Hobbies and Crafts

looking forward to reading the Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory which is sitting on my book shelf and has won the greaders vote (just) this time.

Currently reading
Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy Book 3) by Ken Follett.

The full trilogy covers the fortunes of 5 inter-related families from 1911 onwards.
The blurb for the first in the series says

The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution.
.....
The last in the series (about 2/3rds of the way through) starts off in the early 1960s.
One of the main characters is an Aide in the Kennedy Government, another is an Aide in the Politbureau. Through their eyes we can see behind the headlines of the time.

Not only that, we get a crash course on equal black rights in the US, The Cuba Crisis, the Berlin Wall, Flower Power and the popular music scene. Its dissappointing that the English/Welsh branch doesn't seem to feature in politics so much in this book, although it does touch on the decriminalisation of homosexual acts.

Apart from the weight of the paper back, it isn't heavy reading; you don't need a degree in Politics to enjoy it!

I have just finished My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer


United by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again? Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight year old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister . . . and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope . . . and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again

A very touching book <3

Good story but I thought it sort of just petered out at the end though.

Can't wait for the film when it's released in October with the gorgeous Felicity Jones as Dr Sienna Brooks.

I thought Inferno was more thought-provoking than his previous books. It addressed the thorny topic of global population growth.

:-D There are 5 DB books, they're all good but his last, 'Inferno', I didn't particularly like as much as the others.

I'm two-thirds the way through Dominus so should finish it over the weekend. It's really good so far, hope it doesn't have a duff ending.

Stephen, I haven't read any other Dan Brown books.
I am hopeless with names and thought that I saw a book written by the author of Angels & Demons. on the shelf St the library or charity shop, grabbed it with glee, (can't remember the title) and eagerly started reading it when I got home, was ether disappointed, as it was do different to A&D, then realised that it was a book by Dan Jones! ( I think)
Will try yo to better next time.

Kindle updates. I think this might mainly apply to those of us with a keyboard Kindle and early touch (Kindle 3rd 4th 5th generation. Kindle touch 4th and 5th generation) For these devices, even if your device has built-in 3G, you will need to connect to Wi-Fi to receive the latest software update.

Update Your Kindle E-Reader via Wi-Fi

If your Kindle e-reader does not have the latest software version, connect your device to Wi-Fi to receive the software update.

Determine Your Software Version

Determine the current software version on your Kindle Keyboard before downloading and installing a software update. You may already have the latest software update or you may need to install a previous software version before you can install the latest software update.
From Home, press the Menu button, and then select Settings. You will see the current software version at the bottom of the screen.

If you have the latest update, it should look like this:
Version: Kindle 3.4.2(2687240004)

If you see an earlier version, proceed with the steps in Transfer & Install Software Updates Manually.


To update your Kindle once connected to Wi-Fi:

From the Home screen of your Kindle, select Menu or tap the Menu icon, then choose Sync and Check for Items.
Plug your Kindle in and leave your Kindle plugged in and connected to a Wi-Fi network overnight.

While asleep, the software update will download and install automatically. Your device may restart multiple times during the update process.

You will get a final confirmation letter titled 03-2016 Successful Update on your device when the update is complete. You can find the letter by viewing all items in your Kindle Library, and then sorting the items by Recent.

If you’re not sure if your device has the latest version, go to Determine Your Kindle E-Reader Software Version.

Is there another Chronicles of St Mary's book? Yippee! That's another one to add to the Wish List.
Looking on Amazon, there is also a short story for 99p
Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings - A Chronicles of St Mary's Short Story
Also one about to be published
Lies, Damned Lies, and History (The Chronicles of St Mary's Series Book 7)

Let us know how the Dominus pans out, Stephen. If its as good as most of Dan Brown's books, it will be worth a read.

Should have asked for Amazon vouchers in December :-0

I like the sound of West End Girls. I've started a list of books I want to read and will add it to that. Last time I went to the library I took the list with me and they only had one of the books in stock. That was Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. It is part of The Rivers of London series featuring Peter Grant. The actual stories in the books are stand-alone but there are so many references to events and characters in earlier books that it is better if you read them in order.

The Rivers of London books are fantasy and I am currently reading book 6 in another fantasy series The Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodie Taylor. Book 6 is called What could possibly go wrong? (I think, haven't got it in front of me). The series is about time-travelling historians who are supposed to observe and record but not interfere in history. Of course, they get into all sorts of trouble. Again it is better if you can read the series in order as you see how the different characters change and develop. I was introduced to this series by this thread.

Re. Earlier comments, I generally find the book is better than the play which is better than the film. That was certainly true of Dangerous Liaisons. Read the book (in translation) and loved it, saw the play in London and thought it was pretty good, saw the film and am ambivalent about it as I thought John Malkovitch was miscast. Still, that's another story...

One of my favourites (again) West End Girls by Barbara Tate. A true story about 'working girls' Soho in London, I love it.

Tess - have you read the other DB books yet? His last one wasn't as good. It annoys me that they hardly ever follow the story properly in films of books. That's why I always like to read the book first.

I'll let you know how Dominus goes. I'm on page 50 and getting hooked in already.

Stephen, I"ve read Angels & Deamons by. Dan Brown. It was another of my purchases from the charity shop.

Had it in my "waiting to read" pile for uite a while. However. read it before watching the film on TV.

I thoroughly loved the book, a real page turner. Kept me wondering what else was going yo happen, and who was responsible for what.

However, as I knew that I would be watching the film. I kept wondering how they depicted certain things on film.

Only to find out that they didn't!
I especially wanted to see the futuristic plane used at the beginning of the story, only to find out that they cut out that part of the story completely.

I much preferred the book and eil read it again.
Would recommend it highly.

Will be on the the look out for Dominus by Tom Fox.

Sorry I've been quiet for awhile. Finally finished all eight of Stephen King's Dark Tower books last week. A bit of a disappointing ending but I don't think it could have ended any other way really.

I've just read The Martian by Andy Weir. A great page turner but quite technical. I've certainly learnt a lot about living on Mars and of human endurance and ingenuity. I want to see the film now I've read it.

Just started Dominus by Tom Fox. A religious conspiracy thriller a la Dan Brown.

Have just finished reading. The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards.

Starting in the 1960s. it is the story o a new born baby girl with Down's Syndrome being given away at birth, without her mother's knowledge.
The mother, Norah, is told by her husband that their baby girl was still born.

This secret has far reaching and long lasting effects on all the people concerned.

A moving story, highly recommended.

I have read some Susan Lewis books. and really enjoy them. The latest one was. The Truth About You. Which was a greasers book, so will not comment till review date on the greasers thread.

DET, I had read a couple of Tempe Brennan books ages ago. Long before the Bones series appeared on our TV screens. I really liked them, took me a while to realise that this was the same person because I am hopeless at remembering names (author and the Temperance Brennan)

Have also recently read a couple of books for the teenage market, co written by Kathy Reich's and her son (whose name escapes me!). The star, I forget her name too, is a neice of Tempe, an interesting read.

I have just read A French Affair by Susan Lewis. Really enjoyed this one, she is such a good writer, great characters, good plot, beautiful descriptions, mainly set amongst vineyards with a brief visit to Paris. Very sensual and evocative.

When Natalie is killed in a freak accident while on holiday with her Grandmother, her mother Jessica feels there is something she is not being told. Jessica travels to France to stay in the same cottage owned by Luc the husband of her best friend Lilian. Charlie, Jessica's husband is so traumatised by the death of his beloved daughter that he refuses to discuss Jessica's suspicions about her mother.

well worth reading. I read the paperback but it is available on kindle.

At one time, until OH moaned about the groaning bookshelves, I had most of the Temperance Brennan books. This was long before the TV series. Revisting them, its difficult to disassociate the series from the books.

Your synopsis certainly rings a bell. :-)

Have just finished reading "Monday Mourning". by Kathy Reich's.
A novel written in the first person by Temperance Brennan, including an appearance Ryan. Tempe Brennan is " Bones". In the TV series of that name.

This Tempe is slightly different from the one in Bones, but is no less interesting. Whereas as Ryan is the love-interest in the book.

The story is set in Montreal, in winter, brrrrr.

If you like Bones, or CSI etc. you will probably like this.. I enjoyed it and will try to get another book Tempe Brennan book by Kathy Relics.

Just to whet your appetite the blurb on the back cover starts.
" Three skeletons are found in the basement of a pizza parlour.
The building is old, with a colourful past, and Homicide Detective Luc Claudel dismisses the remains as historic.,..,....
But Forensic Anthropologist Tempe Brennan has her doubts.,.... "

Have just finished reading "Monday Mourning". by Kathy Reich's.
A novel written in the first person by Temperance Brennan, including an appearance Ryan. Tempe Brennan is " Bones". In the TV series of that name.

This Tempe is slightly different from the one in Bones, but is no less interesting. Whereas as Ryan is the love-interest in the book.

The story is set in Montreal, in winter, brrrrr.

If you like Bones, or CSI etc. you will probably like this.. I enjoyed it and will try to get another book Tempe Brennan book by Kathy Relics.

Just to whet your appetite the blurb on the back cover starts.
" Three skeletons are found in the basement of a pizza parlour.
The building is old, with a colourful past, and Homicide Detective Luc Claudel dismisses the remains as historic.,..,....
But Forensic Anthropologist Tempe Brennan has her doubts.,.... "