frankie

It's funny how they sound the same! And I love it how you guys seem to appreciate long vowels written as double vowels, as in writing aa instead of a if it's a long one? At least that's the assumption I'm making... Meaning, the a in car is long in English, but yet it's spelled only with one a instead of two... I love it that you have 'koekeloeren', as it is the same word we have and it must sound very, very similar!! That is so cool! I don't think they have that in English... I mean a word that would sound similar and mean the same thing. Dutch is so cool! I'm glad you liked the book just as much on the second reading Some books can't be read twice and enjoyed equally on both times... I hope you will have no problems with your next book and that you and your mojo will be victorious

Oh Can you make a reservation for a particular novel at the library? I don't know, it might be okay to read the books out of order, without being spoiled too much re: the lives of the main characters, but then again, it might not. But if that doesn't bother you, then there's no harm in reading the books which ever order you get them in Sorry you didn't enjoy the first novel I thought it was ace, and have loved the subsequent novels. But they might not be for you, then... Maybe you can just watch the show instead? Another series I thought of last night is the Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain. I loved the first two, but didn't enjoy the third, so can't recommend that one... And haven't read the latest ones. The first book in the series is Heartsick. Always happy to lend a recommending hand

Sun is shining for the first time in ages, but yet it's really windy! Stormy windy in some parts of the country. Very interesting weather

I think chesilbeach meant a third book by Joanne Harris in general, and not a third novel in this particular series? Although I might be mistaken...

I never thought I'd read the book Chocolat but I've changed my mind and I found a copy of the book just the other day. Had to come back to read your review on the sequel! I think I want to read that one, too I'm so happy it was enjoyable! I've only read Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris but I thought it was really great! I was completely hooked and on the edge of my seat. No, it's not a thriller-thriller, but a great mystery. I'd thoroughly recommend that one

Yep, it's been a massive mojo killer Better go chocolate shopping beforehand! I really hope so, too, otherwise... I will keep on reading bad books

Gold is good I'm totally happy with you just liking This Is Life a lot, that's all one needs It was a bit bizarre, wasn't it? Looking forward to reading your review.... When you have the time

Cool! Have you read his standalone novels or have you gone for any of his series? I really like the Lincoln Rhyme series, although admittedly I've only read the first two. But those were really good! Ah, that makes sense I haven't watched the TV series from the start myself so can't say anything about that. One thing you ought to know (and perhaps already know) when going for the books is that there's no Booth character in the novels Another suggestion that popped into my mind: the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay. I like both the TV series and the books. But it's too violent and graphic for some... Anyhow, just another suggestion I thought I'd throw in

#41. Charlotte Street by Juliette Mead Amazon: Connie and Julian are wealthy, groomed and in control. Lucy and Mark are financially unstable and chaotic. Friends for years the two couples impulse buy a London flat together as a bolt hole from domesticity. They never imagined how conveniently it would lend itself to extra-marital infidelities. Thoughts: I think this books is partly to blame for my runaway mojo... I thought this would be a great book, chick-littish modern stuff to read in 48 hours. Never mind if it might be forgettable... It was just utter crap. Annoying characters, boring storyline. No redeeming qualities. Complete waste of my time. Not recommended. 1/5

Hello and welcome! I hope you like it here I think most of us have suffered from our mojos going AWOL and so you're in good company! I hope new recommendations will spice up your reading life... I've read and liked Patricia Cornwell and Tess Gerritsen, too, and so I think I could recommend Karin Slaughter's books to you. Linwood Barclay writes great thrillers, too, as does Jeffery Deaver. Kathy Reichs is also worth checking out, if you haven't already. I hope you find your mojo soon again!

#40. The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Bell Amazon: Abi's barely left her bed since Joseph, the love of her life, dumped her, saying they were incompatible. When Joseph leaves a box of her possessions on her doorstep, she finds a bucket list of ten things she never knew he wanted to do. What better way to win him back than by completing the list, and proving they're a perfect match? But there's just one problem - or rather, ten. Abi's not exactly the outdoorsy type, and she's absolutely terrified of heights - not ideal for a list that includes climbing a mountain, cycling around the Isle of Wight and, last but not least, abseiling down the tallest building in town . . . Completing the list is going to need all Abi's courage - and a lot of help from her friends. But as she heals her broken heart one task at a time, the newly confident Abi might just have a surprise in store . . Thoughts: The premise of the story sounds kind of stupid, in my opinion. But I thought the execution would make up for it. And I was still in the middle of my chick-lit phase and thought this would be perfect for me... Overall, what a drag. Abi's 'journey' through the tasks was not interesting at all, and I didn't much like any of the characters. Also... When I was reading the book, I thought Abi was maybe 23 years old. Towards the end I was reminded that she's in her 30's. And I thought, no way... A woman in her thirties wouldn't be so juvenile. There's just no way. Regret spending all that time reading the book, but somehow it was still a tiny bit better than the 1/5 reads I've had this year. 2/5

#39. The Blackbird Sings at Dusk by Linda Olsson Goodreads: A compelling novel about friendship, identity and love. One winter evening, Elias, a young artist, watches a woman move into his apartment building. After closing her door, however, she is not seen again. A misdirected letter finally gives Elias the opportunity to make contact. But inside her dark apartment, Elisabeth refuses to respond to his knock. Her only company is the Woman in Green, an unbidden vision from her childhood dreams. Elias, meanwhile, is not to be deterred and draws his friend Otto, an elderly widower, into his attempts to entice Elisabeth into the world. When an accident finally opens her door, a shared love of books sparks a friendship between the three lonely neighbours. As spring segues into summer, their lives become intertwined and their past stories are revealed. Thoughts: I kept hearing about Linda Olsson's books back in 2012 when I was working at the library. I didn't find them very appealing at the time. This summer, however, I got to the point with my mojo that I was only able to read chick-lit. (Not criticizing chick-lit in any way: I do read my fair share of it, only I like to read other genres, too, and not just stick to chick-lit.) When I was picking up a few reserved books, I was looking for other similar books on the shelves and came across this particular title. Seemed like the sort of thing that I might really like... Hermits and books? Yes please! It started out fine and I was eager to see what would happen next. At some point I got bored, though. And I started to get really annoyed by the characters and the plotline. It got predictable at some point and I thought to myself, 'this would never happen...' And while I don't mind unrealistic things happening in books on occasion, with this novel it bugged me to no end. And the dialogue started to get to me. At the end, I was reading the book rather mechanically and just wishing to finish it. One of the worst ones this year! I won't be reading other books by this author... 1/5

#33. Upstairs Downstairs by John Hawkesworth Goodreads: A formal introduction to the Bellamys of 165 Eaton Place explores the private lives of the beautiful Lady Marjorie, her politician husband Richard, and their devoted staff of servants during the Edwardian era. Amazon: Upstairs Downstairs is the novelisation of the iconic LWT series from the 1970s; this is the first book in the set and focuses on series 1, which seems to cover the period 1901-07/08. Thoughts: I know there's the TV series and I know it's been shown here on TV, but I've not watched it nor did I know anything else about the book beforehand, other than that it's about a well-to-do family and their household staff. Class differences and all that jazz. I found the book at the free book exchange corner at the library and snatched it happily. And I'm glad I did! I'm not quite sure what I expected, but I know I didn't expect there to be that much drama, and I certainly didn't expect to have all these different things to happen that aren't usually covered in works from this particular era . It felt like a novelization, very much, in that things happened quickly in different chapters, and people came and went, and the regulars that stayed just moved on with life, as best as they could. However, it didn't bother me too much. Sure, I missed some of the characters that made an early exit in the novel, but soon enough new people arrived at the scene and I was looking forward to reading what their story was. I'm not sure if the fans of the TV series would like this book and the rest of the series, but I personally liked the book So much so that I checked if the library has copies of the subsequent books. They don't But that doesn't bother me too much, either. Good entertainment, all in all! 4/5

32. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Amazon: He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter. In the nursery, only the toys that are old and wise truly understand what it means to be Real. The Velveteen Rabbit, a newcomer to the nursery, asks one of the most knowledgeable toys, the Skin Horse, what being Real means. And so begins the Velveteen Rabbit’s journey towards becoming real – through the love of a child . . . Thoughts: I've wanted to read this for years, and that's because it was the book that Joey's and then Chandler's girlfriend, Kathy, loved, and then Chandler got her a first edition copy of the book for her Birthday. I've now fulfilled the dream of reading the book It was a darling little book, there's no denying. However, I didn't personally find it all that special I think if I had read the book as a child, or if my parents had read the book to me, it would have that magical nostalgia and I would love and cherish the book forever and forever, but alas, it wasn't meant to be for me. I'm a Nordic kid and this never made its way to my childhood's bookshelves. I can, however, appreciate why it's a favorite of so many people. 3/5

#31. Far from True by Linwood Barclay Amazon: (heavily edited by me:) After the screen of a run-down drive-in movie theater collapses [...], the daughter of one of the victims asks private investigator Cal Weaver to look into [...]. Cal discovers [stuff]. But his investigation soon becomes more complicated when he realizes [something].... Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth is still trying to solve [something]. As the lies begin to unravel, Cal is headed straight into the heart of a dark secret as his search uncovers more startling truths about Promise Falls. And when yet another murder happens, Cal and Barry are both driven to pursue their investigations, no matter where they lead. Evil deeds long thought buried are about to haunt the residents of this town—as the sins of the past and present collide with terrifying results. Thoughts: This is the second novel in the Promise Falls -trilogy. I really enjoyed the first novel, Broken Promise (thoughts here), and I was looking forward to reading this one, and I have to say Barclay delivered once again. It's been a while since I read the book, but I still remember quite a lot about it which is pretty good for me, taking into consideration how my brain seems to be complete mush these days and I forget about book plots as soon as I've finished reading them. There's one particular aspect in a particular character in the novel that's stayed in my mind, and I thought the little detail was so perfectly planned out and delivered... It was incredible! At least in my opinion... Totally loved reading the book and couldn't find out what went on with different things. I'm so glad to have found this thriller author, and it's all thanks to the forum, as some of you read some of his books years and years ago and recommended them. Seems like most of you haven't kept on reading his other novels, as far as I know, though, and I think it's a bit of a shame ... Am I the only one who's still enjoying Barclay? 5/5

Yep, more pay equals more fun It still won't be a big check as such, but it's big for me, as I'm used to very little. Maybe I'll be able to start saving. The free printer is still making me giddy I have a project it'll be perfect for. And I can have some fun with it, too Mojo might be coming back... I started reading Swimming to Elba last night and even though I only read like 6 pages, I liked what I read and can't wait to see where it'll lead. I think it might be good! It's by an Italian author I've never heard of before, so that's interesting, too. I don't know if I've ever read anything by an Italian... Maybe I have, but just don't remember. Have you seen the movie Chocolat, Athena? I'd heartily recommend it. But it'll make you want to eat chocolate At least that's how I felt! I'm way behind on my reviews, I think I'll try and catch up. 'Reviews', that is.

This. Absolutely. I will also say Gaétan Soucy, who only wrote four books (and only two of those have been translated into Finnish ), then he died. He was only 54 John Kennedy Toole. Two novels, one of which he wrote when he was 16. That sort of talent at that age! I'm sorry he didn't feel he could carry on

That's more than understandable! Always so little time, and always so many books to read... I got my copy of the latest Irving novel from the library and I started reading it, and it seemed very promising.... But it didn't stick. I guess I'm fearing the size of it. I'll try again later.

Can't wait to hear more in the future... I picked up Swimming to Elba last night, it's by Silvia Avallone, an Italian author. Only got to page 6 but it seems very promising!

Hello and welcome to the forum! I've not read anything by Lucy Diamond or Carole Matthews, so I can't really say... But I think they are chick-lit authors? My personal favorites from said genre are Sophie Kinsella and Lucy Dillon off the top, off the top of my head. We also have a thread on favorite chick-lit authors here, you can check it out if you wish

Hello and welcome to the forum! We have people on here from all over the world... I personally hail from Finland

Considering my mojo has abandoned me, I will only list one, and it's one that came to my head immediately: Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.

Totally nice and awesome! And of course, if she ever wants it back, I'll give it back to her, no sweat I just bought ink for it. Went shopping with my parents... I got 3 of the 4 things I wanted and needed: ink, a new practical purse/handbag for work and for leisure, and undies. (I now only need new shoes. I hate shoe shopping.) I also got a book at a flea market Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I've seen the movie many times and almost read the book once. (Meaning, I think I read most of it but never finished.) I've been wanting to read it now for a while. Such a funny thing I should find a copy when I was thinking about it just last week. Oh, and this is totally un-book-related, but I have to tell you that as there's an 'extra' wheelchair at Boss's temp apartment (it's one that you can go take a shower in. For the tenants to use.), I asked if Boss was okay with me test-driving it for a while, for fun. She didn't mind at all. She then said I should try and do my day's work, sitting in the chair, not getting up at all, for anything. And so I did. Oh boy, things get really complicated! I had to pre-think my next move to save the hassle of going back and forth... Going to the terrace with a mug of coffee was tricky, especially when the threshold was a pain in the ass... But it was so much fun! Boss was laughing her ass off. She said I looked really stupid Anyhow, I was in that chair for 5,5 hours. I did the dishes and made us sandwiches. There wasn't much else to do, so I was able to do it all in good time. But if I dropped something on the floor, I couldn't lift it. I had to wait till my shift was over.

Thanks! Although I can't take any ownership of the pride... Now I'm thinking about it, Athena's 'kukuleku' made me think there's a word 'kukkelikuu' in Finnish, and I don't know what it's supposed to mean or describe, as it's really nothing... maybe it's when adults talk to babies. Ah, maybe I'm actually thinking about 'kukkuluuruu', which one says in Finnish when you guys would say 'peekaboo'

Oh my, the 'zwart' brings back memories! I've started to re-watch the TV series Soap, and there's an elder man in the show who's been in the war and is now old and a bit senile, and re-lives the war on a daily basis, and then the family has a guest whose nickname is Dutch, and the war veteran thinks he is Dutch. Of Dutch origin, that is Thanks for the Dutch re-cap on the Harry Potter translations, that was interesting! I think 'Wegisweg' is such a brilliant translation. Obviously a bit obvious, because it's right there, but it just proves how perfectly amazing languages are Brilliant stuff! Kukeleku made me think of a ukulele Over here, a cockerel's sound would be 'kukkokiekuu', which is very literal, as cockerel is 'kukko' in Finnish and when he's sounding out his very particular sound, the verb for it is 'kiekuu' in Finnish. So, kukko kiekuu 'kukkokiekuu'!