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Frankie reads 2017


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30. True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling 

 

From Harper CollinsVerity Love – Jane Austen fangirl and an introvert in a world of extroverts – is perfectly happy on her own (thank you very much), and her fictional boyfriend Peter is very useful for getting her out of unwanted social events. But when a case of mistaken identity forces her to introduce a perfect stranger as her boyfriend, Verity’s life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

 

Johnny could also use a fictional girlfriend. Against Verity’s better judgement, he persuades her to partner up for a summer season of weddings, big number birthdays and garden parties, with just one promise - not to fall in love with each other…

 

Thoughts: I read the first novel in the series earlier this year and gave it 3/5. I was looking forward to catching up with the characters, but was then disappointed when I found out that this second novel was focusing on another character and not the main protagonist of the former book. I felt the storyline was rather contrived and I couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for the main characters. A disappointment, I'm afraid :unsure:

 

1/5

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31. What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges 

 

From AmazonJust about everything in Endora, Iowa (pop. 1,091 and dwindling) is eating Gilbert Grape, a twenty-four-year-old grocery clerk who dreams only of leaving. His enormous mother, once the town sweetheart, has been eating nonstop ever since her husband's suicide, and the floor beneath her TV chair is threatening to cave in. Gilbert's long-suffering older sister, Amy, still mourns the death of Elvis, and his knockout younger sister has become hooked on makeup, boys, and Jesus -- in that order. But the biggest event on the horizon for all the Grapes is the eighteenth birthday of Gilbert's younger brother, Arnie, who is a living miracle just for having survived so long. As the Grapes gather in Endora, a mysterious beauty glides through town on a bicycle and rides circles around Gilbert, until he begins to see a new vision of his family and himself.... 

 

Thoughts: The movie is a classic, of course. I never knew it was based on a novel until I saw a copy of the book at the removed books section at my hometown's library. 

 

Even though I enjoyed reading the book and I thought it was well written, I think I benefited from having watched the movie. I don't know if the characters would've come so much alive for me, had I not based them on the movie. I think the movie might be better in this case, actually. Not that I didn't like reading the book, though! The movie was fairly loyal to the book, so there were no great surprises. I think the girl in the book was a bit more annoying than in the movie. She seemed to have more depth in the movie, and she didn't come off as such a know-it-all. 
 

I loved how Hedges portrayed the relationship between Gilbert and his older sister Amy. I found their conversations and dealings quite moving. :wub:

 

4/5

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32. Bad Move by Linwood Barclay 

 

From Amazon: In the too-quiet town of Oakwood, only the lucky die of boredom…and new homeowner Zack Walker isn’t feeling lucky. Whoever said the burbs were boring will think twice after reading Linwood Barclay’s hilarious debut mystery, in which Dad learns the hard way that he doesn’t always know best. [...]

 

Thoughts: There was more to the Amazon synopsis but when I was reading it, it gave away a lot of events from the book, so I cut it short. 

 

I've been reading Barclay's novels for years now, but it wasn't until now that I had a chance to read his very first novel, which is the first book in the Zack Walker series. I had heard the ZW books were more fun - because of the quirky main character - than Barclay's stand alones and so I was eager to read the first one. 

 

I failed to see the hugely funny side of Zack Walker, but he did make me laugh a couple of times. The plot wasn't quite as thrilling as in the stand alones, either. In any case, it was still a very readable and entertaining novel and I plan to read the rest of the books in the series. Although I will say that I will prefer to go back to the stand alones, whenever Barclay will publish a new one :smile2:

 

3/5

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The Finnish book forum I've been talking about is Jane Austen related. That means that the two women who put the forum together are both fans and they bonded over books and Jane Austen. I knew, when joining the forum, that it was a Jane Austen related forum but that it was also a forum about other books and TV series and movies. No one's required to have read one or any of the Austen novels. An open mind is the only prerequisite. So I was comfortable going in, having read my Austens but not being a huge fan girl. 

 

I do like Austen, but it's more of a matter of the books being written at a certain time and in a certain kind of English, and it requires more from me to get into that certain mood to read that type of English. I'm sure you know what I mean. 

 

After the meeting, I've felt like I should re-read all of the Austens. :unsure: There were people who loved the Fanny Price book, and I couldn't get my head around it! I thought, maybe I've missed something....?? But I should really trust my own tastes. 

 

Be that as it may, I'm now wondering if I should go Austen all the way. 

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16 hours ago, frankie said:

It was so stressing! My salary isn't all that great to begin with, and it took them 5 long weeks to come to their decision which was faulty and then I had to correct them. 5 weeks I was waiting for the rest of my salary and then I got a letter saying I wasn't going to get it! Fortunately when I wrote back to them and complained, they came to their 'new decision' very quickly and I got the rest of my salary the next week. 

 

I've also gotten my deposit back from the previous apartment and everything's now in order and there's nothing more to do on that front or on any other front. I can finally relax in my new apartment, knowing that everything's been sorted out now!! :smile2:

 

I'm glad you can finally relax :friends3:.

 

16 hours ago, frankie said:

Oh yeah :D:D  But I feel like I can, now that I have the space :blush:  But I need to stop buying more now :D  I've splurged, but it's time to de-splurge :D

 

Haha, that makes sense :).

 

16 hours ago, frankie said:

Meryl Streep is one of my favorite actors :wub: I also like Amy Adams. I'm not all too sure I'll like the book, because I'm not personally all that interested in reading about cooking... :unsure: But it was a cheap book and I thought why not. :D I hope we shall enjoy it!

 

I really like Meryl Streep and Amy Adams too :). I hope so too :).

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10 hours ago, Alexander the Great said:

I'm also happy that you're back! It was odd for a while here, when both you and Athena were "gone" for a bit :( 

 

I'll try to let you know in advance next time I go on a holiday (through a PM) :). I'm sorry if I made you worry :(.

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12 hours ago, Athena said:

 

I'll try to let you know in advance next time I go on a holiday (through a PM) :). I'm sorry if I made you worry :(.

 

That would be really nice. I was a bit worried, but I don't want to go and tell other people to let me know they'll be away or something like that, I don't want anyone to feel like they have to justify themselves to me. As you've probably gathered, I just need a kind of structure and I was worried maybe something terrible had happened. So I'm really very glad you're back, and also sorry for being this way!

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11 hours ago, Alexander the Great said:

That would be really nice. I was a bit worried, but I don't want to go and tell other people to let me know they'll be away or something like that, I don't want anyone to feel like they have to justify themselves to me. As you've probably gathered, I just need a kind of structure and I was worried maybe something terrible had happened. So I'm really very glad you're back, and also sorry for being this way!

 

It's okay, I would worry too if you didn't show up on the forum for a week! I'll try to let you know next time :).

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On 10/28/2017 at 5:27 PM, frankie said:

What with finally having my own bookcases and space for books, and wanting to relieve some stress by doing a bit of book shopping at secondhand bookshops and charityshops, and going to the annual book fair, I've somehow managed to acquire the following books this month. 
 

40. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

41. Little Friend by Donna Tartt 

 

58. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

 

 

I have the first two on my Kindle desperately waiting to be read (along with about 400 others :lol:). A work colleague had Emotional Intelligence on his desk and I skimmed through it; it seemed pretty interesting, full of real-life examples which is what I prefer. I tried reading The Little Friend years ago but couldn't get into it. I still plan to give it another go at some point, because I loved The Secret History and Goldfinch so much.

 

For some reason I thought you had already read She's Come Undone? I thought we 'talked' about it a few years ago, but I could be mistaken! 

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On 29.10.2017 at 11:13 PM, Alexander the Great said:

 

I'm also happy that you're back! It was odd for a while here, when both you and Athena were "gone" for a bit :( 

 

On 30.10.2017 at 9:57 PM, Alexander the Great said:

 

That would be really nice. I was a bit worried, but I don't want to go and tell other people to let me know they'll be away or something like that, I don't want anyone to feel like they have to justify themselves to me. As you've probably gathered, I just need a kind of structure and I was worried maybe something terrible had happened. So I'm really very glad you're back, and also sorry for being this way!

 

I'm sorry I made you feel worried! And don't apologize for being the way you are! These days I'm here rather irregularly. I used to be more on here but then work got in the way ( :rolleyes::D ) and then there was the move and stuff. I'm very irregular in many ways these days, the only constant is work. 

 

Back when I was with my (now ex) boyfriend, I told him that if something happened to me, he should tell Kylie and Kylie could then let people on here know what was what. Sadly I don't have said boyfriend anymore :D  Should anything happen to me, I think somebody would be smart enough to say something on my FB feed and then someone would 'leak' it on BCF. But don't worry, I've never even broken a bone before! I'm boring that way :D   In Finnish we have this saying, "What could kill a bad one?" :D

 

2 hours ago, bobblybear said:

 

I have the first two on my Kindle desperately waiting to be read (along with about 400 others :lol:). A work colleague had Emotional Intelligence on his desk and I skimmed through it; it seemed pretty interesting, full of real-life examples which is what I prefer. I tried reading The Little Friend years ago but couldn't get into it. I still plan to give it another go at some point, because I loved The Secret History and Goldfinch so much.

 

I've skimmed through EI myself and it seems really interesting! I like reading real-life examples as well. 

 

I've also tried reading TLF a few times but couldn't get too far with it. I think it's going to be a disappointment, but I'm still determined to read it at some point!

 

2 hours ago, bobblybear said:

 

For some reason I thought you had already read She's Come Undone? I thought we 'talked' about it a few years ago, but I could be mistaken! 

 

You are absolutely correct, I have read the book and we did discuss it :D  When I found a cheap copy of the book at the book fair I had to buy it because I want to re-read the book at some point! :D   I have very fond memories of the novel :D

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  • 1 month later...

Hello hello!

 

Just to quickly let you know, I'm a-okay! I've been AWOL because I had/have problems with my neck and shoulder and I've been avoiding the computer to a certain extent (I've seen a doctor and a physiotherapist and I'm on the mend). My reading's really suffered lately too, although not because of my neck. Work has been boring and annoying and after the holidays I'll be looking for a new job. 

So neck and work are bothering me, and reading's going awfully, but otherwise life is pretty good. 5 more days of work and then I'm off to my hometown! Sauna!!! :smile2: Oh how I've missed you, my beloved sauna! 

 

I hope everyone's doing well! :smile2: I only had a quick glance, but I didn't see any new reading logs for 2018 put up?

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Yep, I have exercises to do, and I'm also being way more careful about how I do stuff at work - I need to keep a good posture! I'm also not walking around with my hands in my pockets like I used to - apparently that's no good either! 

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Nice to hear from you again, Frankie! I'm glad you're okay. I'm sorry to hear your neck and shoulder have been bothering you and that your work isn't that enjoyable and that your reading isn't going well. I wish you lots of fun in your hometown :)! I hope you have a great time there :).

 

15 hours ago, frankie said:

I hope everyone's doing well! :smile2: I only had a quick glance, but I didn't see any new reading logs for 2018 put up?

 

I don't think anyone's started to set theirs up yet (that I've noticed). I was planning to put mine up a little while after Christmas. I look forward to see all the new logs! It's one of my favourite times on the forum, when many people make a new log.

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On 17.12.2017 at 2:33 PM, Athena said:

Nice to hear from you again, Frankie! I'm glad you're okay. I'm sorry to hear your neck and shoulder have been bothering you and that your work isn't that enjoyable and that your reading isn't going well. I wish you lots of fun in your hometown :)! I hope you have a great time there :).

 

I can't wait to get there! Work was a pain this week and today especially, but now I'm on my holiday :exc::D   I really need a break! 

 

I hope you have a lovely Christmas, Athena! :smile2:

 

On 17.12.2017 at 2:33 PM, Athena said:

 

 

I don't think anyone's started to set theirs up yet (that I've noticed). I was planning to put mine up a little while after Christmas. I look forward to see all the new logs! It's one of my favourite times on the forum, when many people make a new log.

 

I've seen you put up yours! :D I've not had a chance to take a thorough look yet, though. 

 

On 17.12.2017 at 5:58 PM, Madeleine said:

Hope you feel better soon Frankie, that's what happens when you spend most of your days at a computer ( from a fellow user)!  Make sure you take plenty of breaks.

 

I've now been better for a while! :)  I still need to continue with my exercises and all, though. But I don't mind!

 

 

In other news, I'll be going home for the holidays and I don't expect to be on here that much. I plan to stay offline as much as possible! I wish everyone happy holidays! :smile2::kiss:

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Just now, frankie said:

I can't wait to get there! Work was a pain this week and today especially, but now I'm on my holiday :exc::D   I really need a break! 

I hope you have a lovely Christmas, Athena! :smile2:

 

I hope you have a lovely Christmas too, Frankie :)!

 

Just now, frankie said:

I've seen you put up yours! :D I've not had a chance to take a thorough look yet, though. 

 

So far it's pretty similar to last year, but I've been thinking about adding some things that I've been working on :). I look forward to see yours when you make it after the holidays :).

 

Just now, frankie said:

In other news, I'll be going home for the holidays and I don't expect to be on here that much. I plan to stay offline as much as possible! I wish everyone happy holidays! :smile2::kiss:

 

I hope you have a lovely time and very happy holidays :kiss:!!

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  • 1 month later...
On 22.12.2017 at 7:10 PM, Athena said:

 

I hope you have a lovely Christmas too, Frankie :)!

 

 

So far it's pretty similar to last year, but I've been thinking about adding some things that I've been working on :). I look forward to see yours when you make it after the holidays :).

 

 

I hope you have a lovely time and very happy holidays :kiss:!!

 

Sorry Athena, I've somehow missed your post!  

I did have a lovely Christmas, it was really nice to go home and just relax and see relatives and friends and be home with my parents. Time went by really fast, I wish it had been a longer holiday! 

I had a really crappy reading year in 2017. Towards the end of it I didn't do much reading at all. I read only 35 books!!! I haven't read such a small number of books since 2006! I didn't manage to write reviews for the last two books I read. I didn't read any 5/5 books! 

2018 has to be better! :readingtwo::readingtwo::alc:

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13 hours ago, frankie said:

Sorry Athena, I've somehow missed your post!  

 

It's okay, that can happen :friends3:.

 

13 hours ago, frankie said:

I did have a lovely Christmas, it was really nice to go home and just relax and see relatives and friends and be home with my parents. Time went by really fast, I wish it had been a longer holiday! 

 

I'm glad you had a good time with your family :).

 

13 hours ago, frankie said:

I had a really crappy reading year in 2017. Towards the end of it I didn't do much reading at all. I read only 35 books!!! I haven't read such a small number of books since 2006! I didn't manage to write reviews for the last two books I read. I didn't read any 5/5 books! 

2018 has to be better! :readingtwo::readingtwo::alc:

 

Wow, no 5/5 books :(. I really hope 2018 will be a much better reading year for you!!

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2 hours ago, Athena said:

 

It's okay, that can happen :friends3:.

 

Thanks! I've been missing in action! :(  I hope to be more around on the forum this year!! 

 

2 hours ago, Athena said:

 

Wow, no 5/5 books :(. I really hope 2018 will be a much better reading year for you!!

 

It can't be worse than last year, it just can't! :D

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22 hours ago, Athena said:

 

I hope you will be, I always enjoy seeing you around the forum and talking with you :).

 

Aww thanks! :smile2:   :hug:  I enjoy talking to you, too, and all you lot!  Being in a reading slump made me grumpy and I guess it made me envy all you others who kept reading away and I got tired of being grumpy and I didn't want to come on here because I felt I had nothing to give to them forum. Well it was partly that and partly me being busy with a thing. 

 

However, I feel like I've gotten out of a real-life slump and it's been so much fun being on here for the past few days! I feel rejuvenated! :D   I still have a lot of threads to go through, especially new reading logs, but I'm looking forward to them! :smile2:

 

1 hour ago, Madeleine said:

35 isn't a bad total, so don't fret.  Good luck this year!

 

Do you know what? You are absolutely right. I was just caught up on the number of books I used to read per year, and so 35 seemed like a small number. And it is a small number if I compare it to other years, but I shouldn't always compare things so much! I get so caught up on old stuff. I should just concentrate on NOW. And what literary gems I will find this year! :D  :readingtwo:   Thanks Madeleine for your wise words! 

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