~Andrea~ Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Congratulations Frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Happy Anniversary, Frankie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Congrats on your 5 year anniversary frankrie! Thanks Devi! My, how the time's gone by! I found quite a few clips - and one person has uploaded S3! Oooh they have season 3?? Goody goody I have to watch it someday. I actually think I ought to buy the series on DVD some day. It's such a classic, I never get tired of it Thanks Janet! I liked Rev! I used to work for my former vicar though in the Anglican church, so I think that helped my appreciation of it. I like the lead actor - Tom Hollander - he's been in looooads of things (including the horrible Pride and Prejudice remake where he was Mr Collins). I wonder if it was because of P&P that I started loathing the poor fella I do remember it was some costume drama. I believe he's been in plenty of them. Happy anniversary! You share it with Princess Beatrice - it's her 25th birthday today - she was born on 8.8.88! I always remember it because she was born the year Peter and I were married (different month). Yes, I share, because I'm a generous person Congratulations Frankie Thanks Andrea! Happy Anniversary, Frankie! Thanks babe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Happy Book related anniversary Sari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 My Goodreads account says I'm 9 books behind schedule (I aim to read 100 books, as always. I mean I always aim, but sometimes do not get there). Blasted thing! Stupid mojo... Anyhow. My TBR pile has come down to 448... Much of it has had to do with me giving away books that have been brought to my unsuspecting library for free of charge from the library book exchange trolley, or very cheap from secondhand bookstores or charityshops. But I have read a decent amount of books off TBR, and I've been very good at not buying that many books this year. I forgot to check how many I've acquired, but I think it's around 30 books, and some of them are books that I'd already read when I bought them, but just wished to own. When I started my reading log this year, I was to get my TBR under 500. By reading books off TBR. Now I'm under 500, but not only by having read so many books off TBR. However, now I wonder if I could actually try and get my TBR under 400.... That would be bloody amazing!! I could actually get rid of my second bookcase, the one that has almost fully collapsed once already. If I got rid of that, and when I get rid of my big TV, maybe I could finally buy myself a couch and have more people visit my place, knowing there's enough room for people to sit on... And oh my, how nice it would be to be able to read a book on a couch... My options now are my armchair which I'm not a huge fan of, and my bed. And if I read on my bed during daytime, I'm very likely to fall asleep... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Happy Book related anniversary Sari. Thanks Brian! Can you imagine it, me being on here for 5 solid years, not having been banned, not once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 (edited) #42 The Help by Kathryn Stockett Synopsis on Amazon: Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town... Thoughts: I only know about this book because of the reviews and recommendations on here, so thank you everyone who's contributed to them! When I borrowed the English copy at the library maybe a year ago, I tried reading the book but couldn't get quite into it. I knew it was nothing to do with the book, my mood just wasn't right. When I got a free Finnish copy of it from a friend, and started it on a long train ride from Helsinki to Joensuu, I managed to get a few dozen pages in, and liked what I read, until I was interrupted by an older woman who wanted to talk all the way through to Joensuu... I was obliging, but couldn't wait to get back home to continue reading the book! I probably cannot say anything new about the book, anything that hasn't been said before on here by other members who've read it... But I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Finnish translation didn't in any way try and imitate the African-American English used in the English original, which I thought was a shame, but probably also a blessing. I would've liked to see how the translator dealt with the dialect, but then again I would've probably thought it wasn't a good job at all, had s/he ended up trying... A thoroughly enjoyable book. A keeper! 5/5 Edited August 8, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipread Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Hello frankie Happy 5th Anniversary! Glad you enjoyed The Help it certainly is 'a keeper', have you seen the film of it? I haven't cause I don't want to be disappointed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Hello frankie Happy 5th Anniversary! Thanks pipread! Glad you enjoyed The Help it certainly is 'a keeper', have you seen the film of it? I haven't cause I don't want to be disappointed! I haven't, no. At first I honestly thought I wouldn't want to, because I didn't like the cast... Then I took another look, and realised I'd mistaken, I had thought of a whole other cast from a whole other movie Then I realised Emma Stone is in the movie, and I kinda love her so I suppose I should watch the movie... Many people have told me that the movie's also really great, and worth the watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 #43 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood From Amazon: In 1843, a 16-year-old Canadian housemaid named Grace Marks was tried for the murder of her employer and his mistress. The sensationalistic trial made headlines throughout the world, and the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Yet opinion remained fiercely divided about Marks--was she a spurned woman who had taken out her rage on two innocent victims, or was she an unwilling victim herself, caught up in a crime she was too young to understand? […] In Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood reconstructs Marks's story in fictional form. Her portraits of 19th-century prison and asylum life are chilling in their detail. Thoughts: I have to say I mostly read this for the 1001 Books challenge, and because I'd bought a copy some years back. I also liked it that the book is based on a true crime story. I was hoping for something as great as Crippen by John Boyne, mixed with The Sculptress by Minette Walters (which is a story told very much in a similar way: an outsider, a psychologist, coming to visit the convict in prison to interview them). For me personally it was very heavy getting into the story. It alternated between what happened way back, what happened 'now' in the prison, and some letters from Dr Jordan (the one who comes to interview Grace Marks) to his mates and colleagues. Not only that, I didn't find the actual murder story all that interesting. It was heavy getting into the story, but it was also heavy going through it! Still, it was an okay read. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it. I hope this review doesn't put anyone off reading the book! That is not my meaning. 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 (edited) #44 The Rendezvous and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier As the title says, this is a collection of short stories by Daphne du Maurier. There were quite a few of those, indeed! It was a mixed bunch, and some of them weren't quite so great, but I would say the majority of them were good or even very good! I don't read a lot of short stories, but I went for this because I found the book at a library book sale and it was in English, and it was Daphne du Maurier There were a few obscure ones, which I quite liked... I would recommend the book to any du Maurier fan 4/5 Edited August 9, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 (edited) #45 Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon Synopsis by self: Opera, intermission, and a death. Vice-commissario of police, Guido Brunetti, takes over the investigation and thus starts the detective/police series by Donna Leon. Thoughts: I've heard of the books many times and for a long time. I got a copy of the book from my then-boyfriend's Mum for Christmas, some years ago, and was quite looking forward to reading the book, having had a thing for all things Italian at some point in the not so distant past... The thing I liked most about the book was how Leon offered some tiny details of the Italian way of life (as she must see it herself, as an American who's moved to Italy and has lived there since 1980s). There were a few Italian words here and there, and when I'd read about half of the book, I suddenly remembered that I actually had a small Finnish-Italian-Finnish dictionary from the days of my Italian craze, and I was so happy that I could now use it to my advantage! I also liked how Brunetti was portrayed, as well as his family, and the two quite eccentric police officers (?) who worked for him during the investigation. I cannot wait to read more about them all. The storyline itself wasn't perhaps the most interesting, and there wasn't a lot of action... Although I think I must realise by now that in real life, not all homicide cases go like the ones on, say, Jeffery Deaver's thrillers... A fairly enjoyable read, and I'm going to read more of these books when I get to them! 3/5 Edited August 9, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 (edited) #46 No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay From Amazon: On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared. Thoughts: Thanks to everyone on here who's read the book and recommended it, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't even know about Linwood Barclay and would not have read this or the other one I so much loved: Too Close To Home! Once again, Barclay has come up with such an unbelievable, scary and intriguing premise for a book... Can you imagine what you would do yourself if you were Cynthia Archer? You'd be scared crapless, that's right! I don't know where Barclay comes up with these ideas, but they're great and the way he puts them in his novels, you can't help but read on. Real pageturners, they are! I had absolutely no idea what would happen and more so, what had happened... A completely riveting read! I don't really quite know why I only rated it 3/5, because now that I think about it, it ought to have been worth 4/5. But maybe I didn't like this book quite as much as Too Close to Home... Anyhow, if you like these sorts of books, I would definitely recommend this one 3/5 Edited August 9, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 #47 The Ingredients of Love by Nicolas Barreau From Amazon: While in the midst of a breakup-induced depression, Aurélie Bredin, a beautiful Parisian restaurateur, discovers an astonishing novel in a quaint bookshop on the Ile Saint-Louis. Inexplicably, her restaurant and Aurélie herself are featured in its pages. After reading the whole book in one night, she realizes it has saved her life—and she wishes more than anything to meet its author. Thoughts: I've had a bit of a Francophile phase and when I found out that this Finnish book forum I belong to had chosen this as their summer reading circle book, I jumped at the chance to read it. It's French, there's a book, and a bookshop, and it's lovey dovey... Just what I needed! Oh well. I'm going to butcher this book in a second, and if you don't like the butchering of books, do not continue to read this review... What a huge letdown! A nice idea in itself, but even the Finnish blurb already suggested that it might be very predictable... I hoped all the while I was reading that it wouldn't go the way I just knew it would, but of course it did The most predictable book I've read in ages, and it's such an already-done idea! What a complete waste of my sweet summer time! 1/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 (edited) #48 Pig Island by Mo Hayder Blurb (copypasted from Amazon): SEE EVIL Journalist Joe Oakes makes a living exposing supernatural hoaxes.But what he sees when he visits a secretive religious community on a remote Scottish island forces him to question everything he thought he knew. HEAR EVILWhy have the islanders been accused of Satanism? What has happened to their leader?And why will no one discuss the strange creature seen wandering the lonely beaches of Pig Island? READ EVIL In PIG ISLAND, Mo Hayder dares you to face your fears head on and to look at what lurks beneath the surface of everyday normality. It's about the unspeakable things people do to each other. Brace yourself for a terrifying read. Thoughts: Years back when I was reading through the Disturbing Reads -thread on here (I don't remember the exact title of the thread...), I came upon Mo Hayder's name and I thought I ought to giver her books a go. I do quite like to be disturbed, every now and then... I didn't have any expectations for this book, I had no idea what it would turn out to be like. But it sounded interesting enough to read... Well, I was disturbed, also perplexed, and intrigued at first... 100 pages in or so, I wasn't as intrigued as to begin with, but I read on and got back on track again. What a weird book! Certainly not the most disturbing one I've read (that title probably goes to Poppy Z. Brite's Exquisite Corpse...), but indeed somewhat revolting. I didn't really get the ending at first, but when I did, it was like 'okay, wow!'. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Hayder's books for sure. 4/5 Edited August 9, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 #49 The Pact by Jodi Picoult From Amazon (with a bit of editing): For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty. Parents and children alike are best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.When the midnight calls come in from the hospital, no one is prepared for the appalling truth: ...[an apparent suicide pact]... And the Hartes and Golds, in a single terrifying moment, must face every parent's worst fear: do we ever really know our children at all? Thoughts: I'd heard of Jodi Picoult on this forum and when I found a copy of this in some secondhand bookshop or charityshop, I bought it. The blurb sounded really intriguing. And I was wondering how on earth could Picoult try and tackle a topic as devastating as this one? I had my doubts... I tried reading the novel maybe three or four times and could never get into it. I had already picked the book up to give it away to charity, but then I would always re-read the blurb and think, this sounds so bloody interesting I can't give the book away... Finally I got into it this summer. And I couldn't really put it down once I started. Picoult does an amazing job with this one. It's so believable, and well written... I take my hat off to her, indeed! It's a terrifying theme, but if you can get past that, I would recommend reading the book. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 #50 The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick Blurb: Imagine that your life is a film directed by God. A romcom, obviously, complete with happy-ever-after ending. Before the credits roll, there will, of course, be tears, tantrums and misunderstandings, but you know you'll get there - and get your girl - in the end. Welcome to Pat's world. It's a world of silver linings and true love, but also a world where God makes movies and Kenny G lurks in your attic - and when Pat inadvertentely befriends the tragic Tiffany, he begins to question whether or not he might just have got the genre wrong. For anyone who loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time or Little Miss Sunshine, The Silver Linings Playbook is a novel about love, life and American football... and what happens when the woman you love isn't the woman of your dreams. Thoughts: Thanks tunn300 for your review on the book, it's what made me add it to my wishlist and eventually acquire a copy to read! I feel so sorry for this book. When I was reading it, I had a lot of other things on my mind, and I really didn't get into it as well as I should have, to fully appreciate it. When I was reading it, I was mostly going 'whaaat...?', and eventhough that was expected from the reader to a certain point, I think I was very excessive with it. I should've been more in tune with the novel... It's entirely my own fault, not the book's. The reading experience did get better in the end for me, but by that time I already felt like I should've re-read the first 2/3 of the book just to make the ending any kind of justice... A really quirky read in a way, but so endearing. The more I think about the book, the more I like it. I was planning on giving away the book right after I read it, but now I really think I'm going to hold on to it, and re-read it in the future to get more out of it. Recommended! 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Oh yes, bloody uncomfortable. The rest of the night at the bar I stuck to the couch, making all friends fetch beer for me when I wanted. I only got up when was forced to go home (apparently one can't stay at the bar for the night ). Reminds me of Jo in Little Women when she couldn't dance and had to have her back to the wall because she had a burnt patch on her dress. You could've said you were re-enacting it but with a modern twist What other literary happenings could we re-enact? Today is a bit of a special day... Three friends are having or have had their wedding anniversaries this week, and it's been a real love fest, sending out congratulations here and there.... Well I don't want to feel left out, so I'm definitely celebrating my own anniversary!! It's not a wedding one, but a BCF one. Today I've been on here as a registered member for 5 glorious years! I joined on 8.8.2008 (what an easy date to remember ), and have never looked back Yay .. Happy Anniversary beautiful Thanks for all the books you've recommended. I'll send you the bill I think you'd like Rev and get to like Tom Hollander in it because he's quite adorable (though .. bad memories of the terrible P&P and Mr Collins and whatnot I quite agree.) He was also in Wives and Daughters .. and was good in that also. But the main reason to watch is for Olivia You are steaming ahead with your reviews .. Glad you enjoyed The Help .. I thought it was great. Am going to make a note of The Silver Linings Playbook as I think I'd enjoy it too. Oh dear .. the Atwood .. makes me even less inclined to pick it up now which I know you said wasn't to be the case but I can't help it I haven't quite forgiven her for making me suffer Surfacing .. my mojo was like a fish floundering whilst waiting for a rock to finish it off .. all but dead in other words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 #45 Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon Synopsis by self: Opera, intermission, and a death. Vice-commissario of police, Guido Brunetti, takes over the investigation and thus starts the detective/police series by Donna Leon. Thoughts: I've heard of the books many times and for a long time. I got a copy of the book from my then-boyfriend's Mum for Christmas, some years ago, and was quite looking forward to reading the book, having had a thing for all things Italian at some point in the not so distant past... The thing I liked most about the book was how Leon offered some tiny details of the Italian way of life (as she must see it herself, as an American who's moved to Italy and has lived there since 1980s). There were a few Italian words here and there, and when I'd read about half of the book, I suddenly remembered that I actually had a small Finnish-Italian-Finnish dictionary from the days of my Italian craze, and I was so happy that I could now use it to my advantage! I also liked how Brunetti was portrayed, as well as his family, and the two quite eccentric police officers (?) who worked for him during the investigation. I cannot wait to read more about them all. The storyline itself wasn't perhaps the most interesting, and there wasn't a lot of action... Although I think I must realise by now that in real life, not all homicide cases go like the ones on, say, Jeffery Deaver's thrillers... A fairly enjoyable read, and I'm going to read more of these books when I get to them! 3/5 Having read it a few weeks ago, the thing that sticks in my mind is the portrayal of the family, especially those nice depictions of family life around the table. BTW, you`ve got a much nicer cover in Finland - the UK one looks all ` Phantom of the opera`. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 A belated happy BCF anniversary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I could actually get rid of my second bookcase, the one that has almost fully collapsed once already. If I got rid of that, and when I get rid of my big TV, maybe I could finally buy myself a couch and have more people visit my place, knowing there's enough room for people to sit on... We have different priorities... Congrats on 5 years with BCF!! I haven't hit two yet. It makes one think there shouldn't be any commando days, ever... Lets not say things we can't take back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Congratulations on your 5 years! And may I request that you stop posting such excellent reviews? My TBR pile / wish list can't take the strain any longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 I'm glad you enjoyed The Help, frankie. I thought it was excellent. I really enjoyed the film version too - it's a good adaptation, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Wow, someone's been catching up on reviews! I'm so proud of you for getting your TBR pile down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Reminds me of Jo in Little Women when she couldn't dance and had to have her back to the wall because she had a burnt patch on her dress. You could've said you were re-enacting it but with a modern twist What other literary happenings could we re-enact? I bet they would've looked at me like I was mad, it was just better and easier to admit to the truth... I wouldn't mind re-enacting some scenes from Pride and Prejudice... Yay .. Happy Anniversary beautiful Thanks for all the books you've recommended. I'll send you the bill Thanks darling No use sending me the bill, because it will all balance out nicely after I've done the maths on how much money I've spent on books bought because of your recommendations I think you'd like Rev and get to like Tom Hollander in it because he's quite adorable (though .. bad memories of the terrible P&P and Mr Collins and whatnot I quite agree.) He was also in Wives and Daughters .. and was good in that also. But the main reason to watch is for Olivia I knew it couldn't only be just P&P movie, because I've only seen it once and I don't remember it so well... I've seen Wives and Daughters twice, at least... But I don't think he played a particularly nasty/annoying character in that... Or maybe he was just one of those silly men who didn't know who was really the one for them, having the viewers tear their hair off in frustration, trying to see if that would help... Oh yes, Olivia... That's her name She so beautiful, and such a talented actress! I love the way she speaks. I love her accent and mouth and teeth... It's perfectly reasonable, I'm a linguist!! You are steaming ahead with your reviews .. Glad you enjoyed The Help .. I thought it was great. I was so far behind on my reviews, I had to get going with them. They are books I've read in the past few months, so that's why I don't remember much about them, sadly... The Help was really great, and I just love the cover of my Finnish copy! I love it so much (and the translation was so great) that I don't even think I will bother with getting an English original Am going to make a note of The Silver Linings Playbook as I think I'd enjoy it too. I hope you shall enjoy it! It's unusual for me to want to watch movies, but I dare say I would really like to see this one on screen... Eventhough I really dislike the male lead. He played such a pitiful character in one of my most favorite (chick) flicks that I just think he's a bad bad man The movie is He's Just Not That Into You. My bible Oh dear .. the Atwood .. makes me even less inclined to pick it up now which I know you said wasn't to be the case but I can't help it I haven't quite forgiven her for making me suffer Surfacing .. my mojo was like a fish floundering whilst waiting for a rock to finish it off .. all but dead in other words I will have a word of consolation for you 1001. At least you got to tick off Surfacing off that list! I still have that joy ahead of me.... Although Alias Grace is also on the list, so I guess we're even But I promise, AG wasn't all that bad, otherwise I would've given it 2/5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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