On a rare occasion I post a link to a game. Since there are not a lot of ‘bookish’ games around, I seize the opportunity to bring you this one. It is one of those typical escape games. Except this one is in a library. I found it quite difficult, until my finance told me just to click on a lot of things. You can find the game here. Have fun!
If you want to protect the corners of your favourite hardcovers, this product might come in handy. It is a set of galvanised steel plate book corners. For 8,50 pounds you get 24 small ones, 24 medium ones and 12 large ones. You can order them here.
If you are ever in New York and you want to go out for a drink, go here! (And tell me all about it…) It is called the Library Bar, but do not take this too seriously. As they describe it: “Home of bad grammar, good music and adorable staff”. The only thing librarian about this bar is the staff, which kind of dress like librarians. Kind of: the wrong and over the top sexy way. As said, if you dare to set foot in it, let me know afterwards!
Or: bookplate. Personally, I hate it when people put bookplates in books. For me it is a real turnoff when I spot a second hand book and the previous owner glued one in. I feel the same when someone felt the need to write their name in a book. Why do people feel that need, I wonder? For collectors the books become worthless.
But… I do like the look of some bookplates. The art on them can be really nice. There is whole bunch of people who feel the same. Hence The Bookplate Society. Or this blog, by a self confessed ‘bookplate junkie’. The history behind these Ex Libris is actually quite interesting. You can learn about it here.
If you do like to put bookplates in your books, or collect them, I have a few links for you. Here you can find really pretty high quality Ex Libris. Also check out these
I recently wrote a post about the World’s best bookstore. You can find the post here. Michelle send me an e-mail about an amazing bookstore in Buenos Aires. It used to be a theatre and it looks fantastic. You can see an image of it here and more information on it here.
If you know of an amazing bookstore, that you think is the best of the world, please post it here. (You can also click the new category I made, named ‘bookstores’.)
I posted about bookish festivals before. Make sure you enter your local bookish festivals here! I found one that is worth a separate mention. Every year on April 1. the “Edible book festival” takes place in a lot of countries. “This festival is a celebration of the ingestion of culture and a way to concretely share a book; it is also a deeper reflexion on our attachment to food and our cultural differences”, the organisation writes on their website. You can find it here.
Weird?! Why should anybody house books without intending to read them? I have written about books for decoration only, but this… At this website, you can buy books by the foot. Yes, by the foot! Just because they look pretty. I’m sorry I have to say this, but… That’s so sad. And they do not come cheap too! I would rather spend the money to buy some proper reading material. Click here to be in awe.
I would like to find the best bookstore in the world. Or the most impressive one, or whatever you may call it. Of course, I need YOUR help with this. Whilst searching the web for the planet’s greatest bookstore, I came up with this and this. Visitors found that these bookstores were the best on earth. Also Powell’s bookstore in Portland, Oregon (USA), was mentioned quite a lot on the web as the worlds greatest bookstore. I also found this website: “Bookstore hall of fame”. I am sure you can top that! Let me know!
Please supply me with a link of YOUR favourite bookstore and some pictures. And tell my why you think it is so fantastic. This way, the other readers can benefit of it as well! This way, I hope to find the best bookstore on the planet.
If you love books, you love writers. Todays post about books on books is all about the people who produce our wonderful reading. Their lives, their thoughts, their inspirations. For instance: how do they live? You can find out about it in the book “American writers at home”, to be found here
There is also a book of beautiful portraits of writers. The pictures are very nice. The book is called “Writers: photographs”. You can learn more about it here
“For the first time, the worlds most influential religious texts are brought together and presented on the same level, their coexistence acknowledged and celebrated”. This is how the designers describe this piece of art. It is a shelf made of reclaimed wood that contains seven religious books. The designers have put them – literally – on the same level. It is made in a small edition, but with a big statement. Click here to find out more.
A new literature forum was brought to my attention today. It is called “LitMinds”. The people behind the forum aim to bring together readers, writers and bookstores. Since I applaud the idea behind this website, I would like to bring it to your attention as well. You can find it here. I have already registered. If you would like to register right away, you can click here. They also have a blog, to be found here.
…its reader. This is the title of this book about books. The under title is: “The power of the printed world to stir the world.” The book is written by Nicholas Basbanes, who has written a number of books on books. And he does it well. In this books he writes about all sorts of things related to books and writing.
If you always wondered about the following, this book might be for you… What books might Shakespeare have read? What books fill the libraries of writers? What do American presidents read? How do people view the bible? You can learn more about the book and look inside it here
Recently I visited an English language book store in my city and came across something peculiar. It were books published by Penguin. The covers of these books were blank. They had no cover art at all. On closer inspection I found out that they did this on purpose.
Penguin wants the reader to make the cover. “Books by the greats, covers by you”, is their slogan. With my drawing skills that is almost a mortal sin. If you are a good artist, maybe you should give it a try. Penguin has made a contest out of it. They reprinted six titles with blank covers. On the website you can also see the inspirational creations of others. Some of them are quite good! You can learn more about the books they make this way and the competition here.
They also thought it would make a really great gift idea. You can give someone one of these books and make the cover yourself. That’s quite original. I found this a very good idea. Anyway, if you decide to join the contest, make sure to send me a picture of your creation!
Festivals and special markets for books are fantastic. I love it when books are celebrated like that! In The Netherlands we have a couple of these events. Of course there are many festivities celebrating “the book” around the world. Today I present one of them. From May 24 until June 3 there is a book festival in Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Bill Clinton called it: “The Woodstock of the mind”. You can visit the site here. The website site also gives dates of other literary festivals.
If you know of any bookish festivals, please post them in the comments. That way, it could become some sort of global bookish agenda! Do not forget to post the date, the place and a link. If it becomes an extensive list, I will put it in the side bar for reference.
…The literary addiction. “Have you ever awakened the morning after a book-buying spree and been unable to remember how many volumes you bought or how much you spent?”, says the cover of this book. I sometimes say that I am a member of the BA. Bibliophiles Anonymous. “My name is Kim and I am a bibliophile.”
Of course, there is no such organisation. (Maybe there should be one?) In case you are in need of such a self help group, this book might prove useful. It gives you insight in your addiction and teaches you how to cope with it. You can find out more about it and look inside it here
I found a couple of funny librarian video’s on You Tube. Like this one. It is a short film of 4 minutes. I thought it was quite funny. Especially since the female librarian is not depicted as a geek, for once. If you are a guy: this is what happens when you return a book late or disrespect them.
The next one, I found hilarious. Click here to see it. It is actually a short car commercial, but it all takes place in a library. As said, I laughed my head off. The last one is called “The adventures of super librarian”. It’s only half a minute long. Click here to view it. If you know of other funny librarian movies, or short films on books or reading, let me know!
Most of you will probably not be able to visit this new bookstore, because it is in The Netherlands. Since I find it so utterly fantastic, and since I have more and more Dutch readers, I post about it anyway. If you aren’t Dutch and plan on visiting this country, make sure to visit this bookstore. I plan to go there as soon as I get the chance.
I love this bookstore so much, because it is housed in a Dominican church in Maastricht. The church was built in 1294. Recently it was converted into a bookstore. A have to say: it looks very dramatic. It is without doubt the most beautiful bookstore I have ever seen. Click here to visit their website. Unfortunately it is only available in Dutch.
The best thing is yet to come. A Dutch magazine put some photo’s on their website. I am sure you will enjoy them, even if you aren’t Dutch. Click here to see the most fantastic bookstore you have ever seen. (If you disagree and know of a better one: please let me know!)
This book about books is actually for little children. But I think most adults would love it too. The book has a fantastic title: “Please bury me in the library”. It has all sorts of poems celebrating books and reading. Each spread has as a different poem and artwork. You can learn more and look inside the book here
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