But…. How do I get a book out to read?

But…. How do I get a book out to read?

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Ahh the warm glow

Ahh the warm glow

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prettybooks: The Borough Press is encouraging everyone to tweet...

prettybooks:

The Borough Press is encouraging everyone to tweet a #BookADay all throughout June to celebrate Independent Booksellers Week, which begins 28th June. I’ll also be posting mine on Tumblr!

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listentothestories: Isabella of Spain by Alexia Sinclair

listentothestories:

Isabella of Spain by Alexia Sinclair

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Photo

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Photo

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fuckyeahbooknerds: Submitted by: Anonymous Keep the submissions...

fuckyeahbooknerds:

Submitted by: Anonymous

Keep the submissions coming! Send your confessions here!

Not understanding and getting slightly irritated

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Cataloging my books. (1/?)

Cataloging my books. (1/?)

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Tarzan’s tree house at Hong Kong Disney.

Tarzan’s tree house at Hong Kong Disney.

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thebrainscoop: A peek into the rare book room. It must smell...

thebrainscoop:

A peek into the rare book room.

It must smell soooooo good

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geritsel: goodtasterequired: This image impresses the hell out...

geritsel:

goodtasterequired:

This image impresses the hell out of me.

Every time I look at this I fall in love again

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So many interpretations.

So many interpretations.

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bibliolectors: Me, my monsters and my books / Yo, mis monstruos...

bibliolectors:

Me, my monsters and my books / Yo, mis monstruos y mis lectura (ilustración de Kitty Crowther)

I love the little 1 with the vacuum cleaner. totally up to no good.

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Hence the phrase “Good story, needs more dragons”

Hence the phrase “Good story, needs more dragons”

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When people have the freedom to choose, they choose...

When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong

Really…. It’s in colour? Missed a trick there didn’t they?

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karamazove: Old books by William Shakespeare

karamazove:

Old books by William Shakespeare

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gobookyourself: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas...

gobookyourself:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

If you love your sci-fi delightfully silly, then try these.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde for quirky bookworld sci-fi

Flying Dutch by Tom Holt for dysfunctional crews

Dimension of Miracles by Robert Sheckley for an unlucky hero in space

Colony by Rob Grant for laugh-out-loud absurdist sci-fi

Hey I have “The Eyre Affair” and haven’t read it yet.

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Exclusive Book Cover Reveal

I'm excited to reveal the cover for Book of Bart, a young-adult, humorous, satirical paranormal-fantasy by Ryan Hill, which is scheduled for release May 22nd, 2014.

About Book of Bart:

Genre: young-adult, humorous, satirical paranormal-fantasy Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press Date of Publication: May 22^nd, 2014 Cover Artist: Conzpiracy Digital Arts Blurb: Only one thing is so powerful, so dangerous that Heaven and Hell must work together to find it: the Shard of Gabriel. With a mysterious Black Cloud of Death hot on the shard’s trail, a desperate Heaven enlists the help of Bart, a demon who knows more about the shard than almost anyone. Six years ago, he had it in his hands. If only he’d used it before his coup to overthrow the devil failed. Now, he’s been sprung from his eternal punishment to help Samantha, an angel in training, recover the shard before the Black Cloud of Death finds it. If Bartholomew wants to succeed, he’ll have to fight the temptation to betray Samantha and the allure of the shard. After an existence full of evil, the only way Bart can get right with Hell is to be good.

Add Book of Bart to your Goodreads 'to-be-read' list.

----

About Ryan Hill:

Growing up, Ryan Hill used to spend his time reading and writing instead of doing homework. This resulted in an obsession with becoming a writer, but also a gross incompetence in the fields of science and mathematics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Ryan has been a film critic for over five years. He lives in Raleigh, NC, with his dog/shadow Maggie. Ryan also feels strange about referring to himself in the third person.

Find Ryan Hill Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  

April Book Photo Challenge Day 8 Nostalgic

I have quite a few of these books that I used to look at a lot as a really little kid. The second picture here is the key to why I did that.

I had/have a bit of a thing for books that have dust covers when the hard cover underneath has something different on it to the dust cover. Its like a secret world only you know about, or so I thought when I was little. I still, to this day check under dust covers to find hidden pictures but they are few and far between. 

This particualar book is one of my favorites. It Faeries illustrated by Brian Froud. Never actually read it (it is not a story book but and art book with anotations) but the pictures are so familar that they are like old familiar friends.

April Book Photo Challenge Day 7 Socially Awkward Character

I have two favorite socially awkward characters that I just couldn't split and I just relised that they sit together on a shelf.

Dirk Gently knows so much and can read so much into everything that people miss judge him to be socially awkward. Abit like Sherlock Holmes but without the class. I use one of his phrases all the time when I'm doing bugger all and people think I'm smart; "What are you doing?" I'm making a topographic map of my navel" It a great way to shirk people off without them feeling like they are being shirked off.

I love Rincewind. I have loved Rincewind for as long as I can remeber. His pathological fear of just about anything has never stopped the world from inflicting his destiny on him wheather he is having fun or not, usually not. He knows he is socially awkward and would just like to left along but the rest of the world and even some magic spells don't notice or just don't care. Good thing he is a wizard otherwise he might have to deal with the oppiste sex too.

I love these two and have taken on board a lot of their traits over the years. They have a special place in my heart.   

April Book Photo Challenge Day 6 Book and Animals

"Nothing cracks a turdle like Leon Uris"  Does this count? (You can't tell me you didn't just read that in Cletus' voice!)

No, but seriously. The only animal I have is my fur baby Colin and he loves books! I have caught him licking books in the library a few times, thats why he is not allowed in there when one is home. But who couldn't love this face?

Or this:

Of course that is why he gets away with so much.

My afternoon is set

I love tea and reading. What more is there to say. Other than sometimes it is coffee.

April Book Photo Challenge Day 5 Favourite Cover

This might seem a little strange but this really is one of my favourite covers and no it's not suposed to be ripped.  The whole ripped thing comes from the fact that a little bit of me feels like I need to rescue books that no else wants. It was on one of those really cheep book sale tables in the middle a shopping center.

The second thing is that this is the book that sparked my love for Gregory Maguire's re-told fairy tales. This was long before the whole Wicked phenomenon (I'm totally not knocking that cos I have been to see it when it came to Burswood.) Thankfully now people actually listen to me when I say  how awsome this book is. 

As far as the cover thing goes though, all of his books have this peek-a-boo thing going on and I love it.

April Book Photo Challenge Day 4 1990's

The Tales From The Wyrd Museum series by Robin Jarvis published in the 90's

I have a weakness for second hand books and this often leaves me in the predicament of getting the first book in a series and looking for the rest for, I think I'm going on for a decade, later. I picked up the first one and was completely taken and have yet to find the second book in the series. The Fatal Stand  on top there is the 3rd in the series...... unbelievably frustrating. But I just can't help thinking the second book it out there somewhere I I am ment to rescue it. 

April Book Photo Challenge Day 3 Spring

Well once agian I live in opposite land so we are not coming into spring, we are in autum. But I don't really think we have and autum here becasue isn't that traditionally when things start to die or shutdown? Plants here are just starting to recover and put on new growth since we have just move away from our summer position 3 metres from the surface of the sun. 

Anyway, its coming into Autum/Winter here and I just finished my Doctor Who scarf that only took me 4 months (considering I haven't done any knitting since I was in single figures and I didn't stuff it up I think I did a really good job) I will be putting it in a lot of photos. A little bit proud of my self.

It is currently keeping my Doctor Who book collection warm. I promised myself that I would read this collection this year and I think this holiday coming, when it is all wet and gloomy (we get about 2 weeks of that total a year) would be the perfect time.

Next project, thigh high grey woolie socks for reading at home in. Top cozyness level will be achieved. 

April Book Photo Challenge Day 2: Newest Purchase

Day 2: Newest Purchase

This is one of those things I have said that I would do for years and never really did. 

When I got my kindle all those years ago I said "It won't stop me from buying books!" which it most defiantly has not and "If I read a book on kindle that I really love, I willl buy it as a physical book as well."

Up until this point, this has never happened. I have read a truck load of fabulous books on my kindle and not added them to my physical book collection. Most of them are classics that I have got from Project Gutenberg and still no classics sit on my selves. 

Then came A Song of Ice and Fire. I am not ashamed to admit it, I am a band wagon jumper and hadn't hear of A Game of Thrones until I saw the first episode on Foxtel but from that first watching I was hooked. I read the all just after the most recent one come out but now with three days to go till the next season, I having withdrawal and I'm going to re-read the series and commit to my promise that I would buy books that I really like if I read them on Kindle.      

April Book Photo Challenge Day 1: Currently Reading

Day 1: Currently Reading

I have been drawn in once again to the YA "girl who is special and there is also a special boy" genre. Not only with Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi but I have also been asked to review the newest book in the Five series by Holli Anderson so I'm currently reading Five - Out of the Darkness.

I'm 50 pages into Shatter Me and I am hopful (but doubtful) I'm not going to disapointed by the old "I need a boy to show me I'm special" 

I am 7% of the way through Out of the Darkness and i'm feeling a bit "I want hogwarts but in America" but it doesn't have the old world charm that other books of this genre has. We shall see.

Early days yet.

 

A round up of the weekend's reading

Finally the last thing I read this weekend was volume 1 of Attack on Titan. 4/5 stars

This was the first manga/ comic book I have read this year which is pretty amazing becasue usually they are about half of my reading list.

I have started this series because the anime was recommended to me by one of my students. Turns out there is only one season so far and on further research, the production company that makes it is saying they have no immediate plans to make another. In other words they totally underestimated the extent of the appeal that this show would have. Which in hindsight is a bit silly. 

But I digress. The first volume of Attach on Titan works in about 3-4 of the frist episodes of the series. There was a lot more detail on the back story of some of the characters in the anime and some new characters altogether but I liked the pace of the manga better. Just a pity its not coloured.

The story so far...

Titan (3-15 metre tall humanoid creatures) have taken over the planet (presumably) and drive the humans close to extinction.  The humans now live in a small piece of land ringed by three massive walls with small, almost sacraficial towns jutting out of them in half moon shapes. This has been the situation for 100 years. Then the town where Eren, Mikasa and Armin live on the outer most wall is attached by a colossal titan and the town and the entire wall area is lost. Eren vowes to kill all titans after seeing hi mother eaten by one. Five years later, the three of them have finished there training and are planning on joining the Recon Corps when the second wall is attached by the same colossal titan and thebattle ensues.          

I am loveing this series and have so many questions from the anime that need to be answered. I will be reading the next one this weekend.

Around up of the weekend's reading part 2

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas 4/5 stars

For a book about thought experiments and the "troposphere" or Mind Space" this book is incredibly visceral.   

The incredibly broken character of Ariel Manto is at times hard to read due to her complete and utter disregard for her own personal safety, both for her body and her mental health. However, the journey this book takes is one that my mum has been trying to explain to me for years. (If it wasn't for the disturbing sexual encounter within I would probably give it to her to read but no.)

I would have been a 5 star book but for two elements. 

1. The explanations of the pain of the lab mice. I have worked with these particular strains of lab mice and I left because of, amongst other things, the occasional mis treatment of them. Nothing as explicit as juggling them or putting live ones in with dead but just little thing I could reconcile with like the unnecessary over breeding and then the inevitable culling.

2. The odd, unexplained militant vegetarianism. I think this must go along with the anti cruelty to animals thing but that tied in with the slight undertones of anti Darwinism made it a little off putting for me.

In short, loved the story and the thought experiment backdrop, didn't like the politics. But just like my childhood, I can pick and choose the bits and pieces I like and discard the bits I don't.  

A round up of the weekend's reading

I managed to finish three books over the weekend (yay me!) This speed reading training is really doing something.

I thought i would give a quick round up of the three very different books.

Firstly we have:

Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton 4/5 stars

Well in a complete change of pace I read a non-fiction book. Its a first for the year. Just a Geek is an autobiograhical account of Wil Wheaton and his coming to terms with his Star Trek: The Next Generation past. I takes the form of augmented blog post from Wheatons website(s). As Wheaton comments that in the beginning, he is listening to that "prove to them all" inner voice so there is a lot of boasting about things that aren't quite true but the agumentation give a good insight into what was really going on and how much he really did strugle. 

I remeber Wil on Star Trek but that not really where I came to know him as an actor. His appearances on Big Bang Theory as himself are great, but what I loved him in was the Sci-Fi show Eureka, where he played a high strung and emotional scientist who often gets quite angry. What I was really happy about was to learn that he is nothing like these characters and really....just a geek like the rest of us, who drops in the odd Simpsons quote too.

More to come. 

In addition to this, I have finally been inspried to read Ringworld because of an account in the book where Wheaton meets Niven and both have a little fan boy moment. Thats kind of cool. So Ringworld, here I come!

   

Attach on Titan

I had Attach on Titan recommended to me by on of my students a couple of weeks ago and this week I have finally come to the end of the season one only to find that there is not season two in the works. 

Let me just say that I loved this series and I have since gone and told the student that i really don't like them becasue I am now going to have to track down the mangas. Said student laughed.

I loved this series, and the sci fi elements are strong, almost steam punk esque.

Not since Evangelian Neon Genesis (and possibly Ghost in the Shell; Stand Alone Complex) have I been so enthralled in the ethos of an anime. 

Things that I loved:

1. The 3D movement gear is so totally differen't from any other propulsion system as its so incredibly cool. I just know that I am way to clutsy and clumsy to pull it off but i so want to try.

2. Trying to work out where this alternative history would fit in in the timeline of humanity. Horses and carts but 3D gear and guns and flares.

3. Working out were all these Titans come from. I thought it was the people that get eaten transformed but now I don't think that is right, are they aliens? Whats going on?  

4. Mikasa's back story perfectly explains her suicidal protection of Eren.

Things that I need to know (or I will die):

1. That key! What is in the basement, was this whole people transforming into titans and experiment by Eren's father or what?

2. What happened to Eren's father?

3.Arwin's back story?

So if you haven't already, watch it, its awesome but be warned, you are going to have the same question I have and you are going to have to do the same hunt that I am currently performing, find me those mangas. On the up side, I have been informed that there is a small spin off manga dealing with Levi's back story so there is that to comfort me.