I Have Never... Conformed to Peer Pressure!

When I was at university, we used to play a daft combination of truth or dare and drinking game called 'I Have Never' - at university, it involved making "risque" statements like "I have never... had a threesome!" Everyone who had, or at least was willing to confess would have to stand and take a drink. I'm bringing it to my blog in an irregular series, with less alcohol, but asking the questions that can be considered a little risque in the book blogging world and listing the answers here. This is a massive just for fun exercise and do join in with comments and tales of your own. I'll even accept drunken university tales in lieu of actual replies to the questions.

So... I have never conformed to peer pressure. By this, I mean that I have never toed the party line when it comes to books *everyone* seems to love or blogs *everyone* seems to love. I have never said that I loved or hated something just because everyone else did! Hell, when I was fourteen and every girl in my school loved Take That, I was listening to Iron Maiden instead *grins*

I did not say that I loved Embassytown when everyone else was heaping praise on it - in fact, I'm still yet to finish it. I did not say that I loved The Lord of the Rings, even when it seems as though most other people do. I did not say that I hated The Left Hand of God just because I thought the rest of the blogosphere would say the same.

I have come close. I have mentioned my disdain for Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series when, in fact, I haven't read them in many years and so might actually like them!

In most cases, I tend to go my own way. My two favourite SFF authors are Charles de Lint and Michael Marshall Smith, and I'm not sure many in the blogosphere would say the same.

Now, your turn! 'Fess up! Did you say you loved The Hunger Games trilogy just because everyone else geeked out about it? Or are you the lone voice crying out against a popular novel (as I was with There is No Dog)?

Justin Thyme Competition and Giveaway!

Today I am really pleased to bring you my blog entry in the Justin Thyme competition.

Full details can be found in this blog post but here, for your reading pleasure, is what this is all about!

To celebrate the publication of "Justin Thyme" in paperback, there will be a special competition open to ALL blog-readers. The competition will open on September 1st (publication day), running for one week - and many regular book-bloggers will be participating by hosting clues (LETTERS and NUMBERS). To win, simply find all the letters by visiting each of the participating blogs in turn (links will be posted at the Tartan of Thyme blog) and then rearrange them in numerical order!

First prize will be special hardback copies of both "Justin Thyme" and forthcoming sequel "Thyme Running Out". Each book will include original colour artwork added to the title page, along with a hand-written quote from the book and, of course, the customary author's signature.

Further prizes (of signed limited edition JT bookmarks) will also be available at this blog and at other participating book-blogs throughout the week.

NOW, I have my grubby paws on two of these limited edition bookmarks (one for me to keep and, excitingly, one to give away to my blog readers). Can I just say that they are GORGEOUS! In all honesty, I'm wishing that I could keep both of them and boo ya to the rest of you!

Here is my picture of the two bookmarks, with letters and numbers showing clearly so that you can note them down for the main competition:

Aren't they glorious?

To get your hands on one of these, just drop an email to magemanda AT gmail DOT com with the subject line "THYME". Give me your postal address so that I can ship out the prize as soon as the competition closes. This will be on 7th September. I am happy to open this internationally!

Good luck! And happy hunting with all the numbers and letters for the main Justin Thyme prize!

Cool Cakes for the Geek in your Life

In honour of the Great British Bake Off - which I adore - I have decided to trawl the Intarwebs for the very best in cake art that speaks to the geek in me. Check it!

1. Millenium Falcon

2. Steampunk

3. Dungeons and Dragons

4. Retro Game Cupcakes

5. Nightmare Before Christmas

6. Dragon

7. Discworld

8. Books!

9. Fairy Carousel

10. Release the KRAKEN!

Aren't they awesome? Which is your favourite?

Tyranids

This is a pretty self-indulgent post, I'll confess *grins*

As well as reading Black Library novels, I'm a self-confessed geek in terms of playing Warhammer Fantasy and 40K. I haven't played for a while now and my poor Tyranid army is sat in a display cabinet at home feeling lonely. So I thought I would take a couple of (bad) pictures (with my iPhone) so that you lot could see what I've achieved.

On the tournament scene they were known as Hive Fleet Rutter - although I prefer Hive Fleet Britannia, thanks to the colour scheme! My winged Hive Tyrant was infamously called Mr Fluffy, and my opponents considered it a matter of pride to gun him down. Ah, I miss wargaming. So... Yes, I'm a geek. But I am bloody proud of this army - it's one of the finest things I've accomplished.

The aforementioned Mr Fluffy!

Gaunts and genestealers

You can just spy a Carnifex behind those Warriors

A close up! Isn't he fearsome?

Oh, and, while I'm at it, have another photo. In about a month's time I am heading to see Iron Maiden at the O2. While at the NEC for Eastercon I spied this promo poster for the tour - and all I could think is that the creature on the poster is most definitely a genestealer! *grins*

Do you wargame? What army do you collect? Do you enjoy painting, or is it something to be endured so that you can get to the fun part?

10 Best Reading Holidays

So, hey, clearly I'm in a holiday mood, what with it being a Bank Holiday weekend and my vacation to Florida less than four months away. I've decided to bring you ten of the nicest places to take your book for peaceful reading on vacation. Enjoy! (and, no, I'm not getting commission on this *grins*). By the way, I'm using numbers, but these aren't in any particular order...

1) Herm Island

I've already written an article about this place. I visited it on the first weekend of April this year and I'm aching to go back. Wonderful scenery, no cars allowed, wholesome food, and a beautiful bar area with a roaring fire.

Check out this website for more details and pretty pictures!

2) Scotland

I accept that Scotland is a rather large place, but, when I say this, I'm thinking more about the wilds of Scotland. The Highlands. A little cottage on the shores of a loch, with a good selection of whiskeys.

This sounds like the ideal place...

3) The Library Hotel, New York

New York itself isn't the best place for reading - this bustling city has far too much to see and do - but within New York there is a hotel that I am desperate to stay at. From the hotel website: "Each of the ten guestroom floors at the Library Hotel in New York City are dedicated to one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System*: Social Sciences, Literature, Languages, History, Math & Science, General Knowledge, Technology, Philosophy, The Arts and Religion."

I adore boutique hotels anyway, and the idea that this one is completely devoted to books makes it somewhere I *have* to go! Alex Bell has already visited, and I am green with envy *grins*

The Library Hotel in New York

4) Chateau in France

Howabout booking a castle for the weekend? With your own grounds? And lashings of good red wine!

Not only do you have an outstanding place to stay with historical importance, but you also can pretend that you're *part* of a novel, like a swashbuckling Dumas!

The chateau featured in the picture is Château de Noizay. In the heart of the Loire Valley castles and Vouvray vineyards, the castle of Noizay was the stronghold of the Protestants during the conspiracy of Amboise in 1560.

Here is a decent website!

5) Norfolk Broads cruising

My parents did this. They hired a boat and drifted at a snail's pace up and down various waterways. They pulled in to moor at various pubs along the way, and enjoyed a distinctly peaceful way of life. I'm pretty certain this sort of atmosphere would be ideal for reading those days away - as long as you're not driving, obviously *winks*

This is a great little cruising guide.

6) Kuredu

Try travelling further afield.... How about travelling directly to paradise?

A villa that leads out onto the soft white beaches. Warmth and peace and tranquility. Yes, this sounds ideal for a reading holiday...

Kuredu is just one of the many, many beautiful Maldives resorts.

7) Rocky Mountaineer

This is a slightly unusual choice, but I know I would love it. These trains run coast to coast across Canada, and through the Rockies. They have glass tops so that you can see panoramic views of the glorious scenery. And, when you tire of drinking in the spectacular views, you can snuggle down with a favourite book!

The Rocky Mountaineer website has full details of all their tours. I couldn't choose between them.

8) Stratford upon Avon

This gorgeous little medieval town is, of course, the birthplace of good old Will Shakespeare, and definitely worth a visit. With plentiful walking tours, chances to head to the theatre and watch one of his beloved plays, and lovely pubs and cafes at which to sit and enjoy your latest read, Stratford upon Avon is excellent holiday fodder for the literary type.

This is the official site for Stratford upon Avon.

9) A Nordic Cruise

Read Philip Pullman? Fancy seeing the Northern Lights? One of the best ways to do this is via a Nordic cruise. It includes whale watching, fine dining, and visits to key Nordic cities. Cruises, for me, seem like an ideal holiday for the reader - while the ship sails for the next destination, there is plentiful opportunity to sit and read.

This is one of the many websites offering this sort of holiday.

10) Germany

This final one is a little special for me. I lived in Germany for many years, and two years ago I finally went back to visit. I stayed in a tiny little village down near the Czech border called Bayerisch Eisenstein (I sort of love the name for the Warhammer 40K connotations!)

I took 14 books with me for two weeks and read 11 of them. I spent my days exploring the tiny village, and reading in stunning locations. I don't think I've so far had a better holiday.

This here is a picture of the actual place I stayed at:

Now, I might not be on any commission, but if you happened to want to head to this gorgeous village in Bavaria, I can recommend these people.

As a sort of 11th choice, I did find this wonderful website: Storybook England. If you can get past the cutesy music and bits, then it is a great resource for visiting all the locations in England that feature in the books you enjoyed during your childhood - from The Famous Five to The BFG. Just brilliant!

Anyway, I'm sure I've missed many wonderful places to go on holiday and enjoy quality reading time *grin*. Howabout you suggest me some?

How About This Holiday?

I have a dream. It involves me firstly winning lots of money (doesn't it always?) Seriously, I was chatting to a friend about what I would do if I won a serious amount on the lottery - the usual sort of conversation when you're a little fed up with your work. After sorting out family and close friends, paying off my mortgage, splashing out on a nice holiday, I got to thinking about what to do with the rest of my multi-millions.

It would invole buying somewhere like this:

I would outfit the bedrooms like this:

There would be bathrooms like this:

I would offer a free bar with a range of drinks such as this:

The food would look a bit like this:

Most importantly, there would be a reading room like this:

Featuring THIS:

Would you come and stay?

The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook

The release of Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides is upon us (I went to watch said film last night, in fact) and so now seems to be an appropriate time to bring you a review of The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook!

Published by Quirk and written by Jason Heller, The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook is a neat little hardback which more than justifies its £12.99 price tag. It is sturdy, with a front cover that shows Jack Sparrow in all his swashbuckling sexy glory, while the insides of the book reveal a sharp sense of humour and showcase some lush stills from the films.

Across six chapters, we are given hints and tips about how to become the most feared pirate across the seas. I particularly loved how the text was a mix of Pirates of the Caribbean canon and actual historical fact (or hearsay, depending on your perspective!)

There are sections on How to Pass the Time (including choosing a suitable pet to alleviate hours of boredom) and How to Disguise Your Gender (with such fine tips as "It also doesn't hurt to continually and crassly punctuate your discourse with belches, curses, and overall crudity.")

The tone of the films is very much present here - enormously tongue in cheek, with some great quotes from the Jack Sparrow character (which should help you to build your own pirate character *grin*).

Anyone who has enjoyed the Pirates films will find something to love within the pages of this great handbook. The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook would make a lovely gift for fans of the film (and for those who want to have more pictures of Johnny Depp all dolled up as Captain Jack *drools a little*). I really enjoyed reading my way through this, and will be passing it onto my thirteen year old nephew who will no doubt adore it! Recommended.

It Really Was A Fairytale Wedding....

I simply love this - it makes me grin!

Words That Should Never Be Used....

....in SEX SCENES!

Here are my selections of those words that should NEVER grace a sex scene in literature.... Please share your own in the comments.

Tumescence

Spill

Burgeoning

Man-meat

Garden

Turgid

Suckle

This was one of *those* conversations at Eastercon that I thought would translate well to a blog environment. So, come forth and tell me all those words that simply have NO place in a moment of passion!

A Top Five of Guilty Musical Pleasures

A little while back I did a blog post about some of my most favourite bands. It proved popular, so because it's Friday and I'm feeling fun this time I decided to tackle the guilty end of the spectrum - the five artists/bands that I confess to being a teensy bit embarrassed about *giggles*. In no particular order!

1) The Darkness

These guys brought back bare chests, bad teeth and big hair to the rock arena! Their lyrics were daft, the falsetto voice of the lead singer was ridiculous to the point of pain from laughing, and their hit singles were entirely overplayed on the radio. Yet... I love them. Bombastic music, brilliant guitar solos, thoroughly entertaining. This is one of my favourite tracks (and, yes, it is about genital lice...):




2) Def Leppard

Hey hey, look at the stonewashed jeans! How cool and trendy! Actually, Def Leppard have been a long time love of mine. Their early albums - On Through the Night, High and Dry etc - were pretty rocking. Now they're best known really for being the band that has the drummer with only one arm - which also makes them cool, in many ways. How many bands would have decided to continue with the original drummer, and work with him to develop a unique drumkit that allowed him more pedal control? By necessity, they've become softer in their old age and do a great turn in rock ballads. One of my favourite songs of theirs is totally cheesy and feelgood and embarrassing to admit *grins*



Oh hell...... Just watching that back makes me cringe just a little inside!


3) Britney Spears

Hella yeah! And not the Toxic version, no way - we're talking Hit Me Baby, One More Time! I was at university when this song came out, and it takes me straight back there - watching my male room-mates pretending not to drool over Britney in her little schoolgirl outfit :o) The god-awful miming in the music video was particular gigglesome. I don't dare link to pictures or videos on my blog just in case I get odd visitors!

4) Dire Straits

Old man music, surely? Lift music. Easy listening. These are some of the descriptions of Dire Straits my friends have expressed when driving in my car while I play it LOUD! So I have some embarrassment about them - but, honestly, Mark Knopfler is an AMAZING guitarist, and they've written some truly iconic songs. Here is one of my favourites (and a proper 80s music video, no less!):




5) Bonnie Tyler

*blushes* Yep. I have a complete weakness for Holding Out for a Hero - and, in fact, the very greatest use of that song in film (in Short Circuit 2, as Johnny 5 races to the rescue.....) I can sense tumbleweeds across my blog, as you all desert me in droves. Why did I decide to reveal these, again?

Clearly the way to my musical heart is to have RIDICULOUS hair!

Go on, I dare you, tell me your guiltiest musical pleasure!

If golf was like this....

....I would totally be watching it!

Want to Know What Joe Abercrombie does when not writing?

The masterful Joe Abercrombie writes exciting books in sharp suits:

But I have recently found out what Joe does when he is not writing.....

He keeps goal for Arsenal!

Alright, so not an exact replica, but still similar enough that it made me chortle t'other night *grins*

I Have Never.... Lied in a Book Review!

When I was at university, we used to play a daft combination of truth or dare and drinking game called 'I Have Never' - at university, it involved making "risque" statements like "I have never... had a threesome!" Everyone who had, or at least was willing to confess would have to stand and take a drink. I'm bringing it to my blog in an irregular series, with less alcohol, but asking the questions that can be considered a little risque in the book blogging world and listing the answers here. This is a massive just for fun exercise and do join in with comments and tales of your own. I'll even accept drunken university tales in lieu of actual replies to the questions.

So... I have never lied in a book review. Straight up. What you see is what I feel. If I loved it I gush. If I hated it I say so - the only concession I will make is trying to make it at least a little constructive rather than just vitriolic hate towards a book.

I asked this question on Twitter and some people kindly allowed me to use their replies!

The simply gorgeous Adele (especially now she's smiling and kick ass in her Twitter profile pic!): "No, but I have thought I might have reviewed something differently in light of stuff I've read since." (I actually agree a little here with Adele - having read more books in particular genres, I almost want to revisit books I read and gave harsh reviews to, to see if I feel differently).

 Self-proclaimed scruffy bastard Paul Graham Raven: "Yes, when I first started. You don't want to be the new guy hatin' on stuff that the big names like, do you? :)" (Well, I scoffed rather at a few points in Joe Abercrombie's debut novel, so I don't think I follow this line of reasoning *grin*)

Glamorous and very tall Ewa said:  "When I wrote a few reviews for a local paper as a teenager, definitely. I was unnecessarily positive." (Please blog more, Ewa - PLEASE!)

Andrew - still fairly new to blogging, welcome him! - said: "I've never lied in reviews, but I hate pointing faults out. I would say "not for me" or "not my age group"." (I think that pointing out faults is essential in order to be honest - but there is a right way and a wrong way to achieve this. Sometimes I manage to achieve this, sometimes I don't!)

Blogger extraordinaire Civilian Reader (seriously, if you're not reading this blog, why not?! He does a great line in Black Library reviews) explained: "Never lied; but same as @gavreads, though less a lie than change in situation. Sometimes change mind after review, with hingsight. Actually, in some ways yes; I often tone down praise - I'm put off by hyperbole, so often my reviews seem drier than they should."

Another fairly new blogger, Lisa, said:  "I've never lied, but I've definitely felt guilty saying anything mean about an author's work b/c I know how tough criticism can be" (I think Lee Harris from Angry Robot put it best when he said that any person who has managed to complete a novel deserves praise in terms of that, even if the novel itself doesn't succeed on particular levels. I do believe us book reviewers sometimes fail to remember that - and therefore the guilt in giving negative reviews should remain, since it tempers the harshest criticism).

Jo from Once Upon a Bookcase said: "Nope, never. I've never seen the point. I'm as positive or negative in my review as I actually feel about the book." And Mr Cheesecake agreed with this: "My posts are just my opinion. No point in lying. I want people to read what I think not what I think they want to hear."

I think the overwhelming response was similar to that provided by Adam from the Wertzone (pre-eminent fantasy blog): "No. However, hindsight, reading experience or just plain age sometimes changes things. 12-year-old Wert loved Eddings, 32-year-old Wert less keen."

Other responses can be found on my Twitter feed.

Go on, your turn! Have you ever lied in a book review? Confession time is open!

An Important Book Has A Release Date!!!

Exclamation marks galore!

That's right - after long long long years of waiting I can finally reveal that....

Yep! Kiss and Tell by Fiona Walker will be hitting the shops in March. Tash and Hugo are BACK. Time for the re-reads to begin *grin*

Be Careful With That Title!

So I spent part of my weekend cataloguing my books - fun, non? Well, fun if you're slightly OCD like me, and enjoy lists and sorting books by categories... I'm probably using the word "fun" in its loosest possible sense there!

One thing I noticed was how many books either had very similar titles or exactly the same title. When starting a book blog or a website we're now advised to head onto the Net and search for other sites with the same name that we've picked, to avoid treading on toes and ruffling feathers. Do book people not do this as well when choosing titles? Or are we at the point with that many books in circulation that we're always going to be reproducing ideas in some fashion? How are titles picked anyhow?

Here are a quick selection of ten titles you should probably be avoiding in the future!

City of Ghosts

- Stacia Kane
- Bali Rai

Love on the Run

- Leigh Greenwood
- Marie-Nicole Ryan
- Shari MacDonald
- Barbara Cartland
- Rachel Ann Nunes
- Jeanne Rose
- Angela Winters
- J M Benjamin

Vanished

- Joseph Finder
- Karen Robards
- Kate Brian
- Danielle Steel
- Kat Richardson
- Kristi Holl
- Maureen Child
- Jordan Gray

The Edge of Ruin

- Irene Fleming
- Melinda Snodgrass

Ash

- James Herbert
- Malinda Lo
- Mary Gentle

The Ritual

- Adam Nevill
- J N Williamson
- R R Walters

The Magician

- Colin Wilson
- W Somerset Maugham
- Michael Scott

Ends of the Earth

- Tim Downs
- Valerio Massimo Manfredi
- Thomas Locke
- William Golding

Fallen

- Karin Slaughter
- Lauren Kate
- Celeste Bradley
- Erin McCarthy
- Michele Hauf

Black and White

- Dan Mahoney
- Jeanne Betancourt
- Shiva Naipaul
- Jackie Kessler & Caitlyn Kittredge

As you can see from the ten titles above, it tends to be the generic terms that pick up multiples. I'm sure there will never be another novel called The Quantum Thief, for instance!

Actually, this is where I wanted to point out that fantasy and science fiction are blazing a trail in terms of unique book titles. Thanks to various made-up worlds or words or concepts, few fantasy titles will have duplicates! I present to you:

- The Lies of Locke Lamora
- The Quantum Thief
- Tome of the Undergates
- Prince of Thorns
- Embassytown
- The Jennifer Morgue
- The Dragon Reborn

We have a rich history of unique titles that will stand the test of time just fine - but it is always worth authors/editors/publicists just running a quick Google search just in case *winks*

Can you think of any other duplicate titles? What are some of your very favourite and unique titles for novels?

Building a Fort..... with my BOOKS!

Never let it be said that I'm completely sane. What else would a single gal get up to on a Thursday night but start building a fort from her books.

I've learnt three things from this exercise:

1) I really absolutely could build a fort from my books - those you see in the pictures to follow are the ones that were just stacked on various surfaces within easy reach. I didn't touch any one of the three bookcases I own that are triple stacked...

2) I have a vast thirst for all types of literature - most genres are represented in these piles: chick lit, contemporary, crime, thriller, science fiction, urban fantasy, straight up fantasy, tie in fiction, YA, children's.... Something for all, I reckon!

3) You need an engineering degree to stack books so that they don't fall down like some sort of hideous jenga game once past a certain height! There was one point I became in danger of looking EXACTLY like this picture that Sam Sykes kindly once drew of me:

So, without further ado, let me present some pictures of my fort building activities (yep, you can start shaking your head at my bizarre life right... about... NOW)...

The foundations of said fort (aka where it all started to go wrong - note the different sizes and shapes. If I'd only gone with just hardbacks *sigh* #chanceslost):

Hmm, using the small floor plan of my living room might have been another rooky error...

The walls creep ever larger:

The point where I started fearing for my life....

Not the most stable of forts, I think you'll agree. Have fun checking out my book titles, why doncha!

Here's another shot:

You know how I plan to entertain myself next? By leaving my mini fort up so that my housemate can stumble upon it on his return from a night out. It's okay, he already knows I'm mad *grin*

I dare y'all to make better forts than I! Report back, soldier!