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Frankie reads 2017


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I'm sorry you didn't get on with The Evenings. I really didn't like The Evenings much either and only kept on reading because I had to read it for school. I'm sorry you didn't like it, but in a way I also like to have found someone who also didn't like it (if that makes sense!)

 

We were allowed a number of free book choices from a list. One of the 15? books I chose was this one, and I didn't feel like starting a whole new book so I persisted in reading it. To clarify: at my high school (vwo, highest level) we needed to read at least 15 literary works for Dutch class in years 4 - 6 (during the years 1 - 3 we had to read a couple of books, but they were allowed to be translated works and were also allowed to be meant for younger audiences), totaling up a certain amount of points. Each book was worth a certain amount of points depending on the length. Most were 3 or 4 points, an occasional book was 5 points, the medieval short ones were usually 1 or 2 points and novellas were 2 points too I believe. I can't remember how many points we needed in total but I seem to recall we needed at least 15 books and at least so many points (but I don't remember the amount). I picked The Evenings because it had got good reviews and because I already owned the book as it was part of a book package I got (with several Dutch literary works in it). It was also a requirement that at least 3 of the books you read for your 'list' were written before 1880. This was for the 'vwo' or highest high school education when I was a teenager. I don't know what it's like nowadays. I seem to recall that for the 'havo' (the education one level below the one I did) you needed at least 12 books. I don't know what it was like for the other level of education (the one most people do), as my school didn't have that one.

 

I hope you can find a nicer, more exciting book to read!

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Ah, so this exact book wasn't a mandatory read, I understand :)  I wish I could remember better which books we read and how they were chosen. That is, if we had any choice in the matter or if we just had to read whatever our teachers chose for us.

 

An odd occurance from Friday: I went to the bookshop to get a notebook for my book-related notes (I was originally going to write that sort of stuff in my BuJo, but then I thought I'd rather have a notebook just for books and related stuff, BuJo-style), I was tempted to get an LT1917 but thought it was a bit too much and I couldn't choose between the colors! (I think they had fewer options than last time I was there) Anyhow, I find a really nice fake leather, soft cover notebook, in blue! It's ruled, I would've preferred dotted, but it's okay. The paper is really nice and I thought I'd be writing on it with my pen, but I did an ink test and it doesn't bleed through, even though I thought it would! :smile2: If I want, I can write it in with markers, too. I've become really paper-conscious since starting a BuJo :D 

 

Anyhow, that's not the main point, I'm digressing. When I went in the shop, I saw people gathering around in small groups, and some were sitting down and facing this section where they usually keep their new English titles. That's the section I wanted to look up, and I felt really weird going there when it seemed everyone was facing me, as if they were waiting for something. I walked by as if I didn't notice and then noticed that there was actually three chairs on a podium there and noticed they'd put a table on it too and on the table was a copy of Lars Kepler's latest novel. Ahaaa! So Lars Kepler was going to appear! :D  And two minutes later, there 'the author' was: Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril

 

I've not read any Kepler novels, which annoyed me. I've been reading a Danish author called Jussi Adler-Olsen and I wished it could've been him instead, or Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt. I didn't want to stay for the interview in case there were going to be spoilers, and also I wanted to just find a notebook and go home, as it was getting late. I went upstairs but found out that they had speakerphones up there and I could hear the whole interview while browsing the notebooks! So annoying :D Maybe I was a bit hungry and easily annoyable :blush: 

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8. Pullopostia by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 

Amazon: Two boys, brothers, wake tied and bound in a boathouse by the sea. Their kidnapper has gone, but soon he will return. Their bonds are inescapable. But there is a bottle and tar to seal it. Paper and a splinter for writing; blood for ink. A message begging for help . . .

Her husband will not tell the truth: where he goes, what he does, how long he will be away. For days on end she waits and when he returns she must endure his wants, his moods, his threats. But enough is enough. She will find out the truth, no matter the cost to him - or to herself.

In Copenhagen's cold cases division Carl Mørck has received a bottle. It holds an old and decayed message, written in blood. It is a cry for help from two boys. Is it real? Who are they and why weren't they reported missing? Can they possibly still be alive?

 

Thoughts: This is the third novel in the Department Q -series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I've enjoyed the two previous novel and enjoyed this one, too. Mørck and his partner Assad are hilarious, and great together. I suspect in the future novels we'll learn more about Assad's past. The main case itself was interesting, but the minor case was a bit odd. I kept expecting to see how they would intertwine, but the end result wasn't quite what I was expecting. 

A decent Nordic crime series which I would recommend to anyone whose interested in the genre. Not my favorite, but I do really like the series and intend to read more :) 

 

4/5

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I'm glad you found a nice notebook :). I also have a notebook strictly for books (several by now..), I prefer to keep that separate from my BuJo.

 

It's nice an author appeared in your book shop, though it's a shame it wasn't an author you've read anything by. I hope the interview didn't spoil anything. Sometimes I find it hard to tell beforehand if an interview with an author (on a website or on YouTube, is where I see them) would spoil all their novels or all-but-their-newest or stuff like that.

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I'm glad you found a nice notebook :). I also have a notebook strictly for books (several by now..), I prefer to keep that separate from my BuJo.

I've also kept a notebook for bookish stuff in the past. I think I filled two notebooks in 2011-2014, but then when the second one was full, I couldn't find a similar notebook where I'd shopped before, so bought a different one, and I ended up hating the notebook. I didn't like the paper or the covers :(  So I stopped taking notes in it... After I started my BuJo, I've thought I should start writing bookish things down again :)  I'm totally in love with the new notebook, it's blue and the paper's so lovely! :) 

 

It's nice an author appeared in your book shop, though it's a shame it wasn't an author you've read anything by. I hope the interview didn't spoil anything. Sometimes I find it hard to tell beforehand if an interview with an author (on a website or on YouTube, is where I see them) would spoil all their novels or all-but-their-newest or stuff like that.

 

From what I couldn't block out, I don't think there were any spoilers. I tried to not listen to the whole thing. :)  I hear the books are good, I should read the first in the series at some point. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

9. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

 

Amazon: A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

 

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

 

 

 

Thoughts: According to my notes, it was Ruth's review of this book that made me add it to my wishlist! :smile2: 

 

 

For me, the book had a rather slow start. I wasn't too impressed by the way the detectives were working/not working, either

(mainly, I though it was such a cliche that the main detective whatshisname started having a thing for Kate vice versa.). 

I did, however enjoy the Welsh cottage life, I thought that bit of the novel was written really well. 

 

I didn't really expect the twist to shock me as much as reviews thought it would. But it did. I had to do a bit of re-reading for it to fully sink in. I thought the editor had f'd upped royally :D  But it was real and I had to adjust my mindset accordingly. I really liked what happened in the narrative from then on: we got to hear another, new voice. I thought that one was well executed. 

 

A really good thriller, and a very strong debut. (Although I thought the epilog was unnecessary and one certain thing made my eyes roll. Could've done without.)

 

 

 

4/5

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Glad you enjoyed it! Yup, the twist was brilliant. I had to go back and re-read some of it because I couldn't believe what I was reading. :lol: I can't remember the epilogue but I recall thinking that there was one twist too many at the end which spoiled an otherwise great read.

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Glad you enjoyed it! Yup, the twist was brilliant. I had to go back and re-read some of it because I couldn't believe what I was reading. :lol:

Yep :D I was like, whaaat.... how did they print this and not know that there was a mistake? It took me so long to get it right in my head, and after that I felt so betrayed :D Until I admitted that it was pretty clever :D

 

 

I can't remember the epilogue but I recall thinking that there was one twist too many at the end which spoiled an otherwise great read.

The epilog:

Jenna went walking on the beach again and saw a hint of the word Jennifer written in the sand. As if her ex was still alive and didn't die when he hit the water when he fell of the cliff. That bit I didn't like. It's the thing they always do in horror movies. The monster didn't die and might come back. :rolleyes: I don't like that.

 

 

And as for the other twists at the end:

I really liked how we got to see that Jenna had a reason why she didn't turn herself in but went into hiding. It was because of her ex. The next twist was that it was actually the ex that was driving! That one I never saw coming, either. However, the twist about the ex having had an affair with Anya, Jacob's Mom, was a bit too much. Or maybe not. I don't know, I'm still on the fence about that. I could've done without it. I could've done with the ex just driving over Jacob by accident. Anyhow, I was so glad to read Jenna didn't drive the car after all!

 

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On 31.3.2017 at 7:25 PM, bobblybear said:

 

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I think it was the ex having the affair with Anya that I thought was a bit much.

It's been a while since I read it though, so I can't remember exactly. :lol:

 

:D  It's one or the other! 

 

On 4.4.2017 at 5:41 PM, chaliepud said:

Finished Time and Time Again by Ben Elton, loved it, will definitely be reading more of his books! :)

 

I'm glad to hear it! :D I suspect, though, that you meant to post this in the Book Activity -thread, but I'm glad you posted here as well :D Coincidentally I'm also now reading a Ben Elton book. It's Popcorn, and it's a re-read, but I'm loving it. Suits my mood very well! 

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28 minutes ago, frankie said:

 

:D  It's one or the other! 

 

 

I'm glad to hear it! :D I suspect, though, that you meant to post this in the Book Activity -thread, but I'm glad you posted here as well :D Coincidentally I'm also now reading a Ben Elton book. It's Popcorn, and it's a re-read, but I'm loving it. Suits my mood very well! 

Hmm, yes, I did wonder where my post had got to! :D It was rather good though so very happy to spread the word! :)

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47 minutes ago, frankie said:

 

 

:D I take that to mean you'd recommend it then? :D

Definitely, I wasn't sure at the beginning as the story bounced backwards and forwards too much for my liking, but, once it settles it was brilliant.

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I've now read the synopsis and there's war and I also get the feeling that it's sci-fi? A dystopian novel, maybe? I wonder if it's a bit too out there for me. :unsure:   With Elton, I think I prefer his funny, satirical novels. 

 

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Yes, a bit sci-fi, though it doesn't feel like it when you are reading as it all seems so plausible. Simply Isaac Newton discovered a way that someone could go back in time and change historical events, and showed the outcome of doing so, it showed the ripple effect of each small action and was very absorbing. I haven't stopped thinking about it and as I said above it seemed so very plausible. 

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I guess it might be one of those books that seem hard reads, before one actually takes a chance with the book and starts reading it, finding it easy going :)  Makes me think of Replay! You've read it, right? 

 

I'll keep my eyes open for a copy of the book, in case there are any at the library :)  I've already reserved Chart Throb and Past Mortem from the library :blush::D

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5 hours ago, frankie said:

I guess it might be one of those books that seem hard reads, before one actually takes a chance with the book and starts reading it, finding it easy going :)  Makes me think of Replay! You've read it, right? 

 

I'll keep my eyes open for a copy of the book, in case there are any at the library :)  I've already reserved Chart Throb and Past Mortem from the library :blush::D

Yes, not too dissimilar to Replay, but I chose it due to its WWI references. 

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I popped in the Salvation Army's charity shop today, and got two books: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (the first novel of a very popular Swedish detective series) and Sense & Sensibility by Joanne Trollope. I've seen the copy of S&S at the shop many, many times, but it wasn't until I'd read P&P by Curtis Sittenfeld, that I felt tempted to read this one, too. 

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On 11.4.2017 at 9:43 PM, bookmonkey said:

I'll watch for your review of The Hypnotist.  I've been reading a lot of Scandinavian mystery/detective books lately.

 

Which ones, may I ask? :smile2:  It might be a while till I get to The Hypnotist. I have other detective books / thrillers to get to... Although then I might just ignore them and start with this. Who knows!

 

 

I went to a bookshop today after work. As it's my payday and I got the next four days off work (Easter holidays), I thought I'd see what sort of BuJo stuff they might have... I saw they'd put up a box of English paperbacks for sale, 5€ per book. That's not a big bargain in my opinion, but that particular bookshop chain never gets any cheaper than that, so ... I was sure there'd be boring titles only, and was happy to just browse and leave without buying anything. But then I found a copy of A Fortunate Age by Joanna Rakoff, which I added on my wishlist at the end of last year. And then I saw the copy of My Salinger Year by the same author! :exc: I had to buy those two :blush:  Didn't buy any BuJo stuff, so that was a small victory! 

 

Happy Easter to anyone who's celebrating and happy Thursday to all the rest :biggrin:

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I've read two books since the last book I reviewed on here. I haven't reviewed them so far because the first was a re-read and I don't review re-reads, and the second was a Finnish novel and I don't review those unless I know the book's been translated into English or I think it might be a future classic and might get translated into English. 

 

Ben Elton's Popcorn was a book I found at the library's book swap shelf and having really liked it the first time I read it, I thought I might like to read it again. A few months later, I re-read it. I'd forgotten what it was mostly about, although I did remember this one rather central 'scene' of the novel. I did enjoy it probably as much on my second reading as I did on my first reading. I've just borrowed Chart Throb by the same author from the library and I hope it to be equally good :smile: 

 

The other book I've read is by a Finnish author (Finnish-Swedish?), Stefan Nyman, and it's called Anna online. There's a bit of a background as to how I came to read this novel: 

 

About a year ago my Boss and I went to her friend's 'cocktail party' which she'd organized to celebrate her new office space, so to speak. When we mingled with the people, Boss met her old pal from her theater days, and his personal assistant / helper (a colleague!). They were a hoot, and Boss befriended the assistant on Facebook. Well. A few weeks ago the guy, let's call him V, announced on his FB page that he'd finally self-published the first book in his horror trilogy. :o We didn't know he was into writing! He mostly talked about movies when we met him... Boss immediately secured a copy of his book, and when she got the copy I leafed it through and thought I'd like to buy my own copy, to support a budding writer and to be able to read the book in my own time. 

 

Boss and I started to talk about how we didn't know any Finnish horror authors, and were quite perplexed by the fact. I took a look at the wikipedia page for Finnish horror authors and there were only about 10 names, of which we recognized only 1-2 names and we'd not read anything by them! I decided it was high time I read me some Finnish horror... I googled the authors and their titles and Stefan Nyman's Anna Online seemed like an easy choice for me: it's about a guy and a girl who meet up and start chatting online and then strange things start happening. When it was published, the book was rather frequently borrowed by the people frequenting the libraries... 

 

I didn't like the book at all :(  I didn't like the characters, I found the writing and the descriptions a bit forced and unimaginative, and the plot wasn't all that unusual, nor was the way in which the story was told. I gave it 1/5. 

 

Which means, I've yet to read a good Finnish horror novel. It's made me wonder, why can't Finnish people write good horror?!? 

 

I'm all the more eager to read the book by this V guy. I'm actually really jealous that he's written a book. I mean I'm happy for him, and I do want the book to be good. But I'm also just pure jealous :o 

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I would think the Finnish would excel at horror! Something to do with the landscape and the melancholy feeling I associate with nordic countries.

 

Also the music (my favourite metal band is Epica, which is Dutch, but Nightwish was my favourite for years and years and they're Finnish).

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