M.H. Thaung's Blog: Musings, page 9

My top 3 reasons to put a book down

Plenty of writers websites and blogs have a wealth of information about writing craft. This isnt one of them. Although Im comfortable with my own writing process, I dont have a reason to post about it. However, Im prompted to reflect on what I look for when reading books. Or, more accurately, what puts me off books.

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Since I enjoy reading (and writing!), its not usually difficult to meet my soft target of reviewing a book a week. Thats despite finishing only around 20% of the books I try. The...

Very short stories #18

I hope youre all keeping safe and well in these challenging times. Ive been busy with personal matters, but Ive still been making time to read (and write). A bit of escapism is maybe a good thing, particularly these days.

Book reviews

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
The Weird Sisters of Wynters Hill by Helen Whistberry
The Unchained Mage by Catherine Griffin

And some very short stories from November and December

refrain

Brads incoherent gurgle paused as he read the notice on the ceiling:
...

Very short stories #17

I’ve had some heavy real life stuff happening recently, so this post isn’t going to be terribly chatty.

Let’s see, A Quiet Rebellion: Posterity is on a Kindle Countdown deal for the next week – UK and US Amazon stores only. I was really chuffed that the Naked Reviewers thought so highly of it. You can read their reviews here. (And check out their other reviews while you’re at it).

Book reviews so far this month are:
The Corpse-Eater by Patricia Correll
Ghosts on the Moor by Peter James Martin...

Very short stories #16

I hope you’re having a good 2020 so far! Since the end of January marks my birthday, I’ve made A Quiet Rebellion: Guilt free for a few days. You can get it for Kindle here (and it’s only 0.99 if you miss the free period).

Here are my book reviews so far this month:

Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen
Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt
Oh, No, Octavius! by Michael Gallagher
Boyd & Sarge: NTPD Law and Disorder by Blair Denholm
March Violets by Philip Kerr
The Gate by E.B. Brooks

I also asked my Twitter friends...

Very short stories #15

A Happy New Year to everyone! I don’t make resolutions (I’m more of the philosophy that if something’s worth doing, just do it), but I hope to post here at least once a month. However, I’m not organised to keep a particular schedule.

What does 2020 hold for my writing? I’m awaiting a response to an academic book proposal. If that’s accepted, fiction will need to take a back seat. Hopefully I’ll have enough time for both. Fiction-wise, my current project is a light-hearted steampunk adventure...

Very short stories #14

It’s pantomime season again. Ohhh, yes it is! A few days ago, we went to The Nativity Panto performed by Charles Court Opera. I’m not going to write a review, other than to say it was excellent fun with superb singing. If you have the chance, book yourself tickets—the panto runs until 11 January. Be prepared to do a lot of shouting and singing, and have a load of fun!

Still not convinced? I’ve collated a few reviews below:
LondonTheatre1
TimeOut
Sardines
Pocket Size Theatre

Book reviews since...

Dracula – the play

Today we attended Bram Stoker’s Dracula performed by the Studio Theatre Club, an amateur dramatics club based in Oxfordshire. This play is an adaptation by Stephen Briggs, and I believe this week is the show’s first run. (Unfortunately the final performance is on as I write this review, so no chance of last-minute seats).

As with previous plays by the Studio Theatre Club, the performance was held in the Unicorn Theatre. The theatre is part of Abingdon Abbey, and the old buildings provided a...

Hack and stories

Those of you who know me will be aware I tend to get distracted by trivial issues (meticulous and details-orientated, that’s me). True to form, I have an ongoing irritation about buying black binbags: they’re not the right size, or they tear, or they’re awkward to tie… Of course, the obvious solution is to try a few types, pick the best one and stick with it. However (my most-used qualifier), binbags come in rolls, with the details on the wrapper. By the time you’ve torn off the wrapper, tried a bag or two...(meticulous

Very short stories #13

This month’s writing has been predominantly work-related: putting together a book proposal, plus drafting, submitting and revising a selection of academic manuscripts (and learning how to use colons properly). Fiction-wise, I’m working on a new steampunk project which is heavier on the gadgetry than the A Quiet Rebellion stories, but without the paranormal powers. There’s still plenty to do, but the characters are starting to make their own decisions, and nicely getting in each other’s way. It’s alway...

Another Don Giovanni review

Those of you who follow this blog will know that I somewhat enjoy Mozart’s Don Giovanni. I’ve been to several live performances, mainly within the UK. Last night, we watched another live performance. But rather than battling through crowds at the Royal Opera House (and it looked like a packed hall), we went to a local cinema where the opera was being broadcast on the big screen. Apparently the opera was being broadcast to over a thousand cinemas worldwide. The idea of increased accessibility...