Sulz wins the first 5 trees! November 24, 2007

As you probably know, I am hosting a special contest with Eco-Libris. This to celebrate Kimbooktu’s 100.000th visitor. All you have to do is write a review about a book you think is ‘green’. Learn more about the contest here, or click the button in the side bar in the ’special announcements’ section.

Sulz is the first reviewer to win five trees. She wrote this ‘green’ review:

    The Minpins by Roald Dahl

The book in one sentence: Mollycoddled Little Billy listens to the Devil’s whisper and naughtily enters the Forest of Sin against his mother’s warnings!

Who would you recommend it to: Little boys and girls with a taste for adventure.

OK bits: The Minpins and their houses.

Boring bits: The ending where Little Billy ventures into mysterious places high up in the sky.

Random review quote:

“Roald Dahl’s last picture book is as mind-bogglingly wonderful as all the others. This is classic Dahl: the charming stories with that disquieting edge of fear… Patrick Benson’s illustrations are vibrant and so full of life that there is water splashing off the page and leaves swirling among the treesm yet there’s a harmonious gentleness evident too. A superb book” — Books for Keeps

Why this book is green: As the book cover above shows, The Minpins is a very ‘green’ book. The premise of the story is very nature-based, and this is reflected in both the story and illustrations. It’s a book based on nature that will interest children and nurture the spirit of environmental friendliness without being boring!

Verdict: The review quote is right in a way. It is a typical Dahl children story, but not quite as classic as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or The BFG. That said, it still makes a pretty good bedtime story and the illustration is a nice change from the usual Quentin Blake ones. (Not that Quentin Blake’s illustrations are boring, they’re wonderful!)

Learn more about this book, and look inside it here.

Wireless Reading Devices November 24, 2007

A reader e-mailed me about the following reading gadget. As we do most of the things digital these days, Amazon has introduced a digital reading device. The Kindle. I thought it was proven in the past that this sort of reading gadget is unwanted. It surprises me to see that all sorts of companies market them again.

Not only are these devices bizarrely expensive, you will have to pay extra for a book too. (Imagine the amount of books you can buy for 400 dollars!) And this book will not even get a place in your library, since it is all digital. No flipping of pages, no scribbles in the margin, no amazing cover art. I understand why this e-reading thing failed the first time. I do not understand why the manufacturers try again.

If you are curious, this is the wireless reading device Amazon just introduced. Click here to learn more about the Kindle. And click here to see a video on how to use it.

Review and win! November 17, 2007

THIS CONTEST HAS CHANGED, CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW CONTEST.

You can win 5 trees that are going to be planted in your name! All you have to do is review a book. A book you think is ‘green’. It can be Walden. It can be about mushrooms. It can be philosophical. Review the book and mention why you think it is ‘green’. Click here to learn more.

Best books of 2007 November 17, 2007

Even though the year is not even over, Amazon has made a list of the best books of 2007. They divided the list between the favorites of the editors and the customers. Both groups state their favorite fiction, non-fiction, history et cetera. I was not surprised by the no. 1 in fiction on the editors list at all. For the customers, this title is actually number 2. J.K. Rowling won again.

You can find the list here.

DIY Book table November 14, 2007

A great idea to make your own bookish furniture. This book table, as posted on the blog Simply Green, is a really good idea! The post itself is quite funny too. Click here to go directly to the book table post.

PS. Speaking of ‘Green’. Do not forget to send in a review of a ‘green’ book for the contest. Learn more about it via the button in the ’special announcements’ section in the sidebar. The first two winners will be contacted next Monday, so you still have a couple of days!

Bookish letter opener November 9, 2007

If you are one of the few people that receive letters on a regular basis, this bookish gadget might be just the thing for you! It is an automatic letter opener shaped as a tiny red book. I think it is cute! Click here for a UK website, or here for a US one.

Thanks to Roger for the link!

PS. There are two new libraries on Your Shelves!

Bookish stool November 9, 2007

In the same store where I found the fantastic bookish Christmas cards, see below or here, I found this great bookish stool. I love it, not only because of its looks, but in our small house it is very practical.

The stool is actually made of cardboard. Can you believe this stool can hold up to 200 kilograms? This boxy stool comes in all sorts of designs, but the one I bought has a photo of stacks of books on it. Since the manufacturer is German, the books have titles in that language. You buy the stool in a flat pack, but it is very easy to put together.

Right now this great find sits at the head of the table in my library. It creates an extra place to sit (and place books on) and it looks very decorative. Since the stool is light and it does not take much room, you can use it for anything. It would make a great side table. If you buy two, you have some original bedside tables! I will regularly move it to the living room if we have guests, to create an extra place to sit.

If you see it as a cardboard box, it is expensive. If you see it as a multi functional decorative bookish product, it’s cheap. I paid 16 Euro’s and I think it is worth it. You can learn more about the stools here. If you want to go to the bookish stool directly, click here.

100.000 visitors! Win great prizes! November 7, 2007

After not even a year of blogging, I welcomed my 100.000^th visitor today. To celebrate this great event, I wanted to let you share in the fun. I collaborated with Eco-Libris, a company that helps you balance out your reading, by selling trees you can plant via them. (Learn more about it in this post.) We came up with a fun contest with original prizes…

How to win

All you have to do is review a ‘green’ book. You can pick any book you like, as long as you explain why you think the book is ‘green’ in your review. The total review does not have to be longer than three paragraphs. You can see two previous reviews here and here.

The prizes

Eco-Libris has made ten prize packages that two reviewers can win every week. Each winner receives five stickers for every tree that is planted in your name. This is not all. The review of the book gets published on the Eco-Libris blog as a holiday gift suggestion.

We will contact the two winners via e-mail every Monday for five weeks, starting on November 19. We look forward to your reviews! You can send them to me, via this address.

Bookish Christmas Cards November 7, 2007

I have the best Christmas cards ever. In a great little bookshop, I found these sets of cards depicting book spines of books about Christmas. They are made by the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford. I cannot wait to surprise my friends and family with these great cards! I will make sure to send one to my husband, so we can keep one of them ourselves, haha. You can learn more about the cards (and buy them!) here.

Beautiful libraries November 6, 2007

There are some amazing libraries all over the world, which most of us will never see in person. Luckily there is a website that has pictures of the best examples. Click here to see it. I can also reccomend the book ‘Libraries’ by Candida Hofer. I am proud to finally have this book in my collection. (Click here to read a previous post about this book.)

    The fantastic library of ‘our’ Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Thanks to Urbi for the link!