KINDLE V'S BOOK

So you've all read about me buying a Kindle yes? Ok, well I love it! Have downloaded many books, finding it quite easy to use and have become very fond of it. In fact I'd recommend them to anyone (thanks everyone who commented on my blog about it).

And you've all read about the amount of books I'd accrued over the years and how I my home was turning into a library yes? Ok, well lately I've just been giving the books away as I still haven't got to the market stall to sell them, nor do I see myself actually having the time to do that so giving them away was probably for the best and I have to say I felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends as I packed them lovingly into boxes and then watched sadly as they were taken away to new homes. I wonder what they're doing now? I wonder if their pages are being tenderly turned as their new owner gets to know them?

I wandered back into my hubby's office the other night (wow, you can really move around in there now that the books have gone) and was elated to find half a dozen paperbacks still sitting on the shelf. After glancing over them I remembered I'd kept those particular unread ones for later reading. So now I've been taking in some early reading nights as it's winter and there's nothing like a good snuggle up with a paperback, leccy blanket and a hot milo. But then I found myself glancing over to my Kindle and wondering should I read one of the novels I've downloaded? Not that I'm not enjoying paperbacks - it's just that I KNOW  there is some really good reading material on that Kindle too! Maybe I'm just greedy and want to read them all at once. Maybe I think the next one on the Kindle is better than the paperback I'm currently reading. Wouldn't it be great if we could read them all at once? I know some people can read more than one at a time but I'm not that very advanced ha,hahahahasnort.

So I've come to the decision that I'll read one paperback and then one off the Kindle and so on.
Sigh..........I love all books and wonder which you prefer?

Michelle
xx

THE NEW RECTOR - Rebecca Shaw

Of course I would have to pick up the one book that was in the middle of the sequence novels from author Rebecca Shaw wouldn't I?
'Whispers In The Village' caught my eye one day as I was visiting my local library and so I bought it, read it, loved it and THEN realised I'd just read a book within a series! Don't you just hate that? I've really got to start reading the intro's so I know if  I should be reading the first one first - get my meaning?
But it was a good thing 'cause it opened my love of  reading about  'Turnham Malpas' which is a small english village somewhere in fiction land. The books don't evolve around just one or two of the villagers but intertwines with the other loveable characters who also reside in 'Turnham Malpas' .

Rebecca Shaw introduces us to each and every one of them and if your not sure whether you'll like them or not, as the sequences unravel one after the other, you'll find yourself either in sympathy with them or finding they are really loveable characters. Often you are left feeling you are right there with them. Rebecca began writing the  'Tales From Turnham Malpas' series back in 1994 with the 'New Rector' and has continued through with sixteen follow ups to the present.

I just love these types of books with tales of village life. If anyone can tell of more that are similar, I'd love to hear from you.

Michelle
xx

TROUBLE IN MUDBUG - A Ghost-In-Law Mystery

Straight to the point here, some reviews of this book said it had too much sex and not enough mystery. Personally, I thought it was heavy on the sex and,  in agreement with the reviews, not enough mystery as the title suggests. So beware booklovers, it's not one for the youngsters.

When I found myself skimming a few pages in search of the ghost plot, I found I was still able to keep on track of the parts I hadn't read. Meaning, I hadn't missed much at all.

The characters are loveable but the scenes misled me. I was under the impression that the town 'Mudbug' was of a small population, but every now and then I found it was getting larger - and so I was confused.

There are a few scientific views in this book which mind boggled me and I found it wasn't as intriguing as it was meant to be - or it may be just that  I  expected something different. Look, I wouldn't say not to buy it, afterall, you have to make that decision, but for what it's worth you have to read the second series to find out who the murderer is; and if anyone can find that out for me, I'd appreciate it.

Michelle
xx

MIDSOMER MURDERS ON LOCATION.

I'm a glutton for anything about English villages and so it's no surprise that I'm a book lover of all things of the english nature,
Midsomer Murders, I've been watching since it began and I still enjoy watching the repeats. If anything, not only are the murders all things gory, but the countryside settings and villages are what keep me tuned in (oh and the fact that the detectives, John and Tom Barnaby are cute).

I love seeing the settings for market places, fetes, churches and the county our detectives are seen driving through, it's simply stunning.
Midsomer Murders On Location has listed all the relevant motels, inns, restaurants, bridges, roads, lanes and counties where it's all filmed. If your like me ( a foreigner) to all these areas, then maps have been marked within the book to help guide us through with the help of markings for any specifics.
In fact, one of the privately owned manors where a gruesome murder took place looks deceptively like 'Downton Abbey'. Over one hundred locations used for filming 'Midsomer Murders' are listed - some with beautiful pictures too!

Actually, this is a book I won in a competition and have decided it's definately NOT one for a swap or sale. You see, when hubby and I visit England we shall be able to use this book as a reference guide because it tells you where the murders happened - how exciting!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have.

Michelle
xx

INSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE - THE PRIVATE WORLD OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.

Love, love, love this book!
Everything I ever wanted to know (because I'm a sticky beak at the best of times) about the intricities of the palace and the family that resides within, is bought to life in this wonderful book.
Without giving too much away I'm going to give you a run-down of what's inside - it's a bit like itching to know what that particular house down the road is like on the inside.

THE HOUSE - Oh gosh! It gives us a floor plan of the main floor and the bedroom floor with an adjacent picture of the exterior of the palace so you can visually work your way around the outside and see where rooms are situated. It even shows you where the junk room is! Well, I s'pose every home has one.

AT HOME - Yes, the royal family have their moments, just like the rest of us in that the kids play up just when you don't need them to. Who would've thought! The family enjoy shows like Coronation Street, Eastenders and like us they entertain guests and have dinner parties, only some of those are a tad larger with the head count than what we'd ever engage in.

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS - Ah, it's troublesome at times to employ the right house help isn't it?  But the 'help' do enjoy their gossip  - among their own of course. Like Prince Charles trying to negotiate the hot versus cold taps in the bathroom.
Every day, staff organise on-going delivery vans which are full of groceries, flowers, it's just a never-ending stream, but a very well oiled machine. There's no time for mishaps and there's even a ghost in the palace, so the staff say.

BY ROYAL COMMAND - If one is ever lucky enough to receive an invitation to the palace for dinner then one would be taken to the Ballroom. Did you know, it takes three days to set the table? From the laying of the tablecloth right down to the exit of the plates, it's mapped out how the footman, cooks and washer upperers get their jobs done in no time.They have signal lights which aide the staff for timing purposes. Nifty idea hey? I thought about that for my own home but my family,  full of males,  aren't very good with commands.

There's so much more in this book which makes it very, very interesting. It's only 96 pages but there are some excellent insights, pictures and maps, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy
Michelle
xx

REPORTING ROYALTY BY JENNIE BOND

Jennie Bond is/was the BBC's royal correspondent. She takes us behind the scenes with meetings and greetings of the royal family. The book, illustrated throughout with pictures takes us around the world with the royals as she corresponds.

The news feeds are as it happens and the close encounters she has are a real royal eye opener.

I was amazed at what actually happens within the walls of the palaces, the press conferences, photo footage and the attempts she (Jennie) makes to get them.

A good book if your a fan of the royal family.

My Kindle For Mother's Day! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MUMS!!!!!!!!!

Very special edition here today. As it's Mother's Day today I'd like to wish all mum's a very special Mother's Day and hope you all get spoilt rotten.

So, I've got my kindle, it was all wrapped up pretty and nice with a ribbon. At the moment I'm looking at it in awe as I really don't know where to start as the excitement of buying my own Mother's Day present last week has left me shell-shocked in the nicest way. But I have roamed Amazon and know what I'm going to purchase (that's a secret for you all - you'll find out soon enough) and I have the Kindle sitting right next to me charging, next to the flowers, chocolates and slippers that I also got heh, heh.

But I've a question.
Can any of you tell me what does one do with the book once you've downloaded it on Kindle and read it?
How do I then get rid of it?
Can I sell it or pass it over to some other Kindle owner, or even swap it?

I'd very much appreciate any know how on this.

Anyhoo, must get ready for my luncheon date with the two very special and handsome men in my life - hubby and son. Although, they may have to take a back seat now that I've got a Kindle in my life!

Michelle
xx

AS I AM - ABBA BEFORE AND BEYOND - AGNETHA FALTSKOG

Whenever I hear 'Dancing Queen' on the radio, on telly  or at Karaoke venues, I get the need to sing along. As young girls, my friend Sharon and I used to pretend we were the girls from Abba and with hairbrushes as microphones, the record on full throttle, we'd belt out their songs in front of the mirror. Sharon of course had to be the blonde one because she really has got blonde hair and so naturally I had to be the dark haired one - much to my dismay - but I really pretended I was the blonde one.

And so I have every record and every book that Abba ever  recorded or printed.

I'd heard about,  'As I Am - Abba Before And Beyond'  but was unable to buy it as it was not  printed any longer. Yet years later, I did a search on Ebay and won it by auction at a cost to me which I care not to disclose (in case my husband reads this). Certainly I paid more than the original owner would have,  but I was determined and it was down to just two of us eager buyers, battling it out until I finally won! It's quite a large book and so I also had a heavy postage cost. But was it worth it?
YES!

Beautifully illustrated, Agnetha has chosen some iconic pictures - some black and white, some coloured - which present us with memories of that era. But she doesn't just stop there, for as the title says, the book is also in favour of  'Beyond Abba'. Rather a telling insight as to how she has coped with life after Abba, her divorce, her children, new love life and of course her professional career.

Agnetha really does lift the lid on those rumours of her being a recluse. She has let her guard down with this auto-biography and must be applauded for telling the story straight.

I highly recommend this book for all you Abba fans. It's one not to miss.

Enjoy!

Michelle
xx

                                                               

I GOT ME A KINDLE!!!!!!!!!!

Yes I did!
A friend kindly loaned me hers when she found out I was looking into getting one.
You see, I had a girly night last Friday and we sat around drinking lots of wine and eating goodies and you know, you get talking about stuff and of course Mother's Day came up and I mentioned that I was getting myself one - or rather, son and hubby are! Leanne, my friend said she had one and she loves it and she'd bring it around for me to check out. I showed her the picture of the one I was interested in from Dick Smith's and she said hers was the same or similar.

So the following morning I had it in my hot little hands. I made quite a few mistakes with it - couldn't get the grasp of it and wanted to be rid of it. Leanne had said there was no keyboard at the bottom of it and she preferred it that way so she didn't keep knocking the keys with the palm of her hand.

Instead, with hers you have to touch the screen to turn pages etc and I found that extremely hard to do. It's not a screen that you can just tap, more a whack, and I was worried I'd hurt it and have to buy her a new one. She also said the instructions were inside the kindle screen as well, but after many attempts at whacking it, I still haven't found them. I also noticed that Leanne has left sticky markings in the top left hand corner (probably from whacking) and that of course has ruined the look of it and makes it tricky to read.

But I didn't let that deter me, I was on a mission to see if the Dick Smith one was of any difference - doesn't hurt to try before you buy.

Yesterday I took myself to Dick's store and there it was. Exactly the same as I'd imagined. Oooohhhhhhh how exciting! And a nice young salesman helped me out with it all just as I thought.

Ok, the one I purchased (which is the one I've been talking about) doesn't have a keyboard, but does have three buttons. One for turning the page, one for instructions and one for anything else that you need to do. So much more handier than having a keyboard OR having to whack the screen. And it's very comfortable to handle along with a slightly bigger screen than Leanne's. The nice young salesman showed me the hmmmmm, what's it called, (trying to remember now), oh it's the folder which you can put the kindle in so it's like your holding a book. So with that,  I also topped up the purchase with a screen protector, which Leanne didn't mention she had AND I can read it without having to have the big light on, nor the little torch thingy that can be used if you choose to do so. My bedside lamp will be plenty of lighting.

Only problem now is I can't open it until Mother's Day!