Independent Book Stores - Be Proactive or die

“And so many of the indies have partnered with Google to sell ebooks right from their own websites. These stores are embracing the “new technology” instead of hiding from it, because they realize it’s about the story, not the ink on paper. If you want ebooks, your local indie can sell you ebooks. If your local independent is hanging up posters saying that ebooks will kill everything, you should tag that bookstore as a favorite in your GPS doohickey. You’ll get great deals, because that store will have a going-out-of-business sale soon. Yes, even though you try to save it with a letter-writing campaign.”
― Steve Weddle

I love independent book stores but I fear for their survival if they don't embrace the tsunami like move to eBooks.

The independents got hit by the big chains and now we are seeing the chains going under (anyone remember Borders?).

The future lies in the independents becoming the coffee houses where readers of all ilks gather to discuss what they have read. Content is king, the medium matters less. Readers like to discuss what they have read. If you doubt it, just look at the number of book groups that abound.

So get proactive readers and help keep the indies alive but not by fighting the demise of the physical book.

DK

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Librarians are Great Company

My thesis that librarians are wonderful people was confirmed again today. I had called a meeting and only one other person turned up. We had a great chat and I found out that she had been a librarian and had an MA (Hons) in History. I shared with her about a librarian friend of mine who became a programmer and who worked with me on a number of international projects. He is the best programmer that I have ever worked with, and he told me that it was his library training that gave him his edge.

My first love in life was a librarian. I was 5 and she was probably in her 30's but she fostered my love of books.

It is unusual and wonderful to talk to intelligent and literate people. I am yet to find an illiterate librarian :)

So 3 cheers for Librarians.

Some Wisdom from Dr Seuss

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
- Dr. Seuss

As the good doctor says reading helps you to know and knowing fuels a curiosity and lust for travel. I have been lucky to work all over the world and in each place I have worked I have picked up fresh perspectives and new book choices.

Read, learn and travel.



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Focused versus Scattered Readers

In my experience there are two groups of readers: Focused readers and Scattered readers.

Focused readers read only one book at a time and curb the temptation to be led way by other books that might enter their reading orbit.

Scattered readers have may books on the go at any one time. I am definitely such a reader and have upwards of 20 books on the go at any one time. I do 10-15 minutes per book and then change out.

People ask me how I can do this and still remember and follow plots and characters. My answer is that I have a trained, segmented mind. In my profession I have directed many concurrent projects and programs and this required the ability to multitask and quick switch.

I have tried focused reading but it hurts my brain...


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To Read is To Fly

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

- A C Grayling, Financial Times (in a review of A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel)

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My Top 10 Writers - Share Yours

My current Top 10 Writers/Poets (as of today) are:

1. Virginia Woolf
2. John Fowles
3. Philip Larkin
4. Graham Greene
5. Jasper Fforde
6. Maurice Gee
7. C.K. Stead
8. Ernest Rutherfurd
9. Allan Ginsberg
10. Frank O'Hara

Let's see how this list morphs over time.

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Jasper Fforde - Alternative Novelist

 I got a recommendation from a blog I read that led me to the works of Jasper Fforde. Jasper Fforde (born 11 January 1961) is a British novelist. Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. Fforde is mainly known for his Thursday Next novels, although he has written several books in the loosely connected Nursery Crime series and has begun two more independent series: The Last Dragonslayer and Shades of Grey.

I started with The Eyre Affair and went from there. His books are well written and present an alternative literary reality. Thursday Next one of hios characters has to find the villain who has stolen Jane Eyre out of her book. Forget about reality, but the book is a great read for those who like dystopian and alternative reality writings.

Highly recommended author. I just found out today that he is 51 years old (or young). I got the sense from reading the book that he was much younger.

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The Secret to Writing well - Reading

 It is an undeniable fact that great writers are usually good readers. If you read the autobiographies of writers you will see a number of references to reading. A good example of this phenomenon is found in the Diaries of Virginia Woolf, the famed 20th century modernist writer. The Diaries are littered with reference to an eclectic group of authors and books, ancient and modern. She appreciated the great writing of others though there was only one writer she wished she could write like and that was Katherine Mansfield.

Reading allows us to brush shoulders with writers from throughout the centuries. This reading exposure then has an effect on our own writing styles. Some writers in their formative years have tried to write in the style of others. This derivative writing then develops into the writers own individual style.

So prospective writers become avid and adventurous readers.

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A Tip for Reading More Books

I have found the way to read more books. It is really easy and it just involves not spending time on the Internet. We recently moved to a farmlet out of town and we can only get very expensive wireless Internet. At $20 per GB I am severely restricting the time I spend on the Net.

I now have several hours a day freed up which I spend reading. It is amazing how many more books you can get through. I have gone from 2-3 books a month to 3-4 books a week - awesome.

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The Proust Marathon

Reading through Proust's opus is like doing an intellectual marathon. I picked up Volume 2 again last night and started reading again. I will get there.. I will...won't I?

PS I did have now picked it up to read 3 days in a row.

The New iPad is great for reading on

My lovely daughter bought me an iPad3 sweet girl that she is. Works well with my tired old eyes. But I am writing this on my iPhone as aforesaid daughter is trying out the iPad...

Will give it a real test drive tomorrow.

Traveling in my head

The great thing about reading is that you can travel in your head (imagination department). In the last 24 hours I have read myself to New York (twice in fact once NY 1764 and the second NY 2004!), China, Maine and London - I am exhausted. Which makes me think that we also travel in time, every book is a time capsule.

I just love reading.

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I Love the Library - the sequel

In my blog yesterday I mentioned about the two books I got out at the last moment. I got a start on both of them yesterday and will give my impressions below.

Book One

The English Class by Ouyang Yu

The story follows the journey of a young Chinese man from being a truck driver, learning English by himself and then ending up at university studying English. This is a tale of two cultures and the aspirations of a young man who wants to escape China. It is well written and the storyline moves forward briskly. The characters are rounded and I am hooked already.

Book Two

Dear Money by Martha McPhee

This story follows the adventure of a 38 year old novelist who becomes a Wall Street trader on a dare. It is a poignant look at the
interrelationships between art and business, between the avocation of literature and the pursuit of wealth. This will appeal to those who want a glimpse into the corporate life through the eyes of an artist. Not as compelling as The English Class but a good read nonetheless.

I love books...

Grant aka drkelp
Books completed 2012 = 0


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I Love the Library

It is a wet Saturday here so I took my two daughters to the library. We are all readers and the library is our favourite place (apart from the Internet). As we have only recently returned to New Zealand from the UK we had to supply proof of address to the library. Until we provided it we could only take out one book each!! Well we took the info in today and now we can take out 20 books each. Yippee.

The downside is that we got to the library 10 minutes before closing so I only had time to get two books.

Book One
The English Class by Ouyang Yu

Book Two
Dear Money by Martha McPhee

They both look great, leave a comment if you have read either of them.

Well I'm off to have a relaxing read.

Keep well

Grant aka drkelp
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Finding Rudyard Kipling

No he was never lost before you ask. Rather I have found him. Until recently I was not aware of the amount of poetry written by Kipling. I was browsing thru a bookshop recently and saw his collected poems. I have purchased the book and luxuriating in the poetry.

More to come...

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Harness your Dreams

"In forming a bridge between body and mind, dreams may be used as a springboard from which man can leap to new realms of experience lying outside his normal state of consciousness."
Ann Faraday

I find that in reading I fuel my dreams and expand my horizons. One is exposed to new potentialities.

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A Trip to Barter Books

Barter Books is one of Britains largest second hand book shops and is located in Alnwick in Northumbria. The shop is situated in a converted railway station and is a book buyers paradise. There are books on so many subjects and the place is huge. There is more than enough room to easily manouevre between the shelves and there are places with comfy sofas to browse the books you are interested in.

Barter Books has an extensive collection of first editions and it was fascinating to look at them (you can see but not touch, unless you are a genuine buyer).

I started off with a coffee and a toasted sandwich at the restaurant and then hit the shelves. I managed to restrain myself and only spend £30 - and I got a 10% discount which made the purchase price £27, a worthwhile saving.

I purchased biographies on Augustus John and E M Forster, a book of poetry and a crime novel. Now I'm sitting down and savouring my purchases.

As well as the books, there is a restaurant and on the way out there is a self service coffee, tea and biscuits located in an alcove by a blazing fire. Given we had just had snow it was nice to sit in front of the fire with a coffee (30p) an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (50p) and a bag of books (£27).

I will be going back there at the first opportunity.


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hotels planes & trains

I have spent a lot of my business life in and on trains, planes and hotels. It can be very tiring and annoying to be on the road but with the aid of a faithul clutch of books I survive and thrive. It is always great to visit places where fictional characters and their creators have lived.

I am writing this from my hotel room and my companions are Virginia Woolf, Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz and Marianne Keyes. An interesting bunch of travelling companions wouldn't you agree?

Who knows which authors will be on my next trip.

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Reading for the Eager or Tired

There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read

G. K. Chesterton

Another great quote about reading. I tend to read serious books when I am eager such as the Collected Poems of Ted Hughes and The Renaissance in Europe and crime novels when I am tired. There is a book for every season and for every reason.

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A Great Crime Novel

I have been enjoying the crime novels by Val McDermid recently. Her books have been made into a very successful TV series called The Blood in the Wire.

I have just finished her book called A Place of Execution. It is a great read with the proverbial twist in the tail.

It is about the first big case that a young Police Inspector handles. A young girl goes missing from a very small village and a man is convicted of the murder and is hung. No body is found so the case causes a lot of controversy. The story then moves to the late nineties when the officer is retired and new shocking evidence comes to light.

It is fast paced, full of interest and I highly recommend it.

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