My day at the Earlsdon Festival

On bank holiday Monday I took part once more in the Earlsdon Festival, Last year it was the best experience I'd had as a bookseller so this year had some way to go to beat it.

That's my wife it is

Did it beat it? Weather wise no. I came home bright red last year yet this year the sun only broke in sporadic outbursts, but it didn't rain! How about bookselling wise though? Well, YES! My stall was a little bit more organised and I could even show off my Big Comfy Bookshop banner. Once more I spent 6 hours the day before working on the set-up and creating bunting, whilst my wife cut out home made bookmarks, and it was all worth it. Even before the gates opened for the public I had sold half a dozen books to other stall holders and it continued none stop til around 1pm, where the lunchtime lull kicked in, for 10 minutes!

The afternoon heaved with people up until around 3.30, then it started to trail off. One mistake I made last year was I didn't bring enough replenishing stock, so this year I bought 4 boxes worth, and by the end of the day all that was gone! My wife Heidi came along for the ride and helped out and I'm so glad as it was ridiculously busy.

The highlight for me though was meeting so many new people who new about the shop. Every 10 minutes someone would say "I recognise that logo!" or "So when are you moving to Fargo then?" or "I saw you on twitter and have come to say hello". The whole experience filled me with even more optimism that the shop will be a success. 

I hope to attend next year too!

Michael

My Book Quest 2014

My task in 2013 was to read one book a week. I failed quite spectacularly, I didn't even manage 1 book a fortnight. All in all I read 22 books last year. I started off OK, devouring the massive Time Travelers Wife, and I kept it up for a while, then life just took over round about April. I struggled with The Great Gatsby and even the great Hunger Games took a while to consume. Anyway, that was then and this is now.

I have the same agenda, but tweaked it a little bit. Once more I will be aiming for 52 books (at least) read in the year. I'm taking my own advice (from this post) by turning off my phone at night and also having more books dotted around the house. Instead of just setting the standard 52 book rule, I'm also naming specifics.
Here's a list of books on my Book Quest 2014.

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

2 huge classic tomes a la Middlemarch/Don Quixote

The ENTIRE Ian Rankin or Lee Childs novels

All the books I've bought but never read

More from The Guardian top 100 novels

I'll also be sticking in my book club books (join here!). Now this is quite a task and adding up all these books it will take me over the 52 book mark. I am also yet to decide on the classics to read, suggestions taken.

There will be pitfalls. This year I will be opening the shop (Hooray!) so my time will be used up considerably. Also, my child is 2. That's all I need to say. 

It's got off to a slow start I'll admit. It's now January 16th and I've read 2 books, one of which I started early December. Sure it's on track but I wanted to get an early head start to compensate for later in the year. All books will be reviewed on the blog and kept on the review page. I update twitter with my current reads and thoughts so follow @bigcomfybooks to get up to the minute, blow by blow action on reading. Also like on Facebook.

If you have set yourself a target for the year then please share it with me!

Finally, browse the online shop. 

Wish me luck, and a (belated) Happy New Year to you all.

Michael

My Shelfie

Selfie seems to have been crowned the top word of 2013. I'm not one to pose so thought instead I'd take a Shelfie!

People keep books all over the house, with some taking up whole rooms. What may surprise you is that even though I own The Big Comfy Bookshop, my own personal shelves don't take up much room at all and are in fact tucked away in a small alcove in my sons bedroom, along with mounds of DVD's and CD's. Below is one small wall of my books. There are a few other places dotted around the house too; I have business books and my 'downstairs' book all neatly shelved in the living room alongside my sons children's books. I'd love if you could take a picture of your shelf, either all of them, one of them, as many as you like, and post the picture to the bookshop Facebook and/or Twitter!
I've added a little description to each shelf with certain books picked out so feel free to do the same.

The very top shelf has box files with house stuff and paperwork, so this is the top 'book shelf'. The usual family favourite Harry Potter is filed next to a load of Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace books, very funny and entertaining. Sandwiched in between these and my Nick Hornby's is a selection of literary heavyweights. George Eliot, Kurt Vonnegut, J D Salinger and a few more. The Hunger Games trilogy (awesome) sits next to Neil Gaiman's classic Amercian Gods, with a load of World Book Night books on top, the ones with the dark green-grey spine and the crescent moons on top. All these are yet to be read. I love my Hardback copies of The Time Travellers Wife and Norwegian Wood which is sitting at the top of the picture. These are limited edition from Waterstones. A few PS1 and Nintendo DS games fit in wherever I can find room.

A world of fantasy sits on the shelf below with a mound of Terry Pratchett (mostly Discworld, very gratefully received from my friend Dave @Nikon300boy), only half of them read. I bought my wife Heidi a load of Redwall books by Brian Jacques and they seem to seamlessly fit here. Some random books fit where they can. Scrabble and Munchkin board games also squeeze on the top.

This shelf is 95% Heidi's dance and theatre books. She teaches dance at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and also writes. She is much cleverer than I.

The bottom shelf, or rather floor, has a few graphic novels, including a world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (my wife's again, although I am also a big fan). A few more theatre books, some pregnancy books and a few Jackie Chan books. He's a hero to Heidi. The DVD wall is rammed so the West Wing box set (Best.Telly.Ever) sits here next to an empty shoe box that once contained my sons first shoes, and on top rests my harmonica.

I could take a picture of the other wall but I may leave that for the future.

I'd love to see your shelves!

Michael

PS. And here is a Selfie :

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EDIT! - Literally 10 minutes after writing this blog I have seen The Guardian have done THE EXACT SAME THING. Read their piece HERE

8 literary inspired tattoos

I do not have a tattoo but have always considered it. The one thing stopping me is 'What do I get?' I've started to think of book inspired tattoos and took to Google and Pinterest with an open mind for inspiration. The range of ideas and creativity is astounding.

Harry Potter

Lord of The Rings

Where The Wild Things Are

The Catcher In The Rye

Pater Pan

Pride and Prejudice

Matilda

Amazing! Do you have a book inspired tattoo? Would you ever consider getting one? What would it be?!?

Michael

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett is the 19th novel in the Discworld series. I am a massive Discworld and Pratchett fan and have read the Discworld novels in publication order (apart from Jingo, which was the 21st published) so this was my 20th Discworld novel and it was based on The City Watch, my favourite group of characters from the series. I'd even go as far as to say it was one of my favourites so far.

The City Watch is the Police Force of the main city on Discworld, Ankh-Morpork. Commander Vimes, Captain Carrot, Nobby, Colon, Detritus and Angua round out the main characters from previous City Watch Books, with a new recruit in the dwarf Cheery Littlebottom. Each one of these characters lives and breathes on the page, and they have done since his first book and Littlebottom is no different.

The City Watch

If you have never read a Discworld book before then try to imagine Monty Python in a fantasy land with wizards, trolls, humans with a tongue firmly in a cheek. Several times I laughed out loud (I always do with Pratchett).

The story of Feet of Clay revolves around a double murder. It's implicated that a Golem has killed the duo, but how can a Golem, who has no 'life', it's simply a machine, have any murderous tendancies? At the same time the marvellous Patrician (One of Discworlds rare sensible beings) has been poisoned. It's up to Vimes and The City Watch to find the culprit and bring them to justice.

In each Discworld book several figures pop up from time to time and new ones appear. I loved the introduction of a new character called Wee Mad Arthur, a 6 inch hard-as-nails Ratkiller gnome, with the face off of him vs a bull a hoot.

The Discworld - Great A'Tuin

It really was a joy to read, more so than normal. I've given it a huge 8.5 on the comfometer.

I urge you to read a Discworld novel. Publication date is not a great way to start tobe honest but I'm half way through now so I'm not stopping! The books are all in series eg The City Watch books, The Witches books, Wizards books etc, but they are all set on the Discworld, with characters appearing in other series. Have a look at the Terry Pratchett site for more.

One of my favourite Discworld books.

Michael
@bigcomfybooks
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Fear of Flying by Erica Jong - Guest blog by Rachel Ritchie

When I was about fourteen, I read an article in Cosmopolitan that mentioned Fear of Flying by Erica Jong. I had never heard of the book, nor of Jong, but thought it sounded interesting, particularly as it was being held up as a feminist classic. A day or two later, I came across another reference to Fear of Flying and took this as a sign that I must read it. I duly checked a copy out of Nuneaton library. I noticed the librarian looking at me a bit askance while she stamped it (remember the days when library books were stamped by a person, not scanned by a machine?). By the time I’d settled down that evening and read a few pages, I realised why she had cocked an eyebrow at me and my book choice: Fear of Flying was rude! Well, it seemed ‘rude’ to my rather green teenage self as its pages are peppered with strong swear words and discussions of sex. Despite my shock, the journey of the protagonist, Isadora, had me hooked. I wanted to know more about her life. I needed to see where Jong would take her. So I continued, albeit with the book held so close to my face that my parents must have thought I was developing long-sightedness; I was worried that they would glance at it over my shoulder and decide that it was unsuitable, so I took to surreptitious reading and vowed to not mention it to anyone – especially family members or teachers.

Many reviews of Fear of Flying concentrate exclusively on what I naively labelled ‘rude’ elements. Whilst acknowledged as a key text in second wave feminism, it is also pigeon-holed as being all about sex. Recent editions have played to such assessments, using images such as a half-unzipped banana on the cover. In an updated introduction, Jong recounts an incident when her daughter confronted her with classmates’ accusations that she wrote pornography; Jong gives her a copy and tells her to judge for herself. She does not share what her daughter’s assessment was, but there is no doubt in my mind that there is so much more to Fear of Flying than titillation. Accusations of pornography have long been thrown at any expression of women’s desires and sexuality, usually in an attempt to silence voices that threaten the gender status quo.

Focusing solely on its visceral aspects is simply one way to avoid the more challenging aspects of this novel, particularly its questioning of marriage, an institution that dominates Western understandings of love, intimacy and family as much now as when the book was first published in 1973. Fear of Flying tells the story of Isadora’s flight from her marriage and her ensuing jaunt around Europe, largely but not exclusively in the company of her older lover. In the course of her travels, we also learn of Isadora’s life up until that point. Whilst sexual encounters are undoubtedly a fundamental part of this recounting and her European adventure, Fear of Flying is also a broader exploration of female identity, freedom and independence. It is ultimately about Isadora’s voyage of self-discovery. Unlike in comparable novels such as Gustav Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, the central protagonist is not punished for transgressing acceptable feminine norms, yet at the same time Fear of Flying offers a conclusion with no easy answers for either Isadora or the reader. The unflinching deconstruction of so-called ‘romantic love’ evident from the outset continues even on the last page, with Jong eschewing the conventional happy ending and instead providing an ambiguous final scene. Almost twenty years after I first read it, I still struggle with this. I don’t want ambiguity; I want a definite answer as to what happens to Isadora in the end. Perhaps, though, this is the point: in our journey to find ourselves, there is no definitive ending until we die.

Many thanks to Rachel Ritchie for this great post! Go and visit her website at www.RaeRitchie.com and follow her on twitter at @rae_ritchie_

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

My first foray into Audiobooks was the children's classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Frances Hodgson Burnett

The beauty of the audiobook is that I can 'read' it whilst I'm doing other things, mostly driving, but you knew that anyway. Yes I'm late to the game. I only put it on when I knew I'd be listening to it and not concentrating on several things at once. I came across this audiobook via the app simply called Audiobooks and streamed it direct from my phone. It is part of the huge library on Librivox.org

It was read by Kara Shallenberg and as my first audiobook I found her tones were simple and didn't take me out of the story, although an American woman pulling off an old man's Yorkshire accent was startling at first! But she did it!

I picked The Secret Garden first as I always remembered a film version of it from my childhood but I could never reach those memories, and it turns out I made a lot of it up in my head.
The brash, rude 10 year old Mary is our eyes into her new English world, having been brought up in India by maids. Left alone in her new surroundings she is expected to live life like a child yet, she is so used to everything being done for her including dressing that it's a shock. The idea of 'playing' is alien to her but bit by bit she investigates the huge mansion and gardens, and one such garden in particular.

The garden has been locked up for 10 years and the mystery awakens Mary's sense of adventure. In India she had no friends and no inclination to speak to anyone but now in England she is slowly warming to becoming a child, and finding her childlike tendencies of inquisitiveness.

Leaves and things. It's a garden. And looks secretish.

These tendencies leads her to the young boys Dickon, the maid Martha's brother and keen gardener and later on, Colin, the master of the house's sickly demanding son. There is almost a chain in the relationships with Dickon very placid and calm, teaching Mary how to grow, both in the garden and emotionally, then Mary doing the same to Colin.

I enjoyed the book very much. At around two thirds of the way through I became a little frustrated at the pace, as I was enjoying the relationship between Mary and Dickon but it focuses more on Colin. It was written for children and if I'd had read it when I was 10 or so then it would have captivated me all the way through.

A healthy 6.5 on the comfometer

Michael
@bigcomfybooks
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The great thing about running a book club is that I get to pick the book, or at least have it up for vote. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a book I've wanted to read for ages yet never got round to but with it being victorious in the vote, I gladly sat down and devoured it.

The Book Thief by Dean the cat

One reason for picking it is also there is a film version out very soon and i didn't want to taint my experience of the source material. The book is based in Germany at the start of World War II but instead of focusing on the army or the war, it picks it's lead as an 11 year old girl off to live with her foster parents. The war is simply a backdrop to her life. Another expert twist is that the whole book is seen through the eyes of, and narrated by, Death.

Liesel, the girl in question, has a wicked start to her story, with her younger brother dying in the first few pages and her distant yet lovable mother leaving not long after. Her brother leans heavily on her conscience and moulds her character throughout the book. At her brothers funeral she comes across a book, The Grave Diggers manual and, unable to read but wanting to find something to hold on to, she takes it. The first of many.

When Liesel finally arrives at her adoptive parents this is where the book takes off. The characters are full of life. Her 'Father' Hans and 'Mother' Rosa create a world of discipline, safety, love and freedom, with Liesel's love growing each day for Hans, who each night helps Liesel read. Rudy, the boy a few doors down and best friend is captivated by Liesel and the pair are in love more or less from the start, but the young love that children find. Although with little food and in the slums of Germany, the pair, along with other kids, make the best, with Rudy and Liesel becoming expert thieves, plotting schemes, capturing adolescence perfectly.

The war is far away from her home of Himmel Street but at several points it creeps in with a procession of Jews appearing more often, and Hans's son putting all his faith in the Fuhrer. Promises made 20 years ago haunt the family but also open them up to a life much more colourful and rewarding.

I loved this book from page 1. It was harrowing, tense, depressing yet uplifting too. I have never cried at a book but I had a lump in my throat at one specific part. It is a book that, very cleverly, revealed everything about Liesel's future life due to the narration from Death, way before the book was over, in fact about a third of the way through we find out the ending. Even when we know what's coming, the way Markus Zusak pulls no punches and uses symbolism choked me.

I've given The Book Thief a massive 9 cushions on the Comfometer. I miss these characters.

Michael
@bigcomfybooks 
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PS The trailer for the film is a bit too syrupy for me.

10 tips to help you read more

Here are 10 tips to help you read more.

I often have a spat of not reading anything. Last year I read about 6 or 7 books all year and for me that is woeful. I can use my new born son as an excuse but it's still pretty bad. At the start of this year I gave myself the task of reading a book a week. I am still way off target but I've managed to squeeze in some reading where before I would do anything else.

There is no maximum or minimum number of books you should read, as long as you enjoy it. If you fancy adding a book or two to your yearly log then try these for size.

1. Enjoy what you read.

OK, so it may seem simple but if you start reading Umbrella by Will Self and after page 10 you are utterly bamboozled then it's not a crime to stop. Personally I get to about page 50-70 and make my mind up, but I've given up on some so-called classics. I've sometimes later revisited them and completed a few and generally enjoyed them but don't put yourself through it. You'll come out dizzy and with a contempt for books. Reading is supposed to be fun!

2. Use more than a book

Being a bookshop owner I encourage buying books, but I also read on my phone and on my kindle. I use the Aldiko app on my phone to download and read classics. It gives me the opportunity to read anywhere I am. My son used to fall asleep on me and refuse to budge so I decided to use this time to read on my phone as it was the only thing I had on me at the time! I've discovered some fantastic books this way including Treasure Island, Pride and Prejudice and Call of the Wild.

3. Read more than one book at a time

To some it may be quite hard but I often have at least 2 books on the go, on different mediums. It helps if the books are different genres rather than having 2 crime thrillers. These can get mixed up and plots transfer from one book to another! At the moment I'm reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (on the Aldiko app), Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett (in paperback) and The Secret Garden (audiobook).

4. Use audiobooks

Some may say it's not reading but who cares? The Secret Garden is my very first audiobook and I love it. I put it on when I'm driving and doing chores around the house. If I went to the gym I'd put it on then too. It still counts. I use another free app called Librivox and there are hundreds of free classics to choose from, but try Audible for new books, there are thousands!

5. Read short stories

I've never been one to invest time in short stories. I always thought if I'm going to put effort and time into a book, I want to really give myself to it and spend time with the characters. This is so wrong. A short story can be amazingly nutritious. Depending how short, it can be read in just 20 minutes or so (I'm a slow reader). The Sherlock Holmes stories I'm reading at the moment are all short stories yet still encapsulate the characters, the smells and locations of London just as a novel does.

6. JUST read

The reason I've not hit my goal of a book a week this year is due to the Internet, and probably Twitter in particular. I try to read just before I go to sleep but often think "I'll just check Twitter first" then spend an hour working out my thumb muscle scrolling through. Put that phone down (unless using Aldiko of course!) and maybe even turn it off. Use the time you said you were going to read, to actually read.

7. Schedule more time

As stated I like to read before I go to bed, but I've also scheduled in an hour just to read during the day. It's easier for me as I work from home, but even if it's just 15 minutes before dinner, or in your lunch break, you'll soon see that book you've been meaning to read complete within a week or two.

8. Join a book club

I've started an online book club and it is going amazingly well. We vote on what book to read then we have the whole month to get through it, ending with a discussion on Facebook on the last Sunday of the month. We don't meet anywhere as it's online and each time we do the discussion I use my phone and the Facebook app rather than sit at a PC as it gives me much more freedom. Arguing about whether the book was decent or not is all part of the fun! Book clubs are all over too so if you want to sit, eat cake and chat about them then see if your local book shop of library runs one. Join The Big Comfy Book Club online HERE. 

9. Give yourself a challenge

If you only read 1 book a year why not make it a New Years Resolution to read more? Maybe there is a film coming out that has been adapted from a book, you could read the book BEFORE the film comes out then brag to your friends "Oh they missed so-and-so out of the film". Read ALL the Man Booker Prize books before the winner is announced. Work towards a goal. At the end treat yourself to a low-calorie carbonated refreshment. Nice.

10. Get up to date with the next big thing.

A lot of people think that Dan Brown is an awful writer, but his books have sold enough that if you line up every one he's sold it would reach a really, really long way. Probably a billion miles long. Forget about the critics, if you like chases and cars exploding and dinosaurs (who doesn't?!) then get in on the action. A million billion people who bought Dan Brown can't be wrong and you can chip in with the conversation around the watercooler or Internet forum about Inferno or Fifty Shades of Grey or Harry Potter. Take a look at the bestselling books this year, this month, this week and see why it's at the top.

I hope this list has inspired you to pick up a few more books and get your read on. You can, incidentally, pick them up from OUR SHOP, with just £1 postage on everything.

Any more tips then let me know and I'll share to the world. Contact me on Twitter @BigComfyBooks, Facebook or comment below.

Michael

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

After the brilliant duo of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, the final instalment of The Hunger Games, Mockingjay, has let me down slightly.

I was told by several people that the third book was not as good but by half way through I was loving it. It is a complete departure from the previous two and I enjoyed the places that Katniss turned up in. She does get a bit whiny every now and then but her world has gone to pot.

Warning! There are spoilers ahead! Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know what happens...Where it goes off the rails for me is when Peeta returns from his capture, and the whole brainwash thing. I felt the previous two books had built him up to be such a courageous, big hearted guy and it was all snatched away to be replaced by some angry, emotionless robot. I felt betrayed by the author! The worst was that it wasn't fixed. That's it. He's damaged goods. Several other characters that were hinted at possibly being dead in Catching Fire were also confirmed, but there was no real grief (I'm thinking Cinna especially). It is such a downbeat ending, which I didn't see coming so take my hat off to Collins. I have thought whether I liked the ending and I'm still at a loss. I think I did, but all the emotional input that I gave the characters  Haymitch, Gale and Peeta over the series seems to be wasted somewhat. I did however, like the bit with Prim at the end.

I'm interested in how they'll fit all this on screen. Will they change the ending?

It's definitely the weakest of the three so I've given it a 6.5 on the Comfometer.

Thoughts?

Michael

The Earsldon Festival Experience

On Bank Holiday Monday I held a stall at the Earlsdon Festival. Last year saw downpours but the weather this time was simply glorious, in fact it was the hottest day of the year! Win!

It was my first time at the festival and I didn't have time to even have a slight browse after setting up my stall as the punters came thick and fast. But lets rewind slightly.

Side view - Note the book bunting!

I was slightly nervous for a few reasons. Reason 1. The last stall I had I sold next to nothing. 2. We were warned that parking was to be a problem with roads closed and to make sure we had a trolley of sorts to transport our goods (books are heavy!). 3. I have been to Earlsdon once and have no idea of the roads anyway! But...

I was let through the road closure (due to being a stall holder), I managed to park 30 seconds from Earlsdon Street, where the festival was happening and right behind the toilets (yes!). We were given stall numbers a few weeks ago and so I was about to go hunting for it when there right in front of me, by my car and toilets, was the shiny number 50, my stall! No problems whatsoever!

Busy!

My previous 2 stall displays were more or less knocked together on the day but for this I spent 3-4 hours in the week getting the books I wanted out, and coming up with a better system. It definitely paid off. I had taken a photo of my 'run-through' and so knew exactly where each book would go. Within 40 minutes I had set it all up.

My stall

Within 3 people visiting the stall I had my first sale, and I continued to sell all day long. Between 1.20 and 1.45 there were not many people at the stall, probably due to folks eating lunch, but apart from that, it was none stop! Loads of friends, family and even people from twitter and facebook turned up and chatted to me and wished me well. At one point as soon as my good friend Jonathan turned up I gave him my awesome bumbag money pouch and ran for the toilet as I simply didn't have time to stop working during the day.

Me!

When we were due to start packing up at 4, even then loads of books were sold, with people looking through the boxes I'd just packed!

A green bagpipe playing man

It was simply none stop!

It was simply an astounding day. So much fun. Now with a little experience I'm getting to grips with how to approach a stall.
The next stall will be at Nuneaton URC (church by the Ropewalk) on May 18th.
I am also in the process of setting up my own book and craft fair and yesterday I received some dates so will be looking in the diary to see when would be best.

If you fancy a stall at that then just let me know via Twitter, Facebook or Email contact@thebigcomfybookshop.co.uk

Hope to see you on the 18th

Michael

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As I own a bookshop I thought I really should attempt some Austen. I've attempted twice before and got to page 3 or 4. It really isn't my bag baby. Not to be deterred I chose Pride and Prejudice out of the dozens of other free e-books available on the Aldiko modile e-reader.

The one massive surprise is that I really liked it, loads. You know the story; woman hates man, man hates woman, man likes woman, woman still hates man, woman likes man, the end. I thought I'd get distracted by the way Austen constructs her dialogue, as it's over 200 years old (published on 28th January 1813) and at first I felt like packing it all in on page 4 but stuck with it and by the end of chapter 2, I wanted more. I was drawn into their world easily and often daydreamed about heading off to one of the Bennet's balls in my fine clothes to hang out with the girls and gals. Elizabeth is a striking character and no doubt put a few noses out of joint when it was published. Balshy, ballsy and opinionated, a complete contrast from the way woman of the time were viewed and 'should' have acted. It was her strong character that kept me turning the page. All of the periphery characters have such strong personalities too, my favourite being Lizzy's mum, Mrs Bennet, who reminded me of my own mum! Fussy, obstinate, overly loving and a general pain in the bum! Extra mention for her dad too, what a cool cat.

I have given Pride and Prejudice a very healthy 7 cushions on the comfometer. In time I'll head into Austen-world (idea-Themepark!) again. Any suggestions which to tackle will be appreciated.

Alongside P & P I've been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and been enjoying it very much. I seem to have been reading two books for a while so may concentrate fully on this one before adding another classic via the Aldiko reader to my roster.

We have a copy of Pride and Prejudice in the shop. It's the TV-tie in version. Click here

Michael

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Everyone knows Treasure Island right? Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, erm, treasure. Well after realising that's as much as I know on the classic story I started to read it (on the Aldiko e-reader app). Straight away I was hooked. I vaguely remember watching a cartoon film version of it when I was young and the beginning of the book especially had me thinking of a very 70's Jim Hawkins (with flares) running away from a pub. What I failed to remember (or more likely it wasn't in the film version) was all the death and killing.

Before he has even left his home, Jim witnesses two deaths plus a pretty vicious attack which, lets face it, made me read even quicker. Silver turns up just as they depart to find the treasure and he's such a well written, rounded character. Even though throughout he is a big meanie, he is a Machiavellian genius that makes me love him. He's a goodie. NO WAIT! He's a baddie. HOLD THAT THOUGHT! He's a goodie again etc. 

It was a fantastic read and the only negative I found was I struggled with some of the lingo used. It was written in 1883 and contained 'Piratisms' (words pirates used, my phrase copyright 2013 MM), basically a lot of missing consonants making me re-read and finally understand. After 50 pages it became second nature though.

These classics are really floating my boat and I've given it 8/10 on the Comfometer.

The next classic is Pride and Prejudice. I'm on page 80ish at the moment and I'm enjoying it, although not as much as violent dogs (Call of the Wild) or Pirates (Treasure Island). Maybe Elizabeth will hack off Darcy's leg soon with a blunt axe? No?

Michael

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

Waterstones Vintage Modern Classics Edition. Plus Wine. Nice

So it took just over 2 weeks to work my way through this 500+ page story, at the same time reading Treasure Island. It took me a few pages to fully get to grips with the time travel aspect as I was not really sure why Henry was time travelling in the first place. It became clear though that this was pretty much central to the story, forever asking himself 'Why?'

There are two central characters. Henry the time traveller, and Clare, the wife of the title. The book questions the idea of free will from the get go and the acceptance of others. One thing I found pretty bizarre was the fact that although Henry had been time travelling since he was a boy, the number of folks that knew about it and those that ended up knowing about it grew, yet there was no real questioning from them, just simple acceptance. I went with the idea and, although the ending was pretty obvious, it was tense and overall a success. It could have cut a bit of the fat off and finished 50 pages earlier however, I would recommend it. A lovely 6.5 cushions on the Comfometer. Tied with 'The Help'

After Treasure Island, which I'm loving by the way, I'll be tackling the Hunger Games Trilogy. I LOVED the film so I'm apprehensive but I'm assured it will "blow me away", just like the 80mph wind today. Jeez.

As always I love to hear from you regarding your latest reads. Tweet or Facebook.

Michael @bigcomfybooks

Getting sidetracked by a classic

I finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett last week and my aim was to start and finish The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger in a week. Well, I didn't. My 7 days expired and I was only half way through. I feel a little annoyed at myself as this is something I really want to, and need to do. There are several reasons for this. I have a 1 year old who takes up 75% of my time, 20 % of my time I spend on cataloguing books for the shop. This leaves 5% for me. I'd say 2% is spent reading and the rest flabbing out in front of the TV watching Cougar Town (My God this is underrated). Anyway when my son falls asleep in the day he tends to sleep on me or my wife for a good hour, leaving either of us unable to move. I don't mind, in fact I really like it. This weekend he fell asleep and I had in my hand just my phone. I browsed the net (for the n'th time that day) then viewed the app store. I saw the Kindle-like ebook download reader thing (not official name) and decided to investigate. It was free and came with a few classics that I'd never read.

I started to read Call of the Wild by Jack London and was absolutely gripped. I am a pretty slow reader (another excuse why I'm only halfway through Time Travellers Wife) but by the time my little one had woken I had read half the book!
You may scoff and say why is a bookshop owner getting free downloads from an e-reader? Well, I already own a Kindle (GASP!) and love it. Books are to be read whatever form they come in. Sure I'm championing the real deal (and attempting to make a living from it) but to ignore the 'competition' would be foolish, plus, shut up, I'll do what I want. (Argument won, I think)

With two books half finished I need to concentrate on one book and that may be Call of the Wild as it seems to be such an easier read. I can see me easily fitting in a few other classics from the e-reader once my son falls asleep on me once more leaving me time to finish Call of the Wild and browse the dozens (hundreds maybe) of free classics and delving in. I am enjoying TTTW but it does seem to be getting a bit drawn out. I'll be adding all the books I read (from now on) to the Comfometer. So far just The Help occupies the list at 6.5 cushions out of 10. A good solid start.

If there are book's you'd like to recommend to me then just Tweet or Facebook me or leave a comment below.

Michael

Reading habits

People differ in the way they read. Some devour a book in one go in an evening, some take 3 months. I usually take about a fortnight to get through a book. Or I did last year. This year I had the joy of becoming a dad for the first time, on January 2nd. This obviously hampered my reading time, but I wasn't that bothered. Son Vs books, Son will win each time. But now he is almost 1 I've found that I'm still not picking up a book as often as I used to. I think I've only read 8 or 9 books this year.

I used to read in my half hour dinner in my previous job, then in bed before I go to sleep. Obviously now I've left my job to work on the shop this time has disappeared but in the evening I'm finding I either fall asleep within minutes or I spend half hour on twitter.

I'm trying to relearn a routine. I'm in love with books and need to show them a bit more time.

I've just started reading The Help and so far I'm really loving it. I'm going to aim to finish it before Christmas. 

Michael

@bigcomfybooks