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September 2010

New books, but is it a good sign?

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ThinkingNo Comments

The publishing industry have released a few books by some of my faviourate authors. I knew about The Dead by Charlie Higson, which I bought this month. I’m about half way through it, so expect a review soon! I’ve reviewed The Enemy which you can read here. I also bought The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank and Everyday Moon Magic by Dorothy Morrison.

Two books I didn’t know about till yesterday were Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern. I’m trying to live frugally (see Living Frugally) so I’ll have to buy these next month. I think I missed the release of these books because publishers usually release them closer to Christmas.

This got me thinking, does the early release of these books signal that publishers are worried that Christmas won’t be a good time for selling? Are they in a way predicting that they think we’ll take our second dip into recession? Maybe I’m reading too much in to this? But I think if I was a publisher, I’d try and release as many publications as I could before we entered recession. What are your thoughts?

Antony

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Sunday 26 September 2010

Book Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-lovely-bones-alice-sebold The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was a book I decided to read after hearing about it on The TV Book Club. The book starts off by introducing Susie Salmon (like the fish). Susie is a 14 year old who is brutally murdered on her way home from school by Mr. Harvey, the local neighbourhood weirdo. After her death she continues to tell her story: how her family cope with her death, their heartache as the police investigation goes nowhere and she describes what her heaven is like – as she explains that everyones heaven is different.

I found The Lovely Bones emotionally moving as Alice uses Susie in heaven to describe how the family move on over years after her death. From this book I got a warm feeling that came from the notion that when people die they do not cease to exist.

For me I found that the book could have been ended at an earlier point. Alice could have let the imagination of the reader to finish the story and it would have prevented me feeling that the book “dragged” towards the end.

You can buy The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold on Amazon.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Monday 20 September 2010

The Guardian’s Charlie Brooker

By The WebNo Comments

I recently discovered The Guardian’s Charlie Brooker. I enjoy reading his weekly online articles often about TV, politics or what ever he feels he wants to write about. I like that his own voice comes through in his writing, which he seems to achieve by using wit and humor.

I read one of his articles entitled Forget those creative writing workshops. If you want to write, get threatened, where he said if you want to get that idea for a novel actually on paper you need to get yourself a deadline. Good advice Charlie! I need to get myself a deadline if I want to write three short stories before the end of this year (see Goals for 2010).

I’ve added Charlie to my ‘Blogs of Interest’ as although, strictly speaking, not a blog, it is something I take pleasure from when reading. With the ‘Blogs of Interest’ in mind, I’ve removed Wyatt’s Blog as he’s stopped blogging and turned in to an online shopping store.

Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 19 September 2010

Why I’m thinking of joining one of the TUC unions…

By Political, ThinkingNo Comments

The TUC (Trades Union Congress) represents 58 trade unions and is set up to lobby the government on all sort of social and economic issues that effect workers with in the represented unions in a unified way. Many of TUC member unions represent public sector workers including: teachers, nurses, council workers, police, etc.

I’m a public sector worker and what I see from the government greatly greatly concerns me. I’m seeing massive budget already ahead of the governments budget review in October. This means seeing colleagues at risk of loosing their jobs and I’m at risk too, we all are. I’ve trained and qualified as a Nurse and a Youth Worker so if I’m made redundant where I am going to work? I doubt the private sector has many jobs for Nurses or Youth Workers. But of equal importance, if not more important, the cuts mean front line services for vulnerable people in society will be adversely effected.

Now I know the budget deficit needs reducing, there’s no disagreement on that from me, but I do disagree with making cuts that in my opinion are too deep and too quick. Services will be effected on a massive scale and I believe it will lead to a substantial rise in unemployment. The TUC’s response to the government cuts are to organise coordinated strikes so that all union workers are striking at the same time. It’s not about creating the maximum amount disruption to the public, although I have to admit there will be some, it’s about showing unity to the government. It’s about telling the government that we disagree the cuts need to be made so deep and so quickly.

I’ve not been in a union for some years, but the TUC’s response to strike is one I agree with. How else can we get through to a government which ironically isn’t listening to the people who they are suppose to work for? And that’s why I’m thinking of joining one of the TUC unions.

Write soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 14 September 2010
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