About ThankBookFor
What is ThankBookFor?
ThankBookFor (no spaces, and capital letters at the start of each word if you please) is here to celebrate stories. We're here to celebrate the influence they have over us all, the way they shape us from an early age and continue to do so throughout our lives.
Stories come in many different forms, they're not just books. There are newspapers and magazines, films and television programmes. There are anecdotes and jokes, gossip and slander. There are big stories, like how we got here (I used Google Chrome) and where we're going, and there are little stories, like what happens when you drop a ball or why two plus two is four.
In one way or another, we interpret everything as a story. It's just how we roll.
What are we hoping to achieve?
Our objective is simple: to have some fun whilst furthering the cause of stories and literature, in all their many, varied forms. We've put together a series of podcasts with people we feel are pertinent to some of the more obvious stories in our lives. We've interviewed authors, publishers, doctors, book shop owners, librarians, musicians, Star Wars enthusiasts, teachers, binmen, architects, comedians, chiropodists, clergymen, dragons, mascara, soap dispensers and submarines. They didn't all make the cut to be released, or reality to be realised, but we did them anyway.
We'll also be putting on events every now and again, fantastic events, the likes of which you've never seen us put on before.
Who Are We?
A rare shot of the TBF members in their natural environment. Reading a book.
Tom Bissell
In the same way that Christian Bale is Batman, Tom is ThankBookFor. He worked for public libraries for 13 years, primarily as a mobile librarian. When he's not engaging in book and story related pursuits, he likes to eat Marmite. He's married with a young daughter who is slowly robbing him of all his energy by depriving him of sleep. A keen writer that very rarely writes, Tom enjoys reading, watching films, listening to music, and trying to foist his favourite books, films and bands onto other people. In this, he is relentless.
If you would like to be relentlessly preached at regarding what to read, watch or listen to, please contact Tom on Twitter. @TBFTomB
Gemma Todd
A best selling author (G.X. Todd) Gemma worked for public libraries for over 15 years, culminating in an 8 year stretch as a mobile librarian. When not reminiscing about driving the 35ft library van around the Black Country and scaring other road users, she can generally be found writing or building LEGO sets. Her acclaimed debut novel, DEFENDER, was published by Headline in January 2017. The sequel, Hunted, is due for release in May 2018.
For more information, or to contact Gemma directly, please go to Twitter. @GemTodd
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Cath has worked for public libraries since 2003 and would like to be a writer if she could just find an ending to one of her stories. After being an insomniac for many years she is now failing to catch up on sleep because some fool invented the Internet. She loves travelling (particularly in the USA), dragons, baking and all things textile.
Librarian by day and avenger of abused punctuation by night she can be found on Twitter.
Cath Hancox
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Sarah Mitton
Sarah is a Mumpreneur in the making. When not working on her new storytelling business - 'Rhubarb Rhubarb Creatives', juggling two children, or writing essays for her Masters, Sarah can be found nuzzled away in a good book... She is currently returning to Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children after starting it about 54 times. This time she will not be defeated!
If you know the ending of Midnight's Children and want to put Sarah out her misery you can contact her on Twitter.
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