Apolline's little corner 2015

Hi, there! I am Bente, 32, Norwegian, an avid reader, though I have never reached 75 books in a year. I have big hopes that 2015 will be better than 2014 in every way, including reading, and since I am starting the new year by working at a bookstore (even though it is short term), I guess it qualifies as a sweet beginning.

Ths is my sixth time in the 75'ers group, and I have no set goal this year either. I just hope I will get throught the year without too many reading funks, and that my chosen reading turns out to be terrific. I think I reached 21 books read last year, and I probably started just as many, so I will try to finish some of them this year.

Happy reading, everyone!:)

Books read in 2015:

1: Let it Snow - Debbie Macomber
2: Pergamentet - Gert Nygårdshaug
3: Styrketrening for jenter - Martin Norum (Strenght training for girls)
4: Popular - a memoir. Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek - Maya van Wagenen
5: The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny
6: Skrinet - H. K. Fauskanger
7: Blod på snø - Jo Nesbø
8: På innsiden. Historien om mitt politiliv - Eirik Jensen
9: The Murder Stone - Louise Penny
10: Billie Ve - Julia Kahrs
11: The Twistrose Key - Tone Almhjell
12: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
13: Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen
14: Very Good Lives - J. K. Rowling
15: Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
16: Paper Towns - John Green
17: The Debutante - Kathleen Tessaro
18: The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
19: The Red Notebook - Antoine Laurain
20: Let it Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
21: The Heiress of Linn Hagh - Karen Charlton

Welcome back!

>3 drneutron: Thanks, it's nice to be back:)

I love storytelling in many different forms and shapes, not just books. Music is a form of storytelling, and even though the music video concept seem to circle around tits and asses these days, some artists still have good stories to tell.

I like to share music with others, so I will start 2015 with this little gem of a music video: M83 - Wait

Thanks for the song! I like M83.

>6 banjo123: Thanks for stopping by:) I like M83, too, do you have any favorites?

Hi Bente, how are you!
>5 Apolline: re: tits and arses. Am I a prude, or are some music videos utterly obscene? I think the latter. :) I can't let my kids watch the music channel, it is too raunchy. That is sad.

>7 Apolline: Well, I am really only familiar with M83 from what's been played on the radio. "Midnight City," I think, is mostly what they play.

Yay, your thread is up! I, of course, have you starred. :)

>8 LovingLit: Megan, thanks for stopping by! I am, as usual, very late in my response, but I am fine. It is midwinter up north, with everything that includes. Long dark days, a cold, and lots of work. It shouldn't be a surprise, as it comes every year! How is summer treating you in the far south?:) And no, you're not a prude, or at least I agree with you. I seriously can't understand why people would be in certain music videos, or do certain stuff, but I guess we are all different;)

>9 banjo123: I hope you liked this one, then:) You shouold check out more of their work. Midnight City was the first I heard of M83, too.

>10 rosylibrarian: Yay, you found me! As you can see, my little corner is quite action filled with lots of chatter. Well, maybe some day soon :D

Happy weekend everyone. I'm off to work most of it, but for the rest of you, dance like nobody's watching:)

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

Have a good one!

3. Styrketrening for jenter - Martin Norum (Strenght training for girls)

After two months of working almost non-stop, I had to give up my training for the same amount of time. I have to admit it is hard to start all over from scratch, my friends way ahead of me, so I needed a little bit of inspiration and knowledge to start fresh. This is a good guide to basic strenght training, and though the title seem a bit sexist, it just points out the differences between the male and female bodies, and how females can adjust the exercises to suit our anatomy better. It is no secret that we do not have the same physical strenght as men do, but that does not mean we cannot do strenght training, and be good at it. Well, I am not there yet, but it was definitely a good guide, and it provided me with information that can be very helpful in the time to come. I will probably use this to look up information many times as I am progressing in my training.

Oh, dear! I've been to the hair dresser today, and now I got bangs:D First time in probably 25 years, and it was my idea:) Noone else to blame then, haha!

>14 Apolline: Pics! I am currently growing mine out, ha.

>15 rosylibrarian: I am working night shifts this weekend, so I'll try to upload on Sunday, if my eyes are not too dark and puffy;) I got a nice surpise arriving at work today, they had a birthday party this afternoon and left me some chocolate cake, cupcakes and macarons. And I am all alone here, and they left me all that! Oh my, it's "hard" to work the night shift;D

4. Popular - a memoir. Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek - Maya van Wagenen

I picked up this book at the bookstore I work, on a whim, thinking I would get to it some day. I am reading several other books at the moment, but my consentration is at a very low level and nothing seems to catch my attention or interest, so I needed something easy to read. A quick fix. I guess free reading samples are one of the best perks when you are working at a bookstore, and I probably would not have read this if it was not sitting on a bookshelf in the break room at the store. It is a quick read, and I understand why it became popular in the first place. Young Maya put herself in to situations I would never dream about at her age.

Well, I am back on the night shift, and to stay awake I am skipping between reading, laying a puzzle and doing my rounds. I just poured myself a cup of tea, and I think I will return to my book soon. I just hope I do not fall asleep, this being my second night shift in a row and I am not really used to this. I had a hard time going to sleep this morning after my last shift, since the spring is on, the sun is shining from a bright blue sky, and it is getting warmer. I wanted to stay outside instead of going to bed, but duty called this time.

No night shift without a little bit of music, and this is one of my favourites nowadays. If you have not heard of this Norwegian artis before, you should check out her video:
Susanne Sundfør - Fade Away

To me, this is a "close your eyes and feel the music" kind of song:)

>18 Apolline: gonna have to check Spotify for that music!

>17 Apolline: I read that book last year. It's crazy to think a girl so young had her book published. She came to a book festival here in South Carolina and her parents were with her... because she's still so young! It was cute.

I guess a month, or two, passes more quickly than one thinks:) I also know that on my thread it is business as usual, I write something and come back a month, or two, later to comment on it. At least I have finished three books since March, but right now there is so much going on in my life, and I am very excited about it, but I am so scared to speak about to people I know because then I might jinx it. It is about work and my living situations, so two major parts of my life. I'll know more in a weeks time, but until then I will have days of hopes and dreams, anticipation, optimism and pessimism.

Maybe I just need some good thoughts for now.

>21 Apolline: Thinking good thoughts for you!

>22 rosylibrarian: Thanks:) I'm way too nervous to think them myself!

Wow, first mission accomplished, or sort of half-way accomplished. I have bought my first apartement. The half-way part means I have to wait 20 days to see if any of the other members of the building society(?), not sure of the correct phrase, with longer membership than me will take it from me. Gees, this will be 20 looong days. My head is all over the place!!!

>24 Apolline: That is so interesting. Other building members can take the apartment you purchased away from you?

>25 rosylibrarian: Yup, if their membership is longer than mine, they are allowed to buy the apartment for the same price as I am giving. It is not just people in the building, but all members of the "boligbyggelag", a sort of building society with apartment bulidings all over town. You can be a member without owning anything, and then you can use your membership to "grab" an apartment without bidding in the first place. It's a bit difficult to explain:)

>26 Apolline: That is really interesting and quite different than what we do over here. Well, good luck and I hope no one grabs it!

>27 rosylibrarian: It's not the only way to buy apartments, we do it the normal way too, where the highest bid normally wins, but this "building society" (I'm not sure what it is called in English) owns the building where "my" apartment is, and therefore the members with longer membership than me, can grab it if they want. But if an aparment building is not part of this membership arrangement, they can be sold the normal way.

>28 Apolline: Gotcha! Well, I learned something new today. :)

Oh dear, I got the apartment!!:) So I might start renovating it next month, and it is a lot of work. Maybe it is good I don't know what I'm getting myself into, because I'm not handy at all!:) Good thing my father and step-father are both handymen!:D

Congrats on the apartment! I bet you will really like it, despite all the work.

>31 banjo123: Thanks! I hope it will be worth it:)

>30 Apolline: you bought one? Woah, commitment. Congrats.

>33 LovingLit: Yup, and all by myself, so I'm bound to my bank for life;) It is a renovation project, maybe I'll post a few before-pictures, and hopefully in a few months I'll be able to post some after-pictures:) Lots and lots to do.

^ better you than me! I am terrible at renovations. Wild love to see some before photos, it might even motivate you to get going on the 'after' shots!

A little update from the far north, I see it's been over a month since the last time, which is not unusual.
15 books read so far:)
My apartment is at its worst nowadays, so it can only get better!
It has been the coldest and rainiest summer in history!! Only a few (six) sunny days so far:(

I have finally gottebn a 100% permanent job!!!:):) I start the 17th of August, and I can finally stress down, because my financial situation has now been resolved! I'm ecstatic, even though the sun is lacking!:)

>36 Apolline: Yes! Congratulations on the job! Crossing my fingers for some sun for you.

Congrats on the job!!

>37 rosylibrarian: >38 scaifea: Thanks! Only two weeks left until my first day:) Not much sun, though!

I can see that it's been a while since I last commented any of the books I've read. Therefore, I guess it's time to do it now, and, well, I thought my reading was diverse, but turns out I was wrong.

Book nr 5, 6, 7 and 9 are crime books, and nr 8 is non fiction, but is about a well known police officer.

Book nr 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 are all YA (10 and 11 are fantasy YA), so Rowling's Very Good Lives is sort of a stand alone here. Me thinking my reading was diverse, is probably because I have about 8 half finished books from the same time period. I'll finish them soon;)

Nr 5 The Cruellest Month and nr 9 The Murder Stone by Louise Penny

I like this series! It is classic crime fiction, with a good mystery and very little graphic violence. Can't wait to keep reading, and I've bought most of the books.

Nr 6: Skrinet by H. K. Fauskanger

This is the debut novel by the Norwegian author Fauskanger. It is a classic murder mystery from the late 19th century, involving a murder, a theft, an old legend and a mysterious shrine. Last but not least, it also explain why Sherlock Holmes himself went to Kristiania (now named Oslo), that time, which according to this book, was a story never told before. Well, I guess the author used an already known character, but I think mr Holmes was used "well" and it definitely spiced up the story. I really enjoyed this story, and I look forward to read the next book by this author. It is a shame that it wont be translated, because I think crime lovers in other countries would enjoy it, too.

Nr 7: Blod på snø (Blood on snow) - Jo Nesbø

This is the first book I've ever read by Nesbø, and what can I say, it's not a favourite, even though I know it will appeal to someone else. I think maybe I'll try his Harry Hole series, though it might not happen just yet.

I know Jo Nesbø is well known in many parts of the world, but before he became a famous author, he was more known in Norway for playing in a band. When I was about 14, I was playing in a marching band, and that summer we traveled to Sweden. On our way home, we had to stop in a very small town called Vinstra, and stay the night there. In the same Inn as we stayed, Jo Nesbø's band played a concert in the room next to the room me, and another girl, was supposed to sleep. We recogniced the band when we arrived at the INN, so my friends and I stopped by to have a little chat and offered some candy. The whole band was very nice, and today, when Nesbø has grown to be such a successful author, it is fun to remember the talk and the bag of candy.

What can I say, two months goes by so fast. It is Sunday, autumn is here, the sun is shining and I´m having a quiet time with a cup of coffee. Best to cherish the little things in life, since it is so filled with big things. Since my last update I´ve started my new job, and I was supposed to move in to my new and freshly renovated apartment. This was a project that I was supposed to work on with my step-father, who is a handy man and been working with these things his whole life. Well, it didn´t turn out that way. In July he started to feel bad, and after a seeing the doctor and check ups at the hospital, it turned out he has cancer. I guess our lives just turned upside down in a heartbeat, but luckily he has started chemotherapy and the prognoses seems good. It is weird to see how one persons illness can affect so many lives, this time my stepfather, my mother and me (since I live with them and do not have my own place to go to). Everything is put on hold, but now I´ve rented some people to finish the apartment, mostly to carry on with my life, but also because my stepfather is determined to keep going on good days. So, whenever he is up to it, he goes down to work with the people we´ve hired. It takes his minds off things, at least that´s what he says.

I guess that is how life intervenes, since you hear how cancer/illness affects other people´s lives, but you never expect it to hit so close to home.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! Life is all about the little things!

>44 Apolline: I am so sorry to hear about your stepfather. I hope the chemotherapy will help and that his prognosis is good. I understand how scary and life changing cancer can be. My own mother died when she was 43 from breast cancer and I was 10.

Please keep us updated.

>45 rosylibrarian: I'm so sorry, Marie! I have no words!

Books read in 2015:

1: Let it Snow - Debbie Macomber
2: Pergamentet - Gert Nygårdshaug
3: Styrketrening for jenter - Martin Norum (Strenght training for girls)
4: Popular - a memoir. Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek - Maya van Wagenen
5: The Cruellest Month - Louise Penny
6: Skrinet - H. K. Fauskanger
7: Blod på snø - Jo Nesbø
8: På innsiden. Historien om mitt politiliv - Eirik Jensen
9: The Murder Stone - Louise Penny
10: Billie Ve - Julia Kahrs
11: The Twistrose Key - Tone Almhjell
12: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
13: Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen
14: Very Good Lives - J. K. Rowling
15: Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
16: Paper Towns - John Green
17: The Debutante - Kathleen Tessaro
18: The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
19: The Red Notebook - Antoine Laurain
20: Let it Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
21: The Heiress of Linn Hagh - Karen Charlton

>44 Apolline: that is a real blow for the family, Bente. I'm sorry for you! It is so interesting to me that when people get very I'll, they want mainly to carry on as normal. When all we well people can do is complain about how 'normal' our lives are... THe important things in life are made so much clearer when we see their impermanence.
I hope you are getting some QT with your stepfather and enjoying working on your place, gradually.

>44 Apolline: *waving hello* Thinking of you.