‘One of the most interesting and original young British writers about landscape, culture and people that I know; consistently adventurous in his explorations of place as a novelist, essayist, critic and film-maker.’
– Robert Macfarlane
LOCAL HAUNTS by Adam Scovell: www.influxpress.com/local-haunts
My non professional tip for adding Alt Text to an image is to pretend you want to show me something on your screen and you yell "Arnica, come see this!"
And I reply "Babe, I'm frying you homemade donuts, can you just DESCRIBE it to me?"
Whatever you would holler to me is the Alt text!
Interview with Paul from the Chuckle Brothers in the Guardian asks if he'd ever like to do Shakespeare.
He says, "To me, or not to me, that is the question."
Note re photo from author: ‘A lovely Bulgarian one lev coin which I shall secure with my other precious keepsakes for the remainder of my days. I photographed it alongside a 100 francs piece from the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas to give an idea of scale.’
Turlough’s monthly diary updates have woven themselves into the very fabric of ABCTales.
Here’s another that doesn’t disappoint and is essential reading.
“How to Make Money with a Broken Spirograph” is today’s Pick of the Day.
www.abctales.com/story/turlou...
Please share if you can.
Anyway, I hope you find the report an interesting read. I'll add a link to it my Bio – go check it out!
Please do me a monster favour and share it too 🙏
The more tricky areas involve cost of transport, which are somewhat out of festivals' control. I'll be sending a copy to DCMS.
Have a read of the full report anyway (link in bio) and let me know what you think.
3/4
The key reason people gave for NOT attending was around awareness.
Either not knowing a festival was happening or, more commonly, just not really knowing what going to a festival entails.
The good news is it's actually a pretty straightforward bridge to build through effective marketing.
2/4
The Great Big Book Festival Survey is now live 📚
I produced this myself and I'm super proud of the end result.
Findings include:
📚 77% of 25-34yos have never visited a book festival
📚 96% of non-attendees would consider doing so in the future
📚 69% who visit their first festival will return
1/4
Thanks man. I'll check it out. I'll deffo get along to one of them 👌
Thanks pal! 🫶
#BookSky my pal @talesfromabsurdia.bsky.social who I know from yeeeeears ago back in the Old Country has just surfaced on here, give him a follow he's a top lad.
There are a number of findings from it around gaps in awareness for potential festival attendees – and I'll be sharing it with my festival contacts.
There is also work that probably needs to come from government, in the form of facilitating more affordable transport. I'll be sending a copy to DCMS.
Thank you for EVERYONE who got involved in this.
Lots of love,
John @ Tales From Absurdia
Stu! Bloody long time no speak. Hope you're good, friend. Since I left Twitter, I've been bouncing between places for a bit. Great to find you on here 🫶
Will check my diary for this!
Things like this, and 'smart beds' make me long for another AWS outage 😂
This is actually fucking hilarious.
E-books are reading.
Comics are reading.
Genre is reading.
Fanfic is reading.
Text-based games are reading.
Audiobooks are reading.
Braille books are reading.
Non-fiction is reading.
Picture books are reading.
There is no single way to read, nor is any reading style more worthy than another.
Do these count towards my Goodreads target?? 😂
I've just finished reading some brand new books with baby. He was particularly keen on 'Peekaboo!' (shout out @ladybirdbooks.bsky.social ).
More to come in 2026 in due course. I also plan to blog more on kids' books.
#BabyBooks #BookSky #NewbornLife
When I first started blogging, I almost used Substack (or similar). It seemed at the very least convenient.
Almost six years on and I'm really glad I have my own domain.
"Don't get mad, get a cracker" is absolutely my parenting mantra for 2026.
Text: Need to speak to someone over the holidays? These helplines are available to contact. Children and young people's mental health helplines. Papyrus helpline for under 35s: 0800 068 4141. Open 24/7. Childline contact number: 0800 1111. Open 24/7. (Calls may be limited to 15 mins midnight - 7:30am). Shout text service: Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258. Open 24/7.
Text: Need to speak to someone over the holidays? These helplines are available to contact. Adults' mental health helplines. Samaritans contact number: 116 123. Open 24/7. NHS non-emergency number: 111. Open 24/7. CALM helpline: 0800 58 58 58. Open 5pm - midnight daily. Shout: text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258. Open 24/7. SANE helpline: 0300 304 7000. Open 4pm-10pm daily
For many people, this time of year can be a struggle. If you need support, please check out these organisations. Or find a full list of helplines on our website at www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/helplines-an...
Meet the blogger – come find me readers, writers , and bloggers through the power of the algorithm 📚🤘
My name is John, I'm a book blogger at talesfromabsurdia.com, where I review indie published books.
I also cover UK book festivals.
Let's chat x
#BookSky #ReadingCommunity #Reintro #BookBlogger
All the best, both. Have a lovely evening and a wonderful new year.
Aaaand my favorite book I read this year was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë!
I feel a bit behind reading through a lot of classics for the first time at 35, but this one really surprised me. I thought it would feel outdated and slow but that wasn’t the case for me at all. Wish I had read it sooner!
Never too late to get into a classic. Some of them will hit, others will miss. Jane Eyre is an all-timer for sure though.
Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Great post. I'd really like to try Wild Dark Shore in 2026.
Sounds fab. Will keep an eye out for this.
Brilliant stuff mate. Admired your work on the Indie Bookshop front for ages.
Have a great new year.
Testament to the quality of your work mate.
Have recommended Leonard and Hungry Paul to a number of people at work.
Hope you're well pal. Not spoken since the old #BookTwitter days! Have a FAB new year x
