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Andrew’s Year In Books

Andrew’s 2025 Year in Books

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Paul Green

466 books | 7 friends

Prakash Hegade

137 books | 176 friends

Ahlon Gavins

4,590 books | 123 friends

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40 books | 3,616 friends

Sally Bosch

127 books | 9 friends

Alysia

256 books | 37 friends

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616 books | 376 friends

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Andrew Pender-Smith

Goodreads Author

Born

Eshowe, Zululand, South Africa

Website

https://greenmonkeypublications.wordpress.com/

Twitter

greenmonkeylit

Genre

Children's, Crime, Young Adult

Influences

Charles Dickens, E B White, PD James, Ruth Rendell, Stepehn King, Will ...more

Member Since

October 2016

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Dear Reader,

I have told and written stories all my life. Looking back, I was perhaps most inspired and helped by a Zulu nanny who loved to tell me Zulu folktales. She would roast maize cobs in a coal oven and then we would eat the roasted cobs that had been spread with butter and salt. As we ate, she told me one story after another, and I absorbed them all. Imelda added much to the story because, like many Zulus, she acted out the various people and animals in the tales she told. My children’s book, ‘Hunting Zanga’, was strongly influenced by Imelda and the stories she told. Hearing myths and legends pertaining to other African peoples encouraged me to tell stories of my own. The thorn-treed bush and wide, wild beaches of old Zululand with Dear Reader,

I have told and written stories all my life. Looking back, I was perhaps most inspired and helped by a Zulu nanny who loved to tell me Zulu folktales. She would roast maize cobs in a coal oven and then we would eat the roasted cobs that had been spread with butter and salt. As we ate, she told me one story after another, and I absorbed them all. Imelda added much to the story because, like many Zulus, she acted out the various people and animals in the tales she told. My children’s book, ‘Hunting Zanga’, was strongly influenced by Imelda and the stories she told. Hearing myths and legends pertaining to other African peoples encouraged me to tell stories of my own. The thorn-treed bush and wide, wild beaches of old Zululand with countless flora and fauna also fueled me as a writer.

Though I wrote short stories and poems as a child, my first real writings began when I started to teach drama. I began writing poetry, short plays and theme programmes for my drama classes. Writing poetry for performance is one of my favourite activities and I have had many poems published and performed over the years. It wasn’t long before fellow teachers and organisations asked if they could use my work.

I have always enjoyed being transported into different places and experiences by writers and, at a young age, found I enjoyed doing the same as a writer. From starting with poems, plays and short stories, I went on to creating longer works in different genres. I read and write every day, for hours at a time, and though there have been occasions when I have found the writing demanding (sometimes torturous), I have never wanted to stop. I couldn’t. I have far too much love for the journeys I undertake as a writer and it is my hope that readers will enjoy them too. If anyone uses the poems in ‘FANTASTIC SPACEY RACY THING AND LOTS AND LOTS OF OTHER POEMS’ and all the ideas for teaching in ‘COLOUR ME MORE: Teaching Dramatic Arts’ and ‘COLOUR ME MORE: Teaching English Language and Literature’, I would love to hear from them.

With good wishes,

Andrew Pender-Smith
...more

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Andrew Pender-Smith’s books

Average rating: 4.84 · 19 ratings · 17 reviews · 19 distinct works

	Dream Me a River it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Colour Me More: Teaching English Language and Literature (COLOUR ME MORE, #1) 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hunting Zanga it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alicia Billington's Best Cat it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Slurp! it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fantastic Spacey Racy Thing and Lots and Lots of Other Poems it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Floating into Happiness (Be Brave, #1) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	THAT'S FANTASTIC! (Be Brave, #3) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Will You Come Back? it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Warnings it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Andrew Pender-Smith's Blog

Miss Whoop Whoop! and the Jumping Pumpkin

Set in two of the most buzzworthy nightclubs ever invented, ‘Miss Whoop Whoop! and the Jumping Pumpkin’ is a wild romp of unusual characters, fun and games, and catch-me-if-you-can theft and deception. As the partying goes on, including dancing, gaming, talent contests and much more, a brilliant mind is at work. Someone extremely clever is outwitting the owners of the Jumping Pumpkin and the Ice C Read more of this blog post »

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Published on December 07, 2018 08:21 • Tags: gay, gay-amateur-sleuth, gay-mystery, gay-romance, lgbt, lgbtq, lgbtqi

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Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book liked it Deadly Carnage (Black Horse Western) by Edwin Derek	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
‘Deadly Carnage’ by Edward Derek is a light but enjoyable read. It contains many of the ingredients of a good Western (horses, soldiers, desperados, and shootouts), but the author left it mostly at the level of simply telling the tale. This led to a ...more
12 hours, 20 min ago · like · see review
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book really liked it The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 09:42AM · like
Andrew Pender-Smith is currently reading Deadly Carnage (Black Horse Western) by Edwin Derek	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 09:39AM · like
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book really liked it The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 04, 2025 09:32AM · like
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book liked it No Mercy: Large Print Ed by Jack Curtis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
No Justice by Jack Curtis is a typical Western in that it has cowboys, horses, cattle lawmen, outlaws, and plenty of drama. This includes foul play, gun battles, courtroom intrigue, cross country chases, and a need for justice. Lee Curtis, a journali ...more
Aug 29, 2025 05:53AM · like · see review
Andrew Pender-Smith is now following Yvonne Van Dalen's reviews
Aug 15, 2025 10:04AM · like
Andrew Pender-Smith is currently reading No Mercy: Large Print Ed by Jack Curtis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 31, 2025 01:58AM · like
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book really liked it Under a Dark Sun by Jessica Mann	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Under a Dark Sun by Jessica Mann explores the dynamics of a complex family. It is one that has a rich history, especially that of the famous Sir Bertrand Kittermaster. His expanded far beyond academia into long-past wartime atrocities and also ties i ...more
Jul 31, 2025 01:33AM · like · see review
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book it was amazing The Kiowa Verdict by Cynthia Haseloff	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed The Kiowa Verdict by Cynthia Haselhoff. In her novel the writer brings to life an 1871 incident in which a number of freighters are maimed, tortured and killed by an Indian war party. Three chiefs are captured and put on trial. It soon beco ...more
Oct 27, 2024 10:47AM · like · see review
Andrew Pender-Smith rated a book really liked it The Bone Vault (Alexandra Cooper, #5) by Linda Fairstein (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
For the most part, ‘The Bone Vault’ by Linda Fairstein proved an engaging read, but it could have done with some pruning to make for more of a page-turner. The main issue is that we got too much about several characters' lives that wasn’t strictly re ...more
Aug 29, 2024 12:19PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Andrew Pender-Smith (?)

“A poem a day helps build vocabulary the easy way. Andrew Pender-Smith”
― Andrew Pender-Smith

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“In poetry I have found many teachers.”
― Andrew Pender-Smith

tags: literature, poetry, teaching

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“A poem a day helps build vocabulary the easy way.”
― Andrew Pender-Smith, Colour Me More: Teaching Dramatic Arts

tags: educational, inspirational

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Andrew’s Quotes

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, If This Isn't Nice, What Is?: Advice for the Young

tags: creativity, invention, quip, wings, writing

4373 likes

“Don't compromise yourself - you're all you have.”
― John Grisham, The Rainmaker

tags: be-yourself, courtroom-drama, crime

3191 likes

“It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”
― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

2657 likes

“Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express.”
― Brenda Ueland

tags: creativity, expression, humanity, talent, writing

590 likes

“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

tags: prejudice, pride, vanity

5553 likes

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¡ POETRY ! — 22568 members — last activity 22 hours, 2 min ago
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

THE Group for Authors! — 12973 members — last activity Jan 24, 2026 05:53AM
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.

Goodreads Librarians Group — 310075 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

Support for Indie Authors — 16611 members — last activity Jan 26, 2026 06:10AM
Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le ...more

Indie and Self-Published Author Support — 1111 members — last activity Dec 29, 2025 08:28AM
Breaking into the world of writing through the self-publishing gateway can be daunting and overwhelming. This is a support group where indie and aspir ...more

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