reading hacks

Borders Australia to start selling ebooks and readers.

jonathan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:09:13 +0000

Blair Speedy at the Australian reports that Redgroup Retail, which owns both Borders and Angus & Robertson, will roll out the Kobo platform, developed by Canadian book chain Indigo, within the next month or so. Kobo books can be read on a range of devices, including phones and laptops. Overall there’s quite a lot of development in the local e-book marketplace, even if the iPad won’t initially offer any e-book options in Australia.

Redgroup Retail to launch e-books [The Australian]

via lifehacker.com.au

I don’t tend to read every article I see about ebooks for two main reasons. There are far too many articles to read, and far too few libraries loan fiction ebooks which is where I get my books from.

However, I do get the sense that things are really ramping up this year (*cough* ipad *cough*)

Donate Share-A-Book titles at Officeworks

jonathan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:43:07 +0000

If you are looking for something to do with your old children’s books, the Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation will happily use them to stock libraries in disadvantaged communities. Until the end of March you can simply drop them in at your local Officeworks.

More about the Share-a-book program here.

[via Lifehacker Australia]

Behind the wheel of the bookmobile

jonathan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:37:17 +0000

Behind the wheel of the bookmobile is a multi-media and documentary film project by Tom Corwin that follows a classic bookmobile across country on back roads with acclaimed authors taking turns at the wheel. At each stop the bookmobile’s doors will open inviting the public in to take their choice of digital and analog titles in exchange for interviews about books that have changed their lives.

Head over there now and hear Dan Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) talk about growing up with a love for books.

A couple of interesting bookshelves.

jonathan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:39:07 +0000

I’ve mentioned the Bookshelf blog at least once or twice before. It really is quite wonderful. Here are a couple of my favourites from there more recent postings. The blog is well worth a browse as there is a whole lot of fascinating book furniture there.

Rare book trading cards

jonathan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:47:04 +0000

Like the idea of dealing in rare books but can’t afford the real thing?
Looking for a Christmas gift for that rare book fan in your life who has everything?
Just like collecting anything to do with books.
Perhaps these rare book trading cards are just the thing you need.
Read all about them over at Book Patrol.

Spiral bookshelf

jonathan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:34:20 +0000

I quite like this shelf. Obviously not the choice for storing a huge number of books, but I’m a big fan of bookshelves being art themselves.

[quadelle sent me to apartment therapy to see it]

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Spiral bookshelf

Books about books

jonathan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:47:41 +0000

I often think I’d like to read more books about books, but I rarely end up getting on to them as so many great kids and YA books keep coming into the library.

Since I can’t recommend any to you myself, I thought I’d point you at Book Patrol’s top books about books for 2009. Certainly worth a look.

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Books about books

Book mobile

jonathan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:01:36 +0000

Another great artistic way to recycle books. The art is by Lisa Occhipinti, I read about it at Design Nova which was pointed out to me by Vetti (so long ago that she may well have forgotten about it).

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Book mobile

World’s smallest lending library?

jonathan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:23:33 +0000

The people of Westbury-sub-Mendip in Somerset, England recently suffered a double blow when their public phone box was decommissioned and the mobile library service ceased to operate.

What were they do do? Surely the answer is obvious. They took ownership of the phone box through BT’s Adopt a Kiosk program and rather than turning into an art installation, shower, or toilet like others have done, they filled it with books.

The collection consists of about 100 books and residents simply return a book they have read and take one they have not yet read. Simple, and it’s open 24 hours.

[BBC news via The Wheeler Centre]

Victoria’s new centre for books, writing, and ideas.

jonathan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:50:57 +0000

Last year UNESCO named Melbourne a City of Literature. A flow on from that process was the creation of a “centre for books and ideas” which has come into existance as The Wheeler Centre.

Located in the south wing of the State Library of Victoria, the Wheeler Centre will be the new home for a number of organisations including the Victorian Writer’s Centre and the Melbourne Writer’s Festival. As would be expected you can keep up with news and events via rss, email and twitter.