Wednesday, July 26, 2017

'84 Charing Cross Road' by Helene Hanff

Helene Hanff wrote a letter to, Marks & Co., a bookstore in London on Charing Cross Road in 1949 in the hopes to find a book she's been looking for; and in return received a wonderful copy of it in return. What she didn't realise was that this was the beginning of a wonderful, long-distance relationship with the people across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Over the next 20 years, Helene and Frank Doel write letters to each other about books, authors and they get to know each other through Christmas parcels and Easter goodies as well. Often, Helene is sending off money to keep her credit up to buy books of Frank at his lovely little bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Road, in the middle of London. And in turn, Frank and his wife are writing back (sometimes in separate letters) to Helene who is living in a tiny townhouse - the only luxurious items in it are the books she purchases from across the miles. 

For quite a few years, Helene promises to fly to London to visit their fare city; and Frank and his wife offer to put her up while she's there. A few times, Helene comes close to flying there, but unfortunately, she's had to dip into her 'London Funds' to pay for something which she can't do without in her life, and sadly, she has to start over again in saving for the UK. 
Then, one day in 1969, Helene receives the sad news of Frank's sudden passing. Even though she's been in hospital and her doctors have only let her home, she is determine to get herself onto a plane to see London, to meet Frank's family and to see the lovely store where all her wonderful volumes of books came from - even though it's now closed down. But does she make it there? Is she healthy enough to make the trip there and back? 

This is a true story about Helene Hanff's relationship with the owner of Marks & Co Bookstore in London. Ms. Hanff published the correspondence between her and Frank Doel - and some of the staff of the store - as memorial to Frank after he passed away. 

Helene Hanff passed away in De Witt Nursing Home in Manhattan aged 80 on 9th, April, 1997 - only days before her 81st birthday.  

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The Reading-less World

I've been noticing all around me over the past few years - and even within my habits as well - and it's not looking good.

Our world is becoming a reading-less world. 

As Human Beings, we are sitting on our butts more and looking at the blue glowing screens in our hands, on our desktops and we're being hypnotised by the internet to put down that lovely book which is sitting next to us and to jump on Twitter, SnapChat and other snap-happy sites and get our shot of quick happiness.

This is a bad thing to happen; and it's only going to become worse if we don't admit that we're all addicted to this.

I wrote a flash fiction on my other blog titled: 'Dear Participant' which is linked through to Terrible Minds blog of Chuck Wendig's and it struck a real nerve with a lot of my readers. Chuck told us to pick an uncertain evil and write about it - an evil that doesn't look like or feel like it's going to be anything harmful, but it it is. I picked the internet... and how! In the end of the piece I wrote, I have the internet telling us that we have sold our souls to - not the Devil - but to the internet, and we are its puppets.

And you know something? That piece of writing really spooked a lot of people - myself included. I'm not saying I'm not addicted: I am. But there are some days in the week where I have a tech-free day; usually it's on the weekend and I'll get my butt outside and into the garden to mow the lawn, clean up the weeds and then back into the house and wash the floors or declutter something. After I've done some good cleaning up of something (I like to have done something constructive and that I can see has been done around my place), I sit down in my Reading Chair and write in my journal, and read some of a book I'm currently reading. It's just nice to do that... I don't care how long I sit and read for, so long I get through my pages. 

This is something I don't always get to, but as much as I struggle with my new habit of reading as much as I can, I do publicly swear that I will get myself back into the habit of reading more books again. 

You have to go back on the sidebar and see that I used to read up to 30 books a year when I began this blog... and now? I've read 2. This is piddly... really piddly... and I am disgusted with myself. However, I'm making a promise to myself to get my nose into more of my books and to get in and read more - day and night - and keep away from this dreaded computer before bed!

So, have you noticed a drop in your reading stakes over the last few years? If so, how are you going to remedy it? You have read how I'm working on my addiction to the internet... now, it's your turn to make a promise to yourself and everyone here. Leave your comment below and let's get ourselves and everyone reading more again! Until my next post, happy reading! 

Friday, July 21, 2017

'The Bee Loud Glade' by Steve Himmer

Meet Finch. He's a corporate drone who works on blogs about a product called 'Second Nature' - a type of plant life for customers where you don't have to care for them, water them or do anything to them, just have them as decoration; and yes, they're plastic. Pretty, but not much use. The customer can add flowers, wilting leaves and other such things to the plant as seasons change and enjoy the plants to the full extent without the mess of an actual house plant - but it will never die. Finch also manages a collection of blogs about other imaginary lives supporting Second Nature.

However, life isn't exactly right. He's in a small corner of the office where he's kept to himself and found that he'd been mostly ignored - or so he thinks. And it doesn't really come as a surprise to him when he's fired.

He goes home, and his world stops. He stops. He just lets everything go; and stops paying his bills, stops caring for himself and eventually gets himself evicted - but he doesn't do anything about himself until late one night, just before his internet is cut off, offering him the perfect job... and all he has to do is say 'yes' - and so he replies with that word, then goes to sleep.
The very next day, his life changes completely. A driver shows up at his door and he's driven away the city, away from the house an away from everything he's known for so long to a mansion on top of a mountain where he meets Mr. Crane, the man who owned the company he was fired from. This man wanted him for something very specific; and knew he'd be the right man for the job... oh, and could he start immediately? By the way, the pay is incredible! All Finch has to do is live in Mr. Crane's garden as a hermit for seven years. There are some conditions - of course - but they're not all that major. Does Finch take the job? 

This is a great book from a writer I hadn't heard of until I won it in a competition. But once I through the first few pages, I just couldn't put it down. This book is an amazing and thought-provoking walk through the garden of somebody's thought processes as they observe the world in a totally different way. Set in the present day, with technology all around, it's interesting to see how Finch reacts to going from having everything, then nothing. I don't think I'll let go of this book from my collections any time soon.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Winter Reading

Winter has finally come to Brisbane for the next few weeks - or days - and we've all broken out the winter woolies and have snuggled down in our duvets late at night reading books before we turn out the light (if we ever do!).

As for me, I've been busily editing two books and they're both going so well, I've simply forgotten to come and tell you guys about it all. 
The first book is a book filled with the Flash Fiction from around 2014. But it's not just any flash fiction. I've added on what the story really does finish like at the end - or I've filled it out more in the middle - so it either makes more sense, or makes you want to read more about it. This also makes my reader want to get onto my blog for flash fiction and compare the two to see which one they like better - the blog one I tossed up onto the internet after working on it for around fifteen minutes, or the edited one I worked on for two hours to make it sound more finished with all the spelling mistakes and grammar fixed. 

Then, I've been working on my NaNoWriMo book from last year titled: 'The Tour Guide'. This was initially a working title and it took on something of a life of its own after I started out on it; which is strange because usually I'll begin a piece of writing in this month of writing, and I'll absolutely hate it. Then, it'll grow on me very suddenly and I'll be right into it. So, the working title of 'The Tour Guide' became the title of it in the end. 
Well, I found this book on my tablet and started reading it when I wanted to know what was on my 'Notebooks' on the apps. Once I remembered that I wrote this, I realised I simply had to finish this book completely and make sure I got it published. So, I've been editing this book as well.

I've also been reading late at night before bed, instead of being on the internet. I find I'm sleeping better than if I'm on the computer for an hour. So, I'm up to the last two chapter of 'The Bee-Loud Glade' by Steve Himmer and I've just begun '84 Charing Cross Road' by Helene Hanff. The latter book is one of my all-time favourites I just simply love to read. It's not a huge thick book, but it's a charmingly sweet classic with its first letter starting on my birthday, but I'm not born in 1949. I love books set in a time without computers, without all the complications of the modern world. It helps me slow down with everything around me speeding up so much.

Well, that's what I've been doing for the past week. Editing and reading... at long last on the last one! So, what are you reading this Winter - or Summer, if you're in the Northern Hemisphere? How many books have you gotten read this year? I haven't gotten that many books read, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about books all the time. Until my next post, happy reading!

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Been... well... Busy

I've been busy.
I've been sick.
I've been doing a lot of things lately.

There's been so much going on that I haven't had time to turn the calendar over in the kitchen - and yet I've turned the one over in the office upstairs. How weird is that? 

Well, I'm working hard on the first Flash Fiction book - and am around five stories from finishing it off. I can't wait to get it all finished up and sent off! It's going to look great! I just hope it sells!

Then, I can sit back for a bit and see how it goes.

Otherwise, I'll begin editing the second one quietly and slowly and it'll begin again - the late nights, the afternoons zipping by and the gallons of coffee I'll consume - to get the next book finished up and done. But it may take longer as I have written other books which really need looking at. There's 'Fry Nelson: Bounty Hunter' and 'Angel Love'... and of course 'Another Quick Read'. 

Did I bite off more than I can chew? Or is this just how I like it? Most probably the latter... I'll never know until I jump in feet first and see how the water is (or is the floor made of lava today?).

Otherwise, I've been skipping out on the computer late at night; opting to settle down in the comfort of my bed and reading until I drop off to sleep at around midnight. It's lovely, and warm, and I feel so much better when I can just slot in the bookmark and turn off the light instead of spending another half hour getting ready for bed... I'm already there, relaxed after an hour of reading.

Yep, the computer can wait late at night... after two or three hours of 'Supernatural' or 'That 70's Show' or Buffy' - all on dvd - as there's nothing really worth watching on free-to-air television anymore. I love losing myself in those worlds where nothing is real and yet fiction is better than real life.

Just like a book, right?

Yep, I've been... well... busy. Until my next post, happy reading!