My poor old Kindle is about to be exiled to the wilds by Amazon, banished like some elderly hermit who has dared to outlive the fashions of the age. No more buying, no more downloading, no more anything. After years of loyal service, the little thing is being marched off into digital retirement and straight toward a landfill. And for what? Because it has a keyboard. A keyboard. The sheer audacity of functioning buttons in the year twenty twenty six. The horror.

And as if that were not enough to make a grown man sigh into his tea, my other Kindle, the Paperwhite, is also on the chopping block. Two perfectly good, perfectly functional devices, still holding charge, still doing their job every single day, being nudged toward the great electronic graveyard because someone in a boardroom has decided they are too old. Electronic wastage dressed up as progress, like putting a fancy hat on a donkey and insisting it is a racehorse.

All because it is apparently too expensive to update the software on older Kindles to handle the new book format Amazon is pushing in the name of stronger digital rights management. Stronger for whom, exactly? Certainly not for the reader. Do you not long for the days when buying a book meant the book actually belonged to you, rather than being rented from a distant corporate overlord who can revoke it at will?

I mean honestly, Amazon, if you are going to force me into an upgrade, can I at least stack the twenty percent discount from both devices and stroll off with a smug forty percent? It seems only fair at this point. 😄

I used to be genuinely disgusted by the Metropolitan Police and their new policy that requires every Freemason to declare their membership. At the time it felt like yet another strange idea born from the old conspiracy theories that cling to the Craft. The claim that membership needed to be recorded in order to prevent corruption struck me as unfair, unnecessary, and completely out of proportion. It seemed wrong that Freemasons were being singled out while countless other groups were not. What about the Lions, the Round Table, the RAC, the AA, any hobby club, fan club, band, choir, Scouts, Guides, St Johns, charity groups, or even family associations. Every group or association on earth could be described as a place where two members might look out for one another or do a favour.

For a long time I supported Grand Lodge in their opposition to the policy. I believed the whole thing was misguided and that it placed an unreasonable burden on ordinary members who had done nothing wrong. But recent events have forced me to rethink my position. My view has shifted completely. I now find myself fully on the side of the Metropolitan Police. I believe that Freemasons should be registered and that proper oversight is necessary.

I will now explain why my views have shifted so dramatically.

I am in Rose Croix, and as in every other order there is a steady progression. People on the ladder usually move up one step at the annual Installation meeting. This year the Brother who was due to go into the chair had been unwell for some time. He was not really strong enough to take the chair, but he dearly wanted to, and we were prepared to support him and make it work. Then, in the weeks leading up to the Installation, quiet conversations began to circulate. The Craft Provincial Grand Master wanted to go into the chair of Rose Croix.

I should make it clear that he is indeed a member. He joined, attended for about a year, and then vanished for eight or more years. Now he wished to go through the chair so that he could be made a Thirtieth Degree Mason. The quiet talk suggested that the plan was to hold back everyone on the ladder who should have been promoted this year and simply place the PGM at the top of the list.

More details then leaked out, and the truth was even worse than that. The plan was not only to jump the PGM ahead of everyone who turns up to every meeting and does the work. The plan was to put his name at the top of the line, then on the night when the Master was due to be installed, make that Brother step down because of his health and place the PGM in the chair for one single meeting. He would only need to attend once, do nothing, and then receive his Thirtieth Degree, even though every other member must perform every part of the ritual before becoming eligible.

Sadly the Brother who was due to take the chair became too ill to continue, and the plan had to be rushed. They placed the PGM directly into the chair on his first appearance in eight years. The difficulty was that the order has rules, and those rules state clearly that he was not eligible to go into the chair. The Secretary therefore wrote to the powers above, explaining that the Brother due to be installed was too ill to advance and that no one else was eligible, and asking for a special dispensation to allow the PGM to take the chair even though he did not meet the requirements. As a side note, every single member of our Chapter is more eligible to take the chair than the PGM.

Since the PGM is friendly with those in authority, the dispensation was granted. He was placed in the chair, and he will no doubt receive his higher degrees without doing the work. Not through merit, not through effort, but simply because he holds office in another order.

This is why my view has changed completely. If some Freemasons are willing to trample over their own Brethren in order to advance themselves, then it raises a troubling question. If they will do this to fellow Masons, what might they do to people who are not Masons?

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 30. – Book you couldn’t put down.

I have read many books that I simply could not put down, the sort that keep you awake long past any sensible bedtime. You know the feeling. You tell yourself, just one more chapter and then I will sleep. Only you never do. The next thing you know it is three in the morning and you are still turning pages with the determination of someone who has abandoned all thoughts of rest.

So which one of these unforgettable reads do I choose.

My pick is Outside The Gates of Eden: A Tale of 1970s Life During The Cold War by Julius Harlande.

It is a gripping story set in the early years of the Cold War, filled with atmosphere, tension, and a sense of possibility that feels entirely real. The world Harlande creates is so grounded in actual places, genuine science, and the mood of the era that you can almost believe you are reading a true account rather than a novel. Every chapter pulls you deeper in, and before you know it you are completely lost in that world.

It was one of those rare books where I genuinely could not stop reading. It held me from the first page to the last, and even after I finished it, the story stayed with me for days.

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 29. – A book you hated.

My choice for this one is “To Be A Mason: Embracing the Illuminated Path of Brotherhood” by Wayne Devlin.

To be fair, hate is far too strong a word. It is more a case of deep and persistent dislike. The book reads as if someone wrote a long list of chapter descriptions and then forgot to include the actual chapters. I reached the end and realised that I had somehow read an entire book without learning anything at all. It was like eating a meal made entirely of menu descriptions.

What makes it more frustrating is that it could have been an interesting book. The ideas hinted at in the chapter summaries had real potential, but none of that promise ever appears on the page. It is all outline and no substance, all introduction and no delivery.

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 28. – Favourite quote from a book.

There is a line in The Hunger by Whitley Strieber that I first read many years ago, sometime in the late eighties, and it struck such a deep chord with me that it has followed me ever since. I liked it so much that I used it on my website back in the early nineties, long before social media was even a thought. It has been on my Facebook header, my desktop wallpaper, and anywhere else I could reasonably place it without looking completely unhinged.

The quote is this:

It is not easy being an egomaniac with an inferiority complex

There is something wonderfully honest in that line, a perfect blend of humour, self reflection, and a little bit of theatrical flair. It captures the human condition in a single sentence, especially for those of us who stride forward with confidence while quietly wondering if we have any idea what we are doing.

Since I have been carrying this quote around for the better part of thirty years, it has to be my favourite. It has become part of my personal mythology, a small truth wrapped in a grin, and it still makes me smile every time I see it.

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 27. – Book that has been on your “to read” list the longest.

This is very similar to “Day 12 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t”. So I will use the same answer.

The film Hackers has always been one of my comfort watches, that perfect blend of neon‑soaked aesthetics, thumping soundtrack, chaotic charm, and, of course, Acid Burn being effortlessly iconic. It’s pure, unashamed entertainment, and it hits the spot every single time.

Because I adore the film, I’ve long been curious about the book it was based on. Everyone says it goes deeper into the story, and let’s be honest, books behind films are almost always richer, stranger, and better. So it’s been sitting on my “must read one day” list for ages, like a little digital gremlin reminding me of my own procrastination.

The problem? I could never actually find a copy. It became one of those mythical items: always talked about, never spotted in the wild.

Hack the Planet!

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 26. – Book that makes you laugh out loud.

I am going back a bit with this one, all the way to 1973, but I am choosing Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison. It is gloriously ridiculous in all the right ways.

The story begins with two college students, Chuck van Chider and his loyal partner in chaos Jerry Courtenay, who accidentally invent a device capable of hurling them across the cosmos. The engine of this marvel is a substance called Cheddite, created by irradiating cheddar cheese. Yes, cheese becomes both fuel and super weapon, and the book never once apologises for it.

Chuck, Jerry, their shared love interest Sally Goodfellow, and their janitor who turns out to be a KGB spy named Old John are promptly flung to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. There they encounter the Titanians, who are every bit as strange as you would hope. Before long, through a chain of events so bizarre it feels like the author was daring himself to go further, the group is launched into the far reaches of the galaxy and straight into an interstellar war.

The villains of this cosmic conflict are tiny telepathic turtles that people keep in the handles of their guns. Not because they want to, but because the turtles make them. Space turtles with mind control. Of course they do. At this point you simply surrender to the madness and enjoy the ride.

The whole book is comedy gold. It is a loving parody of classic space opera, written with a wink, a grin, and a complete disregard for restraint. If you want a story that makes you laugh out loud and reminds you that science fiction can be both clever and utterly daft, this is the one.

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 25. – The most surprising plot twist or ending.

I am going to choose a plot twist rather than an ending, and my pick is Stephen King’s IT.

I first read IT after watching the 1990 miniseries, so I thought I had a decent grasp of the story. I had seen the film, I knew the shape of the plot, and I assumed the book would simply fill in a few gaps. Well, I had the basics, but I was missing an entire universe worth of detail.

If you have only ever watched the miniseries or the later films, you would be genuinely shocked to discover that one of the most important characters in the entire story is Maturin the Space Turtle. Think of the great A’Tuin, only without the elephants and without the discworld balanced on top. Yes, you read that correctly. There is a cosmic turtle in IT who guides the Losers Club, grants them insight, and plays a vital role in the battle against Pennywise. And to be fair, a space turtle is not that strange when you remember that Pennywise is essentially a space spider. I suspect there were many substances involved in the creative process.

But the biggest surprise in reading IT is the moment that every reader remembers. Those who have read it already know exactly what I am about to mention. The scene. The infamous scene. The Losers Gang Bang.

You read that correctly. In the book, when the Losers Club are children trapped in the sewers, lost and terrified with Pennywise hunting them, they cannot find their way out. This is the point where Beverly, the only girl in the group, decides that the solution is to have sex with each of the six boys, one after the other, in order to bring the group back together and help them escape. And the moment she finishes, one of the boys suddenly remembers the correct path, and they all make it out alive.

It makes no sense in the plot. It adds nothing to the story. It is not needed in any way. Yet there it is, sitting in the middle of the book like a fever dream that somehow made it past every editor. It remains, to this day, the most surprising plot twist I have ever encountered in any novel.

Nothing else even comes close.

National Wayne Day, celebrated on March 26 each year, is a fun and quirky holiday dedicated to people named Wayne and honoring the individuals who share this name. It is a day to celebrate the unique qualities, contributions, and stories of those named Wayne, whether they are well-known celebrities, public figures, or everyday people.

History of National Wayne Day
The origins of National Wayne Day are not entirely clear, but it seems to have emerged as a way for people named Wayne to celebrate their name and its significance in various contexts. The day has grown in popularity, especially among those who enjoy unique and offbeat holidays. While no major historical event directly links to this day, it serves as an opportunity for people to celebrate their name and share their experiences with others.

Goals of the Day
National Wayne Day aims to achieve several key goals:

• To celebrate people named Wayne and their contributions to society.
• To promote the value of personal identity and the uniqueness of names.
• To create a sense of community among people named Wayne and their admirers.
• To encourage lighthearted fun and recognition of lesser-known holidays.

The idea is delightfully simple: for 30 days, you post once a day in response to a book-themed question. That’s it. No essays, no footnotes, no need to summon the ghost of Shakespeare, just honest answers, curious reflections, and maybe a few cheeky confessions about your reading habits. I have decided to take part this year, and since I picked a month with 31 days (I know it would have made more sense to use a 30 day one) I am using March 1st to explain what I am doing.

Each day brings a new prompt: favourite characters, memorable endings, guilty pleasures, and the books that made you weep, rage, or fall in love with the written word. It’s a gentle nudge to celebrate your literary life, one post at a time.

So why not give it a go? Dust off your bookshelf, sharpen your wit, and join the challenge. Thirty days. Thirty questions. One slightly eccentric bookworm’s journey through the pages.

DAY 24. – Book you’re most embarrassed to say you like/liked..

A book I am embarrassed to say I liked?

You do realise on Day: 7 I admitted to being part of the Vaginal Fantasy book club back in the day, there is not a lot that I am embarrassed about book wise. but if I had to pick something…

Nope, I tried… I really did, but I was unable to come up with anything. I am just a reader, I will read anything and if I like it, I like it. I will never be embarrassed about that. We do not kink shame on this site!