About the Reading Project

We started the Reading Project at the beginning of 2017. bikerbuddy was interested to learn website design and has had a lifelong passion for books, so he encouraged it. We told friends we would be starting a website and invited anyone interested to contribute. Naturally, a stack of people opted in, knowing that none of us knew anything about websites, I suspect, and assuming that we would lose interest in a short time. When we didn't lose interest and started to get a few pages together, we found there was actually only three of us willing to review regularly.

We had read about reading challenges on social media that tried to encourage reading a wide variety of books in a year. We wanted this site to be more encouraging than competitive, so we called it a project, rather than a challenge. While most of our friends haven't written for the site, we still encourage them to look at it and engage in discussions about books, which was the site's original intention.

We all live in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, in a town called Springwood. The pictures scrolling below try to give a sense of where we live. We'll add some more as time goes on.

We will happily accept reviews from anyone interested enough to write one. For more information on how to submit reviews to us, click here.

The Turning Page Bookstore, Springwood

A Street Library, Springwood

Dr Baxter Gates, Springwood War Memorial

Springwood Presbyterian Church and main street of Springwood shops

Springwood Train Station

Braemar Gallery, home to Springwood art exhibitions and library, and The Hub, used for live entertainment

▼ Main Reviewers

bikerbuddy

bikerbuddy

I had the idea to start this website because I wanted to learn a bit about website design. I suggested reviews because I've been an avid reader all my life and I knew that reviewing would give us an endless source of new material to post.

I studied English literature and Communications many years ago, now. I worked as an English teacher for 25 years.

I prefer 'literature' rather than genre fiction, and I enjoy reading non-fiction, too. However, I try to read a variety of books. My reviews tend to be favourable since I choose which books I wish to read and review, unlike a professional reviewer.

My site tag is taken from my love of mountain biking. The Blue Mountains west of Sydney is a great place to do this. Unfortunately, as I get older, I've become unfit. I tend to work on this site and read books more these days.

I once received an email addressed to the "staff of the Reading Project". That amused me, since there is really only three of us and we make no money from this site. It's just a hobby.

Goodreads

REAL NAME: Mark

Toriaz

Toriaz

I enjoy reading and thought that reviewing for this website would encourage me to read more often. Bikerbuddy and I came up with the idea while we discussed reading challenges we were seeing on social media.

I studied physics and have taught physics at university. I have worked as a scientist, but in my later career I now work for the government.

I like a range of fiction and non-fiction books, and I think this shows in the books I have reviewed for this site so far.

However, my favourite genre is Crime Fiction. I have read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories and Agatha Christie novels. I prefer the cosy detective branch of Crime Fiction most.

My site tag is based upon my real name.

Goodreads

REAL NAME: Victoria

WaywardWoman

WaywardWoman

I am a retired teacher who taught Social Sciences in high school, with a focus on Geography and Asian Studies, initially, but Legal Studies and Business Studies later on. I still work a day a week in a Blue Mountains school.

Now, I like spending my time with family, friends and Lucy, our wonder dog, watching movies and TV series, traveling as much as possible and getting out geocaching (a worldwide treasure hunt using a GPS to find things).

When I get time (though I’m mostly retired, there often isn’t a lot of it) I like to read books that are funny, especially those aimed at women. I also like crime thrillers and more recently, biographies. I also keep my brain active with my daily dose of word games.

My site tag is abased on a joke name I was given years ago. It is based on my love of chocolate rather than anything nefarious.

REAL NAME: Jenny

▼ Occasional (and much valued!) Reviewers

Hasty

Hasty

I am an entity who enjoys reading and writing words, occasionally pictures. I used to pay a big organization to read and write words for four years. Later, I was paid to write words by a smaller organization. Now I have a strictly sexual relationship with words and the writing of them, no organizations allowed.

I was originally born as a Ford 3910 Tractor but thanks to hard work, the socioeconomic status of my family, and the gift of a multi-directional energy stone from a mysterious stranger who simply addressed himself as "M. Jordan," I was able to transmogrify into a mostly human looking male, though my features are distinctly more abstract and "alarming" than the current pinnacle of human male desirability, one Mr. John Stamos.

I'm hoping that reviewing books for this webterzone will be my ticket to strike it rich. I've packed up all my belongings into my wagon and set my compass westward, with nothing else but the dream of gold in my eyes and a song in my heart. Surely a book review at no more than one per month is a fool-proof way to become rich and famous, right?


Hasty is the designer and author of No Happy Nonsense (formerly Hastiest Handiworks - also Shiitake Worsthand - also Strange Crust) another website hosted here on Neocities. It includes essays and opinions, podcasts and fiction.

REAL NAME: Mike

incessantpain

incessantpain

I'm a former child from California living in Yokohama, Japan. I mainly read historical non-fiction and post-war Japanese novels. Sewing and taking photos on a film camera take up most of my free time. My username is from a sound clip of a friend saying "exceptional pain" later used as a ringtone.


incessantpain is the creator of the Neocities site incessantpain, chock full of personal writing and thoughts.

NickoHeap

NickoHeap

I like reading, although music and video games take up most of my free time.

I'm a student at the University of Sydney. I am studying speech therapy.

I plan to write more, but other interests usually take up my time.

My site tag is based upon a character in a book I liked when I was a kid.


NickoHeap is the designer and author of Latest Spin, a music review website, and has also begun a YouTube channel of the same name.

REAL NAME: Layton

▼ One-time (but still valued!) Reviewers

Gigzymandias

Gigzymandias

I have a degree in Graphic Arts and I spend most of my free time on the Net playing video games.

I've taken my reviewer name from the username I use on gaming sites.

‘Gigzymandias’ is a combination of computer terminology (eg ‘gigabytes’) and ‘Ozymandias’, the title of the poem by Percy Shelley, which was a large inspiration for my final year art major work in high school.


Gigzymandias reached world number 1 rank for Doom Eternal in November 2021. On 27 November 2021 he competed in Friday Night Fights: Battlemode which is available to see on YouTube. He is interviewed after his win. If you're interested to watch it, follow this link, then skip 8 minutes and 12 seconds from the beginning in, to get past the wait screen.

Gigzymandias also has his own YouTube channel.

REAL NAME: Lachlan

Raven

Raven

I live in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

I have only written one short review for this website. I might write more sometime in the future.

REAL NAME: Niamh (pronounced Neev (an Irish name))

Seppy

Seppy

No one has seen the mysterious Seppy since he posted his one review and then went into hiding from the government.

REAL NAME: Seppy

▼ Blog

3 September 2022

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2 September 2022

The Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail Map

Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail

Blue Dragon Books Springwood Book Lounge The Turning Page Bookshop Morocco Books and Collectibles Rosey Ravelston Books Good Earth Bookshop Wyrd Books Megalong Books Mr Pickwick's Fine Old Books The Little Lost Bookshop Gleebooks

2 September 2022

The Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail Map

I was at our local bookshop the other day when I noticed a new promotion pamphlet for Blue Mountains bookstores. It includes the cute map you see below under the title ‘Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail’. I liked the map and the idea that tourists might plan a visit to our area by following a trail of book stores up the mountain. So I decided to contact the relevant people for permission to reproduce the map on this website.

I thought I could use the map for a few things. First, is my ‘quest’ to learn more about web design, which led me to placing links on all the bookstore images on the map so you can follow your own virtual trail of Blue Mountains bookstores through their websites and social pages. Run your cursor over the map and you will see what I mean:

Blue Dragon Books Springwood Book Lounge The Turning Page Bookshop Morocco Books and Collectibles Rosey Ravelston Books Good Earth Bookshop Wyrd Books Megalong Books Mr Pickwick's Fine Old Books The Little Lost Bookshop Gleebooks

Second, I thought I might use the map as the starting point for our own tour of the book stores in the next month or two. I actually haven’t visited them all. A couple are relatively new, like Wyrd Books in Wentworth Falls, which replaced Lambda Books where we filmed part of a video earlier this year.

I’m still figuring out exactly how I am going to present this on the website. It might be just a series of blogs, or maybe something more ambitious on our front page, depending on time and my limited knowledge of web design. But for now, working out the map and how to do the various links has taken me all morning and I haven’t read or done anything else today. So, the rest can be decided later.

- bikerbuddy

1 September 2022

Karl

I have an IKEA kitchen trolley I use to store books that I wish to read next I call Karl.

Karl has complained lately that’s he’s under too much pressure. He says I’m increasingly putting just too much on his shoulders and that it has to stop.

He might have a point. It’s got to a point where I’ve had to adopt a baby Karl* to help out with the load.

It all came to a head today when I came home with a few of Pratchett’s Discworld books and added them to the pile. Karl actually trembled and we looked to be in serious trouble. It was almost like the wafer scene in Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, but with books.

Action has now been taken. Karl is still stocked with enough books to keep me going for over a year, but the rest have returned to the bookshelves. I’ve promised that I will stop adding more books on top and actually read a few of the ones left. Harmony has been restored.

* baby Karl is actually called Geth. He belongs to my son. I bought him when said son decided he wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo, then carelessly left the book on top of Karl, assuming he had a right to just add any books he wanted to MY book cart.

- Toriaz

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