Kylie Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 - Truddi Chase: When Rabbit Howls (a true story about a woman who has 92 alternate personalities) Sounds interesting. Have you ever seen a show called the United States of Tara? It's a brilliant show about a woman with about half a dozen alternate personalities. - Joseph Heller: Catch-22 (1001, RG- Yay! One of my favourite ever books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 Sounds interesting. Have you ever seen a show called the United States of Tara? It's a brilliant show about a woman with about half a dozen alternate personalities. I've never heard of that, what kind of show is it? BTW, last night I saw a show of Little-Britain going to Australia, do you know the TV-series? They did shows at least in Melbourne. I thought of you when I was watching the documentary. And BTW, I've been a bit busy for the last couple of days but I received your PMs and I will definitely get back to you later this weekend. Yay! One of my favourite ever books. I just borrowed the Finnish copy of the novel from the library yesterday, thinking I'd read it quicker that way and now I just found a copy of it in the charityshop, yay! I can take the library copy back and read the book whenever I can now I do hope it's good, for some reason or another the book's really intimidating. Like The Crying of Lot 49 is for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 It's an American show with Aussie Toni Collette as the woman with split personalities. She's a wife and mother of two children and it's about their dramas of living with a mother who has several different personalities, including a truckie named Buck, a flirty teenager and old-fashioned mother. It's brilliant. I remember Little Britain coming to Australia but I didn't go and see it. The novelty had sort of worn off the show for me after the first one or two seasons. Catch-22 can be a little confusing as there are lots of characters and it jumps around in time a lot. But it's still excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I loved Toni Collette in 'Muriels Wedding', one of my fave movies ever and she was just brilliant in it. Loved 'Catch 22' (though I heard it read, I didn't actually read it) .. I'm sure you'll love it Frankie, it's very funny. As Kylie says there are a lot of characters but once you've got them pegged, you'll be fine, it's hilarious actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 Kylie, I find it weird that I haven't heard of the show, we have so many American TV-series one would think we're an American colony (or is the show Australian?) The show sounds really interesting though, if they'll start showing it I'll definitely watch it I loved Toni Collette in In Her Shoes, she's such a talent! I've seen her in some other movies as well but can't quite recollect which ones they were... I remember Little Britain coming to Australia but I didn't go and see it. The novelty had sort of worn off the show for me after the first one or two seasons. I know what you mean, the same jokes with very little variation played again and again and again, it gets really old at some point. Some of the catch phrases are funny on their own though, we sometimes say "the computer says 'no'" as a reply to something and have a laugh Catch-22 can be a little confusing as there are lots of characters and it jumps around in time a lot. But it's still excellent! Loved 'Catch 22' (though I heard it read, I didn't actually read it) .. I'm sure you'll love it Frankie, it's very funny. As Kylie says there are a lot of characters but once you've got them pegged, you'll be fine, it's hilarious actually. I'll pay extra attention to the numerous characters now that you've warned me. Thanks you guys! I'm quite eager to read the book now, but I'm not sure if I should start it after my current read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 It's an American show. I believe it won at least one Emmy for the first series. It's kind of a smallish show I guess, not like a big blockbuster type that would be popular with the masses. Maybe that's why it hasn't been shown yet in Finland? I hope they pick it up soon. Toni Collette has also been in Little Miss Sunshine and About a Boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 It's an American show. I believe it won at least one Emmy for the first series. It's kind of a smallish show I guess, not like a big blockbuster type that would be popular with the masses. Maybe that's why it hasn't been shown yet in Finland? I hope they pick it up soon. Toni Collette has also been in Little Miss Sunshine and About a Boy. Maybe so. And who knows they might still show it later on It sounds really good. And I might be able to watch it through other medias I've seen Little Miss Sunshine but I think I was a bit on the drunkish side while watching it and I can't really remember anything from it, I need to rewatch it. Went to the library today to get the Hornby book, I also got Vikram Seth's An Equal Music for free. This makes me happy but also very sad, because I've bought/received 130 books now, this year. I've managed to increase my mount TBR by 90 titles (TBR now being 290 titles. My goal was to reduce TBR pile signicantly this year. Not happening!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 Went to the library today to get the Hornby book, I also got Vikram Seth's An Equal Music for free. This makes me happy but also very sad, because I've bought/received 130 books now, this year. I've managed to increase my mount TBR by 90 titles (TBR now being 290 titles. My goal was to reduce TBR pile signicantly this year. Not happening!) Wow, 290 TBR? That's an impressive mount, frankie! You can do it, you are one of the fastest readers I know. Still 7 whole months of the year to go. I picked up the Hornby book last night and am ready to start whenever. It looks really interesting but is a bit different from what I had anticipated. The whole thing is basically in the form of an essay, right? Are you much of an essay fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 Wow, 290 TBR? That's an impressive mount, frankie! You can do it, you are one of the fastest readers I know. Still 7 whole months of the year to go. I picked up the Hornby book last night and am ready to start whenever. It looks really interesting but is a bit different from what I had anticipated. The whole thing is basically in the form of an essay, right? Are you much of an essay fan? 290 is huge for me, it was 200 at the start of this year and probably less than 100 before I joined BCF. You know what this place can do to you :D Yeah from what I know the book is all about essays on reading and buying books or something like that. Buying a book to read and then reading something complete different, sounds very familiar! I've never read essays for fun, but this particular subject matter is very close to my heart so I'm expecting a very interesting read! I just hope Hornby's reading and buying books that I've already read myself so I won't be adding to my wishlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 290 is huge for me, it was 200 at the start of this year and probably less than 100 before I joined BCF. You know what this place can do to you :D Yeah from what I know the book is all about essays on reading and buying books or something like that. Buying a book to read and then reading something complete different, sounds very familiar! I've never read essays for fun, but this particular subject matter is very close to my heart so I'm expecting a very interesting read! I just hope Hornby's reading and buying books that I've already read myself so I won't be adding to my wishlist Haha, BCF has been a bit... suggestive towards my TBR pile too! Alas, it is a good problem to have in the end. Its a bit ironic to be reading a book about 'struggling with the monthly tide of books (he's) bought and the books (he's) been meaning to read.' It looks really interesting. Do you read a lot in Finnish or do you usually try to stick to English works? And if you do read a lot of Finnish is there a good selection of works that have been translated into it? I've probably asked you this before, sorry if I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 Haha, BCF has been a bit... suggestive towards my TBR pile too! Alas, it is a good problem to have in the end. Its a bit ironic to be reading a book about 'struggling with the monthly tide of books (he's) bought and the books (he's) been meaning to read.' It looks really interesting. Do you read a lot in Finnish or do you usually try to stick to English works? And if you do read a lot of Finnish is there a good selection of works that have been translated into it? I've probably asked you this before, sorry if I had. Haha, a nice and very polite choice of words, "suggestive" A very good problem indeed, compared to others! I try to read as much as possible in the original language but sometimes if the book is really long I might prefer the Finnish copy. It also depends on whether the title is available in English at the library and so on. I have to say that the selection that gets translated into Finnish is very good indeed, if I read in Finnish only I'd still be swamped with books! I don't read that much Finnish literature which is a real shame. The authors are really struggling, there's a significantly smaller audience here in Finland and that makes lower numbers of sold books. There's only a handful of Finnish authors who can survive solely on writing books Even some of the most popular writers are always applying for different kinds of grants in order to survive and be able to write and not go to work. There's this Finnish author, Sofi Oksanen, who's managed to break-through internationally as well, she's doing a tour in the US and apparently has already sold 10.000 copies in a month there. She's a very controversial person here in Finland and she rubs some people the wrong way and people tend to have an opinion of her and her novels eventhough they've never even read any of her books. I was like that before but then I figured I need to read at least one of her novels and see for myself, and I was really surprised when I actually liked her novel! After that I read the others as well and her latest, the one that's also been translated into English among other languages is absolutely amazing I'll do a quick count of the books I've read this year and you'll see how many I've read in Finnish and English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 ^ I've read 34 books in Finnish and 15 books in English this year. In my defense I have to say that 10 of those Finnish books are my favorite books from my teenage and I don't think they've been translated into English Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 This is very naughty of me but I'm going to talk about this movie I watched last night. This is a reading list I know but I started listing movies-I-need/want-to-watch and movies-that-I've-watched-this-year a while ago and can't help but say something about the movie I watched last night. It was Luc Besson's Nikita, the famous French one. Prior to this I've watched Point of No Return (the same thing but an American version with Bridget Fonda) and I've watched and loved La Femme Nikita, the American TV-series. I like the American version of the movie but I always thought that I must watch the original French one. I can't believe how disappointed I was in it! I didn't particularly enjoy the actors (I found the female lead rather unconvincing), I thought the concept of how much time had passed between the beginning of Nikita's training and her first "gig" was very poorly displayed. And I didn't know what to make of the end of the movie. Had I not watched the American version I wouldn't have understood some of these things at all. And this is a classic? Tut tut! I say watch the TV-series (the first episode is really poor and ridiculous but it gets so much better real quick). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 This makes me happy but also very sad, because I've bought/received 130 books now, this year. I've managed to increase my mount TBR by 90 titles (TBR now being 290 titles. My goal was to reduce TBR pile signicantly this year. Not happening!) Aw, don't feel too bad. Think of all the great reads you have ahead of you! Do you think you could try to keep it below 300, or is that silly of me to suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 Aw, don't feel too bad. Think of all the great reads you have ahead of you! Do you think you could try to keep it below 300, or is that silly of me to suggest? I think that's a very optimistic suggestion on your part, especially since you know me too well But it's worth a try anyway! Looking through my bookshelves or my TBR is really great, I keep thinking wow I've this book as well, I can't wait to get to it, and this one as well! The problem is I have so many great reads ahead that I won't get to all of them immediately. Oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 "Reviewing time" once again! Book 48. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber Rory Gilmore book challenge Hello, long book by Faber, recommended to many by the wonderful Emily Gilmore. A late-Victorian period & costume drama meets prostitutes and loads of dirty words. I cannot get over the explicit words for body parts, body odors and excretion in this novel, no sir-rree. I know I know, this is the kind of stuff Austen would hush about because she was more genteel-oriented and Faber just decided to reveal the other side of the coin of the era. It doesn't mean that you need to subject the reader to quite graphic and harsh scenes though. It's like trying to shock the reader just for the fun of it which rarely suits me well. Bye bye book, you're off to other hands. (Other Rory Gilmore -challenge readers were quite taken by the book so if you wish to read it, read their reviews.) Rating: 2/5 Book 49. Wicked by Gregory Maguire Rory Gilmore book challenge Boring, complex beginning, a very enjoyable part 2. And the rest just whooshed right over my head, which I admit is blond. Not to be read again by me. Again, other people have enjoyed the novel, you might want to check out their reviews as well. Rating: 2/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 "Reviewing" continues with more pleasant books! Book 50. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (re-read) Just as I have announced hating the use of cusswords in The Crimson Petal and the White I go onto Trainspotting which is just as bad with the cussing if not even worse and tell you I didn't mind a bit! A strange kind of contradiction, one might think but alas! In Trainspotting it is more justified. The characters are by no means Momma's sweet little boys. Drugging, boozing, pimping, sexually transmitting HIV, stealing, getting a mate addicted, and serving the customer in the most nastiest way a waitress can, the whole lot! You've got it right here under the same title, and in Scottish accent as well. Quite riveting. This book never seizes to amaze, provoke and disgust me no matter how many times I read it. And I love every bit of it. Read the book, watch the movie! Rating: 4/5 Book 51. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby Rory Gilmore reading challenge Literary name dropping, my most favorite kind. The book's even funny. (Although I think you need to be British to understand all the jokes and cultural references etc.) 18 books made their way into my wishlist because of this so be aware! Rating: 4/5 Book: 52. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby Four people meet under the most bizarre circumstances I can think of. Each wants to end their life for some reason or another. You might think it gets depressing and ugly, which it does, but Hornby serves the story with dark humour on the side. Very deliciously written! Rating: 4/5 Book: 53. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die -challenge + Rory Gilmore reading challenge I love Plath's style of writing. It's in a way detailed and yet very minimalistic and to serve a point. And you can't help feeling the melancholy under it all. The story in itself didn't entirely amaze me, especially towards the end when it was all about how to end life. (I have no idea why but somehow I'd forgotten the book is about depression and suicide.) Rating: 3/5 Suggested reading: If anyone's interested in Sylvia Plath and her life, I would highly recommend Ronald Hayman's The Death and Life of Sylvia Plath. Book 54. Roommates by Emily Chase (re-read) A quick, comfortable re-read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Wow Frankie. You're really tearing through 'em now! I'm glad you enjoyed The Bell Jar. Has it made you want to read her journals any more or less? I'm going to try to resist writing down any of Hornby's recommended books and hopefully by the time I get to the end I'll have forgotten them all anyway. Do you think that will work? Unfortunately I won't get to rid it for at least a couple of weeks yet because I've already got two books on the go and then the reading circle book. I saw your post about it being a slow read and I remember you saying that before, so I'm a bit worried about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 TCPaTW, Wicked and Trainspotting took me a long while to read but the 4 novels after that went flying by Happy times! The Bell Jar has really made me want to read Plath's journals even more, especially because I think they start when she's working during the summer and it's almost summertime here. It also made me want to re-read that superb biography about her. But I have too many books waiting to be read If you'll get into a very Strict Kylie -mode you might get the Hornby book read without writing all the great titles down along the way, yes. But you need to really focus and be determined! I'll be crossing my fingers when you get to reading it The slowness of Miss Smilla is only my opinion and who knows, if you really get into the story you might finish it in no time at all. I'd recommend you try and read it in big chunks and not in small intervals because for me it was easy to lose sight of the story and all the details if I didn't fully concentrate on it. Don't be too worried, I hope you'll find I am completely in the wrong and you'll have no problems with the novel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Are you going to be trying Miss Smilla again, frankie, or did your first experience put you off too much? I have read it twice and really enjoyed it both times, and I'm looking forward to reading it again - I found the descriptions of snow really magical and interesting, and enjoyed the storyline too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Are you going to be trying Miss Smilla again, frankie, or did your first experience put you off too much? I have read it twice and really enjoyed it both times, and I'm looking forward to reading it again - I found the descriptions of snow really magical and interesting, and enjoyed the storyline too. I tried Miss Smilla many years ago and it was for a uni course. I really enjoyed the novel but found it to be one of those books that you really need to concentrate on. I think I had a lot of other uni stuff to do so because the story wasn't going as fast as I'd hoped, I gave up on it. And it being an obligatory read is always a factor for me, no matter how good the novel is This time I'm going to give it my all, however, and I'm quite looking forward to reading it. Snow is a funny thing, just like the people in Greenland we also have a lot of different kinds of words for different kinds of snow, us Finns. Not as many as they do, though The Finnish title would translate as 'Sense of Snow', pure and simple. I like that the English title has Miss Smilla on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 In the US, they used Smilla's Sense of Snow as the title. The movie, as well, that starred Julie Ormond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 I like the English title, too. I haven't seen the film yet, as I had enjoyed the book so much that I didn't take the chance that the film would spoil it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 I notice that there are several different titles of the book. I hope it's OK that I'm calling it by the name that is on my copy. I know you won't mind, Frankie, because you seem to like that name better anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 (edited) I didn't even know there was a movie about this book! I don't think I want to watch it though, I have a feeling the plot and the atmosphere and the tone of the novel can't be brought into a movie the way that it would please me. Kylie, the thing is that I actually can't ever remember the two different actual titles (which are Smilla's Sense of Snow and Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, or so says wikipedia) so I'm just calling it Miss Smilla (The original title is Fr Edited May 25, 2010 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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