Build Your Own Bookmobile

"Fun for schools, librarians, kids, adults, and bibliophiles -- because you CAN'T make this on an iPad or a Kindle!" is how Bob Staake refers to his 3-D crafty bookmobile. You simply print it out, fold at tabs, apply a little glue and whammo you're up and running.

  No library card required.

Charles Van Sandwyk gets singing

Ever wonder what one of the greatest book illustrators of our generation does during his spare time?

Well, he sings and tells stories. Backed by the Brandywine Boys, Charles Van Sandwyck has released his first CD. Quality Time: Charles Van Sandwyk + the Brandywine Boys sing, play + tell stories. The 6 song time-themed debut features Keith Lowe on acoustic base, Steve Dawson on guitar, ukulele, weissenborn and dobro and Chris Gestrin on pump organ and saloon piano.

A tri-fold insert features an introduction to the project by Keith Lowe and an original illustration by Van Sandwyk and of course, the cover and CD illustration are by Van Sandwyk as well.

The CD is available here for your listening pleasure.
Here is sampling of Van Sandwyk's work

E-Books in the Round: Google's Digital Bookcase

The digital designers at Google have come up with a new way to browse Google Books. The challenge - designing a 21st century virtual bookcase to display e-books. They "imagined something that looks like the shelves in your living room, but is also capable of showcasing the huge number of titles available online—many more than fit on a traditional shelf."

 And what they came up with is a bookcase that's an infinite 3D helix. That you can spin  side-to-side and up and down with your mouse. The shelf holds 3D models of more than 10,000 titles from Google Books.

The books are organized into 28 subjects and if you want to read one you just click on the “Get this book” button and you're on your way to Google Books.

More at the Official Google Blog

Bill O'Reilly gets burned

 At a remote location in Afghanistan a Commander ordered a soldier to burn 20 copies of Bill O'Reilly's book Pinheads and Patriots.

As one of the soldiers involved summed it up:

Some jerk sent us two boxes of this awful book (SPOILER ALERT: George Washington — Patriot; George Soros — Pinhead) instead of anything soldiers at a remote outpost in Afghanistan might need, like, say, food or soap. Just burned the whole lot of them on my Commander's orders.

Acknowledging "people’s squeamishness about setting books ablaze." the soldier went on to reiterate that they were stationed in an "extraordinarily remote location" and sending them back or making room to carry them was not an option.

How in the world they got there in the first place and more importantly who sent them are questions worth an answer.

Piece in New York Magazine; A Soldier in Afghanistan Burned a Box of Bill O'Reilly's Book

Bookish signs of the OWS movement

One of the highlights  of the Occupy Wall Street movement has been the amazing signage at the events around the country. Above is one of my favorites.

and here is one with some literary-leaning.

We would love to hear about other bookish signs that have graced the protests around the country. If you have seen any worthy of inclusion please let us know.

 and even G.K. Chesterton gets in the mix

Also of note, The Arts and Culture Working Group of OWS is turning many of the signs of the movement into artists books.