Allison Symes's Blog, page 31
December 28, 2019
What Day of the Week is it?
Do you find you lose all sense of what day of the week it is after Christmas and Boxing Days? I do.
Time only has meaning in that I get to do more reading at this time of year. And naturally all time and its meaning goes completely when you're engrossed with a good book! (But that is exactly how it should be).
Also why is it when, having decided to have a good read in bed, you find you're asleep in minutes?
Conversely, on the thankfully rare occasions I have insomnia, why is it reading does not send me to sleep then?!
I read during the day when I can, usually at lunchtime, but it always feels a little like I'm playing truant. It's tricky trying to ignore all the things I should be doing but I usually manage it!
Reading and time available are never in the ratio I'd like though! Still there is always time for one more book, one more story etc. Now back to that To Be Read pile. The only decision to be taken is whether I'm going for the "real" book TBR pile or the Kindle one!
Time only has meaning in that I get to do more reading at this time of year. And naturally all time and its meaning goes completely when you're engrossed with a good book! (But that is exactly how it should be).
Also why is it when, having decided to have a good read in bed, you find you're asleep in minutes?
Conversely, on the thankfully rare occasions I have insomnia, why is it reading does not send me to sleep then?!
I read during the day when I can, usually at lunchtime, but it always feels a little like I'm playing truant. It's tricky trying to ignore all the things I should be doing but I usually manage it!
Reading and time available are never in the ratio I'd like though! Still there is always time for one more book, one more story etc. Now back to that To Be Read pile. The only decision to be taken is whether I'm going for the "real" book TBR pile or the Kindle one!
December 21, 2019
Why Everyone Needs a Writer in Their Life
If you're not a writer yourself, you definitely need one in your life somewhere. Why? Well for one thing, you'll have an easy present buy for said writer.
If we don't give you a list of books we'd like to find under the Christmas tree, we'll always appreciate nice pens and notebooks!
But the chances of us NOT asking for books, in whatever format, are extremely remote. Nor will we ever moan about a book shaped present waiting for us! We don't care we know it's a book in there. We just want to find out which one you picked out for us!
And this is why I loved receiving book tokens as presents too. I relished the thought of going to pick up my own present after the Christmas holidays - the thought of all that choice...oh good!
I don't know about you but I always find it a joy buying presents for people where I know they're going to like said present. And writers as a rule fit that category very well.
I can't think of any writer who would pass on the option to have books bought for them!
If we don't give you a list of books we'd like to find under the Christmas tree, we'll always appreciate nice pens and notebooks!
But the chances of us NOT asking for books, in whatever format, are extremely remote. Nor will we ever moan about a book shaped present waiting for us! We don't care we know it's a book in there. We just want to find out which one you picked out for us!
And this is why I loved receiving book tokens as presents too. I relished the thought of going to pick up my own present after the Christmas holidays - the thought of all that choice...oh good!
I don't know about you but I always find it a joy buying presents for people where I know they're going to like said present. And writers as a rule fit that category very well.
I can't think of any writer who would pass on the option to have books bought for them!
December 14, 2019
Weighty Tomes
I guess the reason Santa's sleigh is as big as it is must be to take the weight of all of the books that are given as Christmas presents. (He must've loved the invention of the Kindle. Think of all the weight and space saved!).
On the assumption you have made it on to Santa's nice list, how many books have you asked for this year?
I don't ask for as many as I used to funnily enough. I download many to my Kindle. I almost always pick up books to read at book events such as the Bridge House Publishing I was so pleased to be part of last weekend. (Still saving Santa time and effort here. That's got to put me on the good list alone, surely!).
The heaviest hardback I own is The Collected Works of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wonderful book. Beautifully illustrated too but not something you have on your lap for a quick read.
The heaviest paperbacks I own are The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Seven Basic Plots. Neither are books you'd want to drop on your foot!
But I love all my books, whether they're ebooks or print, whether Santa brings them or I pick them up.
Of all the joys in life, books, music and chocolate are my top three.
On the assumption you have made it on to Santa's nice list, how many books have you asked for this year?
I don't ask for as many as I used to funnily enough. I download many to my Kindle. I almost always pick up books to read at book events such as the Bridge House Publishing I was so pleased to be part of last weekend. (Still saving Santa time and effort here. That's got to put me on the good list alone, surely!).
The heaviest hardback I own is The Collected Works of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wonderful book. Beautifully illustrated too but not something you have on your lap for a quick read.
The heaviest paperbacks I own are The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Seven Basic Plots. Neither are books you'd want to drop on your foot!
But I love all my books, whether they're ebooks or print, whether Santa brings them or I pick them up.
Of all the joys in life, books, music and chocolate are my top three.
December 7, 2019
What Reading Does For Me
Hmmm....where to start on this one!
1. Reading helps me escape. It doesn't matter if the day is a good one or not - when I get to read I get to switch off.
2. Reading shows me worlds, real and fantastical, and expands my horizons. You can't know everything, no one person could, but books are a brilliant way of expanding your knowledge. They can help you develop new interests too.
3. Reading inspires my own writing. I see what other authors do with their characters and think well I would have written them this way instead because... and off I go with my own tales.
4. Reading non-fiction expands your general knowledge. Handy if you like quizzes!
5. Reading expands your vocabulary. Handy if you love word games as It do.
6. People will never run out of present ideas for the book lovers in their lives!
1. Reading helps me escape. It doesn't matter if the day is a good one or not - when I get to read I get to switch off.
2. Reading shows me worlds, real and fantastical, and expands my horizons. You can't know everything, no one person could, but books are a brilliant way of expanding your knowledge. They can help you develop new interests too.
3. Reading inspires my own writing. I see what other authors do with their characters and think well I would have written them this way instead because... and off I go with my own tales.
4. Reading non-fiction expands your general knowledge. Handy if you like quizzes!
5. Reading expands your vocabulary. Handy if you love word games as It do.
6. People will never run out of present ideas for the book lovers in their lives!
November 30, 2019
Reading Lists
Do you have a reading list (or several)?
I tend not to bother with this. I read according to my mood. I tend to flit between non-fiction, read that, then move to fiction and read that for a while.
I also mix up whether I'm reading books or magazines, short stories or novels.
I can see the point of a reading list. My worry is I'd feel guilty if I didn't get to the bottom of it and, given there is always so much I would like to read, I never would! And reading should never encourage a feeling of guilt.
I also like mixing up my reading according to how I feel and not to some prescribed formula.
I receive notifications in from booksellers as to what is on their recommended list and I will take a look. I'll go for the suggestion if it takes my fancy but if not, forget it.
What matters is getting the reading done, list or no list!
I tend not to bother with this. I read according to my mood. I tend to flit between non-fiction, read that, then move to fiction and read that for a while.
I also mix up whether I'm reading books or magazines, short stories or novels.
I can see the point of a reading list. My worry is I'd feel guilty if I didn't get to the bottom of it and, given there is always so much I would like to read, I never would! And reading should never encourage a feeling of guilt.
I also like mixing up my reading according to how I feel and not to some prescribed formula.
I receive notifications in from booksellers as to what is on their recommended list and I will take a look. I'll go for the suggestion if it takes my fancy but if not, forget it.
What matters is getting the reading done, list or no list!
November 23, 2019
Juggling the TBR Pile
I must admit I couldn't physically juggle my TBR pile. There would be an almighty crash and some inventive language on my part, I think, if I tried that.
I love reading a mixture of fiction across many genres, non-fiction, short stories, novels, articles etc. I also like to mix up reading on the Kindle with reading "real" books but I also want to put magazine reading into the overall mixture too.
Over the course of a week, I try to cover most of those bases. I'm currently reading historical fiction, true crime, short stories, flash fiction, and my own novel (on Kindle. I'm reading it as a reader would. It has been illuminating!).
Over the course of a week, I have been thoroughly entertained too!
And yes I have a TBR pile on my Kindle too. One of the reasons I don't put a Kindle app on my phone is so I don't have a TBR pile on there as well.
It is true - too many books, too little time!
Still I'll press on and have a fab time doing so.
Happy reading!
I love reading a mixture of fiction across many genres, non-fiction, short stories, novels, articles etc. I also like to mix up reading on the Kindle with reading "real" books but I also want to put magazine reading into the overall mixture too.
Over the course of a week, I try to cover most of those bases. I'm currently reading historical fiction, true crime, short stories, flash fiction, and my own novel (on Kindle. I'm reading it as a reader would. It has been illuminating!).
Over the course of a week, I have been thoroughly entertained too!
And yes I have a TBR pile on my Kindle too. One of the reasons I don't put a Kindle app on my phone is so I don't have a TBR pile on there as well.
It is true - too many books, too little time!
Still I'll press on and have a fab time doing so.
Happy reading!
November 16, 2019
Book Dreams
Do you ever dream of your favourite characters (written by you or others)?
I can't say I do. I'm also relieved about that. I can think of several of my own characters who I don't want to meet in any kind of alley. I certainly don't want them haunting me at night either!
Where I DO dream of characters is in hoping they have the impact on a potential reader I set out to achieve. It's not really for me to say whether that works or not, only the reader can know. All I can do is give it my best shot.
When reading works by other writers, the ones that stay with me the most are the ones where the characters have the most impact. So that inspires me with my own writing. I'm still glad they don't disturb my sleep pattern though! (I would not be a happy bunny...!).
I do a lot of my reading at bedtime so I did wonder if I would have strange dreams based on whatever it was I was reading. Hasn't happened at all. Given I read fantasy, crime, historical, and a good range of non-fiction books, it is just as well. I think some very strange images would be conjured up.
I can't say I do. I'm also relieved about that. I can think of several of my own characters who I don't want to meet in any kind of alley. I certainly don't want them haunting me at night either!
Where I DO dream of characters is in hoping they have the impact on a potential reader I set out to achieve. It's not really for me to say whether that works or not, only the reader can know. All I can do is give it my best shot.
When reading works by other writers, the ones that stay with me the most are the ones where the characters have the most impact. So that inspires me with my own writing. I'm still glad they don't disturb my sleep pattern though! (I would not be a happy bunny...!).
I do a lot of my reading at bedtime so I did wonder if I would have strange dreams based on whatever it was I was reading. Hasn't happened at all. Given I read fantasy, crime, historical, and a good range of non-fiction books, it is just as well. I think some very strange images would be conjured up.
November 9, 2019
Living in a Fictional World
I've never really wanted to live in a fictional world.
I wouldn't mind a guided tour of Terry Pratchett's Discworld (as long as it wasn't by Rincewind and Twoflower. See The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic for more on why!).
I'd love to visit Middle Earth from Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings, though I would give Mordor a miss.
And I never had the slightest inclination to follow Alice down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, Even as a kid, I thought that was a daft idea, though I loved the story itself.
Incidentally is this just me or was Alice either incredibly gullible or greedy? Whenever she saw signs saying Eat Me or Drink Me, she'd just do so. Never thought to question it and then wondered why she suddenly shot up in height etc. (I refuse to believe saying that is a plot spoiler, not after this length of time). Oh well...
I loved the Famous Five by Enid Blyton so a good nose around Kirrin Island would suit me. (I always thought of Kirrin Island whenever I've visited Brownsea Island, just off Poole Harbour. It's the sort of place the Five would visit).
So if there was a fictional world you would visit, which would it be and why?
I wouldn't mind a guided tour of Terry Pratchett's Discworld (as long as it wasn't by Rincewind and Twoflower. See The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic for more on why!).
I'd love to visit Middle Earth from Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings, though I would give Mordor a miss.
And I never had the slightest inclination to follow Alice down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, Even as a kid, I thought that was a daft idea, though I loved the story itself.
Incidentally is this just me or was Alice either incredibly gullible or greedy? Whenever she saw signs saying Eat Me or Drink Me, she'd just do so. Never thought to question it and then wondered why she suddenly shot up in height etc. (I refuse to believe saying that is a plot spoiler, not after this length of time). Oh well...
I loved the Famous Five by Enid Blyton so a good nose around Kirrin Island would suit me. (I always thought of Kirrin Island whenever I've visited Brownsea Island, just off Poole Harbour. It's the sort of place the Five would visit).
So if there was a fictional world you would visit, which would it be and why?
November 2, 2019
Genre Fiction
I've never understood snobbery around genre fiction. Genre fiction encourages people to read according to their tastes and isn't the idea to get people into books in the first place?
My favourite genres include:-
1. Fantasy
2. Crime
3. Historical
(And yes you can combine those. Terry Pratchett's Sam Vimes novels in his Discworld series combines 1 and 2 and I'm sure you can think of others that blend genres).
I suppose the only "properly literary" fiction I've read is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which I adored, but my go-to-for-a-good-read first is always something which is genre based.
Yes, I know what to expect from, say, a crime novel, but what is fascinating is seeing how different crime writers handle their material. (As a writer, I can pick up tips there myself so win-win!).
I'm always fascinated as well by character creation and different writers take varying approaches to this. So reading widely across genres opens my eyes to different ways that this can be done.
So reading books then is a good idea then? Well of course it is!
Now to decide which genre I'm going to go for next...
Happy reading!
My favourite genres include:-
1. Fantasy
2. Crime
3. Historical
(And yes you can combine those. Terry Pratchett's Sam Vimes novels in his Discworld series combines 1 and 2 and I'm sure you can think of others that blend genres).
I suppose the only "properly literary" fiction I've read is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which I adored, but my go-to-for-a-good-read first is always something which is genre based.
Yes, I know what to expect from, say, a crime novel, but what is fascinating is seeing how different crime writers handle their material. (As a writer, I can pick up tips there myself so win-win!).
I'm always fascinated as well by character creation and different writers take varying approaches to this. So reading widely across genres opens my eyes to different ways that this can be done.
So reading books then is a good idea then? Well of course it is!
Now to decide which genre I'm going to go for next...
Happy reading!
October 26, 2019
What Do I Want Books To Do For Me?
I look for different things from books, depending on which genre I'm reading, but there are things in common across the spectrum.
A good book for me must:-
1. Entertain me. (I want to be gripped by its pace and narrative. I don't want to be sent to sleep by it!).
2. I want to learn something from it and this applies to fiction as much as non-fiction.
From the former, I can learn something about behaviour and choices depending on what the characters do.
Learning from non-fiction books is obvious but it is a good idea to read outside the subjects you might usually choose (and this is something I need to do more often).
I love history and that is my "go to" for non-fiction reading but I always used to like geography so maybe I should try some travel writing books etc. Hmm... might look up some ideas to put on my Christmas present wish list then!).
3. I want to want to read the book again in due course. Good books call for repeated reading (and I find I pick up more details on a second or third read). I also wouldn't undermine the comfort of reading a familiar book. There is much to be said for that.
So what do YOU look for in a good book?
A good book for me must:-
1. Entertain me. (I want to be gripped by its pace and narrative. I don't want to be sent to sleep by it!).
2. I want to learn something from it and this applies to fiction as much as non-fiction.
From the former, I can learn something about behaviour and choices depending on what the characters do.
Learning from non-fiction books is obvious but it is a good idea to read outside the subjects you might usually choose (and this is something I need to do more often).
I love history and that is my "go to" for non-fiction reading but I always used to like geography so maybe I should try some travel writing books etc. Hmm... might look up some ideas to put on my Christmas present wish list then!).
3. I want to want to read the book again in due course. Good books call for repeated reading (and I find I pick up more details on a second or third read). I also wouldn't undermine the comfort of reading a familiar book. There is much to be said for that.
So what do YOU look for in a good book?
