Most Amazing Library

I just saw this article on Wired.com, Jay Walker's library is a booklover's (and stargazer's, and history buff's) dream.

I would simply die. This is now the coolest library I have ever seen. Far surpassing previous holders of the title, among them Trinity College Dublin and the library in the Enchanted Castle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Feast your eyes on more photos....

66%

Well, I didn't do so well on the November Blog-month goal. In fact, I barely escaped a failing grade - 2/3 of days I successfully posted an entry. Ah well. I suppose it's a goal to have for the future!

But for the moment, I'm back! And I've brought some new fun: a POLL! See sidebar - look, it's big and prominent so you don't have to hunt. Yes, I'm venturing into the world of add-ons and fun features. So, dear readers (apparently I have 3 now! - although anonymous readers and passers-by are also very welcome), I pose a question to you:

What is your favorite book to read around the holidays? Myself, I routinely find my brain itching to read the young adult classic The Dark is Rising - one of the books in a series of 5, and an excellent story that is full of christmas-y setting. I also think of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the fight against winter without Christmas. And while I actually have never read A Christmas Carol (gasp!), it certainly comes to mind as a holiday classic.

So tell me what you think, and definitely leave a comment if you have another suggestion - I'm always looking for recommendations!

Bookish Things

Well, I am feeling a bit low for writing inspiration today, so I figure that instead i will share some of my favorite resources for reading that can be found on the internet. As you may know, I'm an avid reader. My husband may argue that "avid" is much too tame of an adjective to use.

I recently purchased a Kindle, and have found it to be a fantastic platform. While I have some minor complaints, mostly about the user interface (UI), I really enjoy the portability, the fact that your eyes feel that they are reading paper, the ability to have multiple books at your fingertips and the lightweight device - I recently finished reading Book 3 in the Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr, which weighs in 784 pages and probably about 2 pounds - and reflected how nice it was to hold the Kindle in one hand without the strain that would usually result from such a tome. I've become something of a product evangelist, and should probably contact Amazon about my commission, as I've directly influenced at least two friends to purchase one. If you are at all interested in the device, I'd be more than happy to share additional thoughts with you. I think it's a winner!

Another site that I've come to really enjoy is Goodreads, a central database to store your reading lists, books that you'd like to read in the future, and share your reviews and recommendations with friends. You can see I've embedded my current list in the sidebar of the blog. If you read frequently and would like a convenient way to catalog and share your favorites, I highly recommend it. And it's free!

Finally, what should you do with the books you've read and no longer have a need for? Well, you can certainly donate them to a local school or library, or take them into a convenient used book store. However, there are some other fabulous resources available:

• BookMooch is a place where you can swap books you no longer need with others seeking to reduce their own inventory. The availability is a bit spotty, and it's difficult to find new releases and popular fiction, but I've found some great classics as well as travel guides and general non-fiction. You add books to your inventory that you are willing to swap, and gain points as they are mooched by other users. Then, you can use these points to mooch books that you want! You pay outgoing postage (media mail) on books that you send, and do not pay for books shipped to you, so there is some out of pocket cost, but it's significantly less than you'd pay for new books, and it promotes recycling!
• If swapping your books online doesn't excite you, then you can also benefit from the internet in selling your books online for cash. I like this as a first-stop: if I have books I'd like to dispose of, I'll first input them on BookScouter to see which buyback sites will offer me the best deal. So far, I've had great luck and prompt payment from Cash4Books and Textbooks.com.

That's it for today! I hope you've enjoyed and can make use of some of these resources!

Kindling

After much debate, I bought a Kindle prior to my trip to India and Thailand.

And, I love it.

I definitely don't see this replacing my collection of favorite books anytime soon. But, I do think that my frequent trips to Borders/Elliot Bay/Half Price Books/etc. will be lessened as I will do more "random" book shopping via the Kindle - and then purchase hard copies for my permanent collection of favorites.

It was a big expense - these things aren't cheap - but the future savings in book costs (usually significantly lower than prices for physical books) and back relief (much lighter than toting the 2-3 books I usually have with me) will likely make it pay for itself in a short period of time.

More to come, but I'm definitely a fan and would recommend this for big readers, heavy travelers, and all sorts of gear-heads.

Books

Reading is something else, an engagement of the imagination with life experience. It’s fad-resistant, precisely because human beings are hard-wired for story, and intrinsically curious. Reading is not about product...Yes, the act of reading takes some effort, unlike the passive act of using the products Jobs has created, which involves little more than directing eyeballs to a flat patch or putting a plug into the ear. -excerpted from "Book Lust" in Wednesday's NYT.

An interesting counterpoint to my last post, and in response to Steve Jobs' comment lamenting the death of reading as an American activity. The author presents much more positive statistics about the frequency and impact of the American reader.

Particularly intriguing for me as I debate the merits of purchasing a Kindle. Less time spent in the back corners of independent bookstores? Fewer bookshelves groaning under the weight of my collection? Lighter bag without 1-2 books inside at all times? the ability to take a vacation and not run out of reading material half-way through? all good things...

contrasted to the pure joy of cracking open a new book, smelling the pages, touching the paper, and sitting with a cup of tea on a weekend morning?

I'm not sold yet....

Navigating by Bookstore

I had a life-altering experience this past weekend. Okay, I exaggerate, but even so, it was amazing. Beau and I were in Oregon for a friend's wedding, and on our way back home on Sunday, we made a stop at Powell's City of Books, in downtown Portland.

I'd heard of Powell's before, and actually subscribe to some of their review newsletters, but somehow I had not connected that it's the biggest bookstore in the world. It's just overwhelming! first off, it's an entire city block, with multiple floors. You walk in and collect a map, which guides you to the many color-coded sections that feature, say, cooking, home, and business; military, political, philosophical and social sciences; travel, religion; and so on and so forth.

Another really nice thing about Powell's is that they intermix the used and new books on the shelf. It gives you the option to purchase whichever type of book you want, in the condition you desire, at a price more or less of your choice.

Those of you who know me well will be impressed when I say I made it out only purchasing six new books (two of which were actually used). If you're interested:

• The Dark River (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 2) by John Twelve Hawks - follow up to The Traveler, a few years back


• Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran


• The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien


• Whose Freedom?: The Battle over America's Most Important Idea by George Lakoff


• Monkey Dancing: A Father, Two Kids, and a Journey to the Ends of the Earth by Daniel Glick


• The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design by Richard Dawkins

So with Powell's freshly in mind, I thought I'd publish for my friends and readers a list of my favorite bookstores across the country. If you happen to find yourself in one of these cities, run, do not walk, to the noted destination :-)

Seattle: Elliott Bay Book Company

Denver: The Tattered Cover

Boston (Cambridge): Globe Corner (travel books) and Schoenhof's (foreign language books)

Washington DC: Kramerbooks & Afterwords

and of course..
Portland: Powell's


I'll update as my travels take me elsewhere...

Seeking Suggestions



I'm currently reading an excellent book, The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay. It's really very good. It draws me in and makes me very sad when my ferry ride is over and I have to put it aside until the evening.

The interesting thing about this book is that, without the recommendation from a good friend, I would probably have overlooked it. The title sounds a bit too "personal-inspiration" story to make me pick it out of a crowd; the description (on the edition that I purchased) displays boxing gloves - I'm not a huge reader of sports stories - and in fact, despite the recommendation, I passed it by several times on trips to Borders.

Which just goes to show, sometimes my "book-sniffer" fails.

So with that in mind, any elusive readers of my blog, I'd love to get your suggestions. What are two or three of your favorite books? perhaps something outside of my usual silos of historical fiction, current affairs, and YA fiction/fantasy. Although I'd welcome any suggestions, of course. I won't ask for your ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK because I know how much I personally hate that question. But just to open it up - what should be next on my TBR list? (to be read)

Thanks in advance for any responses :-)