Ring! Ring! Britain’s Smallest Library calling …
June 26, 2010
You may have read that Britain’s once ubiquitous red phone boxes are in the process of becoming extinct. So, too, the mobile library relied upon by many small rural communities. “Aha!” said one small town and got to work solving two problems at once by creating a book exchange in a phone booth!
According to the Daily Mail, “resident Angela Buchanan was also full of praise for the book box. ‘It’s such a brilliant idea,’ she said. ‘Our nearest library is Wells, four miles away, so if you don’t want to go into the town but have run out of something to read, it’s great you can use this. All sorts of interesting books turn up – manuals, picture books, good literary novels.’
The door to the phone box graciously remains unlocked 24 hours a day and is conveniently kept lit at night. Volunteers review the collection of books and remove any that appear not to have been of interest, donating them to charity and replacing those books with new titles. Everything is kept fresh and interesting. It may be the smallest library in Britain but I bet it’s one of the busiest and certainly most quaint!
Delightful Discoveries
May 21, 2010
I recently came across an article and was delighted by it for so many reasons. Firstly, it is beautifully written, by a favourite writer, Ann Patchett, of Bel Canto fame. (Bel Canto is a must-read if you have yet to have the pleasure.) Secondly, it is about the discovery of a charming little town with charming folk and (deep breath) a charming book store. Sighhhh. Should I mention the cherry pie now? Yup. Charming cherry pie! As it’s a long weekend, many of you are busy packing your duffle bags and setting off up the coastline, to islands, or through the valleys inland. Whether your journey involves ferries or winding roads or you expect to journey no farther than your own back deck, here’s a little trip for you. A few paragraphs to give you a taste – you can read the full article in the New York Times Style magazine here.
“There I was in Petoskey. The houses were wide of porch and steep of gable, many of them painted in the colors favored by seventh-grade girls. Petunias dangled from window boxes. Below the town the sun spread its diamond light over Lake Michigan, over the boats and the swimmers and the shore. The small downtown was a throwback to some simpler idea of American vacations, a couple of ice cream stores that sold taffy and fudge, a gift shop with T-shirts in the window that said lake. Imagine the cast of “Mad Men” driving out to Michigan in wood-paneled station wagons for the summer. Frank Sinatra playing in the hotel bar. Sophisticated restaurants commingling with pie shops. The world was leafy and dappled, quiet and cool. Within 10 minutes I started to wonder how I could spend the rest of my life in Petoskey. …
When I walked into the bookstore of this dreamy little town, at that moment, all the other bookstores I’ve known in my life fell away. Julie Norcross founded McLean & Eakin Booksellers in 1992, naming it for her two grandmothers. Like the town she comes from, she must have a long history of people falling in love with her at first sight. She’s one of those supremely competent individuals who would have made an excellent pioneer. One imagines she could build a sod house in a pinch, but she can also tell a joke, drink a martini, run a business. The books at McLean & Eakin are arranged to beckon, and there are plenty of big chairs to fall into once you heed their call. It is the kind of store where I could happily spend a summer. …
It is just so thrilling to be around people who read, people who will pull a book off the shelf and say, “This is the one you want.” People who want to know what I’m reading and will tell me what they’re reading so that while we talk, stacks of books begin to form around us. It’s my own personal idea of heaven. It is also, in this age of the overnighted electronic hand-held, a bit of Americana you aren’t going to see everywhere. Like the town of Petoskey itself, a very good bookstore feels a little nostalgic, a place out of time.”
Learn more about McLean & Eakin Booksellers here. Visit Petoskey, Michigan here.
May you have delightful discoveries yourself on this long weekend!
Novel Artwork
May 16, 2010
I am a dedicated fan of the Canadian illustrator/printmaker Alanna Cavanagh. At this point I am still a “virtual” collector of her work, enjoying her wit and creativity in magazines and on her website. Today you can share in the fun and enjoyment!
For Alanna Cavanagh’s website and blog, click here.
For a peak into how she created the authentic looking coffee stains on the above shown print, click here.
Canadian House & Home magazine has shown a number of homes belonging to collector’s of her work – the most recent is in the June 2010 issue. For a quick view of the Canadian House & Home article click here.
N is for Novel – Alanna Cavanagh
BiblioBurro – Donkey Library
May 2, 2010
Here is a wonderful (possibly even awesome!) story of a devoted teacher, Luis Humberto Soriano, who finds a way to bring books to children who otherwise would not have access to them in rural Colombia. This video shows how the children’s love of learning and of books is ignited through his mobile “book club”.
An excerpt from an article at CNN where Luis Soriano was nominated as one of the CNN Heroes of 2010:
“Soriano, 38, is a primary school teacher who spends his free time operating a “biblioburro,” a mobile library on donkeys that offers reading education for hundreds of children living in what he describes as “abandoned regions” in the Colombian state of Magdalena…
“I saw two unemployed donkeys at home and had the idea [to use] them in my biblioburro project because they can carry a heavy load,” Soriano said. “I put the books on their backs in saddles and they became my work tools…
Every Wednesday at dusk and every Saturday at dawn, Soriano leaves his wife and three young children to travel to select villages — up to four hours each way — aboard a donkey named Alfa. A second donkey, Beto, follows behind, toting additional books and a sitting blanket. They visit 15 villages on a rotating basis…
More than 4,000 youngsters have benefited from Soriano’s program since it began in 1990. Soriano says countless others have been helped, too; parents and other adult learners often participate in the lessons…”
Inspiring!
To the Library!
April 22, 2010
My Writing Group went on a field trip recently- seeking inspiration, enjoying friendship and … yes, there may have been chocolate involved. One of the treasures we encountered were pockets and cards from library books. Remember these from your elementary school library? The names awkwardly yet carefully printed with HB pencil over several lines. They were at the wonderful little shop called The Regional Assembly of Text on Main Street in Vancouver.
I went to the library for the first time in several years the other day and discovered I had an unpaid fine. Egad how embarrassing. And then I held my breath … the fine? 60 cents. 60 cents!! I am afraid I tend to mostly purchase my books and occasionally borrow them from friends. I love independent bookstores and harbour a secret (not so much of a secret now apparently …!) desire to have my own bookstore one day. Remember Meg Ryan’s Shop Around the Corner in the movie You’ve Got Mail? Heaven! I confess though that books on occasion fall from the display at Costco into my cart – that buggy is so big it has its own gravitational pull. And I do spend an inordinate amount of time at Chapters because I love wandering the aisles and perusing the vast selection of titles in a variety of sections. Home decor, reference, fashion, sport, biography, business, magazines … like so many little book shops all together. Purchases at either of these “Big Box” options always makes me feel a bit disloyal though. So … how do you shop for books? Are you a library devotee? Is it used bookstores that you frequent? Are you in the next aisle over at Chapters? What’s your favourite indpendent bookstore? Were you a Grade 5 library monitor too? 
Font Geeks!
April 5, 2010
Has anyone else been noticing a curious page inserted in the final pages of some novels – the “A Note About the Type” page? I admit at first I paid little attention but I must say I’ve become quite intrigued … Here is an example from “The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill which so many of us enjoyed last year.
A Note on the Type “This book is set in Carol Twombley’s Adobe Caslon, patterned after the typefaces of William Caslon I, England’s first great typecutter. His faces, the first of which was issued in 1725 , were used by Benjamin Franklin, in 1776, to set the US Declaration of Independence.”
Hmmm. Not sure it influenced my enjoyment of the book much but then again, I know I have read books whose type I have found irritating, or at least too small or poorly organized. James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces used a small font and no paragraphing to make a style statement – one that drove me bananas! And remember reading Lori Lansen’s The Girls in which each “girl” had her own chapter in her own font? An interesting tool which helped clarify which voice we were reading.
The Penguin publishing group recently released an entertaining series of videos called Type Matters featuring discussion of fonts and type by book designers. They are entertaining folks! Take a peek and perhaps gain an appreciation for some of the behind the scenes work that contributes to your reading experience.
The BookBook
March 24, 2010
Last week I wrote about book covers and then I came across another type of book cover I think you’ll love! A company called TwelveSouth has created the BookBook … “a novel way to cover MacBook”.
“Each BookBook is brought to life with hand craftsmanship and distressing, ensuring no two are exactly alike. From dual zippers with leather pulls, that at first glance look like bookmarks, to the sturdy reinforced hardback covers, BookBook is a vintage work of art built to protect modern day Macs. Along with classic looks, BookBook was designed to use as a traditional sleeve or to work while connected via elastic corner clips. Those dual zippers give you the option to charge your MacBook while it safely stays inside BookBook. This case is designed with good looks and smart functionality, cover to cover.”
Makes me wish I was a MacBook user!
Not a Kindle user either but thought those of you who are might enjoy this Kindle sleeve – also with a vintage book look. This one is available on Etsy.
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A Book and Its Cover
March 17, 2010
Never judge a book and all that … but I admit I do! Don’t you too? Some wonderful book covers have caught my eye lately and yes, I may have even added a few of them to the Bedside Table collection – for art’s sake of course! (Had “art” capitalized but then thought you might wonder who Art was!) Click on your favourite covers to learn more about the books. I’m sure you’ll be tempted to read them! Share your favourite book covers with the rest of us … (I’ll upload the photo if you want to just send the titles)
I love these:
and this one: 
And here is the story behind its cover!
