frankie

I've heard good things about Erlend Loe in so many other forums but for some reason I've never given his books a try. I think Fakta om Finland sounds interesting, I'll add that to my TBR It's great to have someone in here who also reads Finnish and other nordic novels, I've been neglecting that area of literature for a while now and it would be nice to get reacquinted with it!

Yep, first step down, eleven to go ...

She sounds like a real matriarch, maybe someone like Richard Gilmore's mother and Lorelai and Rory's grandmother in Gilmore Girls, only hopefully nicer =D

My mom lives in a small town and doesn't have many friends other than her sisters, and her mother was that way too. Sometimes I wonder if I'll be the same when I get older because I am a private person and sometimes reserved. But I don't wish to be like that, I wish to be something like your grandmother, too! Or rather like my BF's mother, she's incredibly active socially and otherwise. To be still able to giggle at life and oneself when older would be nice The part about your grandmother making you change before dinner is hilarious =D

Yep nordic novels are easier to find in Finnish than in English. Reading nordic novels every now and then is like coming home, they are so different from British or American or other foreign novels.

If you like funny novels, I highly recommend Ingvar Ambjørnsen's novels of Elling (you may have heard of the Elling movies?), there's at least two in Finnish, Tiputanssi and Veriveljet.

Your grandmother sure sounds like a character Yeah it might be confusing too, I didn't think of that. Especially so as your parents are both from different countries. I mean that's three languages and cultures, I was impressed already with the idea of two!

Yes I read in English too. For some unknown reason all of the books that I've read since I've joined have happened to be in English. Next time I read something in Finnish I'll probably name the title in English and add the Finnish title in parenthesis or something.

Akateeminen kirjakauppa is my favorite, it's so huuuuge and posh and somehow comfortable at the same time. They also have a wide range of paperbacks, and especially PBs in English. Whenever I visit Helsinki I have to visit Akateeminen, otherwise it's not a satisfying trip.

But I'm glad that I asked you now, virtual book throwing doesn't hurt and anyways, you didn't even try to throw one

I think you are very lucky to have that kind of insisting grandmother! It's such a privilege to be able to learn other languages other than one's first native language so early on.

Kiitos

I was just looking for a new forum on books and googled "book forum" and this was the third hit and seemed like the best, and I was hooked!

I noticed that in some thread you were saying that you were in Finland just some time ago and I wanted to ask you where did you shop for books but didn't feel like imposing (that's what you get for being a bit shy, silly me...) and off topicing again.

How do you know Finnish/Finland?

Oh, and I also want to ask you, living in France, have you been to Shakespeare and Company? I read Sylvia Beach's S&C a few years ago, but I only realized a couple of weeks ago that the place is still running! If I ever get to Paris, that'll be the first place I'll visit

Oh they are new kitties! It must be fun seeing them settle in their new surroundings and getting the hang of things, and not being shy about it

Thanks Tiger, they're my absolute favorite too Funny coincidence, I was just reading who's got your favorite avatar -thread and I noticed your new cat avatar and how you were saying Stewie is not as innocent as he looks... What I got from looking at the picture was that he's definitely up to something as soon as nobody's looking