what book would you want to add to this little library?
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“without reading, we are all without light in the dark, without fire in the cold.”
-tamora pierce, american fantasy fiction author
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source credits: littlefree ibrary.org
Nov17
Category Archives: books
Nov12
open book.
this is what happened when a swedish library accidentally left a door open
The Gothenburg City Library in Sweden was supposed to be closed last Saturday, but staffers accidentally left a door unlocked. One might imagine that could lead to thievery or destruction, but what actually happened was quite the opposite: Residents simply used the library as usual.
The city said nearly 450 people visited the library that day and 246 books were borrowed. “Nothing was destroyed. It’s absolutely fantastic that you as a Gothenburger come into an empty library and treat it so lovingly,” operations manager Anna Carin Elf told radio station P4 Gothenburg, per the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Arvid Jadenius was among the visitors, alongside his wife and 2-year-old son, and didn’t know anything was amiss until he saw the news on social media.
“It felt good that everyone behaved exactly as usual, they borrowed books, read the newspaper, and so on,” he said in an interview with Göteborgs-Posten, adding, “The citizens of Gothenburg take care of their library. There is obviously a desire to be there.”
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“the only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
-albert einstein
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source credits: P4 Gothenberg radio, Dagens Nyheter
Aug10
meeting ann.
last night i had the great pleasure of going to my favorite theater
where one of my favorite authors, ann patchett
was appearing
while on a book tour for her latest book, “tom lake’
which happens to take place in northern michigan
a place dear to my heart.
ann is a prolific novel writer
a wordsmith of the highest order
who has a way with the human story
always using her literary magic to somehow weave her characters together
in unexpected and wonderful ways.
she was funny, smart, down to earth, and very relatable
talking about her books, writing, book banning, life,
offering support for other authors and books she knows and loves,
because she knows it can make all the difference for them,
the joys and pains of book tours
and being an independent bookstore owner
(her other avocation).
when i finally had the chance to meet her
i handed her my very used copy of ‘bel canto’
my favorite book of hers
she opened the cover, signed her name, and wrote:
‘thank you for bringing a well-loved book.’
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“i have been accused of being a pollyanna,
but I think there are plenty of people dealing with the darker side of human nature,
and if I am going to write about people who are kind and generous and loving and thoughtful, so what?”
-ann patchett
Jul11
anxious people.
what a funny, sweet, sad, moving book –
a brilliant story of the enduring power
of human connection, forgiveness, and hope.
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“we have all of this in common, yet most of us remain strangers, we never know what we do to each other, how your life is affected by mine. perhaps we hurried past each other in a crowd today, and neither of us noticed, and the fibers of your coat brushed against mine for a single moment and then we were gone. i don’t know who you are. but when you get home this evening, when this day is over and the night takes us, allow yourself a deep breath. because we made it through this day as well. there’ll be another one along tomorrow.”
-fredrik backman (anxious people)
Mar7
a rude awakening.
what a wonderful way to relax
ending a long day with a beautiful book
all about finding your comfort
settling in at last
not a care in the world
tucked into my warm cocoon
until
the book’s spell
works a little too well on me
and i am very suddenly and very rudely awakened
right out of my comfort zone
after falling asleep and dropping the book on my face
hard.
it should come with a warning.
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“littera scripta manet – ‘the written word will remain’. that’s true, but it won’t be that much comfort to me.’
-christopher hitchens
Jan8
read when right.
if like me
you find yourself
collecting more and more books to be read
never catching up
it’s time for a change in perspective
relax and let your book guilt go.
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“think not of the books you’ve bought as a ‘to be read’ pile.
instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar.
you collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood.”
-luc van donkersgoed
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photo credit: food and wine magazine
Dec11
not small things.
what a wonderful 90 minutes
spent (online) with one of my all-time favorite authors
*fredrik backman.
public libraries in 37 states hosted this live chat with fredrik
as he continued on a worldwide book tour
for his latest work, ‘the winners.’
he spoke openly about his struggles with anxiety
being on the autism spectrum
the pressures of a success which he never expected
his wife as his partner and support in all things
her important roles
organizing his promotional side of being an author
helping him to stay grounded
encouraging him taking as many breaks as needed.
i first became acquainted with his writing with the arrival of his book (and later, film),
‘a man called ove’
and there was no going back.
when he was asked about his writing process in today’s chat,
i found that we have a somewhat similar process.
his reply:
“my process is just chaos. all of these ideas are just in my head, like horses in a burning barn, trying to get out. my brain is always working, hearing a bit of conversation, crossing paths with a stranger, a place i happen into, anything is fair game, and i think, i would love to include those words or that person in my writing. i am always observing, listening, taking it all in, my brain never stops. i have to write an idea down on whatever i can find, an envelope, a scrap of paper, a receipt….then 3 weeks later i’ll make my family insane by asking, “where is that envelope i wrote my idea on a few weeks ago?” i have to scour our whole apartment looking for it and make everyone crazy. i suppose that is my process.”
amazing.
“words are not small things.”
-fredrik backman, beartown
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*Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and Anxious People, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @BackmanSK.
Nov29
of books and brews.
Ann Arbor Book History: “Hold my beer,” 1875.
The Michigan Argus revealed tricks of the trade for preserving books,
one of which involved beer.
Books and brews have always made a great combination .
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(note: the closest i’ve come to this is when spilling a beer on a book
and unsure if it actually helped to preserve it)
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“books and beer are the best and worst defense.”
-sherman alexie
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credits: ann arbor district library, ann arbor book society, the michigan argus
Oct11
book month is on.
(someone in a squirrel costume pretending to be me coming home from the ilbrary/bookstore)
it is national book month after all –
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“with freedom, flowers, books and the moon, who could not be perfectly happy?”
-oscar wilde
Oct6
they have made me.
The library in Puebla, Mexico has grown from 5,000 volumes in 1646 to more than 40,000 volumes now,
the majority of which date from before Mexico’s independence and is the oldest in the Americas.
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“i cannot remember the books i’ve read any more than the meals i have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
-ralph waldo emerson
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in honor of international book month
I didn't have my glasses on.... 