Book Patrol

Writing, Creativity and Motivation

Posted by under , , , ,
Sticky Wall

Voltaire is reputed to have said to a client “… madam, here is the novel you commissioned it’s in two volumes, if I had more time I could have written it in one.” What a dramatic statement! It gets to the heart of new writers problems – how to be clear and concise. As an established writer I am frequently asked for advice but fail miserably in supplying answers. I have been writing now for over 40 years and still cannot give a clear prescription for the aspiring novelist. But here are some ideas. Firstly, start from a base in...

Continue Reading →

Bookshop Theater: A little “Misery” at Barnes and Noble

Posted by under , ,

In 2011 Norfolk, Virginia's The Generic Theater presented "a thrilling stage adaptation" of the Stephen King novel Misery. As part of the promotional festivities one of their actresses went to the local Barnes and Noble for a little publicity stunt. 'Crazy Chick Flips Out in Barnes & Noble' is how they titled it and what we get is a "Misery" infused encounter with an unsuspecting (?) employee. The actress is channeling the character Annie Wilkes (think Kathy Bates in the film version) from the novel and is asking after a novel by Paul Sheldon, who is the protagonist in Misery.  Warning to booksellers:...

Continue Reading →

A book-of-the-month club for the infants and toddlers of Washington D.C.

Posted by under , ,

By the time kids reach the third grade in the public schools of Washington D.C. less than half are reading at grade level! I repeat, less then half. We know the equation pretty well and we know that the long term consequences lean severe. Low literacy = higher chance of unemployment and incarceration. Ward 6 DC Councilmember Charles Allen has introduced legislation that would send a book a month to all 41,000 children under 5 that live in the district. “We have households in the District that have hundreds of books and households where the only book in the house may be the phone...

Continue Reading →

The Banksy of the book arts world surfaces via email

Posted by under ,

It began in early 2011  when the folks at the Scottish Poetry Library discovered a 'poetree' on a bookshelf. The 'poetree,' a book sculpture comprised of intricately cut pages, had this note attached referencing a Patrick Geddes quote: “ It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree… …We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books…a book is so much more than pages full of words… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas… a gesture (poetic maybe?)" Poetree By November ten of these sculptural gems had popped up all around Scotland...

Continue Reading →

Model Bookshop: The new Shonan T-Site bookstore sets the stage for the 21st century

Posted by under , , ,

Recently I mused about the benefits of putting a bookstore in every mall and wouldn't you know Japan's leading entertainment retailer Tsutaya has just hit it out of the park with the opening of their latest store Shonan T-Site, located 30 miles outside of Tokyo. Tsutaya returned to architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham to help create their second retail outlet. Their first venture together, the Daikanyama project, won numerous awards including World’s Best Shopping Center at the World Architecture Festival and the 2013 Grand Prize at Design For Asia.  Says Dytham: Shonan T-Site continues the reinvention of the modern-day bookstore as initiated by the Daikanyama project. However, the new space takes this...

Continue Reading →