Apolline's quest towards 75 books 2010

Wow, I did it... I signed up for my first (ever) reading challenge! I am actually rather surprised at myself, at the same time a bit concerned that I might not reach my goals. Maybe I'll make it, maybe I won't, but at least I'll try, and that is what counts...right? Anyways, the LT-rumour has it that the members in this group are kind, supportive and patient:)

I read many different kinds of books, if it sounds interesting, I'll read it. I am always determined to finnish every book I start, but if I find it boring it might just take a while. I prefer to read books written in english, but since I am from Norway, some of the books will be in norwegian. I'll list them anyway:) (Maybe they'll be translated one day, if they're not already) I have picked three books to start of with, but most of the time I choose books based on my mood. Maybe I'll even change these...who knows?:)

Here they are...

1. Tracy Chevalier - Remarkable creatures
2. Cecilia Samartin - Tarnished Beauty
3. Knut Hamsun - Victoria

Good Luck and welcome--

Hei Apolline,

I'm sure you'll do just fine.:) I remember really enjoying Girl with a Pearl Earring a few years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of Remarkable Creatures.

Susan, currently reading 1222 in the original -- veeery slowly (I think it's only the second book I ever tackled in Norwegian)

That's Anne Holt right? It's been a few years since I read any of her books. Let me know if you need any help (but for all I know your norwegian might be brilliant!). What was the name of the other book?

B

Welcome! And good luck!

Welcome to the group!

Hi and welcome!
I'm also gonna read both english and danish books and list both. May I ask why you prefer to read books written in english?

Noticed that you've got a lot of Astrid Lindgren. Love her. Did you really read those in english?

Got you starred. Looking forward to some norwegian books - and english of course, but they're everywhere in here :)

Edited to insert touchstone.

Thank you:) We scandinavians better stick together since there's so few of us! Hahaha!

I have no spesific answers to your question other than I sometimes don't like the translation to norwegian. Or at least that's what it started with (reading the Harry Potter books I found the norwegian translation being too childish...sort of...and I did not like the way they changed the characters names etc.). Now I am so used to reading in english and I guess that's why I prefer the original language over the translation. But of course i don't know any other languages (my german is very poor), so this only apply for literature written in english:) I have to admit I read Astrid Lindgren in norwegian, I just thought more people would know the book if I added it in english;)

#4: Yes, it's by Anne Holt. I have read most of her other books in Swedish translation (by Maj Sjöwall, no less) but must have missed one or two because I was somewhat surprised to find Hanne Wilhelmsen in a wheelchair. At any rate, this one can be read as a non-series book -- Hanne is stuck in a hotel in the mountains with the other passengers of a derailed train, and people start getting killed...

The first book I read in Norwegian was "Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow". I know it's not Norwegian in the original but it was all the rage the year I was travelling to the Lofote Islands and I bought it in a small bookstore in Tromsø, asking the bookseller to put his stamp in it for me as a souvenir. I also have the Elling books around here somewhere, so maybe I should tackle those.:)

My Norwegian is far from brilliant but I took an "Interskandinavische Lektüre" class at university in another life-time, so I get by. Thanks for your offer of help -- if I end up not understanding who killed everyone and why, I'll take you up on it.:)

Well, at least your keepin up the knowledge you gained some years ago, that's more than I can say about my german (it is very poor indeed!) and I have to admit I have sort of given it up completely.

I have heard the books about Elling is supposed to be good, and the author Ingvar Ambjørnsen recently had a new book published Opp Oridongo, which is in my TBR pile somewhere:) I'll try reading it this year.

Did you enjoy your stay in Lofoten? Did you visit oher parts of the country as well?

#8 - Oh yeah! Let's show those english speaking folks some nice scandinavian literature :P

Ah, for some reason I read it as if you didn't like reading books in norwegian, silly me. If we're talking about translations, I suddenly understand much better. Even though I must say, that sometimes I actually prefer the danish translation just to be sure I get all the little details. After all I do expect the translater to have a better understanding of the english language than me - though, sad to say, once in a while it doesn't seem like it. I think I just read some in english, some danish translations and sometimes both. Often I don't really care if it's english or danish as long as it is well written (and translated).

I get your point about the translation of names in Harry Potter, I've just learned to live with it, and besides that, I do think the danish translations are quite good. But if I should buy them again, I'd probably pick the english versions.

Saw a comment you left about Hamsun on another thread and have you starred now. Welcome.

Good luck :)

Victoria is one of my favourite books! I read it when I was in my teens and fell in love with it. I am planning to read a feew books by Hamsun too this year.

Apolline, I have starred yours as well. Norway -- very cool. Amazing how the internet makes people seem so close. Well good luck with your challenge. And thanks again for making me feel welcome... The ticker thing is not so difficult. Go to www.TickerFactory.com and then cut/paste the html to your post. :)

@11 Frkfrigg - we are small countries in a big world, but that does not mean we can not have great authors:) They just need to get more known out there, and LT is a great place for that.

I totally agree with you about translaters, they have without a doubt better knowledge of the english language than I have. But than again, reading a lot of english literature helps me from forgetting too much of the language, since I don't use it regularly in my everday life. Tv/dvds and books keeps me pudated so to speak:) Of course i prefer reading books written by a norwegian author in my own language. I think I would even read books by danish authors in danish, since it is quite similar to norwegian:) expand my knowledge a little. Btw, though I have not read the danish translation of HP for all I know it might be brilliant, but if you have not read the english version you should definetely give it a go. Rowlings writing is hilarious and you might miss a few of the jokes in the translation (lost in translation, right?!;)

@12 & @13: I can see that quite a few people like the works of Hamsun. I hope I wont dissapoint you, since (I have to admit) he has not been my favourite author in the passed. I guess I should also mention I have only read some of his books under pressure, and for some reason I tend to not like a book as much if I HAVE to read it, instead of reading it for pleasure. I have heard great things about Victoria, so this time I am actually looking forward to read it.

@14: Yeah, the internet makes the world seem small. I hope you do not mind me asking where you are located? Thanks for the tickertip, you make it sound so easy. Maybe I will actually make it soon;)

#15 - Yep, reading english literature is an excellent way to keep up the the language (I should do the same with french, but, phew, I think it would be so hard to get through a french book now, have allready forgotten most of it) and, might I add, so is LT. When I joined this group, I discovered that I haven't really had to express myself in english since high school. A bit intimidating, but also very nice.

I have read the english version, and probably will again. In fact I'm thinking of buying them too, but there are so many books I want, and so little money.. :D

#10 Yes -- I was just done with a student exchange program in Stockholm, and a friend came to get me and we travelled all over Norway -- Oslo, Bergen, Sognefjorden, Trondheim, Tromsø, the Lofote islands. It all seems a bit unreal in my memory. We had a ScanRail ticket and very little money, so we would usually travel nights, both to save money on the accommodation and because journeys started after 7 pm didn't count as an extra day on the train ticket. It was summer and the nights were light, and we were somewhat sleep-deprived and disoriented, so I remember standing on a street in Tromsø and my friend asking me what time it was. I said "just before five" and she snapped "Five WHAT? In the morning? In the afternoon???" We had a great time, even though everyone looked at us funny -- looking a the pictures now, I can see why: we had miscalculated on the weather and because it was much colder than expected, we were wearing most of our clothes at the same time -- two or three thin summer dresses combined with woollen stockings and leather jackets...

Welcome and good luck! This is my first challenge, too, so I'll be working right along with you. I also just finished school and know the issue of not wanting to read. But I'm over it, too! Looking forward to following your reading.

Thank you witchyrichy:) I'll look out for your thread as well. Having all these books waiting for you, but not being able to read them seriously sucks. But at least I am enoying them now!

@17 Frkfrigg I know excactly what you mean. being a student does not really help on the economy either. I promise when you finnish your studies and get "real job" (as my friends and I like to call it), you will probably buy more books than you are able to read. But that might be the problem for many of us in this group;)

@18 Littlegreycloud, you didn't stop in a small town called Ålesund on your way from Sognefjorden to Trondheim? Hahaha, I guess the light nights can do that to you, at least one could get trouble sleeping during the summertime. After years of covering the windows with carpets, I had to cave and bought black curtains...and I live much further south than Tromsø! I bet you looked just fine in your lovely summerdresses, maybe you even started a new trend up there!:)

Yay! Finally some results, and I can even report to have read two books.

#1 Remarkable creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

I am not really used to writing reviews and will therefore only write a few thoughts about the book. It was actually unusual (at least to me) to read a story where the plot takes place in the 19th century and it is not a love story. It is about two women, Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, who made remarcable fossil discovieries on the beach in Lyme Regis. Mary Anning could probably be called one of the first female paleontologist and both of them gave great contributions to the natural historic research and science. Though the book is mainly fiction, it is actually nice to see that women get the knowledge they deserve for a change. Throughout the years, history has mainly been written by men and about men. There has been little room for women, but at least that has been changing the last decades. Anyways, I enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to others:)

I've decided to link a song to each book i review, see msg 51 for an explanation. Two songs for this book, both slow and elegant like the book. REM - Everybody hurts and Yiruma - If I Could See You Again

Congrats on your first book of the year and the review! I haven't written many reviews myself and i find it much more challenging than I thought it would be. Many here seem so proficient at it - it makes me envious :) I try and remind myself that, like my mother always said, practice makes perfect. Tee hee -- I wonder if I will come to dread it as much as I did my piano lessons.

#22: That one looks like a good one. Nice way to start off your reading year. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

Nice review, and congrats on finishing your first books, where's the other? :)

I am also trying to get better at the review thing. But I'm starting out real slow. Sometimes there will be a small review, sometimes it will just be my opinion. As long as I write something I will be satisfied (at least this year).

Nice review. Keep it up.

Thank you for all of your kind words! As you probably noticed I am new to this reviewing thing. There are so many things you notice when you are reading and want to comment in a review, but when he time comes and you are supposed to write it, every single comment seems to have taken the first available flight out of your head with no return ticket:) maybe I will do better next time. Just wait and see Frk Frigg, I think I will be able to write about the second book this weekend..just don't expect too much;)

OK, I'll wait, Apolline, I'm just curious :)

The folks here are very supportive, so no fear is necessary about your first forays into reviews. the one above is very well done.

As to forgetting your ideas when it comes time to put things down, I keep a reading journal, as do many of the other readers here, and jot down those ideas as they come.

@29 Thank you, and btw, you are a very good example on all the nice and supportive people in here! Thank you for the tip as well. I normally use to take notes when i want to remeber something, but I never thought of keeping a reading journal.

@23 Lynn: I quite agree with you, it is much harder than it seems, and since so many of the others in this group are so good at it, you sort of feel it wont be good enough. But as your mother (and mine) correctly claimed, practise makes perfect...or at least better. I have to admit I enjoy this much more than practising the clarinet when I was younger...now I wish it was piano instead!;) I bet you will do just fine!!

#2 He's just not that into you by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

As I mentioned in my first comment i would probably pick up a few unexpected books throughout the year. I managed to finnish book nr 1 on my list, but before I could start nr 2, another book just found its way to the top of my TBR pile, leaving Tarnished Beauty in second place again. And never in my mind did I ever plan to read this book, because, well actually, why should I? The title seemed a little male chauvinistic and did I really need to have my self esteem tampered with? That was my thoughts and prejudices before I started the book. And the reason I read it at all, was after watching the film with two of my friends (girls), and one of them happened to have read it. She (the only one with a boyfriend) recommended we should read it and maybe pick up some tips...at least she had a good time reading it and a good laugh. She continued that it was not a male chauvinistic book, quite the contrary, it was a book telling us we should not accept the bad behaviour of certain illbehaving men.

And boy was she right. This is not a good example of fine literature, but it has humour, irony, exaggeration and a good doze of (embarrasing?) truth all in once. But do you now think you might become too cynical and loose a guy because you ignored the signs he so clearly gave you? Well, according to his book there is no signs to read anyways. Guys do not throw around cryptic signs and messages for us to interpret. Just have to face it, he's not that into you. Though this is a superficial self-help book, I could not help but to like it. The humour and irony made this an easy book to read, with a lot of laughter and (sadly) some recognition. BUT, as a single 27 year old female, I can now say that my analytical days are finally over. The epiphany came at last, lets just hope it sticks around:) If a guy, from now on, wants to get to know me, and thinks I am worth the extra effort, he knows where to find me!

This is what girls really should say to a guy, if they have the nerve that is. This books song: Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You`re Naked

Aaaand there it was! Again, nice review. From my very review-inexperienced point of view, you are pretty good at this review thing. And best of luck with the new approach to the guy thing, it sounds very reasonable - though perhaps hard to stick to once you fall.. :)

(and that was a lot of 'views' in one message)

I fear you are quite right about the guy thing, they have this very magical way of occupying your thoughts when they shouldn't, because a) he is just too darn handsome and nice and perfect in everyway, and therefore just not that into you b) he's an ass and not into you (though that might be a good thing) and we could keep this list going eternally. I guess some girls just love the drama. I have to admit it can be quite fun to discuss a guy you like with your friends, wonder if he will give you a call etc. But all the analyzing and wondering is in the end just a waste of (good reading) time.

But, hey, keep your views coming!! Btw, working on book 3 & 4 at the moment...and of course they were not on the original list either.

Oh, now you almost made me miss that.. But it's also quite nice not having to spend my time doing that anymore. Somehow it was just more fun when I was a teenager. And it does make it difficult to read, when you can't stop thinking about a guy :)

The only reason my books are on my list is that I write them on it just before I start reading them.. which of course is easier when the list isn't public.

I know what you mean, a lot changes when you're in your twenties. But then again, there's a time for everything, and what used to be fun in the teens no longer seems so appealing:)

After I finnish the two books on the list, I'll makes sure not to make a new one!

#3 According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

Phew, finally able to write something about book nr 3. Finnished it a few days ago, but work and my social life kept me from writing about the book, and even worse...kept me from reading anything else. It put me off track a bit, but I will hopefully make it anyways:)

Ellie is 15 when Jane Austen makes her first appearance in Ellies mind. The relationship between Ellie and Jane is the main plot in this book, where the target is to help Ellie find her own mr. Darcy. The end can be spotted early on, though this not ruin the drive in the novel. Ellie must, as a true heroine, endure her own trials and tribulations, before she can get her own happy ending, if she wants it.

This is a book to pick up if you are interested in some light reading. I guess it is no surprise that the plot is based on some of Jane Austens novels, like these type of books tend to be. All in all, the book was okey, but a few factors sort of irritated me. One of them I can't really mention, since that would be a major spoiler, and the plot should take its natural cource regardless to what I think or without the writer trying to change it to suit how he/she wants the story to develop and end (I don't know if any of you quite undersand what my point is here, but I just couldn't explain it any other way, sorry!). The other thing I put my finger on, was that the conversation/dialog between Ellie and Jane sort of overshadows the plot at a point in the story where you just wanted to know what happens. The last thing I did not like was the way the story suddenly at the end changed from passed to present narration. I have a difficulty with novels written in a present state, I tend to avoid them. I do not know why, I just don't like it and therefore I found the end a bit....messy, maybe.

But, by all means, it was an okey novel. The song for this book is Elvira Nicolaisen - Love I Can't Defend

At the moment I am working on book nr 4 and 5 and will start nr 6 (Anna Karenina) later today.

#36: I think I will pass on that one.

Glad to see you are reading Anna Karenina!

Don't worry, you're not missing out. It's better to spend your time reading something that's worth the time and effort.

I started Anna Karenina a couple of hours ago and I've already made a reading plan to make sure I can keep up with the group:) I hope you're doing well with your reading too.

I'm with you on the present tense thing. I think it's extremely annoying, and like you, I can't explain why. It just doesn't sound right in my ears, and yeah, it can get kinda messy.

I know, and it all gets irritating if the main character is supposed to tell you what he/she is doing and thinking at the same time, and you as a reader is obviously there as everything happens. I think I'll stick with passed tense, suits me much better.

#4 Everest is Hollow by Indigo Jones

Trouble is a 13 year old boy, traveling to Mt. Everest to look for his long lost parents. They are both archeologists and have been missing for two years. The last lifesign Trouble got from his mother was a letter sent from the Himalayas. That's where the story begins.

I got this book after a tip at Amazon. I did not read the description very good and did therefore not know this was a childrensbook. I think the main target would be kids in the age 8-12, but since it has been a while since I read this type of books, my assumptions might be wrong. It also makes it a bit harder to review, since the book is not meant for adults. In the beginning I found the characters plain, the plot slow, language below average, but then I sort of changed my mind and tried to see it from a younger perspective. I did try to overlook the productplasements (which I am not used to in novels) like Ipod, World of Warcraft, Sims 2 and even references to Star Trek, just to mention a few, though this does not surprise me since the book is published from something called Silicon Valley Novels. But it is not all bad, for instance they donate proceeds from sales to Doctors without Borders, and it actually looks like the children might learn something from reading the book. Throughout the whole book we can find references to diseases caught high up in the mountains, living conditions in the heights, George Mallory, egyptian pyramides, Homers Iliad, the Valley of Kings, Ecluid's Elements, the ancient library of Alexandria, Svalbard etc, etc... if you now have to Google some of the things I mentioned, I proved my point. When these things are mentioned in the book, all the kids have to do is Google it and they will expand their knowledge a little, it might actually trigger the thirst kids have for knowledge, which I think is a good thing. Then it is ok that the book will never be a classic, or that it ends in a cliffhanger (which I hate). The plot really thickens in the end, so I might actually read the next one too, just to know what happens to Trouble.

This book reminds me of a song from a teenage group. The lyrics are mostly in norwegian, but the chorus is in sami: Blacksheep Oro jaska beana

#5 The Shakespeare Secret by Jennifer Lee Carrell

In this book you get to know Kate Stanley, a post-doctorate academic specialized in Shakespeare, now a director of Hamlet at the Globe in London. The murder of her old mentor, drags Kate in to a race where her own life and a long lost Shakespeare play is at stake.

This book turned out to be quite a page-turner, reading so fast I lost track of theories and plot turns a few times. This may also be a result of my poor knowledge of Shakespeare's magnificent works (yes, I do admit never to have read any of his plays, though this might be like swearing in church. Though I've seen The Merchant of Venice at the theatre, a filmtheatre version of Hamlet, and of course Romeo & Juliet with Leo and Claire!). There's one thing that sort of bugs me with these kinds of book, the hero/heroine is always so bloody smart. Have you ever seen an episode of Grey's anatomy or House, where the interns shouts out all kinds of diagnosis along with a good justification for it? They're all so smaaaart and you almost feel stupid for not thinking about it too, though there's no reason you should actually know this in the first place. The main character in this book, Kate, is one of these really smart heroines, but one of her biggest flaws is being so naive. There's a murderer out there trying to kill her, and she just trusts everybody.

To put is short, if you don't like conspiracy theories and "out of this world clever" heroes/heroines, don't read this book. But if you're up for some excitement and like a good, high-speed mystery, you're in for a treat.

A song for the book: REM Losing my religion

#6 De beste blant oss by Helene Uri

Jumping from one academic society to another. In this novel we meet Pål (Paul) Bentzen a scientist researching futuristic language, Nanna Klev and Professor Edith Rinkel, all working at the Institute of futuristic language and linguistics (freely translated by me from Norwegian) at the university of Oslo, Norway. This is a novel containing love, ambitions, passion, intrigues, university gossip and large doze of satire. Anyone who's set their foot anywhere near academia will nod recognizably at the authors description of university employees, all their quirkiness, their backstabbing of each other and the lack of interest in anything not concerning their own research. The authors descriptions are spot on (at least here in Norway) and I laughed my socks out several times. Like her mentioning the project to preserve the norwegian language: "The maintenance of Norwegian as the Future Language of Norway" where the scientist wanted to publish the whole research in Norwegian, or at least parts of it, but was denied due to the institutes policy of publishing outside Scandinavia. If it was published in Norwegian, the Institute would loose credits and therefore get less money the following year. I hope I was not the only one seeing the irony. Hilarious, but very typical. The novel is filled with funny diversions, it could have been messy, but it really worked. It had a nice plot twist in the end too, though I would not be surprised if there's a good dash of hidden truth in it all.

I should probably mention that the author herself is a linguistic who used to work at the same university, but left academia and wrote this novel. The plot is not complicated, but still a bit difficult to write about without spoiling anything or writing a whole dissertation. The bad thing is that it's not translated in to english (though you can find it in danish, german, dutch, czech and russian etc). The language was a dream, written by a true linguist.

This books song is the norwegian group Ephemera with Girls keep secrets in the strangest ways

I just borrowed Honningtunger by Helene Uri from the library. Looking forward to hear what you think of De beste blant oss. I plan on reading that one too at some point.

#44 I would definitely recommend De beste blant oss. Hopefully I'll be able to write the reviews before I start off with a new book. Not tonight though, off to bed in a dash;)

#45 Great! That's good to know. I think I'll get it from the library when I'm done with Honningtunger. Have you read that one?

#46 No, I have not read it yet, but I will. It's already in my tbr pile.

Nice reviews! I think I'll skip The Shakespeare Secret though, but after reading your review of De beste blant oss I want to read it even more. It sounds really great!

Do you remember how we discussed our likings of books written in passed tense and how we did not like books written in present tense at all? Maybe I should warn you. This book is written in almost every tense there is, sort of. You have, passed, present and future tense all in one, but the weird thing is that I for once liked it. My amediate thought was "oh no, is it one of those books" thinking of present tense, but Helene Uri sure knows how to use all the grammatical tenses. I guess we should expect no less from a linguist! I hope I didn't scare you off. It is a truly witty and delightful book to read.

Yeah, it's the same in Honningtunger, but it didn't bother me either, so you definitely don't scare me off with that! :D

#7 The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

This enchanting novel is set in post-war England, and opens the door to a world of romance, gossip and parties with Londons finest youth in the 1950's. It is the time when Johnnie Ray had every teenage girl screaming their lounges out in the Palladium, the year before the King himself, Elvis, kicked him off his throne. It is 1954 and 18 year old Penelope Wallace lives with her mother, Talitha, and her younger brother, Inigo, in the enormous mansion called Milton Magna. Her father died during the WW2, leaving the little family to care for Magna, at a time when money is tight. Or to put it in a different word, they are broke.

One day when Penelope is waiting for the bus, Charlotte Ferris literary burst her way in to Penelopes so far sheltered life. This is the beginning of Penelope's way to independence and adulthood. Charlotte invites Penelope home for tea. Soon after Penelope agrees to accompany Charlottes cousin Harry to a party, to make his american ex-girlfriend Marina jealous. According to Charlotte Harry is not at all handsome, but by far the most interesting boy Penelope will ever meet, irritatingly addictive. This opens the door in to fashionable parties with the British upper class, and Penelope crosses the threshold to a new world that changes her life completely. This is the story of Penelope, Charlotte and their blooming friendship, with tea, fashion and their common love for Johnnie Rae. It is the story of Inigo, music and Elvis Presley, of Harry and magic. It is the tale of Milton Magna with its own history, partly built in the middle ages, and for more magnificent and important than any of its inhabitants. And it is the story of changes, both for the characters and for London and Europe, trying to recover themselves from the great war.

Eva Rice had an enchanting way of describing the 1950's popculture in this book, all from the music and literature, to fashion and Teddy-boys. And who can forget the feeling of a teenage crush at any good looking artist or movie star. For me it started when I was 8 and wanted to marry Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block (I think that had passed when I reached 9 and someone else caught my attention, I can remember several from my teens). The book is beautiful written with charming words like dashing, ghastly and silly, and it sure felt like being in London with them all. I am actually not really sure what else to say about this book, because it is all positive. Would not want to give anyone a downtrip either. But it is definitely a good read and worth the mindtrip to London, Magna, to parties with Penelope and Charlotte and to the time of Johnnie Rae, Elvis and magicians. The book sure cast its spell on me.

As an addition to my review, I have decided to link this book (and all my previous books) to a song. Besides books, I am addicted to music, and sometimes a song can describe the book in a way. This books song is Madrugada ft. Ane Brun with Lift Me

#51: Well, rats. I went to add that one to the BlackHole and found it already there. I guess I really need to track down a copy.

Haha, at least the Blackhole didn't increase then, look at it like a little reminder. My little mountain is growing rapidly every day, it's hard to keep track of all the book in it.

#53: My little mountain is growing rapidly every day, it's hard to keep track of all the book in it.

I can certainly relate to that problem!

I love the sound of the Eva Rice book, I will have to follow that one up.

Oh, how I loved that book! But maybe I shouldn't say it, 'cause, what if you all don't like it? I'd sort of feel bad about the book not living up to your expectation. Maybe it's even my bad taste in books? Oh well, whatever, at least I enjoyed it, maybe that's all that counts?

That's what I said to my mum this evening - I was raving about the book I'm currently reading to her, Cutting for Stone and she was talking about buying it, and I was suddenly worrying that she wouldn't like it, or that some of the content might be difficult at the moment.

I know. If you really like a book, you want everyone else to like it too, or at least I do, sort of. I wouldn't recommend a book if I didn't like it, but then again the person you recommend it too might have a different taste in books than you do. This fact doesn't make the book bad or your own taste bad, I guess I just have to accept that people likes different things than me. I would just feel bad if anyone read the book because of my recommendation and hated it. It would be like wasting their time. Maybe we should trust other people to make up their own mind, and stand for what we believe. I think this is a good book, and you think Cutting for Stone is a good book. Let your see if she likes it or not, if she doesn't like it, at least she has given it a try. That's all we can expect, I guess.

I just added Cutting for Stone to my tbr pile. Seemed really interesting.

Nice review. Very interesting idea to link your books to a song. While I am writing, I usually pick mood music or music that sort of embodies the main character i am writing at the time. It helps keep the juices flowing. It also helps to exand my musical horizons, which are already pretty varied.

Apolline, you have a most interesting thread. I try to read everyone's comments who are nice enough to take the time to visit me (Donna Reads and Reads) and leave a comment.

I love how you have chosen the music to match the mood of the book. Do you listen to music as you read? I prefer a quiet reading atmosphere because I am easily distracted. Which is why I also take a few notes as I'm reading. Nothing fancy, just a piece of paper that can double as a bookmark and a place to jot down a clever phrase I want to remember or page numbers I want to refer back to. I loved your comment in msg. #27 about your thoughts taking a no-return flight. That happens to me all the time!

What worried me about my recommendation in this case is that some of the content may be upsetting in my mum's current medical circumstances, as just told to me this weekend.

#62 I'm so sorry. It was not my intension to be unsubtle. I truly hope your mother will be okey. Maybe you should recommend her some light and joyful reading for the time being? If she wants to read of course.

#60 I know exactly what you mean bdb. I love listening to music, and sometimes it even inspire my writing. It could be the melody or tiny bits of the lyrics. Suddenly everything just seem so clear all of a sudden. What sort of music do you like?

#61 Thanks for a very sweet comment Donna:) I try to keep up with most threads, but we have all grown so many in here. Sometimes it is even difficult to remember where and when your last comment was. I already have your thread starred though:) It depends on my mood, whether I listen to music while I read or not. If the book is really good and interesting, I can read through whatever. If I struggle a little, I need my peace and quiet, then I'm easily distracted too. Most of my reading music is instrumental, like classic or piano music (my favorite atm is a japanese pianist named Yiruma, you should check him out if you don't know him already. So slow and beautiful music!) Good idea with the bookmark, I might actually try that out. I always think I will remember where everything is written, but I prove myself wrong every single time. Nice to know I'm not the only forgetful person in here, no-return tickets can be really annoying

No, I'm sorry, what you said was perfectly reasonable, but I'm just very worried about my mum - however I was crashing your thread and if anyone's been a bit rude here it's me - I would still highly recommend Cutting for Stone but possibly not to people who are facing either childbirth or major surgery in the near future. Sorrryyyyy.

I listen to a little bit of everything, from jazz (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Latin Jazz) to folk (Lucy Kaplansky, Patti Griffin) to country (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson) to rock/pop (Goo Goo Dolls). Right now, my favorites are the soundtrack to the movie Crazy Heart and an album by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johanssen.

I also have specific music picked out for certain characters in the story I'm writing, mostly jazz stuff.

Read The Lost Art Of Keeping Secrets last year and really enjoyed it! What was funny is that I was totally drawn in by the cover - luckily the book lived up to it! :)

Also, love the idea of linking a song for each read!

Wauw, there's a lot going on here.. The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is going on the TBR list immediately. It sounds really good, and so does the music linked to it - what a great idea btw! And Yiruma too, wauw, that's nice music. So many good things all in one thread read :D

#65 Good thing I am neither then, though it might take me a while to get to the book. And just so you know, there was no rudeness at all. I think it is nice that people feel like leaving me a comment, no need to apologize. I hope your mother is doing well:)

#66 Thank you for the music tips. I am always looking for new music, and I will definitely check out those folk artists. I have heard of the others before, but I have to admit my jazz knowledge is not great. Esperanza Spalding got a popularity boost over here after last years Nobel Peace Prize concert, and I do know some of the norwegian jazz groups are more popular outside of Norway than back home. I will try out Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn too.

I like our idea of linking a character to specific music, it might sound stupid, but does it work almost like a theme song? Something to put on when writing about the character? I definitely like my writing mood music, but what it is depends on my mood and how it inspire my writing. It changes all the time, but at the moment I listen to a lot of indie (Grizzly Bear, Kings of Leon, a few swedish and norwegian bands, Oasis, Damien Rice, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Iron & Wine etc) and piano music like Yiruma (his music is so smooth and calming, love it!) and classical music in general.

#67 Thank you for sharing that. Nice to know I am not alone in liking this book, though it is difficult to see how someone could not like it. I liked the cover too:) Have you read any books similar to this? I would love a tip if you have. I noticed that Eva Rice will soon have a new novel out, I will definitely give it a try. I hope you enjoy the music too.

#68 Wops, a week less active on LT and people suddenly leave comments:) Not used to the attention! I really recommend The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, it was so nice. I wish I could read it for the first time again. Isn't Yiruma lovely?? I could listen to him for hours. Haha, thank you for the kind comment btw, it was almost like a kinder egg commercial (three things in one;), though I guess chocolate is better than my thread.

If Eva Rice is going to have a new novel out, I'm definitely going to read it! I'll try and think of any similar books I may have come across - oneoff the top of my head is The Pursuit Of Love by Nancy Mitford.

According to Amazon Eva Rice's next book is called Dragonfly Summer, but it is all a bit confusing really. A few pages claims it was released in the UK last year, while others says it has not yet been released. Nobody seems to have read it though, no ratings found. Her's a summary from Barnes and Noble:

It is 1962. Tara Jupp is seventeen and living with her seven brothers and sisters under the iron thumb of her father, the local vicar. After singing the solo at a wedding, she attracts the attention of the groom, Billy Laurier, one of the most successful music impresarios in the country. He believes she's a star. He takes Tara out of Cornwall and up to town.
Tara is caught up in the chaos and urgency of pre-Beatles London, a scene pioneered by Billy's wife, Matilda, a model hell-bent on self destruction; a boy named Digby who thinks nothing of wearing eyeliner to parties and entertaining tramps; and Inigo Wallace, a songwriter from America with an addiction to a folk singer named Bob Dylan.
This is a novel about leaving home and finding yourself in the right place at the right time entirely by accident. It is the story of what happens when you go out in a short skirt carrying nothing but a package of cigarettes. This is London before cell phones and e-mail and smoking laws. This is the sixties, and something big is about to happen. . . .

Looks like Inigo is back, but they got it wrong describing him as american.

Thank you for the tip btw, will definitely check it out!

I love the sound of Eva Rice. I wonder if it's possible to find these in the library (her older book(s) may have been discarded already)

#74 I've just read that one with Rice, but want to try out some of her other books. There's no use in looking for the books at my local library, at least not if I want to read the English version. I hope you find them.

#8 Señor Peregrino(Tarnished Beauty) by Cecilia Samartin

In this book you meet Jamilet, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, living with her aunt in LA. Jamilet has a huge birthmark covering her back and legs, considered to be a work of the devil by the villagers in the town she left behind. Being a marked person, she was unable to attend school as a child, leaving her with no friends and no future prospects to talk of. On the other hand, Jamilet is remarkably beautiful.

Jamliet can not read or write, and with fake papers she had to take whatever job she could get. This is how she meets the mysterious and grumpy, yet kind, Señor Peregrino. Stuck in a mental hospital he bring her along on a journey from his youth, filled with love, hope, friendship and deception. It was a spiritual pilgrimage that changed his life forever, and will have a deep impact on Jamilet's life too.

What can I say? The story is gripping and the language beautiful, especially where Señor Peregrino is telling the story. Recommended!

This books song is Maria Mena with All This Time . Good artist, good song and good book:)

#76: That one looks very good. Thanks for the recommendation, Apolline!

#76 Sounds good. Going on the TBR list right away.

Started reading De beste blant oss BTW, but got distracted by snot and longing for spring. Will carry on later today.

Nice reivew.....interesting sounding book.

Thanx to all three of you. I guess if you found books like Astrid and Veronika, The Island by Victoria Hislop (never read it, but that's what I've heard) and maybe even The Secret Life of Bees good, I guess you will enjoy this one too:)

Oh, crap, it's snowing again...and the weather forecast shows no hope for spring tomorrow either...Swap anyone?

I definitely won't swap - we just had a bit of sun today (in between snowfall, but still..)

It's still snowing here, no surprise I guess. I think you will know it when the snow decides to disappear;)

#9 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

In this book we meet Alice, a volunteer worker at an archeological dig in France, invited by her friend to join in. Alice was going to France anyway, hence she had inherited the property of an old aunt she had never heard about. By coincidence Alice discovers a cave with to bodies in it, along with a ring and a picture of a Labyrinth drawn on the wall. We also meet Alaïs, a young woman living in Carcasonne in 1209. The society in southern France is changing, due to crusaders ripping up the area in their search for heretics.

I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this book. The description of the plot seems so exciting and promising, and it is to a certain extend, but I have to admit I am a bit disappointed. It could be so much more, because the plot in itself is a creative and good idea, but the implement(?) is rather poor. At first I thought it was because I read the Norwegian translation and maybe the translator had done an extremely poor job. The language was bad, or the translation was BAD. But then I read a few reviews at Amazon, and many seemed to have gotten the same impression as me. I therefore conclude that the language is bad. And many of the descriptions too, the whole book is filled with typical clichés and I guess these two combined sort of ruined it for me. The point of view shifted between too many characters too.

All in all I am disappointed, the story could be so much more! It does have potential, but sadly it did not live up to it.

Though the book did not live up to my expectations, it still get a song. The song is better than the book, this is The Corrs with Lough Erin Shore

#83: Sorry to hear you did not enjoy Labyrinth more. I have it sitting on my end table to read - I think perhaps I will just return it to Catey unread.

I like the Corrs, too. Thanks for that song.

#84 Yeah, I wish every book was a good read, I hate to give bad reviews. After all the author has certainly worked hard on the book, and though she will never know what I thought about it, it sort of still bugs me. With that said, you're not missing out by not reading the book.

Glad you liked the song. The Corrs have a really good way of combining traditional irish folk music with pop. Got to like it:)

#85 - I know it can be harsh to get bad reviews, but don't you think it would be worse if the writer just kept writing really poor books because nobody told him/her about the errors s/he has made? (I know some writers keep making the same mistakes anyway... And I know some people might like the books... but still..)

I'm gonna pass on this book and just wait for the next.

Still snowing? Most of our snow's gone, and we've got pretty, pretty sunshine, but it's bloody cold! It's spring in my mind though.. :)

Guess I'm on the right track now...see post on your own thread;) And you're actually quite right. Who would want to read bad books all the time. If an author can publish a book, he/she should be able to face the critics too, I guess. Reality bites sometimes. They can choose not to read it anyways.

I'm already set to summer in my mind, aaw *dreaming of sun, skirts, flip flops and ice-cream*

But you're gonna miss spring - it's so wondrous!

Just one tiny thing concerning critics and stuff, before I run of to my own thread to see what you're talking about. I despise critics who criticize without respect. It seems that some people just tear books to pieces in reviews, not to tell others (and the author) what is wrong with the work, but merely to gain readers, popularity. It's true as you said earlier that the author has spend a great deal of time and energy on a book (usually), so it's not fair to criticize wildly without respect. That's one of the things I like about this group. There seems to be a sense of respect towards the books and the writers. Nobody criticizes just to criticize.

#88 I'm so glad to hear you say it Tanja, and I totally agree with you. No point in being rude for the sake of being rude, rather unprofessional if you ask me. My brother is a music critic, and the philosophy for his employer is that you should like the music genre you are writing about. For instance, if you're a blood fan of heavy metal, there is no point in you writing about the newest Britney Spears album, and vice versa. The critic would not be fair, due to the critics existing prejudice towards the genre (in this case either pop or heavy metal) or the artist. To get the best qualified critic, someone who already likes the genre and has good knowledge about it, should be the critic, 'cause they are the one who will listen to the album in the end. I guess this can be converted in to books too, at least to a certain extent. I'm not saying that someone who is new to a genre or author could not write a good review, but it is easy to be rude if you don't like it in the first place. If you only like to read about alien-invation, maybe romance isn't your cup of tea?!

Hope I'm not misunderstood, it's just a thought!:)

Oh, about the spring-thing, I love spring too, but I don't think it will show up before maybe may. The weather forecast people also predict a cold summer this year, due to the long and cold winter. Hmph!

#88: That's one of the things I like about this group. There seems to be a sense of respect towards the books and the writers. Nobody criticizes just to criticize.

To me, that is one of the best things about the group. People's opinions are respected even when they disagree. I am glad you feel the same way, Tanja (and you too, Apolline.)

>#89 It seems like a highly sensible theory of reviewing, Apolline. The ones who know the genre well are the ones most likely to have the familiarity and background knowledge to write a review that can be both constructive for the author or artist as well as informative for the consumer.

Spring is sort of like a cultural myth here in New England. Every year we're surprised when the weather goes almost immediately from cold & snowy to hot & steamy. My snowdrops are up, though, so it must be on the way!

I've always dug The Coors also.

#92 Thank you! I think constructive was the exact word I was looking for, or constructive criticism. I'm glad I'm not the only one with this view, it means I'm not that far off:) I love your photo of the snowdrop. Guess what? It's raining here, which means it's starting to get warmer. Maybe the snowdrops will pop up here as well soon.

#93 Thanx, I hope you enjoyed it:)

#91 I totally agree with you Stasia. It is wonderful to be part of a community with so many positive and welcoming people, who share the same interest in literature and books (and tea, cake, coffee, chocolate etc). And I who almost didn't join in on the challenge, it was a bit frightening at first. It seems like everybody knows each other, and some times it can be difficult for newbies to be accepted. That's not the case here at all.

Hmph, sometimes I hate computers...it ate my review. Then it wont be up until tomorrow. Crap.

#89 - That's a great philosophy for critics! I like that. Constructive critisism is the best critisism.

#91 - It seems as though the entire group feels that way, luckily. And I second what Apolline said in #94 - I almost didn't join either. Plus, usually when I join something like this, I lose interest after a while, that hasn't happened here. I think it has to do with the unusually talkative and nice people.

*panic attack*it's snowing again...

Oh no! Are we talking snowstorm or just "look at me I'm still here and you can't do anything about it even though you thought spring was approaching haha"?

I went for a run in the sun today, aaahh :P (Truth be told it was still cold and I only ran 1,5 km - I haven't run in forever, but it was still nice and springish).

I'm having a problem with De beste blant oss. I've reached page 59 and it really doesn't catch me... Already from the first page I was annoyed and it hasn't gotten better. I don't know if I should continue. I really want to finish it though. Maybe I'll just take a break and return to it some other day. It's just weird. I loved Honningtunger, but this one really bugs me. Something about this all-knowing teller and something else I can't really figure out what is.

#98 Definitely a snowstorm last night, but it's been snowing since friday. King winter is not ready to let go yet I guess. And the bad thing is that football season started yesterday, which is great, but it was a bit cold at the stadium. Nevertheless, we won 3-0!!!! :D Oh, what a wonderful result. Our danish goalie became man of the match!

Good on you with the running, 1.5 km is longer than I would be able to, bad legs (from playing too much handball) makes it a bit difficult, but I do try to work out at the gym (I have friends who drag me a long).

I'm sorry De beste blant oss does not live up to your expectations, I hope it grows on you. I would feel bad if I've pushed it on you if you don't like it!

You should never feel bad for recommending a book you like! All books can't be to the liking of all of us, but I will try and read on. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. That happens.

Sorry to hear King Winter has taken you hostage. Brrr, I can't imagine watching a football match in the cold.. no, wait, that's not quite true, I *can* in fact imagine it. Not nice! But I guess if you like football it's a bit different :) Congratulations on victory!

I'm sorry to hear you've damaged your legs. I hope it's not inconveniencing you too much. I've always seen handball as a dangerous sport. It might have to do with the fact that I never managed to understand it when we had to play it in school. I was always more a volleyball/football/badminton gal. And now it's many years ago since I last played anything sporty.

It's always good to have friends to drag you along. I could use that too with my running, but the only person who has asked me to run with her is training for a marathon and I think that's a bit out of my league. I went running again today, same distance, and I couldn't even run the entire way. It was colder than last time, there was more wind and my legs were hurting from the last run. Now I can hardly walk. But it's always nice to have an excuse for being lazy :P

Hang in there, Apolline. I lived in southeast Alaska for three years... Oh, those short days with the ice and snow piled up. Very depressing. But, in July, it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Hurrah for your team winning!

I'm looking for Carroll's The Shakespeare Secret. Thanks for your review.

#101: Ren, be advised that in the States The Shakespeare Secret is known as Interred with their bones.

Thank you again, Stasia, for the heads-up.

No problem!

#101 Thank you for the cheer up:) You lived in Alaska? Cool, would love to go there some time, bet the nature is fantastic! How did you cope on those long winter nights, reading and writing? There are few other places I would want to be when spring turns up and the summer arrives. It is beautiful, and I guess that's why we hang in here in the winter, though it has been longer than usual for these parts. Maybe we'll enjoy summer even more:) Another sign of spring is the start of the football season (due to natural winter causes, we have a summer season even though the rest of Europe plays football during the winter).

I hope you enjoy the book, let me know what you think of it:)

#102 Haha, I wouldn't want to go running with someone almost ready for the marathon either! Gee, that would be a real turn off from exercising! I would feel sooooo, hmmm...how to say it...extremely unfit. I think it would be the opposit from inspiring. But you keep going in your own pace. My legs aren't giving me a bad time anymore (operations helped me with that), but I am not supposed to be running/jogging on hard soil anymore, at least not until they are back in shape. It might take a while, haha;) I love hicking though, looking forward to spring and summer for some outdoor activity! I have to admit that volleyball never did it for me, I'm a rather tiny person, so didn't quite get the hang of it. But it is a good sport to just play for fun with friends.

How is the book btw? Maybe you should try reading something else and if you feel like it, return to it later. But then again, it wouldn't kill you to just chuck it away if you don't like it:) I know everybody can't like every book, but still you sort of want people to like the books you recommend. Maybe just to know your own taste in books isn't that bad;) hahaha!

#106 - I've started reading Depositum by Audur Jónsdóttir now. It seems really good and have to be returned to the library in eight days. That goes for De beste blant oss too, so I guess, I'll return it if I haven't felt compelled to read more in in by then.

You're right, it's always nicest if people like the books you recommend! Getting you taste in books approved by other people is great! But as far as I can tell from reviews etc. a lot of people love the book, there's nothing wrong with your taste :D

Glad to hear your legs aren't giving you a hard time. I love hiking too! It's great to just get out there in the nature. I usually go to Sweden, we don't have much (undisturbed) nature here in DK. But I think I might give DK a try again this year.

I hear lots of people go on biking holidays in Denmark. That's supposed to be good. I prefer walking I think. Much easier to chat or listen to music, and take pictures:) We have many mountains, small and high ones, in the area I live, so don't really have to travel a long way for good hiking.

So, is your next book any good?

Just wanted to say that I am enjoying your reviews--several of the books you have listed look really good, and I have never heard of them before.

#108 - I prefer walking over biking anytime too. I really love walking in the silence and just look at the nature around me and think, think, think. Lucky you, to have great nature nearby. That must be lovely.

Depositum seems pretty good so far. I think I'm longing for some fantasy at the moment though. That happens from time to time.

#109 Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet words. If you decides to read any of them, please let me know what you think. I love to discuss books!

#110 Yes, it is lovely to have beautiful nature close by, but I have to admit it has taken me a few years to appreciate it. Some times you just don't see what's in your own back yard. But I'm getting there:D

Oh, fantasy. I think I'm in some fantasy mood too. I have to look in my bookshelf to see if I can find something! Thanks!

#10 How Not to Write A Novel by Howard Mitelmark and Sandra Newman

This is definitely not a selfhelp book who tells you how to do things better. On the contrary it is a book that tells you how to avoid screw ups. Some times it can be difficult to read perfect examples on good writing, and do the same yourself. In this book you get a check list of "what-for-goodness-sake-NOT-to-do" if you want to get published. If your writing is anywhere near the examples in this book, face the hard facts and realise that you will never get published. Please, spare the poor editor and don't send it in.

This book is full of humour, examples of hopeless writing and a good portion of irony and sarcasm. It fits for writers with a lot of self insight and also for hobby writers who read it to improve their own writing without the aspiration to get published in the first place (my category). In the passed I have read books I didn't like, without being able to put my finger on why. Now I know!;)

Catchy book deserves catchy song with similar theme; Donkeyboy - Ambitions

First 10 of the year:

1. Remarkable creatures by Tracy Chevalier.
2. He's just not that into you by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo
3. According to Jane by Marilyn Brant
4. Everest is Hollow by Indigo Jones
5. The Shakespeare Secret by Jennifer Lee Carrell
6. De beste blant oss by Helene Uri
7. The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice
8. Señor Peregrino(Tarnished Beauty) by Cecilia Samartin
9. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
10. How Not to Write A Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman

Nice start to your reading year, Apolline!

Thank you Stasia!:) Not as good as many others, but the fun part is the journey, right?

That's my new motto: Learn to Love the Process. Not too easy for me...

#115: Definitely!

#116: The longer you stick with this group, the easier it will get, Ren :)

I think How Not to Write a Novel is going on the TBR list, it sounds like a hilarious read.

Hey Apolline, sorry it's taken me so long to drop by. I'm enjoying your reviews and particularly the musical accompaniments, most of which I've never heard of, so you're definitely expanding my world. How Not to Write a Novel sounds both useful and entertaining. I may look for it. I'm still in the just talking about my novel stage. Just today in fact, with a friend over dinner who disagrees with my basic premise because she's still all sunshiny and thinks people would not sit by and let atrocities be committed because we've grown and matured and learned from our mistakes. Not surprisingly, she thinks I'm a wee cynical. How's your writing going?

#116 Ren, that would make a nice life motto too:)

#117 I agree with you on that one Stasia. Though I could not think of one thing that could keep me away from this group. Maybe just the lack of internet access (may that day never come).

#118 I hope you like this one better then Tanja, wouldn't want to dissapoint you again:) I actually first spotted this book in the bookstore at Illum in Cph. Maybe it's still there?

#120: Maybe just the lack of internet access (may that day never come).

I think I would die :)

#119 Hi Chris! Thanks for stopping by:) I have to admit I lerk on your thread much more often than I leave a note. Some times I think about leaving a few words, and then it just slips my mind.

This book is definitely useful for those of us who likes to write, but maybe not on a professional level (at least not yet:D). It has a nice way of making you go through your own writing, checking all the traps you have avoided or unfortunately fallen into. Talking about writing is the irst step right? I actually have not mentioned my writing to anyone I know. Maybe I will soon.

Hahha, and btw, maybe your friend should sudy history, then she would know that people have a long way to go before we learn from our mistakes.

My writing is okey, slow so to speak:)

#121 You and me both then. That would be the end of the world!

#123: That would be the end of the world!

Well we certainly cannot have that!

#110 Tanja, I forgot to mention how astonishing the site of all the bicycles was. I had heard that a lot of people used bikes in Copenhagen, but I had no idea it would be so many of them. I do you find you own bike? It's like bicycle jungle down there;) I thought it was quite nice actually.

#119 Oh, Chris. I do hope you enjoy some of the music:) feel free to enlighten me with some new music too. I'm open for mostly anything (except from trance, dance, acid, house etc, not my cup of tea really).

#124 You're right as always Stasia. It is way to soon to give in yet. May the Internet have many long and happy days ahead.

Ah well. Just finished watching the film adaption of Persuasion again. I think I have to reread the book this year:)

@122: I am mostly a lurker too because I so rarely have anything to say.

@123: I am on the computer a lot these days, but when I am off somewhere rustic, I am very happy to be away from it too.

@125: If anything musical comes to mind, I'll let you know. I don't think I've seen the screen adaptation of Persuasion. I may have to look for it, since it's my second favorite Austen. But I already have a stack of DVDs lying around because I sit down in front of the TV so rarely.

"...bicycle jungle..." Interesting.

#120 - Haha, maybe it is still there, who knows.. But I'll find it even if it isn't :)

#125 - Bicycle jungle..? A lot of people mention that after having visited Copenhagen. I've never thought about that. I guess I'm just used to it. But I love the fact that people bike, even though some of them are pure maniacs! But if I had anything to say about it, I'd ban the cars and let the bike riders have the road.

I don't bike much in central Copenhagen, though. I tend to be a hasard to myself and everybody else. I don't know how many times I've been standing beside a person lying on the ground with the bike between his/her legs saying "Oh.. sorry!" I've even managed to create a couple of multiple bike crashes by stopping abrubtly. Come to think of it, maybe I'm not really a hasard to myself, at least, I'm always the one person remaining standing. But I bike a lot on Amager, though. No accidents here so far. And I think it might be time to try the rest of Copenhagen again sometime soon.

How does one find the bike again? Well, my solution to the problem was painting my bike very, very blue.. all over. It usually sets it apart from the others. But I don't understand how people with black bikes manage.

Hey you got a name, cool! :D Hi Bente! (It confused me a great deal when I noticed it on Stasia's thread, but now I understand.)

Hehe, yes I have a name:) Everbody was starting to get personal in here, so I couldn't be the only one without a name. Didn't think that anyone would notice though, thinking I'm the only person lurking in to other peoples profile and not the other way around:)

I wish I could see the blue bike btw!

#130: Everbody was starting to get personal in here

Who us? Get personal? Never! :o)

I wouldn't have noticed for a while if someone (I forgot who) hadn't mentioned it. It's funny with names, I thought a lot about just writing my middle name (Frigg) because it's usually that one I use on the net - as Frk. Frigg, but then I thought I wanted to have "all me" in this thing here, so I ended up writing my first name instead.

Perhaps I could take a picture of it, the bike, I mean. It really needs a new coat of paint, I'm just still pondering whether it should have a new colour, several colours, stickers or something else. I'll try and remember to take a picture.

> 130: Bente
thinking I'm the only person lurking in to other peoples profile
You are defenitely not the only one ;-)

> 132: Tanja
We are a nation of bikers too. When I lived in Rotterdam the fastest way to get somewhere was almost always by bike. Since we moved to Lelystad I haven't used my bike so much.
My husband has a fancy bike with electro motor, just a little help when the weather is windy.
I will look forward to the picture of your bike :-)

Anita

#133: Love that bike! I want one like that :)

That's the one thing about living in rural northern California that is frustrating, the layout is not conducive to pedestrians or bikes, just cars. No one expects you to walk or peddle anywhere, except for recreation.

#129 & 131 Thank you Tanja and Stasia, your comments really made me smile. Just what I needed yesterday! That's the good thing about LT and the 75ers, you all make me smile and laugh so often with your witty and fun comments.

#132 I know what you mean about the name thing. On Facebook you're so exposed to everyone, that I though this time I wanted to be a little more anonymous (at first that is). Then again LT is not quite the same, and everybody is so nice. It was actually a bit boring to hide behind a nick name.

#133 Thank you Anita!. Good to know I'm not the only lurker in here;) Love the bike.

#135 I guess we are a walking/hikinh/biking kind of people. At work (not just mine, but at many work places) they have campaigns about using your bike to work, instead of the car. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Now that the snow is gone (FINALLY) I will fix my bike and and start using it to work (that's the plan anyways:)). Unfortunately we do not have a bicycle jungle like Copenhagen, but then again, it is not as flat here;) I would love to see your fixed up bike Tanja...I can see you painting it like a rainbow, but with pink in it too. And lots of stickers!! We need before and after pictures...:)

#136: That's the good thing about LT and the 75ers, you all make me smile and laugh so often with your witty and fun comments.

Well, if nothing else, we are good for comic relief!

I hope your day is better today.

I'm a walker, and have lived in quite a few places where you could walk a reasonable distance to get to work and most anything you needed, which was really cool. But many communities in northern California (almost Oregon) are not only low in population, but spread out with few sidewalks or bike lanes. It's great country, here in the viewshed of Mt. Shasta, though, so I'm not really complaining. :)

My dad's painting my canoe. Is that as spiffy as painting a bike?

#136 - Always glad to make you smike, Bente. Especially when you need it. And I second Stasia in hoping today is a better day.

And no, you're definitely not the only lurker! Don't we all lurk from time to time? Besides, what's the point of having profiles if people don't lurk? :)

#133 - Oh, that is one cool bike! And the motor thingy must be great. I sure could have used one today in the wind.

#135, 138 - I can't imagine living in a place not fitted for pedestrians/bikes. That's just unfair!

Spiffy? Hmm, I think I need a bit of help here.. my dictionary says:
"adjective - informal - smart in appearence : a spiffy new outfit."
But I'm not sure I fully understand. Please enlighten me. I hate when I come across an expression I don't understand!

And regarding the bike, pictures will come. I think I'll paint it tomorrow (and take both before and after pictures).

Spiffy in Californianese = Cool, neat, slick, also a sharp look in apparel.

Hi Bente,

I haven't lurked on your thread in awhile. Lots to catch up on here. I'm glad you have a name now. :~ Yes, people are very nice here on LT. I used to play online Scrabble, but got so tired of the trash talk that I gave it up. I miss Scrabble but not the rude people. Well, not all of them were rude, but the mean ones were really, really hateful. None of that stuff here!

I found several of Eva Rice's books in the library - they had The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets but I borrowed another one with a music business setting.

#137 & 139: Thank you both for your kind words! I'm doing fine, I just got a major shock finding out that a former colleague (and friend) of mine had gotten severe lung cancer which had spread to her liver and brain. She has started treatment, but it doesn't look good. Information like this always hits you like a hard punch in the face, one can never be prepared for it. Luckily I had a large archive to hide in the rest of the day. Hopefully she will be ok.

#138: I'm pretty sure that a canoe works just as good as a bike. Which colour is it?

#141: Hi Donna! You are more than welcome to lurk:) I lurk on your thread all the time. Love hearing about your grandchildren and your trip to Disney World, wish I could go there some time. Congrats with the grandchild to come too! I guess my mother really wants to become a grandmother too. I'm 27 with no children, and my brother will soon turn 30 with no children. I'm counting on my brother to start producing first;) I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience with the scrabble people. I've never seen the reason to be rude for the sake of being rude. That's why I love this place so much, no one is rude. It's just a bunch of people who like to discuss their favourite hobby and the funny thing called life. I learn a lot in here. Both tolerance and new cultures (in a way one can not learn by reading travel magazines)!

#142: Which book did you get? I hope you like it, but please tell me what you think either way. If it is good I have to read it!

I am sorry to hear about your friend. I hope her treatment is successful. You are right - no one is every prepared for something like that.

#143 - I'm so sorry to hear about you friend, Bente. It is impossible to prepare for something like that. All my best wishes for her.

#140 - Thanks, that helped.

#144 & 145: Thank you both!

Luckily the weekend is up. 15 minutes left of my work day:D

I hope you get lots of reading done over the weekend, Bente.

@143: I am glad you're enjoying LT so much. Rest assured that there are some very rude people and some real flame wars on some threads, but none I've seen yet in this particular group. I hope your friend receives some good news--a great many people are living many high quality years after even Stage IV diagnosis.

#147: I have planned to finish Brat Farrar this weekend, I read it for the group read. I'm a bit late though, I had to order it from amazon (since my local bookstore is not really good), and believe it or not (it's not a made up excuse), the bad weather actually closed down my whole county from the rest of the country. The airports were closed, and the mountain passes too (because of snowslides), leaving the mail being a little late. I received it the day the discussions began...:) But I will read it anyway, maybe someone will discuss it later too! I have to admit I'm struggling with Anna Karenina, I've grown a little dislike of it. Maybe it's the plot I don't like, or maybe the lack of characters I can relate to. I don't know.

#148 I have to admit I've spotted a few rude people in the writers-readers group, I guess there will always be "besserwissers" thinking they own the place. I tend to avoid them, and most certainly will not start a discussion with any of them. I have better things to spend my time on, for example you guys in the 75'ers.

I'm glad to hear one can live long and good with this type of cancer. I don't know much about it, I've been lucky with healthy family and friends for a long time. Fingers crossed it will stay that way in the future too.

Right about the tone of some of hte folks in the writer/readers group. Not as gracious. I still am enjoying the group over there anyway.

I'm enjoying it too. Or at least reading the updates. It is a bit more initmidating (for me)to post something in there than in this group. Don't know why. But I like the challenge thread, and will post there. My writing is kind of slow, but hopefully soon. How are you doing with your writing?

Trying to get 1000 to 1500 words on two nights a week. So, a little slow, but consistent. I usually meet the goal, so that's good.

@149: You pegged exactly the group I was thinking of. Even the folks discussing fairly sensitive topics in a couple of the history forums don't generate quite the same vitriol. I am at least capable of laughing now at the sheer predictability of some of the trolls.

@152: Congratulations on the steady progress, BDB. I'm afraid I have nothing to report on my own writing, besides talking about some of the concepts with friends, so I haven't added much to the challenge thread.

@152: That sounds like a very good plan, to at least concentrate about writing two nights a week. Do you "work" on specific days? Or just when you happen to be free one night?

@153: Good I'm not the only one feeling that way. I do try my best to not to seem like a know-it-all, and if I do it's not who I am, if you understand. Many of the people (or renamed trolls from now on:D) in that group and a few history threads do have a lot of know-it-alls. I find it difficult to discuss with them, and therefore keep quiet.

Tuesday and Thursday nights.

It's nice to have a working plan, right? Do you always get anything done, or do you have times where you're just staring in the blank air?

Last night was the first night I didn't get anything in, but I didn't really try because I had been traveling all day and was kinda worn out. But, because I only write a couple of days a week, I am ready with stuff that's been swirling around my head on the days I am not writing. so, I've never had a dry night. If I have trouble getting primed, I just start by jotting down outline ideas and phrases until the sentences and paragraphs start forming. I think if I was writing every day for several hours, I'd have a more difficult time getting that much down at every sitting. The time away from the keyboard actually helps me work things out in my head before I get there.

I've enjoyed this interview with one of my favorite reader/writers, blackdogbooks. Seriously, bdb, I look forward to reading your reviews here on LT, and if that's the only thing that gets written, you're still a successful writer.

Bente, I know I raved about John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, but now I've got to tell you about The Moon is Down. I think this one will be of particular interest to you. It deviates from Steinbeck's normal topics of downtrodden Americans and moves overseas during WWII. He doesn't name the setting, but it has to be Norway! It's a novella that portrays a town under siege and tells how the people refuse to be conquered. I am so proud of my Norwegian heritage. The most interesting thing about it is how it shows the humanity on both sides. Have you heard of this one?

#157: I think I will try your way, or a similar way, to see if I can get more writing done. I guess I just have to decide which day to go for.

#158: Thank you Donna, I will definitely try out The Moon is Down. The fun thing is that a colleague of mine mentioned Steinbeck as an author I should check out last week. Such a coincidence:) And we Norwegians likes to be mentioned in books and films and tv-shows, I guess we have a fear of being unknown (sort of), at least since people out in the world for a long time thought Norway was the capital of Sweden (never say that to a Norwegian, you Lt'ers are hereby warned). Oh, just to mention it, we do not have polar bears walking around in the streets, in fact we do not have polar bears at the mainland of Norway at all. And there's no snow in the summer time....hehe, sorry, I was on a roll here. A couple of years ago the local newspaper interviewed some tourists staying here, and they were rather disappointed by the weather, it being warm and sunny and they were hoping for snow...

#11 Med støv på hjernen (With dust on the brain) by Eva Ramm

This book was published the first time in 1958 under the parole "Do you dare read about yourself? Can you not read about your neighbour?"

In this book we meet Mrs. Svendsen, a devoted and unselfish housewife and mother, always putting her husband and two sons first. Then the apartment, laundry, the dishes and maybe, if there is time, herself. And all this just to impress her neighbours. I guess most of you are familiar with the expression "keeping up with the Jones", which is the key ingredient in Mrs Svendsens existence.

We also meet Edna, Mrs Svendsens best friend, a radical woman who do not clean her apartment every day, she goes skiing with the children instead of washing the windows on fridays, and Mrs. Svendsen can even spot dust in the living room. But, there is also a snake in paradise, taking the form as Mrs. Helgesen, the new and good looking neighbour, who wears make up and high heels. She also feels rather sweet about poor Mr. Svendsen. A drama in the making.

This book is filled with satire, caricatures, humour and wit. Everything from the characters to the surroundings is almost cut out from the fifties and pasted in between two hardback covers. But then again, it is contemporary satire from the fifties, about the fifties. It was extremely popular back then, and the fun part is that it still works. Though it was looked upon as something new and refreshing, something many was thinking, but did not dare say out loud. Almost scandalous.

Today, this book is almost like a fairy tale, at least to me. Maybe I am demanding too much of my future husband (if I find someone), but I am not alone. All of my friends, and me included, expect our men to help cleaning the house, doing laundry, dishes and vacuming. I even expect my man to help me with the kids at night, he has to help changing the diapers and cook dinner. I expect us to share equally the work around the house, since (most likely) both of us will have full-time jobs. Time, on the other hand, will show:)

I really enjoyed this book, it told me of a time lost, but nonetheless, a very interesting time period indeed.

I almost forgot the song:) Marit Larsen with Don't save me

#12 Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey

I read this book as a part of the group read last month. Since this can be described as a cozy mystery, I will not reveal much of the plot. Quite a few people read it last month too, so I guess there will be many reviews already.

What I can say, is that I enjoyed reading this book. It also fitted my plan on reading crime in Easter.

I thought it was a little bit difficult to find a song to this book, so if any of you have a better suggestion, please feel free to shout it out:) I chose Lenka with Trouble is a friend since a lot of people seem to get themselves in to trouble in this book.

> 160: Bente
demanding too much of my future husband
Well, demanding is probably not the best way ;-)
But you have to stand your grounds.

In our marriage it started that we did the things in the house that the other half hated most and the things we liked. Over the years it has worked well for us. Roughly we both do about half of the work.
My husband does everything in the kitchen, he likes food (I tend to forget to eat when he is not around and I am a terrible cook) so he cooks, he does the dishes because I really hate that and he does the shopping.
I keep the house clean: dusting, vacuming etc. and take care of plants and pets.
When one of us is ill we do eachothers duties as far as needed.

#13 The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie

The main character in this book is Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. This novel is on the other hand not quite as her other books about Poirot. The reason is simple, it is divided in to 12 short stories, where Poirot tries to recreate the 12 labours of Hercules.

This is not my favourite Poirot mystery, because in my opinion the solution in some of the stories were too simple. Nonetheless, I love Agatha Christie, and I still enjoyed her book in the high season of crime/mystery here in Norway.

I had difficulties finding a good song for this book, so I chose a simple one. What's a Poirot mystery without the theme song?

@162: Well, maybe I will get a reality check when that time comes;) But sharing chores in likes and dislikes seems like a good plan. I guess one should go with what works best for each couple, I'm just saying I will definitely not do it all. I would have been a lousy housewife in the 50's.

> 164
I would have been a lousy housewife in the 50's.
Yes, I would have been too!
I have always been clear I would not do it all.
In any relationship it is give some and take some.

#165: I'm glad I am not alone on that one:)

The best advice I ever heard on marriage: "Any one who tells you married life is 50/50 is lying. It is 100%/100% or it will not work." That is so very true - if you are not both working at it, the marriage will not work.

#167: I believe you Stasia:) Who would want to be with anyone who is only half as comitted as yourself?

I have been extremely lucky in my marriage - he puts up with a whole lot more from me than I do from him! Our 22nd anniversary is coming up in June.

But it doesn't necessarily mean you're not comitted:) Besides, maybe he feels the same way. I hope I get to experience the same thing one day!

Oh no, I am definitely committed!

#160 - I absolutely agree with you, Bente, on sharing the chores. I just noticed a thing that I find kind of funny. You say you expect your future husband to help you with the kids and the chores. That makes it sound like it still is supposed to be a woman's job. I don't see it like that. In my opinion it's a mutual responsibility. Particularly if both parts work fulltime.

I don't think my boyfriend and I have ever considered who does what, we just sort of do the things that has to be done, however it fits into our plans. We both cook and shop, we always wash the dishes together after dinner, whoever happens to be home and think of it washes the clothes when needed and same with the cleaning. It's just never been an issue, and I hope it never will be.

Oh yes, nice reading you've got going on :) I'm gonna put Med støv på hjernen on my TBR list.

#172: Hi Tanja. Maybe I wrote it a bit wrong, I was just so caught up in the book and comparing it (in my mind) with my own expectations and wishes. Back then women like us often didn't have a choice, very few had higher education, and in many ways they were expected to stay at home and take care of their husband and children. Times change, thankfully. As you said, today it is a mutual responsibility.

I'm not sure if the book is translated in to Danish, but if it is, you're in for a laugh.

#14 Coraline by Neil Gaiman

In this book you meet the young girl Coraline, not Caroline, as her elderly neighbours seems to call her. This annoys Coraline just as much as when her father cooks a recipe. Coraline is an only child, and both her parents works from the house, though this does not mean she gets heaps of attention. She is bored, and the end of summer vacation is still a few days away. That's when she discovers the door in the living room. A door that lead straight into a solid brick wall. But at night the wall disappears and behind it Coraline can see a true copy of her own apartment, only it is not.

This book is creepy, strange, inventive, nightmarish and thoughtprovoking. Well known quotes like "There is no place like home" and "the grass is not always greener" describes this book very good. Though it is meant as a childrens book (i think), adults can still learn a lot from the meaning, since loneliness, search for attention, exploration, friendship and love for what you got are key words.

I really liked the book, as simple as that:)

This books song: Coldplay with Fix you

#174: I have had that one in the BlackHole for a while now. I am bumping it up!

#175: Stasia, just out of curiosity, when you bumping a book up in the BlackHole, how many solar systems and light years away are they from being read? I know you read a lot faster than most of us, but how do you keep track on the bumping?

#173 - I didn't really think you meant it like that, I just felt slightly provoked (or whatever you might call when a tiny feminist suddenly awakes in you). I'm so glad that it's changed. Not that I want to work a lot (and I'll always prioritate my family above my job), but I like to have a choice :)

By the way, I don't mind reading Norwegian. It's a lot easier than Swedish :) So I think I'll manage even if it isn't translated.

Think I'll add Coraline too. I've never read any Gaiman before, but have wanted to for some time. And nice song you picked for it! And nice reviews too.. :)

ETA: I already had Coraline on my TBR list, I'd just forgotten it.

#176: Bente, I put Coraline on hold at my local library when I saw your review and it reminded me I needed to read the book still. I will pick the book up this week and some time in the next 2 months it will get read :)

#178: Good, good:) I've seen you bump a book up from the BlackHole before, so I was just a little curious of how you keep track of them all. I guess you're probably a bit more organized than I am. I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it:)

#177: Tanja, I have to admit I am not much of a feminist, but I do have the wit to actually appreciate does who made my future prospects possible for me. If no one oppose the existent norms of a time period, there will hardly be any change. Thankfully, now I have a choice, whether it is to work, or stay at home when that times come:)

I hope you enjoy Coraline too, it is a quick read, but I really did enjoy it. And to be honest, I think I've forgotten about 90% of my tbr pile. I have a lot of books stashed up at home, and the rest is written down on a list. Maybe I've written some of the books several times on the same list since it is so long. Hmm, I think I need to check it out.

#179: As I have 93 library books home right now, I have to be organized!

#180: Wow, I'm impressed, though not surprised anymore;)

#179 - I had to organize my TBR list a couple of days ago, because it annoyed me that I could never find anything or quickly check if I had a certain book or author on it already. Now it's alphabetised and very nice.

I'm not really a feminist either. I wish I was, but I really don't think it would be quite fair to the feminists to call me that :P But sometimes something feministic inside me awakes for a brief period when provoked :)

#182: I started off with an alphabetised list, but then I joined this group and everything just came out of control. Now a large portion of my list is the messages I mark as favourites. Maybe I should integrate them into to my original list, ah well, maybe...but I definitely should.

Hehe, I hope I don't provoke you again in the nearest future, at least not when our views are fairly similar;) So...any Icelandic volcano ash activity with you atm?

#15 A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg is the oldest of four siblings, sharing her home with three younger brothers and her mother. Meg's father is missing, and the word on the street is that he left his wife and kids. Meg on the other hand, does not share the gossiping villagers opinion, and neither does her mother. Both her mother and father are scientists, and her father was working for the government on a secret project when he disappeared.

Meg, her youngest brother Charles Wallace, and the newfound friend Calvin, suddenly get dragged into a fantastic adventure through time and space, trying to find their long lost father. It all starts with a wrinkle in time...

This book is a lovely story about growing up, finding true friends, family, to stand for what you believe in and courage. It is a quick read, and highly recommended.

Did not find the song I was looking for on youtube, but this is a good nr. 2. It is one of my favourite songs (though I have many), I hope you enjoy it:) Gary Jules - Mad World

#184: A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorites since childhood. Have you read When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead? You might give it a try since you enjoyed Wrinkle so much, Bente.

#183 - There's nothing wrong with a little provocation from time to time, I'm sure it's very healthy :)

I haven't noticed any ash around here, but I'm fairly glad I'm not stuck in Rome or somewhere else trying to catch a plane home.

I've previously skipped putting A Wrinkle in Time on my list, but it might just make there anyway. You make it sound really good. And love the song!

#185: I actually read about When you reach me at one of the other threads (can't remember which one, maybe yours?), so I added it to my tbr pile:) Thanks for the tip. Will probably get it in my next internet shopping spree.

#186: Glad I could help;) And I'm glad you liked the song too! You definitely not skip the wrinkle, Tanja, but then again I wouldn't want to recommend a book you end up not liking. Aaw, what a dilemma!

#16 På vegne av venner (On behalf of friends) by Kristopher Schau

This is an essay written by a well known comedian(not stand up, but more tv productions) here in Norway. To fully understand the impact of the essay, one should know a few facts about the author, who (I have to admit), is not the first person I would think of to start a project like this. As I mentioned he is a comedian, at times a bit grotesque form of humour and he is the lead singer in the heavy metal band The Cumshots (not my kind of music). But then again, maybe he is just the type of person who would start this person, creativity is as diverse as everything else in life.

In the end of 2008 Schau was unemployed and needed a project to work on. Since he was home everyday, he passed some of the time by reading the newspaper, and that's where he found his project. The notes about people passing, and the standard phrase "On behalf of friends" for those without family and friends to arrange their funeral. Then the state has to take over. Schau wanted to know some more about these people, who seemingly had no one in their lives as they reached the end. So he decided to attend every funeral in Oslo which was paid by the state in 2009. He lasted to the end of April.

This book really touched me. Maybe because he was the one who wrote such a beautiful story, or maybe because so many people have no one in their lives. Where is the dignity? Where did their life go wrong, leaving them alone? What if this happens to me? Luckily not all of these people weren't alone, they just did not have any family. This book is thoughtprovoking and enlightening, I would even call it important. It is a beautiful text about loneliness and death and I wish more of you could have the pleasure of reading it. Unfortunately I don not think it will be translated.

The book also lead to a discussion in the media and to one of the best articles I have read this year, so if you can read Norwegian and have the time, here it is.

Oasis -I'm Outta Time
This is probably my favourite Oasis song (a lot of favourites these days:), it is beautiful.

I cannot read Norwegian, so have to pass on the article :(

I hope you enjoy When You Reach Me once you get a chance to read it.

Hehe, I didn't expect many to understand the article. I hope I will like the book too. Looking forward to it!

I'm quite sullen today actually...it's snowing again!

#190: It is raining here and chilly. It rained here yesterday too. I am with you in being quite sullen, Bente.

#191: I hope your mood is better today Stacia, and it being sunny over there. It's not snowing anymore, so the sullen mood is nowhere to be seen around here:D Though the warm weather of spring and summer is still months away I suspect.

It is raining in sunny Cal, too. :(

#188 Your book #16 På vegne av venner (On behalf of friends) by Kristopher Schau sounds so interesting.

#193: It is interesting, shame it wont be translated. I guess the rain has stopped in California by now?:)

Not in my part of California. It rained cats and dogs yesterday with snow in the foothills. More rain and maybe thunderstorms today. Grrr. So, I'm quilting and reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix instead of gardening.

Quilting and reading H.P. vs. bending over and getting hands dirty....hmmmm! Tough choice.

#195: Hmm, are you quilting and reading at the same time? If so, how do you do it? If I'm reading I can't seem to be able to do something else at the same time. Though I love the book choice:)

#196: I'm with you on that;) But my needle work is nothing to brag about, rather lousy at it, so I'm sticking with the book.

Here it is still dry and sunny, unusual for this time of year... We only had rain (and hail) in the first week of April. So there is no choice, I have to water the garden to keep the plants happy.
But on the other hand, I like gardening as much as reading ;-)

#198: Lucky you Anita:) It would be wonderful to have real spring soon. Maybe you're not surprised anymore when I tell you it's snowing again. I'm looking out on white roofs and fields as we speak. It wont last of course, but still... it is May 3rd for goodness sake!!!!

Well, I think maybe this might turn out to be the "let's talk about the weather" thread! I want to defrost and wear skirts and sandals. And eat ice-cream outdoors!

> 199: Bente... the Dutch weather continued :-)

The weather has turned, the garden got some rain and some more rain and then some more...
It is back to cold windy weather, more usual for spring here!
For tonight they even said it could freeze here and there. It will probably be HERE and not THERE, so I have to get my potted Dahlias inside, to be sure they survive...

I've got spring.. and a cold sneaking in on me, but still, spring.. ah, it's lovely (and now I probably jinxed it with my gloating) :P

Hope your weather soon remember how spring is supposed to be.

Sorry about that Anita, I hope you get sun again soon:) And lucky you Tanja, I hope the good weather keeps up for you. But isn't it a bit annoying with lovely weather when you have exams to study for? I always thought so. When are they over btw?

Sorry for the sullen mood, the sun is shining again, though I'm not sure for how long. In the future I will try not to make this in to the weather channel;D

Will try to update my reading soon, but not tonight since it is football night. We're playing against the neighbour town (it's more like a village really, half the size as us), so fingers and toes are crossed for my team. I couldn't bare it if we loose. It is a good day for riding your orange and blue bike today Tanja, for solidarity purpose of course;)

I'm sorry, but there will be no bike riding today. Have managed to catch a cold (that's what you get for gloating, I guess).

The paper I'm writing right now (the big one) is due May 27, then I have to write a smaller paper that's due June 4. And then some time during June I have two exams (one per paper), and then - finally - I'll be free as a bird for a couple of months. Well, except for the fact that I'm going to be a tutor for the new ones starting in September, which means we'll be working on that throughout the summer, but I will nonetheless be much more free than I am at the moment.

Oh, and the weather isn't so very lovely anymore. Sort of grey and kind of cold (or maybe that's just me being sick?) so that's definitely not what's keeping me from my paper.

Good luck to your team! I'm sure my bike is cheering for them without me :)

Thanx Tanja, but ended up more sullen than ever. I'm so mad I have no words...well, off to bed. Fingers crossed for your papers:) The summer holiday will be here before you know it!

Finally the sun is shining and a hint of summer has arrived to us. It has been a lovely day, and luckily it is a holiday over here too. It is Ascension Day (?), and therefore everything is closed (official holiday over here). I'm taking the day off tomorrow as well, and Monday is the Norwegian national day, so not going back to work until Tuesday. Lots of time for hiking in the mountains and for reading! Hope you all have a nice week too:)

I will try to update my recent reading now, I've been kind of slow on my updates lately.

#17 The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale

The 30th of June 1860, 3 year old Saville Kent was abducted from his bed and killed in the most barbaric way. Killing a child is a gruesome action, and even worse when it turns out it has to be a member of the family or the household who did it. This book has every aspect of being a classic murder mystery tale, but this is actually the real thing, a true story. Little Saville did get murdered in 1860 and a great investigation took place to catch the killer. This book tries to give a correct version of what happened in 1860, and the years following, and the result is very good. We can only speculate in "what really happened", as we may never know the real truth, but the author has done good research and that makes this a good read. If murder could ever be really amusing.

This malicious act against little Saville hurt the whole Kent family, and their staff. Not a single person escaped suspicion and they all had to live with not knowing for a long time. If the murder ruined the Kent family, it also damaged the lives of persons who worked on the case. As the book title says, the main investigator was Mr. Whicher, and we learn just as much about him as the Kent family. I will not write too much about the plot, since it is a mystery.

But it is not just a mystery. One can actually learn much about the development of the modern police force in England, working conditions at the time, medias already interest in spectacular happenings etc. This particular murder, and the investigation that followed, was also the inspiration for many classic mysteries, like The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

Conclusion: Interesting and good book. If you're in to 19th century mysteries, this book is a definite must-read.

It was difficult to find a song that suited this book, but I ended on the song Hurt by Johnny Cash since a lot of people were inflicted and hurt by this tragedy.

#18 Vaffelhjarte (Waffleheart) by Maria Parr

In this book we meet 9 year old Theobald Rodrik Danielsen Yttergård, normally just referred to as Trille. He lives in a tiny village with his parents and three brothers and sisters, and his grandfather. Trille's best friend lives next door, she is also 9 and her name is Lena. Trille knows Lena is his best friend, but he is not so sure that he is Lena's best friend. He wishes she would tell him that some time, so he can be certain. We follow Trille and Lena through a whole year with games, school and friendship until disaster breaks. Will life ever be the same?

This book is classified as children's literature, but can certainly be read by adults too. The author Maria Parr has published two books, including this, and is already being compared with Astrid Lindgren. I can fully understand why! This book provoked a range of different emotions, from nodding recognizably to memories from my own childhood, to ridiculously loud laughter, to tears and even sobbing. This book is good, no it is not just good, it is fantastic. Definitely one of the memorable read this year. I can not wait to get children of my own so they can read it!

This books song: Everything I do, I do it for you by Bryan Adams simply because even if the way children love might not be romantic, it is still sincere, unconditional and without boundaries.

#19 On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

In this book we meet the young couple, Florence and Edward, newly weds and about to spend their wedding night together. Both of them have different fears, thought and expectations to the upcoming night, but the lack of communication might be the biggest problem. It takes place in 1962, a time where sex was seldom talked about, definitely not with your parents. Everything Florence knew about it she had read in a modern, forward-looking handbook, that was supposed to be helpful to young brides. The main story can almost be looked upon as an extremely long sex-scene, but most of the time we drift back and forward through Florence and Edward's memories on how they ended up married and now about to spend their first night together.

This book is a love story, yet different from others I have read before. It is even a coming of age book, since they are both young and have recently reached adulthood. The book is good, a quick read, but yet there was something I can't put my fingers on. It was a lot of telling, and not as much showing. Conversation was scarce and short, but maybe that was intentional from the author, since most of the book is about internal struggle and growth.

I did not like the ending as much as I wanted to, almost like the author was in a hurry to finish the book. I wish I could say more about the ending, since it sort of bugs me, but I do not want to ruin the book for anyone, so I will let it be.

The book is tender, well written and in a way good.

This book's song: Just Hold Me by Maria Mena a song taht is just as tender and sore as the book.

Some nice recent reads for you, Bente!

Great review of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House. I'm a great fan and consumer of true crime stories and I've never heard of that one. I'm on the lookout for it now. If you'd posted that review on the books page, I would've thumbed it.

#210 Thanx Mac. Maybe I'll do that if I can figure out how:)

Just copy it out of the post above and paste it into the review space on the book's page.

Wow, I must be the most incapable person on LT. I can't figure out how to post the review. Shouldn't there be a "post a new review" button somewhere?

Well, that was before drinking wine with friends....wine didn't help much either. Still can't figure it out...:(

#213: Bente, put the wine down for a minute. On the book's page, hit 'edit.' You should see a section into which you can paste your review from above. Then just save your edit.

OK, you may now pick up the wine again :)

Thanks both of you, but there something strange with the books page. I checked out a few other books, and saw how one could post a review there, but it is not the same on this page. There is no place to paste the review, or at least not for me anyways. But at least now I know how to do it...I think;)

That is very strange. I wonder what the problem is.

Is the book actually in your library? If it's not in your LT library, you won't be able to post a review. Maybe that's it?

Haha, mystery solved! You nailed it Faith:) Silly me had forgotten to add the book to my library. Thanks for all the tips though, I probably never would have thought of it on my own!

Whew! I'm glad someone came to the rescue on that one. I love reading a book and then reading in the review section what others have to say about it. I already have the Mr. Whicher book on my wishlist thanks to our previous discussion about it, Bente.

Thumbed as promised. Glad you could figure it out. Probably needed more wine, not less.

#219 I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it Donna. I would feel bad if I recommend a book you think is crap. Btw did you know we celebrate our national day here in Norway tomorrow? Lots of parades, ice-cream, flags, national costumes and hopefully it will be sunny. Doesn't look good on the last one though:)

#220 Thanx Mac:D I appreciate it! And you're quite right, sometimes one could need more wine, just not too much;)

Have a lovely Sunday everybody!

By the way, nice pick on the song to go with the book. I am a big Cash fan. Just got the album of the last recordings he did.

Happy Norway Day! My grandfather, Emil Olsen, was born in Bergen, Norway. I'd love to visit someday.

#222: I'm glad you liked it Mac. Cash has many good songs, I know Hurt is a cover version from a Nine Inch Nail song, but still I like his version better:)

#223: Thank you Donna, and happy Norway Day right back at you:) Bergen is a very nice city, I've been there only once though. Have you ever been there?

I'm feeling a little patriotic today, so if you're not interested, please look away:D A few links about Norway, Ålesund and our celebration of the 17th. of May:)

Here's The National Anthem of Norway

This is Norway

A panorama view of my home town Ålesund and the areas around it.

A few pictures from todays celebration in Ålesund , the rest of the country and around the world

We had a lovely day, even though the sun didn't shine. I hope you all have a wonderful day too!:)

Thank you, Bente, for posting those pictures. Parades, races, and awesome scenery. You live in a beautiful city surrounded by water and mountains. Lucky you!

The closest I've been to Norway is Denmark. One of these days I hope to visit. I read in today's Writer's Almanac about Norway Day and how this is the final day of a several week period for graduates. That sounds like a fun custom!

#225: I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day, Bente!

Wow, thanks for all the Norway Day links!

#228: You're welcome! I hope you enjoyed them:)

#227: Thank you, Stasia! I had a blast:D I didn't get much reading done though..

#226: Thanks Donna. I hope you get to go some time, and if you do, May is a great month to visit the country (all of the summer is really a good time). I guess what you read about was the Russ. they graduate from high school this year and have a celebration from the 1st of May until the 17th. You just do lots of crazy stuff with all of the Russ in the area. They have different competitions between the local high schools too. It is great fun, good parties and May wouldn't be the same without them. Next week they start their final exams;) Haha, poor things! Wow, it actually 9 years since my russetid, I'm so glad it's not me now, very exhausting. You can actually see them on some of the pictures, they wear red pants.

>218 Apolline:: You're welcome! I know I've gone to put in review before and realized I never entered the book in the first place, so... familiar territory :)

I've never been to Norway... that panoramic view of your home town is spectacular though!

#230: It is a good thing we can learn from each other:) I hope you make it to Norway one day. It is quite lovely here, but then again I guess most places are! I love to travel, but I love to be home too.

If you don't mind me asking, where in Canada are you from? My step mother is a Canadian citizen (originally from Germany), but she became Canadian a few years ago, just before she met my father and moved to Norway. I didn't get a chance to visit her there, but maybe in the future. She lived in Halifax:)

For me, the best part of travelling is the going home! Amazing how even a day away makes me long for being home.

#232: i can truly relate to that Stasia. I guess Dorothy got it right in The Wizard of Oz;)

#20 Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

In this book we meet the author Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor. They are on a journey together, both in the physical world and the spiritual one. Ann has just finished college, been dumped by her boyfriend and been rejected to her chosen grad school. Her self-confidence has reach the freezing point, and the uncertain feeling of not knowing what to do with her life leads her straight into depression. Her mother, Sue, takes on a trip Ann to Greece, not knowing how to help her daughter out of her depressing state. Sue is struggling with her own problems, like not being able to let her grown children go, she is also confronted with her fear of growing old.

This is a mother-daughter story, of Sue and Ann, Demeter and Persephone. This is the story of personal belief and personal growth, of the virgin Mary, Athene and Jeanne d'Arc. It is the story of finding yourself, who you want to be and what you want to do. We also get the back story to Sue Monk Kidd's book The Secret Life of Bees.

The book was gentle, easy and fulfilling. I could certainly relate to both mother and daughter, though I might have more in common with the daughter (this being an age issue). The problems they talk about are so universal, probably felt by many women all over the world, every day. Who am I, what is the meaning of my life, what am I supposed to do, am I good enough. It is not a book filled with action, but thought provoking to the extend you might start asking yourself the same questions. I liked it.

This books song is Leaving on a Jetplane by Chantal Kreviazuk since the book is about an unknown journey.

#234: I have that one in the BlackHole already, but am curious as to what you thought of it, Bente.

List of the first 10 books read this year in #113

This is nr 11-20:

11. Med støv på hjernen by Eva Ramm
12. Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
13. The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie
14. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
15. A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle
16. På vegne av venner by Kristopher Schau
17. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
18. Vaffelhjarte by Maria Parr
19. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
20. Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

#235: I will write about it a little later. I'm off to pick up my grandmother for dinner:)

Have a great time with your grandmother!

Thank you Stasia, we did have a good time. My grandmother has vascular dementia, a light version caused by a stroke a few years back. She still remembers mostly everything, but her short time memory often plays her a trick. This means she forgets what she was talking about 5 minutes ago, and often repeats herself many times. Today we were talking about the old days, when she was young and how she met my grandfather. She got the cutest smile on her face and glittering eyes. I loved every minute of it!

Ps. I finished the short review:)

I do not know if it fits writing this little story here, but I will do it anyway. Last night I was out with some of my friends, having a good time. As the night ended, two of my friends and I, cued up in the taxi line to get ourselves home and to bed. The guy standing behind us asked where we were going, and asked if he could join us in our taxi, since we were going the same way. We did not mind of course, so as we waited we started talking to this guy. Shortly after I recognized him as an author of children/YA books, of course I said nothing of this recognition, as he is only a couple of years older than us, and did go to the same high school. I have not read his books, only read about them in newspapers and magazines etc.

So, we were standing there, talking and joking around until the taxi arrived. He lived further away than the rest of us, so it was only natural for him to sit in the front seat. He held the door open for me and my friends, and as he entered his own seat in the taxi driver asked him where he was going. And this is the fun part of the story, because the guy smiled to the driver and just said "We're going to Narnia!" In that very second I decided to read his books. It was a thrilling and playful taxi drive home, and when a guy at that age answer the taxi driver with Narnia, it shows that he lives just as much in the world of books as we do in here. It made my day:)

>231 Apolline:: I'm currently living in Southern Ontario, but I've lived in 4 provinces -- east coast to west coast and right in between! For 9 years of my life, I lived in a little town about an hour or so away from Halifax... I haven't been there for years so I'm not sure what it's like now, but I remember it being very different from the other big cities I'd been in (not that Halifax is particularly big!)... much more peaceful, and very picturesque. I hope you get a chance to go someday! Nova Scotia is a beautiful province... and the culture/people are much more relaxed than in the rest of the country, so it's a wonderful change of pace :)

#240 What a fun occurrence, Apolline! I would take a taxi to Narnia if offered!

I would join you in that taxi in a heartbeat, Ren!

>240 Apolline:- that is so sweet, and sweet too that you told us about it. Chance encounters can be so fun.

I would definitely join you guys to Narnia, that would be fuuuun!:)

#244: Glad you liked the story Megan, you're quite right about the chance encounters. I just wish they would happen more often, it is so thrilling when they appear:)

Hi Bente, just catching up on your thread.. Nice reads you've had. Vaffelhjarte is definitely going on my TBR list. Traveling with Pomegranates is already on that list. Nice review, makes me want to read it even more.

And what a beatiful panoramic view! I'm completely envious! I wanna live there!

Also loved the story about the taxi ride to Narnia. It made me want to read his books as well, though I have no idea who he is. Looking forward to some reviews of his books once you've read them.

#246: Sorry Tanja, for answering you so late. I've been (almost) absent from LT lately, due to different reasons, but now I'm back:) How's your paper doing? I hope you will enjoy Vaffelhjarte when you get to it. It is definitely worth a try, I'm thinking of reading her second book over the summer.

Come, come, come to Ålesund, you are more than welcome. It might be a littlebit rainy from time to time, but we got plenty of sea and mountains to share with you!:)

About the narnia guy, how about me reading his book first, and if they're good I will recommend them to you?:) I will see if I can get to them over the summer...haha lots of books to read obviously.

I can see I haven't been updating for a while, and one of the reasons is that my reading has been slow. But I did finish a book last night, so review will probably pop up this weekend. I have mixed feelings about the book, so have to think about it a little.

I also got a new job this week, will be starting there July 1st., so this is my last month in this archive and soon I will work at an even larger one:)

The sun is shining, the weekend is coming up and I got plenty of time to read. At least I think I do, but my friends are very unpredictable, so I might be wrong. But hiking in the mountains when it is sunny, going to the beach or spending time with friends, can be a good substitute for reading.

I'I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and I'll post a song that will brighten up a little. Or the video might do it, I have to smile when I see it anyways. It is from the Eurovision (Tanja please don't kill me:D) but it is not one of the contestors, so take a minute and join the flashmob that swept across Europe last saturday:)

Congratulations on the new job, Bente! Glad to see you posting once again.

Off to check out the video . . .

OK, checked out the video - that was cool. I would have danced if I had been invited (and if Texas was moved to Europe, and if I did not have 3 left feet!)

Great news about the job! Congratulations! I hope you'll be very happy with the new job!

Well, Bente, I wouldn't kill you over the video, but I must admit I didn't watch all of it :P

My paper is done and delivered. Now I'm just waiting for the exams and hoping I'll pass them, so I can be free during the summer.

I think Ålesund would be a rather long way from my school, and I'm not sure my boyfriend would want to go too, but someday I'm gonna have to go there on vacation. I looks absolute splendid!

Regarding the Narnia guy. Sounds like a very reasonable solution, though I must admit I'm curious about who he is :)

Hope you had a great weekend, reading or no reading..

Thank you both:) I hope the change of jobs will be good, at least the salary is better;)

What a shame Tanja, don't you want to join me and Stasia dancing?

I do hope you will be able to go to Ålesund one (fine) day, I'll be here to welcome you:)

I did have a good weekend, and actually finished another book today. Yay!

Haha, no, Bente, I'd rather not. I'm not much of a dancer (unless I'm drunk - then I'm great :P ).

I'm looking forward to the day I can come see your beautiful Ålesund. And to read about the book you finished :)

Psst, you might need a second thread too, you know.. :)

#252: Aren't we all?;) Same with me...I guess I am, what the british So You Think You Can Dance judge would call a mover...which is definitely not a dancer:D But moving is fuuun!

#253: I'm failing to see what you mean;) Hehe, maybe it will be coming up soon.

I was trying to figure out what you have already read, but it seems that you don’t have a full list yet. I did read the Narnia comment though, and I find that funny. I wonder what he writes. He seems like a nice guy but I don’t know if I would have let him in the same taxi as me. I would be a little suspicious, but I think a lot of that has to do with how I grew up. You are very trusting.
Congrats on the Job as well, we all need them. It cool you can speak/read two languages.

Hi Bente, just coming over to say hello on your thread, as I've seen you around on other people's. I was also interested to see where in Norway you live, and a quick read through your thread I've discovered that. I'm trying to find out a bit more about Norway before my summer holiday, which I'll be spending with an old school friend who now lives in Stavanger. It will be my first visit to Norway and I'm very much looking forward to it!

#255 Thanks for stopping by Beth! I think I have a couple of list somewhere, but I will add it to my new thread, which is coming up soon. Probably tomorrow if I have the time. I'm not sure where you're from, but I do agree with you on not sitting in a taxi with strangers. I'm not as naïve as it might sound, I would definitely not do it if it wasn't for me being at home. I already knew who he was even if I don't know him in person. The town is fairly small and crime rates are low. I wouldn't do it in Oslo for instance, but the crime rates in Norway are more or less low in the whole country.

#256: Thanks for stopping by to you too Genny:) I have seen you around too, but I have to admit I'm not even close to being updated on all threads in here. I will look out for your thread though:) I have never been there myself, but I do know some people from Stavanger. They have the most charming Norwegian dialect down there:) Quite different from my own. I know they have a lot of beautiful nature around Stavanger, like Preikestolen.





I've never been there either, terribly scared of heights:)

Wow, that looks amazing! But very high... My friend who I'll be staying with is a keen mountaineer, but she knows that while I like walking, I'm not too keen on lots of steep climbing. Not sure what she's got planned but I hope we're not climbing all the way up there!

Hehe, I wouldn't know. Here's some information about it. I like hiking too:) It's nice to be out in the nature.

Beautiful pictures, Bente, but you would not catch me up there! I tell everyone that God knew I was going to be afraid of heights and that is why I am only 5' 2".

Yes, my ideal is to go for a good long walk and stop with my picnic half way and read a book for an hour or two before continuing the walk!

#260 Well I'm 5' 10" (175cm for the metrically minded) but that's quite enough height to look down from! I don't mind being up on a mountain, but would stay well clear of steep drops like that one...

I'm with you Stasia! And what a coincidence...we must be about the same height. I'm not very familiar with your measurements, but 5'2'' is supposed to be the same as 157 cm (I googled it;D), and I think I am 158 cm, at least that's what I say I am:) I like your explanation too.

I like your idea of a walk Genny. Nothing like enjoying a good book outside. I have to admit I've been bitten by the mountain hiking bug the last couple of years. Not at all surprising, when you come to Norway you will understand, it is just one of those things. It is almost like British/Irish people and pubs.

We can let everyone else stand up at the top and gawk over the cliff, Bente. You and I will be safe on the ground taking Genny's suggestion and plopped down with a good book!

Second that, Stasia!

Hi Apolline, can I join the gathering at the bottom of the Preikestolen? (It looks like it will be crowded down there). I have visited Norway in my younger days and toured by train from Oslo to Bergen with stops in Voss and Oystese in between. I wanted to visit Alesund as well but that was too difficult to reach with the time (and money) we had. I especially wanted to do so after seeing Maelstrom by Michael J. Bird on T.V.. Great book by the way.
I can recommend both the book and Norway to anyone. Great people, great scenery, great literature, great music (Grieg)! Can you recommend recent books by Norwegian authors?

PS. It just hit me: wouldn't we be in the water if we were at the bottom of the Preikestolen? We could have our own version of Three men on a boat then, i.e; "Four women on a boat"... Have you read this yet?

(Oh, it just hit me too that most of you may think I'm "Joey", but I 'm actually Monica, using the name of my favourite rose).

#266: I love Three Men in a Boat!

oh i see

hi Bente

congratulations on your new job!
Better payed, that is good, then you can buy more books :-)

Nice photos, usually I am not afraid of hights, but this one is very high... I don't think I would dare to go near the edge there!

Anita

Yayyyyy! TGIF and the football World Cup starts today in South Africa!!!:D Fantastic. Lots and lots of football and hot guys for a month!!! I'm soooo excited! I'll be back answering, post my reviews and start a new thread later, since I'm still at work. Just wanted to share my joy of the upcoming event:) Now off for our weekly "two o'clock coffee and cake" break. Yupp, more or less every department in the city hall have this break:) See you guys soon.

Have a wonderful time watching the World Cup, Bente!

#266 Hey Monica. Thanks for stopping by, I have to admit you had me fooled, I thought your name was Joey:) And you are more than welcome to join our little reading circle in either a boat or on solid ground. I think we could read almost anywhere, and talk about the books too. That would be a wonderful day:) It is funny you know that book/tv-series, I haven't actaully seen it. I had never heard of it until they released it on DVD a couple of years ago. I was rather young in the '80s. Hopefully you can get to Ålesund one day!

#268: Oh, Beth, don't get into a taxi with a stranger:) But I guess you already know that!

#269: Thank you Anita! I hope the new job will be good. I already know some of the people there, so I'm not nervous to start. I would dread going to the edge too...I don't think ten wild horses could make me!

#271: Thank you Stasia! It is great fun:) Do you follow your national team? They will play their first match tomorrow against England. Norway is not even qualified, we're THAT bad...unfortunately. But we get to see a lot of good football! Here's the official World Cup song: Shakira - Waka Waka

#272: No, I am not a soccer fan. Right now, my head is in college baseball - the Super Regionals leading up to the College World Series next week.

Hi Bente, maybe you can read Football Against the Enemy by Simon Kuper, in between matches. That way, you'd still be reading but never leave "the zone" :-). Have fun with the football! May the best team win (Belgium's not in there as well. No further comments:-)).

*waves back from my thread* Hope you have a great weekend too! :D

New thread time, Bente?

Oooh, I love these little paws (and I don't even particularly like cats as they ruin my garden every so often (apologies to all cat-lovers here).

#276 That cat is looking very impatient, if not to say intimidating. If I were Bente, I'd start a new thread pretty quick!

#273: baseball seems so fascinating! Not a big sport over here, but if I ever go to the US I will definitely go to a game. I wasn't really susprised you don't like football, I have the impression it's not that popular in the US.

#274: Thanx for the tip Monica, I will definitely check it out:D

#275: Had a lovely weekend, Faith! *waving back*

#276: How adorobly cute!! New thread is coming up Mr. Cat!

#277: Apology accepted, cats are my favourite animal, but I understand you don't like them ruining your garden! :) I just remembered you asked for a few tips about Norwegian authors. I'll move the recommandations over to my new thread.

#278: Comin up, coming up Genny. Wouldn't want to mess with the cat. But you know, those who waits for something good...;) hahaha!

Well, for those who want to visit me at my new thread, you can find it here in the link to Apolline's continuing quest towards 75 books take 2