Great Reads of 2011!

It's that time again!  The time when  I write down - in no particular order - which books were most-enjoyed by me this year; the ones I recommend you get your nose into next year.

1.  'He Died With A Felafel in His Hand.' by John Birmingham

2.  'Red Dog' by Louis de Bernieres

3.   'The Bee-Loud Glade' by Steve Himmer

4.   'Other Colours' by Orhan Pamuk

5.   'The Bro Code' by Barney Stinson & Matt Kuhn

6.   'Blockade Billy' by Stephen King 

7.  'Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemmingway

8.  'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho

So, there you have it, my list of recommended reading.  Some of them you may have read, some you may not have heard of.  However, I did enjoy reading all the books I read this year.  I know they don't seem like many, but there were some complex reads this year; and there's one I'm slogging through now and I'm taking my time because I'm really enjoying it!  So, until the next time I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.  Until my next post, happy reading! 

Bookstore Reviews Time!

I was out and about today with a friend and found we were able to find two bookstores to review.  After we ate at the Pancake Manor on Charlotte Street, Will and I walked a few doors down and found ourselves outside the narrow doorway to Archives Books.  This bookstore is a large old building here in Brisbane and has been a part of the city CBD since the 1920's when a printer named John Miller owned it.  This building - and the one behind it - is in some of the oldest areas of Brisbane; and it's all still here being used.  There is a stairway between the front John Miller Himself Building and the one behind which faces a laneway, which is attached to the main building via a wooden stairway (which was once exposed but is now covered and has been fixed up in recent years).

The interior of the back building has had a facelift in the last decade where the owners put in floating floors and added in extra shelving to accommodate for more books; as well as beautiful long, lush red drapes for the windows at the back.  However, the books are what the people come for; as I do too.

However as with all old buildings, this one has had its share of strange happenings.  My friend, Will, and I were happy and comfortable in the first, larger building where there were many isles of books to find and possibly read, however, once we climbed those back steps, we felt something change.  This back building wasn't alone... it wasn't a happy place.  We both felt an energy shift and it bothered us.  So, Will returned to the front desk and asked if there was anything special about the buildings - besides them being old - and the owners told him that in the alley between the buildings there had been a murder.  When Will told me about this, we figured it was a little wonder there were spirits stuck in the rear building... they had nowhere to go but to stick around this place until they were let go.  However, I've been coming into this store - and going into the back building of Archives - and have been getting the willies each time and not known why (thinking it was just me not feeling so good after I've eaten something); and now I know why, I'm glad it's not me and it's the building.  

Other than the ghosts bumping around the place bothering us mortals looking for something great to read, this place has been a great haunt of my own to go to each time I visit Brisbane City.  I enjoy the huge variety of written works here and always find a great book in this place whenever I need to find it.

The next place we were off to was The American Bookstore.  Will wanted to find a Latin Dictionary; and seeing there wasn't any at Archives, we took a wander to Elizabeth Street to find what he needed at this great bookstore.  Now, The American Bookstore isn't a big one, but is a very interesting place.  This bookstore has titles from America you may not find anywhere else.  They can get books in for you if you wish about great Americans - even if they're out of print, they'll find it for you second-hand so long you pay in advance - and they are a lovely store too! And so, while I was here, I ordered in a book I had been looking for since 2005:  Christian Slater's Biography 'Back From the Edge' by Nigal Goodall; and they found it in the UK for $35.00 in hardcover, second-hand; and I had to pay for it before it arrived.  The place is gorgeously set out; however it was a little hard to find as it had moved a few doors down the street and downstairs instead of being on the street; which makes it a very well-hidden and quiet kind of place.  However, if you have a disability, there's no way of getting into it without using the stairs.  Will loved this place, but the Latin Dictionary he was looking for wasn't there.

So, we moved onto Dymocks on Elizabeth Street.  This is a relatively new  two-storey one that just opened some months back; and has been doing great business since Borders closed across the road.  Will found his Dictionary here and we took a wander around this very crowded, busy store full of bargain-hunters and readers all looking for that particular book!  He found another book he wanted and - while I rushed off to the toilets - he bought his reading material and met me outside Starbucks (yes, we still have them here; and no I don't drink their coffee).  We walked around the Queen Street Mall for a bit before parting ways; agreeing it was a great day we had.  And we had a good look at some great bookstores - two of which he hadn't been to before and was pleased he found with me.  I'm just pleased I could review these bookstores for you.  I totally enjoyed finding these three stores and looking them over for you today... maybe next time, I'll have a look into West End and see what I find there!  Until my next post, happy reading!

Christmas Pressies

I meant to write yesterday; but by the time I arrived home, it was almost midnight and I was so stuffed that I bypassed the home office and didn't bother having a shower and headed off to bed.  Yep, I had one of the longest days on record... however every Christmas Day is usually very long for everyone as it's so exhausting!

This Christmas, I received a journal, a lovely notebook and 'The Year of the Flood' by Margaret Atwood.  I also received an Apple iTouch from my folks!  What a great thing this little thing is!  I have found that I can download books onto and seeing that Bibliotastic has got free books, I might get some free ones from there and put them onto my iTouch... what a great idea to download my own book 'Graveyard Shift' onto it too!  It does it to any e-reader!  How good is that?  

So, how was your Christmas?  Fun, enjoyable, beyond your wildest dreams - or was it humdrum?  Leave a comment and let us all know what you received in the way of reading material.  Otherwise, until my next post, happy reading!

The Meaning of Liff by Douglas Adams & John Lloyd

What can I say about a book that's made me laugh and snort all the way through it while it has no real plot or anything to tell?  Not much.  This wonderful little book on the alternate meanings of towns, cities and words in the English language is hilariously funny and set out in dictionary form; just to make it easier for us to use.  There's also maps inside of where these towns/cities are so you know they're real.  The best thing is that the funniest man I have read co-authored this book with another I haven't heard of (I know that sounds terrible, but really I haven't) and yet I still loved taking this book down from one of my friend's shelves whenever I visited and opening it at any page just for a giggle.

If you'd like to get your hands on this book, I'm not really sure where you could buy it as I've never seen another copy - and besides I'm looking for a copy for myself to giggle over at odd times of the night when I can't sleep.  Until my next post, happy reading.

Just Because It's Christmas...

It's Christmas Eve, and just because it is, it doesn't mean this blog is going anywhere.  I'll still be here up-dating it with the fun and links to sites that I have been for the last few weeks.  So, seeing the other blogs you have been frequenting have been shutting down over the Christmas/NYE period for their bit of fun, I have mine keeping on going over this time with my Summer Fun Event.

In the New Year, I will be venturing into the lovely city of Brisbane and looking into bookstores and reviewing them for your convenience, letting you know if they have online stores or a website so you can contact them.  I'll tell you about what I'm reading, what I've finished what I haven't finished and what I wanted to but found I got stuck in... you know, it does happen to the best of us.

So, stick with My Reading List over this Christmas Holiday and New Year period and you'll be entertained throughout.  I may yet even find a few people's private bookcases and share their tastes... you know, that's how you find out what people are really about.  Until my next post, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and happy reading!

More To Books Than Reading

Being a writer and a reader as well as an artist is something that's hard to work with.  I love working around all three of these things in my life; as they all keep me incredibly busy.  However, I'd love to know what goes on inside this artist's head when he's creating his incredible sculptures!

Book Sculptures 

A Shameless Promotion

About a month or so ago, I was offered by Bibliotastic to have my worked published in an anthology.  They told me there'd be only a certain number of words and I jumped at the chance; immediately picking out six of my favourite vampire stories from my files and sent them away to two of the best writers I knew to help me with editing.  

After about a fortnight of e-mailing files and stories and finally sitting down to the whole book in one file of editings, I had to sit down for a week and read through all the comments and fix-ups.  And finally, it's happened, my book 'Graveyard Shift' has been published under my Real Life name.  I'm so pleased about this that I wanted to share this day with you all; as it has only just been put up onto the net now!

Now, I'd like to shamelessly promote my first book 'Graveyard Shift' by Lynda Parker to you all.

Graveyard Shift by Lynda Parker 

Bookstore Review - QBD Garden City

Today, I was out and about doing Christmas Shopping.  Thank God, I'm one of those rare people who vows to get it all done in one day and then it's over and done with!  And today, I broke my record of three hours and finished my shopping in just over an hour!  How's that for being quick?

Well, I had to do my shopping at QBD, so I thought to kill to birds with one stone and do a bookstore review while I was there.  It was early in the day and Westfield Garden City had just opened its doors to the public - so had all the retail stores - so the place wasn't all that crowded yet.  I had the money I needed to buy the Christmas pressie for the Secret Santa and I knew I could get it at QBD.

This store at Garden City is well-known by me; and the staff know me quite well as I'm a regular there.  There's lovely large tables out the front with great bargains on them from during the year and last year at low, low prices.  From childrens' books to non-fiction to sci-fi to fantasy novels, this place has got them all.  And they also sell bookmarks and pens as well; which is an added bonus seeing they have diaries and journals instore too.  

With every isle marked out clearly, it's hard to get lost in this rather small shop, however it's very easy to find yourself buying more books than you can possibly carry when you've only gone in there for one or two.  But there is an up-side to this place.  They have a Book Club where you're given a card with a barcode on it and each time you make a purchase, they swipe your card on the reader as well.  When this is done, you accumulate points; and when you've made ten purchases, you acquire a book voucher!  I've found this a brilliant scheme as it works well for booklovers like myself.  

Another great thing about QBD is that they have an online store.  In case you can't get to their stores from your home, you can have your books delivered to you.  This has been a wonderful thing for QBD as it's made them more accessible for customers not only here in Australia, but also overseas.

So, if you're looking for a book - and don't like to pay full price - try out QBD.  It's a great store; and their motto is: Never Pay Full Price.  Believe me, I never have.  Until my next post, happy reading!

Reading List Hopefuls for 2012

At this time of the year, I begin to sort out what I hope to read next year.  It's a tedious thing to do, but if I jump on it early enough, I'll be set for when the New Year does come around and I can settle back into some great books!  So, here's my list for the next twelve months of great reading!

'The Dreaming Void' by Peter F Hamilton is the first book of a trilogy.  I have the other two; but have lent them to my friend who has - in turn - lent me this one.  We both wanted to read the trilogy.  However, seeing he wanted to read the other two, and I wanted to read the first, it made perfect sense to swap when he finished this first one.  However, I'll wait until he finishes them all before starting this one.

'And Another Thing' by Eoin Colfer.  This is the follow-on from 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.  I do love Douglas Adams and just happen to find this one around The Book Warehouse!  Can't wait to read it.

'The Islands' by Di Morrissey.  Now, I have heard great things about this book; and so I'll be getting my nose into this one next year.

'Last Night in Twisted River' by John Irving.  I bought this one last year as a birthday gift to myself; and didn't read it... however next year is the year I'll get my nose between its pages.

'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S Lewis.  No life is ever complete without reading the complete works of this man; especially 'The Magician's Nephew'... I can't wait!

'Excalibur' by Andy McDermott.  This is a book I saw a Gallery Copy of on a bus; and so I wrote it down as the guy reading it said it was an amazing book.  So, that's another book I'll be reading too.

'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' by James Joyce.

'No One Here Gets Out Alive' by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugarman.  This is the second biography on Jim Morrison... and I can't wait to read it.

'Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant' by Anne Tyler.

'In the Company of Cheerful Ladies' by Alexander McCall Smith.  I love the television series of this book; and so I thought to try out reading the books.

'Sage-ing While Age-ing' by Shirley MacLaine

'Patrick Swayze:  One Last Dance' by Wendy Leigh

'Getting There' by Sue Williams.

'The Erotic Life of Anais Nin' by Noel Riley Fitch

'The Jester' by James Paterson and Andrew Gross

Well... what a list!  There's some nice little books to get through and some really big thick ones as well.  I've included non-fiction and fiction mixed into this upcoming year's reading.  What have you hopefully got planned for next year's reading?  Is it as different and interesting as my pile or have you got something totally different in mind?  Let us all know.  Until my next post, happy reading!

New People

Yesterday, I was at a pool party and I came across new people I hadn't met before.  It's always great to meet new people as you never know when you're going to run into a new writer or poet at these functions.  And this is exactly what happened!  I was introduced to Anna Dean and we chatted about writing and what kinds we do.  I found out she write poetry and she told me about her blog; which I just found this afternoon (as I've only been home an hour or so) and it's lovely.  So, here's the link.  And I'll be adding her to the blog roll as well for you all to keep up-to-date with her work as she updates her blog.

Anna Dean Poetry 

Books That Changed My Life

Over my history with the written word, I've had books that have changed my mind, my views and totally did my head in.  Then, there's books that have completely changed my life around and made me think long after I've closed the cover and put it on the 'Read' shelf of my bookcase.  Now, I got this idea from Misfit Salon Blog where she shared a book that changed her life; and I'd like to share the book/s that have changed mine.  Let's start with non-fiction and work into the fictional world.  

There's two books that I must say have changed my life completely.  The first being 'A Perfect Mess' by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman is a great book about mess and how we can't live without it; however being too messy isn't good for us.  But being too clean isn't either... there is a 'just right' amount of mess we have to live with as the mind is a messy place.  And this book covers a lot of ground when it comes to messiness; well worth a read; and yes, it did change my life.  It's also the reason why I never make my bed anymore.

The next book is 'The Brain That Changes Itself' by Norman Doidge, MD.  Now, for those who have had brain damage in any way - whether you were born with it or acquired it during your life - all is not lost.  You can rewire your brain to work the way you want it to; it's called neuroplasticity and it's something you can teach your brain to do.  I've taught mine as I've got problems with my brain, however over my life, I have retrained and rewired it to do things it shouldn't be able to do (like read music, keep to the beat of a song and other algorithms to do with maths; as that part of my brain isn't functioning).  This book is brilliantly written and well set out by this wonderful doctor.  I even e-mailed him and told him my story and he wrote me right back - personally - and told me how impressed he was at how far I had come in my life.  Norman Doidge is about to publish a book on Epilepsy and Neurofeedback.  This is where he's worked on getting other non-functioning parts of the brain to work; fantastic research.

Okay, here are the fictional books that changed my life.  

'Lord of the Rings' by JRR Tolkien.  This book - for obvious reasons opened my mind to the possibilities of where my fiction could take me.  The immense imagination of this man was amazing.

'The Stand' by Stephen King.  What can I say about Sai King except the he is as much the King of literature as Tolkien is of sci-fi fantasy.

'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Trilogy In Four Parts' by Douglas Adams.  Another great author; however his life was cut so unfairly short.

'House on the Hill' by Estelle Pinney.  Now, Estelle is a new author I've added to my list; mainly because it's been over five years since I read this book; and yet I can still remember the whole plot, the love and laughter and heartbreak of it all... and those pineapple sandwiches too.

'Other Colours' by Orhan Pamuk.  This is another new author I've added to my list here as he's a new one I've begun reading recently.  I picked up this book in The Book Warehouse on a whim; and found I couldn't stop reading his essays and stories in it.  The visual pictures were so clear and beautiful, I felt as though I was right there next to him the whole time.  Now, that's how it should be with an author.

So, there you have it. Books that have changed my life.  This list never used to be this long; and as time has gone by, I've noticed it's been getting longer.  So, I'll keep you up-to-date with what other books have change my life over the next few years; you never know who I might read to add to the list.   Who has changed you life?  Let us know; you never know we might agree on the same things about an author, or find something totally different about them. Until my next post, happy reading.

Favourite Authors and Their Books

As with any avid reader, I have a few favourite authors, I can't stick to just one.  However, there has been one that I collect quite publicly and that is JRR Tolkien.  He has been one of the biggest influences of my life and writing.

However, owning his work and reading it is two totally different things.  I love to read his work occasionally as it's hard to get into; and I do love a challenge.  And 'Lord of the Rings' is a brilliant set of books to get your nose into - however it does start with 'The Hobbit'.  The series doesn't end there, but continues on with 'The Lord of the Rings' and then 'The Silmarillians' - which I haven't read as yet.

There are books that I have hunted down that are no longer in print, such as 'The Father Christmas Letters'.  Mum found a copy of the original hardcover edition for me and I'm thrilled to own it - as well as the reprint in miniature (which I haven't taken the plastic off of).  This book is brilliantly illustrated by Tolkien himself and it's about the letters between his children and Father Christmas; and how he created a whole world for his own children to fall in love with each year.  I love the book's colour and imagination; yet I have never read the letters themselves as I feel I don't need to.

There are other books of Tolkien's that really have struck a nerve with me and why I keep them; like his Bestiaries.  David Day has put out a couple of these books on Tolkien's creatures and they are fantastic.  I bought the purple one on a whim when I was standing in the bookstore and flipped through the pages and happened upon Smuag (the dragon from 'The Hobbit').  He was so beautifully drawn that I couldn't put the book down; and so I bought it.  I have since bought the second book and another book called 'The Ring' which is based on the movies.

One of the older books I have - which I just happened upon down the coast one year - is 'The Complete Guide to Middle Earth: From The Hobbit to The Simarillion' by David Foster.  I bought it, put it onto my bookshelf and didn't read it.  It was the age of the book that attracted me; and the fact that I haven't seen another like it around any other bookstore.  I don't know how much it's worth as I'm not interested in its value.  But I do like it for the information that is held within its pages. 

So, which authors and their books do you enjoy collecting the most - and why?  Did it begin with just one book and your curiosity was piqued?  Or have you always been curious about this particular author?  Until my next post, Happy Reading!