The Forgotten Affairs Of Youth

by Alexander McCall Smith | Literature & Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 034912387X Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingPiikuwing of Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on 3/2/2015
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7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingPiikuwing from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Monday, March 2, 2015
I bought this book from a local charity shop because I remembered seeing it on a few wish lists. And what a coincidence: in a couple of days I had the chance to tag Chania in the Finnish Wish List Tag Game with it. The book is almost on the way now :)

Journal Entry 2 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Thank you so much! I'll read this soon!

Journal Entry 3 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Enjoyed this - the quietness and all the thinking ... very soothing book, as all in this series! Now going to Kirjakko in the Finnish Wish List Tag Game.

Journal Entry 4 by wingkirjakkowing at Sipoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, July 3, 2015
Thanks! I am not a youth anymore, so I had forgot being tagged by this book. I think I have to read five or six books about Border collies before I am allowed to read anything else.

Journal Entry 5 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, August 15, 2015
I have to read something else (than books on Border Collies). Once again, have to comment when things are still fresh in my mind, i.e. when stll reading.
Eddie 's ideas of travelling to the US made me smile; Nebraska, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon. I've only been to America once, to Nebraska, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon...😃😃😃 That was in February 2001, before WTC. I attended the Western Veterinary Congress as the AGM of the International Nurses and Technicians Association was held there and I was the Finnish delegate. I remember one of the lectures was about Grief Management, how to deal with owners whose animal has had to be euthanised. Chania might know more about this, but I have to say that it was like listening to Marsians: How to handle the situation at the clinic, what sort of music should be played in the room the procedure is carried out, what to say or do before and after, to make sure the person is not driving afterwards, that she preferably has somebody to collect her, to give her a list of numbers she can call if she feels suicidal, should the clinic send her flowers, a letter or a card afterwards (there were two stalls at the commercial exhibition selling pet grieving cards only!!), to keep track what has been sent, so that she does not get the same card with the same message when her next animal dies... Everybody around me was scribbling notes, as if this was very important, and we got a huge folder with the same info in it. John Lennon, you were wrong! People are not the same wherever you go, thank God! I do love my animals and fear the day we have to part, but that's life. They don't live as long as we do and we have to accept that.
Las Vegas was so bizarre I just had to like it. Luckily I sat next to a very talkative gay man on the flight over and he told me to go and see the different casinos, you can go in for free and look around even if you are not gambling or living in their hotel. I would not have thought of doing anything of the kind if it weren't for him. He said they are made with so much money that they are quite spectacular and he was right. In Paris, Paris they had small "Parisian" streets made into the huge lobby and the music was was French. Mandaley Bay had a huge sea aquarium, bigger than our Sea Life in Helsinki, MGM where we lived had a film theme and a live male lion as their film company has the roaring lion in the beginning of each film.
The local veterinary association had very generously treated us for an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon, which of course was a huge contrast to Vegas. Magical. Awesome. Do you remember the old Indian chief from the film "Little Big Man", he how tried a few times to lie down and die, "Because it's a good day to die"? In the Grand Canyon I felt such peace of mind and content that I also thought it would have been a good day to die.

Journal Entry 6 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, August 15, 2015
"Being a philosopher is not easy."
It also means that being WITH a philosopher is not easy. My maths teacher was also a philosopher and that is probably why I didn't learn maths. He was once invited to the same party as my parents and sat opposite to my mother. He pointed at the burning candles on the table and asked Mom:
"Which one of us will solve are those candles burning or not?"
"Oh no", said Mom, "I'm not going to start that with you!"
Teacher: "We don't have to. They ARE burning."

I think Piiku met my old music teacher in Voipaala BC summer convention. To my great surprise he was introduced to us as a ghost specialist! (See pic). With a backround of a philosopher as a maths teacher and a ghostbuster as a music teacher I just have to be weird! This springs to mind a story of these two gentlemen and one of my brothers, perhaps ten at the time:
My brother goes into the teachers' room and announces as a law of nature: "When a chalk falls on the floor, it usually breaks into three pieces." Exit. All the teachers were blinking their eyes for a minute ("What was that?"), but then the two above mentioned fellows started to experiment. I don't know how many boxes of chalk they dropped on the floor, chalk by chalk, but they came to the same conclusion as the kid. So now you know.

Back to the book. "Imagine that Sweden were (why not was?) the dominant power in the world today." Yikes!

Journal Entry 7 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, August 15, 2015
You always hear stories how adopted children have identity crisis and want to find their roots and real parents. I would imagine that if I didn't know my biological parents, I would like to know more about them and perhaps meet them. I have a friend (55 y) whose Mom had an affair with a man who promised to marry her, but was in fact a married priest. It is the only thing my friend knows about him, apart that he paid her first riding camp fee. Her mother had asked if she would like to know more, perhaps his name, but she prefers not to. I was always amazed and said to her that perhaps she should ask the name, just in case she changes her mind at some point (that was over 20 years ago). She said she is quite happy with her step-father who has been the only Dad she has known. She has a step-sister and a step-brother (and Lord knows how many step-siblings by the wicked priest) who she always thinks without the "step". I guess she will never bother to learn more about her real Dad, because he might be dead by now. So, not everybody wants to know about their biological parents.

Journal Entry 8 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, August 16, 2015
Finished. Still some things to comment.
"She never would have imagined that she might have such a simple ambition. She had always wanted to make her mark in philosophy, to contribute to the wider world in some way. She never imagined that she would want to be with a man, to live a day-to-day life with him. She knew that for many people this was their greatest ambition: to have a partner and a child, to live the domestic life, but she had never thought it would be enough for her. Yet it was."
Bull. She has made her mark in philosophy, she is a Doctor of Philosophy, the owner and editor of a philosophical journal i.e. she has had a great career. Her first husband was a rat and after him it took years to have a new man in her life. So long that her biological clock had been ticking for a long time. She had had time to give her everything to her career, be a succesful modern woman. But she had also had time to fear that she would not have a real family and children. If you think that you can't have something, you usually know how to appreciate it if you do get it. It is no wonder she loves to be with her family now and be content with them - everything else she has already had. Odd that McCall Smith makes a mistake like this.

This was a nice read, but not perhaps Isabel at her best.

Jane's father's identity didn't come to me as a surprise.

Niksu has this on her wishlist, I might surprise her next.

Journal Entry 9 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, April 9, 2016
I had totally forgotten to pass this on to Niksu, but now I've tagged her with it. I still need to find the book 😕.

Journal Entry 10 by wingkirjakkowing at Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, April 11, 2016

Released 7 yrs ago (4/11/2016 UTC) at Kerava, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Off to Niksu via Annelis.

Journal Entry 11 by Niksu at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, May 18, 2016
I got the book today. Thanks kirjakko and Annelis!

Journal Entry 12 by Niksu at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, June 11, 2016
Very enjoyable relaxing read. Isabel Dalhousie-books are my favorite by the author. I always wonder how Charlie is always so easy child and never put any tantrums. He eats delicate food, sleeps so her mother is never tired because of him and behaves like an angel. I'm looking forward to read the rest of the books in the series, I think I have at least two to go at the moment.

Journal Entry 13 by Niksu at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Monday, June 13, 2016

Released 7 yrs ago (6/13/2016 UTC) at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Toivelistaylläri!


Read and Release at BookCrossing.com...

Journal Entry 14 by winglukutuoliwing at Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Oh, what a lovely summer surprise! Thanks for the wishlist book, Niksu, I hope to read it during the summer holidays!

Journal Entry 15 by winglukutuoliwing at Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Sunday, September 11, 2016
I enjoyed this a lot! In the beginning this series wasn't my favorite, I liked Mme Ramotswe more, but I've grown to enjoy Isabel Dalhousie and the these other characters as well. Reading McCall Smith always calms me down and makes the world a better place!

Journal Entry 16 by winglukutuoliwing at Wishlist Surprise, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, September 11, 2016

Released 7 yrs ago (9/12/2016 UTC) at Wishlist Surprise, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to someone as a wishlist surprise - enjoy!

KTMC 2016 # 61

Journal Entry 17 by halonhakkaaja at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Thank you sooooooo much!!! It's so nice to read more about Isabel and her friends.

Journal Entry 18 by halonhakkaaja at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Wednesday, June 2, 2021
I had a feeling, that it has gone a long time since I read the previous Dalhousie novel. I had to check it and I'm really surpriced it was 9 years ago. Isabel Dalhousie seems so familiar and all the other caharcters too. It's always very enjoyable to read about Dalhousies thoughts.

There was a funny limerick:
"There once was a fox called Macallium
Who enjoyed the occasional allium.
When they said: Oh how bad!
He replied: I'm not sad
As I'm not a fit object of opprobrium." (p. 210)

(I had to check one word from dictionary. Opprobrium = harsh criticism or censure.)

I know one limerick by heart. It's in swedish:
"Det var en man från Lissabon
För fem penni fick man pissa pån
Men saken far fatal
För mannen var så smal
Att man missa pån!"

The word "pån" is not really a proper word, but a bit artistic liberties is used here ;)

In english it means something like this: "There was a man from Lissabon, for fem penny you were to allowed to take a piss on him, but the case was fatal, because the man was so slim, that you missed him!"

Maybe I should learn also the Maccallum-limerick by heart :) :) :) But first I must practice the pronunciation of "opprobrium" ;)

Journal Entry 19 by halonhakkaaja at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Monday, August 9, 2021

Released 2 yrs ago (8/9/2021 UTC) at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The book is going next to Sannuli as a wish list tag game book. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 20 by sannuli at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Thursday, August 12, 2021
Thank you! 💗

Journal Entry 21 by sannuli at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, October 22, 2021
Well. Enjoyable but I also find myself getting a bit bored with Isabel. The Lost Art of Gratitude is next and then my shelves are Dalhousie-free.

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