I am currently in the process of setting up jillysheep on www.wordpress.com I seem to have a lot of problems with blogger with it throwing me out from time to time and not letting me comment on other people's blogs even when signed into my account. It has been known to not let me amend my own posts and locks me in a loop of signing in and then throwing me out. So I decided to move house as it were.
I am currently finding my way round Wordpress and will let you know when I feel that it is ready for visitors - might be later today or might be later this week. I intend to post more in the future and be rather more professional about it as well so there will be more in depth book reviews and occasional long posts on my favourite series and authors. I will also post essays on such topics as Jane Austen sequels, the ebook phenomenon and other book related themes.
I had considered changing the name of the blog but rejected that idea in the end as people seem to recognise jillysheep. The address for the blog's new home is www.jillysheep.wordpress.com and I will let you know once I have decided whether to re-post some of the entries from here on to the new blog. It is likely that this edition of the blog will stay as it is and the Wordpress version will be the blog which will be updated in the future.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Trouble in the book world
You may have seen the articles about the Agency Pricing model for e-books. This is widespread in the USA but until 1 November did not exist in the UK. Those who follow such things may recall that the Net Book Agreement was abolished back in the mid 1990s. This agreement allowed publishers to dictate the price at which books were sold by retailers.
This was abandoned before it was ruled to be illegal and anti-competitive. Now some publishers - most notably the Hachette group which includes such big names as Penguin and Harper Collins - are saying that anyone selling their e-books, whatever format, must sell them at the price dictated by the publisher - i.e. retailers are acting as the publisher's agents and selling on their behalf.
This to me is price fixing under another name and is, I think, illegal in the UK under EU and UK law. Even if it is illegal it would seem that the publishers are likely to shoot themselves in the foot with this as in some cases the e-book price is turning out to be considerably higher than the hardback price. This piece of nonsense arises because retailers can discount hardbacks and paperbacks as much as they like but cannot alter the price of e-books from some publishers.
I'm aware both publishers and authors need to make a living and like most people who read I have no problem paying a fair price for a book I want to read. Ultimately I shall do with e-books what I have always done with tree books - look at the price for the cheapest format and make my choice accordingly based on whether I want to keep the book or read it once and dispose of it. What I am against is people trying to sell to me at a higher price because it keeps the market dynamic and gives consumers more choice as one publisher tried to say. So making every retailer sell an e-book is giving consumers more choice and keeping the market dynamic? I don't think I'd want him working for me if I was running a company!
I don't see there are any baddies or goodies in this situation - it is just a new market trying to establish itself and stabilise. I shan't be boycotting any publishers but I will be making my book buying decisions based on price and how much I want to read the book concerned. If the price fixed bears some resemblance to the paperback price of the book then I may buy it. If it is way more than the hardback then I shall wait for it to come down or not as the case may be. I read between 250 and 300 books per year. I can't see me running out of e-books to read - many of which are free.
This was abandoned before it was ruled to be illegal and anti-competitive. Now some publishers - most notably the Hachette group which includes such big names as Penguin and Harper Collins - are saying that anyone selling their e-books, whatever format, must sell them at the price dictated by the publisher - i.e. retailers are acting as the publisher's agents and selling on their behalf.
This to me is price fixing under another name and is, I think, illegal in the UK under EU and UK law. Even if it is illegal it would seem that the publishers are likely to shoot themselves in the foot with this as in some cases the e-book price is turning out to be considerably higher than the hardback price. This piece of nonsense arises because retailers can discount hardbacks and paperbacks as much as they like but cannot alter the price of e-books from some publishers.
I'm aware both publishers and authors need to make a living and like most people who read I have no problem paying a fair price for a book I want to read. Ultimately I shall do with e-books what I have always done with tree books - look at the price for the cheapest format and make my choice accordingly based on whether I want to keep the book or read it once and dispose of it. What I am against is people trying to sell to me at a higher price because it keeps the market dynamic and gives consumers more choice as one publisher tried to say. So making every retailer sell an e-book is giving consumers more choice and keeping the market dynamic? I don't think I'd want him working for me if I was running a company!
I don't see there are any baddies or goodies in this situation - it is just a new market trying to establish itself and stabilise. I shan't be boycotting any publishers but I will be making my book buying decisions based on price and how much I want to read the book concerned. If the price fixed bears some resemblance to the paperback price of the book then I may buy it. If it is way more than the hardback then I shall wait for it to come down or not as the case may be. I read between 250 and 300 books per year. I can't see me running out of e-books to read - many of which are free.
Monday, 18 January 2010
The Serpent Pool
I finished Martin Edwards' The Serpent Pool last night and I really enjoyed it. I loved the way all the links were revealed between the various characters and the denouement. I can't really say too much about the plot without revealing all - suffice it to say the mystery is complex and satisfying. The development of the characters - DCI Hannah Scarlett - her partner, rare book dealer Marc Amos - and historian Daniel Kind - is interesting. All three are rounded characters with faults as well as good points. As ever in this series the Lake District plays a big part in the story and broods over all.
I read it over three evenings and found it compelling reading. I liked how all the clues built up but I still didn't work out completely who was responsible before the end. I liked the background - Thomas De Quincey, rare books and printing. I recommend it. I have posted a review on Amazon which last time I checked hasn't yet appeared.
I read it over three evenings and found it compelling reading. I liked how all the clues built up but I still didn't work out completely who was responsible before the end. I liked the background - Thomas De Quincey, rare books and printing. I recommend it. I have posted a review on Amazon which last time I checked hasn't yet appeared.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Sorting out day today
I decided I'd got far too many unread books loitering around the place so I went through about 100 of them today. Many I don't think I will ever read even though I obviously thought I would when I bought them. The majority are second hand and cost me very little fortunately as if I buy a new book I will always at least attempt to read it even if I give up after 50 pages. I generally read at least 50 pages before coming to a decision. If a book hasn't grabbed me by that stage I won't usually persevere unless I have to write a review of it.
Having gone through them I've listed them all for sale on eBay and Amazon. And sold one within about 10 minutes - so that was a good start! If they don't sell within a few months they can go to a charity shop. If I didn't get ruthless with them I'd need a new house to put just the books in! The upside of the clear out is that I came across about a dozen which I'd forgotten I had and they've got themselves higher up the to read pile.
Having gone through them I've listed them all for sale on eBay and Amazon. And sold one within about 10 minutes - so that was a good start! If they don't sell within a few months they can go to a charity shop. If I didn't get ruthless with them I'd need a new house to put just the books in! The upside of the clear out is that I came across about a dozen which I'd forgotten I had and they've got themselves higher up the to read pile.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Books books and more books
Are books and reading addictive? I'm sure they are. The only time in my life when I didn't read very much was the 4 years from 1996 to 2000 when I used to spend a lot of time doing cross stitch instead - but even then I used to read embroidery magazines, use the Internet and read the occasional book. Since 2000 I've gone back to reading - helped by the fact that for 5 years I was working away from home and had a great deal of time to read in hotels in the evenings.
Now I have even more time to read which I am really enjoying. I've never understood why some people think it's sad to read and you really should get out more. I think that's something people have said to me from when I first learnt to read! I always used to take out the maximum number of books from the library even as a child. When I was about 11 or 12 we lived about 5 minutes walk from the library and in school holidays I used to walk there nearly every day to get out my maximum of two books.
Then when I was in my late teens I can remember reading my way through the whole of Agatha Christie one summer holiday. I would call in at the library when it opened and then spend the day on the beach at the north end of Lowestoft among the sand dunes. Bliss!
Now I have even more time to read which I am really enjoying. I've never understood why some people think it's sad to read and you really should get out more. I think that's something people have said to me from when I first learnt to read! I always used to take out the maximum number of books from the library even as a child. When I was about 11 or 12 we lived about 5 minutes walk from the library and in school holidays I used to walk there nearly every day to get out my maximum of two books.
Then when I was in my late teens I can remember reading my way through the whole of Agatha Christie one summer holiday. I would call in at the library when it opened and then spend the day on the beach at the north end of Lowestoft among the sand dunes. Bliss!
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
The advantage of posting reviews on Amazon . . .
. . . is that you sometimes receive e-mails from publishers and authors saying would you like some books to review. As I did today. The person who e-mailed me had gone through my wish list as well and fortunately several of that publisher's books were on it. So a good reason for maintaining a wish list as well.
I did turn down an offer a week or so ago because the book offered just didn't look like my sort of thing but generally what I have been offered so far fits my tastes. It's beginning to look as though my writing in future is going to consist of book reviews but as I enjoy doing them and I enjoy reading the books this is no hardship.
I did turn down an offer a week or so ago because the book offered just didn't look like my sort of thing but generally what I have been offered so far fits my tastes. It's beginning to look as though my writing in future is going to consist of book reviews but as I enjoy doing them and I enjoy reading the books this is no hardship.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Writing reviews
From time to time I get e-mails from authors whose books I review on Amazon and I always think it's nice of them to take the trouble to contact me. I had one yesterday from someone well known in the chick lit field who said reading reviews of her own books was much like 'sticking pins in your eyes' but that she'd been cheered up by my reviews of her recent books. I can understand how authors must feel and in general even if I didn't like a book I'll highlight things which I thought were good so that a review isn't all doom and gloom. I do very occasionally write one star reviews but again I will say what I did like about the book rather than just saying it was unmitigated rubbish. There is always something you can find in a book which was good.
I even gave a book 3 stars because it was a long time since a book had annoyed me so much! Other people gave that book everything from one star up to five stars so it was obviously a book that had a mixed reception.
Why do I write reviews? Because it's the next best thing to writing books and because it often helps me organise my thoughts about what I've read. It means I'm writing virtually every day which is good practice. It's also interesting to watch yourself climbing up the Amazon reviewer rankings - currently 256 and climbing. Being higher up in the reviewer league table does attract its own problems because people are apt to post stupid comments on the reviews or give you a spate of 'not helpful' votes for reasons which aren't always obvious. I find it interesting to watch.
I even gave a book 3 stars because it was a long time since a book had annoyed me so much! Other people gave that book everything from one star up to five stars so it was obviously a book that had a mixed reception.
Why do I write reviews? Because it's the next best thing to writing books and because it often helps me organise my thoughts about what I've read. It means I'm writing virtually every day which is good practice. It's also interesting to watch yourself climbing up the Amazon reviewer rankings - currently 256 and climbing. Being higher up in the reviewer league table does attract its own problems because people are apt to post stupid comments on the reviews or give you a spate of 'not helpful' votes for reasons which aren't always obvious. I find it interesting to watch.
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Books and Amazon
I have mentioned before that I get free books from Amazon as part of what is known as the Vine Programme. Every third Thursday in the month Vine Voices are sent a newsletter from which they can choose two items. This is targetted to their previous purchases and selected from the items which manufacturers and publishers allow them to have free. I buy and review more fiction than non-fiction and I hardly ever buy software or electronic gadgets from Amazon so I'm mainly offered fiction. Which suits me as free books are not to be sneezed at.
The fourth Thursday in the month we get another newsletter which contains everything left - could be books, DVDs, computer bits, software, domestic gadgets, hairdryers etc. We can choose another two items from that one as well - though sometimes they make it four instead of two. The more desirable items tend to disappear first and it's very much the luck of the draw at 8.00pm who gets what. Personally I will only pick items I'm interested in and will use or read - others seems to look just at the value.
You have to review 75% of the items you've chosen before you can pick any more - which is fair enough. There is no compulsion to review favourably so you can say what you think and the majority take a pride in their reviews and spend a fair amount of time composing them. You're not allowed to sell items you receive or to give them away so in the end you could run out of space!
Recently Vine has started to receive some bad publicity - almost certainly from people who haven't been invited to join. Such people are saying Vine Voices always give 5 star reviews and that it's all a con to foist rubbish on unsuspecting customers. But there are also people who are Vine Voices complaining they don't get offered high value items and others do. To me this is typical of society today. People want everything to be 'fair'. Why? Life isn't fair - get over it.
I usually write very calm and considered posts on the Amazon Vine forums but I've got annoyed and suggested to the whingers that if they don't like it - leave. No one is holding a gun to their head. Vine is how it is. The only people who can change it are Amazon and I don't think they should listen to the moaners - who actually seem to be in a minority anyway. As it is they're spoiling it for the rest of us. I like Vine because it means I get a chance to try new books that I might not otherwise come across. With publishers such as Granta, Faber and Bloomsbury participating it can only be a good thing for everyone.
The fourth Thursday in the month we get another newsletter which contains everything left - could be books, DVDs, computer bits, software, domestic gadgets, hairdryers etc. We can choose another two items from that one as well - though sometimes they make it four instead of two. The more desirable items tend to disappear first and it's very much the luck of the draw at 8.00pm who gets what. Personally I will only pick items I'm interested in and will use or read - others seems to look just at the value.
You have to review 75% of the items you've chosen before you can pick any more - which is fair enough. There is no compulsion to review favourably so you can say what you think and the majority take a pride in their reviews and spend a fair amount of time composing them. You're not allowed to sell items you receive or to give them away so in the end you could run out of space!
Recently Vine has started to receive some bad publicity - almost certainly from people who haven't been invited to join. Such people are saying Vine Voices always give 5 star reviews and that it's all a con to foist rubbish on unsuspecting customers. But there are also people who are Vine Voices complaining they don't get offered high value items and others do. To me this is typical of society today. People want everything to be 'fair'. Why? Life isn't fair - get over it.
I usually write very calm and considered posts on the Amazon Vine forums but I've got annoyed and suggested to the whingers that if they don't like it - leave. No one is holding a gun to their head. Vine is how it is. The only people who can change it are Amazon and I don't think they should listen to the moaners - who actually seem to be in a minority anyway. As it is they're spoiling it for the rest of us. I like Vine because it means I get a chance to try new books that I might not otherwise come across. With publishers such as Granta, Faber and Bloomsbury participating it can only be a good thing for everyone.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
A pleasant trip out
I had an enjoyable bus trip to Spalding today even though the town was busy. I was expecting it to be quiet as Thursday is the traditional half day/all day closing. I paid off the mortgage - and have the receipt to prove it - which gave me a great deal of satisfaction. The bus fare was cheaper than sending it Special Delivery - which I would have done if I was going to post it.
Then I spent a pleasant hour browsing in the bookshop there and bought Pevsner's Guide to the buildings of Lincolnshire with some of my book tokens from work as well as a book by a local author about Lincolnshire history. I still have some left to spend at a later date.
I pottered around the shops for a while and paid a brief visit to Sainsbury's for some strawberries and other odds and ends that I can't get from Tesco and then returned on the bus just as it was starting to rain - excellent timing.
The town seemed to have a cosmopolitan air today as it's warm enough to sit outside at the various cafes and the smell of coffee made it seem not quite English. I had forgotten how the average age of the people shopping changes during the day. Mornings it's pensioners and people who start work later than 9.00am; lunch time you get the kids out ffrom school eating chips and burgers and working age people shopping in their lunch hour; after about 2.00pm we're back to older people followed by school children after 3.00pm and people of working age with fewer older people. Interesting.
Then I spent a pleasant hour browsing in the bookshop there and bought Pevsner's Guide to the buildings of Lincolnshire with some of my book tokens from work as well as a book by a local author about Lincolnshire history. I still have some left to spend at a later date.
I pottered around the shops for a while and paid a brief visit to Sainsbury's for some strawberries and other odds and ends that I can't get from Tesco and then returned on the bus just as it was starting to rain - excellent timing.
The town seemed to have a cosmopolitan air today as it's warm enough to sit outside at the various cafes and the smell of coffee made it seem not quite English. I had forgotten how the average age of the people shopping changes during the day. Mornings it's pensioners and people who start work later than 9.00am; lunch time you get the kids out ffrom school eating chips and burgers and working age people shopping in their lunch hour; after about 2.00pm we're back to older people followed by school children after 3.00pm and people of working age with fewer older people. Interesting.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
18 novels I could not live without
Inspired by Noreen over at Norn's Notebook - link at top of the page - I'm listing 25 adult novels which I could not do without:
- John Mortimer - The first Rumpole Omnibus
- Dorothy Dunnett - Checkmate
- Elizabeth Pewsey - Unholy Harmonies
- Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
- Anthony Trollope - Barchester Towers
- Dorothy L Sayers - Gaudy Night
- John Hadfield - Love on a Branch Line
- Sharon Krum - The Thing About Jane Spring
- Veronica Heley - Murder in the Park
- Donna Leon - The Girl of his Dreams
- Josephine Tey - The Daughter of Time
- E F Benson - Mapp and Lucia
- E M Delafield - The Diary of a Provincial Lady
- Rumer Godden - In this House of Brede
- Alexander McCall Smith - The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency
- Catherine Fox - Love for the Lost
- Jerome K Jerome - Three Men in a Boat
- Phil Rickman - The Remains of an Altar
Well that's 18 so far off the top of my head! I shall have to do some research to decide on the remainder! maybe more tomorrow.
Sunday, 4 January 2009
Back to work tomorrow
I have not missed work at all over the last 3 weeks and I shan't enjoy going back tomorrow. I'm sure nothing of any interest will have happened while I've been off - as nothing very much usually happens over the Christmas period.
I have spent today being domestic - not my strong suit - but at least the house is reasonably clean and tidy and the washing is up to date. The shopping was delivered on Saturday so I shan't need to go out and get anything tomorrow.
I'm half way to success on one of my resolutions in that I've been through all my books currently listed for sale on Amazon and weeded out all those which will never sell as there are already several dozen other copies of the title on there for 1p each. I have made a stack - well three stacks actually - of those and they will be gradually taken to the charity shops in Spalding . There are 6 shops that I can think of so I shall be able to scatter largess amongst them for the next few weeks.
Off to remake the beds with clean sheets, have a shower and curl up with a book.
I have spent today being domestic - not my strong suit - but at least the house is reasonably clean and tidy and the washing is up to date. The shopping was delivered on Saturday so I shan't need to go out and get anything tomorrow.
I'm half way to success on one of my resolutions in that I've been through all my books currently listed for sale on Amazon and weeded out all those which will never sell as there are already several dozen other copies of the title on there for 1p each. I have made a stack - well three stacks actually - of those and they will be gradually taken to the charity shops in Spalding . There are 6 shops that I can think of so I shall be able to scatter largess amongst them for the next few weeks.
Off to remake the beds with clean sheets, have a shower and curl up with a book.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Book meme
Thanks to kcm at Zen Mischief for this one:
One book that changed your life: Dorothy L Sayers' Gaudy Night - it introduced me to the Golden Age of British detective fiction
One book that you have read more than once: Any of the Rumpole books by John Mortimer
One book that you would want on a desert island: John Hadfield - Love on a Branch Line - to remind me that even Civil Servants have a wild side to them
One book that made you laugh: E F Benson - Mapp and Lucia - any of the Mapp and Lucia books as you can still identify similar people today.
One book that made you cry: Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
One book you can’t read: Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time.
One book you wish you'd written: Any of Donna Leon's Brunetti series - brilliant plots and superb characterisation.
One book you wish had never been written: Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto - communism - apart from religion is probably responsible for many of the world's problems.
One book you're reading: Katherine Swift - The Morville Hours - beautiful.
One book you're going to read: John Cowper Powys - A Glastonbury Romance.
I haven't tagged anyone because all the people I know with blogs don't like doing them - lame excuse I know but there it is!
One book that changed your life: Dorothy L Sayers' Gaudy Night - it introduced me to the Golden Age of British detective fiction
One book that you have read more than once: Any of the Rumpole books by John Mortimer
One book that you would want on a desert island: John Hadfield - Love on a Branch Line - to remind me that even Civil Servants have a wild side to them
One book that made you laugh: E F Benson - Mapp and Lucia - any of the Mapp and Lucia books as you can still identify similar people today.
One book that made you cry: Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
One book you can’t read: Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time.
One book you wish you'd written: Any of Donna Leon's Brunetti series - brilliant plots and superb characterisation.
One book you wish had never been written: Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto - communism - apart from religion is probably responsible for many of the world's problems.
One book you're reading: Katherine Swift - The Morville Hours - beautiful.
One book you're going to read: John Cowper Powys - A Glastonbury Romance.
I haven't tagged anyone because all the people I know with blogs don't like doing them - lame excuse I know but there it is!
Friday, 30 May 2008
Earthquakes and work
As a result of the earthquake in China I have started to take an interest in the US Geological survey website http://www.usgs.gov/ I find their constantly updated facts and figures of earthquakes fascinating. There are several earthquakes every day which measure more than 4 on the Richter scale. I suppose I can afford to take an academic interest in the subject living in the UK. Having said that I have experienced 2 earthquakes - the one in February this year and then another smaller one in the early '90s whilst I was living in Norfolk. The British Geological Survey http://www.bgs.ac.uk/ also has a section on earthquakes in this country, though it is not perhaps as informative as the American version. I think earthquakes, volcanoes, torrential rain etc all serve to remind us that the earth is alive and well and living and breathing beneath our feet.
Having said all that I'm sure the people affected in China do not think the same way and I feel desperately sorry for them. They deserve all the help they can get. How do you rebuild your life after that sort of tragedy? Was it a problem with the standard of their building that so many houses collapsed? Or was it the landslides which caused so much of the damage rather than the quake itself? Who knows - but I'm sure it will be studied for some time to come by the scientific community. Apparently geologists had only identified this particular fault line last year. I looked to see whether there had been any smaller quakes in the days before the big one, but there hadn't. There have been several since of course. I hope for the sake of the ordinary people living in the area that things settled down soon.
Work - I am on leave for the next two weeks - great! But I have a fence to treat with wood preservative provided it stays fine for more than two consecutive days. I need to catch up with the housework - things like cleaning the windows, and I want to go through my wardrobe and sling out/sell things I don't wear. I also need to do something about over 100 books I don't wish to keep and which haven't sold on either Amazon or EBay. I feel a trip round all the local charity shops coming on. We have plenty of those - about half a dozen in Boston and the same in Spalding including a Sue Ryder shop devoted wholly to second hand books - I wonder whether they want any of mine?
Having said all that I'm sure the people affected in China do not think the same way and I feel desperately sorry for them. They deserve all the help they can get. How do you rebuild your life after that sort of tragedy? Was it a problem with the standard of their building that so many houses collapsed? Or was it the landslides which caused so much of the damage rather than the quake itself? Who knows - but I'm sure it will be studied for some time to come by the scientific community. Apparently geologists had only identified this particular fault line last year. I looked to see whether there had been any smaller quakes in the days before the big one, but there hadn't. There have been several since of course. I hope for the sake of the ordinary people living in the area that things settled down soon.
Work - I am on leave for the next two weeks - great! But I have a fence to treat with wood preservative provided it stays fine for more than two consecutive days. I need to catch up with the housework - things like cleaning the windows, and I want to go through my wardrobe and sling out/sell things I don't wear. I also need to do something about over 100 books I don't wish to keep and which haven't sold on either Amazon or EBay. I feel a trip round all the local charity shops coming on. We have plenty of those - about half a dozen in Boston and the same in Spalding including a Sue Ryder shop devoted wholly to second hand books - I wonder whether they want any of mine?
Monday, 27 August 2007
Books etc
I finished reading 'In stitches' by Dr Nick Edwards over the weekend and all engrossing it was too. It just shows how people misuse the emergency services as well as showing the heroic work the staff of an A & E near you do. Needs to be read as an antidote to politicians pontificating about how much they've done for the NHS and programmes like'Casualty'. It's written in blog type format and started off life as a blog, so it's easy to read but it doesn't undermine the serious points the author is trying to make. The most important of which is the unintended consequences of arbitrary targets - for example the time limit which means that more people are admitted than is medically necessary to stop the department breaching its four hour target of either admitting or discharging people. I recommend it as necessary reading to see the NHS from the point of view of the people who work in it.
Looking back at previous posts, I have now finished 'Dark Hearts of Chicago' and recommend it to anyone who likes historical novels with a well researched background.
I have also read over the last week or so: Sally Nicoll's 'Bets and the City' about what happened when a novice decides to take up spreadbetting on the financial markets - think Nick Leeson on a smaller scale. I put myself off the idea for life! This is not for me.
I like Catherine Fox's writing - her latest is 'Fight the Good Fight' about how a clergyman's wife in her forties got to grips with Judo. Her style is always humorous but she has some profound observations to make about life in general and about her life as a vicar's wife.
I'm currently reading chick-lit in the shape of Carole Matthews' 'The Chocolate Lover's Club.' It prompted me to search the internet for quality chocolates. They all sound totally drool worthy but the prices are completely OTT - £45 for a box of chocolates?? Not even a big box at that. I'll stick to Thorntons or Green & Black or even my local Lidl who do some very good chocolate at a very low price - 3 longish sticks of 36%, 55% or 80% cocao solids - very moreish without breaking the bank.
I have succumbed in recent weeks to the power of internet grocery shopping. Much though I dislike Tesco I now place an internet order about every three weeks. It saves me so much energy not to speak of diesel and aggro and time that I came to the conclusion it was worth it. I only did it the first time because I was feeling very unwell - a trip in the middle of the night to casualty had rather knocked me for six. I'd nearly passed out and wasn't feeling any better half an hour later. I could not have wished for better treatment - this was 2.00am on a Tuesday morning, so I did not have to wait - blood pressure ecg etc did not reveal anything major except blood pressure slightly too low. My GP suggested a few hours later - I'd been recommended to go as soon as I could - that I might have a virus. I presume that meant he hadn't got a clue and thought I'd recover on my own - which I duly did. But I did feel very shaky for several days afterwards - hence my conversion to internet shopping. I could not fault the treatment I received at the hands of the A & E staff at the Boston Pilgrim Hospital so a big thank you to them. That's UK not USA.
Back to the reading - I still have the latest Harry Potter unread on the pile. I'm not sure why. I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.
Back to work tomorrow. I know I'm getting ready for retirement when I start thinking that provided I manage to retire at 60 there's only 4 more August Bank Holidays before the happy day. Roll on retirement!
Looking back at previous posts, I have now finished 'Dark Hearts of Chicago' and recommend it to anyone who likes historical novels with a well researched background.
I have also read over the last week or so: Sally Nicoll's 'Bets and the City' about what happened when a novice decides to take up spreadbetting on the financial markets - think Nick Leeson on a smaller scale. I put myself off the idea for life! This is not for me.
I like Catherine Fox's writing - her latest is 'Fight the Good Fight' about how a clergyman's wife in her forties got to grips with Judo. Her style is always humorous but she has some profound observations to make about life in general and about her life as a vicar's wife.
I'm currently reading chick-lit in the shape of Carole Matthews' 'The Chocolate Lover's Club.' It prompted me to search the internet for quality chocolates. They all sound totally drool worthy but the prices are completely OTT - £45 for a box of chocolates?? Not even a big box at that. I'll stick to Thorntons or Green & Black or even my local Lidl who do some very good chocolate at a very low price - 3 longish sticks of 36%, 55% or 80% cocao solids - very moreish without breaking the bank.
I have succumbed in recent weeks to the power of internet grocery shopping. Much though I dislike Tesco I now place an internet order about every three weeks. It saves me so much energy not to speak of diesel and aggro and time that I came to the conclusion it was worth it. I only did it the first time because I was feeling very unwell - a trip in the middle of the night to casualty had rather knocked me for six. I'd nearly passed out and wasn't feeling any better half an hour later. I could not have wished for better treatment - this was 2.00am on a Tuesday morning, so I did not have to wait - blood pressure ecg etc did not reveal anything major except blood pressure slightly too low. My GP suggested a few hours later - I'd been recommended to go as soon as I could - that I might have a virus. I presume that meant he hadn't got a clue and thought I'd recover on my own - which I duly did. But I did feel very shaky for several days afterwards - hence my conversion to internet shopping. I could not fault the treatment I received at the hands of the A & E staff at the Boston Pilgrim Hospital so a big thank you to them. That's UK not USA.
Back to the reading - I still have the latest Harry Potter unread on the pile. I'm not sure why. I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually.
Back to work tomorrow. I know I'm getting ready for retirement when I start thinking that provided I manage to retire at 60 there's only 4 more August Bank Holidays before the happy day. Roll on retirement!
Friday, 6 April 2007
Why do people get ill?
I was absolutely fascinated by 'Why do people get ill?' by Darian Leader and David Corfield. Its sub title is 'exploring the mind body connection', which really says it all.
There are so many case histories detailed in the book you have to wonder what's going on whenever we fall ill. From my own experience I know that when things aren't going well I can succumb to anything that's doing the rounds. I had a bad year in 2004 and had a cold about every 6 weeks throughout the year. But when I say bad I perhaps should say boring. Nothing much happened and I knew I was getting a bit fed up with the job I was doing but didn't really want to admit it even to myself.
2005-06 was an even worse year in many ways and yet I only had one cold! I did however discover I have an eye problem which is basically still not treatable in spite of the miracles of modern medicine. Is there a connection there? I wonder.
The case that most struck me in the whole book was of the young woman who was diagnosed with MS after various upsetting symptoms which had at first been attributed to her pregnancy. She told her parents, who reacted very strangely. Her mother immediately announced she had severe stomach pains and would have to go home. She then looked at the photograph of her daughter and without looking at the young woman in front of her announced that it was a shame she no longer had a daughter.
This weird behaviour sparked such rage in her daughter that she vowed to find out exactly what was going on in her family and enrolled on a course in psychology. Within a few months she had reached a better understanding of the family dynamics and when tested a year later she no longer had any signs of MS and never has had ever since. Whether or not this is an apocraphal story it does make you stop and think about the mind body connection. Admittedly MS is a disease that can come and go, but even so people don't usually eliminate all signs and symptoms like that.
I've been interested in the mind body connection for a long time ever since I had a conversation with my then GP about someone I know well. I could not see at the time how there could be any benefits to an individual in being ill. His comment was 'do you expect less of someone who is ill?' This made me think and it's true you do make allowances for someone who is ill. Yet why should you? They may be ill but still be capable of leading a normal life. Illness doesn't absolve you from the normal requirements of living in the world and yet that's how we treat people. The disabled who overcome their difficulties to lead a normal life are regarded as exceptional and yet why should they be? Surely we should all be trying to overcome our problems, not magnifying them as many people do.
I will always try and find a way to overcome a physical problem. I remember vividly an incident while I was still in hospital recovering from a hysterectomy. I dropped something on the floor and instead of waiting for someone to come in and pick it up for me I got out of bed and very gingerly squatted down until I could pick up the object without having to bend in the middle. I was about to return to a standing position when a nurse came into the room (this was a private hospital) and was horrified to find me in that position. 'Why didn't you ring the bell?' My answer was along the line of well if I can find a way to do it myself why do I need to bother you? I hadn't burst my stitches or done myself any other injury so what was the problem? She seened quite surprised that I'd tried to help myself instead of immediately calling for help! I'm not reporting this to show how independent I am but to show how other people react when anyone with a physical problem tries to help themselves.
I have another book to report on but I think I'll make it a separate post.
There are so many case histories detailed in the book you have to wonder what's going on whenever we fall ill. From my own experience I know that when things aren't going well I can succumb to anything that's doing the rounds. I had a bad year in 2004 and had a cold about every 6 weeks throughout the year. But when I say bad I perhaps should say boring. Nothing much happened and I knew I was getting a bit fed up with the job I was doing but didn't really want to admit it even to myself.
2005-06 was an even worse year in many ways and yet I only had one cold! I did however discover I have an eye problem which is basically still not treatable in spite of the miracles of modern medicine. Is there a connection there? I wonder.
The case that most struck me in the whole book was of the young woman who was diagnosed with MS after various upsetting symptoms which had at first been attributed to her pregnancy. She told her parents, who reacted very strangely. Her mother immediately announced she had severe stomach pains and would have to go home. She then looked at the photograph of her daughter and without looking at the young woman in front of her announced that it was a shame she no longer had a daughter.
This weird behaviour sparked such rage in her daughter that she vowed to find out exactly what was going on in her family and enrolled on a course in psychology. Within a few months she had reached a better understanding of the family dynamics and when tested a year later she no longer had any signs of MS and never has had ever since. Whether or not this is an apocraphal story it does make you stop and think about the mind body connection. Admittedly MS is a disease that can come and go, but even so people don't usually eliminate all signs and symptoms like that.
I've been interested in the mind body connection for a long time ever since I had a conversation with my then GP about someone I know well. I could not see at the time how there could be any benefits to an individual in being ill. His comment was 'do you expect less of someone who is ill?' This made me think and it's true you do make allowances for someone who is ill. Yet why should you? They may be ill but still be capable of leading a normal life. Illness doesn't absolve you from the normal requirements of living in the world and yet that's how we treat people. The disabled who overcome their difficulties to lead a normal life are regarded as exceptional and yet why should they be? Surely we should all be trying to overcome our problems, not magnifying them as many people do.
I will always try and find a way to overcome a physical problem. I remember vividly an incident while I was still in hospital recovering from a hysterectomy. I dropped something on the floor and instead of waiting for someone to come in and pick it up for me I got out of bed and very gingerly squatted down until I could pick up the object without having to bend in the middle. I was about to return to a standing position when a nurse came into the room (this was a private hospital) and was horrified to find me in that position. 'Why didn't you ring the bell?' My answer was along the line of well if I can find a way to do it myself why do I need to bother you? I hadn't burst my stitches or done myself any other injury so what was the problem? She seened quite surprised that I'd tried to help myself instead of immediately calling for help! I'm not reporting this to show how independent I am but to show how other people react when anyone with a physical problem tries to help themselves.
I have another book to report on but I think I'll make it a separate post.
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