Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art and Writing

Agate the moose.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I saw this book in the local bookstore (which I habitually wander around in during my 15 minute breaks from work): Agate: What Good Is a Moose?

The story was fine -- kind of your standard message of "like who you are, because you are important and no one else is like you" that most books tell kids. But the art work.

The art work was beautiful.

Phenomenal.

Really amazing, loose, haphazard watercolor "accidents" which really did the work of depicting animals with nothing near overkill.

I'd get the book for the artwork.

Labels: art, books

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Non-readers, non-writers, and professional book handlers.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I once found myself cracking the binding and dog-earing three pages of a very boring book. I'd never read the book, mind you. It had been a gift that had cruelly sat on my shelf for a long time. The gift-giver's visit caused me to rush about and make the book appear read. I also read the last pages of a few chapters. Just in case I was quizzed.

I asked a friend on LibraryThing if he'd read all the books he had listed.

"Most of them."

I was immediately shamed. I have many books I've not read yet, though that doesn't stop me from buying new books.

I'm not an entirely horrible creature. There are books that have been sitting on my shelf or bedside for ages that suddenly, I latch onto and can't put down. Some books I try repeatedly to get through before giving up and chalking it up to what I call the "reader's manifesto syndrome." Life's far too short to torture myself with the writing of another if I can't bring myself to enjoy it.

Sooner or later, though, the majority of my books will get read. Or made to look like they were.

All that said, then, it is with great interest that I read the following three blog posts by Alex Massie:

Labels: books, reading, writing

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2nd Annual Free Bookplate Contest.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

There was last year's contest.

Now there is this year's contest. A contest to win a free bookplate. If you're a reader or book lover...this is your contest.

How to win: Just email me, with the words "Bookplate Contest" in the subject line. In your email, tell me what book you would put your bookplate in first and why. Be creative because I so like witty and creative.

But I hate pretentious. So don't be pretentious.

Once I get fifteen entrants (which could take a few hours, a few days or a few months), I'll pick a winner based on the most creative book choice and response. I will then email that person and we'll hammer out the details.

If you win: I'll draw a bookplate for you, completely yours and unique. No cost. You'll get a high resolution image file and be free to print bookplates from that. You'll also be the envy of all the book readers in your huge book-reading circle.

Printing: Last year's winner had her bookplates printed at bookplate.com -- you might want to consider that. Other options would be your local Kinko's or print shop on adhesive paper (though that wouldn't be archival).

Fine print: Your bookplate can contain an element representing a favorite hobby, your profession, a favorite animal, something historical, and so on. I can't depict copyrighted characters, nor will I depict anything lewd. I will email you a high-res image of your bookplate for you to print and use. Your bookplate will never be used for any other person on this planet: it's an original for you. However, you are not allowed to use it for anything but personal use; no commercial uses or profiting off of my design are allowed without my written permission. My designs are copyrighted by me, Julie R. Neidlinger. The bookplate will be displayed on this site in a low-res format so readers can see it.

Labels: books, promotions

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The problem with books and shelves.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

...is mainly not having enough shelves.

I long ago quit trying to arrange books according to fiction/nonfiction, and then sub-organize from there by author/subject. I am now at the point (sometimes known as "triage") where I am cramming books into my shelves both vertically and horizontally in a way that is like a puzzle. In order to maximize limited space, books are arranged by size and how they will fit wedged into whatever space I have left.

It is tremendously difficult for me to acknowledge the poor state of organization of my bookshelves, but what other answer is there, besides building more shelves and getting rid of books?

Neither is an option...

Labels: books

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Books as art repositories.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I'm finding that more and more I draw and create art on a small level, and in books. After years of drawings and paintings piling up on shelves and slowly moving out the door as orders come in, I've come to prize the limited space I have for driving me into creating a library of books full of art and writing and collage that I can go back and look through for memories or ideas. I still work on a larger scale, but find that working small, in a book, allows me to work through ideas better without having ten huge drawings end up on a shelf so that I get to the one I really wanted.

I have had people want to buy the books but I've yet to sell one. For one thing, the hours I've put into them, with the art and writing, can't possibly be met with a dollar figure that most people are willing to consider. The other aspect is that these books, often done during travels or serving as some kind of cohesive collection of ideas for a specific moment, are rather personal. I love showing them to people, but I'm wary of selling them.

They are, essentially, a mini-gallery. No frames, no walls, no admission fee. Just a way to experiment with images and writing and collage on the safety of a page where, if it doesn't turn out, I simply turn the page and start again.

I have quite a stash of blank journals, and it's not because I'm such a big-time writer and need book upon book to write my thoughts in. It's because I'm always looking for blank books that I can write and draw and collage and deconstruct in such a way that the book itself becomes part of the art. I check to see if the binding is one that keeps the book from opening flat (I hate that). I check out the weight of the paper and decide what kind of media and abuse it can take, I avoid books with overly decorated covers and pages meant to "inspire" those keeping a journal (I just want a plain cover and paper) -- these are just a few considerations.

Instead of putting a bunch of images or a gallery into this post, I've got a few small video clips of a few of the books. I'll add more to this post as I have clips.

Books:

Deconstructed Books:

Visit the "Stories" online gallery

Labels: art, books

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Barnes and Noble Book Clubs

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Great news for readers: Barnes and Noble has started Book Clubs.

Now, I'm not naive enought to fail to comprehend that this venuture, like the free Barnes and Noble University, will help them sell books. I'm assuming that since the Barnes and Noble University is discontinued, this new book club effort is intended to fill the gap. Whether it's to sell books or get people reading, I'm all for more book discussion.

For those of you looking for an online book club if there's not a book club near you to join, this might be the thing. Or, you could join The Librarium, which I am a part of. I think you'll find an unusual, non-typical book selection that will stretch your reading selections there. Either way, if you're longing for a book club, there are plenty of options to choose from online.

For more book and book club links, check out the Lone Prairie Library.

Labels: books, internet

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Blog books.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Have blog, will book?

Maybe not so much.

The hot new craze (which will inevitably turn into yesterday's embarassment) is to turn blogs into books. Though it seems like an anathema to both writers and bloggers who wish to remain true to their "roots", it hasn't yet hit the waning cycle.

It will. I've no doubt there will be a backlash against it from publishers with books that don't sell and bloggers or struggling writers with both pure motives and sour grapes.

As Eric points out, the backlash against blog books can be carried one step further by a backslash against blogs: the anti-blog.

Read more:

Labels: books

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Reading blog: The start of something great.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Remember this post?

Will and I went ahead and started that online reading group, a blog called The Librarium where each month a book will be selected and discussed. All it takes to join is...nothing. Just read the book and leave comments in that book's post. Please consider it; it should be a lot of fun, no pressure, no driving, just a blog dedicated to talking about books.

The first book, the book for the month of October, is posted and ready for you to read and discuss. It is, of course, A Canticle for Leibowitz in honor of the blog post that I wrote that got the ball rolling. I've posted some thoughts and questions I had in reading the book, and I will likely add more as they come to me.

If you are interested in taking a more active role in the blog as far as helping select books, post the monthly discussion on the book, and help out with the blog in that manner, let us know. We'd love to get as many involved as we can.

Labels: books

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Books: The Art of the Bookplate.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

It was one of those fortuitous moments where, in a quick and passing glance at the bargain book table at a bookstore, I found a real treasure for next to nothing: The Art of the Bookplate, by James P. Keenan.

This slim, hardcover volume is a collection of many bookplates. Though it is not an end-all of end-all collections, it is a nice way of being introduced to the history and varied styles of bookplates throughout history and on into today.

Keenan starts the book with an easy-going read on the history of bookplates and I, not being an aficionado by any means, found it first-time fascinating. He then discusses bookplate artists and specific bookplates, including tidbits of information that every reader will glom onto. The bookplates are illustrated in beautiful full-color on heavy clay-coated paper.

Really, I'm finding this book a great start for someone just forming an interest in bookplates and if you are just like I am in this way, you'll enjoy this book. I'd encourage you to check it out.

Past related posts:
Bookplate contest
Bookplate contest results

Labels: books

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Common books aren't common enough, anymore.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 2 comments link this post

Common books used to be the norm, books people carried with them to jot down thoughts, notes of interest, lists, addresses, anything and everything. Sure, we have dayplanners and diaries and journals and Blackberries, but it just isn't the same.

I keep a common book. I always have one in my purse or backpack. When its full, I set it on the shelf and pull down another one to begin again. I fill it with snippets of my own terrible poetry, thoughts I have, ideas for future writing, notes from lectures or sermons I've been in, collections of poetry or quotes I hear and see that I think I might want to read again, lists of things I need to remember to do in the future, phone numbers, books I see or hear about that I want to read someday - it's all there, and the haphazard arrangement of having it all in one book instead of split into a book for planning, a book for personal notations, a book for addresses, and so on, makes it that much more rewarding to go back through. Part of the inspiration from the books is not so much the actual content, but the contrasts between the content. A page with a poem facing a page with a little sketch of a dog and a comment I heard at the coffee shop create their own meaning.

Frankly, I can't live without my common book because I always have so many thoughts running through my head that if I didn't write them down and free up space for new thoughts, I'd go crazy. In fact, when I buy a new purse, it has to pass the "book" test, meaning it it's too small to carry a book to write in, it just won't work. My common book is a source of great relief when I'm using it and a source of both entertainment and inspiration when I look back through it.

Common books should be more common.

My grandmother's common book, shown in the image in this post, was a little different. Back then, there wasn't the over-abundance of blank journals to fit every need and taste, so she took an old horticulture book that she no longer wanted and began filling it with notes, sketches, newspaper clippings, postcards and photos. She glued or wrote the entire collection right over the top of the original book.

Part of what drives me nuts with the modern scrapbooking craze is the newness, the overly artsy planned coordination of products and motifs that say that the only thing that a scrapbook should be is archival and standard and it should only be filled with pre-labeled acceptable scrapbook stuff. Baloney. Go for the common book idea, or how my grandmother handled it. If you see something or think of something or hear something that interests you, throw it in your book, archival or not. The end result of my grandmother's efforts lasted beyond her life, archival or not, and is a heck of a lot more unique and fun to look through than some of what passes for scrapbooks and journals today.

Are you challenged to try your hand at starting your own common book? Check out the March 8 issue of The Lone Prairie Sometimer (on the "freebies" page, scroll down) for some ideas to get you started.

Common Book Links:
The Common Book
Online "common-place book": Common-Place

Labels: books

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My bedsided reading is out of control.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 2 comments link this post

I haven't posted on this blog for nearly a month!

I've been a bit wrapped up, since mid-February, in a missions trip to Nicaragua and even though I've been back for over a week, re-entry into my usual world is a little tough. It's hard to get back to a previous focus on work, art and writing after a trip like that.

However, I've also got some self-induced distraction to blame: my bedside reading. Between people recommending, loaning and giving me books, I've been on a reading frenzy. Despite the frenzy, I'm not keeping up. Funny how that works.

I can barely find my lamp and clock. I worry that the pile of books is going to fall soon. And so, I must get back to reading.

Anyone else have a bedside reading pile that's way out of hand?

Labels: books

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Books: A Reader's Manifesto has put my shame at rest.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

I ordered A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose on the basis of a blog post.

I have no regrets for buying this book. This is not always the case when I buy something off of Amazon without the opportunity to thumb through it.

Let me set the scenario for you.

I spent so much of my younger years gobbling up fiction, from the classic children's stories through my Black Stallion phase up to Lois Lowry and beyond. I was always reading, sneaking flashlights into bed to read after we were supposed to have the lights out. I read during study hall, read on the school bus, read while I ate my breakfast, read during the summer out on the swing set -- I read. Then, somewhere towards the middle of college, I stopped.

OK, so I didn't stop reading altogether. What I mean is, for all intents and purposes, I stopped reading "literary" fiction. Or at least, most of the fiction I read now is intended for children. I have shelves packed full of non-fiction. I have piles of fiction books I bought or was given that I started and somehow didn't find the pull to finish. And then there are the fiction books I have read (and re-read, in some cases) that will never get the literary seal of approval.

::None of the books in the pile of "books I've read" are romance books. Romance sucks.::

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what changed. I couldn't place a finger on what exactly caused me to veer towards non-fiction when I had never been interested in it before. I thought that maybe my mind and my personality were slowly morphing into something that no longer craved stories and only wanted non-fiction, but I knew that really wasn't true. I do read fiction, but it is either intended for a younger audience or is something by Stephen King or Michael Crichton with a few exceptions thrown in the mix. I crave good stories; I think about them for weeks and months afterwards. The characters become real in a semi-delusional way, if the story is good. I do love a good story.

I found myself struggling through the books I was told were literary gems, true achievements of the printed word fresh off the press and taking up all the review space in the Big City Newspapers. I found myself gagging on the wordiness, struggling to make sense out of long sentences and strange metaphors that defied the hierarchic and sensical longings of my order-craving mind. I bought books that were recommended as "powerful" and "moving" and felt both cheated and confused when passage upon passage made no sense. The beauty of non-fiction is that it avoids flowery language and bad poetry dressed up in prose, and that is most likely why I started veering that way; I can see that now, after reading A Reader's Manifesto. Non-fiction lacks heart, though, and I missed that about fiction. I missed the moment when I'd finish a really good book and the story would seem to hang in the air.

I have a hard time "getting" much of modern "literary" fiction. And because I value reading so much, and because I'm always trying to get my nephews and nieces to read, and because I love to write, and because of the value I place on a well-trained mind...I felt shame. I figured I was stupid, that the problem was with me and a mind that just couldn't comprehend or enjoy what was supposed to be great writing. Everyone was going bonkers over these books and I could barely choke down a few pages. They bored me, confused me, didn't make sense. Still, not one to quit, I would let the vicious cycle begin again, with me buying another literary hit in hopes I'd be different, hating it and pretending I didn't, nothing having changed.

Why did I assume I needed to be different? If I, the reader, didn't like the book, wasn't that the author's fault? Still, I tried to make it work.

To get past my shame, I tried to read books by creating a system that allowed for "skip-over" parts. Skip-over parts are the large chunks of writing that go on and on describing the most unimportant detail with confusing use of language and metaphor. My eye finds them naturally now, and I read a bit, then skip over, then find a little more meat, then skip some more -- all nearly without consciously being aware I'm doing it. The end result is one of turning a live read of a book into Clif's Notes. I get enough information so I can talk about the book with other people and B.S. my way out of any tight spots. I hit the high points and avoid entangling myself in clunky prose.

The bad thing about this, if I'm going to just narrow it down to one such thing, is that even though I don't naturally write long sections of description or metaphor I have caught myself forcing it into my writing because I figured that's what was good writing. Even if it seemed stupid. I have caught myself writing skip-over parts, wondering what the point of writing such drivel was if I was only going to skip over it later?

Then, lo and behold, A Reader's Manifesto entered my life and I can now hold my head up without shame. I am not alone! I am not stupid! The emperor really had no clothes and I was not being ridiculous for letting the sight of his flabby love handles bother me.

I don't feel so red-faced about sneaking one of my father's Louis L'Amour books in my purse. I don't feel guilty for never finishing Cold Mountain even though I had a full airplane ride from Hamburg to Minneapolis in which to do so. I don't feel like I'm missing out on new understanding of relevant topics when I weigh taking another whack at a book I foolishly bought because of a positive critique in Newsweek against another reading of one of my many M.M. Kaye books.

I suppose that, for those of you who disagree with Myers' assertion, it will be assumed that I really am just stupid. Or, as one manifesto-angered author said in an article talking about the book, that I am not able to understand anything I can't read "under a beach umbrella with nine kids running around." I do have a list of books I've read and enjoyed that you are welcome to look at and determine if, indeed, I am stupid. The list is not complete yet since it is a new section of my web site that I am building, but there are plenty of listings to make a judgement call, if such a call is necessary.

But back to the manifesto. I'm not going to give you a blow-by-blow account of B.R. Myers' excellent book because I'm not a book reviewer. I am, however, a person who loves to read who has struggled with not liking a lot of what is available and finally understanding why this is. If this is you, or if you are a writer prone to bizarre metaphors with the gift of turning a non-event into a circus in everything that you write, I encourage -- nay, I implore -- you to read this book. Now.

A Reader's Manifesto is filled with witty and pointed gems.

"Even a nation brainwashed to equate artsiness with art knows when its eyelids are drooping."

Bingo. We line up for the ugly, hate it the whole time, and think we've somehow elevated ourselves if we suffer through the ugliness. The love handles are unsightly, people. Keep your clothes on no matter what the "elite" tell you.

Even though you can read much about B.R. Myers, and his essay, by doing a simple search on the internet, I still recommend that you get the actual book. Support the idea, for one thing, but also, the end of the book is as good a read. You can find out how the plebes (i.e. you and me) and the critics reacted to his boat rocking; his responses elicit the muffled laughter you'll have already allowed to escape during the earlier reading of the book. Plus, a bonus for writers! Myers lists ten things a "serious" writer should do. I'm not going to tell you what these ten things are, however. You need to buy the book. Then you can read these ten things for yourself and avoid them like the plague.

::Go now. Buy it. Help out the publishing house, even if they released a book that treats the election of President Bush in theatrical "post 11/2 world" overtones as if the world all but ended (which, I want to point out, it didn't) in an effort to galvanize against the "right" -- that includes me, their customer. A red-state rightwinger. Which actually kind of burns my butt, if you read the description of that book. Meaning it's fodder for another blog post. Maybe. But A Reader's Manifesto? Get that book.::

Links:

Labels: books

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Books for kids that adults should get and enjoy and not apologize.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

I don't know why it is, but kids get all the best books. Why let the kids have all the fun?

Maybe books for adults bore me because they are restrained by "adult" themes and try very hard to be grown-up. Maybe its because kids' books get the cool covers and all the dragons. I don't know. But I do know that I love books written for kids and I'm going to share a list of some of the best kids' books around (that I've read). You'll notice that I often talk about the covers and the illustrations and how the books feels in my hand. Perhaps you think that silly, to even consider that, but I do not. I appreciate a finely made book, a book that is telling a story in its words and in its appearance. Why not enjoy the reading experience with all senses, including touch and sight?

The following listing will not contain some of the more obvious favorites that I've enjoyed (Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket) but instead some other selections that people who aren't familiar with children's literature might not have heard of.

The Sisters Grimm: This is a new series with books that are a delight to hold as well as read. The look of the books imitates the old cloth-bound books I had passed on to me while growing up, the books with the Wyeth illustrations on the cover on a soft-colored sticker, rough-edged pages. They are, I suppose, a relative of the successful Lemony Snicket and The Spiderwich Chronicles series', but who cares if it's just jumping on the bandwagon. The Sisters Grimm (so far) is a fun read and a clever concept.

Tales of the Otori: The books in the series are small treasures with paperback covers and a smooth paper dust jacket; the feel of them in your hand is pleasing. The pages inside, with the sparse font and feel of the paper, remind me of the small books I had as a child. Their unique size and feel, combined with the dramatic Asian cover illustrations that look like ink paintings with bright red graphic elements were what got me to take them off the bookshelf. The stories inside, however, were worth it. These books are like small, thick magazines that beg to be hidden under pillows and read when parents think kids are asleep. Beautiful books, wonderful stories.

The Inkheart Trilogy: This dragon-based series by German author Cornelia Funke is in keeping with her other very good books (The Theif Lord). The books are very good, and Funke has a way of taking you out of this world. Who wouldn't love a story about having the power to bring characters from books to life by simply reading the books out loud? The books are so good, in fact, that you'll find tons of fan sites and fan fiction on the web. People love these books. You should read the first book of the series, Inkheart, quickly, though. It's going to be made into a movie.

Eragon: Nevermind the amazingly young age of this series' author, Christopher Paolini. The stories are tremendous. Think of them as a kind of dragon Lord of the Rings. Except without all the pages of poems and songs in LOTR. Again, this is another trilogy. Two books are out. Get them. Your kids have probably already read them.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: This series has been out for a while now, and upon first glance it seems to be a Lemony Snicket groupie. But wait - it isn't. Like nearly all of the books I've listed, this series creates its own mythology for kids to really get hooked on the series. The books themselves are beautiful to hold and look at, with illustrations and an aged feel to them that lends well to an overall complete experience. The creators of this series did their fans a tremendous service by offering two companion books on the side: a Notebook for Fantastical Observations, which allows readers to write, draw, and imagine their way deep into the the Spiderwick story by keeping their own "field guide" of sorts; and Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, a simply GLORIOUSLY illustrated book of the creatures found in the series with pull out pages, an aged and hand-written appearance...you know what? It's a beautiful book. There are no words.

Dragonology: This book is not so much a story as it is a world waiting for you to enter. It's full of wonderful illustrations that a "dragonologist" would need, including interactive elements such as pull-out letters, postcards, and "dragon skin" to touch. There is also a companion book, Dragonology: A Practical Course in Dragons, that lets kids do a bit of their own work to become a dragonologist.

Fairyopolis: This books is similar to Dragonology except, of course, that it deals with fairies. The beauty of the book is stunning, with lots of interactive notes, faux letters and postcards, "fairy dust" and even viewing glasses at the end that let you see fairies in 3D. Everything about it, even down to the publishing notes that you might not even bother reading, creates a world that says the book is from an earlier time, a different place.

I'll stop at this for now. You have some reading to do. If you have suggestions for the list, leave them in the comments.

Labels: books

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Our books reveal us.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 2 comments link this post

The books we own tell our story whether we like it or not.

What we read says more about us than any front we try to put on. Though guardians of privacy bemoan how the government can find out what books we check out from the public library, by shopping online we give out the same information.

Amazon's purchase circles, for example, are loaded with information if you know how to read it. With a few clicks, you can find out what the most popular books (ordered off of Amazon, of course, not taking into account books bought at bookstores) are in the various branches of government, the military, private companies, geographic regions, universities, and organizations.

If you have some time, it's a lot of fun to see what people are buying, and then wondering what the significance of it means. For example, a top seller (#6) in Grand Forks is Reinventing the Bazaar: A Natural History of Markets. And that actually makes sense. Grand Forks has a ever-growing summer-long farmers market built into their reconstructed downtown venue. It's a big draw. But what continues to fascinate is that if you look at the North Dakota Higher Education Computer Network (under the education category of circles) you'll find many of the books from the Grand Forks listing there, in similar order.

Clearly, these two circles overlap.

On it's own, this is an uninteresting fact. Who cares that the Bazaar book shows up on both lists? But when you think of what purchase circles reveal as a whole...it could be an interesting study if someone had the time, patience, and research experience to make something of the links between circles. These purchase circles take an unscientific "book average" and reveal a little about the people that make up that circle.

It's already been theorized that the government could use the extensive wish lists on Amazon to find "subversives." Call it data mining, call it intrusive -- I know I use my wish list not so much to get other people to buy me stuff but to store books I want to buy for later. If I come across an article or review of a book that intrigues me, I pop over to Amazon and add it to my wish list. It would be a great way for someone to find out much about me simply by seeing what I want to read.

Our personal libraries reveal who we are in a personal way, even if we have books we haven't gotten around to reading yet.

The way we categorize or organize our books reveals something; I'm a visual person and I arrange some books by category while others I arrange by the color and size of the cover. The books we put in plain view, what I call "vanity" books, reveals something just as how the books we hide does the same. The books that show the most wear and use reveals something; the same can be said for the books we've bought but never gotten around to reading. How we take care of our books, or whether we'll lend them out, reveals something. And of course, the subject matter of the books themselves, all across the board, reveals something. We show what our priorities are, what our dreams our, what we fear, what we hate, what we love, how we like to escape, who we wish we were, if we're lazy, if we hope, who we want to lead us, or if we lead -- it's all there, in the books.

The books we are attracted to reflect every aspect of our nature. How often people have expressed surprise at what I'm reading, I've lost count, but what it tells me is that our reading choices reveal things about us that we had chosen not to reveal to our friends. Our books are the fullest expression of ourselves.

You are what you read? Maybe, but I think it's better to say that we read what we are.

Labels: books

Agate the moose.

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Non-readers, non-writers, and professional book handlers.

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2nd Annual Free Bookplate Contest.

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The problem with books and shelves.

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Books as art repositories.

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Barnes and Noble Book Clubs

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Blog books.

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Reading blog: The start of something great.

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Books: The Art of the Bookplate.

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Common books aren't common enough, anymore.

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My bedsided reading is out of control.

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Books: A Reader's Manifesto has put my shame at rest.

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Books for kids that adults should get and enjoy and not apologize.

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Our books reveal us.

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