The BBC world book club does a lot to support reading, authors, interest in reading and knowledge of books. It regularly offers podcasts where they discuss particular books and you can email in questions to ask the author if you keep a track of which podcasts are coming up. They also have a bank of video clips where authors discuss their books. You can listen live or use the on demand services. It really is a good site to help keep reading and authorship real and authentic.
Another good site is Goodreads. You can track your reading and write reviews. It is also a site which offers insight into authors and books and encouragement to read. Right now they are holding a vote on the best books for 2017 which you might like to participate in.
Both of these sites offer a strong connection development between authors and readers and that’s how you do it in 2017.
Like one of the commenters on this clip , I didn’t know whether to be disturbed or inspired by this. I was brought up with a huge respect for books and the knowledge and creativity they could bring to my life. As a mother I realised I had preached the message well when my daughter was horrified I was going to dispose of the blue Webster dictionary she had grown up with and we had always used and replace it by a brand , spanking new dictionary. The Webster now has a place of honour in her home. I do think we need to move on and I do think we need to move past paper. Some of these works of art are created from very old books which I would have thought had a cultural and archival value. Maybe not. Maybe we already have preserved other copies. If we move away from paper then we shall have all these excess books and to reinvent them into works of art which bring a clear artistic and cultural message is amazing and better than throwing them away. We do need to honour books. I was wondering what I’d do with my set of encyclopedias. Remember when we all thought someone was a genius because they had actually read the encyclopedia Britannica one volume at a time? Those people were revered. Can anyone read the whole of Google? These book artists , though, are making an interesting statement. They are not only very talented and imaginative they are making books spectacular for the visual messages they can now create. You can see more examples on the TED Ideas Gallery and decide where you stand.
Niume is an industrial design site and there are some fascinating designs featured. Much of it relies on recycling or repurposing and it is truly inspirational. So what are we going to do with all those books? I am very attached to mine. I was brought up on books and I revere and respect them, but even so, I can see we need to let paper go. Its production is now degrading the planet, it takes up space ,contributes to clutter and harbours dust and nasties. Technology will help us reinvent and clear our spaces. I hate seeing books put in bins because no one is using them or no one has read them. Archiving for the future will be important but we have mass produced so many books for a whole densely populated planet. I like the notion of this bookloo. “Home” is a sculptural installation by Colombian artist Miler Lagos. It is a modern look at books and how they could be repurposed ,conserved and fit into a modern landscape. The installation is totally self supporting. It would make a great little spot for reading and for hiding out with a laptop or tablet. We need to consider how we shall recycle and reinvent .Artists are showing us the way.
The BBC world book club does a lot to support reading, authors, interest in reading and knowledge of books. It regularly offers podcasts where they discuss particular books and you can email in questions to ask the author if you keep a track of which podcasts are coming up. They also have a bank of video clips where authors discuss their books. You can listen live or use the on demand services. It really is a good site to help keep reading and authorship real and authentic.
E-WOT 