Talisman

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

Coran and I went to the US version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last Night. I am a real fan of both the books and the Swedish films, which I must have seen at least half a dozen times now, but I was willing to keep an open mind to the possiblity that the US version might be better. I wouldn't say that it was better, but it was different and it would be fair to say, much closer to the book. I don't know whether they plan to film the other two books, but hope so, as if this one is anything to go by, they would be even better.

This will actually be my second visit to the islands - the first was in 1996, so I am overdue for another visit. The thing that I love most about the islands, apart from the beautiful beaches, rugged cliff scenery and fantastic walks (and sunsets), is the ability to visit a different island every day. The Scillies comprise of five inhabited islands and several smaller uninhabited ones. St Marys is the largest of the inhabited islands and where most of the shops and services are situated, and as such makes an excellent base for exploring. I am renting a flat about a mile from the pier, and main town, which is situated right in the centre of the island. I can't wait !

The Birds

I began the day with The Kindest Thing On my way to work I saw Three Men in a Float and walked by The Draining Lake In order to avoid Arctic Chill but I made sure to stop at Tiger Hills In the office, my boss said, Please Look After Mother and sent me to research Ancestor Stones At lunch with Independent People I noticed The Twelfth Insight under The Guardian Angels Journal then went back to my desk, Below Stairs Later, on the journey home, I bought The Book of Lies because I have A Rural Affair then settling down for the evening, I picked up The Drowning People and studied The Gospel of the Second Coming before saying goodnight to Dusk

I love to travel too, and used to do it a lot, I even considered a career in the travel industry, and went to college for 2 years to study for it, but for various reasons it never happened. My travelling has been confined in more recent years more to the British isles, but I have been to around 26 countries in all, mostly in Europe, but also Canada, Israel, Egypt, China, Thailand and Hong Kong. I am a budget traveller who prefers to make the arrangement myself rather than through an agent, and have a strong dislike of package tours in general, as they do little for the economy of the country you are visiting, tendind to rely on international hotel chains with imported food and drink. You could say that I am a bit of a green traveller in that respect, as I prefer to use local airlines and transport providers and locally run hostels and boarding houses, eating in local restaurants and cafes rather than expensive hotels. This is not only cheaper, but also brings you that much closer to the country that are visiting - personally I have never seen the point of booking an expensive 5 star package and never leaving the hotel, as to me the whole reason for visiting a different country is to meet the local people and experience their culture and way of life - you cannot do this if you never leave the hotel. This way of travelling then is for me at least not only cheaper, but much more fun. I don't go abroad as much as I used to, mainly for financial reasons, as there was an extended period in my life where I could only obtain part time employment. Now that I am working full time again, I find that I am travelling a lot more. I usually try and have one main summer holiday each year for 2 weeks, with 1 week in late winter/early spring, usually to the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel, and a week in the autumn to somewhere else in the UK, and one or two shorter breaks. Coran and I have very different tastes when it comes to holidays, so the longer ones tend to be on my own, with the shorter breaks for the two of us. I am an island lover and outdoor enthusiast who prefers active holidays to sitting on the beach. It is not that I don't like beaches, I just don't like sharing them with half a million other people. I prefer quieter places, which are more off the beaten track. Somehwere where I can walk in beautiful surroundings, preferably by the sea, and watch birds and other wildlife without the distractions of so-called normal life. My requirements are quite simple really - all I need is a bed, a shower and somewhere to cook. I prefer to self cater due to my food intolerances, which make it very dificult to eat out, plus the fact that it is cheaper anyway and when staying in hostels, you also of course get to meet more people, both locals and other travellers. I went to the Isle oi Man last summer, and this year shall be visiitng the Isles of Scilly. I also have a week on Lundy to look forward to at the beginning of March. As for any other plans - I will have to see.

It has changed mine completely, and I find that I am reading two or three times as much as I did and being more exploratory with the books that I do read - trying books for example from different countries or on subjects that I would not have thought about before. Even Coran has one now, and she has found the same thing. We call each other the Kindle Kids as we are like those couples that you see in coffee shops playing with their phones and not talking to each othe, except of course that we are both reading. It's good to have someone that I can discuss books with though in real life, as well as on here.

satsumas

Love Actually

Actually it is not really true when people say that e-books do not require the same amount of production costs - the only thing that differs is that they do not have to be printed. They still need proof reading, indexing (if non fiction), editing, to have a cover designed (although this is less important) and of course marketing. Plus it also costs a lot of money for the author to actually write them (research for example - I went to France and Egypt in order to research aspects of my own work). It is then only the printing stage that is left out. They have to of course be digitised instead though and this in itself can be quite time consuming. It took me almost 2 weeks to do mine, by the time I removed the index, reformatted the table of contents and took out all the field codes and so on. I don't expect the average reader though to understand most of this! Bearing this in mind though, plus the fact that as Turn300 points out, e-books in ths counry at least are VATable, they should not cost that much less than paper books. The fact that most do is down to market forces, and is not a true reflection of the costs involved in producing them - bear in mind that most books are issued in both formats anyway - both paper and e-book. Personally apart from certain types of non fiction, I prefer e-books, as they are more portable and therefore more convenient, but that is just my preference. There are pros and cons associated with both and everyone will doubtless have their own opinion.

bolt

Rain Your Love Down - Stevie Wonder

Trust me, you wouldn't !

Blue Eyes - Elton John

Inside Job, which we recorded from BBC2 last night. I think I might to have to order a copy on DVD.

Eyes on the Prize - Dianne Reeves

Luther Vandross - Dance with my Father

This is again based on my reading up to and including today: Your favourite read of the year? Into the Darkest Corner: Elizabeth Haynes Your favourite author of the year? I don't really have favourite authors, just favourite books. Your most read author of the year? Arnaldur Indridarson Your favourite book cover of the year? Most of my books have been Kindle editions, so the cover doesn't relaly figure - from the paper ones I have read though, probably Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? None, I rarely, if ever abandon books. The book that most disappointed you? Throwaway by Heather Huffman The funniest book of the year? Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks Your favourite literary character this year? Probably Deo, the central character from the book (which is actually a true story) that I have jist finished. He is/was a Burundian refugee fleeing from the genocide in his country to the United States. Your favourite children's book this year? I don't have children, so don't read this type of book. Your favourite classic of the year? Independent People by Halldor Laxness. Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder Your favourite biography this year? I don't read biographies. Your favourite collection of short stories this year? Ditto Your favourite poetry collection this year? Ditto Your favourite illustrated book of the year? Ditto Your favourite publisher of the year? The book is to me more important than who publishes it, and I very rarely take notice of who the publisher even is! Your favourite audiobook of the year? I don't buy audio books My honoury mentions (5 stars) Independent People: Halldor Laxness Round Ireland With a Fridge: Tony Hawks The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Rebecca Skloot Girls of Riyadh: Rajaa Alsanea The Guardian Angel's Journal: Carolyn Jess-Cooke The Road to Wanting: Wendy Law-Yone Before I Go to Sleep: SJ Watson Into the Darkest Corner: Elizabeth Haynes The Life of Pi: Yann Martel Tiny Sunbirds Far Away: Christie Watson Strength in What Remains: Tracey Kinder and 4 stars Girl in Translation: Jean Kwok The Drowning People: Richard Mason Out Stealing Horses: Per Petterson The Book of Lies: Mary Horlock Between Shades of Grey: Ruta Sepetys The Kindest Thing: Cath Staincliffe The Storm Before the Calm - Conversations with Humanity Book 1: Neale Donald Walsch

I used to go to a lot of live concerts when I was younger, but Coran and I have such different tastes, and we live that much further form London now that we only really go for very special occasions - plus the fact that it is just so expensive. The last concert then that I went to was Stevie Wonder at the 02 back in 2009. This was the fourth time I have seen him, and along with the other shows, it was brilliant. I am such a huge Stevie fan that I can recognise most of his songs from the first note, so was one of the embarrassing ones who started singing along from the first key. I sang so much and so loudly that by the end of the night I was hoarse! It was for me a brilliant night, until that it we got out of the arena to the tube station, where Coran had what he felt at the time was a heart attack - luckily it turned out to be a panic attack. We had to phone his sister though to come and take us home and ended up spending the night in Mayday Hospital in Croydon - not a nice place at the best of times.

I have lots of impact books - probably more non fiction than fiction, because knowledge is to me at least, power. Some books by authors such as Neale Donald Walsch, Eckhart Tolle and of course A Course in Miracles to those who are familiar with them, need no further explanation. The first spiritual book that I read was Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers and that certainly changed a lot of things for me. It led to me to do some evening classes exploring similar concepts and those classes in turn led me to Coran, who became my life partner and best friend. I also of course made many more friends - most importantly with myself. Perhaps the most important impact book of all though would be the one that I wrote myself. I could not though have done it without the myriad of other books that I read and utilised as research material - too numerous to mention here, and all very different in terms of subject matterand the way in which they influenced my own writing.

I had a look at the sample chapter which came with my copy of Five People, but it didn't seem like quite my cup of tea for some reason. I am not sure what I will read next, but my wish list seems to grow every time I log on, so I am sure I will find something !

It's the last day of November today, and I have managed to get through another 6 books this month (technically 5 1/2 since I am halfway through one at the moment. I have been actively trying to read more unusual books this month from countries which are usually off the literary beaten track, and have managed 2 from Africa (Nigeria and Burundi) and one from South Korea, plus 3 books which are well and truly on the beaten track - including The Life of Pi. This was possibly one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read - and coming from me that means something. I found the references to the various religions that the teenage Pi explores most fascinating, and it left me wondering about the symbolism of his animal companions. I have been unable to ascertain (so far) if there is any meaning, but I am sure it is there somewhere! The African books too have been interesting, and I definately plan to read a lot more from this continent. The 2 African books I have read are Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson and Strength in What Remains by Tracey Kidder - both very different books. The former tells the story of a young Nigerian girl whose parents split up, forcing her mother to move to the country with relatives in the troubled Niger Delta region, while the latter is a true story about a Burundian refugee who flles to the US after the massacre of his famaiy. I knew very little about this part of Africa, so it has been, and continues to be a real eye opener. Kidder, who is himself American, has written several other similar books, but sadly this is the only one available for Kindle. It was well worth the £11.48 that I spent on it. I wouldn't normally spend that much, but as I have also read some 99p books lately, I told myself that I could justify the cost, and I was right. Books read this month then are as follows: Tiny Sunbirds Far Away: Christie Watson The Life of Pi: Yann Martel Five People You Meet in Heaven: Mitch Albom Please Look After Mother: Kyung-sook Shin Dusk: Maureen Lee Strength in What Remains: Tracey Kinder

The Camera Never Lies - Bucks Fizz

I have had many different jobs over the years, each of which was, like my current job, my dream job at that particular time. They didn't always finish off that way, but I learnt a lot from each of them, and after all, what is life about if it isn't learning? The greatest learning has come from the job I do now - as a full time housekeeper in a nursing home. It is the best, most rewarding job I have ever had. I also have an unpaid job as Editor of my village newsletter, which is also very rewarding, but in a totally different way.

Nothing - but I am about to cook an asparagus and leek risotto