poppyshake Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Do you think Dalmatians feel victimised?! Poor things! I like a Dalmatian .. of course I do .. but they're as mad as a box of frogs .. like Red Setters .. absolutely loopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) I've got two books on the go at the moment (well .. I've just finished one of them) Nick Hornby's How to be Good and Sketcher by Roland Watson Grant and today when I was reading them they both happened to mention 'Jonestown' which I thought was a pretty remarkable (well .. quite good anyway ) co-incidence as one is set in Louisiana and one in London and the stories are poles apart. I guess the co-incidence is not really that they've both referenced it .. more that I read that reference on the same day so it seems like more of a co-incidence. I wish I had had a white chocolate Magnum co-incidence (or even an almond Magnum co-incidence which is my fave) because that has to be just the best co-incidence of all It's not a co-incidence that nearly every book I read mentions toast (and just after I've eaten it sometimes .. in fact sometimes I'm actually eating it and reading about it!) Toast is all encompassing .. the planet wouldn't revolve if it weren't for toast so it would be weird if it didn't continually crop up Enid always made me want to eat slightly burnt sausages and Mr Tumnus gave me a liking for sardines and it may be that I ate them shortly after reading about them but if I'm honest .. I made that happen Edited June 13, 2014 by poppyshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 I'll get to replying to ^ earlier posts later, but bloody hell, I was just adding a book on my wishlist and it said 'CONTENT IS TOO LONG'. I don't think I've ever had that happen to me before... I mean something similar has happened once or twice before when I've started a new reading log, but I think it was a case of just not being able to post, and I then had that post made into two separate posts to fit everything in. I've never gone to add something to a list before only to be told that that was it, that broke the camel's back for good. Oh crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I'll get to replying to ^ earlier posts later, but bloody hell, I was just adding a book on my wishlist and it said 'CONTENT IS TOO LONG'. I don't think I've ever had that happen to me before... I mean something similar has happened once or twice before when I've started a new reading log, but I think it was a case of just not being able to post, and I then had that post made into two separate posts to fit everything in. I've never gone to add something to a list before only to be told that that was it, that broke the camel's back for good. Oh crap! Oh no, Frankie, you broke the internet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Oh no, Frankie, you broke the internet! Really? Oh no, not now, I've just started to enjoy a three month adventure of the BB UK, provided to me by the Internet Nooooo! I'll delete my wishlist, I will!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I think if you were to delete your wish list a virtual imbalance would occur, and you then would actually break the internet. You can't risk it Frankie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Damn, I didn't think of that! What do I do what do I do what do I dooooo?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I have had this happen too, last year. That's why I decided to reserve a few more posts at the beginning of my thread this year. Incidentally, I'm glad you enjoyed 13 Reasons Why, I read it not long ago and enjoyed it a lot too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Oh no, Frankie, you broke the internet! I'll add 'again' to that sentence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Well it's all sorted now. Luckily my TBR list is now so short that I could fit it in one single post instead of two, thus managing to empty one post for 'wishlist 2' Incidentally, I'm glad you enjoyed 13 Reasons Why, I read it not long ago and enjoyed it a lot too. It was great, I'm glad you liked it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Well it's all sorted now. Luckily my TBR list is now so short that I could fit it in one single post instead of two, thus managing to empty one post for 'wishlist 2' It was great, I'm glad you liked it too! I have had this happen too, last year. That's why I decided to reserve a few more posts at the beginning of my thread this year. Incidentally, I'm glad you enjoyed 13 Reasons Why, I read it not long ago and enjoyed it a lot too. 13 Reasons Why is on my TBR - I keep meaning to get around to it! But I am rather floundering under the weight of all the "books I must get around to" at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 I'll second the rec for A Maiden's Grave - I thought it was very good. It's the only Deaver I've read so far, though, so I can't compare it to any of his others Thanks Like I said, I'll definitely read it at some point, I have a copy of the book but sadly Mom's got it at the moment. If my memory serves me, it's the one with the deaf kids' class...? I've seen glimpses of the movie years and years ago and it seemed really suspenseful but because I only caught it halfway through I didn't watch the whole thing. 13 Reasons Why is on my TBR - I keep meaning to get around to it! But I am rather floundering under the weight of all the "books I must get around to" at the moment I know how that feels All I can say is, I got sucked into the book right from the start and it was fast and great reading. Shouldn't take too long when you get to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 As per usual, I've had to butcher some emoticons! Yay for James and Streetcat Bob. I saw that pic with Jacqueline too. Glad you enjoyed the book frankie ... what a great little puss cat. I do love ginger cats (no offence Molly) It was a great book, I really wanted to like it and was happy that I did! Would you recommend the second book? I'm sure Molly takes no offense, she knows she's the top cat I am slightly wary of German Shepherd Dogs. That is .. I would have to know the dog to be comfy around it. If one barks at me I am about 90% more scared than if a labrador does the same thing. This is partly to do with me being a custard and partly to do with the dog's reputation (in the 70's/80's mainly .. they were the medias terror dog of choice .. then it passed to the Rottweiler and on to the Pitbull) all probably very unfair on the dog because they are individuals like the rest of us but you can't always rid your mind of the scare stories and I have had an encounter with an aggressive German Shepherd dog (which had more to do with the owner than anything.) I am afraid of dogs I guess though we always had them when I was growing up (just mutts .. of no specific breed) I'm aware of their power over me should they choose to exercise it If you've had a personal bad experience with a German Shepherd it's really all very understandable for you to be wary of them. And they are big dogs, they look more intimidating than smaller ones. And who has ever heard of a nasty labrador killing people? I remember when, like you said, German Sheppies had a bad rep. It's odd how these things change. Pitbulls seem to take the most crap these days. Maybe it's always about how the people who are hooligans and crappy dog owners go for a certain breed, and then that breed gets a bad rep. It's very unfair for the dogs! I've sometimes wondered if dogs don't like spots. this may be where I'm going wrong. I've found out that they often don't like umbrellas ... trust me to live in England Spotty umbrellas? Trust you to find one, if anyone! There's that old story too about dogs knowing if you're scared of them .. that's not helpful. I'm always thinking a dog can smell my fear It's a vicious circle And it's no use trying to divert them, by saying 'Oh it's not you I'm afraid of, it's just that my TBR is getting out of hand...' Do you think Dalmatians feel victimised?! Poor things! I like a Dalmatian .. of course I do .. but they're as mad as a box of frogs .. like Red Setters .. absolutely loopy. And trust you to like the spotty doggy breed... Dalmatians are for some reason one of the dog breeds I'm least interested in. Maybe I need to watch 101 Dalmatians. Or actually, I'd rather read the book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 I've got two books on the go at the moment (well .. I've just finished one of them) Nick Hornby's How to be Good and Sketcher by Roland Watson Grant and today when I was reading them they both happened to mention 'Jonestown' which I thought was a pretty remarkable (well .. quite good anyway ) co-incidence as one is set in Louisiana and one in London and the stories are poles apart. I guess the co-incidence is not really that they've both referenced it .. more that I read that reference on the same day so it seems like more of a co-incidence. I wish I had had a white chocolate Magnum co-incidence (or even an almond Magnum co-incidence which is my fave) because that has to be just the best co-incidence of all That is a great coincidence! I think it's even better that they were different Jonestowns, thousands of miles apart, because I think that's more of a coincidence to feature a town/city of the very same name in two different continents. That White Magnum is still haunting me. The booky coincidence, but also the deliciousness of it I'm getting that craving... Luckily it's a national holiday so I can't go and buy one It's not a co-incidence that nearly every book I read mentions toast (and just after I've eaten it sometimes .. in fact sometimes I'm actually eating it and reading about it!) Toast is all encompassing .. the planet wouldn't revolve if it weren't for toast so it would be weird if it didn't continually crop up Toast would be the saddest excuse for a booky coincidence with you However, coincidentally ( ) I saw a clip of toast today and thought of you. It was not a good clip though, and I would never show it to you. The toaster was on the edge of the kitchen table and well, when the toasts were done, they jumped and.... I will say no more. It was brutal!! Enid always made me want to eat slightly burnt sausages and Mr Tumnus gave me a liking for sardines and it may be that I ate them shortly after reading about them but if I'm honest .. I made that happen Well sometimes you have to take your destiny into your own hands and make things happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) #48 The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin From Amazon: A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books, has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession--a rare edition of Poe poems--has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. Until a most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew. Gabrielle Zevin’s enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books--an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. Thoughts: This book was such a joy to read! For the first time in ages I'm actually happy to write a review... I came across this book on Goodreads, the recommendation section. The title caught my eye, I read the synopsis and added it to my wishlist. However, it's rather a coincidence that I got to read the book so soon: when I added the title to my wishlist, I checked the library for copies but there weren't any. But then last week I was browsing the 'new books' section on the library website and loved the sound of one title: 'Tuulisen saaren kirjakauppias', which translates to 'The Bookseller of the Windy Island'. Books and bookshops? Yes please! When I started reading the synopsis of that book, I came across the character A. J. Fikry and made the connection and immediately placed a reservation for the book! I wanted to love the book, but as I've only been able to concentrate on YA books, I wasn't sure my mojo could handle the novel. Last night when I went to bed, I had six different novels on my nightstand and I'd finished my previous read just a bit earlier, and those are the worst times... Going to bed not knowing which book you will be able to get into. (That's why you have to have a stack of them on the nightstand! ) Hesitantly I picked up the Fikry book, started reading, and it was miraculous. I got to page 122 without quite realizing it and without even having to think if I could get into the novel. I wanted to love the book... And I did! This morning I went to Goodreads, to the quotes section and searched for the quotes I loved in the novel (I'd put tiny post-it notes to mark them so I would remember them) and added them to my quotes. And I was just itching to start continuing the story. It was such a delight! The book's very readable, there's book talk (yay!) and I fell in love with the characters. And there were these great little insights to life, sometimes in general and sometimes discovered through bookish references/examples. I would love to list quotes here but I don't want to ruin or spoil the book for anyone. I did a search on the title and it doesn't seem many people have read the book on here. I wonder if it might become another one of those forum favorites If you like books about books, and if you know my taste and have a similar one yourself, I'd highly recommend the book A sidenote: I was going through my wishlist earlier today and I realized I have wishlisted another Zevin book before. I've never read any of her other books and she's a totally new author to me, so I've only now just started to remember her name and not just the title of the book. The novel is called Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and here's the synopsis from Amazon: If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn’t have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn’t have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn’t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her “Chief.” She’d get all his inside jokes, and maybe he wouldn’t be so frustrated with her for forgetting things she can’t possibly remember. She’d know about her mom’s new family. She’d know about her dad’s fiancée. She wouldn’t have to spend her junior year relearning all the French she supposedly knew already. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn’t have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads. And I also learned this from Zevin: “Gabrielle Zevin’s writing career began at 14 years old when an angry letter to her local newspaper about a Guns ‘n’ Roses concert resulted in a job as a music critic.” Brilliant! Oh, and another sidenote: the Finnish translation was absolutely superb. The translator has made it sort of his own. The language is pure Finnish, it doesn't resonate English. Perfect! 5/5 Edited June 21, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 That is a great coincidence! I think it's even better that they were different Jonestowns, thousands of miles apart, because I think that's more of a coincidence to feature a town/city of the very same name in two different continents. Sorry Sari I just read my post and it was totally confusing .. I did indeed make it sound like they were referencing different Jonestowns but they weren't they were referencing the same one (the one with the cult .. where 900 or so people drank cyanide in a mass suicide) .. all I meant was that it was weird .. that two such different stories .. set in different countries and not alike in any other way .. should reference Jonestown at all and that I should read them on the same day. Apologies though .. I made a right hash of explaining it .. I sometimes think the keyboard is not my friend because surely I'm not as dim as all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) Sorry Sari I just read my post and it was totally confusing .. I did indeed make it sound like they were referencing different Jonestowns but they weren't they were referencing the same one (the one with the cult .. where 900 or so people drank cyanide in a mass suicide) .. all I meant was that it was weird .. that two such different stories .. set in different countries and not alike in any other way .. should reference Jonestown at all and that I should read them on the same day. Apologies though .. I made a right hash of explaining it .. I sometimes think the keyboard is not my friend because surely I'm not as dim as all that Oh! I completely misunderstood it! I thought that the link you provided was the US Jonestown (well duh, it is), and about the mass suicide, and that the UK one was just a town with that name. The embarrassing thing is I've read How to Be Good so I should have by all accounts made the connection you were referring to. Which reminds me, I completely forgot to ask you about the book in my reply. I saw you gave a rather good rating to the book on GR It's my least favorite of the Hornby books I've read, and I've usually enjoyed his books. I found it odd that we such have such different taste with that book but at the same time I'm happy you were able to enjoy it Weird thing about Jonestown... It made me think there was another Jonestown in the OZ, with a true crime case, and I thought it's too much of a coincidence... Then I remembered it's Snowtown. It's the o's and s's and n's! It's getting a bit too Ella Minnow Pea for comfort... Edited June 21, 2014 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Toast would be the saddest excuse for a booky coincidence with you. However, coincidentally ( ) I saw a clip of toast today and thought of you. It was not a good clip though, and I would never show it to you. The toaster was on the edge of the kitchen table and well, when the toasts were done, they jumped and.... I will say no more. It was brutal!! Toast carnage Lots of people tell me they think of me when they see a piece of toast which is marvellous (but if they eat it as often as I do then they must be sick of me ) What could be nicer than being associated with toast? It's better than being Bill Clinton and being associated with cigars etc Well sometimes you have to take your destiny into your own hands and make things happen I am going to read a book about a woman who wins the lottery and buys her dream home by the sea with a fantastic library and a fridge full of Magnums in it. It has it's own separate annexe which her Finnish friend uses whenever she comes to visit .. WHICH IS OFTEN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) Oh! I completely misunderstood it! I thought that the link you provided was the US Jonestown (well duh, it is), and about the mass suicide, and that the UK one was just a town with that name. The embarrassing thing is I've read How to Be Good so I should have by all accounts made the connection you were referring to. Which reminds me, I completely forgot to ask you about the book in my reply. I saw you gave a rather good rating to the book on GR It's my least favorite of the Hornby books I've read, and I've usually enjoyed his books. I found it odd that we such have such different taste with that book but at the same time I'm happy you were able to enjoy it. Weird thing about Jonestown... It made me think there was another Jonestown in the OZ, with a true crime case, and I thought it's too much of a coincidence... Then I remembered it's Snowtown. It's the o's and s's and n's! It's getting a bit too Ella Minnow Pea for comfort... It really was my fault. I knew what I meant but I didn't write it down correctly One of the reasons I gave How to be Good such a good rating was that it was such an easy read at a time when I've been struggling. I took it over to the park most days and I didn't have to wrestle with it or anything .. which is not really a recommendation to anyone but me Also I thought he'd made a better job of women at a crossroads than say Sue Townsend did with The Woman Who Went to Bed For a Year. It was still far fetched and unbelievable but I find him so readable and that's a blessing at the moment (though since him .. I've improved .. which I'm very generously attributing to him ) It's not my favourite Hornby either .. that would probably be High Fidelity though I haven't read them all yet. A good rule of thumb might be to avoid anywhere with 'town' in the name Edited June 21, 2014 by poppyshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Toast carnage Lots of people tell me they think of me when they see a piece of toast which is marvellous (but if they eat it as often as I do then they must be sick of me) What could be nicer than being associated with toast? It's better than being Bill Clinton and being associated with cigars etc I'm sorry but I laughed at 'toast carnage' Carnage is such a great word but I've never associated it with toast Being associated with toast is loads better than Clinton and cigars! For one, cigars are unhealthy. Verry bad for you. Whereas toast is full of fiber and such, and good for you You can practically eat as much of it as you want! I am going to read a book about a woman who wins the lottery and buys her dream home by the sea with a fantastic library and a fridge full of Magnums in it. It has it's own separate annexe which her Finnish friend uses whenever she comes to visit .. WHICH IS OFTEN I won't lie, I like the sound of that book (I actually had a dream about you the other night, ^ that description brought it to mind just now: I had a dream where you were visiting me in Finland and asked me if I'd ever been to the astronomical observatory, and I said 'never, I haven't even known where it's located before today'. And you said that you would wish to go and see it with me and visit it the next time you came to Finland, and I said 'next time?' and you said 'yes, I would like to visit regularly' and I was very thrilled Gee, now that I'm typing that down, it sounds more stalkerish Not you wanting to visit me but me having such a dream ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I won't lie, I like the sound of that book (I actually had a dream about you the other night, ^ that description brought it to mind just now: I had a dream where you were visiting me in Finland and asked me if I'd ever been to the astronomical observatory, and I said 'never, I haven't even known where it's located before today'. And you said that you would wish to go and see it with me and visit it the next time you came to Finland, and I said 'next time?' and you said 'yes, I would like to visit regularly' and I was very thrilled Gee, now that I'm typing that down, it sounds more stalkerish Not you wanting to visit me but me having such a dream ) Actually I sound like a total stalker in your dream. 'I am coming to visit regularly' (blimey .. time to change the locks ) I think your dream self took it very well We will go to the astronomical observatory .. straight after I've eaten a Karelian pie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Frankie ~ 'The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry' sounds good, I just added it to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Actually I sound like a total stalker in your dream. 'I am coming to visit regularly' (blimey .. time to change the locks ) I think your dream self took it very well. We will go to the astronomical observatory .. straight after I've eaten a Karelian pie Well honestly, who could resist visiting frankie on a regular basis Not even Auntie Flo! Actually, to be honest, I don't really know where the astronomical observatory is I just knew it in the dream. I'm not really even bothered about them, I'm one of the few people who isn't insterested in those things But if we can take Karelian pies inside, I'll tag along I don't really know why you wanted to go in there, though. We've never talked about astronomy, and I've never really heard you gush about it, either...? Frankie ~ 'The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry' sounds good, I just added it to my wishlist Great news! I want more people to read the book because it's great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Great review Frankie! I loved Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac as well as Elsewhere and Margarettown (I like the first one the best), so any new books released (in paperback) by Gabrielle Zevin go straight to my wishlist. And it's about books, too! I'm so glad you really liked this book and that it didn't get your mojo down or anything . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Great review Frankie! I loved Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac as well as Elsewhere and Margarettown (I like the first one the best), so any new books released (in paperback) by Gabrielle Zevin go straight to my wishlist. And it's about books, too! I'm so glad you really liked this book and that it didn't get your mojo down or anything . I'm happy to hear you've loved all the Gabrielle Zevin books you've read. I have a feeling she's very skilled with her other novels too and that they will be great reads as well. I like her style And I don't even know that much about her but I think she seems like a great and spunky person Hm I do wonder if 'spunky' is the word I'm looking for here... Poppyshake: You can add Margarettown to the list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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