HoneyGirl

Wow this thread is great and the place for me at the moment. I have put on so much weight, I sit hating myself and feeling all tubby all of the time, its got to stop! I have bought myself a cross trainer and am waiting for it to be delivered, sick of waiting now tbh as I order it 10 days ago and still no news on when its going to get here, thats 10 days where I could have been using the blighter! I have all the exercise games for the Wii but I want something more intensive than that as its more of a light workout and I need to lose a lot of pounds, especially from my legs and butt, so I needed something that would make me work more. I think the cross trainer will be great, my Wii exercises will be a warm up and cool down for after the trainer. I am dreading weighing myself............

Hello Duncan - how are you? I got a Kindle for a "New Year" present, only got the £89 one but I love it, its great - have got 5 books on it so far. I'm only buying the cheaper books for it though, got some bargains on Amazon though, they are grand! I won't be abandoning paper books completely either, I don't think I could as I love them too much but the Kindle is definitely handy for cheapie books and keeping them all in the one place. You're like me with your rule of rather buying the paper copy if they're both the same price. I'd still rather have a pyhsical copy of something given the choice. I can imagine how the blow by blow of war activities could become a little tiresome, I would find that too. I am still going to buy the book but its not the first one on my wishlist, I have them in order of what I'd like first you see - haha - I wish I could afford to buy them all at once! I've found some excellent books in the charity shops lately, been so exciting, I go in twice a week to have a nosy and I usually come out of there with at least one - going to need more bookcases soon!

Thank you for that informative reply Willoyd, it sounds like its just my sort of book. I am going to add it to my wishlist as there are a few others which I would rather get before that one but I'm definitely interested in it.

I am still buying proper bookks as much as I used to as well, my bedroom is only small and I need a new bookcase - space is definitely going to be an issue very soon!

Interesting thread this has turned into with everyone's different opinions etc. I am not too fussed about the backlight either, as I will be using the Kindle mainly through the day and in the garden in the summer. If I need to read on it at night I will just leave my lamp on like I obviously do for regular books. As for a case, I am undecided on one for me as I am not taking the Kindle out of the house at the moment and am only reading with it on the sofa or in bed. But I will be wanting a case for when I am in the garden with it, as my garden is paved and if I drop the Kindle out there it will be a goner. I don't want to be spending a fortune on one though, so your hints about where to get one are handy. I only have 4 books on it at present, all were bargains I grabbed in the sale on Amazon with their daily Kindle offers etc, I'm afraid that I'm still going to be someone who uses the Kindle for cheap books, if they cost the same price as the hardback or paperback would then I will just buy the real book, as I'd rather. I've been picking up some bargains in charity shops lately too, got quite a few good condition hardback books for under £2 so its a real deal for me, especially since I am running out of funds with being a job hunter on no benefits

What is the basic theme of All hell let loose? I mean, does it focus primarily on one subject of the war or does it cover a wide range? Also, does it go into military operations a lot?

Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to have thought this way as my friends said I was daft! Haha! I am loving the range of books I can get for just cheap for the Kindle - there are quite a lot of the genre I like knocking about. I'm not too impressed by the free books but maybe I'm not looking in the right place? Thing is Talisman I do still love the feeling and smell of a "real" book in my hands - and some books I would just have to own physically, like one I especially love or a special hardback edition with nice photos in. I do love the idea of Kindle and it is certainly going to help me in a lot of ways - the cheaper books and the ease of having a few books all in one place for journeys and sitting in the garden with in the summer. It is so light too which is a bonus as sometimes when lying in bed reading, the weight of a book can start to hurt. I do not buy hardbacks very often either - only if it is a special book that I especially want as I do think that hardbacks are over-priced. There are a few books I am wanting to get but currently they are only out in hardback which means they cost over £10, and for just words and no pictures, I would rather have a paperback just for the price difference and ease of holding when reading. Thanks Julie I am loving the Kindle already and to be honest, I can see all the sides of the coin as regards to everyone's preference over a Kindle or a "real" book. Personally I will never stop buying real books, and like I said before, I won't buy a book for the same price of a paperback on the Kindle - but thats just me as I like to save money where ever I can, as with not working at the moment money is a bit tight. I've learned to be very patient when waiting to buy something! Haha. I can understand that it must be great to have a Kindle for people like you who live far from a bookshop. Luckily I am very near town and also have a good mail order service here too so I can get books very easily. I have taken to browsing charity shops too for second hand books, I have picked up some great ones for bargain prices too - some even that are now unavailable in the shops, so I am always very pleased then! I think I will have to invest in a one of those Kindle covers with the light attached. I am so used to a computer screen that sometimes I think the Kindle screen looks dark but I know that this makes for easier reading as its supposed to be like paper so I will soon get used to it. I am living in gadget city at the moment - my dad was laughing at me yesterday as I had a laptop, an iPad, a Kindle and my mobile phone all strewn round me on the couch - as well as two or three books - haha!

I managed to get a Kindle yesterday, very pleased about it although I won't be giving up on the real books. I've decided to just spend up to £3 on books for Kindle and then any others I want which cost the same as a hard copy will be bought in a hard copy. But I am getting some bargains on Amazon for 99p, £1.99 and 86p. I love it! Is there anything I should know about the Kindle as a newbie to it?

Hi Julie, the Henry once took me about 6 months in all but it had been a project I'd put away for a few years before I completed it. The Christmas one I started in February and had finished it by July, I really loved doing that one, it was really enjoyable I didn't design either myself, they were from a kit, I don't really think I am talented enough to design anything myself yet Thank you for your lovely comments too - please keep me updated on whether you get to cross stitch

I've been wondering about that one Willoyd so thanks for that little review - another one to go on my wishlist. And this topic will always be "live" as long as I am here as its my favourite subject to read about

Oh wow thank you very much SueK and Willoyd, I really appreciate these recommendations and sorry its taken me so long to reply but I've just not been online for ages. I will definitely be looking into those Sue, as they sound like something that I will be very interested in. I'll search them out on Amazon tomorrow when I am less tired as my eyes are dropping right now! Willoyd I have the Julia Gardiner series on my wishlist, and I shall look into the Roger Moorhouse book you mentioned. Also, its funny you should bring Blackout up as I just spotted it on Waterstones website yesterday and I fancied reading it, even though its fiction and I don't usually read that genre, I do think this one will be fascinating and now you've recommended it too, I shall be trying it, so thanks I did not know there was another book to go with it too so I will be looking for that one also.

I've given up on my stitching for a good few months now but I am starting to miss it so as soon as the holidays are over I will be picking up the needle again I have my sewing machine too now which I am learning to use so my hobbies are having to be split into my free time equally

Hi Duncan, how are you? I've not had the chance to get online for so long, I hope you haven't forgotten who I am! Haha Have you had much chance to read lately, I certainly haven't, been so busy with Christmas and other stuff that I've not had a lot of leisure time. I got an iPad2 for Christmas so I am super excited about that, its really great and I love gadgets anyway. How are you getting on with your audio books? I like them too when I cannot be bothered to read or am too tired to. The other Julia Gardiner books look fascinating, they are on my wishlist. I got a few books for Christmas which I shall list when I get upstairs and see the titles as in my sleepy state I have forgotten them! Oh blimey, I took Billy Brown back to the library, I didn't finish that book, I disliked it so much - very far fetched and I feel it was packed up and embellished with lies to make it more interesting. I really wouldn't recommend it but if you're curious I'd only get it from the library. I hate giving up on a book but I couldn't bear him any more!! Its probably one of the worst books I have ever read, along with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - I hate that book too!

Yes thats actually one of them I have added to my wishlist Roland, it looks excellent. My wishlist grows weekly by quite a lot, I just wish I could get all the books all at once - imagine the postie having to deliver all those! But I am quite excited at finding these books we're discussing as they are perfect for what I am interested in, I just love reading about this era so I cannot wait to collect all the books and get stuck in!

Hi there Sally, sorry for the delay in answering but I only just found it, I had forgotten I'd made this thread - oops! I adore a good trip to the charity shop, if I find a bargain of a book I can be pleased about it all week! I recently got Angela's Ashes for 30p which I was well chuffed with as its in good condition too. Cross stitching is one of my main hobbies, I prefer the big designs to the smaller ones though. What made you stop doing stitching? Ahh, how refreshing! My love of honey comes from hot toddies in winter

Hi Duncan, I don't want to push more books onto you but have you heard of How We Lived then by Norman Longmate? It sounds brilliant, just up my street so think it may appeal to you also. Oh and did you know that Dr Julia Gardiner has two other books out? One about The Blitz and the other covering the 1930's - they're all on my wishlist now, got to save up as been cleaned out by Christmas approaching!

Wow I have to say, I am really wanting to read 1984 now after I have looked at this thread, it sounds really fascinating. I have never read it before - however my mum has the full works of George Orwell so I will be getting that out later for a gander. Thanks for the inspiration!

Hmm thats odd isn't it, that one area does it free and another charges. It must depend on the local council I suppose. It does annoy me a little that I have to pay 30p as most books I want from my library are never in the small one I have here. The main library in Durham City has stopped a lot of books getting booked out from there too and it has put them as "reference only" which means you can only read them in the library which is inconvenient. Your library service sounds great, much better than mine!

I only read one book at once, I prefer it that way as I feel I can get absorbed in it and not get anything confused. I cannot start doing the same as I do with my cross stitch - I have several projects I need to finish and I don't intend to do the same thing with my books

My goodness, I have had to give up reading "Billy Brown, I'll tell your mother" - never before have I read a book which has irritated me so. Its going back to the library tomorrow, I cannot bear another word from it. I will write a little review and give the reasons why I have given up on it. I am now going to read Stranger in the House as I think it will be much more informative and reliable to be the truth. Honestly - what an awful book Billy Brown is!

Glad to hear your books arrived Duncan How are you getting on with the Wartime Britain book now? I've stalled on Billy Brown as he was doing my head in - seems to me that there is nothing Billy Brown could not do at aged 8 - just starts to grate on my nerves after reading two thirds of it. Its going back to the library on the 15th so I will finish it before then but I had to put it down for a while which is a shame as I had been speeding through it and really enjoying it. I'm a bit disappointed in it. You sound like such a busy person, what is your PhD?