BSchultz19 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I don't know how and why I did it either I guess I was in the mood for some self-torture I'm currently reading Lost & Found by Brooke Davis and it's definitely better This is from a long time ago, but I was looking through the thread. I had to go to the link for this book because Brooke Davis is the name of a character on one of my favorite shows, One Tree Hill. I was very confused until I went to the site and saw that she is a completely different person Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 This is from a long time ago, but I was looking through the thread. I had to go to the link for this book because Brooke Davis is the name of a character on one of my favorite shows, One Tree Hill. I was very confused until I went to the site and saw that she is a completely different person I'm glad you're now de-confused It's a rainy day, shucks. I thought I might go out for a walk again but now I think I might just go for a jog, and focus on recreational reading instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) #35. Dark Secrets by Michael Hjorth & Hans Rosenfeldt Amazon: It all begins with a call to the police. A sixteen-year-old boy, Roger Eriksson, has gone missing in the town of Västerås. A search is organized and a group of young scouts makes an awful discovery in a marsh: Roger is dead. Meanwhile, Sebastian Bergman, psychologist, criminal profiler and one of Sweden's top experts on serial killers, is in Västerås to settle his mother's estate following her death. Sebastian has withdrawn from police work after [an event I'm not going to spoil for you! Stupid Amazon, this spoiler was not in the book jacket...]When the Crime Investigation Department asks Sebastian for his help in Roger's case, his arrogant manner at first alienates the rest of the team. Pushing forward, though, they begin to make disturbing discoveries about the private school Roger attended.... Thoughts: Bought this used book on a whim from the library. The thing that most intrigued me about it was the private school aspect, and I do like my detective novels and thrillers. I'd say this is a solid, good book. The actual murder case wasn't as interesting as it could've been, but I liked how Hjorth and Rosenfeldt constructed the story and how they told it. I was mostly fascinated by the different characters in the police force, and Sebastian Bergman, of course. I'd like to read more about them I don't think this is the best Swedish debut since Stieg Larsson as was suggested at the back of the book, but if you're into Scandinavian murder mysteries why not give this one a go 3/5 Edited June 4, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Great review, it sounds interesting . And it turns out my library actually has a copy of it (in Dutch) . I shall add it to my list of 'books-to-look-up'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) #36. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar From blurb: Bradley Chalkers hates everyone and everyone hates him. And that's fine with him. Everything's better when he doesn't have any friends. That way nobody can hurt him. The school employs a new school counselor, Carla, who's young and easy going. She thinks that Bradley, the terror of the whole school, seems like a really nice kid - not at all like a monster. Thoughts: This book was on sale at the library. The Finnish title caught my eye: "The Boy in the Back Row". I read the blurb and got interested, and then I read the first few lines of the novel. Bradley was referred to as an island, which of course made me think of the saying 'no man is an island'. I then almost bought the book, but thought I'd better see if I could find a borrowable copy instead, which I did. When I went to bed last night, this was the book that I picked up to read next. And I got straight into it. Bradley is by no means a likable kid in the start. I was grossed out by him! But things change when Carla comes along... She was such a clever counselor! I read the book in one go and absolutely loved it It made me laugh and it also almost made me cry. Now I'm wondering if I ought to go and buy the removed copy for keeps 5/5 Edited June 5, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Wow, I'm glad you enjoyed this one a lot ! About whether to buy it or not, do you think you'll want to re-read it some day? Would you like to own it and have it on your shelf? If it was me, I'd buy it , since it's priced cheaply and if I've rated a book so highly I'd probably want to re-read it at some point. But I don't know how hard it is to find the book in a book shop or such, later on in life (since you won't re-read it this year I suppose?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Yeah it's the kind of book I might want to re-read later in life, otherwise I wouldn't consider buying it. It's pretty certain that I will never find a copy of it at such a cheap price... I guess I'll give it some time, and if the idea of the book being there for me to purchase still haunts me after some days I'll go and get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 #36. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar From blurb: Bradley Chalkers hates everyone and everyone hates him. And that's fine with him. Everything's better when he doesn't have any friends. That way nobody can hurt him. The school employs a new school counselor, Carla, who's young and easy going. She thinks that Bradley, the terror of the whole school, seems like a really nice kid - not at all like a monster. Thoughts: This book was on sale at the library. The Finnish title caught my eye: "The Boy in the Back Row". I read the blurb and got interested, and then I read the first few lines of the novel. Bradley was referred to as an island, which of course made me think of the saying 'no man is an island'. I then almost bought the book, but thought I'd better see if I could find a borrowable copy instead, which I did. When I went to bed last night, this was the book that I picked up to read next. And I got straight into it. Bradley is by no means a likable kid in the start. I was grossed out by him! But things change when Carla comes along... She was such a clever counselor! I read the book in one go and absolutely loved it It made me laugh and it also almost made me cry. Now I'm wondering if I ought to go and buy the removed copy for keeps 5/5 This sounds like such a great book!! Great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 It really was a great read, and a good way to start my Sachar journey. I've read two other novels by him since the review and I'm feeling very lucky to have found the author! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Good to hear that you enjoyed reading There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . I hadn't heard of the author before, but I will keep her in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 #38. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar Amazon: David is only trying to be cool when he helps some of the popular kids steal Old Lady Bayfield’s cane. But when the plan backfires, he’s the one the “old witch” curses. Now David can’t seem to do anything right. Is it the Bayfield curse at work? Or is David simply turning into a total loser? Thoughts: Loved it! I really wish I'd found out about Louis Sachar when I was a kid, I would've read and re-read all of his books, me thinks His books are funny and clever, and there's always something to learn, but the tone is never preachy or patronizing. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 #39. Holes by Louis Sachar Amazon: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. [...] Thoughts: My third Sachar novel. This one is about slightly older kids, and not pre-teens as in the previous two novels. All I'll say is that it was yet another really enjoyable novel by Sachar and I would recommend it 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Good to hear that you enjoyed reading There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . I hadn't heard of the author before, but I will keep her in mind. He's great, and I'm a bit surprised that I haven't heard about him before. I'm definitely going to keep reading his books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 He's great, and I'm a bit surprised that I haven't heard about him before. I'm definitely going to keep reading his books There are plenty of Louis' book in the local library, so I will have a look at them soon. And sorry to Louis, I accidentally changed his gender earlier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 There are plenty of Louis' book in the local library, so I will have a look at them soon. And sorry to Louis, I accidentally changed his gender earlier Don't worry about it, it happens! I've always found Louise/Louis/Lois/Loue very difficult names and I sometimes get mixed up Well Louise is the easy one, that one I know is a female name, it's the rest that confuse me. And I used to think Enid was a man, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 #39. Holes by Louis Sachar Amazon: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. [...] Thoughts: My third Sachar novel. This one is about slightly older kids, and not pre-teens as in the previous two novels. All I'll say is that it was yet another really enjoyable novel by Sachar and I would recommend it 5/5 Have you seen the movie? Is it similar? I saw the movie and didn't really like it that much, although lots of other people did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Have you seen the movie? Is it similar? I saw the movie and didn't really like it that much, although lots of other people did. I've been trying to bite my tongue about Holes, but since you've gone and said what I was thinking...I hated the movie. An ex tried to make me watch it once because he really loved it. I lasted about two minutes before I decided it was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. Perhaps I wasn't being fair though...I came into it somewhere in the middle. I just remember kids digging holes in a desert or something. And bad acting. I will never be able to bring myself to try the book, even despite Frankie's 5/5 rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Have you seen the movie? Is it similar? I saw the movie and didn't really like it that much, although lots of other people did. I haven't seen the movie, but I want to watch it Bobblybear asked me the same thing, so maybe she's seen it...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Don't worry about it, it happens! I've always found Louise/Louis/Lois/Loue very difficult names and I sometimes get mixed up Well Louise is the easy one, that one I know is a female name, it's the rest that confuse me. And I used to think Enid was a man, too There was some random dude in my house the other day and my housemate introduced him as (phonetically) - Louise. I'm *guessing* it was Luiz or Luis, because I think he was South American. But it threw me for a minute! I've just stuck Sachar's name on my wishlist without any one title attached to it. Having read a few of them now, would you recommend a particular one to begin with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I've been trying to bite my tongue about Holes, but since you've gone and said what I was thinking...I hated the movie. An ex tried to make me watch it once because he really loved it. I lasted about two minutes before I decided it was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. Perhaps I wasn't being fair though...I came into it somewhere in the middle. I just remember kids digging holes in a desert or something. And bad acting. I will never be able to bring myself to try the book, even despite Frankie's 5/5 rating. Yeah I just didn't really feel it. I think Shia Lebuff (I spelled that wrong because I have no clue) was the main character but he was really young. But I should never judge a book by its movie I'm sure the book might be better especially if Frankie gave it 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Yeah I just didn't really feel it. I think Shia Lebuff (I spelled that wrong because I have no clue) was the main character but he was really young. Ah, that probably explains it. I'm not a fan of Shia Lebouf at all. In fact, the same ex that made me watch Holes took me to the movies to see the second Transformers movie. If I thought Holes was bad, it had nothing on T2. So maybe it was that particular actor who was putting me off in Holes too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 There was some random dude in my house the other day and my housemate introduced him as (phonetically) - Louise. I'm *guessing* it was Luiz or Luis, because I think he was South American. But it threw me for a minute! I thought I'd already covered all the L bases, but I should've known that the elusive name has even more spellings than that I've just stuck Sachar's name on my wishlist without any one title attached to it. Having read a few of them now, would you recommend a particular one to begin with? I couldn't really, because I loved all the books very much. If you're looking for a more mature book, then go with Holes, but if you're okay with reading about pre-teens, too, then I could say you can just take your wild pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I couldn't really, because I loved all the books very much. If you're looking for a more mature book, then go with Holes, but if you're okay with reading about pre-teens, too, then I could say you can just take your wild pick Cool, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) Cool, thanks No thanks are in order as I wasn't very helpful, was I, not giving you a specific title It's just that I've only read 3 books by Sachar but I can't imagine him writing a bad book! Edit: I suggest you go with the book whose synopsis/blurb you like the best, and you're good to go! Edited June 18, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hehe no you did help because I had already felt like I might want to go with There's a Boy etc and you didn't tell me to absolutely definitively NOT start with that, or *to* start with any other specific one, so I know my choice is fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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