Devon Book Club discussion
Theme Weeks
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Theme week #2 Blogging, Vlogging and BookTubing May 2021
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"My name is Sarah and I grew out of a book! Well, if my primary school reports are to be believed then this appears to be the truth of it: “Sarah is often found in a book, and is rather inclined to daydream”. I’d say that’s a school report to be proud of; I was six at the time. I hold my parents entirely responsible for this. Every night, either Mum or Dad would tuck me in to bed and read to me. Personally, I think this is one of the most precious and enduring gifts a parent can ever give their child.
My blog is here because my husband encouraged me to give it a go. He convinced me I could combine my passion for reading and frequent requests from friends for book recommendations with my enjoyment of creative writing. After much humming-and-hawing I decided to make the leap, and so my blog - The Book’s Whiskers - was born in March 2020 ... just as we went into lockdown. In many ways it’s kept me sane, as I finally get the opportunity to indulge my love of all things wordy, and try my hand at a spot of creative writing.
I’m a fiction fan, with a predilection for good mysteries and crimes, psychological thrillers that give me goosebumps, non-mushy romances, and books with strong historical and cultural roots. A smattering of authors have tempted me into other genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and steam punk.
Ian has asked me to give a few book recommendations. If there’s ever a sentence that evokes thrills and horrors at once, that’s the one ... you’ll have trouble shutting me up! So, after much (very, very much!) mulling, I’m hoping you’ll find at least one amongst these three to add to your reading list:
Tangerine by Christine Mangan
A stylish and sophisticated Hitchcock-esque suspense thriller that epitomises atmospheric story telling. Its simmering tensions and chilling undercurrents are magnified by the intoxicating heat of 1950s Tangier, with the exotic seductions of the city lending a vivid, claustrophobic backdrop to the delicately nuanced characters. https://thebookswhiskers.wordpress.co......
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
This book has been around a while now, but I never miss an opportunity to recommend it. It’s one of my all-time favourite feel-good books, and I’ve lost count of the number of friends who’ve fallen in love with it too. It’s a gentle adventure with a love story at its heart. And it’s absolutely bursting with food ... it’ll make your mouth water, so be sure to have a heap of croissants within reach to stave off the tummy rumbles. What’s more, the author has included recipes at the end of the book for the dishes that get devoured along the way. If you have a sweet tooth, you won’t want to miss the Thirteen Desserts - a single course (!!!) in a traditional Provençal Christmas meal. https://thebookswhiskers.wordpress.co...
Official Secrets by Andrew Raymond
A totally different pace from my other two recommendations. Andrew is a self-published author, and when I saw this book quoted as “Line of Duty meets I Am Pilgrim” I couldn’t order my copy fast enough. It is superb! I can confidently declare I’ve not read a book like it for impact, pace and sheer invigoration. There are currently three books in the series (fourth instalment due out this summer) and they are all absolutely brilliant! Oh, and if you’ve not read I Am Pilgrim yet ... snap up a copy of that book too!
https://thebookswhiskers.wordpress.co...
If you’ve read this far – wow, and thank you! I hope you’ve enjoyed my moment in the spotlight. If you’re a glutton for more, here are my links:"
My blog: https://thebookswhiskers.wordpress.com
My twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahsansom76
My instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookswhi... My facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebookswhis...
I'm a writer of children's books, signed by Ventorros Press. You can find my favorite books here on Goodreads on my book lists I have created. Please feel free to add or vote for books you enjoy in the Children's genre.My blog about Children's Books and Wonder may be found on my blog post here on Goodreads. The link takes you to Robert Baker's Book Blog and an excellent resource. Here is the link:
https://tinyurl.com/SuzyDblogs
My very best wishes to all in the reading, blogging, and writing community.
Suzy Davies
Mod
Hi Suzy - thank you so much for sharing this post - great to hear about the wide range of blogs that are out there. And congratulations on your own work.
Mod
Continuing with our featured bloggers, I am delighted to introduce Em from South Devon and her blog emandherbooks. I love the inventiveness of Ema's blog. In one example, she has a feature called Map Monday, inspired by the lockdown, where she features a book from different places (we can visit them in books, right?)and talks about its location.
Here's an introduction to her blog in Em's own words, together with a few of her recommendations
" I’m Em and I’m a 27 year old book blogger from South Devon. You can find my blog here: https://emandherbooks.com/ and other media here: https://linktr.ee/emandherbooks
After not reading for several years, I set myself a challenge in 2019 to read 25 books; I ended up reading 146. This kick-started my bookish social media and blog journey. In 2020 I read 188 books and have a target of 175 for 2021. I’m currently on 46 books read (a little behind target).
I blog book reviews, weekly features and all sorts bookish.
Three books I’ve read fairly recently and I’d recommend to everyone are; The Two of Us by Andy Jones, How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and Wool by Hugh Howey. Reviews can be found here: https://emandherbooks.com/category/bo...
Thanks for this Ian. I've just had a good look at Sarah's blog and I really enjoyed reading her recommendations. I shall definitely be reading a couple of her suggested novels. Cynthea
Mod
That's great - look out for more featured bloggers each day this week
Mod
http://elizabethducieauthor.co.uk/cat...
My current pattern is: MY Working World (an A-Z of places I've worked) on week 1; an interview on week 2; a travel piece or other series from my Radio Devon scripts on week 3; and Ducie's Diary, my writerly news on week 4. I mix it up every so often and am currently looking for ways to link it to my upcoming novel which is going to be set in a fictional village in south Devon.
Mod
The website is called Michelle Werrett Rural Writing and can be found at https://michellewerrettruralwriting.w...
Michelle lives on Exmoor and writes an occasional blog about the countryside – about wildlife, farming and conservation, the landscapes of Devon and Exmoor, and about the rural folk who live there. Two particular interests are hedges and rivers, so you will find plenty about those.
The pieces of writing are very varied, unconstrained by any prescribed formula as might be the case for a commissioned article. Some highlight serious issues of concern and have a real purpose of awareness raising, encouraging thought and generating understanding; some aim to draw attention to the wonders of the natural world around us in the hope that, by noticing more, people might care more and, perhaps, take more care. Other pieces are simply random rural ramblings (which possibly would have been a better title).
A selection of Michelle's articles is also offered on the site. These have been written for various publications including the Exmoor Magazine, Fallon’s Angler and Salmo Trutta, the journal of the Wild Trout Trust. There are links to their websites where you can discover more.
I asked Michelle what inspires her to write and she told me that
"My hope is that readers might find something that resonates or arouses their curiosity; perhaps they may discover an idea worth following up and reading more about or, best of all, they might get their boots on and go out to explore for themselves. "
I'm sure you'll enjoy Michelle's site as much as I do. Have fun exploring both there and in the great outdoors if that is available to you.
Mod
" I have been a compulsive "content creator" for many years, aiming mostly to entertain myself. Any other people who happen to enjoy it are a bonus, and it is nice to get feedback (of the right sort).
I was slightly ambitious for my 2020 novel, Knights of the Blackdowns and created some readings and other content on YouTube which I published through a dedicated site at https://knightsoftheblackdowns.uk/202... (just one example). Another is https://knightsoftheblackdowns.uk/202...
I've gone on adding more historical burblings to the site since then
Also, my longest running blog is at tomdawn.wordpress.com - one favourite piece is https://tomdawn.wordpress.com/2019/02... which is loosely derived from the poem "About His Person" by Simon Armitage (https://www.poeticous.com/simon-armit...)"
Mod
The website is called Michelle Werrett Rural Writing and can be found at https://michellewerrettruralwriting.w...
Michelle lives on Exmoor and writes an occasional blog about the countryside – about wildlife, farming and conservation, the landscapes of Devon and Exmoor, and about the rural folk who live there. Two particular interests are hedges and rivers, so you will find plenty about those.
The pieces of writing are very varied, unconstrained by any prescribed formula as might be the case for a commissioned article. Some highlight serious issues of concern and have a real purpose of awareness raising, encouraging thought and generating understanding; some aim to draw attention to the wonders of the natural world around us in the hope that, by noticing more, people might care more and, perhaps, take more care. Other pieces are simply random rural ramblings (which possibly would have been a better title).
A selection of Michelle's articles is also offered on the site. These have been written for various publications including the Exmoor Magazine, Fallon’s Angler and Salmo Trutta, the journal of the Wild Trout Trust. There are links to their websites where you can discover more.
I asked Michelle what inspires her to write and she told me that
"My hope is that readers might find something that resonates or arouses their curiosity; perhaps they may discover an idea worth following up and reading more about or, best of all, they might get their boots on and go out to explore for themselves. "
I'm sure you'll enjoy Michelle's site as much as I do. Have fun exploring both there and in the great outdoors if that is available to you.
Ian wrote: "'ve had loads of great feedback about our theme weeks and so, this weekend, I'm introducing a new one - but with a difference. Instead of featuring writers from particular genres, for the next week..."<Thanks to Devon Book Club for another enjoyable Monday evening twitter chat, this time all things blogs and vlogs. I find blogging to be a really varied and creative tool to connect to one another. I remember when I first started blogging, at about the same time I joined Twitter. Whereas Twitter left me at times dumbstruck by the thought of so few characters, blogging was a place I soon felt at home. If books are the window to the soul, blogs add an extra personal touch.
I see Michelle Werret's blog on this page. One of my favourites for whenever I want to step into nature. The writing is beautiful and totally immersive. Time has been short this week, but I look forward to checking out other great sites mentioned on this stream.
Ian wrote: "Suzy wrote: "I'm a writer of children's books, signed by Ventorros Press. You can find my favorite books here on Goodreads on my book lists I have created. Please feel free to add or vote for books..."Thanks, so much, for including me here. So chuffed :)
Mod
Hi Susie - I was amazed by the variety of blogs that were featured on Monday. As you say, a rich and diverse range of writers and features. Bloggers make a huge contribution to bringing books to our attention and I shall visit as many of them as I can.
I agree about Michelle's site. Beautiful images and writing.
Mod
Hi Suzy - it has been an absolute pleasure exploring your book world. Thanks for letting us share it
Mod
This is what Susan told me about her blog:
"Wordpress tells me I’ve been blogging at A Life in Books for eight years which comes as a bit of a shock. I wasn’t entirely sure what form the blog would take when I first started but it has evolved into three weekly posts, two are usually literary fiction reviews, the third is often a preview of new or paperback fiction. I also run a Blast from the Past feature looking back at novels I found it hard to shut up about when I first read them and Five Books I’ve Read on a particular theme that interests me and I hope might interest my readers.
It’s those features that I’ve come to enjoy writing most although my favourite is the monthly Six Degrees of Separation meme run by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best who gives us our starting point. It's always enjoyable to see how each blogger starts with the same title but ends up somewhere entirely different.
Most of my working life has been spent in the book world, first as a bookseller then as a freelance writer and reviews editor for two magazines. As a result, I tend to be attracted to the shiny and new. I read widely but particularly enjoy literary fiction and searching out interesting debuts. Favourite authors range from Siri Hustvedt, Helen Dunmore and Kate Atkinson to Haruki Murakami, Kent Haruf and Colm Tóibin. Recent novels I’ve loved have included Jon McGregor’s Lean Fall Stand, Katherine Heiney’s Early Morning Riser and Claire Fuller’s Unsettled Ground which I’d love to see win the Women’s Prize for Fiction."
A great blog and website and some fabulous recommendations
Mod
Marcia Clayton – Website and Blog
"I was born in North Devon and have always lived here, so it was a natural choice to base my books in this beautiful county. My two historical fiction books are called “The Mazzard Tree” and
“The Angel Maker” and I’m currently writing the third book in the “Hartford Manor” series.
Having published my books, I needed to find a way to promote them so a few months ago, I set up a website which can be accessed here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/ I also put in place a
mailing list, with the offer of a free short story to encourage people to sign up to it.
The next challenge was to think of something to attract the attention of potential readers and so I started blogging. The question was, what to blog about? I decided I must choose subjects
which interest me and hopefully, my readers too. Apart from writing books, my main hobbies are gardening, floral art, reading and walking and so I concentrated on these. Fortunately, living in
the countryside, finding picturesque walks is relatively easy and enjoyable. Nowadays, when my husband and I go on one of our walks, I take a lot of photos to remind me of the route in detail
and then I write a blog about it. I’ve posted links to a few of these blogs on my local village Facebook page and they have attracted more people to my website and mailing list.
These are a couple of photos that people enjoyed and the directions to them can be found on this blog:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/circular-...
In the future, I plan to write more blogs about book reviews, but I’ve found that my readers like to hear about other topics too. With this in mind, I write blogs about historical facts and places which crop up in my books. For example, in the book I’m currently writing, some of the characters visit Victorian London. I’ve written a blog about “The Great Fire of London” and “The Monument”, erected to commemorate it. Other blogs include my better attempts at floral art:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/floral-art/ and a “virtual” holiday in Corfu:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/beautiful... (I thought this might cheer us all up when we couldn’t take real holidays during lock-down).
I like to keep in touch with the people on my mailing list, but I don’t want to overburden them with too many emails. With this in mind, I send out a monthly newsletter, which usually contains
news of my writing, a link to a recent walk, and a short review of a book I’ve recently read. I’ve had a few people contact me to say they enjoy the newsletters and my mailing list is growing
slowly, so hopefully I must be doing something right. This is a link to my May Newsletter which includes a couple of lovely Devon walks and a review of a great book by Jemima Brigges, called
“Counting the Cost”: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/may-newsl...
At first, I found it quite difficult to write blogs, but now I enjoy it. Sometimes it comes as a welcome break from writing or editing my books. I follow a couple of other authors and enjoy their newsletters and blogs. One is Chrystyna Berger, who also writes historical fiction. This is a link to her blogsite:
Blog - Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger https://inktreks.com/blog/
I also enjoy reading the weekly bulletins from author, Elizabeth Ducie on her Facebook page (1) The Business of Writing | Facebook Elizabeth has written six books outlining everything the
new author needs to know about publishing and marketing their books, as well as several works of fiction. This is a link to her website and blogs: http://elizabethducieauthor.co.uk/ "
Mod
First up
Bucky is a reader, writer, researcher, and educator who reviews nonfiction books at https://buckysbookreviews.com/
Bucky's main interests are in History, Philosophy, and Economics, but he loves reading broadly (and writing about what he's read).
Currently reading:
Padraic X. Scanlan, Slave Empire: How Slavery Built Modern Britain
Tad Williams, The Dragonbone Chair
Bucky's book recommendation for us today is Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (and the rest of the Aubrey-Maturin series!)
Anyone love that series?
Mod
Lucy is a script editor, author and blogger who helps writers and, as a Devon writer, has been a wonderful friend of our community from the very beginning
I asked Lucy to say a bit about herself and her blog and this is what she told me:
"I have been a script reader for over 15 years, providing coverage for literary agents, indie prodcos, investors, screen agencies, producers, directors and individual writers.
I've also used all this experience to write three non fiction books about writing based on my time as a script reader, published as part of Kamera Books' 'Creative Essentials' Range.
My blog www.bang2write.com is a very large online platform. It has appeared on The Write Life's 'Top 100 Sites for Writers' five years in a row. It has also been a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot's #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK (tenth in the world!).
Join us to talk all things writing as well as get free stuff for your novel or screenplay at www.bang2write.com/resources including a free online course. See you online! "
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
www.twitter.com/Bang2write
www.instagram.com/Bang2write
www.facebook.com/Bang2writers
Devon Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Master & Commander (other topics)Slave Empire: How Slavery Built Modern Britain (other topics)
The Dragonbone Chair (other topics)
Unsettled Ground (other topics)
Lean Fall Stand (other topics)
More...
Some of these write books in their own right but many just love to celebrate writing in other ways. Some will be familiar to you, others will be new. In a nice segue from our last themed event I am going to start with Susie's Writerly Tales by Susie Williamson
We will be chatting live about blogs and vlogs on Monday's #devonbookhour from 8PM on Twitter if you are free to join in
In the meantime, Susie tells us about her blog:
"I’m delighted to take part in Devon Book Club’s themed week, exploring all things blogging and vlogging. As a writer based in Exeter, I set up my own blogsite, Susie’s Writerly Tales, in November 2017 and have been posting regularly ever since. Establishing the blogsite coincided with my 2018 debut release of Return of the Mantra, and early blogs gave insight into the journey of bringing a debut to life. Since then, and including the recent release of the sequel, posts offer insight into my ongoing fantasy series, with worldbuilding, character development, and overall inspiration, as well as general writing tips for the aspiring writer.
I am also an artist, working with acrylics on canvas, painting abstract landscapes including hand-painted mosaics. I started out painting for the walls of home, and since I am running out of wall space, have dipped a toe into the world of exhibiting. It’s a new venture, with the simple motivation to add colour to the world. All art related posts are featured on the Art Page.
As an avid reader, other features include reviews of books I’ve loved; most recently Octavia Butler’s dystopian series, Earthseed. And when I’m not writing, reading, or painting, I can be found wandering the Devon landscape, taking in the sights and discovering new places to explore. With readers of the blog from around the world, it’s a great opportunity to share treasures from this county I call home.
I love the variety of Susie's blog - you can enjoy wandering around it here
http://susiewilliamson.blog