bobblybear

I've been playing Fallout: New Vegas again. I just love that and Fallout 3. I'm perfectly happy to wander around the Mojave, with no real aim.

I finished The Art of Racing in the Rain, and have now moved on to the The Witches by Roald Dahl.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes Synopsis from Amazon: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time. My Thoughts: I loved this book. I initially had some doubts about reading it, because it seemed to be a chick-lit book if I was going to judge it by the cover (naughty, I know ). Even though the subject matter sounded quite serious, I didn’t think it would be dealt with in an appropriately considerate way. But I read quite a few rave reviews of it, and thought I would give it a try, and I’m so glad I did. Yes, the subject matter is very serious, but it is also coupled by the light-hearted tone of the narrator Lou, who is a very endearing, generous person. The two main characters are very well fleshed out, and Will’s condition is dealt with compassionately and in no-holds-barred detail, so you really can empathise with his state of mind and his intentions. Of course it makes the reader ask the inevitable question: What would you want to do in the same situation? Both characters grow and change through the book, having an impact on each other, and changing each others lives. I’ve seen in some reviews the book has been described as romantic or a love story, but I would describe it as a story of intense friendship between two people who are fighting their own demons, and cannot connect with anyone else in way they can with each other. All sides of the story are covered, using Will and Lou’s family to show all the different strong opinions people have . The book is dotted with humour, and is very funny in some places. I think this helps keep your spirits up and makes it a bit easier to read, otherwise it could end up a depressing read that leaves you on a downer for the rest of the day. Despite the heavy topic, I found it easy to read and quite hard to put down. Sad when it ended, but in a way I’m glad it ended how it did. One of the best this year for me. 10/10

Thanks for the replies. There are too many choices out there. I would prefer to not use the pods/capsules as they are quite expensive. That Bialetti Moka Express Espresso Maker is interesting; I've seen them around but not really known how they were used. I'm not a major coffee drinker (unless it's decaf ), so it's more the hot chocolate for me, and coffee for hubby. I've spoken to people at work and it seems like everyone has at some point owned one, but stopped using it when the novelty wore off, and they only drag it out when guests arrive. I'm leaning towards a Bosch one, but it uses capsules. However I don't think we would use it for every cup of coffee/chocolate. It would be more of a treat. Maybe. Decisions decisions.

I'm about to have a scotch egg with coleslaw.

I keep swapping between The Art of Racing in the Rain and Notes from a Small Island. I've got two days off so hopefully I'll finish at least one of them.

Yikes! I'm glad I only paid £0.20 for it. Yours isn't the only scathing review I've read about it.

I'm reading this at the moment. Chesilbeach, I echo your comments about being unable to read more than a few chapters at a time, and finding it a bit of a slog. I don't know why I'm finding it a slog, as he is a very entertaining author. I suspect it's because I haven't visited the majority of places he writes about, but they all seem to be similar as each other, or too similar to places I have visited. I'm about halfway through, but have to keep putting it aside to read other books. I shall answer the questions when I finish the book as I can probably give better comments then.

Forgot to say that I finished The Declaration by Gemma Malley. It was ok - very much young-adult and I probably would have preferred it if it were written in a more heavy-handed serious way. I could have done without Anna blushing every time Peter looked at her, but what's young-adult without a little budding romance?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling Synopsis from Amazon: 'His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.' With these words Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince draws to a close. And here, in this seventh and final book, Harry discovers what fate truly has in store for him as he inexorably makes his way to that final meeting with Voldemort. In this thrilling climax to the phenomenally bestselling series, J.K. Rowling will reveal all to her eagerly waiting readers. My Thoughts: I was so excited to start this, but it was a bit of a downer as well knowing it was the last of the series. We’ve seen Harry and his friends grow from 11 year old kids to young adults with huge responsibilities. Initially Rowling may have been writing for children, but as the popularity of the series has taken off and attracted readers of all ages, I think the tone of the books have changed, so they are more likely to appeal to people of all ages. The last few books are a lot more sinister with more adult themes; I suppose a lot of readers have grown with Harry and are now young adults themselves. This one was so full of twists and turns, and I did find it a bit hard to keep up. I’m still not sure I understand the full connection between the Deathly Hallows and the Horcruxes, but I’m sure when I watch the movies it will fill in any gaps in my understanding. The death-count is quite high and I guess it’s to be expected given the subject matter, but I couldn’t help but shed a tear at I loved Snape’s backstory and I think he is now my favourite character in the series. I really look forward to re-reading the series again to see all the little seeds that have been planted about things that were revealed in the later books of the series. I was also happy to see Neville Longbottom play a large and key role. It’s nice to see an underdog character find their own place and strengths and come out on top. Go Neville!!! Clearly I’m a fan, so I’ll have to give it a high recommendation. 10/10

I've just looked this one up on Amazon. It does look very good indeed and I have added it to my wishlist.

Ditto! Even though I've already read it this year, I'm still looking forward to revisiting Enzo and his wisdom.

The BFG - Roald Dahl Synopsis from Amazon: The well-loved story of a big friendly giant who spirits a child out of bed to the land of the child-eating giants. This edition has a great new cover by Quentin Blake as well as a whole new exciting end section about Roald Dahl and his world. My Thoughts: This was one of my childhood favourites, though I hadn't read it in maybe 25 years, so had forgotten quite a bit of it. I doubt there are many people who haven't read The BFG and I'm sure a lot of people my age have fond memories of it. I wonder if Roald Dahl's books are as popular with children now, as they were 'back then'. I had completely forgotten about The BFG's unique way of speaking and reading it as an adult I can see how creative and clever it is. And who can resist giggling at whizzpops! It's a short, entertaining and unique read that hopefully everyone will have had the pleasure of reading at least once in their lives. 9/10

Hmm, it is odd, but while I was writing my previous post I was trying to think what a more appropriate cover would look like and I can't think of one. A 'serious' cover wouldn't suit the book either, despite the subject matter. Who knows - maybe the author/publisher spent months trying to decide on a cover, and chose the chick-lit one because a serious one didn't fit either.

I'll steer clear of the book then, though I have to say it's never tempted me. The TV series on the other hand......I've seen it through 5 or 6 times, and I never get sick of it. It's just brilliant!!

I've since read it, and absolutely loved it. I don't know why they chose such a silly cover; it didn't fit the book at all.

In a couple of months they'll be doing the 12 Days of Kindle, and they usually have loads of brilliant books available for a low price. I must have bought about 20 books last year, but whether I've read them all is another story.

Yeah, the series. I've never read the book, and from Sofia's comments I'm guessing it's not worth it at all. You're welcome. I do hope you read it, Frankie, it's a very moving book.

Thanks Frankie! I know they are just books, but it's too easy to get so immersed in the characters that you almost forget they are fictional. I also felt this way when Sex and the City ended. Yeah, that was me. I thought it would be too girly-girly-chick-lit which doesn't particularly appeal. I have to say, it's not chick-lit at all, aside from the main character being a bit 'girly'. The story itself is just amazing, and it's so brilliantly expressed. It's quite hard to describe, as it's both very light-hearted, but also extremely serious. And it does the serious bits very well indeed, without treating any of it with less dignity than it deserves, as the subject matter is very delicate (especially in the light of some fairly recent news stories) and probably divides many people. I'd highly recommend it - it's a very moving book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling Synopsis from Amazon: 'In a brief statement on Friday night, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned to this country and is once more active. "It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord - well, you know who I mean - is alive and among us again," said Fudge. These dramatic words appeared in the final pages of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In the midst of this battle of good and evil, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with Voldemort's power and followers increasing day by day ... My Thoughts This is the penultimate Harry Potter book, and in my mind the series just gets better and better. I loved seeing the characters develop over the books - even the minor ones; they are all pretty detailed and you never quite know how relevant to the story they will be. I love Luna Lovegood's character - she's awesome! The storyline is becoming more complex and a lot darker in tone, and there are also adolescent romance parts which are quite sweet. There are quite a few shockers in it, especially towards the ending (if you’ve read it, you’ll know what I mean), and I just couldn't believe what I was reading. In fact, when I went into work the next day, the first thing I said to my coworker when she walked through the door was: Tom Riddle's background is explained a bit more as well, which just adds a bit more depth, though to be honest I'm not that interested in him beyond being 'the bad guy' The ending nicely sets the tone for the next and final book, in which the showdown between Harry and Voldemort takes place. I was lucky to be able to read the final book straight away; I can't imagine the excitement and suspense of people who were reading the books as they were being released. I don't know how much time lapsed between the 6th and 7th book being released, but I would have been on tenterhooks the whole time. As hokey as it sounds, it's great to get so excited over a book release! 10/10

I'm a Kindle convert and don't think I'll go back to paper books, unless it's a book that's only available in paper. Before I first got my Kindle I was very worried that I would now have to buy books if I wanted to read them (as opposed to borrowing from the library), but there are so many free and cheap ebooks that it's no longer a concern. I also love the fact that I can store as many books as I want. There's no pesky problem of finding a comfortable position while trying to hold up a mammoth sized hardback, or having your hand get tired from holding the pages open. Changing the font size and spacing is great as well. It's odd though, I was never bothered by the font size in a paperbook, and would happily read a book with tiny print, but with a Kindle I use either the 3rd or 4th sized font which is actually quite large. I just find it easier on the eyes. I wish there was a larger variation of fonts - I quite like changing the fonts for some reason and rarely just stick to the one. I did get a recent update that mentioned something about the fonts being easier to read, but I don't notice anything different. So yeah, I love my Kindle. Price-wise it's not too bad, especially for an avid reader. No regrets here!

I've started Declaration by Gemma Malley, along side Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island.

Hi, Does anyone own one of these and are they any good? We are trying to find one that makes coffee and hot chocolate, but can only find one (Bosch/Tassimo Beverage Maker) that seems to do both. Do all coffee machines make hot chocolate, or do we need to find one that specifically states it does so? It's doing my head in reading up on reviews. There are so many, and they aren't cheap. Who knew there was so much to know about coffee. All we drink here is instant from a jar, so it all seems a bit confusing!

Fish and chips.