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World Book Night

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I think we can safely say that Britain shouldn’t be worrying about droughts any time soon; the rain it raineth every day. I’ve been on a brief holiday from work since Tuesday, so it’s been a pain that the weather’s been so abysmal, but it has been a nice change to catch up on sleep and TV. Monday night was World Book Night, a celebration of reading in which volunteers give copies of a favourite book to people who aren’t regular readers. I’d been working with the team at work to organise a quiz night – making posters, newsletters, posting on social media, ringing local businesses – and all in all we had a really nice successful evening. Was a bit of a pain because we’d organised that World Book Night would send us a box of books as a grand prize for the quiz winners, but despite assurances from the WBN executive on the day of the quiz that we would get them, they never showed up. I guess they had issues with their distributors, but hopefully they’ve shown up now! Nonetheless, I was really pleased that the whole thing worked out as it was one of the first proper events I’d helped to organise and it would’ve been a sad start to my break if it hadn’t panned out!

I still have a few of my World Book Night books to give out – Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – I’ve taken to packing a couple in my handbag every time I go out rather than trying to foist all of the copies on people in one go, but hopefully once the weather improves it will be easier to persuade people to stop and chat. No one wants a soggy book…

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London Book Fair and Projects

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Today was the first year that I visited London Book Fair, after several years of wanting to and never quite making it, and while I feel it would have probably helped to have gone as part of a group – either with students or booksellers – I did feel that it was quite an interesting and worthwhile day. Somehow dodging all of the rain, I made it to Earls Court and promptly spent the next hour wandering around a fairly overwhelmed daze, checking out catalogues and gazing lovingly at the artwork for Terry Pratchett’s Dodger amongst others. I also managed to catch Sophie Heawood’s interview with Caitlin Moran, which, as a testament to her popularity, was absolutely packed and had a good laugh at some of her stories. As I didn’t have many appointments, I rounded off the day mid afternoon by going to a seminar on social media and commerce and acquiring a book by way of reminding people that social media strategies costs employees time and energy and isn’t necessarily ‘free’. I don’t think I specifically took anything new from it, but it was good to know that a lot of the strategies I’m already trying to implement at work are approved ones!

The other project I’ve just sent off that I was really stoked to get involved with is The Penguin Postcard Project. Using Penguin’s Postcards from Penguin set, 100 applicants were sent a single postcard from the box and asked to provide a review. I was given ‘A Book of Scripts’ by Alfred J. Fairbank, which had unfortunately gone out of print so it took me a while to track down an intact copy, but I sent off my review last week and am waiting to see it on the site. It was an intriguing little text that gave an overview of calligraphy and scripts from Romans to the 1960s and although it was a bit of a shame that I didn’t get a fiction title to discover, I am still really glad that I got to be a part of the project.

Now most of my time is going to be dedicated to planning our shop’s event for World Book Night 2012 and trying to decide where to give away my 25 copies of Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s ‘Good Omens’. I’m currently thinking about visiting my local community hospital/doctor’s surgery and handing them out there, but who knows what’ll happen. Hopefully it’ll be a good night either way and turn some new people on to the joy of reading.

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Montage! (Montage #1)

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Montage #1

I don’t think the weather here could be nicer if it tried, all sunshine and summer breeze, so of course I chose to spend my time sitting in the dark at the cinema with my boyfriend. It was worth it though, because we finally got to see The Hunger Games! I was apprehensive that the adaptation was going to try and turn Twilight on us, because a lot of the merchandise and promotion seemed to focus on Team Peeta/Team Gale, when realistically Gale only had about 5 minutes of screen time, but other than that it was a pretty sound interpretation that I think everyone has go to see at least once. Makes my job at work easier as well because more people are coming in looking for the books, and it’s reassuring to say that they do actually bear some semblance to the film. I will wear my mockingjay pin with pride now! Other than that, most of my time has been spent reading, working and trying to put together a quiz night to celebrate World Book Night on 23rd April. Treated myself to some sunflowers the other day to counteract the stress, because there’s nothing more cheerful than fresh flowers in Springtime, and it also meant I could cross buying them off my 101 in 1001 list. Yay productivity!

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Hardback Versus Kindle

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Hardback Versus KindleI like to think that most of us who are bookishly inclined have heard all the pro vs anti e-reader arguments by now. I work in a bookshop, I also own a Kindle (purchased before I started working in the bookshop, admittedly). Having owned the Kindle for over a year, I have to say I still buy more physical books. I find my e-reader invaluable for long train journeys where I can get through 2 or 3 books but don’t want to be carrying them all around in my bag once I’m finished, yet on a daily basis I can find myself drooling at the foil, embossing or matte finish of a particularly lovely looking hardback. It’s fair to say that I believe there will always be a market for both forms of reading and that I believe it is more important that stories are read, than what they’re read on or with. What I am interested now is how will the two compare when put to more unorthodox challenges…

Which is Better if You Have OCD?

I am very precious about the physical condition of my books, particularly those that I lend out. While I marvel at people who can dog ear pages and scribble in margins, I have to wince at even the slightest spine crease – it’s just in my nature. E-books allow me to share and recommend books without the risk of my having to end a friendship over a dented cover. I like not making all my friends hate me.

WINNER: Kindle

Which is Better as a Seduction Technique?

Relationships and friendships blossom over a human fondness for snooping. Catching a potential partner engrossed in a book, you have a pre-made pick up line when you ask them if their choice is any good or not, getting embroiled into a lengthy discussion and then ending up married… I’m not really good at relationship strategies. Admittedly, there is nothing stopping you attempting the same move on a Kindle user, but it seems somehow more invasive to ask someone what they’re reading on a their Kindle, in much the same way as you wouldn’t go up to someone sitting on the train writing a document on their laptop and ask to read that. Physical books can also allow you to potentially screen your mates and suss out in advance whether your tastes correlate. If you catch them reading The Game, it can also serve as a bit of a warning about quite what you might be getting yourself into…

WINNER: Hardback

Which is More Useful in a Fight?

Imagine you are walking down the street reading one dusky evening and find yourself confronted by an aggressive man who demands that you give him all your expensive belongings. Firstly, you should perhaps take a lesson from Stephen King and learn that reading while walking can sometimes lead to violent or unfortunate accidents, but secondly, which would be more use as a weapon of choice? A Kindle has the benefit of being a moderately expensive piece of kit that could be used as a bartering tool if your aggressor even knows what it is, but a nice sturdy hardback to the face of the attacker with a chaser of inexplicably agonising papercuts would be so much more effective, wouldn’t it? Wait… uh… I mean… violence is bad.

WINNER: Hardback

Which is Better During a Zombie Apocalypse?

During a zombie apocalypse you may be thinking there are more pressing matters than your book format and you would probably be right, but it’s my blog so I can indulge whatever tenuous examples I like! Much like the fight example, a Kindle lacks the sturdiness or sharp edges to be of much use as a weapon, although providing the apocalypse has wi-fi/3G capabilities you might be able to download a guide for fighting the hordes in roughly two minutes or so. Zombies probably don’t have the same weakness for paper cuts, which removes any advantage for the hardback. Realistically, you’re doomed either way. All you can do is pray that your love of e-books hasn’t caused the bookshop in your high street to close down – now that could’ve been a useful hideout when trying to battle the undead…

WINNER: Draw

So from these examples it looks like the hardback is the winner and obviously these scenarios are the only ones that truly matter – let the publishing industry rejoice, there is hope for us yet!

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Hello February

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So, I’m now 22. I spent my birthday in Norwich  with my boyfriend, eating far too much food and lots of cake. We also went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was entertaining, if a bit weird given that Daniel Craig refused to even attempt a Swedish accent, and the new Sherlock Holmes movie, which was also fun but a little heavy on the slow motion.

Since then I’ve been working a lot, doing some reviews for Read Between the Lines and working out how much I need to save to be able to afford my own place within a year or so – it’s not impossible, but it is hard! I could do with some tips as to make money at home on top of my salary, just to make the process a little faster. Anyone got any suggestions?

Other thing that I’m pretty excited for is that I managed to get tickets to see Garbage when they tour Europe in May – I’ve been a massive Garbage/Shirley Manson fan for a while so it’s going to be great to see their show. It’s also given me a great excuse to take a trip down memory lane and dig out all their albums and some classic songs I loved when I was a teenager (now I really do feel old); they don’t make them like they used to!

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7 Things x 2012

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Happy (somewhat belated) New Year! While I appreciate that for the most part, it’s only a few days that have passed and miraculously we won’t all become svelte, emotionally and intellectually fulfilled individuals overnight, I’d like to take the opportunity like most people this time of year to list a few of my short and long term goals for the future. Day Zero, the people behind the 101 Things in 1001 Days project, have released a mini project called 7 Things x 2012, which is essentially a constructive way of setting out your New Year’s resolutions. My seven things incorporate some of my 101 list, but a few are new or minor things that I’d just like to do – in particular, at the moment I’m researching whether to invest in a Cambridge Latin Course and get back into studying Latin that I had to give up in Year 8 when my school cut the program. It’s probably not the most practical language to pick up, but I still think it’s pretty versatile. Plus, you get fun stories about werewolves in the study books. I miss those.

  1. Learn how to speak and read Latin
  2. Start taking packed lunches to work
  3. Stop putting off until tomorrow what I could do today
  4. Take a vacation to Scotland or Dublin
  5. Find a better work/life balance
  6. Try five new recipes
  7. Be more adaptable and sociable
I had a lovely new year with my boyfriend and his friends up in Norwich and it’s not long now until my 22nd birthday, so at the moment the year is going well for me. I also smashed my goal of 50 books in a year and read a pleasing 75 titles, prompting me to double my challenge this year. Now I’m aiming to read 100 books in 2012, so wish me luck! *determined face* Also, I’m really nosey, so if you’ve got any resolutions, I’d love to know what they are!
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I Should Stop Spending Money

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I think I need someone to take my staff discount off me, because in the past week since receiving it I’ve gone book buying crazy – ten books, a Moleskine Passions journal and an adorable book lamp in just a few days! I was intrigued by the Book Journal particularly because I read a lot of books without making notes or a record about them, and when it comes to writing reviews or giving feedback I tend to wish I had all the thoughts I’d had while reading to hand. Hopefully, something like this will help.

Otherwise in life, I went up to Norwich to visit my boyfriend over the weekend and we went to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, which put me in a Halloween-y/Christmassy mood and, even though I don’t really like 3D films, I thought it was wonderful. It’s the final hurdle at work now with only a couple of days until Christmas, so naturally it’s been totally manic but it’s exciting and nice to see the shop buzzing with people. We’ve also had authors in signing books most days who’ve been interesting to observe as they each have different methods of attracting potential customers to buy copies – I think if I ever publish a book, I’ll have picked up some tips about what to do and what not to do! It will be odd when Christmas is over and the sales start, because from my perspective our Christmas meeting was in October and it’s been constantly Christmas-centric since then really. I don’t know quite how I’ll cope without snowflakes and Michael Bublé all the time!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want Santa To Bring

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Top Ten Tuesday was created and is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish. This week’s topic is books I want Santa to bring me – or, a top ten of books that I’ve wanted to read all year but for one reason or another haven’t managed to get my hands on. As of last week I’ve passed my probation period at work and am officially now a full-time bookseller armed with a discount card, so asking other people to buy me books seems gratuitous when they would have to pay full price, but nonetheless here are a few books that I’ve had my eye on lately.

 In no particular order:

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - I borrowed the series from my boyfriend when the HBO series came out and now want a set of my own; the reprinted hardback edition is particularly nice even if owning a full set of the hardbacks would set me back quite a bit of cash!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay - After the madness that was the season six finale, I really want to get into reading the Dexter series and see if it bears much resemblance to the books. I don’t usually read crime novels, so I figure these will be a good gateway into more intense works.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - Lured by the beautiful, purple, almost pearlescent jacket design and the intriguing premise, I’ve had my eye on this one for a while but never quite got around to buying it.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - I’m currently reading Rivers of London and although I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, I am absolutely loving it. I can imagine that I’ll be wanting to get hold of the sequel as soon as I turn the last page – this one’s probably going to go to the top of my ‘must-read’ list.

The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox - Somehow, despite doing my dissertation on Don Quixote and comparative works, I’d only found out about this female reworking of the novel recently. I’m compelled to see its take on the classic, so I have actually ordered this one in from our central warehouse at work and will probably buy it after Christmas.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami – I’ve enjoyed a lot of Murakami’s other novels and this one seems to be dividing opinion. While it’s quite expensive to fork out for two hardbacks in order to get all 3 parts, I would hope it’d be a rewarding read.

The Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells - A classic tale of a mad scientist and animal experiments, I surprised myself by not having ever read this one. After seeing the Simpsons’ parody, I think I probably ought to check out the original!

Books: A Living History by Martyn Lyons - A somewhat more pricey hardback, this one appeals to the book nerd in me and I’d love to expand upon my knowledge of the book industry’s past, especially given the sudden and dramatic new developments that are occurring at the moment.

The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth - A quirky meander among the English Language, this one just looks plain fun!

Penguin By Design: A Cover Story 1935-2005 by Phil Baines - Appealing again to the design and book nerd within me, I’ve already got far too many things with Penguin jackets on them and can’t resist a whole book of beautiful artwork.

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A Bookish Christmas

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A Bookish Christmas

Working in a bookshop has meant that my to-read list is now about a mile long, but it’s difficult to ask for/buy books as gifts when you don’t know if someone’s already read them. Instead, I’ve spent the evening compiling some book related Christmas gifts that are good for friends or family who love reading and want to show their literary pride!

Included here are: The Art of the Hobbit (a beautiful book of over 100 sketches by Tolkien himself), Penguin Classics The Common Reader Mug, Coralie Bickford-Smith’s lovely F. Scott Fitzgerald foil hardbacks, Penguin Classics’ 365 Books to Read Before You Die Desk Calendar 2012, The Book Lamp (it looks like the little Pixar lamp!), Favourite Writers coasters (including Plath, Bukowski, Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson), Moleskine Passions Book Journal, Penguin Books On the Road Thermos, Out of Print Pride & Prejudice tote bag, Out of Print x Mikey Burton Outsiders t-shirt, Falling Books bookend, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin and Penguin Books’ book themed gift wrap to tie it all together!

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That Time of Year Again

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Christmas Lights

Our town centre turned its Christmas lights on last week, with special guests Steve McFadden and Harry Derbidge (The Only Way is Essex) at the event along with street dancers and lots of other things. Although I didn’t go see them, I was working late that night in the shopping centre anyway so I heard most of the commotion and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. Sadly I’m not really a fan of the decorations this year – the baubles and the fairy lights are okay, but what on earth is that big pointy thing? It seems more like a mace than a decoration!

I managed to catch someone’s cold the other week so I’ve been all sniffly and horrible for a while, but I’ve still been working, as per, and catching up on books I need to review – I updated my book blog the other day and I’m trying to not get so behind, even though it’s so tempting after a long day just to curl up in front of the TV watching Star Wars instead of cracking on with my other projects. I’ve been getting a urge to start baking again, so I might try and make some Christmas cupcakes or a gingerbread tardis instead of just lying around on my days off…