Random follow #293 - @LadyNgaire and @BookieMonsterNZ

Book worms, book people, book lovers.  These are the people that keep the mind inspired, the ideas flowing and unleash creativity and knowledge where there is a void of ignorance.  @LadyNgaire is the brains and personality behind the ever increasingly popular twitter account of @BookieMonsterNZ.  Its nice that she has two accounts because sometimes you really, really, really want to tweet something but you just don't have the right medium to do so.  These two accounts allows Ngaire to do just that.

So what are the different appeals to these accounts?

Lady Ngaire.  Fun, easy going, new to twitter.  This account is hot off the twitter account making machine and I am betting a dollar or two that over time it will become something of an institution in the social media world.  So for this account it is very much - watch this space and follow now so that you can claim to be an early follower when she becomes really famous.

Bookie Monster.  This account is actually well on its way to be legendary.  With so many followers and tweets posted this account is fantastic.  This has the ultimate blend of books, cats along with a whole lot of bits and bobs about absolutely anything and everything under the sun.

Here are a few things I know -

1. Ngaire is really nice.  Like REALLY nice --> "Public transporting it home. The driver on the 22 bus is lovely."
2. The tension, the suspense --> "#12daysofWake Day 7. I finished. Parsing. Quite sad. Review to come..."
3. She is really amusing --> "Those four magic words every facial hair lover wants to read: "willie apiata is following you"
4. As much as she likes to real she also likes to write --> "Have got two great blog ideas and three ok ones. Career path sorted then"

One terrific lady from Te Aroha.  Two terrific twitter accounts.  Its not so much a choice as to which one to follow.  The choice is more when will you follow them?

Random follow #222 - @winstonmoreton

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” 

― Jorge Luis Borges

The idea of owning a secondhand bookstore is a dream I have had for many years.  There is so much knowledge, wisdom, escapism and fantasy captured in a book that the real world can sometimes pale in comparison to that which occurs in our imagination.

@winstonmoreton is a man with a passion for books.  Some people write them while others consume them.  Winston is the latter.  And proud of it to boot.  Living in New Zealand's sunniest province (Gisborne) I have no doubt there has been many a good hour spent outside, in a deck chair, with a good book and no doubt some liquid refreshment to accompany proceedings.

And being a reader of books he has a wide perspective of current affairs and the world of politics as well as human welfare around the world.  He has a sharp edge when it comes to telling the politicians or leaders of the world that they're getting it wrong and I don't mind that at all.

"Can we please hear from the person who put that dirty shell in the basement.? Someone must know who it was. #Syria"

But with all the consumption of words - where do they go?  Well they find themselves an output via -->

"#shortstory competition @SundayStarTimes . 16 days to go. Looking for First Sentence Ideas Help Desk."

And when you live in the first place in the world to see the sun every day you tend to be a bit sharper than most -->  "Hey world its 8 August already in #gisborne"

@winstonmoreton is one tweeter who isn't afraid to share his mind with the world or with twitter.  If you are looking for a tweeter who can see both sides of the argument and yet stands his ground when he knows he's right then Winston is your man.  Give him a follow - you might just be pleasantly surprised to see who pops up in your timeline.

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” 

― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Random follow #154 - @booksadventures

It takes some serious commitment and drive to work your way through 12 years of school and then follow that up with at least another 6 years at University.  But that's what you need to do if you if you want to earn your PhD.  Well that and then some but we won't go too much into the details.

But having a few letters behind your name doesn't make you who you are.  What it does is tell everyone else that you have a passion in a particular area, you know more than most other people do about that subject and you have the skills and abilities to both teach about it as well as teach others.

That is exactly what @booksadventures does.  He is both a writer of books as well as a reader of them.  And he is also a teacher.

Matt is a really genuine guy who comes armed with a great sense of humor.  It appears that in real life he is just as witty as he is online -

"Really? I'm so proud. RT @catatonichic New word I learned from @booksadventures: sassmonger", and

"Now THERE's a Facebook status update. "Bleakish.""

And he is pretty good with his volume of tweets produced too.  Just be warned that he tweets.  A lot.  In a good way of course.  Matt also has a knack of seeking out and RTing some really good tweets too.  So this is in no way a boring account - quite the opposite.  There is light, laughter and love in this timeline.  And libraries.  Lots and lots of libraries.  And included in a large number of those library tweets are the truly legendary @corinh.  

He is pretty good at encouraging people to engage both with reading as well events that surround the library scene as well.  Matt gives you some insight into what books and materials he is using to teach different classes so you can sort of read along if you like.  He gives credit where credit is due which is a trait not often exercised - 

"That reminds me - coffee with Jo of @UnityBooks inspired & revived me this lunchtime. Great booksellers make such a difference to city life."

So if you are looking for a tweeter who is highly engaging, very energetic and entertaining to boot then @booksadventures is just the person you are looking for .  So there you go.

Random follow #119 - @onceautumn

Going off the beaten track can lead you to some amazing discoveries.  For it is when you get off the beaten track that your senses coma live and you are better able to appreciate the world around you and the beauty that it beholds.  The same applies to social media and people.  When you get off the beaten track and seek out new people and new adventures then you discover some of the real beautiful people of the world.  @onceautumn is exactly one of those people.

She doesn't tweet all that much.  In fact twitter appears to be more of a hobby and a sideline rather a lifestyle which so many if us twitter users have it as.  Amanda's profile picture really is quite something to behold.  It has a 1930's art nouveau feel to it that makes her even more attractive in a renaissance kind of way.

Whats nice about people who occasionally use twitter is that what you see is what you get.  There are no hidden agendas or funny things going on.  Amanda simply drops in every now and then and quietly updates you about anything that she considers worthy of tweeting about.

Examples of this are -

"Looking forward to my baking day tomorrow""

"I need to buy couches with more comfy arm rests for resting my head on."

If you choose to follow @onceautumn don't hold your breath waiting for a tweet.  And I in no way mean any offense but that statement at all.  Rather I say if you happen to see Amanda pop up in your timeline then appreciate her tweets for what they are.  Simple in their approach and beautiful in their delivery.  Even this one - "Georgie pie!!!!"

And I leave the final description of @onceautumn as per her own words - 

"Adores photography, books, shoes and anything that sparkles. Opinions are mine."

Random follow #96 - @catconnor

The great twitter bio. A place where you get a limited number of characters in which to tell the world about who you are and why they may or may not want to follow you.  Some people are a bit dull and don't really tell you a lot.  Other people have a creative flair and ability to spark something in your imagination that makes you stop, think twice and wonder.

@catconnor has definitely mastered the art of the twitter bio.  The few words that really strike me as being brilliant are these ones - "Knows where to hide the body".  Given that in twitter (usually) the person at the other end of the line is someone you have never met before makes these words that mush more interesting and intriguing.

But to take those words alone and form an opinion or a minds eye picture of Cat would not be doing her justice.  Why?  because she is a write of thrillers.  So you need to take it all together and discover all the goodness that is @catconnor.   This wonderful lady takes her writing very seriously.  So seriously that she currently has six books published in a crime/thriller series.  And that is no mean feat.  How do I know?

"Exciting!! Just got an email from my fab publishers with my kindle and ePub copies of soundbyte attached. :D #soundbyte"

It is that wild and creative imagination that helps to make her tweets both interesting, thought provoking and funny.  For example -

"Further to the light saber tweet - Just heard sirens. Most unusual considering where I am. Suspect Action Man is playing with his phone lol"  Right..............

"hahahaha Action Man text to say he just tried to move his desk (at work) and it fell apart."  Action Man?  Cute ;)


"I'll wake them after Bon Jovi. @DaveSmarty or I could turn this up and piss the moron neighbor off .... and wake the kids up. #2birds"

So there you go.  One lovely lady who has a couple of kids and a partner.  A lady who writes, tweets, cooks, makes coffee and drinks wine. Simply all the est things in life.  And if you want to you can check out one of her blogs over here.