Frankie reads 2013

[Janet]

That sounds interesting, frankie.   It's in one library in our county so I've put it on my library wish list. 

 

ETA:  Somehow I missed all the subsequent posts - I was talking about Hell's Prisoner!    I shall go back and see what else I've missed! 

Edited May 21, 2013 by Janet

[frankie]

x

Another few are books I didn't like (as would thus be reluctant to recommend to anyone else).

 

The thing with book swapping is that you don't actually have to recommend anything to anyone: you can even say that you didn't enjoy a particular book yourself. But because people have such different tastes, some other person might like a book you didn't and so would be happy to have it

 

There are also a few (up the attic atm) that I'm not interested in but got for free (ie. books about soccer). I'd happily give them away for free but I don't know anyone who'd be interested (I don't remember the titles, I'd have to go get the box).

 

I think there are a few soccer crazed people on here... And as for the Dutch books, we do have a few Dutch members, you never know, they might want some Dutch book of yours Although I have to say I haven't seen the other Dutch people on here in a while...

 

Our post site says if your package is between 0 and 2 kg it would cost 9 euros to send to zone Europe 1. Imo it would mean that ideally I'd put multiple books (or however much it is until it's 1.5 ish kg) in the box, to get the maximum for the price (that is if anyone would be willing to swap). For one book, it's not really worth sending it for 9 euros, since for the same amount or sometimes less, I could buy a new book (unless said book is rare, expensive, hardcover, etc).

 

Are there differences between packages and so called letters? Letters might be cheaper to send, but then you have to look into what exactly constitutes as a letter. I'm not so sure about that myself. But if letters are as expensive as the packages, then it's of course another matter, and we wouldn't expect you to want to do book swapping if sending one book to another person costs that much! It's just odd that it would be so pricey... I've sent books to the UK and they've cost somewhere around 5e, a bit less or a bit more, depending on the book and whether I have sent some other things with it.

 

But yes, if it's overall that expensive to send to other countries, then it's more sensible to take the books to a charityshop or maybe a secondhand bookshop. Have you thought about secondhand bookshops? You might get some money for the books, or then get credit for them so you can get something else from there for the swap.

 

 

Thanks . I plan to hold out until at least I'm done with uni. After that, I plan to tackle this problem (as well as my weight and other things, I plan to post some updates on the forum by then). It's true I still have a lot of books TBR (a few of which I'm not so interested in anymore, since my interests have changed throughout my life).

 

Yeah it becomes pretty tricky when the TBR pile is so big that some of the books have been on it for years. Like you said, our interests change and some books which we bought ages ago with the full intention of reading some day would not hold our interest anymore

 

 

I like Astrid Lindgren's books too. I haven't heard of this series you mention, I have read other books by her though. Don't feel too bad, at least the money went to a good cause. I understand you feel bad though, you like getting the books but you feel guilty about it too (I assume). I think you're doing great, keep up the good work!

 

Thanks for the support    I know the Madicken book is for keeps, I'll never get rid of it! That goes with all my Astrid Lindgren books. I hope some day if I ever have children they become acquainted with Lindgren and I can read the books to them and they will want to hold on to the books, too.

 

I did feel a bit guilty about getting the books, but I'm still doing so much better than last year! Earlier this year I set out not to buy books until June, which has not happened, but more importantly I set out to acquire less than 100 titles, and it's now almost mid year and I'm nowhere near 100!

 

 

For me, Kindle books and books on sale, or cheap books are the most dangerous. I can generally hold off if I find a paperbook a bit pricy. But if it's on sale for a cheap price, that you don't see often and it was on my wishlist, well.. That's difficult.

 

I know exactly what you mean! If you have sworn to not acquire any books, it would be such a shame to leave a book that's been on your wishlist for ages behind at a secondhand bookshop. And if they are secondhand, they are cheaper, so it's not even such a bad thing to do, to buy that book...

 

In my defense, the past year I have been trying to buy less videogames (because I felt I had too many to be played and I've been feeling too tired to play most of them), and I have quite well succeeded in that! So I've tackled that problem already (I do love books more than videogames, though). I can't tackle all my problems at once, that would be overwhelming (and I do have a few ).

 

I'm very happy to hear you've been successful in buying fewer videogames!! I know that that can be as difficult to do as to buy fewer books. I think you are absolutely right: one cannot tackle too many problems at the same time, it would be too much of a change and it would therefore be too stressful. One problem at a time does the trick, that's what I firmly believe in And like you said, you have a lot of important uni stuff ahead of you, so I think that's the first priority for you anyways, so whatever else you achieve is a huge bonus!!

 

 

@ book reviews

Wow, you've read a lot, frankie! Nice to read your reviews .

 

I think the books I've been 'reviewing' now are books I read in March... A very long time ago, and it shows, I can't remember anything from half of the books

[Janet]

#21

 

A Separate Peace

 

by John Knowles

 

 

Blurb: Gene was a lovely, introverted intellectual. Phineas was a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happened between them at school one

summer during the early years of World War II is the subject of A Separate Peace.

 It's a shame this wasn't very good. It sounds like it ought to be good and I like the cover! 

[frankie]

That sounds interesting, frankie.   It's in one library in our county so I've put it on my library wish list. 

 

ETA:  Somehow I missed all the subsequent posts - I was talking about Hell's Prisoner!    I shall go back and see what else I've missed! 

 

Sorry for that I've been half-assing these reviews because I'm so far behind and I read these books ages ago and don't remember much about them. (So writing lengthier reviews would be stupid, because I'd be making stuff up just to add to lines ) Therefore all the posts.

 

Hell's Prisoner is indeed interesting! I've come to the conclusion I ought to give away more read books, the ones I'm really not going to read again, but with this one I decided I want to keep it, because it's just an unbelievable story. Not a boring moment in sight If you read it, I'd very much like to hear what you make of it

 

 

 It's a shame this wasn't very good. It sounds like it ought to be good and I like the cover! 

 

Honestly, I think it was partly, if not largely, my fault too. I shouldn't have pressured myself into reading it, until I was fully ready for it. There were a few interesting things in it, and I'm sure other people would like it. And it's after all a rather short read, so maybe you could give it a go!

 

I like the cover, too! So far I've been successful in finding the exact same cover pics for all my read books, even the Finnish Book Club cover for the Raymond Chandler book   But with this one I had to wing it: the copy I bought for only 20 cents had no cover at all It was a secondhand copy and for some reason lacked the front cover. Oh poor book, it looked so sad

 

[frankie]

#23

Grave Sight

by Charlaine Harris

 

 

From jacket: Harper Connolly is honest, ethical and loyal - and ever since a bolt of lightning zapped her on the head, she's had an extraspecial talent: she can find dead people It's not a common-or-garden job, but as Haper sees it, she's providing a service to the dead, while bringing some closure for the living. Some people find Harper's talent useful and fascinating, but she's getting used to most people treating her like a blood-sucking leech. She's become an expert at getting in, getting paid and getting out, fast.

When Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver, her sometime manager, sometime bodyguard, travel to the Ozarks to find a local teenager, missing, believed dead, they discover that someone is willing to go greath lenghts to bury a secret. When they find the girl's body hidden in a wood, they plunge even deeper into small-town intrigue, deception, secrecy and murder.

Harper's getting answers, and someone isn't happy about that. Before long Tolliver's locked away on trumped-up charges and Harper's fighting for her own life...

 

 

Thoughts: Thanks to all the reviews and recommendations on here, I picked up the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse -series some years ago and loved the books (as far as I got in the series, I have a few to read). And some of the same people started reading this series, too, and I bought a secondhand copy of the first book in the series from play.com some years ago. It's actually quite embarrassing how long I had this waiting to be read on the bookshelf... I picked it up a few times but couldn't get into it, and wanted to wait til the time was right.

 

I got well into the story this time, and I think the basic idea behind the series is genius. Harris knows how to write, and she knows what makes for interesting reading. I was having great expectations!

 

However, I was a bit disappointed with the novel. It was very readable and entertaining, but Harper Collins was in my humble opinion rather annoying and I couldn't really relate to her. I couldn't really understand her, to begin with. Also, (and this bothered me a lot more) I found some of the things rather predictable in the story. Having read many of the SS books, I wasn't expecting to read anything predictable, written by Harris!

 

I'd still like to read the next book in the series and see if it gets any better, but I have a feeling Harris struck gold with Sookie Stackhouse and all the rest is just ... filling.

 

 

3/5

[frankie]

#28

 

Yes Man

 

by Danny Wallace

 

 

 

Blurb: Danny Wallace had been saying no. Far too much. No to his friends, no to his colleagues, no to nights out and no to himself. And life was
dull. Dumped by his girlfriend and on a road to nowhere, it was only when a mystery man on a late night bus uttered three magic words that
his whole world started to change...

… 'Say Yes More.'

And Danny did. He said yes to his friends, yes to strangers, yes to adverts... yes to everything!

Yes Man is the story of how one little word can change your life... forever!

 

 

Thougths: I'm not sure, but I think it was Brian.'s review on this book that made me interested in the book. What I know for sure is that I got my copy from Brian., as a book swap book, and I'm very happy for that! Thanks Brian.!

 

I saw the movie years ago and liked it, but at the time I wasn't aware that it was based on this non-fiction book. I liked the movie, and while I was interested in the book I didn't think I would like it as much... I was very, very wrong!

 

I think I picked the book up to read at the perfect time: I was sick with flu and sinusitis, and I'd been stuck in a rut for a long time. At first I didn't think anyone could carry on saying 'yes' to everything, without getting into a whole lot of trouble, but as I read on I started to realise how much I was missing myself, for taking things for granted and doing things very much according to a routine. I started to wish for a quick recovery so I could get out there in the world to start saying 'yes!'.

 

And some things changed: I was done with the flu, but I was still having problems with breathing through my nose, but still, when I got asked to go and play pool with a few friends from IRC, I said yes. I hesitated, but then thought nothing's going to change if I don't change myself. And I went to play pool, and nothing drastic happened, but my view of some things changed. I should go out and socialize a lot more! And do things that are out of the ordinary for me. I felt I need to re-wire myself! After that I said 'yes' to a few social outings and had a nice time and even got to meet a few doggies I wouldn't have met if I hadn't said yes to another things prior to that.

 

The biggest lesson, I think, for me was that I don't have to take myself and things so seriously. I don't have to wonder if something makes sense, or if it's beneficial. It's about having different kinds of experiences, no matter how trivial they might seem to other people.

 

This book was a real pleasure, and I'm definitely keeping this copy, and I hope that the next time I get stuck in a rut, I have the good sense to re-read this book and discover all the small pleasures in life again

 

Highly recommended! But remember: you have to say yes, at least to the book... 

5/5

 

 

Edit: I stand very much corrected! It was Janet's review that made me add the book to my wishlist! Thank you very much Janet

 

You can find the thread for the book here.

Edited May 21, 2013 by frankie

[frankie]

#29

Doris Day - Her Own Story

by A. E. Hotchner

 

 

 

 

 

Warning! The blurb is for those of you who aren't planning on reading the book. Those of you who do want to read it, I would advise you to keep away from the spoiler tags, as much of Doris's life is revealed in them.

Blurb:

'After 27 years in show business my public image is that of America's la-di-da happy-go-lucky virgin, carefree and brimming with happiness. An image, I can assure you, more make-believe than any film part I have ever played. At ten years of age I discovered that my father was having an affair with the mother of my best friend. At 14, I was in an auto hit by a train, and that threatened to make me a cripple for life. At 17 years, I was married to a psychopathic sadist. When my third husband died, a man I had been married to for 17 years, I discovered that he had left me with a debt of half a million dollars. My reward for a lifetime of hard work.

 

There's another Doris Day, a woman I know well. It's she who's the subject of this book – no holds barred. This is the life I have lived.'
Doris Day

 

 

Thoughts: I've seen Pillow Talk as a kid and I very much liked it, and some years ago, probably more like a decade ago, I watched this documentary on Doris Day and was dumbfounded by all the things she's gone through in her life. After having watched it I learned that there was a biography on her, one that she agreed to do with the author, and it went straight to my wishlist after that. I struck gold and found a used copy of it in Australia, when I was visiting Kylie

 

I had known about some of the events in Doris's life but I was still shocked by it all. I enjoyed reading the book, and getting to know more of Doris, but I have to say it didn't make me like her more. Rather the opposite: I found she was a bit smug eventhough she pretended to be the opposite, and she was a bit preachy on a few subjects, which went against the grain of my own beliefs. To each their own, but she was rather dismissive about there being other ways to see things...

 

I'm still glad I found the book and read it

3/5

Edited May 21, 2013 by frankie

[Janet]

Yay - I'm so glad you enjoyed Yes Man!     

[frankie]

I did very much indeed, thanks for starting the thread on the book!   I'm thinking I would probably love Random Acts of Kindness, too, I think you've probably read it? Does it go along the same lines? I would love to be influenced by that book, too!

 

Edit:

I can't believe that he really did manage to get Lizzie in the end, I thought there'd be too many kilometers between them, etc., but I'm so happy for them! And imagine, what kind of a story they have to tell when someone asks them 'how did you two meet and end up together?'

 

Edited May 22, 2013 by frankie

[bobblybear]

And I've got to ask: have you read Q&A by Vikas Swarup? Sorry, I can't remember If you haven't, I would recommend you read it, it might be something you would really enjoy reading

 

I haven't read it or heard of it, but I've just looked on Amazon and it's the book that Slumdog Millionaire is based on. I've only seen the second half of that film but really enjoyed it, so that another one added onto my wishlist.

 

 

#22

 

Case Histories

by Kate Atkinson

 

I've added this one to my wishlist as well, as it sounds like my kind of book. I haven't read the synopsis in detail, because I'm worried it might give something away.

 

I've also added Yes Man to my wishlist as well. I saw the film, but I don't recall that much about it, except that I'm not the biggest fan of Jim Carrey. I like the idea behind the book; it's one of those simple concepts that can really help change someone's attitude for the good.

[Athena]

The thing with book swapping is that you don't actually have to recommend anything to anyone: you can even say that you didn't enjoy a particular book yourself. But because people have such different tastes, some other person might like a book you didn't and so would be happy to have it

x

That makes sense .

x 

I think there are a few soccer crazed people on here... And as for the Dutch books, we do have a few Dutch members, you never know, they might want some Dutch book of yours Although I have to say I haven't seen the other Dutch people on here in a while...

x

It's a shame, would like to see more Dutch people around.

 

Are there differences between packages and so called letters? Letters might be cheaper to send, but then you have to look into what exactly constitutes as a letter. I'm not so sure about that myself. But if letters are as expensive as the packages, then it's of course another matter, and we wouldn't expect you to want to do book swapping if sending one book to another person costs that much! It's just odd that it would be so pricey... I've sent books to the UK and they've cost somewhere around 5e, a bit less or a bit more, depending on the book and whether I have sent some other things with it.

 

But yes, if it's overall that expensive to send to other countries, then it's more sensible to take the books to a charityshop or maybe a secondhand bookshop. Have you thought about secondhand bookshops? You might get some money for the books, or then get credit for them so you can get something else from there for the swap.

x

I can send it as a letter / little package going through the mailbox, but then it must fix through the mailbox (which is the case for some books but not others). That would be quite a bit cheaper and is doable for the small paperbacks I have . I don't mind paying 9 euros if I can get rid of 4-5 books but for one book it doesn't seem worth it.

x

Yeah it becomes pretty tricky when the TBR pile is so big that some of the books have been on it for years. Like you said, our interests change and some books which we bought ages ago with the full intention of reading some day would not hold our interest anymore

x

Yes, that's exactly what it's like for me too!

x

Thanks for the support    I know the Madicken book is for keeps, I'll never get rid of it! That goes with all my Astrid Lindgren books. I hope some day if I ever have children they become acquainted with Lindgren and I can read the books to them and they will want to hold on to the books, too.

 

I did feel a bit guilty about getting the books, but I'm still doing so much better than last year! Earlier this year I set out not to buy books until June, which has not happened, but more importantly I set out to acquire less than 100 titles, and it's now almost mid year and I'm nowhere near 100!

x

That's very well done of you! I'm sure I've bought more than 100 books , I haven't counted them but..

x

I know exactly what you mean! If you have sworn to not acquire any books, it would be such a shame to leave a book that's been on your wishlist for ages behind at a secondhand bookshop. And if they are secondhand, they are cheaper, so it's not even such a bad thing to do, to buy that book...

x

Yep!

x

I'm very happy to hear you've been successful in buying fewer videogames!! I know that that can be as difficult to do as to buy fewer books. I think you are absolutely right: one cannot tackle too many problems at the same time, it would be too much of a change and it would therefore be too stressful. One problem at a time does the trick, that's what I firmly believe in And like you said, you have a lot of important uni stuff ahead of you, so I think that's the first priority for you anyways, so whatever else you achieve is a huge bonus!!

x

Thank you!!  

x

I think the books I've been 'reviewing' now are books I read in March... A very long time ago, and it shows, I can't remember anything from half of the books

x

XD that happens, that's why I try to post some thoughts about them not too long after I finish them.

x

 

@ your review of Grave Sight

Shame it wasn't as good as the Sookie Stackhouse books. I have those also on my TBR so that at least promises something good . I'll still read the Harper Connelly series, I bought all four books for cheap so it wouldn't be a big loss in money if I didn't like them that much (hopefully though it'll be quite okay ).

 

@ your review of Yes Man

I didn't know it was a non-fiction book, and its premise sounds quite interesting, I'll have to buy and read it sometime . I recorded the film from TV quite a while ago but I haven't watched it yet XD.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Athena

[willoyd]

I've added this one to my wishlist as well, as it sounds like my kind of book. I haven't read the synopsis in detail, because I'm worried it might give something away.

I'd urge you to take it further than just a wishlist - it really is an outstanding example of its type. One of the best mystery novels I've read in years - a definite six stars. (Hope I haven't built it up too much now!).

BTW, the series is currently being shown on television, but whilst it's receiving good reviews, everybody I know who has read both books and seen the TV says that the latter is good but way too simplistic compared to the novels. I've decided not to watch them as a result.

[frankie]

I haven't read it or heard of it, but I've just looked on Amazon and it's the book that Slumdog Millionaire is based on. I've only seen the second half of that film but really enjoyed it, so that another one added onto my wishlist.

 

Yeah, it's now also been released as Slumdog Millionaire due to the success of the movie. I watched the movie some years ago, I liked it, but there was so much more to the novel that I would definitely recommend reading the book. I gave it 5/5 at the time, I think, and it's on my 'frankie recommends' list of books, which currently holds about 85 titles So that's saying pretty much of the novel, at least in my opinion! I know a lot of people on here have enjoyed it, as well.

 

 

I've also added Yes Man to my wishlist as well. I saw the film, but I don't recall that much about it, except that I'm not the biggest fan of Jim Carrey. I like the idea behind the book; it's one of those simple concepts that can really help change someone's attitude for the good.

 

Jim Carrey can be a bit of Marmite. I can understand why some people might not like him, but luckily for me I have no problems with him The idea of the book is just great, and what's more, it's a true story! The film's quite different from it, but the basic idea is the same.

 

x

It's a shame, would like to see more Dutch people around.

 x

 

I know! We used to have three other Finns on here as well, but they seem to have all vanished somewhere, more or less. That means you and I have to stick around to look out for our respective countries and to represent them

 

 

I can send it as a letter / little package going through the mailbox, but then it must fix through the mailbox (which is the case for some books but not others). That would be quite a bit cheaper and is doable for the small paperbacks I have . I don't mind paying 9 euros if I can get rid of 4-5 books but for one book it doesn't seem worth it.

xx

 

Yeah, one book for 9e just isn't worth it. But I'm sure you could get away with posting small paperbacks as a letter Maybe you could do a 'small paperback book swap'!

 

 

That's very well done of you! I'm sure I've bought more than 100 books , I haven't counted them but..

 

Do you mean this year, already? I love it I used to be as bad as you... If you don't mind my saying. Joining this forum definitely made my wishlist expand, loads, and because I had a bigger wishlist, it was more likely to find books on that list in the charityshops and secondhand bookshops... And thus the TBR expanded as well

 

When you want to start reducing the amounts of books you buy, I would advise you to start keeping tabs of all the books you buy in one separate post in the beginning of your yearly reading log. Recording all the purchases and numbering them will show you how quickly and easily the list gets longer, and it might be a good incentive to start really considering which books you really truly want and will read in the future.

 

XD that happens, that's why I try to post some thoughts about them not too long after I finish them.

 

That's the ideal case, that way you can review the book as soon as you've finished it. If one gets behind in writing reviews, it kinda starts to feel like a chore, and one gets lazier and lazier, and then the amount of books to be reviewed gets bigger and bigger... It's a vicious circle   I just wasn't in the mood for reviewing when I was sick. Luckily I did a bit of re-reading, and I'm not going to re-review those books, so I can skip a few titles

 

 

@ your review of Grave Sight

Shame it wasn't as good as the Sookie Stackhouse books. I have those also on my TBR so that at least promises something good . I'll still read the Harper Connelly series, I bought all four books for cheap so it wouldn't be a big loss in money if I didn't like them that much (hopefully though it'll be quite okay ).

 

I hope you like the Sookie Stackhouse books! When I read the first book, I thought it was okay but I didn't really see the major attraction, but I decided to read the second book and the one after that, and by that time I was hooked! The fourth one is the best in the series, I can't wait to see what you think of it when you get to reading it

 

The Harper Connelly was okay, and I'm hoping that the next book in that series is better and not so predictable. I don't think I'm going to buy the books, but I would still read them if I found them somewhere and had the chance And like you said, at least you got the books cheap so it's not a great loss if you end up not liking them so much.

 

 

@ your review of Yes Man

I didn't know it was a non-fiction book, and its premise sounds quite interesting, I'll have to buy and read it sometime . I recorded the film from TV quite a while ago but I haven't watched it yet XD.

 

I already responded to your post in the Yes Man thread, but I would definitely recommend the book and the movie too, since you already have it!

 

I'd urge you to take it further than just a wishlist - it really is an outstanding example of its type. One of the best mystery novels I've read in years - a definite six stars. (Hope I haven't built it up too much now!).

 

I'm a bit annoyed that I read the book when I was sick and didn't review it right after finishing it, because now I can't really remember all the reasons why it was so great. But I remember that it was, and I have to go with that feeling  

[Athena]

Yeah, it's now also been released as Slumdog Millionaire due to the success of the movie. I watched the movie some years ago, I liked it, but there was so much more to the novel that I would definitely recommend reading the book. I gave it 5/5 at the time, I think, and it's on my 'frankie recommends' list of books, which currently holds about 85 titles So that's saying pretty much of the novel, at least in my opinion! I know a lot of people on here have enjoyed it, as well.

x

I'll have to read that list sometime . EDIT: Neither I nor the forum can seem to find it, is it on this forum?

x

When you want to start reducing the amounts of books you buy, I would advise you to start keeping tabs of all the books you buy in one separate post in the beginning of your yearly reading log. Recording all the purchases and numbering them will show you how quickly and easily the list gets longer, and it might be a good incentive to start really considering which books you really truly want and will read in the future.

x

This sounds like a good idea .

x

I hope you like the Sookie Stackhouse books! When I read the first book, I thought it was okay but I didn't really see the major attraction, but I decided to read the second book and the one after that, and by that time I was hooked! The fourth one is the best in the series, I can't wait to see what you think of it when you get to reading it

x

Thanks, will let you know what I think when I read it. I haven't really been in the mood for paranormal type books lately. Hmm maybe I could put it on my "perhaps-read-at-the-read-a-thon" pile (in my head). EDIT: Rest of post edited into read-a-thon thread.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Athena

[frankie]

 

I'll have to read that list sometime . EDIT: Neither I nor the forum can seem to find it, is it on this forum?

 

 

How could the search engine miss my legendary recommendations list?! Worry not, here's the link to the appropriate post   It's a rather longish post, with other people's recommendations first, then mine at the bottom.

 

 

 

Thanks, will let you know what I think when I read it. I haven't really been in the mood for paranormal type books lately. Hmm maybe I could put it on my "perhaps-read-at-the-read-a-thon" pile (in my head). EDIT: Rest of post edited into read-a-thon thread.

 

I noticed you'd put it in the post in the read-a-thon thread Just a warning: if you plan on reading all types of books, you might not want to start with the Sookie Stackhouse novel, because after finishing it you might somewhat likely read the next book in the series, and the one after that, and the one after that... Having no time for other books

[frankie]

#30
 

All She Wanted

by Aphrodite Jones

 

Blurb: Living as a man, twenty-one-year-old Teena Brandon hit the dust bowl town of Falls City, Nebraska, on the run from her family in Lincoln--and from the law for forging checks. Handsome and sophisticated, Brandon was an instant success, with young women
hanging all over him. But when Brandon started to date the beautiful blonde Lana Tisdel, her luck ran out. In a terrifying incident on
Christmas Eve, Brandon's true sexual identity was unmasked. On New Year's Eve, Brandon, her roommate, and a friend were found shot to death in an isolated farmhouse.

 

Writing with the exclusive cooperation of Brandon's ex-girlfriends and family, the accused murderers, and numerous other souces, New York Times bestselling author Aphrodite Jones explores the extravagant life and violent death of Teena Brandon, as well as the investigation and murder trial. Jones lays bare an America where many young people boldly experiment with gender identity, challenging our ideas of male and female, gay and straight-- and where Teena Brandon and her friends paid a terrible price for sexual freedom.

 

Thoughts: I saw a document on Brandon Teena years ago, and it was just such a horrid thing to happen. It's stayed in my mind ever since then. I've watched Boys Don't Cry twice: once to see what it was like, and the second time because it was on an Indie Film course for the uni. I wouldn't have watched it the second time of my own accord, because it's just such a cruel, horrible movie. I mean the movie was well made, and in my opinion Hilary Sfiddle turned into Brandon Teena and did one of the best performances I've ever seen by anyone, but it was just such a heartbreaking story.

I picked this book up at a charityshop, because as you know, I'm into reading true crime, but with this one I really started to dread
picking the book up. I almost gave it away because I thought I just couldn't face reading it. But I did end up reading it.

What  can I say about the book itself... It was okay. It was a bit difficult to follow who was who, I'm not sure how much of that was
due to Brandon socializing with so many different people, and the author not being able to make people and names stick. I would
probably say this is one of my least favorite true crime books I've read, and I would say at least half of that is due to the author and
the rest is due to this just being such a sickening thing.

Which is so odd, because I've read a lot of sickening stuff. Why this case would be any worse than the others... I'm just so mad that someone who was born as a girl but who identifies herself more as a man, is pushed into things and people come so hard on him just because they are suspicious about his gender. It makes me hella mad!

 

2/5

Edited May 23, 2013 by frankie

[frankie]

#34

 

 

Still Alice

 

by Lisa Genova

 

 

 

 

From Amazon: Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University.

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...

 

 

Thoughts: How I got to reading this is a bit of a mystery A friend of mine visited me about a month ago and we talked about books (she's one of my few real life friends with whom I can talk to/with about books for hours on end). We talked about the books we'd lately read and all of a sudden she remembered she'd just read Still Alice by Lisa Genova and thanked me for the recommendation. I couldn't understand what she was talking about. I didn't recognise the title or the author. My friend said she was absolutely positive I was the one who'd recommended the book to her, and yet I thought she was going cuckoo on me, I would remember if I'd read the book!

I asked her what the book was about. Someone suffering from Alzheimer's. Well, that was as cryptic as anything, because I was sure I'd never read anything about Alzheimer's, fiction or non-fiction. And no, the irony wasn't lost on us: had I forgotten about having read a book about someone with problems with her memory?

So I came on here and checked my wishlist but the title wasn't there. Then I searched for the title on the forum but none of my reading logs came up. The thread for Lisa Genova did surface, but I hadn't contributed to it. Then I started going through my 'manual' reading log, that is, my notebook where I've recorded all the books I read... My friend kept talking about problems with memory and then it somehow hit me: I'd read Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson not so long ago, and it was about someone who forgot all about herself and her environment when she fell asleep. I had probably just read the book the last time she'd visited and talked about it to her, and thus I'm pretty sure that Lisa Genova and her books were mentioned in the back of the novel. I can't think of any other way for having recommended an author I knew nothing about to a friend! (So if anyone who's reading this review and owns a copy of BIGtS could check if the book's mentioned there, I'd be pretty grateful )

Now to the actual novel: I really enjoyed reading it! I thought it was well written, realistic and just heart wrenching. I liked it that the main character was a psychology professor and that linguistics was one of the central themes, being a bit of a linguist myself. Losing one's memory is absolutely crushing to anyone, but somehow it felt all the more awful because the main character was just a
literary, academic person.

A great read, but I would advise you to have a few handkerchiefs around while reading...

 

4/5

Edited May 23, 2013 by frankie

[frankie]

#35

 

Walking Back to Happiness

 

by Lucy Dillon

 

 

 

 

From Amazon: Juliet's hiding from her feelings about the recent loss of Ben, the love of her life. If it weren't for having to walk Ben's loyal dog, Minton, she'd never leave their half-finished house. Then her mother asks her to take her elderly lab, Coco, along. One dog leads to another, and soon Juliet's the unofficial town pet-sitter. And when she takes on a lonely spaniel, and gets to know its attractive owner, she realizes that her emotions aren't as easy to handle as her canine charges...

Thoughts: I've read one Lucy Dillon novel before, Lost Dogs And Lonely Hearts, which Iiked okay, and as I was being sick and needed a bit of light reading, I went for this, knowing that there were going to be dogs

 

I have to say the book was a bit of a disappointment: I didn't really warm up to any of the characters. The Kelly family was just so unrealistic, that I rolled my eyes through most of the stuff relating to them. I know, they have a bit of a different life than normal folks, but even for that they seemed just non-believable. I wasn't overly attached to the main character, too, which I think I was supposed to be, her being a widow and all... I found her sister Louise more interesting.

 

Having said that, all in all it was readable. A light read, but not really as good as a chick lit -book can be at its best.

3/5

Edited May 23, 2013 by frankie

[bobblybear]

I'd urge you to take it further than just a wishlist - it really is an outstanding example of its type. One of the best mystery novels I've read in years - a definite six stars. (Hope I haven't built it up too much now!).

 

In that case, I shall put it at the top of my wishlist. I'd buy it now, but I've spent an extraordinary amount of money this month on a 3DS and games. I saw it advertised on TV last night, but I shall refrain from watching in case it spoils the book.

 

 

#30

 

All She Wanted

 

by Aphrodite Jones

 

I've watched Boys Don't Cry and I don't think I could watch it again. It was such a disturbing and sad story. I shall give this book a miss, as it doesn't sound as though it was written in the best way.

 

BTW, it looks like the 'swear filter' has changed Hilary's last name to Sfiddle in your review.   

[frankie]

I

I've watched Boys Don't Cry and I don't think I could watch it again. It was such a disturbing and sad story. I shall give this book a miss, as it doesn't sound as though it was written in the best way.

 

Such a god awful story, yes   And yeah, you'd be better off not reading the book. I'm not recommending it to anyone. I do have the copy and I'd be happy to send it to someone if they wanted to read the book despite of my review. I mean it's only my opinion of the book.

 

BTW, it looks like the 'swear filter' has changed Hilary's last name to Sfiddle in your review. 

 

I didn't even notice that! Poor Hilary

[Brian.]

I'm glad that Yes Man helped lighten your mood and get you through your ills.

[chaliepud]

I have added Yes Man to my wish list, thought usual problem is not saying no enough!!

[Athena]

How could the search engine miss my legendary recommendations list?! Worry not, here's the link to the appropriate post   It's a rather longish post, with other people's recommendations first, then mine at the bottom.

x

Thanks! I'll bookmark it .

x

I noticed you'd put it in the post in the read-a-thon thread Just a warning: if you plan on reading all types of books, you might not want to start with the Sookie Stackhouse novel, because after finishing it you might somewhat likely read the next book in the series, and the one after that, and the one after that... Having no time for other books

x

Thank you! I'll keep it in mind (maybe it'll be one of the last books I read on Sunday or something, or I may not read it just yet, for the read-a-thon).

[Inver]

So glad you enjoyed Still Alice, one of my favourite, if emotional reads last year.

[Athena]

Still Alice is on my TBR (I must've missed it when I posted last time), I'm glad to hear you liked it!