frankie Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 A marrow is a courgette isn't it? One that has outstayed its welcome and grown to a humongous size! Least ways .. I always thought it was There are other sorts of marrow .. like bone marrow! Actually I've eaten both! I googled the word and got synonyms such as pumpkin and squash and so I then picture googled. And saw pictures of drawn people and their bones and was like, somehow... Very fitting You've eaten bone marrow??? Ah .. I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy Elizabeth is Missing Frankie I do know what you mean about the two plot lines. I didn't mind it at all but the Sukey storyline could have been dispensed with without ill effect probably. The reason I liked it was that it showed us a different Maud but I would have quite happily stayed with her in the present day. That's a good point, it showed us a different Maud... But I felt it was so much about Sukey and for some reason or another I never warmed up to her and so I didn't feel invested in that story, in any way. Maybe some other time I might've loved the book, but it is what it is. On another note... it's sort of the same old news, but now it's official, written-on-paper news: I got my BA degree diploma today in the mail! Such an odd feeling! The paper feels so nice to touch, it's not your ordinary copy paper. I like touching it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 ^I enjoy seeing them, Janet. The one and only time I grew potatoes, I had to post them on Facebook. Get more vegetables on FB I say! On another note... it's sort of the same old news, but now it's official, written-on-paper news: I got my BA degree diploma today in the mail! Such an odd feeling! The paper feels so nice to touch, it's not your ordinary copy paper. I like touching it... Congratulations, Sari. Very well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) Thanks Jänet! Awesome emoticons It's really only repeating the same old news, but I couldn't help but post about it because it's really, really, extremely official now I've actually achieved something now. I didn't (fully) give up! Edit: Almost forgot: I took about 30-40 books to the library, to give away. At least 30 of them were on my TBR. I gave some of them to the librarian at the desk, to see if they'd like to have any of the books, and the rest I put in the book swap bookshelves. Luckily there was an extra trolley there for some reason, so I could fit all them in I'm seriously lacking book shelf space at the moment Edited September 5, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 #56. Small Steps by Louis Sachar From Amazon: Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it's hard when you have a record and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in Armpit is Ginny, his ten-year-old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. Armpit seems to be on the right path until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. X-Ray's plan leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation Kaira DeLeon, the Beyoncé of her time, and suddenly Armpit's life spins out of control. Only one thing is certain: he'll never be the same again. Combining his signature wit with a unique blend of adventure and deeply felt characters, Sachar explores issues of race, the nature of celebrity, the invisible connections that shape a person's life, and what it takes to stay the course. Doing the right thing is never a wrong choice—but always a small step in right direction. Thoughts: This is a sequel to Holes which I read and loved earlier this year. I only picked up the novel because I wanted to read more books by this great author, so I didn't expect to know any of the characters already, but I was very pleasantly surprised It's been a really stressful week for me (won't go into the details) and yet I managed to not only read the book but truly enjoy it. That's saying a great deal about how readable and lovable I find Sachar's novels. They are just so genuine and grounded, and the characters come to live and you want to know what happens to them. I've already started to read yet another Sachar after finishing SS 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 (edited) I was browsing the Helsinki metropolitan area libraries' website and saw a list of the most wanted and popular books of September (based on the number of reservations made and the number of copies the libraries have purchased of a certain book). I thought some of you might find it interesting: (And this is the fiction list:) Kaunokirjat top 20 **1. Valtonen, Jussi: He eivät tiedä mitä tekevät (a Finnish novel that was awarded the Finlandia literary prize in 2014)**2. Lehtolainen, Leena: Surunpotku (Finnish novel)3. Lagercrantz, David: The Girl in the Spider's Web 4. Doerr, Anthony: All the Light We Cannot See5. Kettu, Katja: Yöperhonen (Finnish novel)6. Hawkins, Paula: The Girl on the Train7. Läckberg, Camilla: The Lion Tamer8. Lindgren, Minna: Ehtoolehdon tuho (Finnish novel)9. Mustonen, Enni: Emännöitsijä (Finnish novel)10. Haatanen, Kaisa: Meikkipussin pohjalta (Finnish novel)11. Hotakainen, Kari: Henkireikä (Finnish novel)**12. Lee, Harper: Go Set a Watchman**13. Kepler, Lars: Stalker14. Jones, Sadie: Fallout15. Høeg, Peter: The Effect of Susan16. Jungstedt, Mari: Joka yksin kulkee (not sure if this has been translated into English...)17. Rönkä, Matti: Eino (Finnish novel)18. Adler-Olsen, Jussi: The Purity of Vengeance19. Snellman, Anja: Antautuminen (Finnish novel)**20. Hjorth, Michael: Mykkä tyttö (probably not yet translated into English.)** The ones with **_** are books that I'm in line for, too. I was a bit surprised to see how many Finnish authors we had on the list. I don't read a lot of Finnish literature, which is a shame... I'm happy others read more of it! You can also see we sure like our Nordic crime thrillers... Edited September 6, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 How nice to see so many Finnish authors on the list , very interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 How nice to see so many Finnish authors on the list , very interesting! If we Finns don't read the Finnish authors, who will? That's what I realized yesterday.... Sadly! (Shouldn't be laughing at all, come to think of it... Finnish authors need and deserve a wider audience. As do other authors from smaller countries with only a few million speaking their language.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 If we Finns don't read the Finnish authors, who will? I will! I started The Quantum Thief a couple of weeks ago but had to put it aside cos I couldn't concentrate on it during jury service (and it requires concentration!). Shall be getting back to it soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 I will! I started The Quantum Thief a couple of weeks ago but had to put it aside cos I couldn't concentrate on it during jury service (and it requires concentration!). Shall be getting back to it soon Oh cool! I hope it's good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Interesting list. Obviously there's some universal books to be expected - Go Set a Watchman and The Girl in the Spider's Web - but it's great to see so many Finnish authors on the list. You're spot on: authors from smaller countries do need and deserve a wider audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Interesting list. Obviously there's some universal books to be expected - Go Set a Watchman and The Girl in the Spider's Web - but it's great to see so many Finnish authors on the list. You're spot on: authors from smaller countries do need and deserve a wider audience. I did expect more of the 'universal' books to be on the list, I did. I guess I've spent a lot of time on this one English speaking book forum you guys may have heard of and it might have also affected my tastes and the kind of books I would go for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 I did expect more of the 'universal' books to be on the list, I did. I guess I've spent a lot of time on this one English speaking book forum you guys may have heard of and it might have also affected my tastes and the kind of books I would go for... Frankie, surely you can't be saying people on here have influenced your reading tastes and purchases over time? Surely not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Okay, who was I trying to kid... No effect whatsoever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 #57. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar Blurb: The summer is looking bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to go out with his best friend, he has no money and no job. And then his parents insist that he drives Uncle Lester to his bridge tournaments four times a week. Uncle Lester is old, blind, very sick ... and very rich. Which is why his parents are desperate for Alton to worm his way into his good books. But they're in competition with other distant relatives. Not expecting much from the outings, Alton soon finds himself getting to know a lot about his uncle, his family's history, and pretty Toni Castaneda, another contender for Uncle Lester's inheritance. Thoughts: I was very much looking forward to reading this, especially after just having read Small Steps, another book by Louis Sachar. Sachar has never disappointed, and he is one of my author finds this year. But this book... The book started with a note from the author. This is how it ended: "My publisher, my editor, my wife, and my agent all said I was crazy. "No one's going to want to read a book about bridge!" they told me on more than one occasion. Still, I really love the game ...." Well. The publisher, editor and wife were wrong: I did want to read the book, and I did finish. But by god how much bridge jabber there was! Don't get me wrong, I love card games, and I've been curious about bridge, but I couldn't keep up with all the rules. Are we sure that it's not just a made up game where you can invent new rules as you play along?! And it grew very tedious... I confess, I skipped some of the card talk. I hope this is the one and only dud that Sachar's written and the rest will be smooth sailing for me... 2/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Well. The publisher, editor and wife were wrong: I did want to read the book, and I did finish. But by god how much bridge jabber there was! Don't get me wrong, I love card games, and I've been curious about bridge, but I couldn't keep up with all the rules. Are we sure that it's not just a made up game where you can invent new rules as you play along?! And it grew very tedious... I confess, I skipped some of the card talk. Funny you should mention this, I've just finished The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett and there's a terrific scene in it where Death is trying to learn bridge and he says (I'm paraphrasing a bit): "HUMANS PLAY THIS FOR FUN? BUT THEY ONLY LIVE EIGHTY OR SO YEARS." Not that I have anything against the game but it does highlight - quite amusingly - the fact that it's a bit long and complicated to try learn. I can't imagine I would've enjoyed The Cardturner much either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Aw, that's a shame. I'm sure it was just a blip. Are you planning on reading another one of hers soon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Funny you should mention this, I've just finished The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett and there's a terrific scene in it where Death is trying to learn bridge and he says (I'm paraphrasing a bit): "HUMANS PLAY THIS FOR FUN? BUT THEY ONLY LIVE EIGHTY OR SO YEARS." Not that I have anything against the game but it does highlight - quite amusingly - the fact that it's a bit long and complicated to try learn. I can't imagine I would've enjoyed The Cardturner much either. Haha, Death's got a point!! I can't imagine how long it would take to learn the game... And I know the game Hearts, and that's supposed to help a little, but even so! Nah, if you ever want to read a Sachar novel, go for something else Aw, that's a shame. I'm sure it was just a blip. Are you planning on reading another one of hers soon? Even before I started the book, I wasn't planning on reading anything else by him very soon, because I have loads of other library books I want to get to. I'd only borrowed Small Steps and The Cardturner from the library because they were there, and couldn't find anything else. I think I'd have to reserve his other novels, them being in other libraries. But I'm still going to read some of his other novels in the future. It didn't put me off from his other novels for good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Haha, Death's got a point!! I can't imagine how long it would take to learn the game... And I know the game Hearts, and that's supposed to help a little, but even so! Nah, if you ever want to read a Sachar novel, go for something else Well, I read Holes a long time ago at school but other than that I haven't read any of his other novels. Would love to re-read Holes and read the sequel though - I'd probably get nostalgic for old English classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Well, I read Holes a long time ago at school but other than that I haven't read any of his other novels. Would love to re-read Holes and read the sequel though - I'd probably get nostalgic for old English classes. Nostalgia is always good And the sequel was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Even before I started the book, I wasn't planning on reading anything else by him very soon Him?! Ha! Every single time I've ever read that author's name I've apparently been adding a non-existent 'e' to the end, thinking it was Louise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) Him?! Ha! Every single time I've ever read that author's name I've apparently been adding a non-existent 'e' to the end, thinking it was Louise. I noticed, but didn't say a thing Edit: When I read your earlier message, I actually had to go back and see if I'd typoed the whole name and added an extra e Edited September 10, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 #57. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar The book started with a note from the author. This is how it ended: "My publisher, my editor, my wife, and my agent all said I was crazy. "No one's going to want to read a book about bridge!" they told me on more than one occasion. Still, I really love the game ...." I once had a book open along the lines of "this book should make you sick, disgusted and is a vulgar expression of society..." It was a Chuck Palahniuk, so. Anyway, sorry you didn't like this one, I know you like the author. I liked Holes a lot, except for the ending. I read Holes a long time ago at school but other than that I haven't read any of his other novels. Would love to re-read Holes and read the sequel though - I'd probably get nostalgic for old English classes. What a cool book to get to read in school! I'm jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I noticed, but didn't say a thing Poor Kylie hehehe! Shame you didn't enjoy that one as much. I still haven't tried any of his yet, but I'll avoid that one I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I like that phrase "Nordic crime thrillers," Frankie! I've often wanted to learn a bit of Norwegian, just so I could do a more expanded search on my family history. If I knew Finnish though I'd definitely read some of the books on that list! Are you going to frame your diploma?? You could hang it when you eventually get your own place. You could even put a spotlight on it! Yeah! I'm pretty sure we call courgettes zucchini here, or zucchini squash. I just shredded some up tonight so I could make blueberry and raspberry zucchini bread this weekend, in fact! Yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 #58. Vinttikamaripoika by Pertti Koskinen This book's title and cover caught my attention on the new acquired books list on the library's website. I don't read a lot of Finnish crime novel or thrillers or detective stories, so I thought it was about time. The book is about a nerdy 30something man who lives with his Mom and goes missing during the Midsummer celebrations. What I thought was really fresh and inspiring was that the private detective is a young woman, who's battled her own personal demons. This book is the fourth in the series, which I didn't know before starting the novel. It could be read as a standalone, too, so I wasn't spoiled in any way. What was also refreshing is that the private detective has studied psychology and she was always ready to part with psychological advice, but not in any kind of preachy or patronizing way. She was sometimes giving the people she met during her investigations some tough love, but on more than one occasion it worked for her and the other person's benefit. A very interesting new acquaintance, this private detective called Maija Miilunkorpi! 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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