frankie
-
Posts
16,958 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Books
Posts posted by frankie
-
-
The read-a-thon's this weekend, innit? I'm semi bed ridden and need to take it easy this week so I might do a bit of reading!
At least if I find a suitable book. Nothing too heavy but nothing boring, either. 
-
On 25.7.2017 at 1:39 PM, Onion Budgie said:
20 so far, which is great for me. Out of those, only three have been a 5-star read, and a further three have been 1-star clunkers. Optimistic for some great reads for the rest of the year!
I've read a couple of more books than you, but I've not read a single 5-star book, so I think you're doing well
Three 1-star books is a bit ... numerous, though 
Here's to better reads for the rest of the year! 
(I couldn't find the emoticon where two dudes/dudettes are raising their glasses, so I'm using this very unseasonal one instead )
28 minutes ago, chesilbeach said:Just finished number 90.
Wow, that's a whole helluva lot of books
-
Hello and welcome to the forum!
-
I'm having a sickie so I am at home and watching celeb Big Brother that started yesterday
-
2 hours ago, bobblybear said:
Oh good grief, you wouldn't want to see that.
So, I managed to do about 11 days of yoga, with only one day off. However, last Thursday as I bent down to roll out my yoga mat I hurt my back. How's that for ironic??! I couldn't walk standing straight for about 2 days and it's only yesterday that I feel fully healed. I haven't done the yoga since, but will keep with it but I think I will do it every 2 days, instead of every day. I don't know if that had anything to do with hurting my back, but I'll take it a bit easier for a while now.
I'm sorry but that IS ironic Poor bobbly's back, though, that's no fun at all!! 
Maybe it was because you'd been doing so much of it with almost no days off, that your back was like, 'I ain't doing no more of this, I want a holiday!' and snapped. Which is really annoying when you're trying to make all your body parts better and you're doing it to get fitter, and when you've found a rhythm and are keeping it up. Probably best to take it easy for a while like you said, but do keep it up! (And well done, for sticking to the regime! I'm jealous )
2 hours ago, bobblybear said:Thanks, Nollaig. I'm not bendy either, and the yoga I've been doing doesn't require much flexibility but it requires you to hold these poses. And it is so difficult! The woman on the video (Yoga with Adriene on You Tube) makes it look so effortless, but I struggle like anything...and my muscles were so sore the next day. I'm talking about basic things like lunges which look easy, but are so hard to do when you have to stay in that position for a minute. I shall keep doing it and hopefully they will get easier....I mean, I can't even touch my toes while keeping my legs straight, so I have a long way to go.
I can't touch my toes, either, never have. I have friends who are really flexible and I'm always in awe when I see them do stuff. Some are more flexible by nature, and some become flexible if they do the work, and some - like me - stay a plank because they don't do anything, and then they wonder.
I googled Adriene's videos and I think I might give some of them a go. Thanks for the pro tip!!
56 minutes ago, Nollaig said:I've been terrible (ish) with the health and fitness lately. I went on the exercise bike yesterday evening but only did 5km rather than my usual 7-10km. I hardly went on the bike at all last week, and we've had way too much unhealthy food in the last few days.
5km is still good!
Just keep at it, try to find the motivation to do it again And when you do it, you'll feel more motivated to eat more healthy foods and not ruin the benefits of the exercise by eating unhealthy stuff! You can do it!
I went back to work on Monday and I was supposed to incorporate my jogging into a new routine, the timelines dictated by my work, but crap, I got sick on Monday evening. And now I think I have an ear infection as well. I'll have to go and see someone tomorrow.
-
On 29.7.2017 at 2:35 PM, Chrissy said:
I know!
I had an image of Frankie with a bloodied axe slung over her shoulder thinking "Waddu I do now?" It's kind of scary that she isn't saying 'What did I just do' instead 
-
Hello and welcome to the forum!
-
I'm not reading anything at the moment. I was reading The Seventh Function of Language but it's such a clever and tricky book that you have to have your wits about you, and these last few days I've lost my wits momentarily. How annoying!
-
The Big Short. I have absolutely no idea about the business and it goes right over my head, but I'm enjoying the cast.
-
Did the second jog today, of which I'm very proud, as it was the hottest day this summer and I'd been to the beach with a friend and her son, and was feeling kind of tired after the day (and the outing included a lot of walking!).
At the start of the day, I wasn't at all sure I'd go jogging today!
-
27. Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay
Book jacket: When a young girl is killed by a drunk driver, the community of Promise Falls wants answers.
It doesn't matter that the accused is a kid himself: all they see is that he took a life and got an easy sentence. As pack mentality kicks in and social media outrage builds, vicious threats are made against the boy and his family.
When private investigator Cal Weaver is called in, he finds himself caught up in a cold-blooded revenge plot. Someone in the town is threatening to put right some wrongs...
And in Cal's experience, it's only ever a matter of time before threats turn into action.
Thoughts: I thought The Twenty Three was Barclay's last book on his series of the Promise Falls folks, and that I'd never get to see any of the characters of his previous novels again. I'd already said a very sad goodbye! So how happy was I when I was checking out the new books at the library and found this new novel!
It features our old friends Cal Weaver and Barry Duckworth, and some others make cameos as well.
I won't say anything that I haven't already said before: another great thriller by Barclay. He gets me sucked in right from the start and doesn't let go. This wasn't my most favorite by him, but all the same I really really liked it.
4/5
-
Update!
Borrowed books
1. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan 4/5
2. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella 4/5
3. Sopivasti sekaisin by Veera Vaahtera 3/5
4. Talking as Fast as I Can: from Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham 4/5
5. Columbine by Dave Cullen 4/5
6. Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay 4/5
The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet - currently reading
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanism, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
- Ajan kanssa: kesäni Marcel Proustin seurassa by Petteri Kantola
- Irti sosiaalisesta jännittämisestä by a bunch of people
- Furiously Happy: a Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
- The Dandelion Years by Erica James
- The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
- The Real Liddy James by Anne-Marie Casey
Reserved books - Tällä tavalla maailma loppuu by Philip Teir
- Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
- Tunne lukkosi: vapaudu tunteiden vallasta by Kimmo Takanen
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change by Charles Duhigg
- Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
-
I finished reading Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay and now I'm reading The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet. So far so good! I'm hoping this might be my first 5/5 read this year!
-
I watched The Bounty Hunter. Not as gripping as I remembered it to be.
-
7 hours ago, Nollaig said:
@frankie Couple of hours, it wasn't too bad. It was regular run time plus however long it took to fast-forward or rewind as necessary. I must re-watch that film, though, I remember virtually nothing about it though I know I loved it.
I seriously applaud you for doing it!
I would've worried about rewinding too much and getting it all twisted.
-
49 minutes ago, Nollaig said:
Haven't seen it since the times of video cassettes - I recorded it, and after watching it through once, I then went back and watched it in chronological order (can't remember how it goes, but it's something like all the colour scenes are going forward and black and white going backward, or something!) So I rewound and fast forwarded as necessary to watch the whole thing chronologically
Wow, that took some time and dedication
I wonder how long it took you to do it like that.
-
1 hour ago, Alexander the Great said:
@frankie Interestingly, what made me pick up WNtTaK is that a few years back, I was obsessed with Columbine, wanting to understand, to grasp it. I was especially intrigued by Klebold, as Harris always seemed like the lost case between the two of them. Then discovering Nightwish' "The Kinslayer" was about Columbine, when I was so into Nightwish, was almost creepy. I just went and read your review of Columbine. I hope I can find the book by Sue Klebold that you mentioned, as well.
I agree, it's much harder to understand what Klebold was thinking. Or rather, how he ended up going along with Harris. I feel like neither of the books have been able to make any sense of it. But can it ever really be explained, I don't know.
I had no idea Nightwish have done a song on Columbine! Interesting...
1 hour ago, Alexander the Great said:My therapist didn't mention any books and I think really her being away is one giant exercise. She did very much stress she would still be available and I could mail her all the time and she'd get back to me. She knew I'd panic and when and she told me before she even left how she would help me through that from on her holiday. But it still sucks. I do realise I'm very lucky with her!
You're right, her being a way is one giant exercise! You'll be proud of yourself once it's over
-
9 minutes ago, Alexander the Great said:
I saw Memento this weekend. Very interesting and atypical, but I liked it!
That one is really great! But makes my head spin
I've seen it a few times and it takes a lot of concentration. Every time I'm in shock by the end.
-
I watched The Jane Austen Book Club. Liked it very much
Great cast! And books 
And dogs -
1 minute ago, Alexander the Great said:
I have that book and was thinking of reading it next because of this! The book I'm reading now is one I borrowed from a colleague, though, so I'm taking that first.
There are some allusions to Columbine in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The long sentences make for difficult reading at first, but you do get used to it and the experience is worth it. Of course it's not exactly a beach read. I did like how atypical Eva, Kevin's mother was - and how unapologetic yet remorseful she was.
What a coincidence that you have the book, and Columbine is alluded to in WNtTaK! I think I should take a look at my bookcase and find my copy of it so I can read it soon.
Not a beach read, that's for sure! I'm on my summer holiday and I was just thinking the other day, reading Columbine, that it's not really a typical holiday read
1 minute ago, Alexander the Great said:My reading's been downhill a bit because I'm not doing well mentally and my therapist's on holiday so I'm not seeing her for about four weeks, when usually I see her every week. And stuff like this is at the root of my issues - her being away. I can mail her and she answers but last week, she had some issues and couldn't get mails out when I was at my worst. I'm at the halfway point now. I hope I feel better soon.
An Epica song during spinning class and the teacher liking it so much was awesome, though (we got to put in requests).
Lots of changes at work and people being on holiday doesn't help either. I need for things to be the same as usual, I don't deal well with change at all
I'll be glad when this is over, my therapist back, work back to normal.
I'm sorry to hear your reading's not going so well, and that it's a tricky time for you at the moment
Are there any self-help books your therapist has suggested that you could try and read, or do some exercises? Hang in there, buddy, you're half way there -
I watched Wanderlust and Failure to Launch yesterday. I enjoyed both movies
-
2 minutes ago, Chrissy said:
It is definitely a well written book - but ay curumba! I hope that she has lots of fluffy kittens around, and lots of ornamental unicorns on her shelves to counter the darkness!
It might be interesting to be her live-in partner....
2 minutes ago, Chrissy said:I hope you are referring to the author with this statement!
if not.....nice Frankie....good Frankie.......
Wow, I didn't even realize you could read it another way
But no, I'm not going to compete!!
-
26. Columbine by Dave Cullen
Blurb: On 20th April 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold made their bid to leave "a lasting impression on the world". They drove to school, planted two huge bombs in the dining area, then positioned themselves outside the main entrance to pick off the fleeing teachers and students. The bombs failed, but the ensuing massacre defined a new brand of school violence - one that has started to cross the Atlantic.
In the tradition of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and almost ten years in the making, Columbine is the definitive account of those terrible events. Cullen lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris, and the timid, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who had been to the prom just three days earlier and wrote obsessively about love in his journal.
A close-up study of violence, grief and a destructive media frenzy, Columbine is above all a compelling, tragic and utterly human portrait of two young killers.
Thoughts: The first book I read on Columbine was A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, Dylan mother. I really liked that book. Bobblybear's review on Columbine made me want to read this book, too. This one's a more detailed story, of course, as it's a general account of what happened before, during and afterwards. Klebold's book obviously concentrates on Dylan and their family. I don't think either of the books cancels the other one out, I think they make a complimentary read of it all.
I found the book to be a compelling read, that's all I can say. I'm really tempted to read Brooks Brown's book, No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine, as Brooks was a friend of the boys.
(One thing I found so odd in the book: why did the author feel the need to tell the reader how one of the detective's name was pronounced? Has everyone always gotten her name confused and she was tired of it and told the author she'd sue him if he didn't clarify? The detective (or whatever her title was, I can't remember) is named Battan, and it rhymes with Latin. Sadly, this underlined bit of detail might be the only thing I will remember as a real fact of this book.
The most important detail!! The author also spelled out how the term 'psychopathy' is pronounced: si-COP-uh-thee. What is this? A book on phonetics?)
For those you've read the book or know the details:
SpoilerHow is it that the Browns made so many complaints about Eric, and it never came to anything? That was completely astounding! And then for the public to think Brooks had something to do with the massacre.
Can you imagine??
4/5
-
Update!
Borrowed books
1. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan 4/5
2. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella 4/5
3. Sopivasti sekaisin by Veera Vaahtera 3/5
4. Talking as Fast as I Can: from Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham 4/5
5. Columbine by Dave Cullen 4/5
6. Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay - currently reading
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanism, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh- Ajan kanssa: kesäni Marcel Proustin seurassa by Petteri Kantola
- Irti sosiaalisesta jännittämisestä by a bunch of people
- Furiously Happy: a Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
- The Dandelion Years by Erica James
- The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
- The Real Liddy James by Anne-Marie Casey
- The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet
Reserved books - Tällä tavalla maailma loppuu by Philip Teir
- Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
- Tunne lukkosi: vapaudu tunteiden vallasta by Kimmo Takanen
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change by Charles Duhigg
- Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
- I've cancelled a few reservations, and added two: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change by Charles Duhigg and Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (this one after reading Chrissy's review).
Chrissy's Reading
in Past Book Logs
Posted
Thank you for having such faith in me!
