Another lockdown wrap-up

Another lockdown wrap-up

This is the second update/wrap-up of some of the things I’ve been doing while in the UK lockdown, which began on 23 March. For those of you not aware, some of the restrictions in the the UK were relaxed on 4 July – like travel, opening of restaurants and pubs, plus non-essential shops – except for Leicester/Leicestershire…which is where I live! This is due to the city being a bit of a ‘hotspot’ for cases of the virus. Finally, though, the area within the county that I live will exit lockdown in a week…I’m counting down the days!! Anyway, here’s a look at some of the books, films and TV shows I’ve been consuming lately.

Lockdown wrap-up

Lockdown wrap-up

Since it has been quite a while since my last blog post, I thought I would do a bit of a wrap-up of what I have been reading and watching recently. It is quite an extensive list, but we can largely put it down to the fact that I have more free time given that I am working from home due to the lockdown restrictions that the UK government has put in place. Let me know what you have been reading and watching during your extended time at home. Stay safe!

Random Funnies

Random Funnies

I thought I’d post something a little different as we’re nearing the end of the year. Here you’ll find: some random and funny search terms for people that have found my blog this year; the TV scene where I split my sides laughing; and the most random comment I have ever received!

Let me know the weird search terms that people have typed to find your blog, a scene in a film or TV show that has made you laugh especially hard, or the most random comment that someone has posted on your blog.

Bloggers Needed!

Recommend Bloggers!

My blogging has gone a bit lax the past few months, but hopefully I can turn things around for the rest of 2018.

I am looking to follow some more bloggers, so if you know any bloggers that post reviews about the below, please link me to their blog! Thank you 🙂

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The Humpo Show | Richard

#TrendThursday | Why do YA books matter?

Why do YA books matter?

As a twenty-four-year-old guy, it is perhaps surprising to some that one of my favourite genres is Young Adult Fiction. For many people who dislike the YA genre for whatever reason, that statement goes against what they envisage the typical reader to be (a teenage girl who reads Twilight). The genre is brimming with excellent stories- most I have not had the pleasure of reading yet- but it is also a shining beacon in the publishing industry that seems to be frozen in time with regards to the workforce, and the stories that are published. Here is a blog post that talks about the many plus points of the YA industry.

The YA genre has become the leading light in regards to representation of people from all backgrounds and identities. They are leading the way with more books concerning racial diversity, LGBT characters, mental health issues, female heroines and sexuality than any other genre at the moment. It is undoubtedly the genre that is the most diverse and that discusses real issues that are not given much coverage in other genres. 

The genre, as viewed from the outside, receives a snobbish response by some adults who seem to have the viewpoint that every YA author is trying to write the next Harry Potter or Twilight series, and that the readers are teenagers that they view as ‘millennial snowflakes’.

One example of someone with this shared opinion is as follows: “‘Young Adult’ – it says ‘wannabe JK Rowling’, it means ‘born in an iPod world so I don’t understand music (and life) is for sharing'”

Blog Update!

Blog Update!

Since coming back to blogging from my hiatus, I have decided on a regular schedule which I am determined to stick to | Tuesday & Thursday, with the odd post on Sunday.

#TrendThursday will be once a month.

Brief Hiatus!

Brief Hiatus!

I won’t be blogging for a couple of weeks as I have some family issues that come first and I don’t think I will be able to find the time to blog about books, films, television, etc. I hope everyone is in good health and good spirits! 🙂 If any of you have posts that you think I might enjoy, feel free to link them in the comments and I’ll give them a read once I am back blogging.

I’ve nearly finished The Kite Runner, so that will be my next book review. And I’ve watched a few films lately, so expect a Short Films Ratings post when I return.

Until next time! 

Let me Follow you! (Send your Links)

I’m looking to get everyone who follows me on WordPress, and whoever I follow on here to post links to their other sites so we can follow each other on them too. My links are below.

Instagram    |   Goodreads    |   Twitter 

I am trying to post more regularly on Instagram, where I will be holding more Book Giveaways in future, so that is a good one to follow if you want free books! But I also need to follow more bookstagram accounts and people’s instagrams that I don’t yet follow!

I have updated my Goodreads profile, but I don’t really have any friends on it yet. Send me links to your Goodreads profile so we can follow one another!

London Mega-Post

London Mega-Post

I am back from my internship at a publishing house in London. Here is an update of what I got up to while I was down there…

I stayed in North West London for the first week I was working in London, and then South East London for the second week- this was arranged through a scheme that assigns publishing interns with a place to live while interning at a publisher. The one drawback of this arrangement was that both of places where I stayed, they did not have a TV! And to top things off, I didn’t take my laptop with me so as to make space in my case and make it lighter to travel with. Therefore, I have been without any form of technology (except my phone) for the last 2 weeks! Oh…I also forgot to take my headphones with me!! (Major error there!)

Anyway, here is what I got up to…

Catherine McGrath Gig | Hoxton 

On my first night in London I managed to get to see an up-and-coming artist that I really like. Catherine played a mixture of original and cover songs. Her music has featured regularly in my musical posts so be sure to take the hint and listen to her music! McGrath’s singing was impeccable, my personal favourites were “Say You Love Me“, “Cinderella” and “She’ll Never Love You“. As I am returning to London next month for another publishing internship, I am planning on attending another of Catherine’s gigs in London as she is as good live as she is on her album.

200th Post! (Plus 3 Book GIVEAWAYS!)

200th Post! 

To celebrate my 200th post I am doing my first ever book giveaway, and seeing as Halloween is fast approaching, the three books I am giving away are perfect for this time of year. Misery by Stephen King, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and Monster by C J Skuse. I’ll also provide an update on some of my blog changes and thoughts on blogging.

I’m on Instagram!

I’m on Instagram!

I have recently joined the Instagram hype! Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/thehumposhow/ or @thehumposhow and I’ll follow you back. 🙂 

Be sure to like any of my …two…posts and I’ll like one of yours too! 

Family Holiday in Norfolk

Family Holiday in Norfolk
(Hopton and Yarmouth)

Sorry I haven’t been blogging this week but I have been on a family holiday with my parents, my brother, his fiance, her little boy and my 18-month nephew. We went to a caravan resort overlooking the beach, and every day we had sunny weather which was a bit of a shock! Here are some snaps from our time in Norfolk…

Hever Castle

Hever Castle

Spent a few days with my parents down in East Sussex visiting my Auntie and Uncle, where we went to the local gardens, Hever Castle, a game of golf, a meal out and plenty of card and board games.

What Should I Start Watching? (YOU Decide!)

What Should I Start Watching? 

With Game of Thrones over, there is a void I need to fill, so I’m asking you to suggest something to watch. My friends watch some of these and have told me how amazing they all are, but I’m letting you decide which I should watch. The poll lasts a week. Happy voting! I’m looking forward to your decision. 🙂

Once the result is in, I’ll post a comment in the comments section to announce the winner!

 

Taking A Break From Blogging

Taking A Break From Blogging…and some thoughts on “courtesy likes”

Title says it all really. My final year at university is taking over at the moment and for the foreseeable future. Blogging is taking a backseat for the time being, especially seeing as my personal reading is suffering quite badly due to the extensive catalogue of academic books and journals that I have been reading lately. I won’t put a date when I return to the blogging world as I have no idea when that will be, it might be when I finish my finals.

I’ll miss quite a few of you, especially those who have taken a real interest in my blog, but recently I have noticed that my blog gets what I have been calling “courtesy likes” and that my readership has a fake appearance somewhat. Any post I put up, I get between 10-20 likes and I’d say 75% of the likes are the same people that like the post without having read it. When I began blogging I would have enjoyed seeing my likes reaching the twenties, but now I would swap 20 fake likes for one real comment from someone genuinely interested by the post. Whenever I like or comment on someone’s post, I do it because I am either, genuinely interested by the post, see a well written and thoughtful review, find it funny, responding to someone doing a Book Tag, or I am congratulating someone on a milestone.

Does anyone else get “courtesy likes”?

When I return to blogging I plan to go through every blog I follow and decide whether I am actually interested by their content (I followed a lot of blogs through various follow parties etc). Catch up on my reading: The Wrath and The Dawn, Prince of Mist, Ruby in the Smoke and some more James Bond books. Post some film reviews: still have Interstellar, Age of Ultron and Mad Max in draft form. Have a schedule that I can manage and isn’t too erratic. Perhaps post some academic posts or something different to reviews.

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Thank you everyone that has followed my blog and found it interesting! 🙂

I would appreciate it if you didn’t like this post and left a comment instead. Just to see who actually has read this post and made it this far haha! 

Update: Sorry for not posting!

Update:  Sorry for not posting!

I’ve not posted lately due to University assignments (Ancient Greek Drama and Culture, and, American Civil War). Little update about that: still on for a strong 2:1, but if American Civil War goes well and my final module Roman Britain also follows suit then there is a possibility of a First.

I have also been quite ill with the winter vomiting virus which has actually seen the city centre hospital close a couple of wards due to the high volume of cases. But I am better now!!!

My reading recently has consisted of academic books, journals, 19th century newspaper articles, memoirs and book reviews concerning the American Civil War era and Abraham Lincoln, but I will make time to squeeze in some personal reading of my own this month and next. I have The Wrath and Dawn, Prince of Mist and From Russia With Love sitting on my table waiting to be read at the moment! I am also going to try and post another Short Film Ratings post as well as a first Short TV Ratings post too, so watch this space haha! 🙂

Check out the fifth round of the Opinion Battles, the topic this time is Favourite Action Hero (Non Comic Book), my choice is Indiana Jones!

If any of you have posts that you’d like me to see (I have missed a lot of your posts over the past couple of weeks) then please leave a link in the comments section so I can check them out!

 

First 2016 Post!

First Post of 2016- Share Your Post With Me Too

Sorry I have been conspicuously absent from blogging over the Christmas and New Year period. Family, friends, birthdays, food, a university assignment and a hangover have gotten in the way of any blogging I am afraid. I thought I would start 2016 with a catch up post and combining it with an awards post. So thank you Nishita! Check out her blog. 🙂

Also, could you share some of your posts that you would think I’d like to see, and everyone else for that matter, as I follow a lot of people and it may be lost in the vast amount of posts that have been posted in my absence.

Blog Appreciation Post

Blog Appreciation Post (BAP)- Get your baps out!

Recently through various Meet n Greets, Link Parties, Reblogs, Follow for Follows etc, I have come to appreciate the efforts of lots of bloggers who have used their time and posts to promote other blogs and bring the blogging community closer together. I have decided to play my part by creating this BAP, which I hope bloggers will use to share some things about themselves so we can all know each other a bit better, as well as helping out more bloggers. As Christmas is getting closer, there is a bit of a festive end to the post! 🙂

Birthday Post!

Birthday Post!

I turn 23 today!!! Remember, remember the … sixth of November! 🙂 I have tried to reorganise my blog this week to make it sleeker and better presented. Here are some of the alterations I have made to the blog this week, check them out…

New Logo Vote

What Should Be My Blog’s Logo? 

Let me know which logo is your favourite….