frankie
-
Posts
16,958 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Books
Posts posted by frankie
-
-
Frankie, I had to cull some of your emojis.
Of course you did! Don't be sorry, I know what it's like
I've replaced your sad face with a happy face, see? ^ First off, I want to reiterate what I said on FB: I love it that you have updated your Best Books list, because I've been wanting to ask you if you have any updates.
I'm pleased that you're pleased. Hopefully I'll have a good reading year and be able to add more than one book to the list!!
That would be rather splendid!
I don't think I added one book to the list in 2015 
But I think I have to add This Is Life by Dan Rhodes for the 2016 one, hehe! Second, I love how you've organized the reference links in your first post. It's so tidy and clean and looks great. So much better than mine! Have you changed it from last year, is it more simple this year? Or am I just imagining things.
Thanks. I've been doing the reference links for at least a couple of years, I think. It might look a bit simpler because I combined some of my TBR lists into longer posts (last year my TBR fiction books were in 9 separate posts; this year they're in 7 posts). I also deleted a couple of the challenge ideas because I didn't do anything about them last year.
You've been doing the reference links for many years! It was your reference links that inspired me to do mine, and I remember asking you if I could steal the idea. So if I go back and see I've done the links thing since 2012, so you've done it at least since 2011.
I think quite a few of us dropped some challenges because we didn't do much about them last year, hehe.
Wow at TBR being close to 1500 books. Bow to the master!
I wish! It's actually at 2100, which includes 1428 fiction and 678 non-fiction.
Oh lord, I knew you were over 2000!
I knew that! But when I was posting, I got the number 1500 from somewhere and just went with it. 
I was off my brain, and one can't blame me, because I've been at home with the flu and my brain's gone to wool at times. 
(I'm doing better by now!)Third, your selected wishlist is so short! Where do you keep the rest of the titles
I culled my overall wishlist recently, but on BCF I only tend to include the books I want the most. Like Poppyshake said on her new blog, I get sick of looking at the same books over and over! My complete wishlist is kept on the Book Depository's site.
Ah yes, so you still keep a complete wishlist somewhere
I intend to do the same, but I'm not sure where I shall stick the list of the 'boring titles' Re: priority reads and the book jar: "This is a list of the books I'd most like to read this year. In 2015, I read 20 books (17 fiction, 3 non-fiction) out of the 81 on the list. In 2016, I read 14 books (12 fiction, 2 non-fiction) out of 77 on the list. I haven’t yet added extra books to the list for 2017." That's really well done! I did the book jar thing last year and read 0 (0. As in zero.) books based on what came up from the jar. 0.
LOL. I must admit that I haven't been using my actual book jar to select books. I just choose what I want to read and then later realise that the book was on the list. Most of the books have been on the list for years, so I guess it's inevitable that I'll choose from it without realising.
Ahhhahahaha
And here I was, thinking you'd hand picked so many Book Jar books and actually read them after picking 
I also love how you've listed your TBR books according to their being on multiple challenge lists
Makes prioritizing easier, should you want to prioritize!Now that took me a while to do!! And yes, I love that I can easily check whether a book is on multiple lists. It will make it feel like even more of an achievement if/when I read such books!
I can totally relate to that!
I wish you loads of luck with keeping your lists up to date!
Thanks! I really hope I do a better job of keeping them up to date this year. It was a pain in the bum to update the thread this year because I was so far behind with updating! I'm going to try to avoid going to both bookfairs this year. It'll make me really sad on one hand, but on the other it will help me keep my TBR pile down and make it easier to keep my lists updated!
Oh boy, that's going to be hard, not going to the book fairs
But like you said, you'll keep your TBR down and there will be less of that tedious updating of lists -
I've always wanted a Rory drawer!
And when I read your above post I realised I could probably have one now because when I was Konmari-ing my clothes, I freed up most of the space in my drawers. Maybe I could bring my old BSC books out of hiding and put some in the drawers! I might have to look into some under-bed storage, as there's a whole lot of wasted space under my bed (well, it's Jasper's hiding space when he's scared of outside noises or unknown visitors, but I could leave some room for him).I hope you didn't get rid of all your knickers when Konmari-ing?
Oooh you could totally do Rory drawer now!! I think your BSC would be perfect there And I would've totally suggested a series, so that you wouldn't be wondering which books you had in the drawer later. A series is easier to remember. Not that you couldn't always just look what's there But it would save you the trouble! I miss my Rory Drawer. I gave it away when I moved to Espoo. One of these days I will buy a new one
Perhaps when I have to find a new apartment when landlord is going to move back in! -
^ Seems kind of inappropriate but at the same time very appropriate
There was also a Corgi that wagged it's tail, at the shop. I'm sure it's a Corgi and not some other dog for a very specific reason
-
I should finish The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay today,
I hope it's not heavy going anymore?
I'm more than 100 pages into The Twenty-Three by Linwood Barclay. This is the last book in the trilogy, I'm sad to see it end
-
I read the previous spoiler from Peacefield, but that didn't give much away. No, I've managed to avoid reading your spoiler, even though it is revealed when I quoted your post.
I deleted it from the quote thinking "Don't read it!! Don't read it!!" 
So, safe for now. 
Oh thank goodness!!
I was kind of worried Phew!!! (Yep, it's kinda tricky when you're quoting someone and suddenly the spoiler's there for all the world and especially yourself to see! Best to not use a quote block on those occasions, to be on the safe side!
) Edit: When I was writing the spoiler, I meant it only for peacefield, but hours later I realized that there was no way you would know that and came rushing back
I'll try to be loads more careful in the future! I've started season 2! Jess has arrived.
-
I have to say I'm liking your short wishlist. I've been entertaining the idea of culling my own wishlist for a while now... There are many titles whose existence on the list makes me yawn. In my own wishlist that is!!
Oh my lord, I could kick myself!
I can't believe I missed the perfect opportunity to ask you why your wishlist is so short these days. Did the infantry not help you this year? Edit: Ooooh! Are they standing guard after and because of Brexit??
-
I hope you enjoy keeping a reading log, Autumn! I can't wait to see what you will be reading this year
-
Yes, in the area I work in (Medicine) we are pretty much guaranteed a job in the UK, which I know is a big privilege.
That's so wonderful for you! Yes, it's a bit of a privilege to say the least (and I don't mean to sound bitter or envious
), but you've studied hard and I'm sure you'll work hard, too -
I went to a bookstore yesterday, to buy a few brush pens for my Bullet Journal project, and there was a sale... It's the same sale but now it's -60%. There was a book I wanted to buy, The Sense of an Elephant by Marco Missiroli, but in the end I put it back down. Well done, if I say so myself
Oh, I almost forgot! When I was checking out the Leuchtturm 1917s at the bookstore, I came upon this:
She was waving her hand, very majestically! -
Just sticking my nose in after a long time to say that it is a pleasure to hear a semblance of the native language that my mother spoke long ago.
I'm now sorry I never responded well to her determined efforts to teach it to me. It sounded so funny to my 6r old American ears that I refused to repeat anything in Finnish after her. Now I am trying to self-learn it from the printed page (no audio available).
But I think I can still say correctly (and bravely), even if I can't spell it very correctly:
Ona liista yta vuataa!
Happy New Year to everyone here.
Paul
A very Happy New Year to you, too, Paul! That was very well said, kiitos!
I'm happy to have brought a little random Finnish into your life I'm glad you have decided to self-learn Finnish now, as it's never too late! There are bits and pieces in spoken Finnish on youtube and you can google some specific words to hear how they are pronounced in Finnish. For example forvo.com seems to be offering spoken Finnish words if you're interested Hi Frankie, just a quick one on your review of Blood Cruise... I know it didn't blow you away but it actually sounds very interesting and up my street. Sadly, I think it's not published over here until 2018 (by Quercus). Sigh... might need reminding nearer the time.
Oh, I didn't know it would take so long to be published in English...
Well, luckily you have a great big TBR on your hands to keep you busy for the time being -
What?! You crazy Finns!
Apparently we crazy Finns are keeping good company with the Dutch!
There will be a revolution....! -
I hope you have a very merry reading year in 2017, Lilliputian!
-
Thank you, bless I was saved by audiobooks last year really .. I 'read' more of them than usual. Also, if I had to have three months of virtually reading nothing then they were the best three months as I hardly ever read much, if anything, in December and November can be a bit lean .. and October for that matter. The worst three months would have been Jan, Feb and March when it's so drab outside and cold and one can think of nothing better than to curl up with a book. I have great hopes for the first three months of 2017. Just watch me zoom off into the distance and then flag!
Oh yes, I'd forgotten about how the last few months of the year are always your worst reading months, and that the first ones are the best. It was really good timing, after all! I just hope you come up for air in between books in the next months and come and say hello
Haha .. one of the main reasons for culling was to provide variation and stop me being bored to death with all the copying and pasting and looking at the same old lists a thousand times over
Indeed!
I did some culling of my own yesterday. I'm not exaggerating when I say I removed about 50 titles from my wishlist, and I only got as far as the letter d! I love the cover but that first review doesn't inspire .. 'utterly awful'
I went back to read the review...
Not very promising! Yes, probably best to borrow it from the library... I did think you'd like the cover, though I'm all for egging .. and can you get a bit pushy, shovey, as well .. when egging won't do?
As long as there's no hair pulling or scratching, I'm up for it!
Or pulling the other's trousers down! The cushion Claire made for you is simply gorgeous!
I hope you enjoy all your Christmas books! Oh yes, and the Five Give Up the Booze!
I saw this on your Goodreads account and had I been drinking coffee, a catastrophy and a damaged computer would have ensued! I'll have to see if the library has any copies, by any chance Doubt it... -
I've been looking into the notebook prices over here, and an A5 Leuchtturm 1917 costs $40.
So that would be 28€, ouch! Rather pricey
I got mine for 27,50€ but that included postage. Which leads me to yesterday... I needed to go to the pharmacy to get a few things and as my brush pens hadn't arrived in the mail, I thought I'd pop in the bookstore to buy just a few so I could practice on the weekend. I saw Leuchtturm 1917s at the bookstore! So they do have them, just not on their online website. Oh they looked so pretty
I wanted to buy one even though I wouldn't have use for it as I have my own now They cost 22,90€. I got a few brush pens and tried them and immediately thought, these are crappy pens, the lines are too thick! But then I gave them another try and realized that they are fine enough pens, I just press too hard
I spent probably 30 minutes yesterday with the pens, if not 60 minutes. At one point I realized that I had best try and practice the fine lining, i.e., trying to write in fine line. That was really tricky It takes patience and you have to be concentrated and calm But I realized it's fun and it'll be a great new hobby. Especially as it might make me into more zen (Unless I have a fit and throw the pens out the window ) I also did a small drawing of a cassette player the other day, for a BuJo page that had to do with music. I haven't drawn anything in ages and I'm not good at it, but it was fun! I might try doing some other things, too. It's fun to do it just for fun, and not be in class in school, the teacher breathing down your neck and never encouraging you, but always criticizing.
I'm thinking I might get one later in the year and give myself plenty of time to set it up for next year.
That's an excellent idea!
I love bullet journals, I've kept one on and off for a couple of years. After reading the thread, I'm definitely updating mine this weekend!
Yay!!
If you'd like, please post pictures! -
Well failry early on in the book I found one of the scenes a bit over the top. I think it was one where they were:
in the gymnasium and someone was singled out for having been raped and having an abortion and everyone was made to chant "it's her fault, it's her fault". The scene just made me wonder if the book was going to completely lack any subtlety while making its point.
However the book was so well written, and this was the only alarm bell, so after reading it I think overall it worked well.
I mean, it was a very strange book, but I did enjoy reading it.
Ah, I understand
It's been quite a few years since I read the book so I don't remember many particulars about it. I'm glad you still enjoyed reading it! -
Frankie sorry for the mistake in my last message it should have read "are now on my tbr pile"
My neighbour has been telling me that he is finding books are not selling and DVD's for some reason.
Hubby is now very happy he can get back to doing what he wants with his free time, bless him.
That was good of you to take the books to the libraries book swap.
Ah, I did wonder if you meant to write 'now'
That would make more sense in the context! Boss's DVDs sold pretty well, except for The Sopranos sets, which I found a bit odd. And what's more odd, even one of the VHS cassettes she put there was sold!! I would've never thought anyone would buy VHS anymore. But it was a really good Finnish crime series, so that would explain it. I'm not sure if it's been released on DVD... Well it must have. But maybe someone still owns a VHS type of video... -
Nice to learn that
!We don't either
. It's 'januari' and 'maandag'. Christmas is written with a capital though, 'Kerstmis'.That's so cool that you also have the months and days without the capital letter!
I didn't know that! I like the sound of Kerstmis, I love the spelling -
I take my hat off to them .. must be a rewarding job but one to give you brainache!
I suppose they are the sort of intelligents that thrive on that sort of brainache... Something I wouldn't know about
Oh My Word!! People don't know about Colin Firth!?! .. let alone the wet shirt and the lake and that! Poor people I know there is a lot of deprivation in the world but I didn't know that some people haven't even had a dose of Colin. Sad!
The thing is, she knows Colin Firth just fine and loves P&P as much as the next person, but when she had to try and think what movie The Girl with a Pearl Earring was, it didn't ring any bells, not even after I told Colin was on it!
I mean, he was very hot in that one, too!!! Haha .. yes! One of the most common features of my reviews is the ability for me to completely change my mind by the end of them! It's not fair on a book really .. to have me review it. It shouldn't really be allowed and that's probably why it hasn't been .. on this book blog
I'm glad you've finally realized what it was that was keeping you from writing all those reviews! I've now read the details about your stay at home-home, and many huggles to you for getting through it
You did a splendid job! But I'm also happy that you are now back home, and have time for yourself. I'm so happy to hear that your parents have carers to help them around, and that things are finally getting back to normal for them! I'm also happy for your cousin's good eye on what's what. Sometimes we are too close to things to be able to see it from an object point-of-view.
-
I'm so glad I've had people popping in to keep an eye on the old place. I've only managed to generate 11 pages for this book blog!! Shocking!! The year before I gabbed on for 44 pages! MUST TRY HARDER!!!! I might be able to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it to 12 if I knuckle down and write some of the missing reviews! If I can remember the books that is
11 pages vs. 44 pages last year??
I think you may have to make up for it this year! Looking forward to those stretches Alan hated Wake Up Sir! That's of no consequence obviously but I thought I'd mention it. He's seldom stirred into such an aversion but it made him quite angry
It got him angry? Bloody hell I think that might actually be more incentive for me to read the book Limping on both legs now. I feel like I'm its carer! I do everything for it but it doesn't reward me with as much as a smile! Ingratitude frankly. If I was richer then it'd be history and boy would I enjoy dismantling it!!
Oh boy
When I win the lottery, I'll buy you a new one and then I'll come over and I'll watch you hammer the crap out of the current one I think we disagreed over Nina Stibbe's book (was it Man at the Helm??) It wasn't a violent disagreement or anything .. it never came to blows
I know .. I'm a great advocate for odd things. Odd is good!! I know it was something about knickers!
No blows
The Man at the Helm I don't think was a huge disagreement... I liked the book okay but just not that much. I'm sure there is some other book we've disagreed on more than that one. But I think we can still count those disagreeable books with only two hands (if not one!), and that's saying something. -
I don't much care for short stories as I do like my stories longer and meatier. I won't go for a 700+ page book very easily: that'll take a long time to read and I'm wary of whether I have the time and stamina for it. I have a few really long books on my TBR that are still there, year after year, because I'm too intimidated to pick them up: Lord of the Rings, A Suitable Boy, The Pillars of the Earth, Sinuhe the Egyptian, to name a few. And yet all of these books are supposed to be good if not great!
-
II can confirm that Janet's Kindle case, as made by Claire, is indeed a thing of beauty as I saw it with my own eyes yesterday
She's a very clever, super talented, bunny indeed!
(but you won't get her to admit it .. she's far too modest for her own good. She'll just say the sewing machine did it .. while she sat nearby and read a couple of chapters! ) Actually, now that I think about it, I do recall seeing one other Kindle case (?) that she made for someone, it was a blue one? I was blown by it then, too, but I never commented because I was reading through the logs in a hurry
Claire's very talented! Ah, sorry. I'm not surprised I confused you. The thing is something we do on another forum when we use a made-up word - and as there is no such word as gorgeouser (there really should be!) I put the next to it to show that I know I'm talking gibberish!
But yes, she is amazing. She makes such beautiful things. What, there are other forums out there?
I know gorgeouser is not a word, but as you used TM after it, I thought maybe it was a trademark. As TM would suggest Yes, it would normally have the capital G, but I thought maybe it's a very chic brand with an innovative way of writing English words Thanks - that makes sense. No capital letter for Christmas is an alien concept. Your language looks so pretty. All those lovely umlauts!
Well here's more alien concepts: we also use no capitals for months or weekdays: tammikuu is January, maanantai is Monday
Confused? You won't be after this episode of....
-
I'm very happy to see you've set your new reading log up!
I saw it yesterday and immediately came in but I saw it was still under construction, so I tried to be patient and stay away! I wish you a truly wonderful reading year in 2017!! I can't wait to see what books you read this year, and watch how my own wishlist increases in size by ten-fold because of it!
Total Books Read 2009 ... 49
Total books read in 2010 ... 141
Total books read in 2011 ... 109
Total books read in 2012 ... 89
Total books read in 2013 ... 109
Total Books Read 2014 ... 73
Total Books Read 2015 ... 113
Total Books Read 2016 ... 91
When I look at these totals... You're a lean mean reading machine! You spent three months last year reading absolutely nothing and you still managed to come to 91 read books?! You're an inspiration! WISHLIST
Rakoff, Joanna - My Salinger YearI have to say I'm liking your short wishlist. I've been entertaining the idea of culling my own wishlist for a while now... There are many titles whose existence on the list makes me yawn. In my own wishlist that is!!
I wonder if I have My Salinger Year on my wishlist. I must have. If not, it's going there.
I noticed another book by Joanna Rakoff at the bookstore in December and wrote the title down (or rather took a picture of the cover on my smartphone, in order to then add it to my wishlist): A Fortunate Age. Seems interesting!
I've really got to do better this year. I don't think I read ANYTHING from any of my challenge lists last year .. or perhaps just one or two but honestly, I just totally ignored them and acted like I didn't have 1001 unread books on my shelves (slight exaggeration but it feels like that many.)
That happened with me, too
Let's egg each other on to read those challenge books, aye! Hurrah, 2017!!! -
I wouldn't mention Human Traces...but since you brought it up...
I did re-read the synopsis when I was dusting my books, as I do remember how much you love the book and want me to read it... It sounds really interesting but I fear it'll be too smart for me But I think you've said it's not hard to read? I actually updated my Book Box at the weekend, I wanted a sit down activity so that fit the bill nicely, I may even have added a few that I knew were already in there, just to increase my odds of reading them sooner!
Oh you did it already, cool! I like the idea of increasing your odds
Jojo is back to normal walks, with a ball sometimes so she is very happy, just have to keep everything crossed that she is mended, physio next Tuesday which will be interesting, she won't be impressed being handled by a stranger! Have you seen the Supervet on TV? Noel Fitzpatrick? He was the one who operated on Obi when he was a pupster, it was his practice we have been back to with Jojo, and she'll have her physio there too, hopefully they'll be filming there at some point.must remember to always wear makeup!!
I had to google Noel Fitzpatrick as the name didn't ring any bells. No, I've not heard of him or the show. I don't know if we have that series over here. If we do, it's probably allocated to a channel and or timeslot that is inconvenient for me. But that's so cool about him having worked with and for your Obi!!
Oh I wish that would've been on telly! Oh no, maybe not, as I dread seeing doggies go unconscious and being operated on... But I would've loved to have seen Obi before and after! Do try and get on film!!
You'll have to let us know if you'll be up! And you need to record it for me and send it to me so I can watch it, if it's not available over here!! I'm sold, Gone with the Wind AND The Stand will be read this year, hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a few others in too!
Yes!!
He was lovely when Obi and I met him in 2003, albeit in a tiny veterinary practice in Guildford, not the high tech place he owns now! I even got a hug when I was feeling a little overwhelmed, he was able to cuddle Obi too, wouldn't fancy his chances these days, Poor boy has too many unpleasant Vet experiences under his belt and he isn't very forgiving!
Awww, he sounds marvellous!
Obi's not too impressed, but I think Fitzpatrick can deal with that, being a professional Re: your question about your job. I'm not artistic or decorative at all, so I wouldn't have any ideas, sorry! But what an amazing job you have! I'm sure you'll be great at it
Do you get to mix in with the animals? -
I'm very happy to see you've decided to create a reading log!
Good luck with your studies and your job! Is the job secured already?
How many books have you read this year?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
Let's both make this year the best!!
It can't be worse than last year!!