I have reviewed 55 books (Check the full list Here)
Times site visited 6372. Average monthly visits 531
Most visits Fatal Solution by Leslie Scase
Well that went quickly didn't it? Yes it's a full twelve months since the Grumpy Old Man Book Review (GOMBR) launched into the abyss of the InterWeb thingee. Time to look back and reflect, I think.
I didn't really plan to be a book blogger (I mean, I'm a 53year old steelworker FFS!) It just sort of organically, morphed into being without any thought at all reaully. I have always read books.
A few years ago I joined Goodreads as a way to browse for books before buying. Then I kept seeing things like "Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy" and thought oooh that's alright free books before they come on the market. Being a bit tight as well as grumpy I thought I'll have a bit of that! the latest Stephen King/Anthony Horrowitz/ Robert Harris before they come on the market.
Sadly it doesn't really work like that. You have to build a score up like a credit rating. Now this was the game changer because there are a few ways to build your rating.
One is to start reading unknown authors. This I did and found my breadth of reading widening from peephole to cinemascope. My pallet took on new flavours to the extent that I don't really crave the latest blockbuster fashionable title. I enjoyed a vast variety of books instead of the usual same old, same old. My reading is all the more better for it too. I may find the odd thing not to my pallet but usually the colours, textures, tastes, of my new world is brighter, more colourful, and juicier than before. Although I still enjoy the odd blockbuster now and again.
Another way to gain a better rating is to gain followers. To enable this NetGalley suggest starting your own site. This I did reluctantly as I'm not the most gifted when it comes to IT and cant stand the whole facebook/insta/Love Island nonesense but I found that I enjoyed the process of stopping to think (sometimes in great depth) about the books I had read.
The process of writing reviews actually helped to crystalise the thoughts and feelings in my head about what I was reading. So much so that even if no-one was to read my reviews, I would still write them, for my own sake. So much so that I don't do NetGalley anymore. This site was meant to be a means to an end. It was meant to be a journey to a destination so I could get free stuff but I have no need to get to the destination. Now I journey for the enjoyment of journeying.
I was reluctant to start this site. Who am I to discuss the writings of authors. I am not from that world. It would be akin to a Sunday league footballer commentating on professional players. I aired these thoughts to the long suffering Mrs Grumpy (not her real name obvs!😁) It was her reply that finally gave me mental permission to start. She said "You are exactly the sort of person, that should do it. You love reading, always have. God knows you buy enough books! You are their target audience."
So I started. It was rudimentary at first but I think it has improved and developed over time. I now include the blurb, selected quotes and about the author sections as well as links to buy the book and where possible follow the author. In addition I have started an occasional Author Q&A section as well.
I particularly enjoy reading debut novels now. It's always fun to try and spot the next Stephen King! It would be nice to think that one day when one gets to the top to think "I gave him/her their first review"
So back to last October and the site is up and running. Imagine my delight when an author messaged me for the first time via twitface and asked would I be interested in reviewing her book. Alison Layland did me a huge favour that day (Riverflow is very good by the way!) It was through her that I found Crime Cymru. A collective of Wales based crime writers.
I have read 13 Crime Cymru (CC) novels this last year and spoken (online) to many of their authors and like to think have made quite a few friends. All the CC books I have read have been very good and I have been amazed at the quality of writing outside the box of the usual, select few, blockbuster authors in general but in particular have been really impressed by the writers in CC. So much so that I became an associate member.
I comment on authors so thought it was only fair to walk a mile in their shoes. I wrote a book and it was like surfing I enjoyed the experience but it was harder than it looked! I have even more admiration for authors now. It was a bit of a slog and in general ATM I think I prefer reading a book to writing but who knows what the future holds.
So in summary I started this blog not really planning it, yet because of it I have read good books and met good people. It is an experience that I have really enjoyed and continue to do so.
Thank you to all the authors I have reviewed, not one has given me grief yet! I'll count that as a win!
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