Daily Thoughts 12/17/2009

Design for a Metalwork Book Cover. Pen and black ink with black, grey, and yellow wash on paper, 8.1 × 6 cm, British Museum. This is a design for a book cover to be made with black enamel patterned over gold (Foister, p. 84). Small girdle books of this sort were attached to the belt by a ring, as drawn at the top. Clasps are shown to the right. The initials may be those of Thomas Wyatt the Younger, who was later executed for leading a rebellion in Kent during the reign of Queen Mary. Date c. 1537, Hans Holbein The Younger

Daily Thoughts 12/17/2009

I was looking at Tony Geer's website who helped design Tobias Buckell's blog. He has a few books about design on the frontpage of his site. One of them which I requested is Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs) (Paperback) by Ellen Lupton http://www.tonygeer.com/

I was looking at William Bentrim's blog The Pick of Literate which is on my sidebar. He reviewed something which I want to read, The Better part of Darkness by Kelly Gay. Looking forward to getting the book soon.

Right now, I am reading Six Pixels of Separation Everyone is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone by Mitch Joel. This book is not a giant collection of tools. So far, it is a reminder that social networking is about building connections over time and finding new people using tools like Google and Facebook.

I am thinking about the 52 Books, 52 Weeks program from the Bensonville Public Library. The goal is to get people reading every single week. I rather like the idea and think it could be an excellent program if done right. http://www.52books.org/about/index.htm

Daily Thoughts 12/16/2009

The Reader, plaster statuette by Jules Dalou, circa 1871- 1879. Petit Palais Museum Collection, Paris. Photographed between 1902 and 1904.

Daily Thoughts 12/16/2009

This morning, I finished reading Diving Into The Wreck. I also read the short story Dirt by Tobias Buckell in the book, Halo Evolutions, Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. Dirt was the one story which I wanted to read in the anthology. Tobias Buckell has excellent writing. I'm not that much of a fan of the Halo video game, but I do like the art work and some of the stories.

I also put two books on hold. Grandville by Bryan Talbot is already going out the door. It is on reserve at another library. The graphic novel art work looks superb. It is a mix of steampunk and talking animals. There is a lot of action. The style of the animal drawings are closer to The Wind in the Willows than anime furries though which makes it even more appealing. I also put This Book Is Overdue, How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save us All by Marilyn Johnson on hold as well.

Sometimes it is good to realize that a lot of books are not reviewed. It is important to visit bookstores and other libraries because of this. I spend time looking at different book sites, visiting bookstores, and other libraries. This is often the best way to find out what books to purchase. Traditional review sources are often quite limited. Today I was looking at the Strand Bookstore online to see what they had in philosophy and religion. They have a lot of material that is not listed on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I'll probably also search the Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library catalogs as well.

An interview Keir Graff a senior editor from Booklist on the folding of Kirkus.
http://www.edrants.com/interview-with-keir-graff/