A Good Thriller discussion

This thread is where you can chat about all things PIFM, ask questions and once books have been read, review your selected reads. A complete free for all.

PLEASE NOTE:

PIFM is meant to be FUN and not to be taken seriously. I would appreciate it if all participants just chilled and not get worked up about voting, who votes, who doesn't, etc. Please bear in mind that some will just want to vote, many don't come on everyday and most of us have time constraints. I just want a relaxed approach to it all and for you all to just enjoy the process! I'd really appreciate your courtesy in this matter. Thanks.

Wow! Janet, you're really early this time!

Posted my selection and votes so far :)

RBW, Wow I'm really torn. I loved Clan of the Cave Bear (only the first though, not the sequels!) It seemed to original. But Outlander is great too (the second one is in my July line-up. I've heard good things about Poldark too, should prolly have included it in my choices

Aesaan, Not to worry. This is the month you read your June choice! Can't wait to hear what you think

Oh I've not even thought about my list yet and I have May and Junes to read yet but............ love this thread lol, so I will sort a list out later might be skinny books this time though :-)

Due to the massive amount of info dump in it, I am afraid that Romanticbookworm is gonna regret including Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear on his or her list IF it wins.

Got a tie between Ian Rankin and Clive Cussler, don't forget to vote!

I have a leader now with Sophie voting,

My leader so far is The Dry, but I've had so much inspiration from other people's lists this month, even more so than usual! I've added Little One, The Valley of Amazement, The Well, and The Wolves of London to my list and I'm sure I'll be adding more as other people post theirs.

Looks like I have a clear winner and it looks like I am staying on homesoil next month as born and live in scotland just timetravelling back a few centuries. On the plus side at least I will actually be reading one of the three challenge books I set myself at the start of the year.

Amber - Is It that bad a book, I have only heard good things about the clan series.

Looks like Devil in the White City is going to win by a long shot. Has anyone listened to the audiobook? I just saw it's narrated by Fitz from Scandal.. could be interesting!

Yes, it IS that bad and the amount of info dump in the series gets worse, the closer you get to book #7 The Land of Painted Caves which concludes the series, Romanticbookworm.

Only ONE description each book for Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, woolly mammoths, woolly rhino, musk oxen, bison, flint knapping, horse/dog domestication, etc NEEDED per book! Instead, there's at LEAST a dozen descriptions in each book!

And the sex is as badly written as I've heard of it being in the FSOG series...in other words, badly written porn. Granted, in the first book of this series, the sex is limited to (Spoiler) a nineteen year old Broud raping a ten year old Ayla (spoiler end), but you get the picture...I hope. Or maybe he's seventeen since he was twelve and Ayla five when she was adopted into the Clan.

Amber wrote: "Yes, it IS that bad and the amount of info dump in the series gets worse, the closer you get to book #7 The Land of Painted Caves which concludes the series, Romanticbookworm.

Only ONE description..."

Yes, I only liked the first book, but I really liked it

That's the book where Broud rapes Ayla, Perri.

Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)

I remember Amber-pretty brutal

Updated my choices with the new options for the members.

Yeah, but they toned it down for the movie version. In fact, there's no reference to the rape in the original trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkJ4k..., Perri/Romanticbookworm.

I haven't checked my stats yet. Trying to get to the thread where the votes are so I can update.

Ann broke my tie for Shipping News a winner. I hope I get lots of reading time in July so I can get to both!

Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all so early this month. When I opened the PIMF folder and have seen how much you all posted the last two weeks I though I can't go offline again that long or I'll get lost again ;-)

I'm glad Ann broke the tie, because I love both of the books and I'm not sure I would be able to decide for one of those.

Patricia,
I hope The House on Primrose Pond includes this great mystery I see between the lines of the summary - sound somehow interesting.

Dana,
one again I love almost all of your books and decided to go for the underdog :-)

Romanticbookworm,
I still love Madame Tussauds & My Sweet Revenge most of your books - let's see if you need a tie brake.

Aesan,
I love almost all of your books and had a hard time to decide. In the end I went for Darktown instead of The Whistler (both without any votes so far) because it's somehow different and I'm sure you'll read Grisham sooner or later anyhow ;-)

Sue,
Welcome. I voted for a book hoping it was a list for July - in case it was for June feel free to ignore my vote ;-)
Just to help a little bit. Each month we use (at least) three of the threads in the PIMF folder:
#1. Book list for the following month (e.g. in June books for July) with one message per person. Most of us mark the votes received there as well but you don't have to. It's called PIFM - [next Month] [current Year] Read => for July it's PIFM - July 2017 Read
Unfortunatelly you cannot edit your messages in the mobile version of GR yet - only in the web browser - just in case you try to find this option in the mobile GR.
2. Votes for our fellow participants of the month (again only one message per person) corresponding to the Month in #1 (PIFM - Place Your [Month #1] Selections Here) => the current votes for July are in the thread called PIFM - Place Your July Selections Here
3. Thread for all comments, discussion, buddy reads request for your winning book, and of course to let us know how you liked your book, as soon as you finished it (or abandoned if you didn't like it at all). This one is called PIFM - Chat/Banter Review Your [Month #1] Read => the current one PIFM - Chat/Banter Review Your July Read
In case you are late (like most of us) you post your thoughts about the book in the Chat/Banter/Review thread for the month you book won if it's still available (e.g. a book that won in April for May - you'll post in the PIFM - Chat/Banter Review Your May Read thread) or the current one if it's archived.
4. In case there's a buddy read for your winning book - you can start a thread or ask Janet (our lovely moderator) or anyone in the thread #3 to set it up. Feel free to join any of the current buddy reads if you like to read the book as well. The two current buddy reads are Cinder and All the Light We Cannot See.
I hope it helps and if you have any further questions, we try to answer them all or feel free to PM Janet :-)

Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all so early this month. When I opened the PIMF folder and have seen how..."

There you are! Were you busy with your sister's wedding?

Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all so early this month. When I opened the PIMF folder..."

I was busy with life and in pretty much pain again.

Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all so early this month. When I opened t..."

Since you read books in both German & English, do you find the editions different? I have always wondered if they lose something in translation.

Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all so early this mont..."

It depends very much. A good translator is able to catch not only the story itself but also an author's style and in some case even the particular blend of emotions, language and written pictures (most of the In Death series books are really well translated and those I read in English - a novel & three short stories showed what a great work she's done plus the language in those books is so much different with different kind of language and technical vocabulary I wasn't used to before. After the first book in English I was even more amazed by the work of the main translator than before. The translations of the secondary translator - luckily only the first three novellas I'm not that fond of.)

Though I read or tried to ;-) some of indie books with more or less good translations as well. As soon as you have the feelig you understand the translation only because you know the original language and can guess the original text you know it's not that great work, mostly done by a non-native-speaker - the worst I read so far was Nicholas' Geheimnis=The Right Path by Nora Roberts. It was published by one of the big publishing houses in Germany and I was shock about the quality of translation (luckily that was the only one of Roberts books I noticed so far)

The other way round:
I grew up with Błękitny Zamek=The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery and loved it so much I bought the English original and didn't like it that much. One thing I really started to hate in Polish translations is they translate the names and/or places by Polish versions or even or replace thoses by common Polish names (or luckily very seldom also places) which often changes the feeling for the book and the mental pictures I link with those.
The Polish translator of The Blue Castle changed most important names and translated the places and I thought I don't know this book anymore. I needed almost the entire book to get used to the differences but still I'm not sure I'll read the original again, but for sure the Polish edition I love so much - which could be really sad or annoying for the author if she were still alive.

Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;)"

You were all s..."

I was thinking of the pronunciations of some of those Polish names. Can you imagine putting them in some of the Hollywood noir mysteries.

Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka when you need her ;..."

Oh yeah that would be fun - but I can see you point :-)
Just a small taste: Grzegorz Brzeczyszczykiewicz (first & last one - Polish most belowed tongue twister)

Yeah for busy life. Boo to pain. OH my goodness that name! How many syllables is that last name? SO many Zs!

Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka wh..."

That would be hysterical. Especially if they decided to make a movie from it with American actors.

I am going to vote soon and put my selections up too.
I haven't even started my June read, but I think it will go fast once I do.
So, I will partipcipate again in July.

Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Where's Agnieszka wh..."

My dad used to say the French had too many vowels and not enough consonants and the Czechs/Poles were the opposite.

I'm sorry, I haven't been able to vote for some of the members... will be doing it pretty soon. BTW, some of the choices are quite tough really ☺

And for me, Mystic River is leading with 6 votes... lets see how it goes by the end of June.

Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks like I have a tie between Bel Canto and Shipping News. Wh..."

I had a Yugoslavian professor who said that her language has the record number of conjugations. She spoke 8 languages and swore that Yugo was the most difficult although it was her native tongue.

Patricia wrote: "Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Looks lik..."

I have no idea how many conjugations they have, but Polish is with 7 cases not bad either (and conjugations of the words itself instead of the articles like in German - much easier)

Patricia, I can't imagine knowing 8 languages! I learned Spanish and French (now forgotten) and sometimes got that mixed up especially if I was searching for a word. Plus if you're not using them all the time, how can you remember?!?

I've heard some language, maybe Urdu, you really have to be born to it to know it.

Aesaan, what language do they speak in Fiji? Well, I just looked it up and it's Fijan, excuse my ignorance :P Was it hard to learn English and what differences do you see?

Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri wrote: "Agnieszka wrote: "Perri ..."

Easy for you, maybe. I live in So. California where Spanish is the second language. Also, I am near little Saigon where the language of Viet Nam is everywhere: and, the food is great.

Hey Perri, Not a problem at all.
My mother-tongue is Urdu and Hindi (or Fiji-Hindi one might say). These two are very similar and normally gets mixed around. (lazy people pick easy words from here and there, LOL).

The native language is iTaukei (Fijian). I know few basics of iTaukei.

And English is a standard language or common language I'd say. It's made compulsory to learn in schools. It wasn't very hard to learn... infact a lot of people are very good at it. However, I find some problems with difficult words.

About the difference... I don't see much difference in the tone since, like I said, it all usually gets mixed around and sounds/works fine.
There are words in both languages that serve many different meanings when used in different scenarios.

Perri wrote: "Patricia, I can't imagine knowing 8 languages! I learned Spanish and French (now forgotten) and sometimes got that mixed up especially if I was searching for a word. Plus if you're not using them a..."

I had the same issues with Spanish and French as well so I can really relate Perri. I still hope to get back to French one day and polish up all I forgot and learn at least that much I can read books in French, though it looks more and more unlikely :-(

I learned Spanish in high school many, many moons ago. What's nice about that is Spanish, Italian, etc, all based in same root. Many of the words are the same.

I can't read in other languages, but sometimes I can read the descriptions of the movies on the Spanish language channel. LOL!!

I have a friend who likes to read the Maigret books in the original French.

Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "I learned Spanish in high school many, many moons ago. What's nice about that is Spanish, Italian, etc, all based in same root. Many of the words are the same.

I can't read in other languages, bu..."

That's so cool for your friend. Sounds fun.

I loved the similarity of the Roman languages until I started to learn two of them at the same time and got so much confused I didn't like my marks so much. Somehow the teacher didn't get the note it's more or less the same ;-)
Though I appreciate it now much more, since it helps to combine books on GR - I'm usually able to recoginise enough to know which books belong together - that's always so fun.

I think my votes are all up to date.

Huge congratulations Lisa, how exciting!!!

Aesaan, Urdu was the language I heard was so difficult for non-natives to learn. Since it's your mother-tongue, I guess you wouldn't know how it hard for others? Is it common in Fiji? I never would have guessed it would be spoken there.

Agnieszka, Lisa has me tied again, so I might need your imput on Bel Canto vs. Shipping News!

Lisa, much cheer for your wedding. I'm so happy for you. Can we all be virtual guests? ;)

Ahh, thinking about Amy enjoying her vacation is Spain! I wonder if she decided on visiting Italy

Congrats Lisa! I bet Amy is having the best time... I am so jealous.

I don't think I've ever had such a clear winner.. Devil in the White City. I only threw it in last second because I am going to Chicago soon and thought it would be kinda neat!

Dana, I loved Devil and if you like it, I recommend others by that author. So well researched and well written!

I have a three-way tie. This is a first for me. Usually there is a runaway winner by now. I'm glad there is a couple of weeks left in the month.

Looks like I have a 2 way tie for third place. The Japanese/English bilingual book has one vote and so does the book Chicks Dig Time Lords.

Congratulations Lisa. And all the best for the wedding :)

Amy must be having a good time on her vacation :)

Perri, I guess it'll be difficult for me to tell, yes, since Urdu is my mother-tongue. Urdu is half Arabic and half Hindi. Still, though I always wanted to, I couldn't learn Arabic (I have crammed some Qur'anic verses for prayers) but cannot speak or translate it :(

Congratulations Lisa, when's the big day?

Aesaan wrote: "Hey Perri, Not a problem at all.
My mother-tongue is Urdu and Hindi (or Fiji-Hindi one might say). These two are very similar and normally gets mixed around. (lazy people pick easy words from here ..."

Do you know if the Urdu & Hindi between Fiji & India is more or less the the same with some minor regional differences or did those develop pretty much independently over the time?
I love the sound of the native name for Fijian. iTaukei sounds so melodic to me :-)

Perri wrote: "...Agnieszka, Lisa has me tied again, so I might need your imput on Bel Canto vs. Shipping News!..."

In that case I'm going for Bel Canto - I just love music and the story sounds so promissing :-)

Romanticbookworm,
I made my mind up for your book vote as well it's Madame Tussauds - it won't change anything it was just so lonely.


I have a three-way tie now *grins* let's see how it will end up - not everyone voted yet.

I absolutely loved Bel Canto, Agnieszka! It's a wonderful story... made me cry.