The Book Thieves

What do the following have in common:

• Anything by Charles Bukowski
• Anything by William Burroughs
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
• Anything by Martin Amis

Well, Publishers Weekly has reported they're the five most stolen authors and books in the US. People half-inch them so much that bookshops have to keep them behind the counter.

Really?

Yep indeedy so. Apparently, people may be swiping Bukowski and Burroughs's works because these writers seek truth with their work. These booklifters feel the truth is a basic human right and, therefore, legitimises a bit of lightfingeredness in bookstores. 'Course it does! *nods sarcastically*

Then there's the Kerouac bandits. These guys must identify with On the Road, with the 'liberation' that permeates through the pages of this and of books by Bukowski and Burroughs. (They really have a lot to answer to!). They probably want to commit reckless acts like the ones they read about in these books.

And Auster? Well, no real explanation is given. Maybe they're just hankering for something different! Same goes for Mr Amis! People must just like him!

What if you just prefer to borrow books?

Well, if you want a how-to manual or information on UFOs or astrology, you may be out of luck. These seem to be the type of books which go missing most from library shelves. Oh and best learn the Ten Commandments just in case - The Bible is another popular steal!

Over to you

Supposing temptation got the better of you and there was one book you just had to have. Which would be the one book you'd risk getting locked up for? And why? And no Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist please! Too cliché!

Source: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/2011/07/13/the-5-most-stolen-books/

Raising the (Boss) Tone

A couple of weeks ago, I locked horns with the ska band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. In my post 'Lowering the (Boss) Tone', I set myself the fun and lofty challenge of increasing this blog's Google ranking when people searched for the term 'The Impression That I Get'.

To recap, here were just a few of the ways I outlined to achieve this:

• Incorporating keywords naturally into the post
• Displaying the music video
• Encouraging feedback

Where did I go from there?

At the time I posted the article, my blog came up on the sixth page of Google hits. Not so brilliant. SEO is a tricky task because there are so many competing websites out there on the internet. So perseverance (and good SEO) are key.

After writing the article, I had the brainwave of revising my meta description (the website description you see in Google). This gave me the chance to slip in some more keywords. 

I took another look at related terms too - such as 'lyrics the impression that i get' and 'guitar chords the impression that i get' - in the Google keyword tool. This create the opportunity to add more keywords and bring the page up for related searches.

How did I get on?

Sounds like an episode of Blind Date, doesn't it!

The blog jumped up from the sixth page to the fourth page for 'the impression that i get'. Better still,it hits page 1 of Google if you type 'the impression that i get blog' or 'the impression that i get blogspot'.

What happens next?

Chuffed as I am with my progress, there's still a bit to go before I give myself any congratulatory pats on the back.

One of the key ways to optimise a blog or website is by providing fresh content. Having written today's post, seized the chance to repeat some of the original keywords and interlinked the two posts, it should climb even further now.

From there I'll reanalyse the post and the blog until I either topple the Bosstones or at least am up there sitting pretty with them. Sometimes if you can't beat 'em, joining 'em ain't so bad! But only sometimes...

What's my age again?

Read a Guardian article about one of my celebrity crushes, Jennifer Aniston, recently and how we'll never see her on the cover of Vogue magazine. The reason? Her demands for the right to approve and veto copy and photos of herself. 

I have to admit she was starting to look her age. Naturally, she was still beautiful with it! *cuddles up lovingly and sucks up*

For reasons even my active mind can't understand, Andy Warhol popped into my head. With his trademark white-grey hair, he looked fairly old in his time. Older than he was, I believe.

From there my mind took another random leap, this time to a photo in a book I'd read about Michel Foucalt, the French philosopher (told you it was active!). Just like Warhol wore white hair to obscure his real age, Foucalt refused to let anyone categorise his views or persona.

It all got me thinking about how we become more age conscious as we grow older. Some people like to hide their age. Some people are proud of their age. Some people look their age. Some people don't (that would be me!). Some people act their age... and some people don't (I may be guilty of that sometimes!). 

Some people long to be young again. Others long to be older. But personally, even though I'm still a whippersnapper in body and spirit, I think being older can be a good thing:

• You've lived. 
• You take things in your stride easier. 
• You have stories to tell. 
• You have the common sense that comes with life experiences.

Best of all... If you have enough fun, people will think you're younger anyway!