Chris’s Comments (group member since Mar 29, 2016)

Chris’s comments from the Aussie Readers group.

G'day, everyone. Thought I’d finally do a proper hello again.

I’ve been in the group for a while but a bit quieter than I’d planned. I stepped away from social media back in July and, as hoped, that’s freed up some headspace rather than taken it away. So I’m hoping to be around a bit more. But it's early days, so I won't commit too much yet!

I read a mix of thrillers, speculative stuff and the odd "something different" that just looks interesting at the time. Lately it’s been Andy McDermott, Dean Koontz, and a bit of time travel thrown in for good measure.

I'm looking forward to joining in more, and picking up some local recommendations along the way.

I know this is an unpopular take, and I'll genuinely miss parts of DMs too... particularly the quiet, friendly one-on-one chats.

But I also see some real upsides to losing them.

First, it cuts down on spam and awkward promo messages that I'm sure a lot of readers never asked for in the first place. I've received them myself, and others have told me they didn't like them either.

It could also nudge conversations back into public threads like this one. This can shape recommendations and discussions to actually help everyone, not just two people. That's probably something Goodreads thought of before removing DMs.

There's also less social pressure, meaning no unspoken obligation to reply. And to be honest, life gets busy. People engage when they want to, not because a message is sitting there staring at them.

That has to help groups like this.

So yes, I'll miss DMs, but I'm not completely convinced it's all bad either. It'll be good to see how others see it when the dust settles.

Brisbane

Oh, that's hard to say. I read mostly ebooks now.

While I do have a library in my living room of physical books, 80-90% of them are actually related to my past work as a magician/mentalist. They're ordered by usefulness.

The rest are business- and sales-related.

Heard a kookaburra laughing - Yes
Slept under the stars in a swag - No
Seen a koala in the wild - Yes
Had a barbeque in the backyard - Yes
Watched a summer thunderstorm - Yes
Worn a pair of thongs (flip flops) - Yes
Visited Cape York - No
Held a snake - Yes
Sang along with Khe Sanh - - Nope, but listened to it
Drank XXXX beer - No
Have seen a shark (not in captivity) - Yes
Have used Aussie slang naturally in a conversation - Yes
Eaten hot chips from a paper bag at the beach - Yes
Walked/climbed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge - No (but have crossed it enough times)
Used an outside dunny, and checked under the seat before sitting down - Yes (for redbacks)
Rode camels on a beach/across sand dunes - Yes
Slept on an overnight train or bus. - Yes
Have gone bush-bashing/4WD off-road - No
Taken a sickie - Yes
Been to see a game of Aussie Rules football - No
Ridden in a tram in Melbourne - Yes
Been at an ANZAC day Dawn Service - No
Watched a sunrise or sunset - Yes (both)
Held a wombat. - Yes
Been on a roadtrip of 800km or more - Yes
Seen the Great Australian Bight in person - Not yet
Had a really bad sunburn - Yes
Visited an Aboriginal community - Yes
Seen a redback spider - Yes (and been bitten by one)
Visited the Sydney Opera House - Yes
Eaten Vegemite - Yes
Thrown a boomerang - Yes
Seen the Kimberleys - No
Have seen wild camels - No
Been to Perth - Yes (lived there)
Drank and enjoyed a Lemon, Lime and Bitters - Yes
Tried playing a didgeridoo - Yes
Seen dinosaur footprints - Yes
Eaten Tim Tams - Yes
Been to Darwin - No
Touched a kangaroo - Yes
Visited the Great Barrier Reef - Yes (lived at the bottom end)
Sung the Australian national anthem - Yes
Killed a Cane Toad - Central QLD - Yes
Gone to a drive-in theatre - Yes (so long ago)
Have read and own books by Australian authors - Yes
Visited Adelaide - Yes
Been camping - Yes
Visited Brisbane - Yes (live there now)
Been in an outback pub - Yes
Gone whale watching - Yes
Listened to Slim Dusty - Yes (couldn't get away from it)
Sang along to Down Under by Men at Work. - Yes
Have stopped specifically to look at an historic marker by the side of the road - Yes
Eaten a 4′n’20 pie - Yes
Surfed at Bondi - No
Watched the cricket on Boxing Day - Yes, for 10 minutes.
Watched the start of the Sydney to Hobart on Boxing Day - Yes
Watched the Bathurst 1000 - No
Visited Hobart - Yes
Eaten kangaroo - Yes
Seen a quokka - Yes
Visited Canberra - No, too many pollies there
Visited the rainforests - Yes
Used a Victa lawnmower - Yes
Travelled on a tram in Adelaide - No
Used a Hills hoist - Yes (and swung from it)
Visited Uluru - No
Used native Australian plants in cooking - No
Visited the snow - Yes
Been to a 'Big Day Out' concert in summer - No
Chosen a side in Holden VS Ford - Yes, how stupid in hindsight
Been water skiing - No
Visited Parliament House. (Old or New) - Nope
Gone spotlighting or pig-shooting - Yes to spotlighting
Crossed the Nullarbor - does a plane count?
Avoided swimming in areas because of crocodiles - Yes
Listened to AC/DC - Yes
Called someone a dag - Yes
Voted in a Federal Election - Yes
Have been swimming and stayed between the flags - Yes
Recited the first verse of 'The Man From Snowy River' in public - yes, if school counts
Had a possum in your roof - Yes (and in the floors)
Visited the outback - Yes
Travelled over corrugated roads - Yes
Hit a kangaroo while driving - No
Been well outside any mobile phone coverage - Yes, and grew up outside it and before it
Seen an emu - Yes
Have woken to the smell of bushfires - Yes
Patted a pure-bred dingo - No
Seen the Midnight Oil live - Nope
Talked about the weather for more than 15 minutes straight and been really interested in the conversation - Yes
Ever seen a Queensland cane fire - Yes
Driven through a flock of wild birds at dusk - No
Discovered convicts in your family tree - No, I keep them trimmed
Been to a bush wedding - No
Owned a HR Holden - No
Cooked damper on a camp fire - Yes
Ever seen the Dog on the Tucker-box at Gundagai - No
Ever seen/been in a cyclone - Yes
Watched the movie Red Dog - Yes
Watched Crocodile Dundee at least once - Yes
Seen more than one "BIG" item - Big Banana, Big Pineapple - Yes
Eaten a Wendy's ice cream - Yes
Met at least one Australian author - Yes
Stopped at a roadhouse - Yes
Watched a Hugh Jackman film - Yes

I'm recommending Sold by Blair Denholm.

It's not my usual book to read, but I found it highly entertaining - sort of like watching the unlikely hero (more like an anti-hero) stumble through one predicament after another. :)

Chris wrote: "Sally906 wrote: "My daughter read, and enjoyed, your first book - so I've let her know about this one and sent her the links :)"

Wow! Thank you heaps, Sally!

When you said the first book, did you..."

Brilliant! (Dead Cell is one of my favourites too)

Sally906 wrote: "My daughter read, and enjoyed, your first book - so I've let her know about this one and sent her the links :)"

Wow! Thank you heaps, Sally!

When you said the first book, did you mean the first in the series? Or did you mean Twelve Strokes of Midnight?

(I don't mean to sound pedantic) :)

Brenda wrote: "You're welcome!"

I think this is my first time letting others in this group know about what I do. So I appreciate your support. (I don't want to step on toes)

Thanks, Brenda!

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all well. My next novel - DEMON BLADE - will release soon on 27th November 2018.

------------

CRAIG RAMSEY IS BACK!

A serial killer is stalking the city of Statton. A bloodthirsty beast with many faces and an ancient hidden history.

Psychic investigator Craig Ramsey and Detective-Sergeant Brianna Cogan are soon involved in a cat-and-mouse chase for the killer which always seems one step ahead of the authorities.

But there is more to the killer than a bloodlust for prostitutes and strippers. For it holds an unbreakable link to Craig Ramsey's history. It's a secret that will rock and tear Craig apart by the seams of his soul.

DEMON BLADE is the long-awaited sequel to DEAD CELL Filled with intrigue and delicious new characters of incredible depth, DEMON BLADE will keep you turning pages to the end.

This is the second book in the Craig Ramsey series by Chris Johnson.

Available on pre-order through:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/Demon-Blade-Craig-Ramsey-Book-ebook/dp/B07HRGV5P8
and
Other Platforms: www.books2read.com/DemonBlade

A limited number of ARC copies are also available for reviews and blog tours. Please message me privately if you're interested.

Regards,

Chris Johnson

Brenda: Of course. I felt it relevant for Edi, as a new member.

Ediacaran: you are welcome :)

Some Australian authors follow the more "commercial" take. For example, Matthew Reilly writes action thrillers. Traci Harding (lives in Sydney) writes fantasy/scifi, as do I (I'm in Brisbane).

But let me look around. I am friends with others who may be looking for things of a greater Aussie flavour. :)

Welcome to the group, Danielle!

I agree with Halfamazon. Some books ARE worth more than the asking price; some aren't worth a pinch of possum poop either.

Although I try to get things as cheap as I can, I don't mind paying more for some things. It depends on other things such as recommendations from friends, sometimes reviews, can I justify the outlay, etc.

Thank you, Susan! :)

Thanks, Brenda! :)

And, yes, Gutenberg is good :)

Susan wrote: "Chris — I just do a search on iTunes or Kindle. For example, I have replaced my yellowing George Orwell books with a collection of his novels for $4.00, and a volume of his collected essays for (I ..."

I've noticed the same, and Kobo also do that. Plus, I have also found a number of good books on Gutenberg.org.

Can you imagine my surprise when I found Norman Lindsay's "The Magic Pudding" there? I lost the copy I kept as a kid around the time we had floods in Brisbane. So, I'm happier now that I found it online for free - it's considered public domain now. It has the illustrations and everything which will be fun when my baby (due in April next year) is old enough to appreciate it.

Anna Faversham wrote: "Aren't we lucky!"

Totally! :)

Anna Faversham wrote: "And I buy books which, if I had to pay the paperback price, I simply wouldn't fork out for it, but I'll give it a go up to £4/$6.50 Aus.

I love my Kindle for making this possible and for being so ..."

2000 books is much easier to hold now :)