Athena Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I would say enjoy your new book, but I'm not sure if you will if you think you won't . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I didn't go to the library book sale on Sunday and I was feeling very good about that. Visiting the library today was dangerous, though, as they still had some books there, left over from the sale. I bought one, it was only 20 cnt. It's a book by one of the most prolific Finnish authors, Kalle Päätalo. He's my Dad's favorite author, he has most of his books at home. They are massive, each at least 500 pages long. The thing it, I promised to read one of his books if Dad read this girls' classic book, and so when I saw a used copy I thought I might as well buy it so I don't have to borrow a copy from the library and then take it back, unread Fair's fair isn't it? Dad can give your book a go and you can give his .. then you can swap if you can't get along with them There's no hurry now though .. that's the main thing. You can read it at your leisure Well done for avoiding the major library book sale .. that takes fortitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Frankie, would you believe that I had BLINI yesterday?! When Mum and I had our high tea, the server explained what each type of food was. On the second tier there were sandwiches and a couple of other morsels. And one was blini with smoked salmon! I couldn't believe my ears when she said blini. You can't see it very well in the photo I posted on FB, but it's on the left side in the second tier, at the front (closest to the camera). Unfortunately I don't really like smoked salmon. I'd only tried it once before and thought it was totally gross, but I decided to give it another chance yesterday. It was OK, but I only got about halfway before I gave up, which means I didn't eat all the blini either. In hindsight, I should have at least taken the salmon off so I could eat the blini, but I didn't think of that at the time. And I was so focused on the salmon that I didn't much notice the taste of the blini. But I can still say that I've eaten it! Oh, and one of the sandwiches did indeed have cucumber! It also had mascarpone and dill, and it was quite nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 I would say enjoy your new book, but I'm not sure if you will if you think you won't . I do want to like the book and there's a fair chance I will. It's just that Dad has been going on about the author for so long, that it's a bit like Carter Beats the Devil for poppyshake Fair's fair isn't it? Dad can give your book a go and you can give his .. then you can swap if you can't get along with them. There's no hurry now though .. that's the main thing. You can read it at your leisure. Well done for avoiding the major library book sale .. that takes fortitude Yes, fair's fair Although I got the longer book... Daddy has it easy! He actually has a copy of the one I bought so if I like it, I can keep it. And Dad won't be wanting the copy of the girls' book, so win-win: I get them all There's no great hurry, although we did say we'd read the books by the time I go and visit my hometown next month (cousin's getting married). So there is a deadline... Frankie, would you believe that I had BLINI yesterday?! When Mum and I had our high tea, the server explained what each type of food was. On the second tier there were sandwiches and a couple of other morsels. And one was blini with smoked salmon! I couldn't believe my ears when she said blini. You can't see it very well in the photo I posted on FB, but it's on the left side in the second tier, at the front (closest to the camera). Unfortunately I don't really like smoked salmon. I'd only tried it once before and thought it was totally gross, but I decided to give it another chance yesterday. It was OK, but I only got about halfway before I gave up, which means I didn't eat all the blini either. In hindsight, I should have at least taken the salmon off so I could eat the blini, but I didn't think of that at the time. And I was so focused on the salmon that I didn't much notice the taste of the blini. But I can still say that I've eaten it! Oh, and one of the sandwiches did indeed have cucumber! It also had mascarpone and dill, and it was quite nice. Haha, blini! What a coinkydinky! I'm sorry you don't like smoked salmon. I think it's an acquired taste and takes a bit of time (and even then not everyone likes it). I've only recently converted into a 'liker' of the stuff myself And don't worry about not trying the blini on its own: it's not that good by itself. It's supposed to be eaten with different side dishes Yay for cucumber sandwiches! When I was visiting my Lahti friend just now she showed me pictures of her kid that I haven't seen before and she actually had a picture of a high tea she had with hubster some time ago, and they also had cucumber sandwiches. I of course told her about you and your Birthday and how you'd just had high tea yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) I received a Christmas parcel from poppyshake and long story short, I opened it last Saturday but because I've been busy with a party and its aftermath and then I've been to see a friend and babysit her son, I've only now had time to come on here to post about the pressies. I got a really lovely bookmark, The Snowman with a dog! That's the picture (although the bookmark doesn't cover the whole background, just some of it, and there's also a wintry, snowy tree next to the Snowman) on the bookmark. Isn't it adorable?! And I also got a book right after my own heart: Dog Stories (Everyman's Pocket Classics). The cover is absolutely gorgeous and from what I've read when leafing through it, the stories seem really wonderful! Thank you poppyshake! Edited February 18, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 #10. The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom Blurb: Israel is an intelligent, shy, passionate, sensitive sort of soul: he's Jewish; he's a vegetarian; he could maybe do with losing a little weight. And he's just arrived in Ireland to take up his first post as a librarian. But the library's been shut down and Israel ends up stranded on the North Antrim coast driving an old mobile library van. There's a lot of nice scenery, but 15,000 fewer books than there should be. Who on earth steals that many books? How? When would they have time to read them all? And is there anywhere in this godforsaken place where he can get a proper cappuccino and a decent newspaper? Israel wants some answers... Thoughts: This was a Goodreads recommendation, and the title of course was a great incentive to borrow a copy from the library. I really wish I could've read it in one sitting, because it was such an enjoyable read. I got distracted from the book though with various different things which was really unfortunate I had to go back and re-read many pages... The greatest things about this book were the range of quirky characters and cultures and personalities colliding, and of course the hunt for missing books! I read a few not so favorable reviews of the novel on Amazon and just wanted to yell 'yes but why take it so seriously, you nimrods!' I don't care, I loved the book Not enough to give it 5/5, but enough to request the library to acquire copies of the second and third novel in the series (they have copies of the fourth one). I'll be the first one to get a hold of them If you like quirky characters and small villages, and books of course, this might be a book to hold your interest 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 I was thinking... Reading is an absolutely wonderful hobby. I love it. But it's one that needs one's full attention, most of the time anyway (if one doesn't read less demanding books). Sometimes I think it would be nicer to have a hobby that wasn't so demanding in a way. One that one could go back to no matter what was on one's mind. Recently I've had a lot of distractions, good and bad, and it's been awful on my mojo. I've started to think that if it wasn't books but some other hobby, I could still be able to pass the time easily, engaged in it. Like making puzzles. Or carving wood. Knitting. Something manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 A couple of authors I follow on twitter were raving about The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Samson last summer, saying how it was their favourite book of the year, so he's been on my radar for a little while now. It looks like The Norfolk Mystery is the start of a new series he's writing, but I hadn't spotted The Mobile Library series he'd also written. I like the sound of both series, and now I've seen someone here actually read one and like it, I'll think about reading them in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed the book about missing books . That is true I guess, reading does take some time. My parents are busy with work a lot, so they mainly read in their holidays and on occasion in their weekends. They wish to do more reading but there are other things they like doing too, in their spare time, or that they feel they should do, so they don't read as much as they'd like. My mum has been reading the same book since the Christmas holidays. I told her maybe she could try to read like an hour per week or something, as to not lose track of the story too much. She read a bit last weekend and she said she was doing okay (a while ago she hadn't read for a while and so couldn't remember as much of the story anymore), she was enjoying the book. Of course if you borrow a library book you'll have to read it within a set time. But a book of your own, you can take as long as you want, as long as you don't forget the story of course (my mum is reading a book she owns). There's nothing wrong with exploring other hobbies though if you feel like that. I guess though, if one's hobby is watching TV series, they also take up some time. So it's really the manual crafting things or such that you can pick up and put down more easily. Though maybe if you're working on a specific 'piece', you won't want to leave it too long or you might forget what exactly you wanted to make. This doesn't count for puzzles though as you have an example picture but more if you are doing something creatively that you made up and isn't from a picture. I've been doing bits of puzzling in the past few months, though not all that often. Our main problem is that in the living room we only have the dining room table that I'd be making the puzzle on. So for a while I didn't make any new puzzles because we eat at that table and I can't be taking up too much space with a big puzzle. A while ago we bought this thing which allows you to more easily put the puzzle away again, but since then I have to admit I've only been puzzling a couple of times. I'm in the middle of making the bookish puzzle I bought a few months ago, I kind of want to continue with it some time, but there are other things I like to do too and I have limited energy so lately I haven't been prioritising puzzling. I'm sorry your mojo hasn't been well though . Good distractions are perhaps not a problem but bad ones might be. I hope things get better for you no matter what you decide you want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 A couple of authors I follow on twitter were raving about The Norfolk Mystery by Ian Samson last summer, saying how it was their favourite book of the year, so he's been on my radar for a little while now. It looks like The Norfolk Mystery is the start of a new series he's writing, but I hadn't spotted The Mobile Library series he'd also written. I like the sound of both series, and now I've seen someone here actually read one and like it, I'll think about reading them in the future. I'd recommend you give the first book in the Mobile Library series a try When I went to see if they had the other books in the series, I noticed they had other books by the author, from another series, and it's the series you've mentioned. I'm definitely going to read the first book in that series as well, at some point at least I guess that particular series is more fun and engaging to people who know the places, though. It's a county guide series after all (You could perhaps incorporate that in your English County Challenge list ) I'm sorry your mojo hasn't been well though. Good distractions are perhaps not a problem but bad ones might be. I hope things get better for you no matter what you decide you want to do. Thanks Athena I'm not necessarily looking for a new hobby, I was just rambling about how much easier it would be to have one of those hobbies that didn't demand so much. If I was a puzzler, I could be happily puzzling away even though my mind is elsewhere. With books that's impuzzible. Puzzled? You won't be after this episode of.... SOAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) On a semi-related note: I'm going to be yet again distracted from reading for the next two days: I'm going doggy sitting I'll be looking after a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell Terrier They are my friend's and his husband's so I know them well and won't get bitten, I hope I've been looking forward to this forever! (I don't know if I'll have access to the internet, so if you don't hear from me till Saturday, that's why.) (I'm packing five books to go with me, though Feeling slightly optimistic? I'm bringing along Upper Fourth at Malory Towers, Sonnets from the Portuguese, The Giver, The Phantom Tollbooth and This Is How (survival essays by Augusten Burroughs).) Edited February 19, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 On a semi-related note: I'm going to be yet again distracted from reading for the next two days: I'm going doggy sitting I'll be looking after a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell Terrier They are my friend's and his husband's so I know them well and won't get bitten, I hope I've been looking forward to this forever! Oh that's great that you are going to doggy sitting!! With little dogs, and the dogs owners are people you know, should be less stressful than after the Moses Experience too . At least the little doggies shouldn't be able to nibble so much of you as Moses was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Oh that's great that you are going to doggy sitting!! With little dogs, and the dogs owners are people you know, should be less stressful than after the Moses Experience too . At least the little doggies shouldn't be able to nibble so much of you as Moses was Moses Experience Sounds like a hardcore speed trash metal band or something. Super horror, with a bite! Nah, Eva and Nestori are super adorable and good dogs. Eva (the Jack Russell) likes to eat Nestori's food though so I have to keep an eye out for that She's a gobbler. Nom nom nom We'll be going for walkies on this nice little island us friends always visit in the summer for picnics. It'll be fun to see what it's like in the winter for a change! (And if I'm feeling naughty, I can go and pop in a few secondhand bookshops It's so close to the center of Helsinki. Heheh!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Just as well you're taking The Phantom Tollbooth, missy. Enjoy your doggy sitting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Just as well you're taking The Phantom Tollbooth, missy. Enjoy your doggy sitting!! Knew you'd appreciate Thanks my love! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Thanks Athena I'm not necessarily looking for a new hobby, I was just rambling about how much easier it would be to have one of those hobbies that didn't demand so much. If I was a puzzler, I could be happily puzzling away even though my mind is elsewhere. With books that's impuzzible. Puzzled? You won't be after this episode of.... SOAP! On a semi-related note: I'm going to be yet again distracted from reading for the next two days: I'm going doggy sitting I'll be looking after a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell Terrier They are my friend's and his husband's so I know them well and won't get bitten, I hope I've been looking forward to this forever! (I don't know if I'll have access to the internet, so if you don't hear from me till Saturday, that's why.) (I'm packing five books to go with me, though Feeling slightly optimistic? I'm bringing along Upper Fourth at Malory Towers, Sonnets from the Portuguese, The Giver, The Phantom Tollbooth and This Is How (survival essays by Augusten Burroughs).) I wish you lots of fun and hope it goes well . I think it will make a difference that you know the owners and their dogs and that they know you already. I hope you have fun reading too. It's always wise to bring enough reading material, I wholly support that . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 On a semi-related note: I'm going to be yet again distracted from reading for the next two days: I'm going doggy sitting I'll be looking after a Chihuahua and a Jack Russell Terrier They are my friend's and his husband's so I know them well and won't get bitten, I hope I've been looking forward to this forever! (I don't know if I'll have access to the internet, so if you don't hear from me till Saturday, that's why.) (I'm packing five books to go with me, though Feeling slightly optimistic? I'm bringing along Upper Fourth at Malory Towers, Sonnets from the Portuguese, The Giver, The Phantom Tollbooth and This Is How (survival essays by Augusten Burroughs).) Hope you have a dogtastic time Ooh .. you're possibly going to dip back into Malory Towers .. smashing Hope you gets lots of quiet time to read as well as lots of lovely, licky, doggy, rough and tumbles (not too rough though ) Have fun xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 My family has a bit of a thing for Jack Russell's … my grandparents had one when I was little, and my aunt had a whole host of them over the years. They've got such great personalities and as far as they're concerned they're in charge and they do what they want to do! Hope you have a great time dog sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 It's been a lot of fun so far! No rest for the wicked, though... First I didn't know how to put on the dogs' leashes. They are not the average collar things but tricky ones. When I worked it out and went out for a walk, I saw Nestori was feeling cold and I thought crap, they must have doggy clothes that I didn't think to put on! Sure enough they both have 'overalls'. Well I knew to put them on when we went for walkies again! And Nestori who's a fickle eater, he did really well today, he ate a lot! And the computer's a Mac and I had a damndest time figuring out how to get online I don't know if I can read though... I don't see a night light. Oh, I see one now but I don't know if I can close the curtains because of a plant on a window sill... Too many things to think through! The Jack Russell Terrier was constantly messing about her owners' clothes, she's missing them. And the Chihuahua has been looking at the door, probably hoping that the owners will walk in any second. They are obviously missing A & M. Awwwww But tomorrow there'll be a happy reunion for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Doggy clothes? That's something new to me. I guess our dogs have always been allright at dealing with the cold. Awww, it makes sense the dogs miss their owners. I'm glad you're having fun though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 The Jack Russell Terrier was constantly messing about her owners' clothes, she's missing them. And the Chihuahua has been looking at the door, probably hoping that the owners will walk in any second. They are obviously missing A & M. Awwwww But tomorrow there'll be a happy reunion for them! I love it when dogs are reunited with their owners … even after a short break, they go nuts! Glad you're having a lovely time with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) If i had a house rather than an apartment I would love to get a Jack Russell, they have so much character. I'm always amazed at how different the character of individual dogs is. We had a black Labrador when I was young, from the age of about 6 or 7 and he lived until I was 20. I was no longer living at home when he died and I was heart-broken when he passed away. He was one of the most placid dogs you could ever meet, especially with children, he never showed his teeth or bit anyone. Since then, my parents have had a few other dogs they have all been very different. Their current dog, a Terrier, is a cheeky little imp who thinks he owns the place. There are only two people he actually obeys, my dad and me when I visit. I think he thinks he's actually a human. Edited February 20, 2015 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 I wish you lots of fun and hope it goes well. I think it will make a difference that you know the owners and their dogs and that they know you already. I hope you have fun reading too. It's always wise to bring enough reading material, I wholly support that. Of course it makes a huge difference when it's dogs I know I've known Nestori for 6 years (although he's always lived in another city so I haven't seen nearly enough of him!) Hope you have a dogtastic time. Ooh .. you're possibly going to dip back into Malory Towers .. smashing. Hope you gets lots of quiet time to read as well as lots of lovely, licky, doggy, rough and tumbles (not too rough though) Have fun xx It was a whole lot of fun, but it was also tiring! It's been such a busy week and I've been craving some alone time for a while now and I wasn't feeling too playful with the dogs, unfortunately. Especially when the Jack Russell tries to dominate the Chihuahua and the toy always always ends up in the Jack Russell's mouth. The Chihuahua is a nervous one and so he doesn't like rough housing. It was difficult trying to get them both to play at the same time and see to it that both of them were happy. And it was difficult to get up in the morning and go out and walk the dogs before I'd had breakfast I didn't have much time to read, though. But I'm going to get back to MT this weekend! I wasn't sure I'd want to read the fourth book but when I started it, I got right in. My family has a bit of a thing for Jack Russell's … my grandparents had one when I was little, and my aunt had a whole host of them over the years. They've got such great personalities and as far as they're concerned they're in charge and they do what they want to do! Hope you have a great time dog sitting. Hehe, the Jack Russell does try and dominate the Chihuahua. She's always going in to lick his eye. I had to get her off of him so many times I lost count. But when we were walking she was very obedient and always waited when I told her to. I have to say, I never liked Jack Russell Terriers until I saw Eddie on Frasier I'm still rather unfamiliar with the breed. The best thing about these two dogs is (apart from all the other things ) that they don't give me allergic reactions! Well a tiny bit, but nothing that I can't handle. They slept in my bed the whole night through, no problems. It was nice when they were walking all over me, trying to find a comfortable spot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Doggy clothes? That's something new to me. I guess our dogs have always been allright at dealing with the cold. Awww, it makes sense the dogs miss their owners. I'm glad you're having fun though . Well your dogs are much bigger and Boris in particular has a thick coat so they can deal with the cold weather a lot better. I also assume it gets colder here in Finland than it does where you live I love it when dogs are reunited with their owners … even after a short break, they go nuts! Glad you're having a lovely time with them It was odd, actually. An hour before the owners were due to arrive, the dogs were lying on top of me (I was on the couch) and they started looking at the door at times. I wondered if they had an inkling their owners were going to come home. They went crazy when they got back Yap yap yap yap!! The Jack Russell Terrier was particularly happy and thrilled. The Chihuahua was also thrilled but he got back to his normal state a lot sooner. He's a nervous one he is, but a real darling. I loved it when he would come and sit next to me and poke me with his paw so that I would have the sense to pet him If i had a house rather than an apartment I would love to get a Jack Russell, they have so much character. I'm always amazed at how different the character of individual dogs is. We had a black Labrador when I was young, from the age of about 6 or 7 and he lived until I was 20. I was no longer living at home when he died and I was heart-broken when he passed away. He was one of the most placid dogs you could ever meet, especially with children, he never showed his teeth or bit anyone. Since then, my parents have had a few other dogs they have all been very different. Their current dog, a Terrier, is a cheeky little imp who thinks he owns the place. There are only two people he actually obeys, my dad and me when I visit. I think he thinks he's actually a human. Awww, I love Labradors I personally thing they are one of the best dogs there are. Maybe the cheeky little imp is actually the ruler of the world and us stoopid hoomans just don't realize it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) Forgot to confess my sins in the last post: I went to a secondhand bookshop today, one of my favorites in Helsinki. They usually have a great selection of English titles and non-fiction, and they are reasonably priced. Today I learned why: the owner was talking to someone who was wanting to sell them books, and he said that as the bookshop is close to the university, they keep the price rates student-friendly. How nice Didn't find much to tempt me this time, though I only bought one book: it's by a Swedish author called Karin Brunk Holmqvist, and it's about two elderly sisters who come up with a product that they start marketing and selling. I read the novel a few years ago, in January, and loved it, and always thought I want to own a copy. The copy is in pristine condition and only cost me 1e Edited February 20, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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