betterthanapokeintheeye
Better Than a Poke in the Eye
The Phoenix that rose from the ashes of Discworld Monthly
99 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
othman-labyad
Othman Labyad
code-lyoko-headcanons
Code Lyoko Headcanons
caillinharper
G’day Mate
2696zhylkiss-blog
Pelangi Tak Bewarna
angela-suancha
good vibes
Text
[Remembering Terry]
This is something I wrote four years ago, but its still resonates with me, now. Four years on and having recently returned from another successful Llamedos Holiday Camp where we all spoke Terry's name, with gusto, love and joy there is still sadness but not tears. Another anniversary, but still his name is spoken, and for that I am filled with joy. GNU Terry, mind how you go.
Five years ago today...
Great A'Tuin stopped swimming, the clacks were silenced, the rimfall froze as the inhabitants of the Disc became adjusted to the realization that something in the fabric of the universe had fundamentally changed.
I like to think that, after that briefest of moments, the people of the Disc shook themselves down and got on with their daily tasks with a strange but undefinable sense of loss.
For me I never got to grieve. The phone calls and the emails came in and TV and radio interviews happened, we dealt with a fandom in mourning and never stopped to process our own grief.
And then, five years on, just coming down from an amazing weekend at the first Llamedos Holiday Camp with 150+ friends both new and old the tears have come. I'm sure it's a combination of post event blues and complete exhaustion but I cant stop right now.
I miss you Terry and all the amazing characters you created. I hope that somewhere in a second hand set of dimensions all the denizens of the Disc are once again pausing to reflect on what you gave them.
You'll never know how much you gave me, at one point this last weekend, standing on that stage looking out over all the mad loonies that I call friends I realised how rich my life is. And I thought how many of my friends did I know before Discworld and I realised that for the last quarter of a century you allowed me find my tribe.
Bless you Terry, #mindhowyougo, #speakhisname
135 notes
·
View notes
Text
Good Omens is up for an Award and YOU can vote for it!
The Comedy.co.uk Awards are an annual poll of tens of thousands of British comedy fans in which the best TV and radio comedy programmes of the last year are named.
Running since 2006, the awards provide an accurate gauge of the most loved modern British TV and radio comedies as every single programme is included in the nominations list (for our 2022 vote it was 379 different shows!), and the results are 100% based on the public vote. There is no biased jury or naive judging panel involved here - just comedy fans.
Good Omens is up for a TV Comedy Drama 2023 Award in the Comedy.co.uk Awards !
The other nominees are :
Boat Story
Brassic
Inside No 9
Sex Education (which is excellent and also deserves to win)
There She Goes
Good Omens won this category back in 2019, it also won the Comedy of the Year for 2019 too!
You can cast your vote to help ensure that your favourite duo has an angelic shot at winning by casting your vote !
To cast your vote for this and other categories (Our favourite Ghosts are up for a couple of Awards too)
Vote here https://www.comedy.co.uk/awards/2023/
Voting closes on Sunday 21st January 2024 at 23:59 GMT.
#books#terry pratchett#good omens#neil gaiman#david tennant#michael sheen#sex education#comedy awards#tv comedy drama#boat story#brassic#inside no 9#there she goes
820 notes
·
View notes
Text
Happy Yuletide greetings!
We hope you all have a fabulous break, we will be enjoying our time away from the keyboards!
But if you miss us, you can read about upcoming events, news, articles and reviews and every bit of our extensive Discworld Monthly archive over at https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/
2024 will bring our first Better Than newsletter to your inboxes (subscribe via https://betterthanapokeintheeye.co.uk/list/dada/mail.cgi/subscribe_landing/PokeInTheEye/ ) and much more is on our To Do lists !!!
See you all in the New Year !
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
We're really excited for Jasper FForde's long awaited sequel to Shades of Grey named Red Side Story due for release in February 2024.
See if Jasper will be signing copies near you on his signing tour.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye will be at the Swansea Waterstones signing.
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 30.
This is the last of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is: The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
This 42nd anniversary edition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy features all five parts of the Hitchhiker’s trilogy. Follow Arthur Dent, a rather boring middle aged human male, as he is involuntarily dragged through many adventures by his friend Ford Prefect who, it turns out, is an alien. Originally written as a weekly radio drama, Adams famously writing right up until time to record the episode, would often write himself into an impossible situation. He would leave sorting out the issue to later Douglas and thus the need for very inventive writing next time to get our adventurers out of that particular fire and into the next proverbial frying pan.
The importance of the number 42 is so ingrained into society that you're unlikely to find a fantasy fan that couldn’t tell you about the meaning of life, the universe and everything even if they haven’t read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a must have in your collection.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams R.R.P £25.00
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
To purchase any Douglas Adams book and many of his audio series including his Doctor Who books head over to our bookshop
#books#yuletide gifts#christmas gifts#love books#doctor who#douglas adams#hitchhikers guide to the galaxy#fantasy books#fantasy audio drama
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 29
This is the twenty ninth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw .
Rachel fell in love with Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and recommended a novelisation of it earlier in this list. Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is a sequel book continuing the story and Rachel is hoping it appears in her stocking this christmas.
Jack and Sally are truly meant to be... or are they? Newly crowned, Sally is thrown into the role of Queen of Halloween Town. Cast into the spotlight and tasked with royal duties, Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is swap her captivity under Dr. Finkelstein for a new cage.
When Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town, she unknowingly sets a chain of sinister events in motion, putting herself, and the future of Halloween Town, in jeopardy. Can Sally discover how to be true to herself and save Halloween Town, or will her future turn into her worst nightmare?
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen - Shea Ernshaw R.R.P. £7.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
Forbidden Planet
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#the nightmare before christmas#jack skellington#sally#pumpkin queen#shea ernshaw#disney books#disney
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 28
This is the twenty eighth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is a novella: Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch.
Jason has been a fan of Ben’s books ever since he picked up a copy of the Rivers of London in 2014. The Rivers of London books tell of a special police branch that deals with supernatural events and a young policeman named Peter Grant who, at the start, shows some magical ability. The stories are a wonderful mix of supernatural, mixed with grit, fantastical creatures and an orange Ford Focus ST known as the ASBO.
The novellas allow Ben to write about different characters but in the same universe. Jason’s not read Winter’s Gifts yet but he suspects he may be getting it for Christmas!
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch R.R.P. £14.99
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
Forbidden Planet
To purchase any of Ben’s books, we have a dedicated section on our Bookshop.
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#ben aaronovitch#peter grant#rivers of london#fantasy book recommendations#fantasy books#magical fantasy#winter's gifts
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 27
This is the twenty seventh of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Howl's Moving Castle is the first in the Land of Ingary Trilogy, the other two books are Castle in the Air, and, House of Many Ways.
The story has the reader follow Sophie Hatter who has caught the attention of the WItch of the Waste and ends up being put under a curse by the witch.
Sophie decides that her only course of action is to make her way to the moving castle of the Wizard Howl, but there are rumours that the Wizard Howl likes to devour the souls of young girls.
Sophie meets Howl’s apprentice Michael and Calcifer the Fire Demon with whom she agrees a pact, but it turns out that Sophie isn’t the only one under a curse…
Her quest to break her curse and her interactions with Michael, Howl and Calcifer are hilarious and captivating.
Rachel came to the book after watching the most excellent animated feature by the infamous Studio Ghibli. The book explores so much more of Howl's world and is well worth seeking out.
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones R.R.P. £7.99
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
To purchase the whole trilogy and many of Diana Wynne Jones other books, we have a dedicated section on our Bookshop.
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#howl's moving castle#diana wynne jones#studio ghibli#land of ingary#fantasy books#love fantasy books#fantasy book recommendations
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 26
This is the twenty sixth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is : The Worst Witch Colour Gift Edition by Jill Murphy
Whilst these are children's books, even now adults who loved this series as a child still read them, and that is why we have included them in this list.
The Worst Witch was one of Rachel’s favourite book series whilst growing up, so much so that when we recently cleared out her father’s possessions after he died, we found a whole box of Rachel’s childhood books that he had kept for her, and The Worst Witch books were amongst them and obviously very well read.
The Worst Witch tells the story of Mildred Hubble and her new best friend Maud trying their very best to get through their first term at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Mildred’s clumsiness at being a witch and the trouble it gets her into is the source of much hilarity in these books.
Jill Murphy finished writing The Worst Witch when she was just 18 years old, having started it when she was 15 and in a convent school, but it didn’t find a publisher until 6 years later as most publishers deemed the story about witches too scary for the children's market.
There are eight books in the series, the first, The Worst Witch, was published in 1974 with the latest book First Prize for the Worst Witch getting published in 2018.
Each book covers one term at the school. There are two terms each year: the Winter term, from September to January, and the Summer term, from March to July. In First Prize for the Worst Witch, the most recent book, Mildred is in the Summer term of her fourth year.
Jill Murphy illustrated all the books herself, with black and white drawings which are divine and invoke some very special memories for Rachel (and some of her friends too).
This particular edition is special as Jill has revisited these drawings and produced full colour versions for this anniversary edition of The Worst Witch.
Some readers may remember some of the live action films, tv series and the stage adaptation of the books. The television film, made by ITV in 1986 starred a cavalcade of well known actors such as Tim Curry, Diana Rigg and Fairuza Balk. It's worth seeking this out and having a watch. Tim Curry is especially creepy as the Grand Wizard
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
The Worst Witch Colour Gift Edition by Jill Murphy - R.R.P. £10.99
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
You can also purchase the rest of The Worst Witch series of books via our bookshop.
https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-worst-witch-series-by-jill-murphy
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#jill murphy#the worst witch#mildred hubble#love fantasy#childrens books
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 25
This is the twenty fifth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is a pair of books: Shades of Grey and Red Side Story by Jasper Fforde.
The original Shades of Grey (not to be confused with Fifty Shades) tells of a world where some past, unspecified, event has led to most people only being able to see one shade of colour. The social hierarchy is based on individuals ability to see colours. With Greys being the lowest because they cannot perceive colour at all. Eddie Russett, a Red (he can see shades of red) is sent out to do a survey in East Carmine where he meets a Grey called Jane. Soon Eddie realises that not everything he has been told is true.
Red Side Story is the long awaited (12 years +) sequel to Shades of Grey. We can’t wait to find out what Jasper has in store for us. In a recent talk, Jason asked Jasper about this chromatic universe and Jasper hinted there may be more boots to come.
You can purchase both books through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
RED SIDE STORY by Jasper Fforde R.R.P. £20 Due for release in Feb 2024
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
Forbidden Planet
SHADES OF GREY by Jasper Fforde - R.R.P. £9.99
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
You can purchase any of Jasper Fforde’s books at our online Bookshop ! https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/jasper-fforde-books
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#jasper fforde#red side story#shades of grey#fantasy#fantasy books#fiction is epic
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 24
This is the twenty-fourth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today’s recommendation is: Asterix: Asterix Omnibus 1
Asterix has been one of Rachel’s heroes since she could hold a book in her own two hands.
Presented as a comic book, Asterix has so far generated 41 books in the series which includes the illustrated story of How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion.
The plucky Gaul has been fighting off the Roman invaders who want to take over his village and his way of life for over 64 years. He does this with the help of his friend Obelix, the druid Getafix, his fellow villagers and the magic potion which Getafix brews to give the villagers superhuman strength.
The magic potion however, does wear off (Obelix isn’t allowed any after he fell in the cauldron as a child) and the Roman army tries to take advantage of that moment every time, which always ends in failure as our plucky heroes Asterix and Obelix always have a plan.
This omnibus contains the first three books in the series, Asterix the Gaul, Asterix and the Golden Sickle and Asterix and the Goths.
Asterix was created by the winning team of Udezo and Goscinney, and has generated a handful of animated and live action movies, stamps, merchandise, some beautiful exhibitions and a huge theme park Parc Asterix in France,
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Asterix: Asterix Omnibus 1 - R.R.P. £14.99
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
We also have all the Asterix books available in our bookshop. https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/asterix-books
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Celebrating 40 years of The Colour of Magic!
The Discworld series of books has been around for what seems like a lifetime, with 41 books in the main series and a huge amount of companions, maps, atlases, colouring books and short stories, Discworld has been in people’s consciousness for almost as long as I have been on this planet.
It all started, however, with a set of 4 short stories which featured Rincewind the inept wizard and Twoflower, the Discworld’s first tourist which were published by Colin Smythe Publishing as the book we love The Colour of Magic on 24th Nov 1983.
We all fell head over heels in love with the Luggage and marvelled at Rincewind’s amazing ability to stay alive. Twoflower’s constant positivity at all the chaos and potential death inducing moments keeps the stories humourous whilst also giving us, the readers, a firm view of the planet we were going to spend the next 40 years wishing we were living on.
Terry Pratchett was never going to be a fantasy writer, he wanted to write serious science fiction, how different would things be if he had never written The Colour of Magic.
Tonight we will raise a glass to the book that started the Discworld swimming, we hope you will too.
If you don’t own a copy, you can grab one via our Bookshop, https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/40-years-of-the-colour-of-magic-by-terry-pratchett
#terry pratchett#books#discworld#christmas gifts#love books#the colour of magic#Rinc#ewind#Twoflower#The Luggage
109 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 23
This is the twenty third of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life, even if that book lover is YOU!
Today's recommendation is 11.22.63 by Stephen King
What would you do if you could go back in time and prevent the most famous assassination in American history? 11.22.63 tells the story of Jake Epping, an English teacher, who discovers his friend Al has a secret door to the past hidden in the rear of his diner. Each time you re-enter the portal history resets to its recorded state. This gives Jake the opportunity to try many things to try to prevent the assassination of JFK.
Stephen King steps away from his horror genre to write a very thought provoking novel about time travel and the consequences of changing the past. It’s a fabulous book that spawned a massive TV mini-series.
11-22-63 by Stephen King R.R.P. £12.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
1 note
·
View note
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 22!
Here is the twenty second of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life even if that book lover is YOU!
Today's recommendation is Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce
Malcolm Pryce is the king of humorous crime noir novels and his setting of Aberystwyth is just perfect for the private investigator Louis Knight to be working in.
Aberystwyth Mon Amour is the first of the Louie Knight Mystery books which spawned a full series of 6 books, a radio play and a walking tour of Aberystwyth.
These books are spoof crime noir at its very best, Rachel loves these books and having spent time in Aber, she recognizes some of the locations within the stories.
Book Synopsis
Schoolboys are disappearing all over Aberystwyth and nobody knows why. Louie Knight, the town's private investigator, soon realises that it is going to take more than a double ripple from Sospan, the philosopher cum ice-cream seller, to help find out what is happening to these boys and whether or not Lovespoon, the Welsh teacher, Grand Wizard of the Druids and controller of the town, is more than just a sinister bully. And just who was Gwenno Guevara?
Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce
R.R.P. £10.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
To Purchase the rest of the Louise Knight books, you can find them at our Bookshop at bookshop.org
To purchase the radio play collection or the walking tour on Audible
Aberystwyth Mon Amour - The Walking Tour
Aberystwyth Noir: Private Detective Louie Knight, A BBC Radio 4 Crime Thriller Series
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#aberystwyth#malcolm pryce#louie knight#crime noir#spoof crime noir
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November
Day 21!
Here is the twenty first of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life even if that book lover is YOU!
Today's recommendation is Dragonflight: (Dragonriders of Pern: 1) by Anne McCaffrey
A young woman named Lessa is recruited to establish a telepathic bond with a queen dragon at its hatching, thus becoming a dragonrider, and the leader of a Weyr community on the planet of Pern. When the deadly Thread starts raining down from the sky. The Weyr riders, with the help of their dragons, are able to destroy the Thread in the skies over Pern, creating pockets of safety over its surface,
Anne McCaffrey was the first woman to win both a Hugo and a Nebula Award. This remarkable book went on to spawn over 20 sequels. And for Pratchett fans, was the influence of the Wyrmberg sequence in The Colour of Magic.
R.R.P. £9.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#anne mccaffrey#pern books#lovers of pern#fantasy books#love fantasy books
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November
Day 20!
Here is the twentieth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life even if that book lover is YOU!
Today's recommendation is A Whole New World (Twisted Tales) by Liz Braswell
Rachel loves fairy stories from all over the world. Disney’s Twisted Tales series takes those tales and twists them into something new but familiar. Designed to be for the YA market, these books are a fun read for any fairy tale or Disney fan.
A Whole New World explores the what if scenario of Jafar having found the lamp instead of Aladdin and the consequences of that on the world that Aladdin loves.
There are currently 16 books in the series plus a load of short stories which you can purchase as an advent calendar. Three more books are due in 2024 which includes a twist on the Brave story.
You can purchase most of these books through our bookshop Disney books - Beautiful, Villianious and Twisted! list.
A Whole New World (Twisted Tales) by Liz Braswell - R.R.P. £8.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
#books#christmas gifts#yuletide gifts#love books#disney#disney books#twisted tales#fairy stories#fairy tales#aladdin#jafar#liz braswell
1 note
·
View note
Text
30 gifts for 30 days of November - Day 19!
Here is the nineteenth of thirty Better Than a Poke in the Eye recommended gifts for the book lover in your life even if that book lover is YOU!
Today's recommendation is Young Bond: Silverfin by Charlie Higson
Rachel clearly has a thing for spy stories and the Young Bond series by Charlie Higson (later continued by Steve Cole) is a really fun look at the boy who was to become the legendary James Bond we all love and know in the Ian Fleming books.
Silverfin is the first in the series and it is gritty, gripping, clever and a tremendous fun romp of a book.
It is James Bond's first day at Eton and he’s already met his first enemy. This is the start of an adventure that will take him from the school playing fields to the remote shores of Loch SIlverfin and a terrifying discovery that threatens to unleash a new breed of warfare.
R.R.P. £7.99
You can purchase it through our online bookshop or through any of our affiliate links.
Better Than a Poke in the Eye Bookshop .org
Amazon UK
Foyles
Waterstones
WHSmith
Blackwells
3 notes
·
View notes