G is for Goodreads

Goodreads was recommended to me by another blogger when I said back in January that one of my new year's resolutions was to read everyday.

I suspect many of you are already familiar with the website, but there may be a few who aren't, and to them I say, "Get your butt over there and sign up! Please. Maybe. I mean, if you want to."

The idea is that you tell the website what books you've read, and whether or not you've enjoyed them by rating them out of 5, and it then spews out a load of recommendations. Magic!

That's basically all I use it for at the moment; getting ideas for what to read next, but there's so much more that I could do if I wanted. There are creative writing groups, groups that discuss specific books, book reviews, quizzes, trivia, giveaways, ebooks - plenty to keep you busy for hours!

One thing that I particularly like is the control you get over how many emails you receive. I've opted for  just getting the monthly newsletter, but you can choose to receive emails pretty much daily if you like.

So yes, go get yourself signed up. And no, this bloglet, despite appearances, was not sponsored by Goodreads.

Question: Where do you like to get your book recommendations? Friends, family, online, book groups?

F is for Fanfiction

I've never written fanfiction. It's only in the past year or so that I've read any.

Before I read any I assumed it was all poorly-written rubbish, but you know what they say when you assume things ... that you've supposed something to be true without any evidence (that's what they say, right?) Don't get me wrong, a lot of fanfiction is pretty awful; after all, liking a television show, film or book doesn't mean you'll be any good at writing about it.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that there's a lot of fanfiction out there that's actually really great. That there are people who can take characters whom they didn't create and write interesting, clever and compelling stories about them. So far I've stuck with what I know and have only read 'Stargate' and 'Sanctuary' fanfictions, but I'd be open to suggestions if you've found (or even written) some gems.

Question: What are your thoughts, good, bad or ugly about fanfiction?

(N.B. Fanfiction.net is an excellent place to start if you're interested in reading fanfics. They have pretty much everything there.)

E is for ... what is E for?

Having written about my two favourite 'e' topics (Eurovision and Etymology) in previous bloglets, I was struggling to think of another one. Desperate for some inspiration I typed 'e is for' into an internet address bar and the first two suggestions for how to complete the sentence were 'elephant' and 'estranged'.

Alright then. I like a challenge.

Originally I thought I could write a story about an estranged elephant, but remembering my aim to keep bloglets short, I opted for a limerick instead.

Estranged Elephants
There once was a pachyderm from Fife
Whose snoring offended his wife
He tried to atone
By sleeping alone
But she killed him that night with a knife

Question: Do you have a favourite limerick?

D is for Did You Know?

I've tried to check that these are correct, but my apologies if there are mistakes.

Did you know ...

... that 'dreamt' is the only English word to end with 'mt'?
Knowing this once earned me much respect from my team mates in a pub quiz. Don't think we won though. We only managed that once in three years of university.

... that 'stewardesses' is the longest word you can type on a keyboard with only your left hand?
You're trying it out now, aren't you?

... that the small pocket in the larger pocket of your jeans was designed for pocket watches?
Speaking of watches, if anyone wants to buy me this one I would be eternally grateful. It's worth a shot, right?

... that there are 31,557,600 seconds in a year?
Is it just me, or does that not sound like enough? (It is; I checked.)

... that Stephen Hawking held a party for time travellers but no one turned up?
Read more here.

... that the average person falls asleep in 8 minutes?
Unfortunately for my parents, I knew this one. I once used it as an excuse for getting up early on Christmas Day: "But I did try to go back to sleep! On average it takes 8 minutes to fall asleep, so I waited 8 minutes and was still awake, so I got up. Can we open presents now?"

Question: Do you have a favourite 'did you know' fact you'd like to share with the class?

C is for Clangers

A clanger, according to google, is 'conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate.'

It's also a mouse-like creature that lives on a planet similar in appearance to the Earth's moon. No, honestly.

In the late '60s/early '70s a documentary was made about these Clangers. As far as I'm aware, the documentary wasn't broadcast in many countries, so I thought I'd share an episode today. In this particular episode Tiny Clanger learns an important lesson about money.

Question: What were your favourite 'documentaries' as a child?