Wow - managed 20 minutes of Northern England sunshine before it vanished again! It may make the land green and pleasant, but all rain and no sunshine makes Martyn a dull boy 😂😂😂

I‘ve got some Audible FREE DOWNLOAD codes for ‘Between Shadow & Soul‘ if anyone is into their audiobooks.

This title is a Lovecraftian tale set in Wales, about a woman in search of her missing brother who discovers a portal to another world hidden in the Welsh countryside. Dark themes are offset by an unlikely romance as Hannah and Kelly battle for survival amidst a strange and terrifying world.

Amen! It‘s not enough to claim the name for 90 minutes on a Sunday and live a worldly life the rest of the week. Christianity should infuse us 24/7

A very challenging first 60 pages of a Priest working night and day for the benefit of those people around him. In a world that over emphasises self care, this man strives to bless others physical and spiritual needs at great cost to himself.

Ooooh author copy! This is my latest book, a Christian Fantasy epic of some 170,000 words. Available on Amazon. I suppose I should get on writing the next part!
#fantasy #christian

Silent witness meets Game of Thrones 😂😂😂. A good read, but got a bit samey after a while.

Had to speed up Doug‘s narration to make it sound more normal lol. A harrowing read, but a very important one. Murray‘s insights into how modern events highlight the disturbing trends in western thought are enough to give you nightmares. Listen/read with care.

Audio book on Audible, narrated by Kate Cole. Awesome!

I know this isn‘t a book, but I went to see ‘Last Blood‘ last night. I‘ve always been a fan of Rambo for that wandering hero, troubled but trying his best to do some good in spite of his failings...

BUT THIS FILM WAS AWFUL!!!!!!!

Such a dismal way to end this franchise. I‘m genuinely sorry I watched it.

Brilliant. Short and straight to the point. I was grateful to hear that I‘m moving in the right direction when it comes to both my writing of fiction and my life. It made me a little sad to realise that (being a metal worker) I don‘t get to interact much with women in the trade simply because there aren‘t many female metalworkers in the UK. Let‘s hope for change!

Sat in a hotel in Cardiff after taking a drive around Wales, visiting sites for my next book with my brother. The weather is terrible of course, it‘s Britain, but it was nice to catch up with my bro and hear is always-helpful thoughts on my work.

More bookish art from Mel Schroeder.

Wow! The audio book is narrated by Elisabeth Moss herself and does it pack a punch! I‘m normally listening to books (at work) rather than reading pages and this is a new experience - it sounds more like the narrator is speaking directly to you rather than just reading off a page. 3 hours in and I have sooooooo many questions lol

Here we go. Let‘s see what all the talk is about.

Back in my comfort zone!!!!

I was really enjoying the series to begin with, having started at the chronological beginning. But by the time I got to the end of this one, the authors agenda and use of age-old tropes began to grate on me. In the world of the Witcher, all men are sex-mad idiots and all women are wise, calculating robots who berate anyone they come across. I was hoping for more but sadly I was disappointed. Might take a break before listening to the next book.

First time out with this author. So far, enjoying the tale from the perspective of a divorced mother of two. I‘m starting to realise I‘m reading too many books 😂😂😂

#romance #chicklit

“To be neutral does not mean to be indifferent or insensitive. You don't have to kill your feelings. It's enough to kill hatred within yourself.”
― Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt is at his best when he‘s explaining his life as a Witcher and why he doesn‘t get involved in the war that surrounds him. Although I do find the lack of subtlety in how the author handles his themes, there are some gems in there - like the quote above.

Love me some fan art from my book ‘The Wolf and the Bear‘. Thanks to Mel Schroeder for this one!

Soooooooo hyped for the upcoming Netflix series of ‘The Witcher‘. I‘m working through the books as we speak and although I find the themes heavy handed, they‘re great sword and sorcery tales.

DISCLAIMER - I know the author and so I‘m totally biased. But still, I really enjoyed this book and was happy to contribute where I could. Give it a go peeps.

Today‘s listening delight.

Woooooop!!! Looking forward to offering some freebies when production is complete.

Sat in the car, waiting for the lad to finish playing football in the pouring rain. Good time to start #7 in my ‘100 books to read before you die‘ list.

A short play but one that really hits the mark. Ibsen makes some brilliant points on men and women in marriage (way back in 1879) and the need for men to stop judging women by masculine standards. A must read for anyone exploring feminism and masculinity.

For anyone who thinks that feminism hasn‘t been around for a while, this play was first published in 1879 and the dialogue between this wife and her husband is very telling. An excellent read so far.

I‘ve just preordered this - I‘m a big fan of del Toro and was deeply disappointed when he left the production of The Hobbit movie. Pan‘s Labyrinth was a film that totally freaked me out (you know which scene I‘m talking about) but I felt that a novel would do it far more justice. Soooo excited to read this with Cornelia Funke on the team too!!!!

😂😂😂😂

I‘ve got some FREE Audible audio codes for this one if anybody needs an easy 9 hour listen. Post-apocalypse meets fantasy as Alex Hogg quests south to the City of Glass and Bone to hunt down a relic that will make her fortune! Comment below and state whether you need US or UK codes. No obligation to review.

I can‘t really say much in 400 characters. A fantastic look at the topic and VERY challenging to me, as a white, cisgender het man, and part of what the author believes is the main cause of misogyny in the west. The most important thing here is that the focus is clearly (and rightly) on the victims. I‘d have liked to have come away with something to act on or maybe do differently but apart from that, it was brilliant!

It‘s that time again!!! The lovely folks at Pact coffee have sent me another bag of lovely coffee - this one from Brazil and said to bear hints of dark chocolate, blueberry and biscuit. Also, book 6 in my BTRBYD series is Henrik Ibsen‘s ‘A Doll‘s House‘.

This was a totally comprehensive piece on the history and treatment of depression. It was beautifully poignant in places and very eye opening to the signs, symptoms and causes of the illness. Although it gave me plenty to think about, given my own mental health issues, I did feel that the harsh reality of the overall difficulties in effectively treating depression were a little disheartening. Still, a fantastic read.

So I started this at work today, having finished my latest audio feast. In the spirit of genuine desire to learn more and understand the authors position, how does someone even begin to wrestle with misogyny when the foundation is immediately undermined by an affirmation of human genders being non-binary? Surely that would change the very definition of the problem from being Male oppression of women to something far more specific? Help please!

This one took some getting through. The style was hard work and even harder to follow the plot as two characters basically speculated their way through the history of Sutpen‘s rise and fall. The descriptions were beautiful but the structure of the tale was gosh-darn hard work.

My listening this week is looking good!

CALLING ALL LITTENS!!!!

My dear friend and fellow Indie author, Suzy, has just finished her debut novel and was looking for a couple of beta readers to help her out. Her novel, Somebody To You, is a sassy British romance tale and although I‘m biased I think it‘s great. Would anyone be willing to read it in its raw form and give her some honest feedback?

Our kittens who have taken over my reading room😰

Momma must have found the peace and quiet there good enough to have her little ones in!

The Aubrey and Maturin series of books have become comfort-reading/listening to me at the hardest of times. The relationship between these two unlikely friends is amazing and though I love the fan art out there (like this above) it kind of saddens me that people interpret the close friendship of two men as automatically being homosexual in nature. Regardless, these books are fantastic!

“It was just public opinion in an acute state of indigestion.”

What a brilliant line!

So close to finishing this now, I can almost taste it. This marks the 5th book down on what most people believe is the ‘100 Books to read before you die‘ list as seen in Denzel Washington‘s “The Equalizer” movie. It‘s been a hard, hard slog through Faulkner‘s classic and I have to admit, it didn‘t have much of an impact on me...

Powerful for me right now...

Jack Reacher #2 and suddenly we‘re in third person narrative????? What the heck????

My first taste of the Reacher books. Clipped sentences and plenty of machismo. So far, so good.

When I read this letter from Tolkien, it broke my heart. He had no idea at the time of finishing LOTR‘s first draft what impact it would have on the world. In fact, he‘s apologetic about its more adult theme when compared to The Hobbit and doubted it would be well received.

Cozy and warm with a cup of coffee laced with Irish Cream. In listening to a lot of audio books I think I‘ve forgotten how important it is to connect with paper and ink again. “This uplifts the heart like the drinking of cool wine!” says Tuor of Gondolin.

This one got off to a really good start but then there was a clumsy, jerky character change and style that felt like a wet slap to the face. Was gutted to bail because I loved ‘Me Before You‘ but just couldn‘t push past it.

Deeply disturbing for me but throughly enjoyable. As a Dad who, like all Fathers, wrestle with some of the deeper issues King raises in this one, it cut pretty close to the bone. Some of the tension was lost because I‘m familiar with the movies but it was an awesome read. Classic King.

I played the video games of the Tex Murphy series when I was growing up. When the creator wrote the full length novels and released them, I was super excited to read them. I got in touch and the author was willing to send me all three books, signed by himself and the actor who played Tex. Possible the greatest book gift I‘ve ever received!!

Gotta love my brother who gave me these gifts; a Fallout 4 fob watch, a cap from Starship Troopers and of course, a book that really deserves to be a movie. I think I‘ve reached full geek mode!