Hungarian phrase book...

... because it's funny.

Literary feast

It seems the more reliant we become on electronic media the more people prophesy on the impending redundancy of the good old 'paper' book. So if the humble book is that undesirable, why has it become the darling of the 'designer interior' set? Pretty much every supermarket-variety interior decorating magazine sprouts carefully placed Penguin 'Classics' in photo shoots of renovated lounge rooms across suburban Australia. And glossy coffee table books have never gone out of style (though they do get somewhat dusty. Here's a tip: opening them up occasionally and having a read will fix that.) But I reckon one of the worst offences against books was committed by whoever dreamed up the idea of creating those tragic faux leather book facades that the rich and stupid prop up on their bookcase to hide their Sylvester Stallone video collections in a vain attempt to look intelligent.
Welcome to Brushstroke - the uber-trendy Japanese restaurant just opened in New York where gastronomy is but one attraction... The walls of the cocktail bar and lounge were built with 12,000 second hand books. Looks pretty cool huh - brilliant even! Reading and eating, combining two of life's indisputable pleasures right? Not quite....sadly these hapless paperbacks can no longer fulfil their original purpose, jammed as they are like bricks into mortar.
The Gothamist columnist reporting on the opening asks the question on everyone's lips...: Who will be the first sake-bombed customer to idly pull out one of the books and bring the entire restaurant crashing down?

Literary love

Found this on etsy - the online treasure trove where you can snap up original creations by all kinds of clever and talented people - dangerously addictive! I Think I'm In Love wood paper print by rosiemusic.

Get the message

The New York Public Library spelled it out to the people this month, promoting the Read Across America campaign via a 9x13m display of 25,000 Dr Seuss books. As the good doctor said: 'The more you that read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.' - I Can Read With My Eyes Shut

Gender bender

Bit of a laugh... Bookblog.com reckons that by analysing a sample of your writing, fiction or non-fiction, its Gender Genie can tell whether you're male or female. I tried it and lets's just say....two out of three ain't bad.
How did you go?

Happy birthday to me!

Hip hip hooray! 

I love my birthday mug made from recycled corn plastic. 

Yes. Reading is totally sexy :)

Post me!

Great gift idea for the bookophile....a beautiful boxed set of 100 classic covers from Penguin Books. Frame, them post them, use them as coasters, gift cards or just salivate over them. Love love. I found mine at Quintessential Duck Egg Blue in Balmain.

Reverse psychology

Tired of being made to feel like an ignoramus every time you happen upon one of those 'books you must read....' lists - you know the drill - populated largely by 1980s school texts, unreadable 'classics' and generic bile-factory blockbusters?
This might make you feel better:
Not the 50 Books You Must Read

NSW Premier's Literary Awards

Read any good books lately? The Sydney Writers Festival is calling for the public to cast their votes in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards People's Choice Award.
Vote for your favourite book out of the six finalists:
Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey
Utopian Man by Lisa Lang
Night Street by Kristel Thornell
Lovesong by Alex Miller
Traitor by Stephen Daisley
The English Class by Ouyang Yu
I haven't read any of them! Make your pick here.

Golden Books glamour

Remember Golden Books ...Who have imagined someone would turn them into a princess gown one day...? Check out Ryan Novelline's website to see how he constructed this gown from the pages of hundreds of fairytale stories.