Talisman

I have added several of these to my wish list also - sadly I will not though be buying them from Waterstones, as I prefer my books on Kindle.

I have the keyboard (non 3G) version, while Coran has the non keyboard one. Although hers is lighter and smaller, the keyboard is for me essential, as I use it quite a lot for searching online, using the dictionary etc. The non keyboard version would for me be very frustrating. Coran wishes now that she had bought the same version, but by the time she got hers, the keyboard was only available with 3G, which cost just a little too much. Once the Kindle Fire is released in the UK I may well decide to trade up, as being able to watch movies and listen to music as well as read books would be great for me when travelling. It depends of course though on the price.

I think so too David, and I completely agree (speaking from experience) that the majority of self publishers, as much as they would like to, just cannot afford to hire a professional editor and/or proof reader. The fact that a book has not been edited is not then necessarily a reflection on the authors writing ability (or lack of), but is more a reflection of how little authors are paid, and the value that we place upon books, where the majority are now sold at discount.

I am on my 5th book for the year so far, which is really 3 books in one, since it is a trilogy of 3 novellas. Love, Anger, Madness by Haitian author (now deceased) Maria Vieux-Chauvet. The book, which was translated from its original French in I believe 2009, is regarded as a classic in Haitian literature, and now that I am nearing the end of the first novella, Love, I can see why. Marie really did have a remarkable affinity with words, and the book in places, to me at least, reads almost like poetry with an almost dreamlike quality. Definately one I would recommend., although it isn't cheap. In my experience though, the best books rarely are.

I really ought to try and categorise my books as there are quite a few of them on there now. There must be at least 30 I would have thought. Since I am doing the Around the World Reading Challenge, I will probably sort mine according to country, or at least continent.

I have been seriously bad this week, as my next door neighbour came round with a big box of truffles, and being the pig that I am, I have scoffed the lot. I dread to think how many calories they contained, but they were nice!

Some more suggestions - these are the ones that will make you think: Life is Beautiful American Beauty What Dreams Will Come The Colour Purple Rain Man Sophie's Choice Kramer versus Kramer Dead Man Walking Dogma Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The Matrix (plus its follow ups) Schindlers List Star Wars The Sixth Sense The Shawshank Redemption The Truman Show

Shirley Jones and Jean Carne - Whatever It Takes

I completed Simon Mann's Cry Havoc this morning for Equatorial Guinea, and have posted a review along with the other books I have read this year on my new reading blog. I am not sure what I will read next - I thought about something from Haiti, but the only book I so far like the look of costs more than £12. On the other hand, I do have an £15 Amazon voucher to spend, so I guess it wouldn't be my own money and in my experience, the more expensive books such as this are normally well worth getting.

I hope they release it in the UK before too long and the price isn't too steep, as this would be great for me and a big improvement on my current keyboard (non 3G) model.

I have been a bit naughty as well today - I had another brownie this morning and those wheat free choccie biscuits that we on offer in Sainsbury's were just too good to pass up. I did though spend another fortune on fruit and veg, with loads of grapefruits and oranges for my morning juice. So I guess it will be back on the wagon for me tomorrow as well. Somehow I find it much harder to stick to eating healthily when I have days off, as it is so much easier to go and raid the cupboards and start picking, but I will do my best to be strong !

I think you do - much as I like non-fiction, we all need a break from it now and then to get the old imagination running again and lighten things up a little ... I have been reading a lot of quite heavy books myself this month (about various war zones and so on), so could do with something lighter myself.

I thought it was very good actually, and her portrayal of Maggie showed a different side to the woman that we love to hate, that made her appear more human and dare I say it, softer. We do after all, all have a soft side, and I am sure that Maggie was and is no exception to this - she couldn't of course show it in public, but in addition to her role as politician and prime minister, she was also a wife and mother, a fact which is easily forgotten. The film I at least thought, portrayed both of these sides brilliantly. The next film I am looking forward to seeing is War Horse. J Edgar looks quite interesting too.

Coran and I are going to see the Iron Lady this afternoon. I am not a Maggie Thatcher fan, but do love Meryl Streep.

Lately I have been having just fruit - freshly squeezed juice before I go to work made with grapefruits, oranges and whatever else I might have, and fruit throughout the morning when I get hungry. I leave a big tub of it by the sink in the laundry room at work so that I can have a nibble every time I go in there.

Black Angel - Angela Bofill

Floor

George Benson

Walking is probably one of the best forms of exercise there is. It's something that I have always done pretty much, even since I learnt to drive. I used to do what some people call walking marathons, and even now when I am on holiday, am sometimes out walking for almost 12 hours at the height of summer. Half my wardrobe consists of walking gear and waterproofs. I was worried too when I first joined a gym, about 5 years ago (We had to cancel our membership about a year and a half ago, as it was getting too expensive, so don't go anymore). I too thought it would be full of fit, lycra clad young things, but most of them were just like me - middle aged and slightly out of condition! The ironic thing is that now I am working full time, I could afford to start it up again, but I don't have the time to go. I have a fairly active job anyway, as a housekeeper in a nursing home, so it doesn't matter that much. I would though like to get a cross trainer to put in the living room, as that's the one machine that exercises just about everything and it's something that Coran could also use without aggravating her sciatica. Coran's nephew manages a sports shop, so we will have to ask him for advice. When I weighed myself this morning, I was surprised to find that I have actually lost about 3lbs in weight, which isn't bad, considering I haven't really been trying. And that's simply from eating fruit instead of breakfast cereal and cutting out a few snacks - not bad !

Thanks Noll - I feel a bit less guilty about yesterday having read about your own lapse ! I was a lot better today though and have so far eaten once glass of juice made with pink grapefruit, orange and passion fruit (home made), some white grapes, a tomato, and three slices of gluten free bread with cheese, spring onion and low fat mayonnaise, with grated carrot, plus one cup of tea with rice milk. I am now going to put the kettle on for another one !

Completed Poland - The Auschwitz Violin by Maria Angels Anglada - this would be classed as a Spanish book for those who are doing this by authors country of birth rather than where the book is set. I am now reading a book set in Equatorial Guinea - Cry Havoc by Simon Mann.

Let Go - Leon Ware

I lapsed a bit today as I had a strange day at work and treated myself to a chocolate brownie in the Sainsbury's cafe. I was very good though with the shopping list and bought mountains of fruit and veg with various seeds and nuts to put me back on the straight and narrow !

You don't have to look far for one of me - it's in my profile picture. Admittedly it's a bit out of date - it was taken a couple of winters ago on holiday on ther island of Lundy (North Devon).

On my particular thread, the books shown in bold have been read already, but those shown in italics are on my tbr pile (or more accurately, my Kindle) ! You don't have to read more than one book per country, but there are some countries (like the US for example, or in my case Iceland) where you are bound to, as they publish so many interesting books that you will want to read ...