frankie
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Posts posted by frankie
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I've only just come to the thread and see there's a fight about MP and I have no idea what's happened on the previous page for you guys to get to this point
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(Oh and is Darrell a normal girl's name? I'm sorry if this is politically incorrect, but when I hear the name, I think of an African-American man
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I'm really sleepy and will read you guys' posts tomorrow and get back to them, but I want to say that I've started the book now and managed to read maybe 10 pages before dozing off (I woke up early today so am tired). I liked what I read so far!
We're allowed to post spoilers, right? Maybe we would post the page number or the part of the book before going into what we want to say, in case some read the posts before having read the whole book? Does that make sense?
This is not a major spoiler but on page 10 or something, very early on, I thought it was funny when this Alicia girl called Miss Potts Potty in front of Darrell and Darrell was shocked
Gwendoline seems to be a tiresome character.. I hope the other girls manage to shake her out of it
:D This is going to be good!!!
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I went to run some errands, one of them being taking a bag full of clothes to a charity shop. As I wasn't in too much of a hurry, I decided to take a look at their book selection. I found a copy of Possession by A. S. Byatt for 1,50e. I couldn't leave it behind.
I remember when I was living with Kylie and we visited this 'book barn' and I bought a copy of the book there. But as I had quite a few books to bring with me back to Finland, I left the book at Kylie's. I've been dreaming about this very special edition of it but it's really pricey and there's no sense in buying it when I don't even know if I'll like the book. So I got this one. Even though it's a movie tie-in. I had to get it!
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Ahaa, Kylie has busted you, you have acquired more books again
9 is still less than 10, so well done Aw thanks Frankie, I'm glad
I'm never sure about reviews when I've enjoyed the book. Sometimes I feel like I've rambled on and actually only written two paragraphs, other times I think I need to say more and have actually written an essay I get that same feeling sometimes, too!
It's weird. Sometimes you almost wonder if the Open Office document (or whatever one's used) has swallowed half of the stuff you wrote, because it seems to add up to only half of what you thought it would And vice versa. Funny feeling, that is! #3 The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
Synopsis: In 1959 Florence Green, a kindhearted widow with a small inheritance, risks everything to open a bookshop - the only bookshop - in the seaside town of Hardborough. By making a success of a business so impractical, she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers. By daring to enlarge her neighbors' lives, she crosses Mrs. Gamart, the local arts doyenne. Florence's warehouse leaks, her cellar seeps, and the shop is apparently haunted. Only too late does she begin to suspect the truth: a town that lacks a bookshop isn't always a town that wants one. (From Goodreads)
Thoughts: To be honest, I wasn't sure quite what to make of this read. I picked this up cheap on kindle because it's for the English Counties Challenge - although books about books/bookshops are always welcome so I think I might have picked it up eventually anyway!
However, having not studied the synopsis before reading I was in for a surprise. A nice little tome about an English village bookshop in Suffolk? Well, no. Instead, we are introduced to the delightful Violet Gamart, who has her eye on the building for an Arts Centre and when Florence pushes ahead anyway she is determined to drive this "newcomer" out of town. The newcomer thing did make me laugh, so typical of small English villages - anyone who has lived there less than a decade is a newcomer, while those who are "lifers" claim some misguided superiority!
This is a short read (my copy came in at 156 pages) and yet Fitzgerald does manage to squeeze plenty in. I did feel like we got to know the characters, and I really enjoyed the interaction between Florence and her 10--year-old assistant.
However (and I feel you all probably knew this was coming!), the ending rather ruined it for me. Having packed so much in previously I suddenly came to the end with a start of surprise - really, that's it? sort of feeling. Yes, the writing was good and the character interaction well plotted, but she was telling a story and therefore I demand an ending that doesn't just flop down like she ran out of steam, which is what this felt like.
Characterisation good, writing good, plot decent, but the lack of proper conclusion to a story arc was disappointing given such a strong build-up.
3/5 (I liked it)
Great review! This is on my wishlist but I'd quite forgotten what it was all about. I mean it's about books and a bookshop, but I'd forgotten all the extra stuff in the blurb/synopsis.
Don't you just hate it when the ending of a fine book disappoints you? It leaves a rather bad aftertaste
I've now been warned so I know to adjust my expectations accordingly, but nobody warned you! 
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It sounds like you're going to be fab dog walker, you're doing everything right with the praise etc! Is he friendly with other dogs? Hopefully he will get a chance to have a bit of a play at some point. I like the long coated GSD's but they tend to be heavier boned and more prone to injuries and arthritis, over here the short coated are more common but I know a few long coated and they seem to have soppier temperaments which belies their size!
Maybe his tail will thicken up over time, he's still young and being a rescue his coat may have been a bit out of condition for a while. Yeah, I think the tail's still thin because he's a young lad, I'm sure it'll get thicker and more pronounced
One thing I just realized, is that he doesn't bark when he's outside! He barked once yesterday when I came to collect him, and this morning he went on a barking rampage when I arrived But he doesn't bark when he's out! His owner said that he really likes other dogs and wants to play with them, but we haven't come across any other dogs yet, quite oddly. When I went to pick him up yesterday I saw so many dogs on my way, but we didn't see any of them when I was walking Moses. It'll be interesting to see how he behaves when we meet some in the future, it's bound to happen at some point. One thing I also find interesting and something to work on is the fact that when he pulls and I tell him to wait and he stops, I have to check myself, because I've noticed that sometimes I think he's still pulling (I'm not feeling the pull but the leash is tight-ish) when in fact it's me who's tense with the leash. When I realize that, I relax my arm and the leash is not tight and we're good to go. I'm still new at this so I guess it's somewhat normal that I would do that. I'm working on it
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Has anyone actually started it yet?
I haven't yet. I need to run some errands and then I gotta go for walkies with Moses. But today's the day! -
Great review of The Remains of the Day, I think you captured the story well. Stevens is definitely not one of your usual protagonists. I think it's a case of having to read between the lines to get a better sense of him, but I'm not quite sure I did a great job with that myself.
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The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Synopsis
When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset. A couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's. A woman finds she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden. An insomniac wife wakes up in a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death. In every one of these stories Murakami makes a determined assault on the normal.
(taken from Goodreads)
My Thoughts
As the movement of jar users has swelled this week It was fitting that I finished my 3rd randomly selected book. The book in question was The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami. I was delighted at this selection as I really like what I have read so far by Murakami. I will put my hands up and admit that I tend to prefer his less surreal work even if that is considered blasphemous by some. For example my most loved Murakami book are Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Sun. On opening this book I was surprised to discover that it is a collection of short stories, a first for me.
I'll keep this review relatively short with my general feeling being that I enjoyed some stories and others less so. In the same way as my previous feelings I preferred the less surreal ones but I wouldn't say there were any duds. There is something about some of Murakami's ethereal characters that really grabs me and there were plenty in evidence here. I can't put my finger on what it is and for me that only adds to the magic. I think that essentially, short stories are not really my thing as I much prefer characters to develop over time. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy this book but I felt as though it was a collection of ideas that could become novels in their own right over time. I was always left a little disappointed when one of the stories I particularly liked came to an end so quickly.
I enjoyed this book but it isn't one of my favourites from Murakami.
3/5 (I liked it).
Great review
I didn't know it was a collection of short stories. Like you, reading a good short story can be irksome because they end so quickly and sometimes even at the exact moment you've just started to warm to the piece. Drats! And no, I don't consider it blasphemy... I've only read one book by Murakami so far (Sputnik Sweetheart) but I have a feeling I will be like you and enjoy his less 'out-there' novels more than the really cooky ones.
The jar has selected Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
Your jar's great, do you mind if we swap?
I hope you enjoy the novel. -
I just checked again and okay, I now know where the first ends and second starts. The book doesn't start with a table of content saying Book 1 pages 1-x and Book 2 pages x-y and Book 3 pages y-z. It starts with a page saying these are the chapters and silly old me thought they were all there was to the books
I think I will read all of the first three books at least, if I like what I read
Do you have a copy? -
I finished my latest read in the morning and have now picked up the MT omnibus but I'm troubled even before I've started reading the book!
This edition doesn't seem to indicate in any way where the first book ends and the second begins etc. Am I supposed to count reading this omnibus as reading 1 book? 
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Are they the Ten Commandments?
Yes, the ones you've been taught. Sit! Down! Heel! etc...
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That would have been a horrible stroke of bad luck. Although I don't get time to do it much, I always enjoy walking my parents dog even if he is a little rascal at times.
It's still slippery over here and probably will be for the week, so I need to be careful. Moses is slipping quite a lot, too!
Walking a dog is like the best exercise ever: you don't really realize you're doing it, as you just enjoy interacting with the dog. I sometimes forget that there might be other people around, I can only see the dog when I'm with him
Of course I'm careful to watch out for cars and people but I'm completely oblivious to people who walk on the other side of the street, only having eyes for the dog himself -
Yep, I think him being such a rambunctious young doggy, and not having gone through any sort of obedience school (they will be doing that with him at some point), I really have been thrown in at the deep end of the pool, right from the start!
But I'm enjoying it whole heartedly! He has a lot of pent up energy like you said, especially now that the owner's not able to take him out. I don't know if her husband takes him for walks later in the evening when he comes home. I'm pretty sure Moses would like to go for longer walks and more often! I'm wondering if I could sometimes ask the owner if I could take him for an hour long walk (I could use the exercise, too!) and only charge for the half an hour we've agreed on. Yeah the owner gives me treats and whenever he's been good and doing what I ask, I always tell him he's a good boy and sometimes pat him, too
It's been mainly street walking so far, although I did take him through a park so he could roam a bit more freely, me being able to see for tens of meters that nobody was coming and I could give him loads of leash and let him do his thing. I have thought about taking him to a fenced park but the only one I know is not close enough... I should ask the owner. I could do a 30 minute walk + 30 minutes in a fenced area some time.
He's a short coated German Shepherd (I didn't know there are long coated ones! I thought the ones I've seen were a different breed altogether
So thanks for that!), and he's mostly dark but he has light bits, too A bit of a mix. I think those dark-light mixes are the most common over here... His ears droop a bit sometimes, and it's cute And he has a relatively thin tail, it's not as 'bushy' as one would maybe expect. I think he was a bit better with the 'wait' command today, meaning he responded to it quicker today, but he still kept pulling a lot
But it takes time, and he's always so eager to go outside! -
Iris Murdoch: A Writer at War - Letters and Diaries 1939-1945 Edited and Introduced by Peter J. Conradi
This was an interesting 'choice' by the book jar
A long book you wouldn't have picked as your next read yourself, but still a book you've wanted to read. I remember you reading Iris Murdoch's books and maybe it was high time you went back to her I remember sending you my copy of The Bell, and you mentioned you had no idea why I'd underlined the lines I had I can't believe you've already finished the book, though, you are flying through the pages these days!
As I was saying earlier .. I'm finding that the whole TBR jar thing is helping me to get a bit of a move on. I'm not rushing but I am resolutely ploughing on with the book even though it may be a little bit on the tiresome or difficult side. And the reason for this is that I can't wait to pick again!! It really is exciting. It's like a Kinder egg without the calories .. though of course there are no real surprises .. I know all the books but still .. could be anything.
So .. this morning it was time to pick again and what came out? (I was thinking please let it be a nice Agatha Christie or Roald Dahl perhaps .. with words I can understand )
Oh man! The jar really has got it in for me ... 640 pages!! let's see how much resolutely ploughing on I do now
I can imagine how addictive it can get, wanting to pick a new book
But... maybe that feeling will subside if the jar continues to produce titles of books with more than 600 pages Blimey, that jar is really throwing everything at you at the start, isn't it? Should I feel guilty that my jar gave me a short 156 page novel to ease me in gently?
*to the accompaniment of violins playing* I'm not meaning to go on but this is the size of the book compared to a normal paperback It's almost impossible to hold it and my wrist is hurting already (about ten pages in) The jar is sadistic I tell you .. mine is anyway .. and that's where putting a ribbon on it gets you! I'm wracking my brain to think of a bigger unread book in the house .. if there is one I'm sure it'll come out next. Actually the ten pages have been pretty good so far so at least that's something
I wonder if we all end up naming our jars according to how they treat us. Yours would be Sadistic Jar, as you say...
But just think of the muscles you'll be developing in those arms! You'll have Hollywood arms in no time
True .. it's a real bingo wings reducer
Hollywood arms and bingo wing reducers
:D You guys crack me up! -
Yes .. quite right .. I meant to say that I do tend to plod on with a book when all hope is gone. I'm going to try not to do that this year and the cunning plan is the TBR jar. It will make me read books that would otherwise sit on the shelf for ages and possibly encourage me to read more or at least get me started on reading them. If they're duffers then it's better I know it and then the charity shop can have them and it'll be more shelf space for me
The only thing I'm personally worried about it coming across a book that I don't get along with, and then ditch it and give it away. What if I would've liked the book at a later time, when in a different mood! This is a terrifying notion.
Very interesting .. quite a handful .. you never knew what he was going to say or do on live TV. His books are very funny .. or at least from the glimpses I've had of them. As is often the case though he was very funny but he was also a manic depressive and had electric shock treatment etc. He is in the jar .. more than once .. so he stands a good chance.
Poor Spike =(
I have got over that feeling now as it was ages ago .. so hope to get to it this year even without the jar's help.
I'm really glad to hear you've gotten over it. Bring on TPT, book jar! =D
We don't want things getting too exciting in the bedroom .. interferes with book reading that does. Anyway .. Waters intends it always to be lady business from what I can tell and I haven't got time to learn a new skill
Indeed!Glad you like the bookcase
.. I would quite like to be a decorator .. but only for people I know and like. It's the scared of people thing again .. they'd have to talk to me and they mightn't like the things I chose .. ooh .. I can invisage a hundred mortifying situations. I'd have to ask them for money at some point!! I would definitely trust my apartment with you! =)
I snaffled the lobster for a forum somewhere (I can't remember where) just in case I ever needed a lobster emoticon. Who'd have thought...
Who would've thought, indeed! Maybe you had a sense of a conversation like this taking place... Now that's a skill!She's lovely. She's pretty shy, even after nearly two years of coming here, but she's very lovely and very sweet.
She sounds like a real gem. It's always a relief when one's child's partner turns out to be very much tolerable and beyond
Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
What a great review! This book is going on my wishlist
I wasn't interested in the title before, even though I've seen it around on here for a while now. I think it's because I had no idea what the title actually meant. I had to google 'at the helm' I really like the sound of the book now! -
Great review of A Long Way Down!
I had pretty much the same feelings and thoughts about the book. -
Thanks everyone!
I asked if it was for three days only and it turns out that I'll be continuing next week too, and possibly even the week after that! Now that I'm doing two half hour walks with the dog per day (not every day though), I counted that what with walking there, walking the dog and walking back, I'll be getting 2 hours of walking on those days! Red cheeks! I haven't used the blender yet. I've been a bit busy and I'm going away soon (but these won't be excuses from next week), so I guess I'll just wait until next week to start with it. I really can't wait!
I can't wait for you to start, either!
Poppyshake, you need to go over them cupboards and see if you still have your magic machine!
Although I have to agree, the juices can be really expensive to make, depending on what you're putting in them. Edit: It was a bit too close to home that the owner hurt her leg because she slipped, because when I was walking Moses, I slipped once, too (it's really slippery out there at the moment!), and I could really feel it in my thigh
Luckily I didn't break anything, it was just a good stretch I mean think how awful it would've been for me to break my leg when walking a dog whose owner can't walk him because of a broken leg!! 
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#5. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Book cover: Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply—but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point.
Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her—Neal is always a little upset with Georgie—but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go without her.When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.
That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts. . . .
Is that what she’s supposed to do?Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
Thoughts: Having read and loved Attachments and Fangirl by Rowell, I had high hopes and expectations for this novel, too. And I did start it by reading the first 80-100 pages in one sitting and liking it, but I have to say, for the first time with a Rowell book, I didn't really feel any big emotions for the characters. Any of them. And at some point, the idea of the novel just didn't sit well with me anymore. Having said that, I started the book days and days ago and after starting it I've had a few pretty major distractions and maybe that's what happened, and came in between me and the novel.
If you like Rowell's books, do not take my word for it, but read the book for yourself. I'm more than willing to believe others will like it better than I did.
3/5
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I finished reading Landline by Rainbow Rowell just now, and it was about time.
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Very kind and noble of you
I'm okay with most dogs though so I'm sure I'd be fine with your dawg 
Naughty Putin! 
Well I'd sure try and train my dogs to be good dogs
For the good of guests but also myself, and them Aw, Poppyshake, that is such a cute photo of you!
Frankie, so great that you found a skating rink and bookshop! Remember when we went ice-skating?
Can't wait to hear what the bookshop is like!The skating rink was a great find, because it's so close! There are no lights there, though
And I don't think I saw a bench to sit on to change from shoes to skates... I hope they have one, I don't want to be sitting down on the ground. Might not be able to get up what with skates! Of course I remember you and me ice-skating!
It was so much fun! And you were a good skater! I thought you'd be all wobbly and down-falley because you said beforehand that you weren't that good and you painted such grim a picture of your skills... I was blown away when I saw you go! I don't know if I should ever enter the secondhand bookshop... I might end up spending my doggy walk money on books
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Spoilers, and midnight feasts!
Thanks for setting up the thread chesilbeach! I can't wait to get to the book
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*snort*
.... ... 
(sorry to laugh frankie 
, it's not nice being humped by a dog..... )He was a lazy humper so it wasn't that bad
I've had more aggressive humps in my life.... :D And when I shoved him off he didn't insist on trying again. Well, not after a couple of times
Frankie reads 2015
in Past Book Logs
Posted
Okay well that escalated quickly
Sorry chesil, I'm with Kay 
Not a fan of Mansfield Park!
Will come back to other stuff later, I really must get to bed now. Going to wake up early tomorrow to go for walkies with Moses again