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You will lose my vote next time you run for president - you cannot hate TTW! :readingtwo:

 

So far I haven't. And I'm not going to become President. I'll be the General Secretary of the United Nations. My friend is going to be the Queen of America. Aren't you glad now that you know me??

 

Oh, and thank you for helping me keep my reading blog thread on the first page!

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So far I haven't. And I'm not going to become President. I'll be the General Secretary of the United Nations. My friend is going to be the Queen of America. Aren't you glad now that you know me??

 

Oh, and thank you for helping me keep my reading blog thread on the first page!

 

Being ignorant in this issue - 1st page of what, ii?

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Hmmm, I can see how that would be shocking! Do you need medical attention? Some medicinal spirits, say?

 

It was shocking! I do not belong to page 3!

I think my reading pride and vanity were more hurt than anything. I did have to medicate them with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio just now... I appreciate the thought.

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Actually I just checked and I'm nearing dangerously page 3 myself :readingtwo: *goes off to draft daring rescue plans*

 

If there's anything I can do... deploy UN corps or send in the Marines...

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Phew, danger thwarted! I actually had a message waiting to be answered since last week :readingtwo:

 

Maybe we should train a special rescue unit for this ever so important cause?

 

Well done!

 

We should! With a cool acronym name and special berets.

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*feels mighty proud*

 

I came up with a way of keeping my blog out of page 3 wihtout getting all controversial on you all. I need your help. (so instead of making you angry, I'm taking advantage of you. Smart, isn't it? *laughs*)

 

As you may or may not know, I'm doing a Winter Olympic Games Host Countries Challence (okay, that one needs a cooler name!) The idea I had was to match not only the counry (origin of the author is sufficient) but also the year. But, that turned out to be tricky. So I though alternatively mathing the area would be fun, too! Or just the country. Some of them are tricky, you see. So, any ideas? Suggestions? Thank you!!

 

Here's the list of countries, years and cities:

 

France: 3 (Chamonix, 1924; Grenoble, 1968; Albertville, 1992)

Switzerland: 2 (St. Moritz, 1928 and 1948)

USA: 4 (Lake Placid, 1932 and 1980; Squaw Valley, 1960; Salt Lake City, 2003)

Germany: 1 (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936)

Norway: 2 (Oslo, 1952; Lillehammer, 1994)

Italy 2 (Cortina d

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I'm not sure if the challenge is reading the books, or finding the books to read in the first place! Still, I've been doing some investigation for you, and found:

 

Deal With The Devil by Swiss author Martin Suter, who was born in 1948 - is that the sort of thing you were looking for?

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I'm not sure if the challenge is reading the books, or finding the books to read in the first place! Still, I've been doing some investigation for you, and found:

 

Deal With The Devil by Swiss author Martin Suter, who was born in 1948 - is that the sort of thing you were looking for?

 

Oh, I know! I might have to abandon the year...

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I was hoping that the year written would match, but as I'm not stocking Swiss books sky high, I'll keep that in mind! Do you know anything about the book, btw?

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Not much, but here's the blurb on it from http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk:

 

"Translated into 15 languages and greeted with massive praise when it was originally published in Germany, Martin Suter's thrilling novel follows a troubled woman as she tries to escape her tragic past. After running away to a remote village, however, a more chilling series of events begins to unfold right in front of her. Tightly plotted and intelligently written, this engrossing mystery's gripping ending will leave readers questioning truth and identity."

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"Translated into 15 languages and greeted with massive praise when it was originally published in Germany, Martin Suter's thrilling novel follows a troubled woman as she tries to escape her tragic past. After running away to a remote village, however, a more chilling series of events begins to unfold right in front of her. Tightly plotted and intelligently written, this engrossing mystery's gripping ending will leave readers questioning truth and identity."

 

Thank you! It doesn't really sound like my kind of book (I cannot read horror or most of the thrillers, really), the term 'chilling' kind of makes it sound like a no-no. But thank you, anyways!!

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What: Aikamatkustajan vaimo (The Time-Traveller's Wife) by Audrey Niffenegger

 

Opinion: I had heard so many good things about it, that I had to make myself approach it with caution. I know all too well how high expectations just set you up for a disappointment. So I was careful, and open-minded, I hope. The book started without any disappointments. It was as good as everyone was telling me. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but the story kept me going. It was like putting together a intricate complex puzzle, and Niffenegger provided the pieces with great skill.

 

Then, about half way through the book, she lost it. The original picture was getting ready, and it was like she no longer knew where to go next. The tone changed, the way the story was taken forward changed, and it wasn't for better by far! The events became more random, the story jumped aimlessly while Niffenegger searched her way to finish the story. And the telling was more raw, more cruel in a way. It made me wince at times. It was like she lost the story in there and struggled to finish it in a satisfactory way.

 

The characters were not entirely one-dimensional, but they weren't complete either. Henry was all about his time travels, Claire was all about her love for Henry. While their love for each other was described well, it left the characters a bit empty. Not too much so, but it did feel like Niffenegger ironed out some edges just to make the story one about love. Simplified, maybe.

 

I liked the first half of the story, the way the time-travels were written, the story taken along, was skillful. But Niffenegger dropped the ball once Claire and Henry started their life together. The second half was at the same time random and rushed. Irrational compared to the first half.

 

7/10

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If you want a recommendation for Bosnia, I'll tell you to read Ivo Andric's The Bridge Over The Drina. Well, I'll tell everyone to read it, but most would ignore me. You might not, though. Not from 1984. Very substantial. Won the nobel prize for him. Tells the history of Bosnia through a succession of tales based around a fictional bridge crossing the Drina river, although probably modelled on the one at Mostar.

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Sounds truly interesting, Andy. Thank you! I had a couple of titles for that, about the war and such, but your suggestion sounds more interesting. And less depressing! I'll see if I can find it.

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Oh, thank you, Dahlin'!

 

I should get to God Delusion at some point, I'm making an effort to read more non-fiction (that's not school related). I might pick it up after my current non-fiction, as I have a feeling I need something that won't make me cry after reading about New Orleans and Katrina...

 

(btw, I envy you, I love Chicago... *glances out the window and sees the Alps* Okay, maybe not right now...)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you. It's not really a review, especially as I'm not really telling that much about the story or the book, but just my immediate thoughts about it. It's a good book! I recommend it, absolutely.

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My fluff-read The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

 

Blurb: At the age of ten, Miss Miranda Cheever showed no signs of ever becoming a Great Beauty. Her hair was lamentably brown, her eyes the same muddy colour, and her legs, which were uncommonly long, refused to learn anything which might remotely be called grace.

 

Only, in 1811, the nineteen-year-old Viscount Turner - eldest brother of Miranda’s closest friend - had kissed the hand of an awkward ten-year-old girl and promised her that one day she’d be as beautiful as she was clever.

 

Now, eight years later, Miranda is a grown woman, and Turner an embittered widower. But she has never forgotten his kindness. Indeed it is only in her diary that she confides the truth: she has never stopped loving Turner, and she has never stopped hoping that one day he will see her as more than a na

Edited by ii
typo
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