And Now For Something Completely Different ....

A bit of shameless self promotion where I talk about some books I'm reading, the authors who wrote them and the circumstances regarding my reading of them.

After my first proper post being a fairly negative story about a Facebook encounter I had, I decided today to explain my name. I started using theBookDevourer many, many years ago when I first made my Twitter account. I decided to follow authors and retweet their book news. No real objective to it, I went through some periods of not logging in. I know people use bots and suchlike but (and this might sound a bit odd) I think if I used one I would feel disingenuous. I like to select who I retweet myself rather than (during the two times of day I go on Twitter) just spamming everything from the last hour.

Instead, I aim for people who have had zero retweets. These are the indie authors who are trying to get started in a world where self publishing is easier than ever. I am picky. I do try to ONLY retweet book reviews or offers and only for books that I would read myself. I've been hovering around the 300 follower mark for some time now but then lately I haven't been as attentive as usual. Life and a heatwave have made me slack.

The other thing I do on Twitter is tweet at authors whose books I've read. So far this has included Linwood Barclay (thriller writer), Christie Golden (probably one of my favourite authors EVER) and William Shatner (TekWar, woo hoo). Whilst Bill has never answered me - I'm sure he's flooded with mentions daily so it's hardly surprising - Christie has replied and Linwood has retweeted what I wrote.

Holy crap!

Christie was the first established author to ever even acknowledge me. I had tweeted to her about having just added twelve of her books onto my virtual bookshelf. She  replied in amazement "That's almost a quarter of my bibliography. Thank you so much". I was so pleased when I saw she had replied. Now whenever I read one of her books I always tweet my "currently reading" updates to her. Which reminds me I owe her a tweet. I'm a little over halfway through Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War (Goodreads link).

This is where my name comes in. I am a voracious reader. I read like I breathe. I'm never happier than when I've got a big pile of good books to read and a nice long weekend with nowt to do. I've been the same since childhood. Other kids had teddy's and blankies for bed time. I had my copy of "The Chronicles of Narnia", a lovely book that Santa brought me when I was six which still has a place on my bookshelves now.

It wouldn't be a book post without a Belle Gif

I devour books like I can't get enough of them. I always have at least four on the go so I'm never in danger of getting bored. On my currently reading list right now are Christie's Jaina book, The Accident by Linwood, Dissolution by C.J Sansom and Diaries: The Python Years, 1969-1979 by Michael Palin (BOOM! Now you understand the title).

I try VERY hard to stop this happening. It is a weekly battle.

I get most of my books from charity shops. I think the last brand new book I bought was probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There's nothing wrong with books from charity shops, they've just been read and passed on for a good cause. I've also had some stunning bargains clothes wise, maybe I'll share the secret to finding them one day.  

Anyway. Back to the books. My second purpose for writing this. Promotion of some authors!

Michael Palin is a man who shouldn't need any promotion, not even to my non-Brit readers. If you don't know who he is watch this, then come back.

Palin and Cleese in one of my favourite python sketches ever

I picked up a copy of his 650 page brick for £1.50 just the other day from a Pilgrims Hospice shop. I'm not far through (like 14 pages in plus 5 pages of introduction and acknowledgements) but Palin's already in February 1970. It's true he only started in July 1969 but seriously that's like two pages per month. Not much in the world of filming. The other problem is that I've read it before. Well, not all of it obviously, but some of it, sort of. Parts of Palin's diaries have been published before in The Pythons Autobiography By The Pythons. This doesn't really matter to me as I regularly re-read books anyway.

As Palin himself states in the introduction to the book he takes a while to find his voice. So far the entries have been lists of places and filming locations with the occasional anecdote. You can tell it's him though. I keep reading it in his voice from the parrot sketch.

Sigh ... I read that already ...

I don't know if I can describe just how much I love Christie Golden. If I were to write books, I'd want them to be the books she's written. This woman has buckets of talent. Christie writes Warcraft books.

Hi! My name is Apocolyptyca and I'm addicted to World of Warcraft!

That's a bit niche you might think. Maybe you're wondering how many Warcraft books that she's written that you haven't read, after all, I've read twelve and that's almost a quarter of her bibliography. Well, Christie doesn't only write Warcraft books. She has also written four Star Wars books. But wait, there's more. Fifteen more in the shape of Star Trek books ranging from the days of TNG to Voyager including a trilogy which is a sequel to one of the best pre season four Voyager episodes there is (it's Season 1, Episode 7: Eye of the Needle if you're interested).

There's still more. Books based on some of the most popular game franchises of the last twenty years, but I'm not here to talk about those. I'm supposed to talk about Jaina Proudmoore:Tides of War. Well, actually, I've been avoiding talking about it. I think I know what is going to happen. To be clear, I haven't regularly played World of Warcraft since the Lich King Cameth but my brother-in-law still plays and sometimes I hear snatches of his conversation. I won't say it here. People who spoil things (books, tv shows. films, whatever) are among the worst kind of people. I'm just going to hope I'm wrong. Not because of what it is, more because of what it means. (1)

The last author I want to talk about is Linwood Barclay. As I said he writes thrillers. Just the sort I like, lots of twists, not masses of clinical detail, just families dealing with a situation. He has written a good cast of regular characters who appear in each book to move the story along. I've read five of his fourteen books. What's more my Mumsy has read three of them. My Mumsy doesn't read. I mean she will but she's never actually asked to borrow a book before. Suddenly it's "have you finished with that Greenwood book yet?"

I knew I'd get him in here somewhere <3

My Mumsy first met Mister "Greenwood" when she suddenly ended up on hospital with nothing to entertain her. I, being the wonderful daughter I am quickly packed up a care package including, sweets, bottles of sparkling water, satsumas, headphones, some lifestyle magazines and my copy of No Time For Goodbye. "Whenever you've mentioned books before they've all been mysteries" I said to her arriving in a flurry of arms and legs, as usual looking like I'd run all the way. "Alright my love, I'll give it a go". The very next day she was back out of hospital, the NHS having decided to postpone whatever it was they were going to do. 

She drove over to see me a week or so later. "I've finished it" she declared, "do you have another?" To say I was merely gobsmacked would be an understatement. I definitely inherited my love of  reading from my Dad. Mum would read with me but it was my Dad who had to record cassette tapes of my favourite stories. I thought I would never share my obsession with books with my Mum. So thanks Mister Barclay. You got my Mum reading again.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my ramblings. I'm just getting into the swing of things. Comments are as always appreciated. Tomorrow, I'm going to talk about Neighbours. Adios for now! x

(1)This gave me an idea for what to write for tomorrow, I'm writing it here so I don't forget it. Enjoy the preview.

When you really weren't expecting that and the knowledge of what it means kicks you squarely in the gut but nobody else understands? That's what happened recently when a Neighbours storyline played out that left me wondering if the writers knew the fans at all ...