Monday, October 8, 2012

reading: Book Fair upcoming, View From Here, Ex Libris

this blog post is inspired by the blog series "It's Monday! What are you reading?" which is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. more about that, at the bottom of this post
 


Book Fair Days Upcoming + View From Here

This week is different: there's the Frankfurt Book Fair opening its doors. It is the largest book fair of the world, with international halls and more than 7000 publishers from 100 countries, and with readings, author talks, book galleries, you name it. I will go there on Thursday and report back next week.

The featured country of the book fair this year is New Zealand - the country where my author friend Michelle Elvy lives. Which gave the idea to create a blog carnival that reaches from Germany to New Zealand. Now online: The "View from Here", with writers and artists sharing their views: from coast to coast, and from city to countryside "VIEW FROM HERE"
(my view is included, too - the sky at the end)

Ex Libris, or: when books become chapters of our own life story
Preparing for the Book Fair, many magazines have book supplements this week (the ocean in the collage is from a NZ feature) - so the focus on reading is more on interviews and features this week. But there is a "bookish" book that i started this weekend: "Ex Libris" by Anne Fadiman. And it fits right in - it was recommended by Birdy from India, who wrote about the book: "Ex Libris recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. For Fadiman, as for many passionate readers, the books she loves have become chapters in her own life story."

Here's a quote from the preface: "I began to write Ex Libris when it occurred to me how curious it was that books are so often written about as if they were toasters. Is this brand of toaster better than that brand of toaster? At $24.95, is this toaster a best buy? [...] This model of readers as consumers – one I have abetted in many a book review myself–neatly omits what I consider the heart of reading: not whether we wish to purchase a new book but how we maintain our connections with our old books, the ones we have lived with for years, the ones whose textures and colors and smells have become as familiar to us as our children’s skin."

Sounds fresh, i thought. And checked to see the publishing year of this book with the retro cover. Well. The book isn't retro. It's from 1953. And ast he same time, as fresh as today.

More, next week :)

Book Fair Impressions
Lifiting this up from the comments - the book fair impressions from my last visit:
Frankfurt Book Fair 2010 - themes, sights, hotspots


*****

It's Monday! What are you reading? This blog post is inspired by the blog series "It's Monday! What are you reading?" which is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. participating blogs are listed in this Linky Book List

Previous reading blog entries are collected here: bookshelf + monday reads. there also is a visual bookshelf, just click it to get there:



Some lines about me: I'm into roads, stories, places, crossings, and all the things they lead and connect to. I edit BluePrintReview and the blueprint book + lit blog. Apart from being an editor and blogger, I am also an author myself. My new book Worlds Apart just launched:

Worls Apart: the true story of 2 friends, 2 journeys, and 10 life lessons  
In the global world, a traveler from Europe and a teacher from Asia meet in the web, share their journeys, and the joys, longings, and life lessons that wait along the road. Captured in letters and photos that reach from China and India to Germany and the Mediterranean Sea, a dialogue across continents and cultures unfolds: Worl(d)s Apart

5 comments:

Katya said...

The Book Fair sounds like it will be an amazing experience. Enjoy!

Christopher Allen said...

I wish I could go to the book fair! I'll be in Berlin. :(

Dorothee said...

the book fair is both wonderful and completely overwhelming. really looking forward to it. will take photos and probably also do some live blogging.

here are some impressions from my last visit, 2010: http://dailyspress.blogspot.de/2010/10/frankfurt-book-fair-themes-sights-links.html

The Relentless Reader said...

Ex Libris is one I've recently heard of and I'm very curious about it! I need to keep my eyes open for that one :)

Have a great week of reading!

Between the Bind said...

Unique book choices! I haven't heard of or read any of these books before. Thank you for sharing!

If you'd like to stop by, here's what I'm reading this week.

xo,
JL