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Frankie reads 2015


frankie

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It's always been three weeks where I live too (NJ-US), but one can renew for another three weeks if there are no holds against the book. And you can do renewals on-line, the library e-mails when the due date is approaching. I also found an on-line state-wide search site (colleges and county library systems) in which you can get just about any book you might desire, shipped to your local library, if willing to wait about 10 days.

 

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It's always been three weeks where I live too (NJ-US), but one can renew for another three weeks if there are no holds against the book. And you can do renewals on-line, the library e-mails when the due date is approaching. I also found an on-line state-wide search site (colleges and county library systems) in which you can get just about any book you might desire, shipped to your local library, if willing to wait about 10 days.

 

Very interesting that you would also have the same three weeks over there in NJ! :) Over here we can renew loans five times in total, unless someone's placed a reservation for that particular loan. 

 

The most recent thing over here is that you can pay your late fees online, too. In the past you could only pay at a library, at the scene of the crime, so to speak :D 

 

Very cool about the state-wide search site, that covers a whole lot of libraries! :smile2: 

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#28. Cemetery Girl by David Bell

 

Blurb: Tom and Abby Stuart had everything: a perfect marriage, successful careers and a beautiful twelve-year-old daughter, Caitlin. Then one day Caitlin vanished. The tragedy changed their lives and shattered their marriage. 

 

Four years later, Caitlin is found alive - dirty and disheveled yet preternaturally calm. The police arrest a suspect, but Caitlin refuses to testify, leaving the Stuarts a choice: let the man who may be responsible for destroying their lives walk away, or take matters into their own hands. 

 

When Tom decides to try to uncover the truth for himself, nothing can prepare him for what he discovers... 

 

 

Thoughts: I discovered this book on the library's 'new books' online section and liked the sound of the blurb. I got right into the novel and liked it very much for the first 250 or so pages. After that things changed... The book took a turn to what I thought was just beyond credible. When I was reading it last night in bed, I had to stop and wonder if the author had started describing someone's dream in the novel, or whether it was all actually happening. I can see that the author wanted to explore a somewhat unusual scenario, to say the least, but I think it just crashed and burned. :(

 

2/5

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Hmm, I guess the month is the exception then, and not the three week period! :) 

 

Chalie, on another note... Did I see you add Cemetery Girl on your wishlist on Goodreads some days ago? 

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I'm not yet sure about the helmet libraries, but in Joensuu they had this rather clever system: they had two different ways to treat new books: some of the copies were so called 'quick borrows', meaning you couldn't reserve them and you could only find them on a certain shelf at the library, and you could borrow them for one week only.

 

In our local library, we have this system too. They are called 'fastbacks', and you have to return them within 7 days. You can't reserve them either. I've never borrowed a 'fastback' book.....too much pressure to read it in time. :blush2:

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We have three week issues, too.  You can renew twice if they're not on reserve.  The academic libraries I've used while studying had three weeks, too.  One would recall books if they were requested.  So you could get them with a three week issue and if someone requested it in that time the due date would be changed and it would be due back in two days instead.  That was really annoying.

 

We also have a similar system to you, Sari.  They're called bestsellers and you can issue for a week.  There's a charge for them too, whereas normal issues are free.

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In our local library, we have this system too. They are called 'fastbacks', and you have to return them within 7 days. You can't reserve them either. I've never borrowed a 'fastback' book.....too much pressure to read it in time. :blush2:

 

Thanks for teaching me the term fastback! :D And yeah, there's some pressure to borrow a fastback as you have to start it the same day, pretty much, if you want to make sure you'll be able to finish it in time. I've borrowed a few, especially back when I was at the library and I could spot some books at the fastback shelf that I'd been wanting to read for a long time and couldn't get to them quick enough because there were so many other people in line for them. 

 

We have three week issues, too.  You can renew twice if they're not on reserve.  The academic libraries I've used while studying had three weeks, too.  One would recall books if they were requested.  So you could get them with a three week issue and if someone requested it in that time the due date would be changed and it would be due back in two days instead.  That was really annoying.

 

We also have a similar system to you, Sari.  They're called bestsellers and you can issue for a week.  There's a charge for them too, whereas normal issues are free.

 

The academic libraries over here (well at least the ones I know of) have also four weeks, just like the normal libraries. This three week thing is getting more and more curious in my opinion :D 

 

That's interesting about the charges for the fastbacks/bestsellers. Over here they are free of charge :shrug: 

 

 

Wow, it's very interesting to read how the library works in different areas :).

 

Sure is :smile2: 

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Day 08 – Most overrated book

 

I've been thinking about this every now and then for the past month and nothing's come to mind. I have a few books that I've loathed but that's not enough, because I don't think they're overrated in that they are massively popular and highly regarded by the general reading public. So I now started leafing through the pages of my manual Books Read notebook, to take a look at all the titles I've read. I didn't get very far before it hit me: 

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho :thud: This is my 'review' from 2009, in my reading log: "After that I read Paulo Coelho's Alchemist which I found an okay read, but really rather overrated. Thoughts found in the Most overrated book thread laugh.gif"

 

Yep yep :D Although I'm surprised to see I've written that it was an okay read... I have this vision of it being a tedious read. But I guess sometimes the perceptions we have of the books we read change in some ways, through time. :shrug: 

Edited by frankie
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Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving

 

 

This was rather easy. I've pretty much always, always thought that war novels are boring and for such a long time I couldn't grasp why anyone would choose to read them. I had to read Tim O'Brien's Going After Cacciato for an English literature course at uni some years ago, and wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but it was surprisingly readable and I liked it just fine. I think it was my first war novel and while it didn't make me want to read more, I guess it sort of paved the way for me being able to try other war novels in the future. 

 

The book I thought I wouldn't like but decided to give a try anyway and ended up loving is The Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna, a Finnish author. Every year, on the Finnish Independence Day, they show the film based on the novel and I've never watched it. Never been interested in it. A few years ago I thought that I should probably give the book a go, though. It's one of the great Finnish classics and I personally thought that I couldn't consider myself a 'sophisticated reader' until I've at least tried reading the book. I expected it to be a boring read. I wasn't looking forward to reading it at all. But I ended up loving it. What's more, it was funny in parts! The book has completely changed my views on war novels and that's saying a lot. It's not my favorite genre by far, but I don't shy away from war novels the way I used to. 

 

Väinö Linna has also written a war trilogy called Under the North Star and I've acquired all of the books but have yet to read them. 

 

Coincidentally, Penguin's published a new translation of the novel this year, titled Unknown Soldiers

 

Synopsis from Goodreads: "The Unknown Soldier is a story about the Continuation War between Finland and Soviet Union, told from the viewpoint of ordinary Finnish soldiers. Gritty and realistic, it was partly intended to shatter the myth of the noble, obedient Finnish soldier, and in that it succeeded admirably."

Edited by frankie
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I'll have to look up those war novels as it is generally a genre I like, although I couldn't say my present read, Johnny got his Gun, is as likeable as it is rather upsetting and traumatic. Worth reading though and it was recommended by my sons Literature teacher so I must finish it!

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I think I shall look up Johnny Got His Gun, thanks for that :D Since you're into war novels, have you read Catch-22? I haven't read all of it myself, but I loved the first 60 pages I managed. I think it's another great example of how war stories don't have to be boring and/or serious, all the time. (I didn't finish it because I lost my mojo. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the book itself!) Kylie would also recommend the book :cool: 

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Day 08 – Most overrated book

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

 

As I'm sure you already know, I completely agree with this! Argh, I hated it so much.  :banghead:

 

Since you're into war novels, have you read Catch-22? I haven't read all of it myself, but I loved the first 60 pages I managed. I think it's another great example of how war stories don't have to be boring and/or serious, all the time. (I didn't finish it because I lost my mojo. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the book itself!) Kylie would also recommend the book :cool:

 

At the risk of repeating myself for the millionth time, I love Catch-22 so, so much.  :wub:

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As I'm sure you already know, I completely agree with this! Argh, I hated it so much.  :banghead:

Of course I remember.  :empathy:  The book is no good. Waste of time, money and space! 

 

 

At the risk of repeating myself for the millionth time, I love Catch-22 so, so much.  :wub:

 

:lol: We can't help but always praise the books we love <3 

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Waste of time, money and space!

 

:yes:  :yes:  :yes: 

 

:lol: We can't help but always praise the books we love <3

True! :)

 

 

Given that you recently read some Enid Blyton books, you might be interested to know that Five on a Treasure Island is going to be featured on The Book Club next month. (Yes, really! :D). Alan Cumming (Eli Gold on The Good Wife) is going to be a guest on the show, and he chose the book. :D

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Given that you recently read some Enid Blyton books, you might be interested to know that Five on a Treasure Island is going to be featured on The Book Club next month. (Yes, really! :D). Alan Cumming (Eli Gold on The Good Wife) is going to be a guest on the show, and he chose the book. :D

I got the FTBC e-mail on the subject and I thought 'cool, I've read most of Enid's books!' but then I remembered that the Five series is not my favorite and I haven't read that book :rolleyes::lol: :lol: Still very cool though! :) Kudos to Alan Cumming :D

 

Edit: What am I saying... I haven't read most of Enid's books! I've read a small percentage of them  :doh:  :thud::D 

Edited by frankie
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Day 11 – A book you hated

 

No surprises here: it's Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. :thud: 

 

From Amazon: The ne'er-do-well sire of a starving brood suddenly discovers a family connection to the aristocracy, and his selfish scheme to capitalize on their wealth sets a fateful plot in motion. Jack Durbeyfield dispatches his gentle daughter Tess to the home of their noble kin, anticipating a lucrative match between the lovely girl and a titled cousin. Innocent Tess finds the path of the d'Urberville estate paved with ruin in this gripping tale of the inevitability of fate and the tragic nature of existence.

 

From me: Want-to-bang-my-head-with-the-book-itself type of boring read. Utterly depressing. Sucks out one's life, and one's will to live. No I didn't feel sorry for the innocent Tess and I didn't find her likable. I didn't find anyone likable. Or interesting. 

 

This was a book for an English lit class, and I'm happy to say that it was the only really horrible book I had to read for those classes. Sure, I also had to read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but at least that one was a short book. And it wasn't horrible and horribly depressing or bad as such, I just didn't like it. 

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