Tag: readers

Free Short Reads

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It’s Valentines Day on the weekend, and while I don’t pay a lot of attention to the day, I do think it’s a good opportunity to offer something to my readers. Think of it as a small token of my appreciation, if you will.

Among the numerous short reads over  at wordynerdbirdwrites , you’ll find the romantic poem Beloved, a romantic short story titled Montpelier, and a macabre little tale called A Curious Valentine’s Day. 

There are lots of other poems and stories there too, and it is all free to read. I would like to think there’s something there for every taste.

However you celebrate, or don’t celebrate, Valentine’s Day,  I hope you’ll take some time this week or over the weekend to read something that makes you smile.
I’d be super pleased if that happened to be something I wrote.

Free Short Reads
#WhatToRead #FreeReading #readAwrite

Stories!

A most welcome initiative from Audible to help entertain cooped up kids of all ages.

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Audible has released a whole bunch of audiobooks for kids and families absolutely free, called Stories.

There’s an extensive range of books for kids of all ages, from ‘Littlest Listeners’ to teens, and some excellent literary classics, too! 

What a fantastic opportunity for beating the lockdown blues! It’s great to see one of the big companies taking the initiative to offer something to help us all out by feeding our imaginations and entertaining our families. 

An Audible membership is not required, so anyone can use it.  As it is browser based, no credit card or personal information is needed to listen.  It works on phone, laptop and tablet.

Completely free #audiobooks for kids and families to #ListenTo while #stayinghome – fantastic! Thanks, @Audible!

Have a safe, happy and Bookish Easter!

Two great book events this Easter weekend.

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There are two great book events this Easter weekend that readers should be keen to join in.

I’m not for a moment suggesting that people set aside any religious observance, be it of Passover or Easter or another festival. Each of these book events can be enjoyed individually and privately at home, whenever it suits individuals to join in.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you a most enjoyable holiday weekend, whether you’re religious or not. We know there are more people on the roads, so please stay safe!

 

Sparkly Badgers’ Easter Egg Hunt.

This event runs all weekend. It has been organised by a sensational group of Indie authors known universally as The Sparkly Badgers— they’re very good friends of  Book Squirrel, with whom all readers of my blog should be familiar by now. In all honesty, it’s much easier if you just accept that there are bookish forest creatures, and move on.

How it works: Follow the trail of mystery eggs from website to website, and collect the clues. Answer the question at the end successfully, and you win a prize.

Sparkly Badgers Egg Hunt

One contestant will receive a copy of each of the books shown below and an actual chocolate egg.

All contestants who successfully complete the quest will receive their choice of one of the books offered by the Sparkly Badgers, who are not only brilliantly talented but also incredibly generous.

 

Hopping Good Reads. 

On offer are a range of excellent books, in different genres, and by different authors from the Indie Coffee Lounge Facebook group. Every book listed is only 99c, or 99p if you’re in the UK.
That means you can fill up your Kindle or Kindle app with great reads at bargain prices.

This event runs on Saturday, March 31st, only.

Click either image to head over and start browsing.

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The books are listed with information about their genre and recommended audience.

Take a look at the great books in this promotion! From poetry to mystery, romance to horror, there’s something here for everyone.

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My books – Stained Glass and The Silver Feather – are already both 99c, and I know some (although not all) of the others are, too. So if you’re busy all weekend, you could even start early!

Be sure to follow all the authors on Twitter so you can keep up with all their latest news and adventures in writing:

Enjoy!

Nine Things You Can Do With A Bookmark – Without Actually Putting Your Book Down!

When you don’t want to put your book down, here are nine great uses for a bookmark.

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Using a bookmark to keep one’s place in a book when putting it down is common behaviour for readers.2018-03-06 17.31.19

Some, however, do not like to put the book down. It’s far more preferable to just keep on reading right to the end. I’ve been known to lose all track of time, and on more than one occasion I’ve forgotten to eat. It’s probably a good thing I wasn’t reading ‘War and Peace’ at the time.

 

When you don’t want to put your book down, here are nine great uses for a bookmark:

1. Mark a beautifully written sentence or passage.

2. Keep the place of a quote you want to use.

3. Save the location of a favourite event or conversation in the story.

4. Provide sensory pleasure by playing with the tassel while you read.

5. Fan yourself when the weather – or the story – warms up.

6. Shield your eyes from artificial lighting, or from the sun if you’re reading outdoors.

7. Swat at flies or mosquitoes that might be tempted to buzz or bite while you’re trying to read.

8. Lure someone — parent, sibling, best friend, or significant other, for example– into thinking you haven’t actually been reading all day when there were other things you were supposed to do, by tucking it about 20 pages previous to where you’re currently reading.

9. Hold it up as an unspoken barrier between yourself and anyone who might try to interrupt you. Pretend that it deflects any sound they might make, so that you can just keep on reading.

 

©2018 WordyNerdBird

Give books, not flowers!

Give Books, Not Flowers!

#Feb14th
#InternationalBookGivingDay

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Everyone knows February 14th is Valentine’s Day, but did you know it’s also International Book Giving Day?

Apparently, that’s been a “thing” for several years now. The first I heard of it, though, was earlier today when I saw a post – one post – on Twitter. Why have I never heard of this before? Why aren’t bookstores and publishers worldwide promoting this? Why have I been conditioned all my life to hope for a rose or a card that usually doesn’t materialise, when I could have been my own best friend and presented myself with a book instead? That, my friends, is absolute rubbish!

An international day for giving and receiving books is an idea that really appeals to me on so many levels.  In just five minutes, I came up with these reasons why books are better than roses, chocolates, and drugs:

Books don’t die like flowers do.

Books don’t make you fat or mess with your blood glucose like chocolates do.

Nobody judges you for showing off your new book on social media.
(Unless, of course, you’re an author and you wrote the book, in which case people complain because you’re somehow pressuring them to support you or asking them for money, which just isn’t the done thing, despite the fact that you’ve supported their careers in plastic kitchenware, fancy saucepans, designer linen ware, boutique underwear, party plan beauty products, and whatever other blarney they’ve asked you to buy. But that’s different, and I digress. And I’m not jaded, okay?)

You can stay home with a book and consume it as greedily as you wish without losing any respect.

Books are budget friendly. Do you have any idea how many books you could buy for the price of a bunch of long-stemmed roses in the middle of February?

Books are an investment in your mind and your soul.

Books are an investment in an author who will be more than happy to write more books for you to enjoy. It’s the ultimate gift that keeps on giving.

Books provide the most budget-friendly and instant escape from reality available to humanity.

Books won’t land you in rehab.

There is no law against driving with stories, ideas and knowledge in your system.

Not bad, eh?

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and give someone you love, or yourself, a book.

Support An Author 3

 

If you’d like to suggest more reasons why books are better gifts than flowers and chocolates, feel free to leave them in a comment.