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Janet's Reading 2012


Janet

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I enjoyed it too. I felt it a little long-winded in places and I enjoyed some bits more than others - I wasn't so keen on

the section about the Houyhnhnms

(although I didn't hate it) but I thought that some of the writing was really funny! It was quite... rude in places considering when it was written - it didn't offend my sensibilities what with it being the 21st century, but I would imagine it caused a bit of a stir in polite society in the early 18th century!

 

It's part of the 1001 Books challenge too so it's another one to tick off - even though I don't stand a hope in hell of getting near 1001 (or the 12?? of the combined lists) before I "pop my clogs"! :giggle2:

 

I've never seen a film version - I shall be looking out for one now! :)

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Might have to get this for the Kindle. I'm absolutely fascinated by the subject! Thank you for the heads up :)

You definitely should, specially as it's a freebie! I've started reading it and I'm finding it quite fascinating so far. :)

Got it!! I mean it was a freebie, so it would have been rude not to (or so I keep telling myself)!

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Happy reading in 2012, Janet! :friends3: You have some amazing and amazingly organized lists there on the first page, pretty! :)

 

Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum by Mark Stevens (K) - 5/5

 

This caught my eye and made me laugh. I realised that (K) is for Kindle book, but because it was in red, I associated it with fear, 'don't walk' sign and all negative such things, and because it's a 'K' I immediately thought it was an R-rated book. See, because R-rated is marked (K) in Finland :D Oh, I'm very off-topic here. I'm liking it how many people are downloading this on Kindle based on word of mouth on here, and I believe you are the original source. Kindle should present you with a few gift credits!

 

 

There are definitely more than one or two that I know I'll probably never pick up (unless I'm experiencing a very long, dark, tea-time of the soul.)

 

:D Clever! Although I hope that's not one of the books you never feel like picking up...?

 

Mistress Masham's Repose by T H White arrived this morning. I can't put my finger on why, but I find the book really tactile and I keep having to pick it up!

 

I had to google 'tactile'. I do hope my copy is the same as yours! :) (I'll be receiving mine tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, me thinks)

 

It does seem to be a popular resolution. Perhaps we should have a thread! Mind you, I'm not doing very well - I've already bought two books! One didn't cost me anything and the other was for the Reading Circle on here, so they don't count!

 

Well, you are after all the host so I suppose it doesn't count :D

 

 

That's true of cheese in my case. I can resist chocolate, but not that! (Or crisps!).

 

I love cabbage, but I wouldn't say it was a weakness!

 

I hope we never meet at the crisp or cabbage aisle, it might get ugly :giggle2:

 

I haven't read it yet, so I'm not really sure what it relates to, but a friend used that phrase to sum up a relationship in a Jane Austen book (I think it was Sense and Sensibility?) and it just amused me!

 

I'm happy VF asked you this because I've wondered about it too, and for a really long time! Yep, I thought of Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, as well.

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Happy reading in 2012, Janet! :friends3: You have some amazing and amazingly organized lists there on the first page, pretty!

Thanks, frankie. :) I love lists!

 

This caught my eye and made me laugh. I realised that (K) is for Kindle book, but because it was in red, I associated it with fear, 'don't walk' sign and all negative such things, and because it's a 'K' I immediately thought it was an R-rated book. See, because R-rated is marked (K) in Finland :D Oh, I'm very off-topic here. I'm liking it how many people are downloading this on Kindle based on word of mouth on here, and I believe you are the original source. Kindle should present you with a few gift credits!

Hehe - I'm not reading any dangerous books, so that's okay! :giggle2:

 

We have a strange system in the UK where U = Universal (suitable for all), 12A means you can go in under 12 if you have an adult with you, 12 means you have to be 12 and can't go in under that age even with an adult, and then 15 and 18 for those respective ages. Oh, and PG, which is parental guidance! I don't think I've come across an R Rating here though. :)

 

I think everyone I have mentioned the Broadmoor Revealed book to has gone on to enjoy it. Some more than others, of course, but I haven't heard a negative review yet. Gift credits would be good, although I'd feel a bit of a cheat seeing as I haven't actually paid for a Kindle book yet!

 

I had to google 'tactile'. I do hope my copy is the same as yours! :) (I'll be receiving mine tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, me thinks)

 

Well, you are after all the host so I suppose it doesn't count :D

I don't know what it is about it, but it just feels so lovely! I want to touch it - but never to lick it - that's a step too far for me! :giggle2: I'm sure it doesn't count!

 

I hope we never meet at the crisp or cabbage aisle, it might get ugly :giggle2:

Tell you what - you have the cabbage and I'll have the crisps! :P

 

I'm happy VF asked you this because I've wondered about it too, and for a really long time! Yep, I thought of Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, as well.

I really must bump this up my reading pile! I'm so torn between reading the hard copy I already have and reading it on the Kindle, but the Kindle edition costs... albeit only 77p. It just seems wrong to pay for something I already have!

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I finished A Rose for Winter by Laurie Lee today.

 

This book is about a trip round Spain that he made with his wife, known in this book as Kati, although she's also known as Kathy and Cathy in other writing!

 

It is about a trip he made 15 years after the one he wrote about in As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, (although it was published before this).

 

It's the third of his non-fiction books that I've read, having also read the classic Cider with Rosie as well as the one mentioned above. This was just as enjoyable as the other two. His writing is simply perfect and (as one would expect) so poetical. I can't wait to read some more of his works, including some of his poetry.

 

I loved it! :)

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We have a strange system in the UK where U = Universal (suitable for all), 12A means you can go in under 12 if you have an adult with you, 12 means you have to be 12 and can't go in under that age even with an adult, and then 15 and 18 for those respective ages. Oh, and PG, which is parental guidance! I don't think I've come across an R Rating here though.

 

A strange system indeed! I mean, universal, at least in my head, could and should be interpreted as 'in all countries'. And it would be kind of funny if the UK had the right to rule a movie or a tv series as 'watchable for everyone', all over the world. You'd have to be really careful about your U-rating :D

 

I think it's quirky that you have both 12A and 12. I don't think we have that in Finland? Hm, apparently the rating system is changing or has changed in the beginning of this year so I really don't know what the current situation is.

 

When you said you haven't come across with an R rating, I thought it must be an American thing, but as I was googling the Finnish age limits, I found that in Great-Britain you have R18, and that's the naughty stuff.

 

Oh but I've gone way off-topic, sorry! :(

 

I think everyone I have mentioned the Broadmoor Revealed book to has gone on to enjoy it. Some more than others, of course, but I haven't heard a negative review yet. Gift credits would be good, although I'd feel a bit of a cheat seeing as I haven't actually paid for a Kindle book yet!

 

I won't tell them if you won't :D

 

I don't know what it is about it, but it just feels so lovely! I want to touch it - but never to lick it - that's a step too far for me! I'm sure it doesn't count!

 

:D Yes, let's leave the licking to the pros!

I was quite upset when I found out yesterday that my RC copy won't be arriving as soon as I'd thought. I'd totally misread the delivery schedule :( If I'm really really lucky, I might get it this Friday. We don't get mail on the weekend so if not on Friday, then it's next week.

 

 

Tell you what - you have the cabbage and I'll have the crisps! :P

 

Cheeky!! Hmphg! I just hope there are enough different grocerystore for the both of us :giggle:

 

I really must bump this up my reading pile! I'm so torn between reading the hard copy I already have and reading it on the Kindle, but the Kindle edition costs... albeit only 77p. It just seems wrong to pay for something I already have!

 

77p. is nothing. And you've read the book before, right? So you already know you like it, so you know you're probably going to read it again later on in life. So having a Kindle copy wouldn't hurt.

 

Oh goodness me, this totally contradicts what I just wrote in your 2011 reading log about 15 minutes ago.

Edited by frankie
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A strange system indeed! I mean, universal, at least in my head, could and should be interpreted as 'in all countries'. And it would be kind of funny if the UK had the right to rule a movie or a tv series as 'watchable for everyone', all over the world. You'd have to be really careful about your U-rating

 

I think it's quirky that you have both 12A and 12. I don't think we have that in Finland? Hm, apparently the rating system is changing or has changed in the beginning of this year so I really don't know what the current situation is.

 

Oh but I've gone way off-topic, sorry! :(

The 12/12A situation came about when a film was released (I *think* it was the first Spiderman with Tobey McGuire, but I might have that fact wrong) with a 12 rating - but it was from something that countless under-12s had read and loved - so they added the 'A' to make it the responsibility of the parent to judge whether the film was suitable - that way, under-12s could see it, but only with a responsible adult. :)

 

No need to apologise for going O/T - it's all interesting stuff. :)

 

I won't tell them if you won't :D

Okay, deal! :D

 

:D Yes, let's leave the licking to the pros!

Definitely. There are more of them than I imagined...

 

I was quite upset when I found out yesterday that my RC copy won't be arriving as soon as I'd thought. I'd totally misread the delivery schedule :( If I'm really really lucky, I might get it this Friday. We don't get mail on the weekend so if not on Friday, then it's next week.

Oh, that's a shame. I do hope it arrives on Friday. Thankfully it's a quick read so hopefully you'll whizz through it.

 

77p. is nothing. And you've read the book before, right? So you already know you like it, so you know you're probably going to read it again later on in life. So having a Kindle copy wouldn't hurt.

 

Oh goodness me, this totally contradicts what I just wrote in your 2011 reading log about 15 minutes ago.

I'm ashamed to say I haven't read it! :blush: The only Jane Austen I've read so far is Pride and Prejudice. I got the DVD of the BBC adaptation about two years ago and wanted to read the book first. I've been meaning to read some more. I've just put Northanger Abbey on my Kindle as it was free, but Sense and Sensibility seems to be only available free of charge in Spanish! Olé!!

 

I'm feeling really guilty about my Kindle. I've had it a month today and I've only read two shortish books. I'm currently reading a paper copy as it was a gift, and my two previous reads were also in paper. I'm good at downloading to it, but not so good at reading from it.

 

I'm afraid I'm not hopelessly in love with it yet - but I hope that will come. :(

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The 12/12A situation came about when a film was released (I *think* it was the first Spiderman with Tobey McGuire, but I might have that fact wrong) with a 12 rating - but it was from something that countless under-12s had read and loved - so they added the 'A' to make it the responsibility of the parent to judge whether the film was suitable - that way, under-12s could see it, but only with a responsible adult.

 

Wow, that's a fairly new addition to the restrictions then.

 

Definitely. There are more of them than I imagined...

 

I know, it's weird isn't it. Before I joined the forum I only knew of lollie lickers. Now these book licking people are coming out of the closet left and right!

 

 

I'm ashamed to say I haven't read it! The only Jane Austen I've read so far is Pride and Prejudice. I got the DVD of the BBC adaptation about two years ago and wanted to read the book first. I've been meaning to read some more. I've just put Northanger Abbey on my Kindle as it was free, but Sense and Sensibility seems to be only available free of charge in Spanish! Olé!!

 

Olé! :D I guess you have to read your Spanigh dictionary first and take the language course. Then you're all set!

 

I'm so jealous, you have so many Austens to look forward to! They're all great, except for Mansfield Park which drives me nuts. It's a frustrating hair-puller! Yay for free Northanger Abbey, somehow it's made it's way on the top of the list of my Austen books.

 

I'm feeling really guilty about my Kindle. I've had it a month today and I've only read two shortish books. I'm currently reading a paper copy as it was a gift, and my two previous reads were also in paper. I'm good at downloading to it, but not so good at reading from it.

 

These things take time :empathy: You never know, in a year or two you'll look back on that post of yours and shake your head in disbelief and go 'was that me?' and then lick your Kindle for good measure.

:giggle2:

 

I've just finished The Twits by Roald Dahl. My first Dahl - I'm not sure whether this was a good place to start or not...!

 

Uh oh :( I'm sure the Dahl lovers will soon come and offer their opinions. I hope they can help and point you in the right direction and all that :)

 

Edit: Haha, there you go, one of them's been already alerted to the situation :D

Edited by frankie
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I'm sure the Dahl lovers will soon come and offer their opinions. I hope they can help and point you in the right direction and all that :)

 

Edit: Haha, there you go, one of them's been already alerted to the situation :D

 

Keep up, Frankie. :P

Edited by Kylie
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Does that mean you didn't enjoy it? I rather like The Twits, but it's aimed at younger children, I think, compared to books such as Matilda and The BFG.

I thought it was a good story, but it was very short. I have James and the Giant Peach, George's Marvellous Medicine and The BFG on my shelf.

 

I've seen the film of Matilda (I love it!) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I don't know how I got to my great age without reading him before!

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Wow, that's a fairly new addition to the restrictions then. I know, it's weird isn't it.

2002, apparently. :) I found the following on Wikipedia…

 

Conversely, in 2002, a few local authorities, apparently under pressure from distributors and cinema chains, ignored the BBFC's ruling that Spider-Man receive a 12 rating, and allowed children younger than 12 to see the film. However, the BBFC were already in the process of replacing the 12 rating with a new 12A, which allowed under-12s to see the film if accompanied by an adult, so shortly afterwards, Spider-Man was reclassified as 12A. The first 12A certificate awarded was for The Bourne Identity.

 

Before I joined the forum I only knew of lollie lickers. Now these book licking people are coming out of the closet left and right!

They are. I don’t think it’s catching..! :P

 

Olé! I guess you have to read your Spanigh dictionary first and take the language course. Then you're all set! I'm so jealous, you have so many Austens to look forward to! They're all great, except for Mansfield Park which drives me nuts. It's a frustrating hair-puller! Yay for free Northanger Abbey, somehow it's made it's way on the top of the list of my Austen books.

My daughter does Spanish at school – should get her to read it to me! Oh dear about Mansfield Park – it’s sitting on the shelf in front of me! I might put that one off for a bit longer!

 

These things take time :empathy: You never know, in a year or two you'll look back on that post of yours and shake your head in disbelief and go 'was that me?' and then lick your Kindle for good measure. :giggle2:

:giggle: I’d better make sure it’s not connected to the mains before I start licking it! I hope that I do bond with it – I’m sure Peter will start to notice I’m not using it much and it was so thoughtful of him to buy it for me.

 

Uh oh :( I'm sure the Dahl lovers will soon come and offer their opinions. I hope they can help and point you in the right direction and all that Edit: Haha, there you go, one of them's been already alerted to the situation :D

:giggle2: Yes, it didn’t take long, did it!

 

Keep up, Frankie. :P

:lol:

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I hated The Twits. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, George's Marvelous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach however, all classics.

I thought the storyline for The Twits was quite amusing. I thought initially it was a bad place to start, but maybe it was the best place as the others will (hopefully) be much better. :) I’ve had Danny, Champion of the World recommended to me and it’s in our local library so I might try that one next.

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I’d better make sure it’s not connected to the mains before I start licking it! I hope that I do bond with it – I’m sure Peter will start to notice I’m not using it much and it was so thoughtful of him to buy it for me.

Perhaps it will come into it's own on holiday and trips etc .. books can be a pain to pack .. deciding is always a problem and then there's the space issue (I can't believe I'm actively encouraging someone to use their Kindle .... whatever next?!) My sister got one for Christmas and she says she reads it at work when she's not busy .. it's a lot easier to hide than a book apparently :giggle2:

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Danny The Champion Of The World is a lovely book, with gentle humour and sweet story and great characters. It would be a great one to read Janet. :smile:

Thanks, Chrissy - I shall look forward to it. :)

 

Perhaps it will come into it's own on holiday and trips etc .. books can be a pain to pack .. deciding is always a problem and then there's the space issue (I can't believe I'm actively encouraging someone to use their Kindle .... whatever next?!) My sister got one for Christmas and she says she reads it at work when she's not busy .. it's a lot easier to hide than a book apparently :giggle2:

I'm sure you're right about going away. And it does fit nicely into my handbag (even in its case). :) Lol at your sister!

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I know I said I'm not a fan of RD, but I have to admit I did have a soft spot for The giraffe and the pelly and me, I'm not sure why really but I did like the fact that there were no awful characters in it, The Twits gives me the creeps!!

 

Something I didn't relise till this evening was that RD was one of the scriptwriters for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best films of all time!!! :drive1:

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I like Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl. I don't normally go in for short stories, but these were great. I read Completely Unexpected Tales, which was TotU and the sequel (can't remember the name of that one). Some of them are a bit creepy, but if you don't mind that, they're great to dip into.

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I know I said I'm not a fan of RD, but I have to admit I did have a soft spot for The giraffe and the pelly and me, I'm not sure why really but I did like the fact that there were no awful characters in it, The Twits gives me the creeps!!

 

Something I didn't relise till this evening was that RD was one of the scriptwriters for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the best films of all time!!! :drive1:

I love Chitty, Chitty... :D So much so that when we were first married and I had to work one day between Christmas and new year, my hubby taped it for me off the TV... over the top of our wedding video! Whoops!

 

I like Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl. I don't normally go in for short stories, but these were great. I read Completely Unexpected Tales, which was TotU and the sequel (can't remember the name of that one). Some of them are a bit creepy, but if you don't mind that, they're great to dip into.

Thanks for the recommendaton, Ruth. :) I've a feeling my parents used to have Tales of the Unexpected (or was it my uncle?).

 

I had no idea Dahl wrote so many books - although as people have mentioned them I realise I do know them (does that make sense?). The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me sounds funny! :lol:

 

Completely coincidentally I found a copy of Boy by Roald Dahl (his autobiography - part 1 of 2 I think) in a charity shop this morning for 50p so I snapped it up! :D

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