books – The Inkwell

Stacks of Books

Salford 15th September 2018

#CFFC #Books

It’d be true to say – I like reading.

I go for books with a bit of character in them, Goscinny and Uderzos Asterix books were a favourite of mine as a kid – and I’ve now got my hands on six anniversary editions

My favourite author is Terry Pratchett, he created some brilliant characters. And I’m happy to say I had the pleasure of meeting the man himself at a Waterstones bookstore in Manchester, before his untimely death. One day i’ll have the nerve to pick up and read his final epic – the shepherds crown – but till then I’ll satisfy my discworld fever, by reading one of this lot (and the smaller paperbacks)

and when i’m bored with that (NEVER! sic) youll find me skimming through my comedy collection – The Goons, Monty Python, Morecambe and wise and Scott adams

Organise

Organize

Over time, the

Reading material on the shelves begin to

Grow, taking over the library

Act Now,

Nip it in the bud – and sort out them shelves

If not, the books will take over the space – Be

Zippy about it – for space is at a premium

Everyone knows you’ll run out of it

Order

In response to the weekly photo challenge

Order

I’m a big fan of the late Terry Pratchett’s work and keep his novels on a shelf
in my bedroom – office.

They’re kept in two rows, one behind the other – the later editions hiding behind the earlier books, which I enjoy reading.

Later editions being in hardback – are also on another shelf and these are kept, like the paperbacks in chronological order, the last edition being the shepherds crown, which was completed just before terry’s death

The books themselves have series all to do with individual characters, there’s the Wizards, Death, the Witches, the Dwarves, The thieves guild, the Watch, the Vampires and of course, theres the character that kicks it all off – Rincewind.

Each set of books has its own groupings and could be kept in their own sets – I choose to set them out chronologically.

Silence

silence

In the dusty old
Deserted library hall
The wishes of the librarian
Have finally come to fruition

For there is nobody reading
By the library desks
They’re all in the I.t. Suite
Reading set texts on the web

So librarian has his wish
And the books sit on wooden shelves
Like revered benedictines
Sat in lines in silence.

Letter to Pratchett

#NaPoWriMo #fanletter #PTerry

A fan letter to the late #TerryPratchett,

(who I met at a Book signing in Manchester back in 2003).

Hi there Terry,

It’s me, the Lanky lad from Lancashire

Memories of meeting you in Manchester

Along with an Army of other readers

Discussing our favourite Discworld books,

As we waited in the wind

Wobbly walking up to your desk in Waterstone’s Bookstore

Shaking a Legendary writers hand,

as you took time to answer questions from a fan

Memories captured in a Moment

Shared between a Fan and an Author

and captured in a simple signature.

Hope all is well in Deaths Domain….

All the Best,

Brian

P.S. Hope you won the Chess Game.

Shelf

Shelf
In response to the prompt
Shelf

I have a nest of shelves in my room. I’m quite proud of them really. You could say they were my First Do-it-Yourself project after leaving school.

What’s on them ? Books, Mainly. My collection of Terry Pratchett Novels shares space with Authors ranging from the Comedian David Mitchell to William Horwoods Tale of the willows. A Camera occasionally spends time there, when its not being used for a project

A few Discworld Hardbacks reside in the top left corner, they might not be worth anything, but they sit proud on the shelf, signed by the author himself.

There’s a broken up pyramid puzzle in front of some scientific paperbacks – one day – I might just put it back together, but till then it too occupies a space by the books. A CD System sits nearby alongside a selection of comedy recordings. Their Music Equivalents sit on an adjacent shelf

I’ve got a small amount of toy cars commemorating special events held in the UK – mostly from Manchester’s commonwealth games and the London Olympics and these line the top of the shelf.

My holiday trinkets have a shelf all of their own. Snowglobes, Turtles and the odd pic – right now there’s one of Mum and dad up there.

And most recent my own copies of publications I’ve contributed to.

Books from Childhood

In response to the prompt

Second Time Around

My bookshelf is ever evolving,

Fiction, Comedy, Drama

And a whole host of autobiographies from celebrities far and wide.

But alongside these, recently, have come familiar tales from my childhood.

Long john Silver shares a space with Paddington Bear and Winnie the Pooh. The Riverbank tales of Kenneth Graham have evolved thanks to the English Writer, William Horswood and more recently Douglas Adams Arthur Dent has shared a bench with the likes of Rincewind, Angua and Detritus of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

I’ve read the Arthur Ransome tale of the Walker Children in their boat on the English Lakes, Swallows and Amazons , a number of times. The First time being at High school. It tells the tale of their first adventure out at water on their boat, the swallow and their experiences of taking a boat out for the first time. You could say i caught the bug for exploring after reading this book – exploring the land and sea with the Scouts and Ocean Youth Club some time after.

Another book review

I’m currently reading a series of books I first came across when imperial war museum north hosted once upon a wartime in its special exhibitions gallery.

Having covered the machine gunners by Robert westall and Michael morpurgo s novels war horse and blitzcat, I’m currently reading something a little more lighter

William at war, part of the just William series by Richmal Crompton.

Wartime has come to Williams backyard and like every schoolboy in the country in the U.K., Williams determined to do his bit for king and country. Trying to catch the enemy with his gang …the outlaws, deciphering messages in code or just trying to be a hero, ten wonderfully written tales show the schoolboy antics of a kid in wartime.

A wonderful book with laughs a plenty

Its on sale as part of the war fiction in the imperial war museum, but is available from all good bookstores courtesy of Macmillan paperbacks for £6.99.

What i’m reading….

Hi Folks.

This bit of the blog is going to be an on off review section. Because , believe it or not – I actually like reading books as much as I like writing stuff

Think of this page as not exactly Jonathan Ross but not Michael Parkinson either…

In Paperback

I’ve currently gone back to two books I read in preparation for IWM North’s Book Exhibit – Once upon a Wartime

The first the Machine Gunners by Robert Westall – is set in World War II and tells the tale of a group of war souvenir hunters, who’s unofficial leader stumbles across a German Bomber crashed in the nearby woods – with the Machine Gun still intact…

“Some bright kid’s got a gun and 2000 rounds of live ammo…”

A brilliant tale unfolds as the lad and his mates set out to aid the forces with dangerous and unexpected results.

The second War Horse by Michael Morpurgo – set at the outbreak of world war I , tells the tale of a young horse Joey, who is sold to the cavalry and sent to France, and Albert – his owner who goes to the battlefields of France in a mission to bring Joey back

Its a surprising tale – told by the horse itself and brings to life what happened to the animals sent to the front during warfare.

The book itself has been turned into a Theatre play and a Film by the film producer Steven Spielburg – well worth a read.

Nose in a Book

Its two o’ clock in the morning GMT – and I’ve got my nose in a book.

A real one – not an e-reader version.

No, it’s nothing I’ve written – although if I was to blow my own trumpet – I’d be telling you how great my profile is on Allpoetry.com and getting you all to take a look….

(I’m not that vain….)

No, tonight i’m reading Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse.

It’s a tale of a Horse sold to the cavalry in world war I, and his owners mission to get him back home from the trenches.

I’m going to read it again before I get round to watching the film on DVD – something about books advantage over film – you get to draw your own pictures.

I’ll also be writing one or two lines for IWM North’s shop when i’m done.