Barnaby thinks about garages

Barnaby has been contemplating his garage. Not the place where he buys his fuel, but the structure at the end of his garden, which is called a garage, but has never had a car in it since the day it was built.

In common with most people in Britain (and probably elsewhere), Barnaby's garage is a space in which to store all those things which are too good to throw away and 'might come in useful one day', but which, in practise, are never used again. This is different from that mythical 'safe place' where things are stored but never seen again.

Much of the stuff in Barnaby's garage is either so deeply buried behind or beneath other 'useful' stuff, or is in anonymous brown boxes, that he has long since forgotten what most of it is, thus proving that it's unlikely ever to be used again and probably won't even be seen again until the day he moves house and pays for it all to be moved to the next garage.

So, this week's resolution is to sell as much of this unneeded stuff as possible and Barnaby is feeling virtuous as the first few items have already gone. For the first time in a while, he can actually see a patch of the garage floor.

This problem doesn't arise with Barnaby's e-books, of course, since they take up no space at all. He can carry a whole library in his e-reader. More than he could read in a lifetime. You could, therefore, safely download a few of his books without filling your own garage and be comforted by the knowledge that you will always have something entertaining, amusing or thought provoking to read any time you feel the urge - maybe one of his short stories while you take a break from clearing out your own garage?

You can find out about Barnaby's e-books at www.barnaby-wilde.co.uk Some of them are even FREE to download.

Barnaby thinks about holidays

Holidays mean different things to different people, of course. If you are working full time, then the holiday is something precious to be anticipated, planned carefully and relished as an alternative to the routine of everyday work. For many folk, this is an opportunity to do nothing, to relax on a beach somewhere, or by a pool. For others, their ideal holiday is indulging some physical activity like sailing, walking, or climbing, and for yet others it's a chance to catch up on repairs to the house or a time to visit friends and family. The essential feature of a holiday, though, is that it's an opportunity to do something different.

For most working people, their holidays will probably be just a couple of weeks a year. For some, especially the self employed, they might be lucky to get even that. Some might think that for folk like Barnaby, who are already retired, life is just one continuous holiday. It's almost true, but there are still plenty of routine chores and financial restrictions which can make that less than an actual reality. Nevertheless, Barnaby considers himself very fortunate to have as many leisure opportunities as he has.

One activity that many people enjoy during their annual break is reading, whether lounging by the pool with a drink in hand, sitting on the beach, or, maybe, relaxing on a cruise. The advent of the e-reader has meant that you can now take a whole library away with you and still be within the 'carry on' luggage allowance. This means that you can try something new, take a risk on an unknown author for example. To this end, Barnaby invites you to sample some of his e-books. There are several that can be downloaded for FREE, including Quirky Verse, Detective Fiction, Short Stories and Humorous Novels.

You can find out more at  www.barnaby-wilde.co.uk and, of course, if you like what you read, then you could always buy one of the follow up books for your next holiday.

New to bookshelves this week

The group of writers from around the world, known under the collective title Top Writer's Block, have released a new collection of short stories inspired by the theme 'Justice'.

The law and justice are not the same thing. Some would say that Karma is justice.

Startling, sad, and sometimes selfish, these 8 tales by seven writers give their own meaning to justice.

Grab a coffee and get comfortable. Short stories are made for coffee breaks. Justice can be found and downloaded here.

All profits from the sale of this book and others in the twb series, go to the Sea Shepherd charity.



Previous titles from twb include Wheels (published in July 2014)



 and Pain (published in June 2014).



All previous titles are still available. More information here



Also available this week is the latest issue of The Australian Times (TAT) Poetry Magazine, containing two of Barnaby's Quirky Verses, which can be found here

 

More information about all Barnaby Wilde books can be found at www.barnaby-wilde.co.uk as usual.