events. I was surprised at the nuanced view on this new world, intrigued by the many layers and possibilities. It's hard to say something about this novel without spoiling the fun, and also because everything I could say is so particular to this novel. The ending was very satisfying as well. This trilogy definitely goes on my list of favourite books. I will reread and recommend this to everyone. Go and read this! It's amazing! Only downside: it's that kind of book you don't want to be over, and when it is, you feel so sad and lost that you've had to say goodbye to these people. I hope Riggs will write more about these people and this world, the possibilities are endless!

I've been reading more again today. I'm reading Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs and I'm at this really interesting part where a new light is unexpectedly shed on important events in the history of the trilogy. It's very interesting, terribly exciting - and then my dad asks me to drive behind him because he has to drop off a car and I need to take him home... it should be illegal to interrupt a person's reading.

@frankie and @Athena I have never lost a book or forgot one or had my bag stolen, probably because I'm super paranoid about it and keep checking. My library protects their books with some kind of plastic, so they're better equipped for travel. I also return my books to the library in the state they were in Let us know which books you end up choosing, @frankie!

She's doing great, my sister even got to hold her today which is exceptional for a baby in neonatal care. If all keeps going the way it does, she should be able to have Jeanne with her in the room this weekend and go home on Monday. I can also focus on reading more now Loving Library of Souls so far!

Thank you! She's doing well - she came from under the lamps, her values are getting better, she's drinking very well. She can even go from 30cl to 45cl. Unfortunately, she has to stay in hospital until Saturday because she's on antibiotics. It's hard for my sister too - Jeanne was born at 2.07pm on Friday and they took her to the neonatal unit on Saturday not long before lunch, so she hasn't had her baby girl with her for even 24 hours. The hardest part is not being able to hold her. They can touch her and even feed her, but not hold her in their arms. Also, my sister was supposed to leave the hospital today. Since Saturday, her boyfriend's been sleeping at the hospital as well. They prolonged it for a day, but tomorrow my sister has to move to a different room (she breastfeeds and if she has to go home, she'd have to drive for 30 minutes every 3 hours to hand them a bottle of her milk so that would be insane, so she gets a room there). I'll be so glad when she gets to go home. I saw her on Friday and held her then, and yesterday I got to see her at the neonatal care unit and put my hand on her head. Not sure when I'll see her next. I miss her She is so tiny and so lovely. @frankie Fan zones at festivals are a rip-off, but I'm pretty sure if Epica or Lacuna Coil were playing, I'd probably pay the surplus. Kind of hypocritical, I know! As much as I love Rammstein, I wouldn't pay it for them, though. Library of Souls is a really good book, there's the familiar mix of action and really building a universe, with characters you root for. But my little Peanut is on my mind all the time and I'm having a hard time concentrating. The books are totally worth checking and unless something goes very wrong with this last instalment, I'm sure I'll be recommending them a lot.

Sounds like you have some great times ahead! Personally, I like taking library books when I'm traveling. They're usually wrapped or protected somehow. I'm very autistic about the state of my books and taking one with me is always stressful. I usually end up putting my books in separate bags inside my bag and then I still feel meh about it. So, that's just my two cents ^^

@Athena Thank you! She's doing better now and she's drinking very well, so she'll probably be fine. They're just keeping her to run more tests so they can figure out the cause. We get to visit her later - we can only see her one at a time and not for very long, but I do feel better knowing I'll get to see her.

I might come and hide in your house so I can read all of these! I literally want to read every single book on this list!