Hello’s and Goodbye’s
It’s been a bit of an up and down week for me, reader wise. A while ago, I was looking at Free Book Dude. I love his daily lists of freebies on Amazon because they are all author submitted, and sometimes a little out of the box. I like out of the box. He really is a cool dude too, by the way, for those indie friends who would like another cool place to announce their freebies. Contact him a couple of days in advance, and he’ll add you with pleasure – a really lovely man all in all. Anyway.
I spotted a competition for a book giveaway. I’ve never entered any before – if I want a book, I generally just buy it. I haven’t been all that keen on standing in the queue at the bank lately to top up my pay as you go Visa card though, and I’m too much of a coward to see if there’s still anything in it after my latest epic Amazon shops. But I read the author’s bio Taona Dumisani Chiveneko’s Author Page on Amazon – read it – seriously – I bet you you’ll really want to buy the book afterwards. I had to have it, so I entered the competition, knowing that I wouldn’t get the book. Competitions never work for me. And then!
This week I got an email from the author telling me that I’d won! Starstruck – a bit! And there was another lovely guy. Not only do I now have the e-book nestled on my Kindle, he’s sending me the paperback all the way from Canada. It’s as brilliant as it looks, by the way, expect my review soon.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hangmans-Replacement-Disruption-ebook/dp/B00B1KMM2C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370532395&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hangmans+replacement+-+sprout+of+disruption
And now I see that my beloved Tom Sharpe has died. This is indeed a huge blow. He was the first really, tears down your face and have to try and cross your legs as you run down the passage to pee author that I’ve read. (Interesting sentence – I know). Thing is – I was pretty serious and radical when I was young. I hated apartheid and the terrible things I saw every day, growing up in South Africa. And being who I was, I had quite a lot to say about it. It really is a miracle that I wasn’t ever arrested by the regime. Then I read Indecent Exposure. It’s rude, offensive, hilarious, and brilliant. But at a deeper level, it helped me to see both sides of what was going on around me. It taught me to shut up, and just quietly do what I could. It’s a grand view of the loony that somehow takes you to the real. I know it’s a bit pricey, but still, if you like irreverent, funny, and yet still somehow real – buy it. Cheers Tom Sharpe – I’ll miss you.
Till next time friends. Xxx
Jo Robinson 
June 6, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Hello, Jo. Also devastated to hear about Tom Sharpe. ‘Indecent Exposure’ was pretty hilarious but his ‘Riotous Assembly’ was probably my funniest book of all time. I still have it in hard cover and read it from time to time.
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June 6, 2013 at 5:28 pm
That was the first. You’re right too. I only read it after Indecent Exposure though. I was bored on a boat once, and that was all there was to read. Loved it – and went on to read all his books. Apparently he never had writerly ambitions – he just wanted to take the mick out of apartheid. Awesome author. Have you read the Wilt’s? Brilliant – laughing right now about the man’s tool blow up doll – ha haaa!
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June 6, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Jo my dearest Diearie, you always come up with another great read I just must have! 🙂
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June 7, 2013 at 5:27 am
You’ll love both of them lovely Lucy – I promise! 🙂
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