Wednesday 27 July 2011

I've been surprised by unknown authors.

My husband bought my kindle for me in January for my birthday. Like anyone who has a kindle knows, you get carried away "buying" free books from Amazon, by completely unknown authors. Probably thinking, "well they won't be much good, but they're free!"

Well I have been really surprised! I have been introduced to authors which I didn't know existed, like Conrad Jones. Know I love his books and try and read as many as I can. Along with Stephen Leather. They may be well know authors to some, but I had never heard of them, and now really enjoy them.

I've been introduced to Jeff Lee (interview coming soon), and Simon Gould. Again books that I couldn't put down. Okay I had to pay for them, but they were only 99p. Where can you get such good entertainment for several hours for 99p?

I have read more than ever before, and now read everywhere. Just try and stop me. I have gone from reading just Danielle Steel, James Patterson and Jodi Picoult, to any book that looks interesting. It hasn't stopped me buying paperbacks or hardbacks, having purchased 4 this week! I often look at my bookshelf and wonder if I will ever get through all of the books! I hope so.

Have your reading interests changed over the years or do you stick with the same authors or same genres all the time? I still prefer crime and thriller novels, and apart from the Twilight series, I'm not much into vampire type books or modern chic lit, but I will try most others. Would like to hear your thoughts

WANDERLUST WEDNESDAY - E book or paper book?


When you go on holiday, would you prefer to take an e-reader (Kindle, Nook etc) loaded with all your favourite books, or is there nothing like a paperback for chilling by the pool?

I would normally say paperback, as you can then often swap them in the library in your apartment or hotel, but this year I took my Kindle for the first time and read more than I normally would. Plus I could get it in my handbag (purse) and I read it in the queue at the airport.

Feel free to post this Meme to your own blog and share it around. You are free to copy and paste the picture above. Please post your meme blog page in the comments box below if you do, as I'd love to see what other people say.

I am looking for a list of questions that I can pose each Wednesday that have anything to do with books and travel, so all suggestions welcomed.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Book Review -- The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour



TITLE - The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour

AUTHOR - Jeff Lee
Publisher - Jeff Lee 

Currently available in Kindle format
I loved this book. For anyone who has read Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novels, it is similar in style to those, just slightly less content.
It tells the story of 3 friends who form The Ladies Temperance Club. One of them, Vonda, has lived with her abusive alcoholic boyfriend for several years. It's a strange relationship. He also hates her friends. She's finally had enough though and whacks him over the head with one of his beloved trophies and kills him. Her friends stand by her and they hide his body in the freezer of his RV and then go off on a Thelma and Louise type trip. This is where the fun starts.

Her husband was a fraudster and the repo company on their Harley Davidsons are after him and his RV. They are tracking the RV across the state and come into some amusing scrapes along the way. Each time you think they're catching the girls up, something happens which delays them. It's such fun! Then they do catch them up and take the RV, along with the body in the freezer. Although the girls don't know that it's repo guys that have took it and panic, not wanting to report it stolen as they don't want the police to find what's in it.

It really is a fun and light hearted read. I believe there is to be a sequel to the book and I can't wait to read it. I think the book is well written, humourous and you keep wanting to read more.

My rating - 5/5

I've missed my blogging

Life is so busy at times and it runs away with you. My blogging is my solace and I have missed it. Even my book reading has taken a slide which is very unusual for me. Time has not been my own.

 My Father was taken ill and has had to spend some time in hospital, so I was visiting every day. He did not feel ill and couldn't understand why he had to stay there. His blood level was too high (he has chronic kidney failure) and they needed to get it down. They altered his medication, that is supposed to make him better, as they think it was that causing the problem. I hope they've sorted it now as Mum and Dad are off on a cruise next week!

Work has been getting in the way too! Working for the Police our government have kindly made cuts which is affecting all Police Forces. Cuts are being made by people who have no idea how a Police force runs and it's affecting everyone. Staff have left and not been replaced. Others are off with work related stress, so those left behind are having to do overtime to cover it. I don't normally do overtime as I enjoy life too much to spend it all at work, but you feel pressured into doing it to help your colleagues out.  Well now I have some days off so I'm going to enjoy myself and do things for me.

I am off to London tomorrow with my Mum to watch the recording of the TV show "Loose Women". then we'll go for a pub lunch and then on a DUKW tour of London, on the old war amphibious vehicle that takes you on water and land. I'm really looking forward to it. We're going on a coach full of women, and leaving our men behind. Should be fun!

On Friday we are off to an outdoor theatre at a smart hotel called "Kilworth House"  near Lutterworth, UK. The act is a TV personality called Brian Conley who sings and is also a comedian. He is appearing with a West End singer called Adam Watkiss. The show is all in aid of The Air Ambulance. Unfortunately in the UK our air ambulances are charity run and are not paid for by the government.

So with my days off, I shall be reading and blogging too, as I have 9 days off. Oh and I suppose housework must come into it somewhere if it has too! lol.

Thanks for reading my blog. I really appreciate you taking the time. Off to type a book review now.

Thursday 7 July 2011

Book Review -- Not easily washed away - Anon beauty & Brian Arthur Levene



 TITLE - Not easily washed away - Memoirs of a Muslim's Daughter

AUTHOR - Anon Beauty & Brian Arthur Lavene 

PUBLISHER - Gully Gods Publishing


Available in paperback or kindle form.
This book was given to me by the author and publisher, but I was not paid in any part for my review and the words are all my own.

I had heard some negative comments about this book and decided to ignore those and find out for myself. There are a lot of books about "abuse" on the market and often you read some of them and they tend to be so similar you wonder if they are all true. I had no doubts with this one whatsoever and I was not disappointed in the slightest with this book. It was totally different from others that I had read, in that the narrator of the book came from Pakistan and was a muslim, as was the offender.

I really liked the main "character" who was telling her story, and felt for her throughout the book. Some decisions she made really made me think that she must be in a really dark place to think that she needed to constantly do what was being asked of her. Especially as she reached her late teens. Who knows how they would feel in that same situation?

When she went to the US I thought that maybe things would change for her, but she still suffered the most cruelest abuse. You hear many abuse stories in the Christian and Catholic faiths, and common sense tells you it would not be restricted to just these two faiths, but this was from the Muslim faith which is rarely documented. It shows that there are abusers all over the world who carry on their sick acts behind closed doors, hidden from those who think they know them best.

I thought this was well written, graphic in parts maybe, but this lent to the book and needed to be told.

I truly hope that "anon beauty" can somehow go on and enjoy a better life, and put her sadistic abuser to the back of her mind.

Wednesday 6 July 2011

WANDERLUST WEDNESDAY

Sorry for the lateness in my Wanderlust Wednesday. Family emergency!

Please let me have your suggestions for what we can include on these days, that include books and travel. If you would like to use the picture above on your blog, please feel free to do so, then add the link to your post (not your blog home page) to the comments box. Thanks.

" When on vacation, do you prefer to lay and read your book on the beach, by the pool or somewhere else?"

I would prefer to lay on the beach, but on a sunbed, as I love to hear the sound of the sea in the background. I find it more relaxing. Sometimes it's nice by the pool, but I do find screaming children distracting.

Happy holidays everyone.