October | 2020 | Guy Portman's Blog

Topiary, Tidbits & A Treasure Trove

Oct 30 2020

Let’s start with the topiary. This bonsaiesque tree resides outside my front door. It has been looking magnificent this autumn.

The rain has been incessant of late and the garden is saturated. This photo was taken during a brief respite.

Yesterday I got really close to deer. If they knew how much I liked venison, they would probably keep their distance.

The dog isn’t allowed to chase them, much to his chagrin. Here he is enjoying a siesta.

The French might be hapless when it comes to cultural harmony, but when it comes to food … Anyone else like croissants?

Now for the treasure trove. The ‘Scary Fun Books’ bonanza ends tomorrow (Sat 31st). You’ll find one of mine here at the discounted price of 99p/99c.

Scary Fun Books Link

Have a good weekend.

A Scary Fun Book Bonanza

Oct 23 2020

Before I get into the details of the book bonanza, here is a photograph taken in my home office stroke summerhouse. I finally moved in on Monday. So far it is proving to be a new lease of life. The only problem, or benefit, depending on how you look at it, is that there is presently no internet.

Now for the book bonanza. I have teamed up with twenty of my fellow humour authors for a promotion. Scary Fun Books runs from Oct. 19th-31st. The books encompass a number of genres and all tastes are catered for. My title is Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future. It is presently on offer for the tantalising price of 99c/99p from Amazon only.

SCARY FUN BOOKS LINK

Time to get back to the office. I am hard at work on my latest book (#8). The plan is to finish it in record time.

Have a good weekend.

Postponing, Feasting & Netflixing

Oct 16 2020

It’s that time of year again. Few things are as pleasurable as a fire.

Here are some more deer that I saw on my morning walk the other day. There is an abundance of roe here at the moment and a fair few muntjac about too.

Few combinations are better than tea and Maltesers.

Another day; another snack.

Don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing a lot of postponing of late. While I’ve been writing a lot, I have put off a load of other things.

The last week or so has entailed a Netflix frenzy.

Dirty Money has proven to be particularly intriguing and disturbing. The episode about the Kushners will live long in my memory. Bad Boy Billionaires: India is also interesting.

The Netflix splurge is due to end. I need to concentrate on finding new readers and getting reviews for my books amongst other things. Have a good weekend.

5 Satires Worth Reading

Oct 09 2020

It’s back to books this week. Here are five satires worth reading. They are presented in chronological order. Click on the links to read my reviews

Candide by Voltaire (1759)

Candide is an eighteenth-century satirical classic that evaluates optimism; the prevailing philosophical ideology of The Enlightenment.

My Review: Brought up in the household of a German baron, cheerful protagonist Candide has been instilled with the philosophy of Leibniz, notably – That all is for the best in this, the best of …(more)

Subjects Satirised: The Church & The Enlightenment.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

This satirical book’s motif is a warning about the threat posed by state censorship.

My Review: Books are banned in this dystopian world, where firemen are employed to burn them. Guy Montag is a fireman, who lives an unfulfilling existence with Mildred, his sedentary, parlour-consuming …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Social Problems.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)

American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s. It has become a cult classic.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman …(more)

Subjects Satirised: 1980s yuppies culture.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (2001)

Choke is in essence a social commentary about our innate craving for attention and the fundamental nature of addiction.

My Review: The protagonist, Victor Mancini, is a sex addict employed at an eighteenth-century historical re-enactment park. Victor attends various sexual addiction support groups, where he …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Sex addition & dependence.

I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe (2004)

This is a humorous satire about campus life. Themes include materialism, social class, race and America’s obsession with college sport.

My Review: Appalachian wunderkind Charlotte Simmons has been awarded a scholarship to Dupont, an elite fictional university, steeped in tradition. Living amongst the cream of America’s youth is …(more)

Subjects Satirised: Campus life & society.

Torrential Rain, Transgressive Fiction & Culinary Delights.

Oct 02 2020

It’s absolutely pouring out there. On a day like this, one just wants to lie around in a hot bath, or watch Netflix. Not sure this photo in any way captures the severity of the current downpour, but for better or worse here it is.

The dog is also feeling lethargic today.

I am an avid consumer of fish fingers. However, it’d been a long time since I had fishcakes.

Prior to the weather turning horrendous, I came across these pheasants near my house feasting on birdseed.

Anyone a fan of carrot cake? For some reason I was under the impression that I couldn’t stand the stuff; so it was a pleasant surprise last weekend to discover I was sorely mistaken.

This week I purged my mailing list. It had a lot of dead weight. Now it’s time to start building it up again.

I have also been reading. Not sure how it took me so long to get around to reading this, as I am something of an Easton Ellis fan. So far, so good.

Currently, I am seeking reviews for my books, especially the latest one. If you have read any of my books, a short review on Amazon or elsewhere would be much appreciated. Reviews are vital to us authors for finding new readers.