Book games

Posted by trav in On the Web      1 comment

Dec
26

A rare-book blog has created a couple of bookish themed games. They’re pretty good at burning a few minutes on a lazy holiday afternoon. Though, I think I have the lowest score on the “famous First Lines” game. I faired much better at “Letter-a-ture”. Which is even more fun because of the two player setting.

Posting will remain a little light this week, as I shed my holiday sugar induced shakes and relearn the mechanics of typing.

I hope your holiday season has been a peaceful one!

{via myfinebooks}

Challenge me!

Posted by trav in Book Talk, On the Web      No comments

Dec
20

I want a book reading challenge. Some of my favorite posts, over the past year have been those folks participating in some quasi-organized reading challenge. The themes have been great too. So now I’m in search of one. Fortunately…

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Google’s knol

Posted by trav in News, On the Web      No comments

Dec
20

I can’t make up my mind just how big of a deal this is. To be honest, I never really dug into Wikipedia, never having enough faith in what the masses would post. But then I discovered the Bhamwiki. It was like a light bulb that suddenly turned on. I got it. Our little local wiki is exactly what the whole Wikimedia is supposed to be about. It’s a great place to look up info on local authors, books,publishers etc.

And now Google is throwing their hat in the same ring. The only difference, that I can find, between Wiki and Google is that:

1. Google will restrict entry editing to a slate of topic experts, to kick things off.

2. Google will allow these topic experts to share in the ad revenue stream generated by their entries.

Are there more differences? I’m certainly not qualified to write anything, but I’ve been a fan of Google for a while and I’m wondering why they keep spreading out into new areas, beyond their core search business. Maybe it is just to stem the people clicking from Google search links to Wikipedia, as this guy’s non-scientific test highlights.

Brits banding books

Posted by trav in Book Talk, News      No comments

Dec
20

I was lurking around the net, familiarizing myself with children’s books from the 1940′s (per one commenter’s suggestion) and I ran across an news tidbit saying the UK publishers are going to start rating children’s books. Just like the movies, though this seems more aimed at “reading level” than content. Though, surely, there is some of that too.

The age ranking will go: Early (for five years plus), Developing (7 plus) Confident (9 plus) and Fluent.

When gift buying for nephews, I always wonder which book to get. The reading abilities and tastes seem so hard to figure out at that age. Honestly. I have more faith in my local bookseller’s knowledge about what would be a good purchase, but this would seem to be a step in the right direction to help the clueless (such as myself).

Top selling out-of-print books

Posted by trav in Bookstores, On the Web      3 comments

Dec
19

Here’s a list I wish I could have as an RSS feed in my pocket. It’s the Top 10 Out-of-Print Books that have sold on eBay. In other words, the top ten books you are most likely to run across at yard sales and flea markets that are netting the big bucks on online auctions.

I might have to start keeping an eye on this list. We have tons of little antique shops in Birmingham that always have books tucked in the corners. But to be honest, if I ran across Once A Runner, I’d glance at the cover and keep moving. But that just shows how costly ignorance can be. That book is selling for $200 on eBay! It’d be a dream to run across one of these knitting books for a couple of bucks and pass them along to someone who REALLY wanted it. I’ll pass along updates as I find them.

Malcolm’s Reading Room

Posted by trav in Birmingham, Bookstores      No comments

Dec
18

**My latest contribution to the Bham Terminal has been posted. So you can catch me over there or keep reading below.**

The newest kid on Birmingham’s book selling block is Malcolm’s Reading Room (404 17th St. North) which is the ground level of the historic Masonic Temple building. Malcolm’s Reading Room is billed as an African-American bookstore, which the banners, t-shirts and colors make obvious after stepping through the door. But after spending a few short minutes with co-owner Simone Snelling, one gets the feeling that the store is about something more…

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Word of the Year 2007

Posted by trav in News      1 comment

Dec
18

The lords of all things wordy have handed down the scroll with this year’s official “Word of the Year 2007″ scrawled across the papyrus and that word is… w00t. That’s right, w00t.

Not w-oh-oh-t, but w-zero-zero-t. Just like it’s been spelled for the past 10 years on the internet. And it’s just NOW making the list? Why? What happened in 2007 that w00t gets the nod? Did the president use it? Is it all over this year’s holiday cards from Hallmark? Did Toyota make a 4-wd w00t?

I don’t get it. Someone, please explain. If, after thousands of years, w00t is the hottest word we have going, then I’m a little worried.

Something us locals already knew

Posted by trav in Birmingham, Events, News      No comments

Dec
18

The Magic City Art Connection has been named one of the “top 20 events to attend in April 2008″, by the Southeast Tourism Society. The weekend art event, which turns 25 this year, attracts artists from all over the country and is always fun. But it’s always nice when someone over in Atlanta looks our way.

{via Birmingham Business Journal}

One I’m looking forward to reading

Posted by trav in Authors, New Releases      No comments

Dec
17

While making the rounds today I ran across Buzz Girl’s post about Houghton Mifflin’s Spring 2008 list, which listed a debut novel by Jonathon Miles. The title is Dear American Airlines, and is billed as “an irate demand for a refund tut urns into a “cri de coeur” of a misspent life, talent unused and happiness lost.”

I recognized Miles’ name from his column on cocktails and his work at Men’s Journal. As I did some digging online he seems to be one of the more prolific and cross-subject reporters out there. So you may have seen his work elsewhere. I’m banking that his ability to pen a novel will be just as entertaining and insightful. We will all just have to wait until June to find out!

Ten years ago today…

Posted by trav in News, On the Web      No comments

Dec
17

The term “web blog” was coined by Joen Barger. That article has some of Barger’s “principles for good blogging”. I found #2 interesting. After thinking about it for 10 seconds I realized just how true it is.

I wish #8 would catch on with everyone too! I hate clicking on a blog link just to find the pdf viewer launching to view some static calendar.

{via Books, Inq.}