Kindle and eBooks

I was bought Kindle for Christmas, complete with screen protector, cover and light.  I LOVE it, it goes everywhere with me, I just throw it in my bag and off I go, no more hulking great books with me or choosing a handbag based on the size of a book.  I can still read in the bath as my kindle fits into a ziplock bag to keep it dry!

I have a kindle and use Amazon as I asked twitter for advice and kindle was the overwhelming recommendation.  I have downloaded books from Amazon both expensive and free, some mistakes have been made, but found out that if downloaded in error I could return to Amazon for a full refund – I clicked buy instead of sample and having read the sample really didn’t want to buy it.

Friends are divided between kindles are:

the best thing since sliced bread

or

the work of the devil and will be the death of books

However, I have read more books this year than I’ve done for years, both established and independent authors

I have a real mixture of books on my kindle from classics, thrillers, factual, autobiographies to chick lit/romances, although it could be argued that Jane Austen was the first chick lit/romance author but she is now considered a classic author.  I have downloaded books from authors I have tweeted with and even tweeted with authors of books I’ve downloaded.

I am currently trying to read Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables – this is hard work, but since Russell Crowe will be in a new film adaptation of Les Mis I want to read the book first.  There is debate about whether one should only read classic and not the so called ‘Trashy’ chick lit romance novels, but when I can’t sleep at 3am I don’t want to be concentrating on a novel I just want something easy to read, with a happy ever after at the end.  Insomnia is bad enough at the best of times without having to make your brain work hard concentration on a book or reading a weepy.  

As usual I have more than one book on the go at once, a friend has recommended EL James' Fifty Shade of Grey 

you must read it we’re ALL reading it even though it is VERY racy

I know this has had some terrible reviews on Amazon, but the last book this friend recommended was good so I will read it – it’s nearly as hard work as Les Mis but so was Wuthering Heights and that is a lovely story.  Oh I'm not comparing EL James to Victor Hugo or Emily Brontë!

I've read Lisette Brodey's books after I followed her on Twitter, Crooked Moon was a lovely read and not what I was expecting, so will have to down load another of her books next.

I read Michelle Bethan’s No Matter What – it was on offer and free when I downloaded and just loved this book.  Not sure why maybe I could related in various ways to India the main character, - no I’m not a famous Hollywood actress with a fabulous lifestyle - but just on the personal level even though I’ve not been through what India has.  The character made me think about things and in the same way I fell in love with Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot, Mr Darcy, Captain Wentworth, I fell in love with India Stevens.  I have since purchased and read Michelle Betham's other books which I enjoyed just not in the same way.  I even follow Michelle on twitter although she probably thinks me some weird stalker fan – those who know me on here and twitter will (hopefully) know I’m not a weido or stalker just a friendly person trying to brighten up the day and encourage others.

So I will return to my kindle and Les Mis hopefully I will finish it before the film is released although Lisette Brodey's Molly Hacker is Too Picky is calling me and Michelle Bethan is editing her next book so maybe just maybe I will not have time to finish Les Mis, thank you to all the various authors, please keep your imaginations working creating lovely stories, mysteries crimes to draw me into various situations I would never go to otherwise.  

All this reading is helping me to Chill more and be so much less stressed or depressed


epilogue !!


read all three shades of grey books - found out the friend hadn't read it before recommending it to me didn't even finish book one - they are badly written very predictable even.  I had written this before hearing all the hype about these books.  I'm glad I read them, but there are so many better books around.

I've been a poor friend ....

I have not spoken/eMailed been in touch with my friends in real life.  It is easy to keep in touch with Twitter friends but not so easy with real friends for this I am truly sorry.

It is nothing that my friends have done, just me, it is easier to think I’ll contact them tomorrow, but before you know it a month has gone by, then two, six months, a year, 18 months, so I need to rectify that.  I know I should be eMailing my friends directly instead of writing about it on my blog, but this way I am able to sort things in my head as to what I want to say.

One friend was upset that I hadn’t kept in touch, but after she had cancelled coffee twice I thought she didn’t want to know me, not that she had other appointments on those days – no excuse but since I was so low I was convinced that she didn’t want to meet me.  It is just one example of how my depression has separated my from others.

I have not even sent Christmas cards for at least two years, didn’t even bother with a tree in 2010, I usually wrote a Round Robin letter with my cards, but nothing not even an explanation let alone card or letter.  I have chatted a bit via facebook, but even then not answered messages to friends.  I was always going to do it tomorrow – but as usual tomorrow has never materialised.

It was my birthday recently, not a big one but am using it as a time to make birthday resolutions – like new year but made at my birthday not 1 January – so if I write them on here, then I will update my blog as to have I am progressing, so here is my list

    1      Contact my friends – apologise to them for not being in touch – then try and keep in touch

    2      Update my blog regularly, not just when I remember & reply to comments made – if someone has been kind enough to make a comment I should be polite enough to respond/answer their question

    3      Be more social – text my friends more

    4      Try to go out and meet others more – want to help at local cricket club as well as watching cricket

    5      I need to start thinking very positively and not thinking woe is me as it’s not healthy for me or my daughter as she is the one who is most affected by my low moods.

So filled with good intentions I am off to write some eMails and respond to comments made on earlier postings

Still learning to chill out – taking a bit longer than I had hoped