Frankie reads 2013

[Janet]

Well done, frankie! 

[Alexi]

Congrats Frankie

 

You've completed quite a few of the more "classic" novels on the list too

[julie]

Great accomplishment. Frankie ~~~

[lauraloves]

Well done Frankie

[Karsa Orlong]

Ooh!  Ooh!  There's actually a couple of books there that I want to read

 

Well done Sari, love the detail in your post

[Ooshie]

Hey, well done frankie! 

[chesilbeach]

Marvellous achievement, frankie, well done!

[Kidsmum]

Well done you 

[frankie]

Thank you everyone, I appreciate your comments!    It feels kind of weird now with the challenge. I'd been looking forward to getting to 100 for so long, and now that it's done, it's a long ways to 200/1001   Well, I'm not going to take it too seriously. I'll just start reading the books off the list that are already on my TBR and the ones that sound interesting. It's not like I seriously ever expect to get to 1001/1001. It's never been my serious intention, but I'd like to see how far I can get, as long as it's still fun.

 

I haven't been very active on here for a while. I thought I'd already conquered the flu and I was getting better but then it took a turn for the worse and I'm still having problems breathing at times It's mostly night time, and it's getting to a point where I can't get sleep because I'm either having problems breathing or because I'm by now accustomed to not getting sleep early enough. And this leads to sleeping in on the mornings. I called the student health service this week because I wanted to see a doctor but they didn't have any times for this week and said I should come by the office first thing in the morning to see a nurse. Problem is, I can't wake up at 7 AM to get to the nurse because of my current sleeping pattern   I have to go to see a nurse on Monday. I don't care if it means staying up all night Sunday night.

 

Enough about me, and moving on to books: I haven't been abandoning books in a while, I mean to the point where I remove titles from the TBR list. I figured I wouldn't do that until I got under 499 TBR, by actually finishing books. But then I thought, what does it really matter when I remove books off the TBR: now or after I've reached my target TBR. I have two books which I started reading and got almost to 100 pages and just knew I would never finish them and would never try reading them again. Life's too short! So I'm now officially abandoning the following titles:

 

Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch

Stuart - A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters

 

I'm really gutted that I didn't enjoy Stuart It was a book Nick Hornby was going on and on about on his Polysyllabic Spree, and it sounded like a great read and one that I would enjoy, but I just didn't. But don't let that bother you if you have a copy: I know poppyshake's read and enjoyed the book

 

 

TBR thus stands at 518 at the moment. I started reading Yes Man by Danny Wallace last night and I'm really enjoying it. I think it's the perfect timing for this book, it all makes sense. I hope to be inspired

[julie]

Franke

Sorry the flu is gettng you down. That stuff can be nasty if you dont get it taken care of. The Hubster had it and it turned into bronchitis. I kept telling him to go tot the doc, it was lasting way too long for a cold,and he finally did. One week of plls and he is feeling okey dokey agan .

 

On the book situaton,nothing wrong with tossing out some of the books that don't float your boat. The older I get,the less time I spend on books that aren't interesting. Too many books left and and not enough time to get to them all.so toss some that you dont enjoy.It'll make time for those you DO .

[Devi]

I hope you feel better soon frankie!  

Edited March 24, 2013 by Devi

[frankie]

Franke

Sorry the flu is gettng you down. That stuff can be nasty if you dont get it taken care of. The Hubster had it and it turned into bronchitis. I kept telling him to go tot the doc, it was lasting way too long for a cold,and he finally did. One week of plls and he is feeling okey dokey agan .

 

I'm happy to hear your hubby's recovered and is to his usual self   This season the flus have been really bad, I hear. Epically bad, almost. Don't worry, I'm definitely going to the nurse early tomorrow morning and I'm not leaving the building until they've given me something.

 

On the book situaton,nothing wrong with tossing out some of the books that don't float your boat. The older I get,the less time I spend on books that aren't interesting. Too many books left and and not enough time to get to them all.so toss some that you dont enjoy.It'll make time for those you DO .

 

You're so right. There's just too little time and too many great books Also, having read about 100 pages of both books and knowing they just aren't for me, no matter if I put them on the side and tried them later, it just makes sense to give the books away now. There's really no reason for me to hold on to them.

 

 

I hope you feel better soon frankie!  

 

Thanks Devi! I was feeling rather miserable yesterday, being sick for 4 weeks has been getting to me mentally as well, but today's been good, the sun has been shining and it's cheered me up and I keep on thinking Monday morning is soon upon us and I can get myself fixed

[frankie]

#18

Coffee at Luke's
by Jennifer Crusie (ed.)

 

 

Blurb: Mother-daughter best friends Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, laughing and sharing coffee at Luke's: it's been the last scene of Gilmore Girls's opening credits from the beginning. Men may come and go (and come, and go), but coffee at Luke's remains.
For seven seasons Gilmore Girls's appeal has transcended genders and generations with its signature banter and irresistibly quirky characters. Now, Coffee at Luke's raises a mug to the citizens of Stars Hollow, animatedly debating and discussing the show in true Gilmore fashion.
[...]
On the menu:
+ Author and mother Stephanie Lehmann analyzes Rory and Lorelai's relationship as "best friends first ... mother and daughter second," and wonders whether Lorelai's parenting philosophy is truly a recipe for success
+ City girl and chick-lit author Heather Swain confesses which Stars Hollow resident she'd leave the Big Apple for in a New York minute: Kirk?
+ Television Without Pity recapper and amateur economist Sara Morrison pits the mom-and-pop shops of Stars Hollow against real world small town businesses - would Luke's diner stand a chance against an International House of Pancakes?
+ Television writer Charlotte Fullerton takes first chair for the defense in the most controversial case of the century: Emily Gilmore's
+ Pop culture theorist Gregory Stevenson shows how the Gilmore Girls best communicate ... not with words, but with walnuts, Danishes, and the occasional Friday Night Dinner pudding
+ Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Armstrong explains why successful Lorelai Gilmore may be her own worst enemy when it comes to marital bliss
+ Plus ... "Coffee at Luke's-isms," a snarky guide to the pop culture references used in the book.


Thoughts: Ugh!

This is going to be a ranty, scatterbrained post, I hope you forgive me.

First of all: who cares about the 'isms' which are used in the book? Why didn't they instead come up with the most odd pop culture references used in the actual show and explain them? Fine, I guess they expect everyone knows what they are talking about... But I'm sorry, I live in a different country and culture and I need some things explained! Or they could've at least listed (and talked about) the Rory books or Lane bands or whatever. About the show! Not this book.

And what the hell were they thinking with this bit in the introduction:
"the parade of Rory's boyfriends, each more attractive and impossible than the last;"

Hello?! Logan? More attractive than Dean or Jess? More impossible than Jess? Give me a break.

In the first chapter Heather Swain writes:
"Sheesh, if it weren't for Miss Patty's lascivious ways, you'd begin to think Lorelai's constant bed-hopping was kind of slutty."

What? What?! I resent that! Words fail me. What does she mean by constant? 7 years in which Lorelai has, what, three more or less serious relationships. One of the men is Luke whom she's known for more than a decade. And there were other guys but that was dating and I wouldn't say she bedded them all, and even if she did, so what? She was free and single with a healthy sex drive. Good god.

You know I'm going to have problems with this book when the introduction and the first essay are already doing my head in...

The only essay that I enjoyed reading and that I got something out of was Charlotte Fullerton's piece on Emily Gilmore. Emily's become one of my most favorite characters over the years, she's such a complex character and there's always new things to learn about her. And I liked it that there was one male fan who contributed to the book and wrote a piece on the food'ish aspects and symbolism and all that jazz.

I had a real problem with Stephanie Rowe's essay titled 'It's not Luke's Stubble'. The Gilmore Girls is apparently set in New England, and surprise surprise, Rowe is born and bred there. The essay is basically her going on about her neighborhood and how it's oh so cool that it's also the set of her favorite TV show. And

 

'one of my favorite things about watching Gilmore Girls is that it's chock-full of so many reminders of New England, and all the idiosyncrasies about the region that drive you so crazy at the same time they ground you and let you know that you're H.O.M.E.'

 

Oh man... if you like it so much, go out and walk about your town, and don't let the indoors scenes of the show bore you.

'Face it. The best thing about Gilmore Girls is not Luke's stubble.'

 

What?! You're so wrong. If you don't like his stubble and only watch the show because it's set in New England, I refuse to take you as a real fan. More on the subject of Luke later...

And take a look at this, my friends.

'And it doesn't stop here. I completely understood Lorelai's pain when she stepped into that icy puddle and soaked her foot. I've done that! It's so awful, and miserable to be hustling into work with your foot slowly freezing off your body'.

 

Geez ... I don't live in New England, and not even the States, but I know about that! Take that, Rowe... And besides, don't dare go complaining about your cold wet foot. If you were a true inhabitant of the snowable areas, you'd know to buy a pair of shoes that don't let in the wet, you dumb ass. They make those kinds of shoes, you know.

"Or the time I tried to stop my Jeep on a snowy road and slid right on down the hill until I came to a gentle stop in a snowdrift? I've used that story tons of times to bond with other people about driving in the snow. It's a thing that you get, or you don't."

It's like the woman invented snow herself! C'mon, Rowe, tell us what you really want to say. You want to say the people who've never seen snow can't understand some of the scenes of the Gilmore Girls and therefore can't get it. C'mon. I dare you.

"So, are you with me, or what? You're feeling the love for New England now, aren't you? You're wondering what school your neighbor graduated from, you're thinking that your daughter could use a little more appreciation for the power of prep school, you're envying the feeling of being so cold that your brain freezes, aren't you?"

 

Hell no. I'm wishing that by the end of writing this review I forget about your essay completely. We don't have your snooty hoity toity prep schools over here and yet studies have shown that in comparison, the educational system is pretty great in Finland. And my brain has been freezing every winter for over three decades, so I really don't care for more, thank you very much.

"You might not be able to pack up and move to New England, but you can live vicariously by watching Gilmore Girls. Forget the witty dialogue. Forget the eye candy (mmm... Luke is sooo delicious)."

What the hell, woman?? You said it wasn't about Luke's stubble, but New England. So therefore you've forfeited any fantastical claim on him, you ****** woman. You go and enjoy your New England.

"Don't bother analyzing the three generations of mother/daughter relationships and figuring out how you can relate them to the women in your life. Instead, bask in the all that is New England and feel the love.
Trust me. You'll never be the same."

Okay I'm done with this before any vital veins of mine burst!

All in all: There wasn't all that much to learn from the book. A lot of recapping of episodes and scenes, which was at times nice and at times it was just annoying. I think I had been expecting to learn about the actors and the behind the scenes -stuff. It was my own error that I hadn't read the blurb in detail and didn't know beforehand that it was just going to be a bunch of people analyzing the show from different perspectives.

Verdict: There's not much use in reading the book. Instead, watch the show! It's amazing
 

2/5

 

And yes. I take GG very seriously

[chesilbeach]

Good Lord - this book seems to be a real trial for GG fans, not something we would even want to read!  Thank you for reviewing this one frankie, as it *was* on my wish list, but has now been hastily removed.  Poor you.  Reward yourself with a GG episode or two on television for making it through to the end. 

[frankie]

Thanks chesil   If I'm being honest, I was wondering if I'd taken it a bit too seriously, but then when I was writing the review and going over the quotes, the above mentioned essay began to aggravate me again and I felt I could only say what I felt. Even if that essay wasn't included, I don't think there was anything ground breaking in the book for any true fan of the show. I'm quite positive the fans on this forum could easily produce a better book on the show

 

I know Kylie and Chrissy have read the book and I don't think they liked it better than I did, although I don't know to which degree they might've disliked it. I would definitely like to hear their thoughts on the book and see if the same things bothered them.

[Brian.]

I hope you enjoy Yes Man and more importantly get better real soon.

[Chrissy]

I had to dig up my old review (if you can call it that) from when I read it last year.

 

 

White

 

Whitegold had mentioned reading this and I immediately had to have it! (Hey, don't y'all judge. I know I'm not alone in impulse book buying). It was such an enjoyable read. A collection of essays that discuss and analyse among other things Lorelai and Rory's relationship, Emily Gilmore in all her glory, marital bliss and eating. It is equal parts witty, interesting and takes us to the heart of this popular series

 

I do remember the essay you have quoted here, and it did niggle me at the time, but not enough to taint my overall impression of the book. Certainly not a fantastic read, nor a fan 'must read',  but for a dip in and out of book not too bad. I may dig it out again and see what I think of it a year later.

[frankie]

I hope you enjoy Yes Man and more importantly get better real soon.

 

I'm enjoying Yes Man a great deal, it's great in itself and also now's just the perfect time for me to read it, it's very fitting And it's only taken me one year and 4-5 months to get to it Thanks again for the copy

 

I had to dig up my old review (if you can call it that) from when I read it last year.

 

I did wonder if you had written a review on it, I know you haven't always had a reading log, and I was going to check into the matter after dinner. Thanks for getting back to me!

 

Whitegold had mentioned reading this and I immediately had to have it!

(Hey, don't y'all judge. I know I'm not alone in impulse book buying).

It was such an enjoyable read. A collection of essays that discuss and

analyse among other things Lorelai and Rory's relationship, Emily

Gilmore in all her glory, marital bliss and eating. It is equal parts

witty, interesting and takes us to the heart of this popular series

 

I'm happy you got more out of it than I did. I guess because some of the things so early on in the book rubbed me the wrong way, I got a bit defensive of my own favorites

 

 

I do remember the essay you have quoted here, and it did niggle me at the time, but not enough to taint my overall impression of the book. Certainly not a fantastic read, nor a fan 'must read',  but for a dip in and out of book not too bad. I may dig it out again and see what I think of it a year later.

 

I wonder if this will effect chesil's opinion. I mean, I'd hate it if she didn't read the book because of my review, if it might turn out to be something she would've enjoyed after all. I don't want to rob her of a potentially decent fan book!

 

I checked Kylie's records on Goodreads and she gave the book 3/5. Hm.

 

Edit: Chesilbeach, if you at any point decide you'd like to read the book after all, I would be more than happy to send you my copy at some point

 

 

[Athena]

I hope you feel beter soon frankie! I've been ill with two different flues in the past three months so I can sort of understand how you feel .

 

I look forward to read your thoughts on Yes Man. It seems an interesting book, I think it's on my wishlist.

 

Can I ask, could you point me to your review (if you've written one) on Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby? I can't find it through a forum search (it seems to find a topic, not a specific post), the book is on my wishlist and would like to read your thoughts on it.

[chaliepud]

Hope you're feeling better soon frankie, I know how you feel, I was rough with a nasty virus and cough for a month and then had a horrendous week of nausea (apparently a result of the virus - the Dr thinks anyway), 3 days of anti-nausea pills which triggered my migraines!! In the UK we're blaming the weather for all out ills as Spring is taking it's bloody time to appear, this time last year temps were well up in double figures and at the moment it's struggling to get above freezing!!  I suppose it's good reading weather though!

 

Good luck with your next book, Coffee at Luke's definitely sounds like one to avoid!!

 

Take care of yourself, and keep warm.. 

[pontalba]

Hey Frankie, sorry you've had all the problems with flu.  It can be a mean bugger. 

Feel loads better, no more relapses allowed! 

[frankie]

I hope you feel beter soon frankie! I've been ill with two different flues in the past three months so I can sort of understand how you feel .

 

Two different flues, that sucks!   One is annoying enough but when you get sick twice in a short period of time it's like there's someone out to get you in particular  

 

I've been experiencing some 'cabin fever' if that's the word, I feel like I have been on my own for months and yesterday when I went to see the nurse and then met with a friend, I felt like there were so many shiny people out there, they felt like aliens because it's been a while since I've been around people

 

 

I look forward to read your thoughts on Yes Man. It seems an interesting book, I think it's on my wishlist.

 

It's definitely pretty interesting

 

 

Can I ask, could you point me to your review (if you've written one) on Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby? I can't find it through a forum search (it seems to find a topic, not a specific post), the book is on my wishlist and would like to read your thoughts on it.

 

It was a very short 'review', here it is:

 

 

*

Book 51. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Rory Gilmore reading challenge

 

Literary name dropping, my most favorite kind. The book's even funny. (Although I think you need to be British to understand all the jokes and cultural references etc.) 18 books made their way into my wishlist because of this so be aware!

 

Rating: 4/5

*

 

 

It definitely was a dangerous book

 

Hope you're feeling better soon frankie, I know how you feel, I was rough with a nasty virus and cough for a month and then had a horrendous week of nausea (apparently a result of the virus - the Dr thinks anyway), 3 days of anti-nausea pills which triggered my migraines!!

 

I'm sorry to hear you've been ill, too!   I don't know what it is with this season's flu but it seems like it's like 400% worse than any previous one: it takes a lot longer and it's a lot more weakening    I can't believe you also had to go through nausea and that you got migraines for taking pills to get better! That's just bloody cruel! Have you recovered fully now?

 

In the UK we're blaming the weather for all out ills as Spring is taking it's bloody time to appear, this time last year temps were well up in double figures and at the moment it's struggling to get above freezing!!  I suppose it's good reading weather though!

 

I read in a tabloid that apparently there's one Brit who's actually blaming Finland for your weather Apparently some man had sent a letter to the Finnish embassy in London and it read thus:

 

*

Dear Sir/Madam/Ms,

 

According to reports in today's newspapers, the foul weather that we are experiencing in the UK is coming directly from Finland.

 

I respectfully request that you stop this unfriendly behaviour

immediately. It is playing havoc with my plans for the garden, not to

mention the heating bills.

 

I shall expect an improvement very soon, and will not accept any excuses! Thank you.

*

 

 

The embassy posted that on their Facebook site, and that's where the Finnish tabloids learned from it.

 

Good luck with your next book, Coffee at Luke's definitely sounds like one to avoid!!

 

Oh yes, I wouldn't recommend you spend your money on it

 

 

Hey Frankie, sorry you've had all the problems with flu.  It can be a mean bugger. 

Feel loads better, no more relapses allowed! 

 

Thanks pontalba, I promise not to try and relapse

 

I went to the nurse yesterday and she got me a doctor's appointment for the same day. The doctor gave me a prescribtion for antibiotics (I've got sinusitis) and she also prescribed me inhalators for my breathing problems, which rocks, because they really work and they will come in handy in the spring/summer when I have my allergies. I'm so relieved!

 

The antibiotics are apparently pretty hardcore stuff, because I have to take three pills a day when normally you have to take one or two. I could honestly feel the struggle between the bacteria and the meds in my sinuses. But I had an amazing night of sleep, I got me some good rest. I'm feeling very optimistic about getting better!

[frankie]

Oh yes, I almost forgot:

 

I'm taking care of some uni business and was therefore going through my uni e-mail inbox. And what do you know... Remember when I signed up with play.com and I thought they'd finally accepted my debit card and got all excited about it? And then I learnt that they didn't in fact accept me after all because apparently some of the details I'd given them were wrong. Well, fine, I've recovered from the blow.

 

But then when I go to my mailbox, there are like 20 e-mails from play.com, all kinds of advertisements. What the hell?    So you don't accept my business but want to virtually harass me and burden my official uni mailbox?    Where my baseball bat at...

 

  

[Athena]

It was a very short 'review', here it is:

 

*

Book 51. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Rory Gilmore reading challenge

 

Literary name dropping, my most favorite kind. The book's even funny. (Although I think you need to be British to understand all the jokes and cultural references etc.) 18 books made their way into my wishlist because of this so be aware!

 

Rating: 4/5

*

 

It definitely was a dangerous book

x

Thanks !

x

I'm sorry to hear you've been ill, too!   I don't know what it is with this season's flu but it seems like it's like 400% worse than any previous one: it takes a lot longer and it's a lot more weakening

x

My mum told me that there are three different flues going on at the moment, one of which is the Mexican flu which is worse than the normal flu. It's one of the ones I've had (or so we think, at least). My mum's a doctor, though her current job doesn't involve seeing patients, she currently works for a government organisation advising other health organisations about health issues.

x

Oh yes, I almost forgot:

 

I'm taking care of some uni business and was therefore going through my uni e-mail inbox. And what do you know... Remember when I signed up with play.com and I thought they'd finally accepted my debit card and got all excited about it? And then I learnt that they didn't in fact accept me after all because apparently some of the details I'd given them were wrong. Well, fine, I've recovered from the blow.

 

But then when I go to my mailbox, there are like 20 e-mails from play.com, all kinds of advertisements. What the hell?    So you don't accept my business but want to virtually harass me and burden my official uni mailbox?    Where my baseball bat at...

 

x

This is insane! I've never had any spam from Play like that, though I did opt out of the newsletter. I feel bad for you .

[vodkafan]

Hi Frankie hope you are feeling better. Going back a few posts I found your rebuttal of the GG essay book very entertaining.

 On another subject I can't believe you still don't have a kindle.