The Book of the Future

A Book by Edgar A. Guest

“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

Bladorthin the Grey?

Loved this bit from Mental Floss, naming 17 famous literary characters who were almost named something else.  Bladorthin the Grey just doesn't have the same ring to it that Gandalf does.  See what you think of the others.

Bookish Town

I would like to live here.

Fictional Landscapes

UK based artist, Kyle Kirkpatrick, constructs wonderfully tiny dioramas using the topographies of carved books. 

Book Fountain

Love this Book Fountain in Budapest.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

She was two feet, eight inches tall, but Mercy Lavinia Bump (or Mrs. Tom Thumb) was a nineteenth century icon.  Vinnie was born on October 31, 1841 in Middleborough, Massachusetts, to a family of good standing.  All of her siblings (except for her younger sister, Minnie) were normal sized.  Vinnie had a form of proportionate dwarfism (probably caused by a pituitary disorder).  She had a very loving and normal childhood, even teaching school for a short time.  She left home to appear on a floating palace of curiosities and eventually crossed paths with P. T. Barnum.  Barnum introduced her to General Tom Thumb and their wedding would captivate the nation, preempt coverage of the Civil War, and usher them into the White House and the company of presidents and queens.  They traveled the globe, met Brigham Young, and were among the first passengers on the new Union Pacific railroad linking the country and also among the very first Americans of any size to travel to the new colony of Australia.  This is a novel of the Gilded Age and one woman's public triumphs and personal tragedies.  After you've read the book, you may want to explore The Lost Museum which reconstructs Barnum's American Museum in an interactive fashion, and also provides much history about Barnum and his various performers.

Vinnie died in 1919 at the age of 78,  She was a remarkable person, who never let her size define her.

Justin Rowe, Book Sculptor

Justin Rowe is a Book Sculptor whose work is cut free hand with a scalpel and assembled with gum Arabic.  Here's a link to a fairytale exhibit he has done, and another link to an article that explores his amazing talent.  Enjoy.

Bookends of the Earth

These sculptural bookends by Chicago-based artist Garth Borovicka cleverly utilize the layers of wood and the growth rings within to symbolize the sedimentary layers of the Earth. They compare microcosms and macrocosms, exploring the similarities of naturally occurring patterns on small and large scales.  In both instances these patterns represent the passage of time on either a relatively short span or a massive one. As a further play with the theme of scale, each set is cut from a larger landscape built by the artist. When displayed as bookends they make reference to the life cycle of a tree and its various uses.

Book Inspired Cakes

These are courtesy of booklicious:

Twilight

Jane Austen

Harry Potter

Narnia

If you Love to Read

Epilogue: The Future of Print

This is a student documentary project exploring the world of print.  It will stir your thoughts and hopefully elicit discussion about the immersive reading experience and the lost craft of the book arts.  It is for people who are still passionate about reading on paper.

Library e books

While three-quarters of the nation's public libraries now offer e-book lending services, their patrons may still lack awareness of the full range of options available. A phone survey of 2,986 Americans--ages 16 and older--conducted by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project from November 16 to December 21, 2011, found that only 12% had borrowed an e-book from a library during the previous year and 62% did not know whether their library offered e-book lending (our library does free downloads/click here icon on the left).
According to the survey, 58% of respondents have a library card and 69% consider the library important to them and their family. Also of note:

• 58% of all library cardholders do not know if their library provides e-book lending services.
• 53% of all tablet computer owners do not know if their library lends e-books.
• 48% of all owners of e-book reading devices do not know if their library lends e-books.
• 47% of all those who read an e-book in the past year do not know if their library lends e-books.

"It was a genuine surprise to see these data, especially after all of the attention that has been paid to the tension between libraries and major book publishers about whether many of the most popular books should be available for lending by libraries," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project.

The Pew survey found that e-book borrowers read an average (the mean number) of 29 borrowed or purchased books during the past year in all formats (e-book, printed book, audiobook), compared to 23 books for readers who do not borrow e-books from a library. The median (midpoint) figures for books reportedly read are 20 in the past year by e-book borrowers and 12 by non-borrowers.

Asked about the most recent book they had read, 41% of those who borrow e-books from libraries purchased their most recent e-book.

Among e-book readers who also have library cards, 55% prefer to buy e-books, while 36% prefer borrowing them from any source (friends or libraries). For library card holders, 46% prefer to buy print books and 45% prefer to borrow print books. When it comes to e-book borrowers, 33% say they generally prefer to buy e-books and 57% say they generally prefer to borrow them.

Regarding e-title availability, 32% of e-book borrowers say the selection at their library is "good," 18% "very good" and 16% "excellent," with 23% calling the selection "fair," 4% "poor" and 8% saying they don’t know.

Other notable findings:

• 18% of e-book borrowers say at one point or another they found that an e-book they were interested in was not compatible with the e-reading device they were using.
• 46% of those who do not currently borrow e-books from libraries would be "very" or "somewhat" likely to borrow an e-reading device that came loaded with a book they wanted to read.
• 32% of those who do not currently borrow e-books would be "very" or "somewhat" likely to take a library class on how to download e-books onto handheld devices.
• 32% of those who do not currently borrow e-books say they would be "very" or "somewhat" likely to take a course at a library in how to use an e-reader or tablet computer.

Kathryn Zickuhr, a research specialist at the Pew Internet Project, said the findings suggest ways that libraries might be able to build awareness: "First, these data show that public education campaigns might add to the numbers of those who are aware that e-books can be borrowed and enjoyed on new technology like tablet computers and e-book reading devices. Second, the data show that a share of patrons would appreciate being helped in their quest to master new devices and load e-books onto them."

(If you have any trouble at all with accessing e-reader content, I urge you to contact your local library.  They are there to help you in any way possible.)

[courtesy of Shelf Awareness, June 22, 2012]

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin

I was not familiar with Charles Martin as an author, but a patron at the library recommended him highly, and I decided to read this particular book of his based on a quote on the back of the book from Library Journal that said:  "Martin's engaging Southern family drama will have crossover appeal for readers of Pat Conroy.  It deserves a place in all collections."

Pat Conroy has always been one of my favorite authors, so I decided to see what I thought about Martin and his style of writing.  First let me say, I LOVED this book.  It is a very moving story that illustrates beautifully some of my favorite verses from the bible--1 Corinthians 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.   Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Tucker Mason is a photographer of international fame who has seen life in all its beauty and tragedy.  When his brother escapes from a mental institution and an old girlfriend appears with a son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to go back home where he will have to face the pain of his own past.  Growing up in the home of an abusive, alcoholic father in rural Alabama, the best thing his father ever did for Tucker was hire Miss Ella Rain to look after them. 

Miss Ella is my favorite character from the book, and her timeless words of wisdom about the redeeming power of love are infused in just about every page and indelibly written on Tucker's heart.  Here's just one brief example:  "Light doesn’t have to announce its way into a room or ask the darkness to leave. It just is. It walks ahead of you, and the darkness rolls back like a tide."  Like that? Here's another:  "Child," she said placing her head to mine and her callused fingers on my cheek, "you can whip it and beat it senseless, you can drag it through the streets and spit on it, you can even dangle it from a tree, drive spikes through it, and drain the last breath from it, but in the end, no matter what you do, and no matter how hard you try to kill it, love wins."

This book touched me to my core from the very first pages.  I did not want to put it down.  Thought provoking and beautifully written.

The Pioneer Woman Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story by Ree Drummond

Ree Drummond began blogging in 2006, and her blog www.thepioneerwoman.com showcases her photography, and documents her transition from city life to ranch wife on a working cattle ranch near Pawhuska, OK.  She shares recipes on her website and has written a book called The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  I have followed her blog for some time now, and find it interesting (some posts more than others) and I always love the pictures she posts.  This book just fills you in on how she met her "Marlboro Man" (her name for her husband) and the early days of her transition from city woman to farm woman, which eventually led to her metamorphosis into her Pioneer Woman persona.  It is an opposites-attract love story told with Ree's self-deprecating humor.  It reminds us that love really is a heart-thumping, blood-pumping, passionate roller coaster ride when you are lucky enough to meet your soul mate and pursue the beautiful dance of commitment and honor and, yes, adjustment that is involved in blending two disparate personalities into one happy entity.  I found it to be a funny diversion, an easy uncomplicated read.  Ree Drummond is a hoot, and I've never read so many pages written in so many different ways about just... making out.  Nobody's perfect--neither Ree, nor her cowboy--but the love they shared always seemed to triumph...and who doesn't like to read a good love story?

Nature-Infused Altered Books

Rachael Ashe is an emerging, self-taught artist who also sees the beauty in books. The Vancouver-based artist creates lovely works that all have a nature element to them.  "I live in Vancouver, BC, a city surrounded by mountains, forests, and the ocean. Nature is ever present within the city, but I also don’t have to go far in order to immerse myself fully in natural surroundings.  I think incorporating imagery of birds, trees, and even using found objects from nature in my artwork is a natural byproduct of the environment in which I live."  Her work is truly beautiful.

Too true

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This story is told in the voice of Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old, who lives in the country of Panem in a post-apocalyptic world.  The Capitol, a highly advanced Metropolis, has political and military dominance over the rest of the nation where the country of North America once existed.  The Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl (aged 12-18) from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised outdoor arena until only one person is left.  District 12, where the story begins, is located in the coal rich region that was formerly Appalachia.  Katniss volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose, who was drawn in the lottery.  Also selected from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, the Baker's Son, who has a crush on Katniss and actually saved her from starving once. 

They are taken to the Capitol where they are groomed for the Game (along with the other Tributes)
and publicly displayed to the audience along with an interviewer who conducts interviews with them both.  Audience members are encouraged to send gifts and become sponsors.  Katniss has hunting and outdoor skills that help her and Peeta survive.  Due to Katniss and Peeta's image in the mind of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", Katniss plays up this angle to win the sympathy of the audience.  The rest of the book is devoted to how the Games play out.

The book tackles issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, etc.  The choices they make and the stragegies they use are often morally complex and the themes of power and the down-trodden add to the complexity of the book.  There is also the theme of self-sacrifice and hope that is played out in the story.  An enjoyable read, despite the grim nature of the story. 

Let your imagination soar

This would make a great entrance to the story hour room in the children's area of any library.

Print's not dead, It's Getting High in the Sky (via paidcontent.org)

Even though this was made for Ink Global, a firm that produces printed in-flight magazines for airlines (the clouds being one of the few places where connected tablets don't always function), I love this lyrical manifesto that riffs for the salvation of an entire medium.  My favorite quotes..."illuminates without batteries," and "ink is not sinking."  There are many times I've wished I could do what the flight attendant does and silence that technology whenever it is used in inappropriate places (from the workplace, to the intrusive bombardment of our personal space by others who clearly believe that whatever they are doing takes precedent and trumps everything else--your schedule, your peace and quiet, your right to remain undisturbed are not a priority with them).  It is scary that some people are incapable of laying those things down, turning them off, or detaching that electronic device from their hand or ear.  Just another reason I like the whisper of words on a printed page.

5,000 books pour out of a building in Spain

Artist Alicia Martin's tornado of books shoot out a window like a burst of water from a giant hose. The Spain-based artist's sculptural installation at Casa de America, Madrid depicts a cavalcade of books streaming out of the side of a building. The whirlwind of literature defies gravity and draws attention with its grandeur size. There have been three site-specific installations, thus far, of the massive sculptural works in this series known as Biografias, translated as Biographies, that each feature approximately 5,000 books sprawled out around and atop one another.

Martin's giant book structures give life to the inanimate objects filled with knowledge. By constructing the curving towers with a rather free and disheveled exterior, while maintaining a sturdy core, the books' loose pages are free to blow and rustle in the wind, allowing the piece to be further animated.

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Anne Rice is the author of 31 books.  She will probably always be best known for her Vampire Chronicles series, but this time out she tackles the legend of the werewolf in "The Wolf Gift."  The basic premise of the book is pretty straightforward.  A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer visits a grand mansion set amongst a towering redwood forest.  That night he is violently attacked and bitten by a beast he cannot see.  This sets in motion a transformation...or as Anne refers to it the 'wolf gift'.

The rest of the book deals with this terrifying, yet seductive, transformation, as the young man is torn between embracing who he is evolving into or fearing what he will become.  And here is where Anne's extraordinary gift as a writer really shines.  She always does a tremendous amount of research for her books and isn't afraid to wade into some pretty deep philosophical and theological waters in her exploration of this cosmology she has created and in her attempt to find her characters a place in it.  And you can pretty much forget most of the werewolf lore you may have absorbed from current werewolf novels or movies, because Anne has created her own history as a backdrop for this story.   

The classic theme of good versus evil is explored here.  How does one know true evil? Can something seen as evil be a servant of good? She refers to the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (a french philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist) as she explores what we believe about right and wrong, the existence of God, and our search for redemption.  If you are looking for dramatic tension or fast pacing, you will be disappointed.  But if you are looking for a read that will fire your imagination and catch you up in religious and philosophical pondering, then you'll probably like this good gothic tale.  And Anne's descriptive writing style is always a plus.  She reminds me of Poe or Tolkien in her descriptive power, which may bore some people, but I always find quite charming.  She has certainly left the door open for possible sequels, so this may be the start of a new series for her. In any case, I found it an interesting addition to the genre.