LOVE these Book Sculptures by Brian Dettmer!

"Brian Dettmer's carved books are intricate creations, which seek both to seduce the eye and provoke the mind. Through the cut open cover of a book the viewer sees layers of specifically selected text and illustration carved from the pages of the book. Through the gaps in an architectural drawing or perhaps the chambers of the human heart, one can see a word peeking through, perhaps a clue to the larger meanings of the piece. These pieces seek to bridge the gap between a medium's form and its message. Dettmer manages to use the contrasting layers of image and text to explore the conveyance of information, as well as being able to get the viewer to examine what that can mean."

Can't post a picture - but check this out!

LOVE this bookstore! And mini-update

I came across this post on Publishers Weekly: A Photo Tour of Montague Bookmill in Montague, Massachusett. I wish I live nearby!

To learn more about it,  you can go to their website too: http://www.montaguebookmill.com

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Mini update:

• Still tired from the trip. 
• Been catching up on blogs on Google Reader - nearly up to date again!
• Have 2 book reviews to do - Jin-Ling's 2 Left Feet by Helen Chen and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (now why did I wait to read this when I won a copy of it over a year ago??)
• Reading American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (April Book Club) and since that was nearly finished, I took Postcards from a Dead Girl by Kirk Farber to work today instead.
• Since I returned all the library books before my trip, the first 2 days back to work (library is nearby), I went to check out 19 books. 8 Fiction and 11 Non-Fic. Am in the mood for fiction though so will be reading them first (plus saving my Non-Fic for the Non-Fic challenge in May :)) I should probably restrain myself from going to the library - each time I go, I can't resist borrowing more books. I probably won't go until the book(s)/DVD I'd reserved (we get to reserve 30 and I have reached my limit boo-hoo!) comes in, or when my book club meets (4/20), or until I read a blog review on a book that I-must-read-now-and-the-library-has-it!

Non-Fiction Five Challenge - 5/1-9/30, 2010

Trish's Reading Nook is hosting the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. Details here.

1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2010 (please link your reviews on Mister Linky each month; Mister Linky can be found at the beginning of each month on this blog)

2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)

3. If interested, please sign up below with the link to your NFF Challenge post (all choices do not need to be posted and may change at any time)




My thoughts: 
Since I read quite a bit of NF anyway, may as well join this to see what others are reading! I am pretty confident that this is a challenge I can finish :)

My list:

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
2. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
3. Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived by Maria Housden
4. Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey by Daniel Keyes
5. With One Eye Open by Polly Frost 
6. Live It, Love It, Earn It: A Woman's Guide to Financial Freedom by Marianna Olszewski 

0 books in March?

We just got back from a 3 weeks vacation in Hong Kong and Guam. I brought 5 books (in English) with me for the long plane ride (the longest leg was about 14 hours!) and I read NONE of them... was too tired on my way over there, and felt like reading something short on my way back (in between napping) so I read some Chinese magazines and short Chinese books instead... well I supposed I did read 3.5 books in Chinese so far this month, but I won't be doing any reviews on them.

With 5 days left in March, I wonder if I'd end up reading any books in English?

My book club choice for April is American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, so will read that soon! We will also be choosing books for the 2nd half of the year and 1st half of next year soon. I submitted some suggestions, can't wait to see what we end up choosing!

PS - Oops! I did read at last 1 book in March! I forgot I finished Jin-Ling's Two Left Feet by Helen Chen before I left for vacation in the first week of March. Will need to do a review soon!

Book Review - Genesis: A Novel by Bernard Beckett

Title: Genesis: A Novel
Author: Bernard Beckett
Year: 2009
Page: 150
Genre: Fiction - Dystopian, Sci-Fi

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Yes
Tearjerker? No
Where did it take place? Future
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Anax, the dedicated student historian at the center of Beckett's brutal dystopian novel, lives far in the future—the distant past events of the 21st century are taught in classrooms. The world of that era, we learn, was ravaged by plague and decay, the legacy of the Last War. Only the island Republic, situated near the bottom of the globe, remained stable and ordered, but at the cost of personal freedom. Anax, hoping her scholarly achievements will gain her entrance to the Academy, which rules her society, has extensively studied Adam Forde, a brilliant and rebellious citizen of the Republic who fought for human dignity in the midst of a regimented, sterile society. To join the Academy's ranks, Anax undergoes a test before three examiners, and as the examination progresses, it becomes clear that her interpretations of Adam's life defy conventional thought and there may be more to Adam—and the Academy—than she had imagined. Though the trappings of Beckett's dystopian society feel perhaps too Brave New World, the rigorous narrative and crushing final twist bring a welcome freshness to a familiar setup.

First Sentence:
Anax moved down the long corridor.

Why did I pick this book?
Saw it on the library's new release shelf. The cover attracted me to read the blurb. The premise sounds interesting - there is a sci-fi sticker on the book, which usually is not my genre, but I'm trying to read books I don't typically pick. Plus this is a thin book, shouldn't waste too much time if I don't like it? A few days after I borrowed the book, I saw a couple of blog reviews that showed not many people had read this one.

My thoughts:

• I thought there would be more happening - but the whole book was about that entrance exam. I'd say it was a little slow at time, but I kept reading since it's a thin book...
  
  
• I DO like the ending, which I thought made up for the slowness of the book. The concept of the book was also quite fascinating
  
  
• For a dystopian book, I liked The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist or The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson better, though all 3 books are quite different in their nature

Quote

May scholars have complained of our tendency to see history only in conflicts, but I am not convinced they are right. It is in conflict that our values are exposed. (p88)

I try not to be surprised. Surprise is the public face of a mind that has been closed. (p123)

"I have learned to value the things others are reluctant to give." (p127)

Rating:

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think!
I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading

Catching up on your blogs...

Okay, I just realized I subscribed to 207 book blogs (plus numerous other blogs on food, home decoration, etc etc). I had over 1000+ posts I hadn't read (just on the book ones) and now I'm down to 722 unread book blog posts... getting there!! (It may not look like I "follow" a lot of blogs using Google Friends, but I use RSS Google Reader...)

Definitely having a slow month of reading too. I read 12 in January, and read 5 so far in Feb... hopefully can squeeze in a few more.

Musing - Book Cover Art: The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control by Ted Striphas

 

The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control by Ted Striphas  

• I loved this cover the first time I saw it at the library - I think it's my love for books, and how a book can be turned into an art/sculpture piece!
  
• It reminded me of some book art I saw on Etsy (seller: theshophouse) - isn't it beautiful?