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Post by roverpup on Aug 9, 2017 19:43:45 GMT
Sorry Ellie, never heard of her. Sounds interesting.
:-))
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Post by coolclearwaters on Aug 9, 2017 20:05:42 GMT
I've read several of Louise Penny's mysteries, though not lately. They're very enjoyable and well-written. The little village she writes about is a lovely creation.
I wish I had the time and money to travel more. Your trips sound wonderful and I enjoy reading about them so much. Someday I hope to go to some of these places myself.
This is way off topic, but since Ellie brought up mysteries, I'm going to go for it. I read a lot of mysteries and one of my favorite writers in that genre is Irish - Tana French. I've read all of her books and think she's a brilliant writer. Her second novel, The Likeness, is my favorite. She takes a preposterous premise (a double, a subject with a rich literary history) and really makes it work. Her writing in that book is haunting.
Another favorite author is Denise Mina. Most of her books are set in Glasgow. The latest, The Long Drop, is a tour de force and is based on a real case in Glasgow history. I think it is her best and one of the best crime novels I've ever read. I tend to veer towards noir in my taste, but not with too much violence.
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Post by ellie on Aug 9, 2017 20:14:53 GMT
This is her. www.louisepenny.comI have got a very personal reason for being eternally grateful for her books. I'm an only child and had been the primary carer for my Mum since she was diagnosed with dementia. Anyhow a couple of years ago she took a massive downward turn following a stroke and had to be admitted to a care home, something I never wanted to happen. It has turned out to be by far the best thing for her care but at the time it really upset me and I went into quite a depressed state of mind. The thing that got me through was Louise Penny's books. When I entered her world it took my mind off other things. By the time I finished the series my mood and perspective on things had improved. Funny how the most unlikely things help in times of crisis!
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Post by coolclearwaters on Aug 9, 2017 20:23:57 GMT
I'm so sorry, Ellie. That's a hard thing to go through. I often find solace in reading, too, so I know what you mean about things that help in a crisis. I'm glad Louise Penny helped!
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Post by ellie on Aug 9, 2017 20:29:34 GMT
Thanks v much coolclearwaters. I find reading is the only thing that really takes my mind to a different place. I enjoy music, movies and TV but am still aware of the outside world so to speak. Whereas a good book totally absorbs me.
By the way this discussion tangent has prompted me to add "Books" as a new category on the General board. I noticed we didn't have it and I think people might like to have a space to discuss and recommend books.
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Post by coolclearwaters on Aug 9, 2017 20:35:09 GMT
I'm so glad you did that. I've been wanting to do the same thing.
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Post by mllemass on Aug 9, 2017 21:25:52 GMT
It sounds like you've seen way more of Canada than I have, ellie!
My family came here from Italy when I was a baby. We arrived at the beginning of December. November and early December are probably the ugliest times to see southern Ontario, where I live: the trees have lost their coloured leaves and it really hasn't snowed much yet. So it's just a lot of dreary, grey, cold days. And as much as I'm not a winter person, we all do look forward to the first snowfall to put a pretty layer of white on everything.
When I was growing up, whenever we whined about the weather, my father would point out that we're lucky to live in the perfect spot on earth. We get to experience all four seasons the way we're meant to experience them: summer is very hot, winter is very cold, spring is rainy and autumn is full of colour. And because of all the different weather, Canadians have more clothing than any other country!
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Post by igs on Aug 10, 2017 4:06:31 GMT
summer is very hot, winter is very cold, spring is rainy and autumn is full of colour. Awwww. Canada sounds like pre-climate change Finland. I miss it. Now we have "British weather." No offense to Brits (or the Irish cause I guess you share a climate, sorry ellie!) but it's the worst. We used to have as summers in +30s and winters in -30s but now apart from maybe a couple of days a year it's never that hot or cold. We had like 10 days of snow last winter in my city, and last year it was warmer on Christmas Eve than Midsummers Eve. This summer has been abysmal, it's warm enough but not properly hot. So boring, I miss the extremes. Ellie, I'm sorry about your mother. Sounds very tough, dementia and Alzheimer's are very hard for the family. As for traveling, if you ever do visit Finland make sure it's in the summer. Despite my complaining above lol it's still preferable to the darkness and the rain/slush you'll get in the winter. As for those summer cottages, my family never owned one (we always spent extra money on traveling rather than buying a summer house) but I'd say maybe about 2/3 of my friends' families own one, it's more common to own than to rent for sure. Although it's changing now, young people don't even buy flats or houses anymore let alone holiday homes.
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Post by ellie on Aug 10, 2017 8:18:17 GMT
Thanks IGS. Yes Irish and UK weather is pretty much the same although I always think we get even more rain here. We very rarely get snow, I'm fact our winters would probably be swimwear temperature for Canadians. 😄. Our summers tend to be warm rather than hot and there's always the regular interruption by rain. Our landscape is so green because it's constantly watered!
Milemass, I would love to see even more of Canada. I have loved everywhere I've visited so far even though I don't think I would fancy living in the Yukon - bit too remote for me.
Vancouver and Quebec City were particularly lovely.
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Post by roverpup on Aug 10, 2017 11:29:23 GMT
We were Ireland for about two weeks and it rained every day except the day we arrived and one day in Galloway. Had a wonderful time despite the wet weather.
Climate change is also affecting Canada. Our winters are very mild compared to what they were when I was a child. It used to be rare that there was a "green" Christmas. Now they happen with shocking regularity.
I have been very very lucky in that my parents made it a mission to take me (and my sister) all across Canada when we were younger. So I have seen a lot of my home land. The only places I haven't been to are the far north and Newfoundland.
Dan and I traveled up on our own to northern Ontario (James Bay) by going on the "Polar Bear Express" to Moose Factory but that is as far north as I have been. That was a hoot! This was back in the days when there was no food service on the train and they just had a "bar car" as the last carriage which consisted of a box car with straw on the floor, a bolted down upright piano, cheap booze and a lot of travelers drinking and toking up and singing songs! The journey (one way) lasted over five hours and it was a "whistle stop" train, so it would just stop anywhere along the route to pickup and drop off people anywhere along the side of the tracks. Amazing journey! Needless to say, now a days things are much more "organized" (they have a dinning car, I understand and don't allow any kind of smoking) on the train. 😘
:-))
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