Frankie reads 2014

[frankie]

Congratulations on finishing 100 books !

 

Thanks Athena I don't know when I will manage to get over it  

[Kylie]

I've just finished my 100th book for the year!     A few months ago I was behind on my target of 100 read books by 15 or so books and I thought it would be impossible to reach that goal. But then when my laptop broke down and I had a lot more time for reading, and I got my mojo back, too... It started to seem possible again. 3 hours and 15 minutes left of the year, I've reached the goal I've had the same goal for the past four years, but the last three years I've not reached it. It feels pretty good now I had a great reading year overall! 

 

Wow, congratulations! 

[frankie]

Thanks Kylie!

[frankie]

I'm going to review the rest of the Finnish novels I read last year in this one post if I can:

 

 

 

#63. Kuolema Ehtoolehdossa by Minna Lindgren 

 

This book is about a retirement home and its residents. Someone's murdered, and other very suspicious things start to happen. A few of the residents start to investigate things on their own, as it's a lot more entertaining than their usual daily routines in the home. 

 

I really wanted to like this book! I like murder cases and I like books about the elderly, and I thought this mix with the two was a perfect setting for a novel. I liked it to begin with but then it felt a bit scattered and I was having a hard time remembering who was who and what had happened. I don't know if this is because I read the book in many shorter segments, for some particular reason I can't remember now. 

 

2/5

 

*

 

#70. Mustikkasoppa by Katariina Romppainen 

 

I picked up this book very randomly: the book cover caught my eye, and then I realized I'd read one book by the author in the past, a book I really liked. I'm glad I decided to borrow the book because I loved it! 

 

It was rather spooky how much I had in common with the protagonist: she's my age (well, 5 years younger than me but that's besides the point ), she's looking for a mate and she's starting to want to have children. Then I found out that she's studied literature, and she wants to become a librarian. Also, she's been a student for years and years and only has her thesis to finish in order to graduate...  

 

The book was really enjoyable, and what's more, it made me want to read more Finnish novels. It also started my random book picking months at the library: I've mostly gone for books on my wishlist and/or reading challenges when I'm browsing books at the library, but this fall I started checking out any Finnish titles I came across. If they sounded interesting, I'd borrow them and a lot of the time even read them. It's been great!  

 

4/5

 

*

 

 

71. Kunnes kuolema vapauttaa by Anneli Rantsi 

 

The title means 'until death sets you free' and of course I was intrigued. Even more so when I found out it was based on the personal experiences of a Finnish woman. She was kidnapped by an older guy when she was in her teens and she was scared of trying to escape because the man threatened he would go after her family if she did. Quite astoundingly, she stayed with him for decades and had his children, even, and never escaped. It wasn't until the man fell off a balcony and died that she was free of him. 

 

This book was published by a smaller firm and I don't think many people have even heard of it. But it just proves that you shouldn't judge the book by its cover or the publishing house: you should look inside a read a few lines or pages to see if you might be interested in it. 

 

4/5

 

 

(I managed to write two of the reviews earlier and then something went wrong and it was all deleted, so I'm not going to do all the reviews in this one post, because I don't want to mess things up again. I'm posting now )

 

 

[frankie]

#78. Sydänystävä by Niina Hakalahti 

 

This is a book about two women who have been best friends for ages and have always done things together, pretty much at the same time: found their husbands, had their babies, etc. Both are teachers and now they are both mothers to their teenage boys. The friendship's always been seamless, but then the families go on a skiing trip together and things start to fall apart, ever so subtly and slowly. The other starts to feel there's something wrong while the other doesn't seem to notice anything's different. 

 

I've had a friendship of this sort, and because of that I couldn't wait to read the book. Well, it was no self-help book but it got my attention! It was well written and plausible, and made me want to look up Hakalahti's other novels. 

 

5/5

 

*

 

#79. Uimataito by Niina Hakalahti 

 

After finishing Sydänystävä, I went to the library to see if I could find Hakalahti's other novels and managed to find this one. This one didn't have any scenarios or characters I could relate to but it was still really enjoyable and only made me more sure to continue reading Hakalahti. 

 

4/5

 

*

 

#81. Opettajainhuone by Annika Luther 

 

I saw a review of this on Goodreads or some magazine or something. The book is by a Finnish Swede and it's about teachers and their job and students. Hilarious! And while I've never worked as a teacher (duh) and have no aspirations to become one, ever, I think the book describes what it's like to be a teacher very well. I've already recommended the book to a teacher friend of mine, I can't wait to hear if she agrees with me. And the book was so funny! And engaging. So happy to have read it. 

 

5/5

 

*

 

#83. Aavasaksa by Niina Hakalahti 

 

Another great novel by Hakalahti. It's basically about how you can have everything you could want in life and still feel empty and restless inside, and want for more. And how you may seem to have much nothing in your life and still be happy and content. It's to do with what we think is important in life, and what really is. A great read! 

 

4/5

 

*

 

#84. Hengenahdistusta by Niina Hakalahti 

 

My fourth Hakalahti novel, but my least favorite. This wasn't as funny as the others have been, and I didn't become particularly invested in any of the characters. I didn't understand their actions and their motivations, but that happens. I'm going to now eagerly stand by and wait for Hakalahti to write more books! 

 

3/5

[frankie]

#88. Avioliittosimulaattori by Veera Nieminen 

 

This book has been on my wishlist for a long time, for a Finnish novel. The protagonist is from north Karelia (in the eastern Finland) like me, and she falls head over heels for a man who lives on the other side of Finland: in the west. Stereotypically the north Karelians are bubbly and talkative, polite and nice, and the people in the west are not so open and forthcoming, and they can seem proud and hostile. I've never traveled in the west and so I've been really keen to read the book to see what happens.

 

Not only is the book about two regions and cultures clashing: the male lead lives at a farm with his father and uncle. So there's a generational clash, too. 

 

This all made for a really hilarious novel! I was reading the book at night and I was worried my giggling would wake up the neighbors I could relate to the protagonist at times, and how she felt really uncomfortable when she was living on the farm and was the only one to talk at the dinner table, the men staying quiet and only grunting, if that. And then I could also relate to the men, because even though I'm from Karelia and can seem more talkative to some people, I'm still a shy Finn and I can definitely relate to not coming up with things to talk about and rather staying quiet and letting other people do the talking. It's difficult to explain and it's difficult to understand, I don't understand it myself sometimes

 

A jolly good read and a great debut! This is definitely re-reading material and I've actually mentioned the novel in the BCF's annual Book Awards thread as having the best cover of the books I read this year: 

 

 

4/5

 

*

 

#91. Kaikki mitä tiedän huomisesta by Taina Haahti 

 

I picked this novel up by random. It's about a woman in her sixties, who's left by her husband of 34 years. It comes out of nowhere and she has to somehow make a life of her own. The divorce gets ugly, but she finds comfort in the arms of a young man, whom she went to meet to see how she could manage financially. What happens then is rather unexpected. 

 

I really liked the start of the novel. My favorite parts of the novel were the ones where the woman dealt with her ex-husband-to-be. He was a real asshole, to be blunt. The scenes were so vivid and I really felt for the protagonist. After reaching the half way of the novel, I began to get bored a bit. I didn't think the book was going anywhere and I just wanted to finish it. But then there's the major twist in the end which made up for a lot. 

 

Sometimes you know exactly what you're going to be getting from a novel, and sometimes the book is nothing you expected it to be. This book is the latter. In a way, it was better than I expected, but in another way, it was less. I'm really glad I read it, though. 

 

3/5

 

*

[frankie]

#94. Lyyra soittaa salat by Eila Palmgren 

 

This was a random choice for Christmas: I'd never heard of the author but I thought a Finnish crime novel might be great for Christmas. The murder case didn't really hold my interest though. It was a bit 'meh'. I thought I'd try another novel as this was the fourth one in the series and maybe it would be better to start with the first one. 

 

2/5

 

*

 

#98. Juhannus italialaiseen tapaan by Annakaisa Iivari 

 

A ~40yo woman invites her neighbors to Italy to spend a nice holiday among adult couples. She seems rather uptight about things, she always wants to plan things carefully and doesn't take it well when things don't happen her way. She seems like a bit of a snob, too. When a few couples announce that their babysitters cancelled and they have to take their kids with them, you can imagine how nothing's going to go according to the original plans. 

 

This was a great light read. The protagonist and her next door neighbor happen to be from north Karelia which I thought was a funny coincidence, and they all live in Espoo, which I thought was funny, too. It seems to have been an unintentional literary theme of mine this fall... This was a debut novel by the author and I'm going to try her other novels in the future

 

4/5

 

*

 

#99. Verenpunaiset ravut by Eila Palmgren 

 

This is the first novel in the Finnish crime series I mentioned earlier. And this was a whole lot better than the fourth novel! I might read the next one, too. 

 

4/5

 

[frankie]

#64. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

From Amazon: On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesn't help that Nick hasn't been completely honest with the police and, as Amy's case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him. [...]  There was more but I didn't want to tell you too much about the novel. 

 

 

Thoughts: I read the book because of the many recommendations and reviews by members on here    And again, you guys know what you're talking about and you know a good book when you read it! 

 

For some reason I wasn't too keen on reading this, it was never on top of my wishlist, but when I saw a copy at the library, I thought great, I don't have to reserve it later, I'll just borrow it now. When I picked it up, it took me some 30-50 pages to make up my mind about whether to continue and finish the novel. There was something about certain bits of text. Spoiler: 

 

 

I didn't like Amy's diary entries. I mean I didn't like the sound of her as a character based on the way she wrote in her diary. But of course, those of us who've read the book know what that's about! It wasn't the real Amy... What I thought was the author failing was actually the author being really clever and talented Cheeky!! 

 

 

But I stuck with it. And then I was thoroughly engaged. This was a great, fast-paced thriller. I liked how there were the two narratives and how the book was built up. A great thriller! 

 

Recommended  

 

5/5

 

*

 

#67. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 

 

From Amazon: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

 

 

Thoughts: Of course I had to read this after liking Gone Girl so much. For some reason I didn't find the premise of the novel all that interesting. Going back to old (very old) murder cases doesn't just appeal to me all that much. I was very curious about the Kill Club, though, being a true crime buff myself. Well, I picked up the book and read on and was hooked a lot earlier than with Gone Girl. 

 

And I enjoyed this one a lot better! Libby is by no means a likable character, but it's really great for a change to read about someone whom you're not actually rooting for, and whom you actually find a bit creepy and annoying. 

 

And again, we have a narrative that's not a straight-forward one. I think Flynn is very talented at this. I can sometimes get confused if the narrative is too out there, but Flynn navigated the whole story very well. 

 

And the twists! Boy oh boy. Didn't see them coming!

 

Definitely recommended  

 

 

5/5

[frankie]

#65. I was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison 

 

From Amazon: When shy Jenny Cooper goes to stay with her cousin Jane Austen, she knows nothing of the world of beautiful dresses, dances, secrets, gossip, and romance that Jane inhabits. At fifteen, Jane is already a sharp observer of the customs of courtship. [...] In this delicious dance between truth and fiction, Cora Harrison has crafted Jenny’s secret diary by reading everything Jane Austen wrote as a child and an adult, and by researching biographies, critical studies, and family letters. Jenny’s diary makes the past spring vividly to life and provides insight into the entire Austen family—especially the beloved Jane.

 

 

Thoughts: I came by this novel by coincidence when I was going through the library's children's book section (lucky me, as it was misshelved, it belongs in the YA section). I have to say, the book is rather forgettable, because I don't remember much about it I enjoyed it, though, when I read it, and wanted to read the sequel, but wasn't in the right mood for it when I borrowed it from the library pretty soon afterwards. 

 

If you like Jane Austen and don't have any tendencies to have preconceived ideas of what this sort of book should be like, I think you might enjoy it! It was fun to read about what a teenage Jane might have been like  

 

4/5

[frankie]

#66. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

 

From Goodreads: "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

 

Thoughts: I love Goodreads. I like going through the books the website suggests to me based on what I have read, what's on my TBR pile and on my wishlist. This is exactly how I got wind of Attachments. Initially I thought I might not like the book, because I have serious prejudices against too much modern technology in novels. But I put the book on my wishlist anyway and rather forgot about it afterwards. 

 

Ever since I moved to Espoo, I've gone through the English titles section at the library pretty closely, because it's such a different selection from the Joensuu main library one. The last shelf is 'romance' shelf and I wasn't keen on that one so I gave it a miss. But this one time I was reading a book at a table that was next to the shelf, and when I was taking a break, I noticed a Sophie Kinsella title, and I thought hey, there can be books on that shelf that I am interested in reading. And then I found a copy of Attachments. By that time I only recognized the title and the author, I didn't remember what the book was about. I borrowed it, started reading it, and was immediately hooked. 

 

It was so good! I didn't want to put it down The e-mails were funny (although maybe not as funny as I'd hoped), and Lincoln is the cutest, most darling guy I didn't want the novel to end! 

 

If you like light reads (but not the kinds that are really dumbed down and written just to make money off of people and written by people who have no hearts no souls) and a bit of romance, this is your book! Heartily recommended!  

 

4/5

 

[frankie]

#68. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

 

From Amazon: Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose, but then his big question involves a trip abroad—not a trip down the aisle. Completely crushed, Lottie reconnects with an old flame, and they decide to take drastic action. No dates, no moving in together, they’ll just get married . . . right now. Her sister, Fliss, thinks Lottie is making a terrible mistake, and will do anything to stop her. But Lottie is determined to say “I do,” for better, or for worse.

 

 

Thoughts: This is true Kinsella literature once again. Thoroughly enjoyable, with at least a few very likable characters, and its fair share of funny moments. It's not going to provoke thoughts or change your world (or maybe it will, who knows!), but if you like Kinsella novels, this will entertain you just as the previous ones have in the past  

 

 

4/5

[frankie]

#69. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 

 

From Amazon: Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

 

Thoughts: This was another Goodreads recommendation and I'm really glad I went for it. I can't remember much about the novel, but I thought and still think that this is an important book on an important topic and it's really well written and I think it deals with the topic incredibly well. It's such a scary and touchy subject and I take my hat off to the author for having written a great book on it. 

 

What's more, it's written from the viewpoint of the girlfriend of a school shooter, and someone the other students think was involved personally in the event. You can imagine what kind of treatment she gets when she goes back to school, and you feel for her, but then again, you feel for the victims, too, and can understand why the other students have their prejudices. 

 

All I can say is that I think this is such an important book. I think this book is something that could be read in class in high schools. 

 

4/5

[bobblybear]

Nice reviews! I know what you mean about Gone Girl and

Amy's diary entries. They didn't sit right with me, at first, but of course once you read further on, you understand why. What did you think of the ending? I thought it was a bit of a let down. I wanted Amy to get what she deserved.

 

[frankie]

Nice reviews! I know what you mean about Gone Girl and

Amy's diary entries. They didn't sit right with me, at first, but of course once you read further on, you understand why. What did you think of the ending? I thought it was a bit of a let down. I wanted Amy to get what she deserved.

 

 

You know,

 

I remember mentioning the writing - the Amy diary bits - in the Book Activity thread and pontalba told me to read on; that there might be something there. In a very subtle way, not in a spoilery way. I didn't think much of it, but took her advice and then of course understood the whole thing. Clever!!

 

The ending was kind of all over the place. I liked it that Amy had constructed the diary and that she was *cuckoo*, but I really couldn't believe it when they got back together. I did kinda like it, and how Flynn managed to justify it, at least in my opinion, but like you, I also wished Amy would've gotten what she deserved. It was like selling out, in a way, but on the other hand, getting what she deserved would've been the usual way to end the story and with this ending, we can really say Flynn didn't take the controversial road

 

 

Edited January 2, 2015 by frankie

[frankie]

#72. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

 

From Amazon: In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful and charming exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.

*

 

And these thoughts I've already written in the A Man Called Ove -thread I created for the novel on here: 

 

"

There's something very lovable in Ove the curmudgeon. The novel starts with him being in a shop, holding an iPad and waving it around in the air, asking the clerk if it's a computer. The clerk has a hard time trying to explain to him what an iPad is and how maybe he would be comfortable with some other kind of computer. 

 

Some of the chapters follow Ove's current every day life, and others tell us his background and story and how he's come up to the point in his life where he now stands. 

 

It's funny, and it's endearing and heart-warming.   I'd heartily recommend it! 

"

 

Having reached 2015, I can say this book was one of my favorite reads last year. I really wish I hadn't read it yet so I could read it for the first time now!

 

5/5

 

Edit: I hope they make this into a movie! Edit: Wohoo, they are currently filming it, I believe!

Edited January 2, 2015 by frankie

[frankie]

#73. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

 

From Amazon: Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

 

Thoughts: A great mystery, a great description of the time and place. For most part I really liked the novel, but I have to say that I felt the novel lacking something. I don't feel like all my questions were answered, and even if sometimes that can be a good thing in a novel, this time it left me frustrated. I know other people have had more favorable thoughts on the novel so don't let my somewhat negative thoughts put you off from reading the book!

 

3/5

Edited January 2, 2015 by frankie

[frankie]

#74. Mr. Monk in Trouble by Lee Goldberg

 

From Amazon: Ever since a 1962 unsolved train robbery made it famous, people have flocked to the town of Trouble in California's gold country, searching for the booty that train robbers supposedly dumped off the Golden Rail Express in a botched heist. When the town's museum's watchman is murdered, Adrian Monk and his assistant, Natalie, are sent to investigate. But if Monk isn't careful, he'll learn that the town of Trouble can live up to its name.

 3/5

 

#75. Mr. Monk Is Cleaned Out by Lee Goldberg

 

From Amazon: California and Adrian Monk are in a financial crisis when he's fired by the SFPD and finds his savings are gone. Bob Sebes, the leader of Reinier Investments, swindled his clients, including Monk. Whena key witness is killed, Monk is convince that Sebes, under house-arrest, did it. Being jobless and broke, Monk can devote all of his obsessive energy to solving this latest mystery.

4/5

 

#76. Mr. Monk Gets On Board by Hy Conrad

 

From Amazon: Of all the things that make Adrian Monk uneasy, change ranks high on the list. So when Natalie completes her P.I. license—and technically becomes Monk’s boss—it’s not easy for him to accept. Nor can he accept Natalie attending a business seminar at sea without him, even if it means spending a week with her on a cruise ship.

 
Between choppy waters and obnoxious kids, Monk finds himself in a perfect storm of anxiety. Luckily, Mariah, the cruise director, is always able to smooth things over…until the crew fishes her dead body out of the water.

4/5

 

 

I love Monk, the TV show, and I gotta say, I love these books, too Funny, witty, clever. And full of Monk's antics! Heartily recommending this series to anyone who loves the show or who wants to read crime novels that are a bit different. 

[frankie]

#80. Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes 

 

From Amazon: Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all. Pregnant with a much-wanted first baby of her own, she has a happily established family of two small step-sons and a loving husband with a great career. But she is also committed to her full-time job as a social worker, and her husband travels often. So when Claudia hires Zoe to help her around the house in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, it seems like the answer to her prayers. But despite Zoe's glowing recommendations and instant rapport with the children, there's something about her that Claudia cannot trust.

 
Moreover, there has been a series of violent attacks on pregnant women in the area, and Claudia becomes acutely aware of her vulnerability. With her husband out of town for work and her family far away, who will be there to protect her? And why does she feel unsettled about Zoe? 

 

 

Thoughts: Another book I read based on recommendations on here. Inver's review or recommendation made me add it to my wishlist. Thanks! 

 

The novel started out great. But boy, was it a grim read! I've read more than my fair share of thrillers and novels of that kind, and this wasn't any more grim as the next one, but somehow it was just so nerve wracking to read the book. After the first half of the novel, it started to get a bit long winded for me and I struggled to continue with the novel. But I'm really, really happy that I did because I was shocked by the twist at the end. Shocked! I never saw it coming. 

 

I always say that, don't I? I never see the twists coming, so I guess you could expect that with every thriller I read, by default, but somehow I always have to say it  

 

It was a really, really good twist. It was a bit of a mind-F. I'm so going to read other books by Hayes!  

 

4/5

[frankie]

#82. Deviant by Harold Schechter

 

 

From Amazon: Known for meticulously researched and brilliantly detailed accounts of horrific true crime legends, Harold Schechter takes readers inside the very heart and mind of true evil. Here is the grisly truth of Ed Gein, the killer whose fiendish fantasies inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' - the mild mannered farmhand bound to his dominating mother, driven into a series of gruesome and bizarre acts beyond all imagining. In chilling detail, DEVIANT explores the incredible career of one of the most twisted madmen in the annals of crime - and how he turned a small Wisconsin farmhouse into his own private playground of ghoulishness and blood. 

 

 

Thoughts: Before reading this book, I wasn't very familiar with Ed Gein. I have googled him and read stuff on him on wikipedia, but compared to some other serial killers, Ed Gein was one I could never remember anything about. 

 

Unfortunately this was not a very good true crime book. I'm not quite sure why that is. I'll probably forget all about Ed Gein (except for his weird sense for 'fashion' and 'textiles') thanks to this rather forgettable book. 

 

2/5

[frankie]

It seems like all I've done yesterday evening and today is write these stupid reviews and I still have more than 10 left to write It's like a neverending task! Even if I've been doing really mini ones this time. Bleh.... 

[frankie]

#85. Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

A Rory Gilmore book challenge -book!

 

From Amazon: In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. She spent most of the next two years in the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital as renowned for its famous clientele—Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles—as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary.

Kaysen's memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a "parallel universe" set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.

 

 

Thoughts: This is a book I've been wanting to read for years and years. I've seen the movie but wasn't a fan of it, mainly because personally I can't stand Winona Ryder Anyhow, the book is on the Rory Gilmore challenge list and it's been high on my wishlist for ages. I really wanted to love the book and I had great expectations. 

 

Long story short, it was okay. It wasn't much more than that for me, I'm afraid. I guess maybe I've read so many books on mental illnesses etc., that I have a higher standard for them than if this would've been my first. Maybe. Or maybe it just wasn't for me. 

 

Anyhow, I know others have loved the movie and I'm sure others have loved the book, too, so if this is on your wishlist or TBR, please don't be discouraged by my thoughts on it  

 

 

 2/5

[Michelle]

 

#80. Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes 

It was a really, really good twist. It was a bit of a mind-F. I'm so going to read other books by Hayes!

 

 

 

Sam Hayes is a big favourite of mine. I wasn't so keen on her last, Before You Die, but I love all of her earlier books.

[frankie]

Sam Hayes is a big favourite of mine. I wasn't so keen on her last, Before You Die, but I love all of her earlier books.

 

I'd jotted down Inver's name next to the title Until You're Mine on my wishlist, but I know you're a big fan of Hayes, too, and you've been recommending the books for some time now. So the thanks go to you, too!    I know there's at least one other novel by Hayes at the library but I will have to check which one it is and if it's available at the one I use or if I have to reserve it from another library. 

Edited January 2, 2015 by frankie

[frankie]

#87. Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel 

 

From Amazon: When Sam Elling creates an algorithm to pair people with their soul mates online, he meets Meredith, his own perfect match. But when [...] something happens, something happens. And I didn't want to include the rest of the synopsis because it would be giving away a lot of the rest of the novel. 

 

 

Thoughts: I loved the first half of the book, the soul mate matching and stuff. I also initially liked the thing that comes after that (which I won't spoil for you). But then I started getting a bit sick of the protagonist's thought process and it took away a lot of my enjoyment of the novel. But there are some interesting concepts in the novel, most definitely. 

 

 

3/5

[frankie]

#89. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

 

From Amazon: In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

 

Thoughts: A completely riveting read! After reading and loving Attachments, I wanted to read another Rainbow Rowell book and this one was the first one that arrived for me at the library (I reserved them all ). Seeing that it was about fanfiction and a fanfiction fan (haa!), I thought the book wasn't really my type. I'm not into fanfiction myself. I thought I'd give it a go anyway, and was incredibly pleasantly surprised. This book has about 450 pages and I read it in English, and I still managed to read it in one day. That's quick for me! I just kept reading and reading, and didn't want to put the book down. 

 

What's weird is that I don't even know what I liked about the book. I'm still not a fan of fanfiction. I don't think I really liked any of the characters more than usual. I guess the dorm thing and the school setting was a big plus. Cath's roommate reminded me of 

Meghan in Felicity  

 

Completely adored the novel. I think I was just in the right mood for it, because even though I loved it so much, I wouldn't go around recommending it to everyone. I know this sort of novel doesn't appeal to all. 

 

Can't wait to get to Rowell's other novels!  

5/5