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1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452</id><updated>2024-03-23T18:44:33.092+02:00</updated><category term="Free Writing"/><category term="Books"/><title type='text'>Graham Downs</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default?alt=atom'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default?alt=atom&amp;start-index=26&amp;max-results=25'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>430</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-3775499292976174743</id><published>2021-03-02T07:00:00.038+02:00</published><updated>2021-03-02T08:15:46.579+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Do You Have a Favourite Word?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;A few weeks ago, an authoress whose newsletter I subscribe to (Christine Bernard. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.christinebernard.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Check her out&lt;/a&gt;) sent out an email, asking people what their favourite words are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;255&quot; data-original-width=&quot;382&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2021/03/2021-03-02_Words.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;This got me thinking. I really enjoy the old irregular past tense forms of words and use them whenever they&#39;re available. Words like &lt;i&gt;shone&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;dreamt&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;learnt&lt;/i&gt;, etc. Personally, I just feel like those &quot;old&quot; forms are more poetic, more aesthetically beautiful. In fact, if I&#39;m reading a book and I read &lt;i&gt;dived &lt;/i&gt;or &lt;i&gt;sneaked&lt;/i&gt;, my brain always translates them to &lt;i&gt;dove &lt;/i&gt;or &lt;i&gt;snuck.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Having recently read Lynn Murphy&#39;s&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/4A7ZAe&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Prodigal Tongue: The Love–Hate Relationship Between British and American English&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;, I now know that the Americans sought to simplify the language, remove exceptions, and make it seem more normalised and standardised, easier to learn.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can understand that, and I don&#39;t think there&#39;s anything inherently wrong with it, but I&#39;ve never been a fan of that approach, neither in English nor in Software Development. I think the goal of having &quot;one-size-fits-all&quot; rules that you can apply in any situation makes life boring. It&#39;s why I was never very good at maths: maths requires learning a set of hard-and-fast rules, and I feel it doesn&#39;t really allow people to exercise their own judgment or think about the context. I don&#39;t want to live in a world where two plus two always equals four, with no room for interpretation. I want to live in a world where if the art requires it, two plus two can be three or five. Just because I feel like it. Hard rules scare me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For similar artistic reasons, I&#39;m also a fan of gender-specific terms for things. I like &lt;i&gt;waitress &lt;/i&gt;vs &lt;i&gt;waiter&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;hostess &lt;/i&gt;and &lt;i&gt;actress&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;vs &lt;i&gt;host &lt;/i&gt;and &lt;i&gt;actor&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;editrix &lt;/i&gt;and &lt;i&gt;dominatrix &lt;/i&gt;(heh) vs &lt;i&gt;editor &lt;/i&gt;and &lt;i&gt;dominator&lt;/i&gt;.... There are hundreds more of these that we don&#39;t use anymore, or use very seldom. C&lt;i&gt;omedienne&lt;/i&gt;,&lt;i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;anyone?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Obviously, that’s a bit more controversial in today’s world, where a person’s gender can differ from their sex. Still, to me it’s more poetic and beautiful, and, as long as you use the form that respects a person’s preferred pronoun, I see nothing wrong with it. And if the person prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, or they&#39;re someone who doesn&#39;t want their gender known, then go ahead and use a &quot;generic&quot; form. But please don&#39;t use &lt;i&gt;server &lt;/i&gt;as a substitute for &lt;i&gt;waiter&lt;/i&gt;/&lt;i&gt;waitress&lt;/i&gt;; after a lifetime in IT, it&#39;s all-but impossible for me to think of a &quot;server&quot; as anything other than a computer! (&lt;i&gt;Waitron&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;works, though, I guess. It&#39;s better than &lt;i&gt;server&lt;/i&gt;, at any rate.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;True, some of these are a bit clunky and old-fashioned these days. I described Christine Bernard as an &quot;authoress&quot; above to be ironic, but in general, I would still refer to a female author as an author. Same with a female editor. I guess that also has something to do with the fact that in my experience dealing mostly with indie authors and their editors, most of them tend to be women anyway, these days (I think traditional publishing is still largely male-dominated, but traditional publishing is becoming less relevant with every passing day).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, I&#39;m rather fond of compound contractions: &lt;i&gt;wouldn&#39;t&#39;ve&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;shouldn&#39;t&#39;ve&lt;/i&gt; are pretty awesome! And&amp;nbsp;I feel like we&#39;ve lost a lot by dropping &lt;i&gt;thee&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;thou&lt;/i&gt;, because other languages still have different words for formal and informal address, and that was our &lt;i&gt;thee&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;thou&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, none of that answers the question of what my favourite word is.&amp;nbsp;I guess my all-time favourite word, and I wish it would come back into vogue, is &lt;i&gt;hitherto&lt;/i&gt;. Once again, it just has a nice mouth-feel to me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What about you? Do you have a favourite word in the English language? Do you agree with mine? Let me know in the comments below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/3775499292976174743/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/03/do-you-have-favourite-word.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3775499292976174743'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3775499292976174743'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/03/do-you-have-favourite-word.html' title='Do You Have a Favourite Word?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-5083601965522503043</id><published>2021-02-09T07:00:00.003+02:00</published><updated>2021-02-09T07:00:06.060+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Valentine&#39;s Day: Do You Love It or Hate It?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Valentine&#39;s Day, huh? Some love it, some hate it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Let me ask you a question: have you ever been in love with someone who had no idea you existed? I&#39;m talking head-over-heels infatuated, obsessed with them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know I have, and it hurt more than I can put into words.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;235&quot; data-original-width=&quot;235&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2021/02/2021-02-09_SheLovesMe.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, let me ask you this: did that person eventually start to notice you, talk to you, be nice to you?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I bet that felt amazing. But how do you know they weren&#39;t just using you?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That&#39;s the dilemma that a young woman called Carla faces, in my romantic crime story, Heritage of Deceit. She&#39;s been desperately in love with one of her colleagues at the office for the longest time, and had finally resigned herself to the idea that it wasn&#39;t to be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One day, he starts paying attention to her, seeking her out, even asking her on a date!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of course, she&#39;s over the moon, but is there something more to his attention? Could it be that she just had something he wants, and he&#39;s using her affections for him to get his hands on it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&#39;d like to buy the book and find out what happens, click the cover below to view it on my website. It&#39;s available in ebook or paperback format from a whole range of outlets. You&#39;ll find all the links&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/books/heritage-of-deceit.html&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;449&quot; data-original-width=&quot;318&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/book-covers/heritage-of-deceit_318w.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;Already read it?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&#39;ve already read and enjoyed Heritage of Deceit, then please consider sharing this blog post with all your friends and family on social media. Every little bit helps.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Also, have you written a review for it on Goodreads? Don&#39;t forget, &lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/win-5-ebook-voucher-every-month-heres.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;your review could win you $5&lt;/a&gt;....&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/5083601965522503043/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/02/valentines-day-do-you-love-it-or-hate-it.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5083601965522503043'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5083601965522503043'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/02/valentines-day-do-you-love-it-or-hate-it.html' title='Valentine&#39;s Day: Do You Love It or Hate It?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-122765910294109713</id><published>2021-01-26T07:00:00.002+02:00</published><updated>2021-01-26T07:00:03.202+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Here&#39;s Your Favourite Book of All Time (For 2021)</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Happy New Year!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&#39;m a week late with these results, I know. Sorry about that, but look on the bright side: you had more time to vote....&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And now, I can tell you that for the second year in a row, the book you voted as your favourite book of all time is....&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/mlrgV7
2. &quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;475&quot; data-original-width=&quot;306&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/02/04/2020-02-04_TheHobbit.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;The Hobbit, or There and Back Again&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;by J. R. R. Tolkien&lt;/h4&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you haven&#39;t read this book yet, you really should consider picking up a copy. It truly is a classic, a hallmark of modern fantasy literature!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click the cover to find out where you can get your hands on a copy.&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/122765910294109713/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/heres-your-favourite-book-of-all-time.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/122765910294109713'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/122765910294109713'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/heres-your-favourite-book-of-all-time.html' title='Here&#39;s Your Favourite Book of All Time (For 2021)'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-4228614524554826887</id><published>2021-01-12T07:00:00.028+02:00</published><updated>2021-01-12T07:00:04.014+02:00</updated><title type='text'>If You Do What You Love, You&#39;ll Never Work a Day in Your Life?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;0 0 []&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;We’ve all heard the famous Marc Anthony quote:&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;233&quot; data-original-width=&quot;382&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2021/01/2021-01-12_DoWhatYouLove.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;0 0 []&quot;&gt;As an author, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the first place, let’s get this clear: I believe all authors should be fairly paid for their work.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;But&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;I’m not a subscriber to the above philosophy. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take what you love doing and turn it into something you rely on for an income.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I think as soon as what you love becomes your sole source of income, you start to love it a little less, and resent it a little more every day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I’m an author, and like most authors, I have a day job. In my case, that’s software development. I love it and would never want to leave it. Most days, it’s a joy to go to work, but other days... it’s just a job. It’s what I have to do, regardless of whether I’m in the mood, whether I’m feeling particularly inspired, or whether the project I’ve been assigned speaks to me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s my job, and I’m okay with that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The thing is, I never want that to become my writing reality. I love writing; I love telling stories, and I love the idea of people reading them and reviewing them (a little extra pocket money doesn’t hurt either, because authors, like any artists, should be fairly compensated for their work).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I guess that’s a big part of why it never occurred to me to pursue traditional publishing. I want to write and publish on my terms and only on my terms. I never want to have obligations or deadlines, or feel like I have to compromise the stories I want to tell — and how I present and package them — just to survive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know that for plenty of authors, writing full time is the ultimate dream. It’s not my dream, and I wonder how many of those authors have really considered what a full-time career as an author would mean, in terms of all those sacrifices and obligations.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;1 1 []&quot;&gt;I’m also intimately aware that not everyone is as lucky as I am. Not everybody has a job that fulfils, challenges, and lifts them up. Many authors are stuck in soul-destroying day jobs that suck all their creativity away, for whom getting up in the morning is something they dread more than anything. To those people, I might say to be even&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;more&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;careful about dreaming of a full-time writing career. Not only is the grass always greener on the other side, but when you’re in this situation, it feels like absolutely anything would be better than what you’re going through now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To these people, I’d say they should absolutely look for a different job. Perhaps in the same career but a different company with different people (that can make a massive difference to your job satisfaction), perhaps in a slightly different career: one that exercises their creative muscle somewhat, perhaps closer to writing — blog posts or marketing copy or something? — but not the kind of writing that fills them with joy. That kind of writing should be reserved for their relaxation time. The times when they feel inspired. The times when they’re moved and called to write. Not things they’re forced to do in order to make a living and survive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/4228614524554826887/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/if-you-do-what-you-love-youll-never.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4228614524554826887'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4228614524554826887'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/if-you-do-what-you-love-youll-never.html' title='If You Do What You Love, You&#39;ll Never Work a Day in Your Life?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-2870531825067273615</id><published>2021-01-05T07:09:00.002+02:00</published><updated>2021-03-27T13:06:20.580+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Win a $5 Ebook Voucher Every Month. Here&#39;s How...</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;169&quot; data-original-width=&quot;382&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2021/01/2021-01-05_Free_Ebooks.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;0 0 []&quot;&gt;Do you enjoy writing reviews? Do you wax lyrical on Goodreads, for hundreds and hundreds of words, describing in fine detail what you liked about the last book you read?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Or do you consider yourself not much of a writer, but you still enjoy bashing out a few sentences on Goodreads, to let the world know you enjoyed it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What if you got rewarded for your efforts with free ebooks every month?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Would you like that?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are you on both Facebook&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;Goodreads?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well then, you, my friend, have come to the right place!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Ebook Vouchers for Reviews&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;All you have to do is go to Goodreads and write a review for one of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6862698.Graham_Downs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;my books&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then, post a link to that review in our private Facebook group,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4671424484132822452/2870531825067273615#&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Graham’s Super Secret Reader’s Circle&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Before you can post in that group, you need to be a member. And before you can join the group, you need to be on my email mailing list.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Sign up Today&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/get-free-stuff.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here to visit the&amp;nbsp;Get Free Stuff&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;page on my website. You can choose from a selection of my books to get free as a “Thank you” for signing up. You&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;can&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;write a review for this book and use it as an entry into the competition!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you’ve selected which book you would like, enter your email address and tick the boxes to agree to receive emails from me.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Send Me My Free Book&lt;/strong&gt; and follow the instructions in the email you receive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your initial “Welcome” email will also contain instructions on how to join the secret Facebook group. Follow those steps, then wait for me to approve your group membership (don’t worry, you’ll be able to leave the group at any time, but in order to enter the monthly competition, you must remain a member).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once approved, be sure to read the full terms and conditions of the competition in the Pinned Post at the top of the group.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/2870531825067273615/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/win-5-ebook-voucher-every-month-heres.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/2870531825067273615'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/2870531825067273615'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2021/01/win-5-ebook-voucher-every-month-heres.html' title='Win a $5 Ebook Voucher Every Month. Here&#39;s How...'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-1781815428129801657</id><published>2020-12-29T07:00:00.001+02:00</published><updated>2020-12-29T07:00:01.458+02:00</updated><title type='text'>My Favourite Books of 2020</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;It&#39;s time again for my favourite books of the year. Of all the books I read during the course of 2020, these are the books I gave five star reviews to. Which is quite an achievement, because if you know me and follow my reviews regularly, you&#39;ll know that I&#39;m very strict with my ratings. For me to give a book five stars, it has to be perfect. I mean absolutely flawless. It needs a perfect plot and perfect editing, with not a single typo or writing issue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And this year has been a bumper year, because there are no less than five of them!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So without further ado, here they are, covers and synopsis. Click on the cover to read my review of the book in question on Goodreads, or click the link below each one to find out where you can get your hands on a copy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Mute by Christine Bernard&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3279802583&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;249&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-29_Mute.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Synopsis&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Is it possible to live in the world without speech? How much would you change if you had to live only in your head?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;This is exactly what thirty-three-year old Rebecca Marley is about to find out, as she embarks on this self-induced nine-month challenge. Will it be the peaceful reprise that she so desperately seeks? Or will she be forced to face aspects of herself that a noisy world helps hide so well?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/3k17jL&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[ Buy this Book ]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;The Giver by Lois Lowry&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/801223850&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;249&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-29_TheGiver.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Synopsis&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;In a perfect world, Jonas begins to see the flaws…&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;THE GIVER is the classic award-winning novel that inspired the dystopian genre and a major motion picture adaptation for 2014 starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything. Everything needed is provided. And at twelve years old, each member of the community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Twelve-year old Jonas has never thought there was anything wrong with his world. But from the moment he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas discovers that their community is not as perfect as it seems.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It is only with the help of the Giver, that Jonas can find what has been lost. And it is only through his personal courage that Jonas finds the strength to do what is right…&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Giver is the award-winning classic of bravery and adventure that has inspired countless dystopian writers as the forerunner of this genre.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/49MejY&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[ Buy this Book ]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Amped by Daniel H. Wilson&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3092761511&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;249&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-29_Amped.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Synopsis&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Technology makes them superhuman. But mere mortals want them kept in their place. Enter a stunning world where technology and humanity clash in terrifying and surprising ways.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Some people are implanted with upgrades that make them capable of superhuman feats. The powerful technology has profound consequences for society, and soon a set of laws is passed that restricts the abilities - and rights - of &#39;amplified&#39; humans.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;On the day that the Supreme Court passes the first of these laws, 29-year-old Owen Gray discovers that his seizure-supressing medical implant is actually a powerful upgrade. Owen joins the ranks of a new persecuted underclass known as &#39;amps&#39; and is forced to go on the run, desperate to reach an outpost in Oklahoma where, it is rumoured, a group of the most enhanced amps are about to change the world - or destroy it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/3n8KMx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[ Buy this Book ]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3634179481&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;249&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-29_GatheringBlue.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Synopsis&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The fascinating sequel to THE GIVER which inspired the dystopian genre and is soon to be a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;GATHERING BLUE is a return to the mysterious but plausible future world of THE GIVER. It tells the story of Kira, orphaned, physically flawed, and left with an uncertain future until she is summoned by the Council of Guardians…&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;On her quest for truth that follows, Kira makes discoveries that will change her life and world forever.&lt;/div&gt;Award-winning author Lois Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, how people could evolve and what could be considered valuable in this fascinating follow-up to THE GIVER.&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/4NX9GW&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[ Buy this Book ]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Messenger by Lois Lowry&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3568638669&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;249&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-29_Messenger.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Synopsis&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village&#39;s closing and try to convince Seer&#39;s daughter to return with him before it&#39;s too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://books2read.com/u/3yzMAJ&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;[ Buy this Book ]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
3. <hr />
4. Do you agree with my picks? Or have I given you any great books to add to your TBR pile?
5. <p>
6. Of all the books you read in 2020, which ones are <i>your</i> favourites? Let me know in the comments below.
7. </p><p>
8. See you in 2021!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/1781815428129801657/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/my-favourite-books-of-2020.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1781815428129801657'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1781815428129801657'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/my-favourite-books-of-2020.html' title='My Favourite Books of 2020'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-4452848615589158447</id><published>2020-12-22T07:00:00.002+02:00</published><updated>2020-12-22T07:00:04.280+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Here&#39;s the shortlist: Your Favourite Book of all Time</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;As promised &lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/11/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-2020.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;last month&lt;/a&gt;, the shortlist is out for your favourite book of all time is out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-03_Kid_Reading_Book.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;280&quot; data-original-width=&quot;450&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-03_Kid_Reading_Book.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;See below for the list, and vote for your favourite.&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;If your favourite book of all time isn&#39;t on the shortlist, then I apologise; you&#39;ll get another opportunity next year. In the meantime, vote for your favourite out of the following:&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
9. <iframe frameborder="0" height="1024" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce4WIuTugcci4-Qf5WEed_y-99dVuWlFIxNFmk-u0CeS6sbw/viewform?embedded=true" width="550">Loading…</iframe>
10. <p>
11. Just like last time, I'll keep this voting open for a month or so, and I'll announce the winner on 19 January 2021.
12. </p><p>
13. Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/4452848615589158447/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/heres-shortlist-your-favourite-book-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4452848615589158447'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4452848615589158447'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/heres-shortlist-your-favourite-book-of.html' title='Here&#39;s the shortlist: Your Favourite Book of all Time'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-4911009987700460800</id><published>2020-12-15T07:00:00.002+02:00</published><updated>2020-12-15T12:55:30.026+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Blog Stats for 2020</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Even though I didn&#39;t do much blogging in 2020, my blog still received a respectable amount of traffic this year. I chalk that up to the fact that I have enough of a &quot;backlist&quot; to keep people interested, and I&#39;m impressed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Herewith, then, some interesting figures about the people who visited my blog in 2020, what they visited, and where they came from. I ran the report from 1 December 2019 to 30 November 2020, because December isn&#39;t over yet; I&#39;ll include December 2020 in next year&#39;s post.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-15_Blog_Stats.png&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;77&quot; data-original-width=&quot;382&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-15_Blog_Stats.png&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Top Countries&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;South Africa&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;United States&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;India&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Canada&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There were almost twice as many visitors from South Africa as there were from the United States. I&#39;m pleased with this because I am, after all, a South African author. A few years ago, the US dominated; I&#39;m glad we SAffers are getting more Internet-savvy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Top Browsers&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Chrome&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Safari&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Internet Explorer&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Android Webview&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Firefox&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a technical person, stats on browsers and operating systems really interest me. It&#39;s not much of a surprise to see Chrome still doing so well, with almost twice as many users as Safari. I&#39;m surprised that Internet Explorer still features, though, and that Edge isn&#39;t even in the top 10!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Top Operating Systems&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;Android&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Windows&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;iOS&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Macintosh&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Linux&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&#39;s not that surprising that Android is on top. We&#39;ve been getting told for many years now that Mobile is King. What is a bit surprising is how close Windows is. And it makes me kind of glad, because personally, I&#39;m a desktop person and do the majority of my web surfing that way. It&#39;s nice to know that I&#39;m attracting people who are similar to myself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I also enjoy Linux, which is yet more evidence of that (iOS and Macintosh are the obligatory anomalies).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Top Search Queries&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now &lt;i&gt;these &lt;/i&gt;are interesting! These are the exact queries people typed into Google (and other search engines), which led them to a page on my blog. It really gives you an insight into how people think.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=exclusive+books+ebooks&amp;amp;oq=exclusive+books+ebooks&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;exclusive books ebooks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=24symbols+vs+kindle+unlimited&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;24symbols vs kindle unlimited&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=amazon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;amazon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=best+fantasy+books+available+on+scribd&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;best fantasy books available on scribd&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/search?q=can+you+get+a+Gauteng+library+card+if+you+are+not+in+Gauteng&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;can you get a Gauteng library card if you are not in Gauteng&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;Click on one of those terms to search for it on Google.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Most Viewed Posts&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;And here&#39;s what you&#39;ve been waiting for! See how these correlate to the top search queries above. Click on one to view the original post.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2018/08/overdrive-libraries-in-south-africa.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Overdrive Libraries in South Africa&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/07/best-fantasy-on-scribd.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Most Discussed Fantasy Books on Reddit... On Scribd&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/11/featured-south-african-indie-authors.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Featured South African Indie Authors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2017/02/borrowing-books-from-gauteng-e-library.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Borrowing Books from the Gauteng E-Library&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/02/alternatives-to-kindle-unlimited.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Alternatives to Kindle Unlimited&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;Okay, so number three is an anomaly, but that&#39;s because I share that particular post every month on my social media, so more people find it that way than through search. All the others match up with one or more search terms, though.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span face=&quot;Roboto, sans-serif&quot; style=&quot;color: #005c9c;&quot;&gt;Overall, I&#39;m happy with these results, especially in light of the pandemic and lockdown. I hope you&#39;ve found them as interesting as I have, and they&#39;ve shown you a little more about me and my audience.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/4911009987700460800/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/blog-stats-for-2020.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4911009987700460800'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/4911009987700460800'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/blog-stats-for-2020.html' title='Blog Stats for 2020'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-5471063834457519711</id><published>2020-12-08T07:00:00.001+02:00</published><updated>2020-12-08T07:00:03.685+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Do You Review Books on Your Mobile Device?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;0 0 []&quot;&gt;In case you didn’t know, many ereaders and ereading apps offer you the chance to write a review of the book you’ve just finished, right there on the device.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-08_kindle-before-you-go.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;382&quot; data-original-width=&quot;238&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-08_kindle-before-you-go.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p data-pm-slice=&quot;0 0 []&quot;&gt;I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, and she said this was actually one of her favourite features of ebooks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My response was that I didn’t think anyone actually did that. I always skip that screen so I can get to my full-size desktop PC with a full-size monitor and full-size keyboard, and write a proper review. The idea of writing anything decent on a tiny touch-screen keyboard just makes me groan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;She said that if she had to wait until she got to her PC to write the review, it’d never happen because she prefers to use a computer as little as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This led to a much longer discussion about how I prefer a PC to a mobile device for most things (except reading books, which I prefer to do on a tablet), and I always prefer a full-size keyboard and monitor to a built-in laptop one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other friends started chiming in, and it turned out that many actually&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;prefer&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;typing on a phone or tablet to a PC, and when they have to use a PC, they would rather work on a laptop/notebook than an external keyboard and monitor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was pretty gob smacked, because I have gigantic hands and poor eyesight, and given the choice, I’d rather use my PC for anything; I even tweet and Facebook from my computer!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Where do you stand, dear reader? Do you make use of these ereading apps that offer you the chance to review books? What about other things?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you prefer mobility and convenience over comfort and performance?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For Facebook and Twitter, at least, most of you do, based on the countless studies showing how most people use social networks from their phones. But surely not for serious, long-form writing. Surely?&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/5471063834457519711/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/do-you-review-books-on-your-mobile.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5471063834457519711'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5471063834457519711'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/do-you-review-books-on-your-mobile.html' title='Do You Review Books on Your Mobile Device?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-3256179593182600088</id><published>2020-12-01T07:00:00.001+02:00</published><updated>2020-12-01T07:00:07.557+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Do Kids Still Want Colouring Books?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;When I was a kid, every time we went to our local Pick &#39;n Pay, I&#39;d insist on walking down the toy aisle. One of the things they always had in the toy aisle was a pile full of colouring books. Some of them were themed to whatever the latest craze was at the time (Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spiderman, Batman, etc), and some were just themed to a particular thing (Animals, Cars, whatever).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Often, I&#39;d nag my parents to buy me one, and then I&#39;d take it home and spend hours on the floor with it and my box of crayons.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The books were really cheap, printed on recycled toilet paper or some such, ugly brown paper with tore if you pressed too hard, and where the colour bled through.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do kids still do this?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have (or know) small children who like colouring in, take a look at these gorgeous colouring books my wife and I put together a few years ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Each one&#39;s filled with 64 themed colouring pages, printed on premium, high-grade paper (not that recycled toilet paper you get at the grocery shop).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/books/premium-childrens-colouring-books&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;267&quot; data-original-width=&quot;382&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/12/2020-12-01_premium_childrens_colouring_books.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Click on the image above to see all the places where you can buy the books. You can get them literally anywhere in the world, from the United States, to the UK, to South Africa, and others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Depending on where you are in the world, I can&#39;t promise you&#39;ll have them by Christmas, but the sooner you order, the better your chances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/3256179593182600088/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/do-kids-still-want-colouring-books.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3256179593182600088'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3256179593182600088'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/12/do-kids-still-want-colouring-books.html' title='Do Kids Still Want Colouring Books?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-6563354878697979795</id><published>2020-11-24T06:57:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-11-24T06:57:47.266+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Your Favourite Book of All Time (2020 - Open Call)</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;It&#39;s been a while since I blogged about anything. Not since 7 April 2020, in fact. What can I say? Lockdowns have been hard, and it&#39;s been tough to get in the mood, much less think of something to write about.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And what better way to re-enter the blogging world, than to announce the (if I&#39;m not mistaken) &lt;i&gt;third &lt;/i&gt;annual &quot;Favourite Book of All Time&quot;?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-03_Kid_Reading_Book.jpg&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; data-original-height=&quot;280&quot; data-original-width=&quot;450&quot; src=&quot;https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-03_Kid_Reading_Book.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;So here we go — I’ll keep the voting open for about a month, until Tuesday, 22 December 2020. Until then, please fill in the following form and write in your favourite book of all time. Don’t forget to share this post with all your friends, and ask them to vote, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On 22 December, I’ll publish a new form with all the write-ins collated, and we can pick an ultimate winner from there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please only vote for individual books, though. Not the entire series. I won’t accept “Harry Potter”; please tell me which specific book in the series is your favourite. Ditto for “Lord of the Rings” (which is a trilogy, in case you didn’t know).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sound good? Cool. Well, let’s go!&lt;/p&gt;
14. &lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1024&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBUkBdU__ZQWrJTYoJUef-ubaPkL2Bg8cluzHJMCAhSP-hmw/viewform?embedded=true&quot; width=&quot;550&quot;&gt;Loading…&lt;/iframe&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/6563354878697979795/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/11/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-2020.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/6563354878697979795'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/6563354878697979795'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/11/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-2020.html' title='Your Favourite Book of All Time (2020 - Open Call)'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-2572261574371049092</id><published>2020-04-07T05:58:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-04-07T05:58:08.478+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Lockdown is hard on some people</title><content type='html'>In case you didn&#39;t know, South Africa (along with most of the world) is currently in lockdown to help flatten the curve and curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At the time of this writing, the lockdown is slated to end on 16 April 2020.&lt;br /&gt;
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21. For the most part, I’ve been enjoying lockdown immensely. </div>
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25. I’ve always been an introverted loner at heart, so the prospect of not being ALLOWED to go out and interact with people, even if I wanted to, has been strangely comforting to me. It’s renewed my soul, recharged my batteries, and is rekindling passions which have dwindled to little more than embers in recent months and years. </div>
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29. But I’m also acutely aware that I have friends and family members who aren’t like me, and for whom lockdown feels like the worst punishment.</div>
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33. These are friends who thrive on physical human interaction, for whom video just isn’t enough. Friends who maybe even live alone—I can imagine just how terrible that must be. </div>
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37. Or friends who, unlike me, aren’t lucky enough to live in free-standing houses with private outdoor areas that they can spend time in in seclusion, and still be more than a safe distance from their neighbours. </div>
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41. Or divorced friends who are used to seeing their kids every second weekend and now aren’t sure when they’ll have physical contact again (bearing in mind that it’s entirely possible they’ll extend our lockdown way past 16 April). </div>
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45. Or who’ve had loved ones pass away in other provinces or countries, and can’t attend funerals, or even be there to comfort and be comforted by their families. </div>
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49. Or what about people who have to live with people who drive them crazy? Maybe it’s housemates... but maybe it’s even family; we love our spouses, children, and parents, but sometimes we can only handle them in small doses! </div>
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53. Or (God forbid) friends who’ve either been diagnosed with the virus, or know people who have, and now find themselves scared and alone, with no idea what to expect. </div>
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57. To all those friends and family who, for whatever reason, are having a terrible experience under lockdown, I need to tell you that I’m sorry for my selfishness.</div>
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61. And if you have any friends or family like that, please reach out to them. We introverts, we natural hermits, can often forget just how difficult it is for our extroverted friends. Pick up the phone (however much you may hate talking on the phone. I know I do.), give them a call. Find out if they're all right.</div>
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64. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
65. I promise you, they'll thank you for it!</div>
66. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/2572261574371049092/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/04/lockdown-is-hard-on-some-people.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/2572261574371049092'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/2572261574371049092'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/04/lockdown-is-hard-on-some-people.html' title='Lockdown is hard on some people'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-1582363760560228440</id><published>2020-03-17T08:28:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-03-17T08:28:02.796+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Who&#39;s Going to Win the March Ebook Voucher?</title><content type='html'>In case you missed it, allow me to announce the February winner of my monthly ebook voucher competition: For the second month in a row, the winner is... the wonderful, amazing, beautiful Joni Mielke!&lt;br /&gt;
67. <br />
68. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
69. <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/03/2020_03_17_AboveAndBeyond.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/03/2020_03_17_AboveAndBeyond.png" /></a></div>
70. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
71. <br /></div>
72. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
73. Honestly, what more can I say about Joni that I haven't already said? Her dedication to authors is matchless and unprecedented, and it's not possible to articulate just how important she is to us.</div>
74. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
75. <br /></div>
76. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
77. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to best her. It can be done, people! It can be done. Why not throw your hat in the ring for March? You never know. ;-)</div>
78. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
79. <br /></div>
80. <h3 style="clear: both;">
81. How Do I Enter?</h3>
82. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
83. <br /></div>
84. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
85. Every month I give away either a $5 ebook voucher to the store of your choice, or $5 in PayPal credit. Basically, all you have to do is write a review of one of my books.</div>
86. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
87. <br /></div>
88. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
89. Okay, so there's a little more to it than that.</div>
90. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
91. <br /></div>
92. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
93. First, you need to be a member of my email list, so if you're not already, click <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/get-free-stuff.html" target="_blank">here</a>, pick your free book (did I mention you get a free book?), and enter your email address.</div>
94. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
95. <br /></div>
96. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
97. Once I've confirmed your subscription, join our secret Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1832874833705748/" target="_blank">here</a>. You'll need to enter the email address you used to subscribe to my emails.</div>
98. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
99. <br /></div>
100. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
101. If you've entered the right email address, and I can match you to my subscribers live, I'll approve your request. Then, visit the group again and read the "Announcement" at the top.</div>
102. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
103. <br /></div>
104. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
105. Follow the instructions you find there, and you might just see <i>your </i>name in this blog next month....</div>
106. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/1582363760560228440/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/03/ebook-voucher-winner.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1582363760560228440'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1582363760560228440'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/03/ebook-voucher-winner.html' title='Who&#39;s Going to Win the March Ebook Voucher?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-8037580860589503783</id><published>2020-03-03T06:53:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-03-03T06:53:02.181+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Loads of books on sale for Smashwords Read an Ebook Week</title><content type='html'>Around this time every year, indie ebook retailer Smashwords runs a week-long promotion called &lt;b&gt;Read an Ebook Week&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
107. <br />
108. Now in its eleventh year, the 2020 is now on, and runs all the way to Friday 7 March 2020.<br />
109. <br />
110. This year, I have two books enrolled in the sale, so if you hurry, you'll be able to get either <i>Memoirs of a Guardian Angel</i> or <i>A Petition to Magic</i> (or both) at 50% off. Click below for details.<br />
111. <br />
112. <h2>
113. Memoirs of a Guardian Angel</h2>
114. <br />
115. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
116. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/804076?ref=grahamdowns" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="318" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/book-covers/memoirs-of-a-guardian-angel_318w.jpg" /></a></div>
117. <br />
118. <div style="text-align: center;">
119. <b>Do you believe in Guardian Angels?</b></div>
120. <div style="text-align: center;">
121. <br /></div>
122. <div style="text-align: center;">
123. Have you thanked your Guardian Angel today?</div>
124. <div style="text-align: center;">
125. <br /></div>
126. <div style="text-align: center;">
127. I never did... now I wish I had.</div>
128. <div style="text-align: center;">
129. <br /></div>
130. <div style="text-align: center;">
131. Now I understand the hard work and difficult situations they face every day. That car that veered off course, the knife that slipped or even the close call when you nearly tumbled from a tree.</div>
132. <div style="text-align: center;">
133. <br /></div>
134. <div style="text-align: center;">
135. It wasn't good luck that saved you, it was me.</div>
136. <div style="text-align: center;">
137. <br /></div>
138. <div style="text-align: center;">
139. My name is Adam and I'm a guardian angel.</div>
140. <div style="text-align: center;">
141. <br /></div>
142. <div style="text-align: center;">
143. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/804076?ref=grahamdowns" target="_blank">[ Buy the Book for $0.99 ]</a></div>
144. <div style="text-align: center;">
145. <br /></div>
146. <h2 style="text-align: left;">
147. A Petition to Magic</h2>
148. <div style="text-align: left;">
149. <br /></div>
150. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
151. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268197?ref=grahamdowns" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="318" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/book-covers/a-petition-to-magic_318w.jpg" /></a></div>
152. <br />
153. <div style="text-align: center;">
154. Queen Celeste rose to the throne of Virdura a month ago, after the sudden death of her mother.</div>
155. <div style="text-align: center;">
156. <br /></div>
157. <div style="text-align: center;">
158. Desperate to prove herself, she agrees to hear the case of a simple farmer who claims a neighbour stole his cow.</div>
159. <div style="text-align: center;">
160. <br /></div>
161. <div style="text-align: center;">
162. To help her in this task, she orders her chief advisor, the royal wizard Solon, to cast a spell and divine the truth for her. Solon, however, is keeping a terrible secret.</div>
163. <div style="text-align: center;">
164. <br /></div>
165. <div style="text-align: center;">
166. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268197?ref=grahamdowns" target="_blank">[ Buy the Book for $0.99 ]</a></div>
167. <div style="text-align: center;">
168. <br /></div>
169. <div style="text-align: left;">
170. <h3>
171. Got a Kindle?</h3>
172. <div>
173. <br /></div>
174. <div>
175. If you have a physical Kindle, don't worry: all of my Smashwords titles are 100% compatible with your device.</div>
176. <div>
177. <br /></div>
178. <div>
179. After you've purchased, when asked which format you'd like to download, make sure you select the <b>mobi (Kindle)</b> option.</div>
180. <div>
181. <br /></div>
182. <div>
183. Then, take a look at <a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/05/how-to-get-books-purchased-from.html" target="_blank">this handy blog post</a> for instructions on how to get the book onto your ereader and start reading.</div>
184. <div>
185. <br /></div>
186. <div>
187. If you don't have a physical Kindle, feel free to download the <b>epub</b> format instead.</div>
188. <div>
189. <br /></div>
190. <h3>
191. Other Books on Sale</h3>
192. <div>
193. <br /></div>
194. <div>
195. Mine aren't the only books on sale at Smashwords this week. Hundreds of authors have discounted hundreds of thousands of their books to anywhere from 25% to 100% off!</div>
196. <div>
197. <br /></div>
198. <div>
199. Click the button below to see all the books enrolled in the sale this week, and find a new favourite indie author.</div>
200. <div>
201. <br /></div>
202. <div>
203. Note: although my books are all available in mobi format, many Smashwords titles may not be. If you have a physical Kindle device, make sure the book you're about to buy is available to download in <b>mobi (Kindle)</b> format before you click that Buy button (if you don't have a physical Kindle, you can just get the <b>epub</b> version).</div>
204. <div>
205. <br /></div>
206. <div style="text-align: center;">
207. <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/1/any/any?ref=grahamdowns" target="_blank">[ Take Me to the Sale! ]</a></div>
208. </div>
209. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/8037580860589503783/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/03/smashwords-read-an-ebook-week-2020.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/8037580860589503783'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/8037580860589503783'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/03/smashwords-read-an-ebook-week-2020.html' title='Loads of books on sale for Smashwords Read an Ebook Week'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-1281524112864737972</id><published>2020-02-25T07:00:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-02-25T07:00:01.842+02:00</updated><title type='text'>And the winner of a $5 ebook voucher is...</title><content type='html'>Did you miss my announcement earlier this month on social media, about the winner of my monthly $5 ebook voucher giveaway?&lt;br /&gt;
210. <br />
211. If you did (or perhaps you just need a reminder), then allow me to announce that the winner for January was non other than Joni Mielke.<br />
212. <br />
213. Joni is an absolute star. She's very active in the South African reading community, and is passionate about books and authors... especially South African authors, and especially indie authors. We really need more people like her!<br />
214. <br />
215. She won with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2382640544" target="_blank">this amazing review</a> of <i>Memoirs of a Guardian Angel </i>on Goodreads. Please help her get more exposure for her reviews, by "Liking" it on Goodreads and sharing it with all your friends.<br />
216. <br />
217. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
218. <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/02/2020-02-25_ThankYou.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/02/2020-02-25_ThankYou.png" /></a></div>
219. <h3>
220. How Do I Enter?</h3>
221. <br />
222. If you didn't know, every month I give away either a $5 ebook voucher to the store of your choice, or $5 in PayPal credit. Basically, all you have to do is write a review of one of my books.<br />
223. <br />
224. Okay, so there's a little more to it than that.<br />
225. <br />
226. First, you need to be a member of my email subscribers list, so if you're not already, click <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/get-free-stuff.html" target="_blank">here</a>, pick your free book (did I mention you get a free book?), and enter your email address.<br />
227. <br />
228. Once I've confirmed your subscription, join our secret Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1832874833705748/" target="_blank">here</a>. You'll need to enter the email address you used to subscribe to my emails.<br />
229. <br />
230. If you've entered the right email address, and I can match you to my subscribers live, I'll approve your request. Then, visit the group again and read the "Announcement" at the top.<br />
231. <br />
232. Sound like fun? If you love reading, and you love talking about books, it should be. :-)<br />
233. <br />
234. Good luck!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/1281524112864737972/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/january-giveaway-winner.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1281524112864737972'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1281524112864737972'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/january-giveaway-winner.html' title='And the winner of a $5 ebook voucher is...'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-5003727669151837452</id><published>2020-02-11T07:00:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-02-11T07:00:05.404+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Wholistic with a &quot;W&quot;?</title><content type='html'>I got an email from one of my colleagues in the UK the other day. In it, she used the word &quot;Wholistic&quot;, spelt with a &quot;W&quot;.&lt;br /&gt;
235. <br />
236. I don't think the word was <i>wrong</i>, per se, but I'd never seen it spelt that way, so <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=define+wholistic&oq=define+wholistic" target="_blank">I asked Google to define it</a>. Apparently, it's a variant spelling of the word "holistic":<br />
237. <br />
238. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
239. <img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="366" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/02/2020-02-11_Wholistic.PNG" /></div>
240. <br />
241. <br />
242. Which didn't surprise me; I thought it was a UK thing.<br />
243. <br />
244. But I did some further research, and I ran across <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/wholistic-word-origin-and-use" target="_blank">this article from Merriam-Webster</a>. It turns out that the first usage of the word was without the "W" (which isn't the surprising bit), and that it was first used by a South African!<br />
245. <br />
246. The article states:<br />
247. <blockquote class="tr_bq">
248. Holistic was coined by South African soldier and statesman Jan Christian Smuts in the 1920s as a philosophical term. Smuts, who—aside from war and politics—was a student of natural science, used the term to describe his complex philosophy regarding the organization of nature. Viewing the universe in terms of "wholes"—that is, organisms and systems instead of molecules and atoms—he derived holism from the Greek word holos, meaning "whole." In his 1926 book Holism and Evolution, he defines holism as "[the] tendency in nature to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the parts through creative evolution."</blockquote>
249. The "W" was tacked on shortly afterwards, but the original spelling continues to be the most common.<br />
250. <br />
251. I love stories like this. Finding a "South Africanism" that's become commonplace all over the world fills me with patrotic pride.<br />
252. <br />
253. Did you know this about the word "Holistic"? And can you think of any other South African words which non-South Africans from elsewhere in the world use all the time?<br />
254. <br />
255. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/5003727669151837452/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/wholistic.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5003727669151837452'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5003727669151837452'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/wholistic.html' title='Wholistic with a &quot;W&quot;?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-5197646878703590769</id><published>2020-02-04T08:43:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-02-04T08:43:12.627+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Your Favourite Book of All Time (for 2020) is...</title><content type='html'>Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!&lt;br /&gt;
256. <br />
257. By overwhelming majority, the book that you have selected as your favourite book of all time is...<br />
258. <br />
259. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
260. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5907.The_Hobbit_or_There_and_Back_Again" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/02/04/2020-02-04_TheHobbit.jpg" /></a></div>
261. <br />
262. <h3>
263. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again</h3>
264. <h4>
265. by J. R. R. Tolkien</h4>
266. <div>
267. <div>
268. <i>In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.</i></div>
269. <div>
270. <br /></div>
271. <div>
272. Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001). Unforgettable!</div>
273. </div>
274. <hr />
275. <br />
276. I first read <i>The Hobbit </i>in Junior High School (somewhere around Standard 7 / Grade 9), and I remember it affecting me profoundly. I've tried to read <i>The Lord of the Rings </i>many times since then, and only ever got past the first instalment; it just never really grabbed me. But <i>The Hobbit</i>, wow, now that was a story!<br />
277. <br />
278. Have you ever actually read it? If so, is it your favourite book of all time?<br />
279. <br />
280. If it isn&#39;t, did you vote for your favourite?</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/5197646878703590769/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-for.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5197646878703590769'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5197646878703590769'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/02/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-for.html' title='Your Favourite Book of All Time (for 2020) is...'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-5692052211823630616</id><published>2020-01-28T07:00:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-01-28T07:00:10.030+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Win monthly ebook vouchers over on my Facebook group</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
281. <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-17_Reading_Circle.png" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-17_Reading_Circle.png" /></a></div>
282. <br />
283. <b>How would you like to win $5 (or equivalent in your currency), every single month?</b><br />
284. <br />
285. This year, I'm running a competition over on my private Facebook group, where I'll be giving away ebook vouchers and PayPal credit every month, in exchange for you posting your reviews.<br />
286. <br />
287. To find out more, join the group and read the announcement on the top.<br />
288. <br />
289. Note: you must be a subscriber to my email list in order to join the group.<br />
290. <br />
291. <b>Are you already a subscriber?</b> Click the image above, click Join, and enter the email address you used to sign up.<br />
292. <br />
293. If not, click below and fill in your email address. Your Welcome email will contain a link to the group.<br />
294. <br />
295. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
296. <a href="http://www.grahamdowns.co.za/p/get-free-book.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOZ-9zZc1vr_kIaS0CAXHfmn3YBwwB8HVTEFgO8lCQBBYlENVRweXcgucgQdXbwkje58S0-frszugNDwjv7wDijhzxbzZP5HvH12jQuJcJhpjp8OvVGIGTTilrrZWtRkNmmnrHIc8ItvCvqknTvQ9UbkVdtkQ=s0-d" /></a></div>
297. Good luck!!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/5692052211823630616/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/win-monthly-ebook-vouchers.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5692052211823630616'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/5692052211823630616'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/win-monthly-ebook-vouchers.html' title='Win monthly ebook vouchers over on my Facebook group'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOZ-9zZc1vr_kIaS0CAXHfmn3YBwwB8HVTEFgO8lCQBBYlENVRweXcgucgQdXbwkje58S0-frszugNDwjv7wDijhzxbzZP5HvH12jQuJcJhpjp8OvVGIGTTilrrZWtRkNmmnrHIc8ItvCvqknTvQ9UbkVdtkQ=s72-c-d" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-1305370196042761483</id><published>2020-01-21T07:00:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-01-21T07:00:03.775+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Real Cost of Kindle Unlmited</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
298. <img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/01/2020-01-21_Kindle.jpg" /></div>
299. <br />
300. Did you know, in order for us Indie authors to make our books available on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited platform, Amazon requires us to sign a very restrictive agreement with them?⠀<br />
301.       ⠀⠀<br />
302. This agreement gives Amazon worldwide, exclusive rights to sell our ebooks. Which means:⠀<br />
303. <br />
304. <ul>
305. <li>We are not allowed to make them available on ANY other platform, including digital libraries through library aggregators such as OverDrive</li>
306. <li>We're not allowed to use them as "reader magnets" (incentives to sign up to our newsletters) </li>
307. <li>We're certainly not allowed to give them away, other than by gifting them on Amazon, or running officially sanctioned Amazon giveaways -which means we have to pay full-price for them</li>
308. </ul>
309. <br />
310. Running competitions where we email people mobi, epub, or PDF files, or hosting those books on BookFunnel, Prolific Works, etc, is against the terms of our contract with Amazon.⠀<br />
311. ⠀<br />
312. If an indie author whose books are in Kindle Unlimited is caught doing any of these things, they could be banned from selling their ebooks on Amazon ever again, and might even get sued!<br />
313. ⠀<br />
314. Yet, many authors who are in Kindle Unlimited do just that. They either don't realise that this is, in fact, against the terms of their contract with Amazon, or they underestimate how dangerous it is for their careers.⠀<br />
315. ⠀<br />
316. So, if you see an indie author giving away a book that's in Kindle Unlimited, <b>please say something</b>. The contract they entered into with Amazon is legally binding, and very serious. The last thing you want is for your favourite author to fall foul of the law.<br />
317. ⠀<br />
318. Incidentally, publishers of traditionally published books don't have to sign this exclusivity agreement, and can freely enter and leave Kindle Unlimited at will. Why? Because Amazon knows that these publishers would never stand for it.⠀<br />
319. <br />
320. <h3>
321. So why do so many indies stand for it?⠀</h3>
322. <br />
323. Well, a significant number of us WON'T stand for it. Which is why, for as long as Amazon requires us to sign this draconian exclusivity agreement, denying millions and millions of people access to our ebooks, you will NEVER find my books available in Kindle Unlimited.⠀<br />
324. ⠀<br />
325. <b>You can help</b> by standing by me and other authors like me, and making it clear to Amazon that you won't support Kindle Unlimited as long as they persist in punishing indie authors, and the people who would otherwise discover, read, and potentially fall in love with our books.<br />
326. <br />
327. For the full copy of the KDP Select agreement, which indie authors have to sign to make their books available in Kindle Unlimited, click here:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/select&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/select&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/1305370196042761483/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/the-real-cost-of-kindle-unlmited.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1305370196042761483'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/1305370196042761483'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/the-real-cost-of-kindle-unlmited.html' title='The Real Cost of Kindle Unlmited'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-8786755237184399309</id><published>2020-01-14T07:40:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-01-14T07:40:09.085+02:00</updated><title type='text'>The Stingers Second Edition Paperback is Out</title><content type='html'>The newly edited Second Edition paperback of my High School bullying story is now available, complete with a beautiful, brand new full-wrap cover!&lt;br /&gt;
328. <br />
329. I haven't even approved it for global distribution yet, but you can get it for 30% off from its official Lulu page. Once I've approved it, it'll be available everywhere else, but the 30% discount is only valid for a limited time.<br />
330. <br />
331. What this means is, if you buy it now, one of two things will happen:<br />
332. <br />
333. <br />
334. <ul>
335. <li>If there are errors in it, you have a highly valuable misprint, which will never be available for sale again!</li>
336. <li>If it's perfect, you're one of the first people to hold the new edition in your hands, and you got it for an amazing price.</li>
337. </ul>
338. <br />
339. <br />
340. What's more, if you happen to be in Joburg (Or you can <i>get</i> to Joburg), and you buy a copy, I'll sign it for you with the greatest of pleasure!!<br />
341. <br />
342. Click the cover below to buy it from Lulu.<br />
343. <br />
344. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
345. <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/graham-downs/stingers/paperback/product-24389051.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2020/01/2020-01-13_Stingers_Paperback_Cover.jpg" /></a></div>
346. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/8786755237184399309/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/stingers-second-edition-paperback.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/8786755237184399309'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/8786755237184399309'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/stingers-second-edition-paperback.html' title='The Stingers Second Edition Paperback is Out'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-3780791080101959676</id><published>2020-01-07T07:13:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2020-01-07T07:13:43.283+02:00</updated><title type='text'>Your Favourite Book of All Time (Shortlist)</title><content type='html'>Well, well well, all through December, you voted for your favourite book of all time. And I can now share with you that the shortlist is out!&lt;br /&gt;
347. <br />
348. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
349. <img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-03_Kid_Reading_Book.jpg" /></div>
350. <br />
351. Write-in votes are now disabled, but please fill out the form below and pick which one of the following is your favourite.<br />
352. <br />
353. Once again, I'll leave this running for a month or so, and close it off on Monday, 3 February 2020. I'll announce the winner on this blog on Tuesday 4 February.<br />
354. <br />
355. <br />
356. &lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1050&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBwrLLudBQ1t3gj8cwMmvsKI1_e3LlxBNL0MnYsBSmb2YF5Q/viewform?embedded=true&quot; width=&quot;450&quot;&gt;Loading…&lt;/iframe&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/3780791080101959676/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/your-favourite-book-of-all-time.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3780791080101959676'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3780791080101959676'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2020/01/your-favourite-book-of-all-time.html' title='Your Favourite Book of All Time (Shortlist)'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-7755896182135842500</id><published>2019-12-31T07:46:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2019-12-31T07:46:10.987+02:00</updated><title type='text'>What do you think of the new cover for Stingers?</title><content type='html'>If you haven&#39;t seen this yet I can now share that the new cover for my High School bullying story, &lt;i&gt;Stingers,&lt;/i&gt; is done. Isn&#39;t it gorgeous?&lt;br /&gt;
357. <br />
358. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
359. <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bOr6zJ" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/book-covers/stingers_318w.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
360. <br />
361. How this came about was that I entered it last year, into the BookLife Cover Redesign contest, and I won the December 2019. So it's going to be featured in the next issue of BookLife magazine, along with an article explaining all the ways the new cover is better than the old one.<br />
362. <br />
363. By the time you read this, the new cover should be live for the ebook on all stores (click the image to find out where you can buy it), but the print version will take a bit longer, because I plan to use this opportunity to release a brand new edition of it, with all the typos and other issues fixed that I've been correcting in the ebook over the years.<br />
364. <br />
365. I honestly can't tell you how happy I am with this cover. I think Michelle Argyle from Melissa Williams Design did a fantastic job, and the moment I saw it, I just knew, that boy is James. To a tee.<br />
366. <br />
367. Have you read the book? If so, would you agree? Is that how you pictured James? Could it be how you picture James?</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/7755896182135842500/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/stingers-2019-cover-reveal.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/7755896182135842500'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/7755896182135842500'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/stingers-2019-cover-reveal.html' title='What do you think of the new cover for Stingers?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-7458616408208605795</id><published>2019-12-24T06:56:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2019-12-24T06:56:06.004+02:00</updated><title type='text'>2019 Blog Stats</title><content type='html'>You know what I haven&#39;t done in a while? Taken a look through my Google Analytics and extracted useful information from all my blog visitors, for a whole year.&lt;br /&gt;
368. <br />
369. There's actually a wealth of information to be found from Google's visitor tracking service, so I thought I'd pull a report from 24 December 2019 to date, to see what we could see. Hope you find it as interesting as I did!<br />
370. <br />
371. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
372. <img border="0" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-24_Blog_Stats.PNG" /></div>
373. <br />
374. So let's begin: during the period, <b>1077 </b>unique users visited my page, viewing <b>3327 </b>pages across <b>1377 </b>sessions. That means that each unique user visited my blog approximately <b>1.28 </b>separate times. The average session duration was just <b>42 seconds</b>, though, so people didn't spend a lot of time actually reading my content.<br />
375. <br />
376. <b>Top Countries</b><br />
377. <b><br /></b>
378. The top five countries where traffic originated this year were:<br />
379. <ol>
380. <li>United States</li>
381. <li>South Africa</li>
382. <li>United Kingdom</li>
383. <li>India</li>
384. <li>Canada</li>
385. </ol>
386. No surprise that the United States comes out tops, since they're by far the biggest Internet using country in the English speaking world. But it's nice to see that South Africa comes in at a really close second (<b>35.34% </b>of traffic came from the US, with <b>32.00% </b>coming from South Africa).<br />
387. <br />
388. <b>Operating Systems</b><br />
389. <b><br /></b>
390. Now this is <i>really </i>surprising, because we're constantly being told that most users surf the web exclusively (or almost exclusively) from their mobile devices these days.<br />
391. <br />
392. In my case, although the top spot here goes to Android, it's clear that the vast majority of visitors actually come from PCs:<br />
393. <ol>
394. <li>Android [Mobile]</li>
395. <li>Windows</li>
396. <li>iOS [Mobile]</li>
397. <li>Macintosh</li>
398. <li>Linux</li>
399. </ol>
400. This pleases me greatly, because the vast majority of my <i>own </i>web surfing happens from my desktop PC (I don't even visit Facebook from my phone if I can help it), so that naturally tends to be the platform I keep in mind the most when creating content.<br />
401. <br />
402. <b>Where Do They Come From?</b><br />
403. <b><br /></b>
404. Social is king, as they've been saying for years, and the bulk of my social referrals come from Twitter and Facebook. But I get a decent amount of traffic from search—which is heartening, because it means people are searching for and finding my evergreen content:<br />
405. <br />
406. <ol>
407. <li>Social</li>
408. <li>Organic Search</li>
409. <li>Direct</li>
410. <li>Referral</li>
411. <li>Email</li>
412. </ol>
413. <br />
414. The volume of traffic I get from Email is also good news, because it means that people are opening and reading my email newsletters, and clicking through to my blog from those.<br />
415. <br />
416. <b>Top Posts</b><br />
417. <b><br /></b>
418. Finally, my five most visited posts of the year. I love how three of those five are for posts that talk about places to get ebooks <i>other </i>than Amazon. As you know, a massive part of my outreach is getting people to understand that Amazon is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to ebooks, and that many of their business practices are actually damaging our beloved industry by stifling competing outlets.<br />
419. <br />
420. <ol>
421. <li><a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/05/down-with-kindle-unlimited.html" target="_blank">Why I Will No Longer Buy Books From Amazon, If They're in KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited</a> (May 2019)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li>
422. <li><a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2018/08/overdrive-libraries-in-south-africa.html" target="_blank">Overdrive Libraries in South Africa</a> (August 2018)</li>
423. <li><a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2018/12/whats-your-favourite-book-of-all-time.html" target="_blank">What's your favourite book of all time?</a><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(December 2018)</li>
424. <li><a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/07/writing-for-americans.html" target="_blank">Writing for an American Audience: Why do Authors Compromise?</a> (July 2019)</li>
425. <li><a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/02/alternatives-to-kindle-unlimited.html" target="_blank">Alternatives to Kindle Unlimited</a> (February 2019)</li>
426. </ol>
427. <br />
428. Also nice to see those two articles from 2018 still getting love... although I hope more of you visit the 2019 edition of <a href="https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/your-favourite-book-of-all-time-open.html" target="_blank">your favourite book of all time</a>, and vote on that!<br />
429. <br />
430. Well, that&#39;s it, dear readers. I don&#39;t have any words of wisdom, or deep philosophical questions to ask at the end of this post. This has been purely an exercise in mental masturbation. I enjoyed and found it interesting, and I hope you did too. If not.... ;-)</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/7458616408208605795/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/2019-blog-stats.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/7458616408208605795'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/7458616408208605795'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/2019-blog-stats.html' title='2019 Blog Stats'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-3860930195874903195</id><published>2019-12-17T07:41:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2019-12-17T07:41:00.987+02:00</updated><title type='text'>What to do with Graham&#39;s Super-secret Readers&#39; Circle?</title><content type='html'>A few years ago, all the authors I knew were talking about Facebook Groups. At the time, someone suggested creating a secret Facebook group and making membership in it a perk of signing up to an author&#39;s email list.&lt;br /&gt;
431. <br />
432. That's exactly what I did, and Graham's Super-secret Readers' Group was born.<br />
433. <br />
434. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
435. <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-17_Reading_Circle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="450" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-17_Reading_Circle.png" /></a></div>
436. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
437. <br /></div>
438. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
439. The idea was that if you <a href="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/get-free-stuff.html" target="_blank">signed up to my mailing list</a>, you got an email with the link to that group, and when you applied to join the group, you had to confirm your email address to prove you belonged to my list.</div>
440. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
441. <br /></div>
442. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
443. All well and good, but the thing is, I never really knew what to <i>do </i>with it. Over the years, people have joined and left, and others have joined and left, and at the time of this writing, we have the grand total of 10 (count 'em) members!</div>
444. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
445. <br /></div>
446. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
447. In 2020, I want to really start showing the group some love! Some of the things I'm thinking of include:</div>
448. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
449. </div>
450. <ul>
451. <li>Fun games to play</li>
452. <li>A monthly competition where you can win gift cards/vouchers to your favourite ebookstores</li>
453. <li>The opportunity to hear about cool stuff, even before the rest of my email list</li>
454. <li>Really exclusive cool stuff that the rest of my email list <i>never </i>hears about</li>
455. <li>Anything else I can think of... or anything <i>you </i>can</li>
456. </ul>
457. <div>
458. What do you think, dear reader? Are you in?</div>
459. <div>
460. <br /></div>
461. <div>
462. To get your invitation to Graham's Super-secret Readers' Circle, click the image below to sign up for my mailing list.</div>
463. <div>
464. <br /></div>
465. <div>
466. Happy reading!</div>
467. <br />
468. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
469. <a href="http://www.grahamdowns.co.za/p/get-free-book.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOZ-9zZc1vr_kIaS0CAXHfmn3YBwwB8HVTEFgO8lCQBBYlENVRweXcgucgQdXbwkje58S0-frszugNDwjv7wDijhzxbzZP5HvH12jQuJcJhpjp8OvVGIGTTilrrZWtRkNmmnrHIc8ItvCvqknTvQ9UbkVdtkQ=s0-d" /></a></div>
470. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/3860930195874903195/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/what-to-do-with-my-facebook-group.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3860930195874903195'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3860930195874903195'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/what-to-do-with-my-facebook-group.html' title='What to do with Graham&#39;s Super-secret Readers&#39; Circle?'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOZ-9zZc1vr_kIaS0CAXHfmn3YBwwB8HVTEFgO8lCQBBYlENVRweXcgucgQdXbwkje58S0-frszugNDwjv7wDijhzxbzZP5HvH12jQuJcJhpjp8OvVGIGTTilrrZWtRkNmmnrHIc8ItvCvqknTvQ9UbkVdtkQ=s72-c-d" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4671424484132822452.post-3549962113251755172</id><published>2019-12-10T09:39:00.000+02:00</published><updated>2019-12-10T09:39:10.358+02:00</updated><title type='text'>My favourite book of 2019</title><content type='html'>It&#39;s that time again: time to tell you my favourite book of 2019. Not necessarily &lt;i&gt;published &lt;/i&gt;in 2019, you understand. Just my favourite out of all the books I &lt;i&gt;read &lt;/i&gt;in 2019.&lt;br /&gt;
471. <br />
472. But first, a bit of background, for those who don't know me. It's important to understand that I review every single book I read, on social reading site Goodreads. In fact, my philosophy is "No review means it never happened."<br />
473. <br />
474. I also tend to be <i>very </i>susceptible to small things like typos and grammatical errors, or plot holes, or even formatting <i>faux pas</i>. For this reason, no matter how good a book is, if I find just one of those types of things in it, the possibility of a five-star review is immediately and irrevocably off the table.<br />
475. <br />
476. This year, I read a lot of books (45 so far, but I might just get another one or two under my belt before year's end), and this year, I really struggled to find even one that met my high standards.<br />
477. <br />
478. I did find one, though. This year, I managed to get through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series from start to finish. It wasn't what I would call a stupendously good series or anything, but I'm glad I finally read it. There was <i>one </i>volume, though, which got my coveted five-star rating, and in fact, it was the only book to do so out of all the books I read this year. That book was <i>Wolves of the Calla</i>:<br />
479. <br />
480. <h2 style="text-align: center;">
481. Wolves of the Calla</h2>
482. <h3 style="text-align: center;">
483. (The Dark Tower #5)</h3>
484. <h4 style="text-align: center;">
485. by Stephen King</h4>
486. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
487. <a href="https://books2read.com/u/mYKK0o" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="237" src="https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/images/blog/2019/12/2019-12-10_Wolves_of_the_Calla.jpg" /></a></div>
488. <div>
489. <br /></div>
490. <div>
491. <b>About the Book</b></div>
492. <div>
493. <b><br /></b></div>
494. <div>
495. Roland and his tet have just returned to the path of the Beam when they discover that they are being followed by a group of inexperienced trackers. The trackers are from the town of Calla Bryn Sturgis, and they desperately need the help of gunslingers. Once every generation, a band of masked riders known as the Wolves gallop out of the dark land of Thunderclap to steal one half of all the twins born in the Callas. When the children are returned, they are roont, or mentally and physically ruined. In less than a month, the Wolves will raid again. In exchange for Roland’s aid, Father Callahan—a priest originally from our world—offers to give Roland a powerful but evil seeing sphere, a sinister globe called Black Thirteen which he has hidden below the floorboards of his church. Not only must Roland and his tet discover a way to defeat the invincible Wolves, but they must also return to New York so that they can save our world’s incarnation of the Dark Tower from the machinations of the evil Sombra Corporation.</div>
496. <div>
497. <br /></div>
498. <div>
499. <b>My Review</b></div>
500. <div>
501. <b><br /></b></div>
502. <div>
503. <div>
504. Best one yet!</div>
505. <div>
506. <br /></div>
507. <div>
508. While on their continuing quest for The Dark Tower, Roland and his ka-tet are waylaid by a village in crisis. The gunslingers - because they are all gunslingers in their own right, by now - have to decide whether they can help. And if they can help, they must, and are not allowed to accept any kind of payment, according to the Gunslinger Code.</div>
509. <div>
510. <br /></div>
511. <div>
512. This book mostly concerns that side quest, but there's a helluva lot of depth, and along the way, they discover much that will aid them in their main quest.</div>
513. <div>
514. <br /></div>
515. <div>
516. In my review of the last book (Wizard and Glass) in this series, I lamented the long, drawn-out, and somewhat inappropriate backstory. Well, this one ALSO has a significant chunk of backstory to share, but it's nothing like the one in Wizard and Glass. This one's entirely appropriate and perfectly paced, and we're constantly reminded that it is, in fact, a backstory.</div>
517. <div>
518. <br /></div>
519. <div>
520. In many ways, it forms somewhat of a sequel to 'Salem's Lot. I'll say no more than that, but if you haven't read that book, I strongly suggest you do so before reading Wolves of the Calla.</div>
521. <div>
522. <br /></div>
523. <div>
524. Back to the main story of this book: the village and its inhabitants are so richly detailed, none of them are "cardboard cutouts" by any means, and their own unique dialect is presented so beautifully, so consistently... I can only call it a literary masterpiece.</div>
525. <div>
526. <br /></div>
527. <div>
528. Around about 85% of the way through, I started noticing the odd typo here and here. These were clearly things that the editors missed (but in a book this long, who can blame them?). If you know me, you'd know that normally a single typo would be enough to destroy any book's chances of getting a five-star review from me. But in this case, I was so engrossed by the time I spotted the first one, and there are so comparatively few of them, that it didn't matter.</div>
529. <div>
530. <br /></div>
531. <div>
532. As the author himself advises in his introduction, I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't read the first four (skip the "point fives", though - just read the main story), but if you've been struggling through, I promise you you won't regret sticking with it for this one!</div>
533. <div>
534. <br /></div>
535. <div>
536. Click here (or the cover above) to find out where you can get a copy of the ebook: <a href="https://books2read.com/u/mYKK0o">https://books2read.com/u/mYKK0o</a></div>
537. </div>
538. <div>
539. <br /></div>
540. <div>
541. Note: that's an affiliate link, so if you click it, and then click through to one of the stores and end up buying something, I might earn a small commission from your purchase.</div>
542. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/feeds/3549962113251755172/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/my-favourite-book-of-2019.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3549962113251755172'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='https://www.blogger.com/feeds/4671424484132822452/posts/default/3549962113251755172'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='https://blog.grahamdowns.co.za/2019/12/my-favourite-book-of-2019.html' title='My favourite book of 2019'/><author><name>Graham Downs</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/05058937158808902451</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>

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