Daily Prompt: Baggage Check

We all have complicated histories. When was the last time your past experiences informed a major decision you’ve made?

Once upon a time I discovered the computer. To be quite honest it was a Mr. Swiss discovery combined with e-mails, but suffice it to be said Mr. Swiss got a computer. I joined in and as time passed I decided that one computer was not enough. I am not the type to share, it has to be mine so I got my own computer. That is the history, not really complicated, but a fact.

I then began to disocover the world of blog, and forum sites. What is a forum site? It’s a place where you meet with people of similar interests. One of my hobbies is and always has been reading a good book and so I found a good site where others enjoyed reading. I met many other people there sharing my interests, some of which are also in Facebook (of course, aren’t most of us in Facebook?). It was combined with a few good games to join in.  This was about ten years ago I suppose and now this site, Bestsellers and Literature, are celebrating their 12th anniversary this week and so the lady that founded the site, together with a few others, invited me to celebrate.

I must admit my participation has waned over the last few years, but I decided to revisit. I have always had the site as a complimentary link on my WordPress page, so it was not too far away.  I had often partaken in discussions about literature, started a few threads of my own. I remember one memorable occasion when we all discovered the Swedish criminal author Henning Mankell’s police inspector Kurt Wallender. Many of us began our search for more about this character, various television series and of course we compared notes on the various books.

Harry Bosh was another detective we talked about, from the works of Michael Connolly. There is also a section for classics which are often discussed. Even the Pickwick Papers was once an item. So I got an invite to partake in the celebrations, paid my respects and immediately was drawn into the newest discussion on the book, “The Girl on a Train” by Paula Hawkins, a best seller. I read this book last year. In the meanwhile a posting has gone up about the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Anthony Duerr, “All the Light We Cannot See”, which aroused my interest. A few of us have read it and there will be a discussion about it. I have also downloaded it on my Kindle/iPad, although I am still doing my reread of “The Girl on the Train” to refreshen my memory. I have also introduced the forum site to the Felix Castor books by Mike Carey which were passed onto me by my good online colleague and friend Marilyn Armstrong in WordPress. I already know of one person at Bestsellers who has reserved a Felix Castor at her local library. Most of the members of this site rely on the local library for their books, why not. I have a problem, as my local library mainly deals with books in German translations (with a few exceptions) and I prefer to read the original version in english.

This is just a skeletal outline what happens on this site. There are many sites on literature, but this one for me is really one where I can participate, joint in, and share. The site is based in the States and the lady that runs it, Saundra Kane, really invests a lot of work and interest in keeping the site alive together with her moderators. For some reason I neglected this site over the past couple of years, but after receiving the invite to celebrate the anniversary I have returned.

There is a Horror Forum, a poetry forum and also some stuff not so literature related. Perhaps you have some photos you want to share or you have tried your own hand at writing. As with most forums, some aspects are neglected and others are popular. You are free to find your own way around.

We are from all over the world. Some from Europe, others from the States. We all have our own favourites in the world of literature and this is what makes the whole thing interesting. You do not have to do anything, but if you want to, why not.

So, my blog today is something with a difference, but a pleasant difference I find. If you click on the photo at the top, it is a link to direct you to the site, if I can still do it with picture links. If you are a reader, or just want to go along for the ride, then have a look.