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#43. Britt-Marie kävi täällä by Fredrik Backman

 

This book hasn't been translated into English (as of yet, at least), but the title means Britt-Marie Was Here. Backman's earlier novel which I loved has been translated into English, though, and one other novel, too, so I hope this novel will also be available in English in the near future. Because it's just that good!

 

Synopsis thingy: There's Britt-Marie, who's a bit of a female curmudgeon in a way, and she's a bit like an older, female version of Don Tillman, but without the 'adorability'. She seems to have a bee in her bonnet about just about everything and cleaning is the most important thing to her. She's leaving her husband of 40 years when she finds out he's been unfaithful, and ends up in a small village called Borg which hasn't quite survived the depression and where you only have a pizza restaurant and a football team for the young 'uns. 

 

Thoughts thingy: I'm no fan of football, but I like books about somewhat older people and people moving to smaller villages. I had a feeling I'd not like Britt-Marie, though, because she seemed to have something stiff up her backside... But I was expecting a funny read nonetheless, because that's what Fredrik Backman is really good at. And I have to give it to him, he tells a good story, and there was much more to it and Britt-Marie than I gave him credit for! I loved how the reader gets to know Britt-Marie's background little by little. And what the small village does to her, and what she does to the small village. 

 

Such an endearing, funny read :wub: Just the perfect thing. Although I didn't really expect anything else from Backman: he has talent. I'm totally going to read everything he's ever written and will write in the future, as soon as I can get my hands on the books. He's somewhat 'new' so not everything's been translated into Finnish/English yet. 

 

Recommended! (Oh and as the English speakers on here can't read this in English yet... you can read A Man Called Ove while you wait! :smile2:

 

5/5

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#40. The Man Who Watched Women by Michael Hjorth & Hans Rosenfeldt 

 

Amazon: As a heatwave blazes in Stockholm, a series of women are found brutally murdered and the Criminal Investigation Department is getting nowhere. The murders bear all the hallmarks of Edward Hinde, the serial killer jailed by psychological profiler Sebastian Bergman fifteen years earlier.

 

Sebastian desperately needs some order in his chaotic life. [Omitted a few spoilers]

 

 

Thoughts: I recently read the first book in this series, Dark Secrets. What I liked most about that book was how we were introduced to the Criminal Investigation Department people and how we got to learn about their personal lives, too. The actual case wasn't that fascinating in my opinion, but the writing was decent enough and after finishing the novel, I kept going back to the CID people, wondering what happened to them afterwards. So I had to then borrow the sequel so I could read more about them. 

 

The sequel was darn good :o The best thriller I've read in a while. The case was really, really interesting, and this time it got more personal. Some of the main characters that we didn't get to learn in the previous novel that well were more prominent, in that we got to know more of them in this novel, and it tickled my fancy! 

 

I'm really getting attached to this lot and I've already started reading the third novel in the series. And what's more, I just learned that they've made a TV series of the book(s) or at least the characters! Just when I was beginning to think that these novels would make great TV... :lol: The series is called Sebastian Bergman, and this is from Amazon: Accomplished screenwriters and producers Hjorth and Rosenfeldt stormed the bestseller lists with the publication of SEBASTIAN BERGMAN in their native Sweden in 2010. Rosenfeldt is the creator of the hit BBC4 series THE BRIDGE, and both authors contributed to the screenplay for the original Swedish series of WALLANDER.

 

 

5/5

 

Thanks for the heads-up ; I`ve seen the two Sebastian Bergman TV movies and had no idea they were adapted from books, so I`ll take a looksie at those. :D 

 

Sorry to see that you have to move house ; fingers crossed you find somewhere lovely.   :smile:

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Thanks for the heads-up ; I`ve seen the two Sebastian Bergman TV movies and had no idea they were adapted from books, so I`ll take a looksie at those. :D

 

I didn't know there were TV movies as well? I'm so behind with things, I've only just discovered the book series :D I hope you will like the books if you ever decide to read them :) 

 

 

Sorry to see that you have to move house ; fingers crossed you find somewhere lovely.   :smile:

 

Thanks! All fingers crossed are welcome :D 

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I'm glad you enjoyed Britt-Marie kävi täällä! Apparently my library has both A Man Called Ove in Dutch (Een man die Ove heet) and one that's translated from Mormor hälsar och säger förlåt. (in Dutch Oma heeft me gestuurd om te zeggen dat het haar spijt). I might have to look one of them up in the library some time.

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I didn't know there were TV movies as well? I'm so behind with things, I've only just discovered the book series :D I hope you will like the books if you ever decide to read them :)

 

Erm, I don`t know now if they were TV movies or long episodes ; anyway, they`re the ones with Rolf Thingysson, so I think we`re talking about the same ones.  :smile:

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#42. Disclaimer by Renee Knight

 

Blurb/book jacket: Imagine coming across yourself in a novel. A novel that exposes your darkest secret. A secret you thought nobody knew... 

 

"Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."

 

The disclaimer has a neat, red line through it. A message she failed to notice when she opened the book. There is no mistaking the resemblance to her. She is a key character, a main player. 

 

- 'A searing story that resonates long after the final page. The best thriller I've read this year.' Rosamund Lupton

 

 

Thoughts: I came across this book in the new acquired books list on the library's website. The book cover caught my attention and I read the synopsis on Amazon and placed a reservation. I had rather high hopes for the novel, even before I saw Lupton's words and read the 'If you loved The Girl on the Train' you'll love this' -sticker on the front. (I haven't read that book yet but it's on my wishlist, I know many people on here have read it and loved it.)

 

I've been struggling with my mojo a bit lately, and I haven't been able to read in English very much in the past few months. I was afraid I couldn't get into this novel, either, but I did. I was hooked right from the start. And even though my mojo was playing tricks on me while reading the book and I had to sometimes read the last 20 pages again to remember where I was, I was still mesmerized by the story. The story and how it's unfolding is constructed perfectly. Things unravel little by little. I usually have to like a few characters in a novel to enjoy it to its full potential, but not with this book. I don't think I liked any of the characters. Everyone seemed to have their shortcomings. But that didn't really matter. 

 

It was such a sinister read, but so rewarding. So much better than I expected! I honestly thought that Lupton might've been just paid to praise the novel and that it can't be that good, but it really was :blush: This is a brilliantly crafted debut and I would recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers :yes:

 

5/5

  

Dammit, another one to add to the wishlist. :doh::lol:

My exact reaction :giggle2:

 

Sorry about your flat woes Frankie :( Sounds like you're doing really well in Espoo generally though which is awesome :)

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Erm, I don`t know now if they were TV movies or long episodes ; anyway, they`re the ones with Rolf Thingysson, so I think we`re talking about the same ones.  :smile:

 

Ah, okay. I'm sure we're talking about the same things and they are just long episodes made into movies. I can't see them doing both in such a short time! :) 

 

  

My exact reaction :giggle2:

 

Sorry about your flat woes Frankie :( Sounds like you're doing really well in Espoo generally though which is awesome :)

 

Glad to have made another person add something to their wishlist based on my review, usually I'm the one whose wishlist is getting ever so long and unmanageable because of all of yall's reviews :D

 

I'm enjoying my life in Espoo, yes. It's sad that it might be coming to an end. I'm not interested in Helsinki but I might a flat there a bit easier than in Espoo. Or then I might find a flat in the western parts of Espoo which is a longer way from Helsinki and my friends, which wouldn't be ideal, either. I've gotten way too comfortable in this particular neighborhood and I've had it a bit too easy what with the train station so close and easy access to all parts of Espoo and Helsinki, and the big shopping mall a block away :blush: But as long as I'll find an apartment soon, I'll make do. I'll have to look at things positively, otherwise ... is no good :D 

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I'm so behind on my reading... I was so looking forward to reading The Girl on the Train, but I had a friend visiting on Saturday and then I went to a bar and was too tired to read on Sunday. Yesterday I went to Helsinki to doggy sit for a friend. I was keeping company for a chihuahua and a jackrussell terrier. Good times! :smile2: Although friend's laptop was a Mac so I had a difficult time operating it, and the internet was sooo slow... :unsure: And whenever I tried to read my book, the dogs wanted to start playing all of a sudden :D I've just come home today. 

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I'm sorry to hear about your flat, Sari (I'm sorry, and embarrassed that I've only just read about it - I'm so behind with the forum  :blush: ).  I do hope you find somewhere soon.   

 

I've also added Disclaimer to my Wish List!  :yes:

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Don't worry Jänet, I know you've not been on here that much lately, for different reasons! :smile2: I've seen your pics on FB re: the concert and I've just read your post on the Live Music thread and I'm so thrilled for you, even if in hindsight :D 

 

I hope you shall like Disclaimer when you get to it! :) 

 

On another note: I think I'm off to bed. I really want to start reading The Girl on the Train again! :smile2:  :readingtwo:

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I started reading The Girl on the Train from the start, because I was afraid I might have forgotten some stuff, having started it so long ago. So I read about 100 pages altogether last night in bed, going further than where I'd left off the last time. Funny and weird thing is, that when I woke up in the middle of the night to powder my nose, I remembered that I'd had a dream about the book and I'd been in the train, and I was so mad that I'd woken up in the middle of the dream because it was a pleasant dream!!  :10_confused:  :lol:

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I woke up in the middle of the night to powder my nose

 

Is that a euphemism or do you often apply makeup in the middle of the night? :giggle2:

 

On another note, I hate being woken up during a pleasant dream!  :banghead:

 

 

Ooh, I have a question for you. As you know, I'm reading The Winter Queen, and there's a Finnish-related joke that I don't get. I'm not sure if something has been lost in translation or whether you can help me. The person behind the counter at a post office is sort of describing his day. It says he 'handed over a package from Revel to an elderly Finnish woman with the amusing name of Pyrvu'. Does that name have a funny meaning in Finnish? Or do you think it's supposed to be funny if translated to Russian?

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Is that a euphemism or do you often apply makeup in the middle of the night? :giggle2:

 The latter, of course! :o I'm so vain :drama::D

 

On another note, I hate being woken up during a pleasant dream!  :banghead:

Me, too!! It's sooooo annoying. Pleasant dreams are so much better than the waking hours, some times :(:D (What the point of my post was, though, was that how could it be a pleasant dream if it was the same sort of train situation as in the novel :D )

 

Ooh, I have a question for you. As you know, I'm reading The Winter Queen, and there's a Finnish-related joke that I don't get. I'm not sure if something has been lost in translation or whether you can help me. The person behind the counter at a post office is sort of describing his day. It says he 'handed over a package from Revel to an elderly Finnish woman with the amusing name of Pyrvu'. Does that name have a funny meaning in Finnish? Or do you think it's supposed to be funny if translated to Russian?

 

Pyrvu means nothing in Finnish. How would you pronounce 'pyrvu'? Do you think it might make you think of 'pervy', for example? My copy was a Finnish translation, you see. The name might've been something else in Finnish. Something that sounds like the Finnish word for 'pervy', and the original Russian name might've been something that sounds like pervy in Russian :shrug: This is my guess. I have no recollection of that bit, and I'm afraid my copy is probably in Nurmes :( I'm getting curious, though... :D 

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#44. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

 

From the book jacket: Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. 

 

And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. [...]

 

 

Thoughts: I added the book to my wishlist after reading poppyshake's review on it, so thanks for that!  :flowers2:   I know that a lot of people have read the novel since then and the book's become one of those forum favorites, it seems :smile2: 

 

I recently read Disclaimer by Renée Knight and on the back cover Rosamund Lupton compaired the novel to Hawkins's The Girl on the Train. I loved Disclaimer, and quite coincidentally the next time I visited the library, a reserved book had arrived for me and it was, yes oh yes, The Girl on the Train. :smile2: I knew I had to get into it ASAP. 

 

I've had a few busy/stressful weeks and I couldn't read the book as quickly as I wanted, and without as many distractions. At one point I had to go and start the book all over again and if that happens, it's usually a bad sign and will lead to me resenting the book for it :blush: Fortunately that didn't happen this time. I loved how the book was constructed: different narrators, different timelines. Sometimes that can be a bit confusing but not this time, by any means. Everything unraveled at a perfect pace and so skillfully. 

 

I could really relate to Rachel, too, which was a bit harrowing... I'm not as big of a mess as she was, but I'm currently sharing a flat with another person and it's been stressful in the past few months. I could totally get what Rachel felt about her living conditions. I liked how she was so drawn to the lives of the train track people, the couple she was watching... I like watching people and the scenery when I'm on trains and I find it sad that so many people are only paying attention to their cellphones in trains. 

 

How can I let go of Rachel now :( She feels like she's been my fair bad-weather friend for a few weeks. I will miss her. 

 

A great psychological thriller and recommended to those who love reading them! :smile2: 

 

5/5

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I'm so glad you enjoyed The Girl On The Train! I very much felt the same, I could really relate to Rachel, she was a very well-written character :)

 

Yeah she was :yes: And I loved to hate Anna. She was so ... annoying! :thud:

 

I was just on Imgur to catch my daily laughs and came by this by accident and thought it was fitting to post :D 

 

The Girl, Going on the Train for the First Time :D

 

 

Adorable!!! :wub: 

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A bit of off-topic, but need to vent... My flatmate's moving out today and it makes me so, so happy. We got along great at first and I still think she's mostly nice, but she's been very inconsiderate for the past few months. She doesn't clean after herself. She's been really messy. She goes to the gym at 8 PM, comes home at 11 PM and then starts cooking and showering and whatnot, and I've been using earplugs so I can sleep for the past two months. She's also brought over guys to sleep with and they've been noisy, some more than others, some a bit less. She's gone to sauna in the middle of the bloody night with a guy, even though I've told her the shower alone makes a lot of noise as it's right next to my wall. I've told her to clean after herself and to be quiet but no... 

 

I'm so happy she's moving out. She now has some friend over and they've been hauling her stuff out. It hasn't gone all smoothly... I could hear a neighbor complain about them using the elevator. I heard it in my room. Apparently the girls have put something in between the elevator doors so they won't close, and they've been hauling bags into the elevator as soon as they've managed to carry them. They've not kept any hurry though, and so I fully understand why the neighbor complained... They have no common sense :rolleyes: The way a normal considerate person would do it would be to haul an elevator-full-load to the corridor, in front of the elevator, and then start putting the stuff in the elevator to take them down. But no... I'm sure that's too much to ask from flatmate. 

 

Only a few more hours of her and then I will never see her again :exc: 

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Oh dear, definitely a time to bite your tongue and wait for it to be over!

 

Yep :D I actually opted for staying in my room to wait till they were gone. Unless I got too hungry or needed the loo.... Managed! :D Flatmate's now gone, thank goodness! I'm going to take deep breaths...

 

Of course this means that landlord is now here with the family and they are renovating ex flatmate's room (I love to say ex flatmate :devcat:) and they are sorting things out and stuff and so there's a lot of commotion and I won't probably have a moment to myself till late in the evening... I need to keep holding onto the idea that they'll be gone by the weekend and then I will have a week to myself. 

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Ugh, your EX flatmate sounds like a nightmare. I'm such a quiet, tidy person and I can't stand noise or mess. My housemates are pretty okay a lot of the time but they can be exceptionally noisy (in various regards - they're a couple, and my room is next to theirs) and the MESS most of the time in the living room and kitchen - I spend all my time in my room, and it's no wonder when there's hardly space on the counter for me to prepare food most days. But I do love my little room, and they leave me in peace/tolerate my introvert ways, so I'm pretty happy.

 

I'm delighted for you that you're free of your flatmate!

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I'm the same, I'm also tidy (at least compared to ex flatmate) and rather quiet, and stay to my room most of the time. I always tried to take flatmate into consideration in that in the mornings when I woke up and she was sleeping, I would be as quiet as I could. And if I would have ever had anyone over for the night (like a friend), I would've made sure that we were talking in quiet tones and not bother flatmate. Obviously she didn't return the favor.. :rolleyes: 

 

I'm really happy to hear though that you love your room and don't mind spending time in it :smile2: And that the flatmates understand your introvert'ism: it's such a bother when some people don't understand how one likes to keep to oneself. My previous roommate actually barged in without knocking once, when my door was closed. The nerve! And she would always shout through the door, about whatever came to her mind. Like I really gave a flying duck! :rolleyes: 

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Wow.  Just wow!  Glad the flatmate from hell is gone!  Just catching up a bit on your thread, and you have my complete sympathy! 

 

Do you know yet where you'll be moving to?  I'm sorry if you've posted way back that you have.....I didn't see it.  :blush2:

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