Archaeology

Gosh, I read this years ago. Brilliant article, perhaps I'd better go digging for my old copy.

Reading...

Masses at the moment, including this and this and this from Richard Stark's awesome Parker series - reissued in new versions by Chicago University Press. Parker novels are my comfort reads at the moment. The Noirest of the noir... without Stark there would be no Tarantino - fact.

Reading...

The Lost Child by Julie Myerson. This has been on my bookshelves for about a year but somehow, even though I wanted to read it, I was sure I'd hate it. I didn't.

Reading...

How not to grow up by Richard Herring. This book is awful. I loathe it, and I now loathe him, which is a shame as I got much comedy mileage out of recreating Fist of Fun scenes down the pub as a young 'un. Weak Lemon Drink anyone? Answer Me!!!!

I shall continue to worship at the altar of the Stewart Lee and leave the Herring alone.

Reading...

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I remember this coming out,and later being a mainstay of "one hit wonder" displays (that was before The Little Friend). Never inclined to read it until now, maybe I'm entering my "once a decade" fiction phase...

Have you heard...

You can now download audio books from the comfort of your own home - how cool is that? Don't ask me about the detail though because although I attended a presentation about it I was rather distracted by the charming Gordon Griffin and didn't pay as much attention as I should have.

I can certainly recommend getting hold of some of Gordon's narrations as he is truly fabulous!

Reading....

Naked by David Sedaris

Reading...

The Jugger by Richard Stark, part of his fantastic, genre defining Parker novels.

I hate telling people what to read but really - you should.

Reading...

The To-Do List by Mike Gayle. I've never read any of his 30's lad-lit and probably won't, but I did enjoy this non-fiction which recounts his attempts to feel like a real grown up by tackling a to-do list of epic proportions filled with the sorts of things many 30-something parents would probably be familiar with.

Watching...

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle

"Have you read Harry Potter Stu?"
"No, because I am a 40 year old man"

As a child, Stewart Lee helped out in his school library. What a loss to the profession.

Well there you go...

This article from the dear old BBC on why this year probably won't be "The year of the electronic book"

Having worked in the book trade for 15 years, I can't remember a year since oooh, about 1997, that wasn't going to be "The year of the electronic book" but here we are, hanging on in there with our antiquated quill and ink.

Calling all Tory Bookworms

I know this blog is popular across the political spectrum, so if you are a Tory Bookworm in need of some reading inspiration - LOOK NO FURTHER.

The old ones are the best

Did I ever blog this? Probably.
Still, no harm in blogging it again...

Breakthrough in Educational Technology

New Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge Device (BOOK) is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology; no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere - even sitting in an armchair by the fire - yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.

Here's how it works: BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKS with more information simply use more pages.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, though, like other devices, it can become damaged if coffee is spilled on it and it becomes unusable if dropped too many times on a hard surface, but it is far more durable than all personal computers on the market.

The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pin-points the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval.

An optional "Bookmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session - even if the BOOK has been closed. Bookmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single Bookmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOK markers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with optional programming tools, Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylii (PENCILS). Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking to invest. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

Time keeps on ticking... into the future

A blog I read is subtitled "Full time dad wastes valuable reading time by writing about reading".

I've been wasting valuable blogging time by well, reading. And now I'm going to waste reading time by blogging about reading.

So, I've realised recently that I read like a man. I used to read like a woman, largely fiction, largely women's fiction. A bookcase full of the characteristic dark green Virago and striped Women's Press spines was testament to my reading proclivities. I cared about the Orange Prize. I was a demographic.

Now I read non fiction. I read non fiction written by men. I read non fiction written by men who used to be music journalists. Not exclusively, but enough to make note of.

Is it also relevant that I used to be fiercely monogamous in my reading and now I have a pile of 6 books on the go?

I am currently reading:

Mark Radcliffe's Biography i.e. a book about a bloke
A book about 2 blokes who get an allotment
A book about a bloke who decides to travel around all the places on the shipping forecast
A book about a bloke who does a load of experiements to prove the theory of social economics
A book by a bloke who needs to get a real job, talking about the pleasures and sorrows of work
A book by a bloke who decides to travel around Britain, drinking in a lot of pubs on the way

If I were the subject of RFID based targeted advertising a la Minority Report, and took the advice of the advertisers, I would be buying a lot of lager, gilette razors and tyres right now.

I am still a demographic, just not the right one.

Question: Does it matter?

room for a little one?

Seems not as all seats are taken by reading children at Swansea Central library! Now there's a scene to warm the heart...

Reading...

Against the machine - being human in the era of the electronic mob - I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on with the old interweb...

also
Swan Peak by James Lee Burke - possibly my favourite crime author ever.

and
Teach yourself decluttering - the Turner household needs some order!

finally
Thrifty ways for modern days - what better way to beat the credit crunch?

Amnesty International

OK, I hold my hands up, I've been AWOL for a while. It's not that Swansea Libraries hasn't been an exciting place to be or that I haven't had anything to report. Far from it, there's been loads going on and I have been utterly negligent in my duties. More of that later.

No, the sad truth is... I've been too ashamed to post.

Ashamed because I am a flagged user, a defaulter, an abuser of the system, operating on the very margins of a legal and just society.

I have had overdue books.

There - I've said it. I, Paige Turner, am no sort of library role model and not fit to communicate with you. But, salvation is at hand. My blushes will be spared by the good folk who run the library service here in Swansea.

For an amnesty has been announced, a chance for all those of us who have crossed the line to sally forth and become upright citizens once more. Between 14th July and 2nd August Swansea Libraries will be accepting back all overdue items FINE FREE!

It's an opportunity too good to miss - I'm off to clear out the attic.

View from the Bont

Those nice folk from the Welsh Assembly Government have given us some money to refurb the lovely but rather dated library at Pontarddulais.

As ever, you can look forward to a brighter and more welcoming space, a review of opening hours, modern and user friendly shelving and layout and of course (what Swansea libraries do best) - loads of new BOOKS!

Hurrah!

Roll on September.

Brum Brum!

I read here that there is a new £193 million library proposed for Birmingham. Being a good librarian ;-) I have validated this information, and you can read more about it here

I wonder if it's the same library that was being project managed ooooh, around 5 years ago now by the delightful Ayub Khan.

Anyway - it's going to be great I'm sure. Either enormously HUGE or made of solid platinum. Hope it's the former.

Mr. Coates thinks they should spend £20 million on new books, which is around 10% of the toal budget (maths not my strong point). Sounds reasonable - the book suppliers could pre-order their lear jets now - but I'm not sure how big it's going to be.

Being a much 'umbler city, our new library cost around £6 million and we had around £700,000 to spend on new books to add to the decent stuff from the old place that we bought along with us.

When I say new books I mean newly bought, not newly published i.e. we were able to get spanking new sets of brilliant backlist as well as new titles.

I was at Birmingham central library a while ago (undercover on covert ops) and counted 3 spine labels on one fiction book (author surname lead letter, number corresponding to the row of shelves in which book was to be shelved, and genre). It would probably have been easier to shelve and find if the labels hadn't obscured the author's name!

Still, I'm sure that's why the good librarians of Birmingham are desperate for a new library and best wishes to them in their endeavours!

See anything you like?