Hobbies and Crafts

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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

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.

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.

:-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.

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

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 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

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!

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.

I've just finished Dominus. A really good page turner with a reasonable ending.

"The Vatican Cathedral is packed to the rafters as Pope Gregory XVII leads the congregation in mass. A cloaked stranger steps suddenly and fearlessly towards the altar and commands the wheelchair-bound Pope to stand. He does. More miraculous events follow..."

There are also two digital short stories; Genesis, a prequel to Dominus and Exodus, a sequel, which I must seek out.

Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts next.

AnninGlos

Our daughter has mentioned about needing to update our kindles. All I get is 'no new items'. Any advice? We both have one of the basic models

I don't know if this helps you.



Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Amazon.co.uk"
Date: 9 March 2016 at 16:51:22 GMT
To:
Subject: Important update required for your Kindle e-reader

Dear customer,

Your Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation) requires an important software update to continue downloading e-books and using Kindle services.

This important update applies to Kindle e-readers released prior to 2014. Visit our Help page for a complete list of impacted devices: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ku2016?ref_=deveng_eicert

Follow these steps to receive the update:

1. Plug your Kindle in to charge during the update.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi.
3. From the Home screen of your Kindle, select Menu or tap the Menu icon. Then choose Sync and Check for Items.
4. Leave your Kindle connected to both power and Wi-Fi overnight, or until the update is complete.

The software update will download and install automatically, even if your device is asleep. Your device may restart multiple times during the update process. You will get a final confirmation letter on your device when the update is complete, which can be found in your Kindle Library.

If you do not update the device software by March 22, 2016, you will no longer be able to access Kindle services or get the update via connecting to a wireless network. To resume access, you will need to manually update the software on your Kindle. Please visit our Help page for more details on how to update automatically: www.amazon.co.uk/ku2016?ref_=deveng_eicert

!-----

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I no longer have or use my Kindle e-reader?
If you no longer have or use your Kindle e-reader, deregister it from your account today. After logging into your Amazon account, click on the Your Devices tab and select the Kindle e-reader you want to deregister. Click Deregister.

How do I connect to Wi-Fi?
You can find out more about connecting to Wi-Fi on our Help page (www.amazon.co.uk/ku2016).

How can I get help updating my Kindle e-reader?
For more information, visit our Help page (www.amazon.co.uk/ku2016).

!-----

Thank you for reading with Kindle, and be sure to connect your device to Wi-Fi regularly to receive all future software updates.

Sincerely,

The Amazon Kindle Team

© 2016 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, the Amazon logo and Kindle are trademarks of Amazon.com Inc. or its affiliates.

Amazon.co.uk is a trading name for Amazon EU S.a.r.l. (Luxembourg Registration Number B-101818, VAT Number LU 20260743) and Amazon Media EU S.a.r.l. (Luxembourg Registration Number 112767, VAT Number LU 20944528). Each company is located at 5 Rue Plaetis, L-2338 Luxembourg.

Done that. Nothing seems to happen. Daughter says to leave it connected to the wi-fi and it will do its own thing :-S

You have to be connected to WiFi not just the wireless of the Kindle. I made the mistake of not connecting to the Wifi.

I think somehwere there you can find customer services e mail address, I found it once before and they were very helpful.

Have you checked which update you are running? Somewhere in that blurb, one of the help places tells you where to check for the most recent. It could be that, if you have been on Wireless recently it has done it automatically, I think it should show 3.4.2 at the bottom of the screen when in settings.