Making room (on the broom)

The extreme hiatus this blog has suffered recently is down to the birth of my son - who arrived 2 days after the publication of my review of Soupy Twists on this here website.

He is now 3 months old and charming all he meets. He is also - unsurprisingly in a household stacked floor to ceiling with books - an interested reader, who sits through whole stories (which are longish for his age!) with great attention, as well as enjoying 'reading' soft books on his own.

Being a full-time mother who is soon to become a full-time working parent, I will have to work even harder to make room for my own reading and writing, as well as fostering my son's own love of reading. I can only apologise for the gaps between postings that may well result.

Prior to my son's birth, this blog was also an excellent venue for my poetic endeavours, during projects such as NaPoWriMo. However, as I am now trying to carve out a serious career in poetry-writing, and many publishers do not accept your work if it has appeared elsewhere (even on a personal blog), no more poems will appear here.

So what with poetry-writing, reviewing, reading, full-time working, co-parenting, gym-going, (occasional) socialising, and much more besides, it's possible that posts here will be infrequent. However, for now, let me leave you with a list of some of my son's favourite books:

Cuddles/Ploum series (translated from French, originally by Micheline Bertrand and Lise Marin)
Being a bilingual household, we have some of these in French and some in English. As well as admiring the simple illustrations and cute characters, we find the effects of the translation interesting: the original French books rhyme and give a jollier feel, whereas the English ones do not rhyme and as such are more calming. Both, however, are perfect for bedtime, including length-wise - and thanks to being written in the 1980s, provide a nostalgic element for parents too. You have to enjoy a challenge, too, though - many are sadly out of print, so hunting through eBay and charity shops alike is essential. Nonetheless, you won't regret it!

The Storm Whale series (Benji Davies)
I admit that we often read books to our son that are pitched a bit above his age group! This series is intended for 3-7-year-olds. However, he sits through them happily and really focuses on the frankly beautiful and detailed illustrations. There are also little puns hidden in some of the pictures for parents (and, eventually, older children) to find. These are therefore really books that will grow with your child, which include moral messages without being preachy.

Juste un petit bout (Emile Jadoul)
Emile Jadoul's delightful little book is another one that's perfect for bedtime, with clearly recognisable (yet appropriately flawed) characters that are repeated throughout the pages, and a concise story that emphasises sharing. This one has been translated into English under the title Just A Little Bit. Some of his other books are also available in English, such as Look Out - It's The Wolf, and Push Me Higher!, as well as in other languages (such as Spanish and Italian). Our son's liking for it is testified via the corner of our copy which has been lovingly chewed upon.

Little Hedgehog series (Christina M Butler)
This series is another one recommended for its beautiful illustrations, which again hold our son's attention wonderfully. Aspects of the books are also textured, making them appropriate for even the very smallest readers, as well as offering well-constructed and rhythmically-told stories. Most of our copies are in French, but again the series is available in many languages, including Dutch.

Goodnight Everyone // A Bit Lost, by Chris Haughton
Our baby's bedtime routine is without a doubt enhanced by Chris Haughton's unique illustrations of adorable baby animals who are looking for their mummies, insisting they aren't tired, and more. Haughton's distinctive style and skill with different graphic weights makes this very different and much more modern than the more classically-illustrated books I have mentioned above, and are economical with the text too (with not a word wasted) while still incorporating humour (and maintaining that delicate balance of not making the little one too hyper before he goes to sleep). We have one in French and one in English, so you can probably take your pick of languages too.

Usborne Very First Cloth Books
Believe it or not, though, our son does actually possess some age-appropriate reading material, and he loves his Cot Book with a night-time theme from Usborne. Its detailed and brightly-coloured images offer contrasts that he spends ages looking at - and with a woodland theme on one side and a space theme on the other, there's plenty to keep your little one entertained. This was an impulse purchase in Exeter that has turned out to be excellent value!

****

I'm sure I'll probably think of, and discover, even more as our little boy grows up. What are your children's favourites? Don't hesitate to comment below!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It may seem hard to believe - but Christmas is indeed just around the corner, at barely 8 weeks away. Shops may be cluttered now with Halloween paraphernalia, fireworks for Bonfire Night, and Thanksgiving delicacies, but several shop windows already have Christmas trees and home decorations front row and centre. It's common within the beauty industry, too, to have 'Christmas in July' showcases so that journalists can already have Christmas issues ready to go even before October. And as someone whose first baby is due today (!) I have already been making Christmas cards and buying presents, anticipating that in the blur of life with a newborn it will soon be the last thing on my mind.

Luckily, Literary Book Gifts has got you covered for all the bibliophiles in your life (including that awkward uncle who can sometimes be hard to buy for). Looking through the website, I found all kinds of goodies that you could either pair with a book or would make excellent standalone gifts.

Say your awkward uncle is on the especially erudite side. You could team a T-shirt themed around the work of Descartes or Machiavelli with a copy of one of the works of the great man - giving you options even if your intended receiver does not enjoy fiction. Scientist? Try Darwin's Tree of Life or Gray's Anatomy. Artist? Michelangelo's got you covered. Hipster? It's #typewriter time! Or just a grumpy old git? I especially liked the slightly sinister The End T-shirt, which reminded me of the time when my sister and I were watching the Disney movie of Peter Pan and, come the closing credits, my grandad walked past and said "This is my favourite part!" 

You don't even have to start with Christmas if you don't want to. If you have any male friends with Halloween birthdays, look no further than the range of creepy T-shirts, featuring illustrations alluding to Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Heart of Darkness, or the works of Edgar Allan Poe, to name just a few. 

If you're after a more discreet design, there are always T-shirts like this (available for both women and men) which combine the quirky, fun and literary, without naming the book outright:

Virtually all of the designs, in fact, seem to be available for both men and women, so you're sorted regardless of what type of book your recipient enjoys. Literary Book Gifts' range is extensive both in the titles the products reference and in the design styles - and there are a variety of colours available too. T-shirt wise my personal favourites, if I were buying for me, included one alluding to Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn, and the T-shirt transcribing Emily Dickinson's Hope Is The Thing With Feathers (what with these and the Whitman design, there's plenty for poetry-lovers!), as well as the wonderfully subtle Beethoven design (perfect for any musicians amongst your friends and family). All designs are created in-house and printed professionally, meaning you are getting a high-quality gift that won't disappoint, whether for Christmas, birthdays, or "just because".

Sizing and fit wise, you don't have to worry. The guide shows that women's designs are available for a 34-inch chest and up, with men's shirts going all the way up to a 50-inch diameter. (Measurements for tank tops and hoodies are also listed, although sadly none seem to be available at the moment.) Once I've made a purchase myself, I'll report back in terms of comfort as well.

But what if you have enough T-shirts? If you are buying a book for your loved one, what better wrapping than a tote bag? These come in small, medium and large sizes for added flexibility, with the price scaled accordingly - meaning you can watch your seasonal spending budget easily. My favourite designs here include the Jane Austen (which features the great lady's desk), the fabulously elegant Marcel Proust (whose swan design perhaps alludes to Book 1, entitled Swann's Way?), and the bold Don Quixote (especially meaningful to me as I've recently purchased a Quentin Blake print that also comes from this novel).

All of these products ship worldwide from the US at very reasonable rates - I'm located in Europe, so would have to pay the $10 flat rate (excluding any taxes/customs duties your country charges), but I have had to pay much more than this for postage of products even within Europe in the past, so consider this to be good value. And best of all? With 20% off your order thanks to an exclusive Bianca's Book Blog discount code (BiancasBookBlog20) that has no minimum purchase required, you can get your shopping sorted as of right now. You can thank me later. And Merry Christmas!








(This post was requested by the owner of Literary Book Gifts, but was not paid for in products or money, or sponsored in any other way.)

Books Read: 2013

Every year, whether it's a spoken or unspoken target, I challenge myself to read 50 books a year. So did I manage it in 2013? Let's find out:

1. Embassytown (China Miéville)
2. The Help (Kathryn Stockett)
3. An Imperfect Life (Rosemary Okun)
4. The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico (Antonio Tabucchi)
5. The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
6. Room (Emma Donoghue)
7. A Proper Place (Joan Lingard)
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Deborah Moggach)
9. The Great Divorce (CS Lewis)
10. Falling Leaves (Adeline Yen Mah)
11. Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes (Daniel Everett)
12 and 13. The Etymologicon and the Horologicon (both by Mark Forsyth)
14. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (Helen Simonson)
15. The Tragedy of Fidel Castro (Joao Cerqueira)
16. Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music (Stephen Fry and Tim Lihoreau)
17. Food and Philosophy: Eat, Think and Be Merry (eds: Allhof/Monroe)
18. The Breakfast Bible (Seb Emina et al)
19. Let It Be (Chad Gayle)
20. What's Science Ever Done For Us? (Paul Halpern)
21. Chicken Soup for the Soul 20th Anniversary Edition (eds: Canfield, Hansen, Newmark)
22. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales (eds: Canfield, Hansen, Newmark)
23. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)
24. Heidi (Johanna Spyri)
25. We Are All Made of Glue (Marina Lewycka)
26. Things I Didn't Expect (Monica Dux)
27. The Marriage Plot (Jeffrey Eugenides)
28. Thank You, Jeeves! (PG Wodehouse)
29. Islamophilia (Douglas Murray)
30. The Rest is Noise (Alex Ross)
31. The Great Lover (Jill Dawson)
32. When God Was A Rabbit (Sarah Winman)
33. Great Days At Work (Suzanne Hazelton)
34. How To Survive Your First Year in Teaching (Sue Cowley)
35. The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly (Jean-Dominique Bauby)
36. O, What A Luxury! (Garrison Keillor)
37. Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
38. The Flight of the Maidens (Jane Gardam)
39. Swimming and Flying (Mark Haddon)
40. The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Sue Townsend)
41. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Sue Townsend)
42. The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (Sue Townsend)
43. A Little Love Song (Michelle Magorian)
44. Love is a Mixtape (Rob Sheffield)
45. Beloved Stranger (Clare Boylan)
46. The Man Who Understood Women and other stories (Rosemary Friedman)

Surprised to have even reached 46 as I was sure it would be less! With rereads (which I don't count), it almost certainly would come to 50.

So what does this tell us about my reading habits (apart from the fact that I clearly a] spend too much time online/watching TV instead of reading, and b] that I really ought to read more in French given that I speak the language?!)?

• 46 books over one year roughly translates to one book every 8 days
• All of the books read were written in the 20th and 21st centuries
• Nearly 46% of the books I read in 2013 were written by female authors
• The longest book on the list was The Rest Is Noise at 214,000 words
• The shortest was Mark Haddon's Swimming and Flying at 7,564 words

As for the quantity of books read, I could probably offer up a variety of excuses as to why I didn't attain the magic 50: life is just generally busy (and I don't even have small children like many of my friends, so don't have that excuse). A full-time job, co-running a household, at least attempting to stay physically fit, working towards my teaching certificate (in the latter half of 2013) and writing blog posts from time to time all stack up the hours. However, I have a long commute (approximately a 3-hour round trip five times a week), and so this should certainly help me to improve my reading time in 2014 if I actually put my mind to it (and not just doze and listen to music by default).

Perhaps more importantly, which of these books did I actually enjoy the most? Statistically, this blog's readers chose Adrian Mole, with the posts on these books being the most popular of 2013. I agree that they are classics without doubt, with the first book in the series managing in particular to always raise a chuckle. The list of books that I read this year also showcases plenty of newer talent, with Kathryn Stockett, Emma Donoghue, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon being especially notable. Also not to be forgotten from earlier times are the classic comedies of PG Wodehouse and the philosophical musings of CS Lewis.

However, as you may recall, my focus in 2014 will be to read classics that as a former student of English literature (and current teacher of English language and literature) I really should have read by now. This challenge will be significant given that several of the books on the list are rather long, and especially so if my thesis that the classics offer even greater rewards than contemporary literature is proved correct. And with 50 on the list, I'd better get cracking - starting tomorrow with Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. News of your literary challenges also always make welcome reading - and you can be sure that you will hear of my own progress throughout the year.

Bookish Bits and Bobs: Hay-on-Why?

My summer holiday this year took in just a few of the many delights of England and Wales, including the Gower, the gardens of Hatfield House, the food of the Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, and the vibrant city of Cardiff. On the day of our exit from Wales, I decided that no self-respecting book lover could possibly leave without visiting the famous Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye, whose literary festival attracts thousands every year, as do its many bookshops. I was excited about this visit and had almost been expecting something magical. However, I'd now advise bibliophiles not to bother.

The near-mythical status of Hay-on-Wye is founded more or less on the reputation of its eccentric "king", Richard Booth, who also owns several of the bookshops in the town, including one bearing his own name. This, when combined with the magnitude of its yearly literary festival, leads visitors to expect that they are getting something unique. However, even though parking and tourist information are both plentiful, the town is still something of a disappointment.

I appreciate that we visited on a not-too-summery day in July, and that the place may well be more exciting when the festival is actually on. But given the town's propensity towards bookselling, one is expecting to see bookshops literally everywhere, with books almost spilling out of the town's every nook and cranny. However, what we saw was just an ordinary town that just happened to have a few more bookshops than average - and that was only when you had walked down a few streets. We weren't hit with the immediate feeling of "wow, look at all these bookshops!" that we had been hoping for - and sadly, neither did this feeling develop gradually as we wandered through the town.

But surely the bookshops themselves would be vast treasure troves of bargainous bookish buys to suit every interest? Not really. Many of them just seem to be general bookshops, rather than tailoring stock to suit different topics, so there is a feeling that once you've been in one of the bookshops, they all look pretty much the same, and while the proprietors attempt to organise their books by topic within shops, there again is still a feeling of getting lost amongst books in a negative way. There's the kind of purposeless browsing where you feel you may find a rare pearl at any moment, and there's the kind of purposeless browsing where you lose motivation and think "what's the point? I haven't got a hope of finding the kind of thing I want or like amongst all this".

Even the bookshops' architecture lacked character. Of course there was the blurred vision of the creaky-floored, faux-Tudor establishment, but many of them look like this, meaning that the overall effect is homogenised, not characterful (even though that doesn't seem to stop the hordes of foreign tourists - particularly Americans - being attracted to it and coming and loving it year on year). Equally, the one shop I really had hope for in terms of a memorable experience - the bookshop that used to be an old cinema - had ripped out all of the original features of the building that would have made it unique, leaving you to browse a soulless warehouse.

the book in question

To complete the litany of disappointments, there weren't even any good deals to be had. I appreciate that it's not the point of second-hand bookshops to give you as big a discount as Amazon. But I caught one bookshop selling a book for £30 which I later found for 1p (plus postage, of course) online. Is such a discrepancy in price really justified for a book that wasn't even signed or especially collectable? I don't think so - this to me smacks of Hay-on-Wye trying to milk tourists for all they're worth.

beautiful Hereford

I therefore left the town after two hours' browsing, feeling deflated and without even a single purchase to show for my efforts. All in all, it just seemed like a pointless visit and I was disappointed that I hadn't managed to enjoy it. It's possible that I would try again when the festival is on (although the difficulty in accessing Hay by public transport and the fact that the festival is held out of school holiday time makes it very difficult for working tourists to visit just for a weekend), and that I would find it more exciting then, thanks to the special events and guest speakers that are laid on, and the inevitable change in atmosphere that this likely bringing to the town. However, I'd be more likely to recommend doing what we did afterwards: driving for a bit longer to go to Hereford for lunch, which, while it boasts a vapid chain-dominated high street, also has plenty of cobbled side roads showcasing independent retailers, a beautiful cathedral, and the best cup of coffee we had for the entire trip. Hay could perhaps take a few lessons from Hereford in delivering an engaging town centre all year round - and not just when its world-famous festival is on.

Bookish Bits and Bobs: Vive les livres

It's recently been reported that the French consumption of ebooks has gone up by 2% between 2011 and 2013...making a total of a mere 3% of book sales. This compares to around 22% consumption in the US and around 10% consumption in the UK. So why are French readers not interested?

Trying to get a connection? Good luck with that

One theory that has been posited is that the French are less enthusiastic about gadgetry in general, meaning that ebook uptake was always bound to be slow. Only about 1% of the adult population of France is said to own an ereader, while this figure is more like 26% in the US. This of course doesn't account for tablet ownership, but even if we look at this, it too is lower (10% of the French adult population owns one, compared to 34% in the US). These statistics are perhaps surprising to those who spend most of their time around Paris, where ebook readers, tablets and smartphones abound. However, travel just a couple of hours south and it's clear that such gadgetry is a novelty, with ereader users getting strange looks in public as they are such a rare sight. In some very rural areas, connectivity is also still limited to non-existent, which will limit uptake.

It's also worth bearing in mind that salaries in the US are higher than in France. According to the BBC, the average American works for $3,263 a month, while the average French person earns $2,886 - and while differences in the cost of living can partly justify this gap in salary, it would not be true to say that everyday living costs are always lower in France. (Long-distance train travel and food are just two of the things that spring to mind as being cheaper in the US.) Prices of these gadgets are also comparatively lower. Not many people in France (outside the capital, of course) have the spare €400 required for the 16GB iPad 2 - whereas people in the US, with higher average salaries, are able to snag one for $400 (about €300 at today's exchange rate). But this can't be all there is to it. Why aren't the French interested in this technology, or in reading ebooks in general?

The French version of Big Brother

At the risk of sounding deliberately polemic, it could be observed that the French are just slow on the uptake in general when it comes to new trends, and that they also just have different tastes (and that this is, indeed, part of the country's charm). For instance, celebrity gossip and reality TV does exist in France, but to nowhere near the same degree of popularity as in the US or UK. They are also more parochial in their food tastes, preferring to continue exploring the cuisine of their own country (or even just region) rather than branching out and cooking dishes from many different countries. This naturally stretches into technology and more specifically into education and technology. Smartboards in French state schools? You have to be joking.

The front-facing, chalk-and-talk French system

Why is education important in this debate? It's not that all schools in the UK and US are now teaching exclusively from e-textbooks and dancing around bonfires of their old paper copies (although there are of course reasons why this wouldn't be such a terrible thing), as compared to France, where students are still made to copy out chalked notes from the blackboard (erm, in some places...see right!). While a lack of technology in French schools is partly linked to the country's slow uptake of e-readers and so on (given that children and adults arguably haven't been shown the benefits to any advanced degree), it also links back to the fact that French education is still very traditional indeed. It's probably roughly where Britain was back in the eighties or maybe even the seventies. "Special needs" go largely unaddressed; little account is taken of students' differing learning styles (kinetic, aesthetic and so on); rote learning is highly prized; arts, sports and even sciences take a back seat in primary schools, while most of the learning time is spent on literacy and numeracy; and learning is overall very book-based, with focus on individual rather than group learning. 

Perhaps this sounds harsh and a French student who's left the system recently (or is still in it) will soon come along to debunk this. But it seems doubtful. One of the strengths (and weaknesses) of the French education system is its lack of overall change across the years, and this would explain the lack of technological assimilation in French schools. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy prevails. Why would students need ebook readers or smartboards? Textbooks and blackboards work just as well. In 2010, only 66% of French teachers claimed to have used technology in their classroom in the last 12 months, compared to 96% of UK teachers. The teachers in France cited reasons for this which included potential disruption to the class, difficulties in installing the technology, and doubting the technology's pedagogical efficacy. All of this amounts to an attitude and ethos whereby physical books are highly prized by French children and adults. Combined with the income levels and gadget prices mentioned above, this makes them more likely to use paper books than electronic ones.

Bookshop, rue de la Convention, Paris

The same pattern pervades the French book market. Having spent their education with the value of physical books being reinforced, the French are keen to continue prizing this, with the prices of paper books being highly protected so that authors are paid properly. High book prices have driven consumers in other countries to flock to online sellers, but as well as cherishing paper books and the academic institution of the country's authors, the French also like to uphold the livelihood of independent booksellers, which is partly driven by anti-capitalist sentiments as well as a sense of intellectual honour. This all means that in France, large online companies (and suppliers of ebooks) cannot win over independent (or at least physical) retailers - at least for now. 

A smartboard being used in a French state school

One can therefore conclude that far too many factors are still too strongly at play in favour of paper books for the French to even consider converting seriously to ebooks. So could this ever change? The French have already started stealing Britain's TV shows (creating their own versions of Money Drop and Come Dine With Me, to name but a few), even if some of these were programmes that Britain decided it didn't want anymore way back in the eighties (such as Family Fortunes); will they therefore be following the UK and US suit in the near future? Back in 2010, when the above data was initially released, then-education minister Luc Chatel announced a €60m investment in school technology, and in October 2011, telecoms company Orange worked with the French government to establish a promising pilot scheme in schools. Called the Tablette Elève Nomade project, 300 Samsung Android tablets were provided to six schools across three French districts, and it went so well that the initial one-year trial was extended to last a further year. Teachers noted several positive changes, including easier motivation of disaffected learners, easier differentiation, increased team work and bonding among students, and increased parental involvement. 

Maccy D's, French-style...a sign of progress?

All of this indicates that in the right environment and with appropriate support, parents, students and teachers are all receptive to the use of new technology. As children who were born into a world where smartphones and at-home web access are normal begin to grow up, it's possible that the new young population (who, if current trends continue, are more likely to live in a shoebox of a studio flat than a roomy detached house) will be keener to read digitally (even if only to save space). Perhaps only then will ebook sales increase. France is slower to pick up on trends - but it often gets there eventually. For better or for worse, celebrity magazines such as Voici! are gaining in popularity in France, Amazon is well-used (even though discounts are nowhere near as large thanks to laws protecting authors), and even McDonalds (you'd think the arch enemy of the French) does well throughout the country. Ebook sales are likely to do this too in the end, with likelihood perhaps being increased with the decline of traditional physical bookstores such as the Fnac. However, somehow it seems less probable that France will ever stop loving books in general. Vive les livres indeed.

Bookish Bits and Bobs: Café Culture

Many lament the integration of bookshops and cafés, particularly when this involves a major chain such as Starbucks or Costa, as it can aggravate people's already existing indignation that bookshops are overly commercialized places that only focus on mainstream tastes. So I ask you: yay or nay?

This has been triggered by my visit today to the Kramer Afterwords Books and Café: an independent bookstore in Washington DC that has an eatery attached. It's a clear example of an independent bookstore and café that works well: it's been there since the 1970s and is a Washington institution. The selection of books integrates classics with modern bestsellers and more obscure choices, without jacking up the prices; the booksellers are friendly; and the café itself serves good honest food. These three things alone are good basic prerequisites. If all bookshops with cafés or coffee shops within them were this pleasant, I'd be all for them.

However, there was one of my prerequisites that this establishment did not meet: greater integration between the bookshop and the café itself. While some of the café's seats (I suspect for those customers simply having a coffee and a cake) are only just inside its entrance, giving a good view of the bookshop itself, those wishing to have a full meal are ushered through to the other side of the building, taking you away from the books completely and making you feel a little divorced from the outlet's purpose.

The flagship Blackwell's outlet in Oxford does better at this, with their small café providing more intimacy and better integration with their bookshop. However, this can perhaps only apply to the café format: anything beyond a cake (or perhaps a light meal at a push) surely produces enough noise and smells to potentially bother customers who have just come in to quietly browse. Restaurant-style atmospheres can become too lively to perhaps truly cooperate well with a bookshop environment - so in this respect I can understand why Afterwords separates its eating and shopping areas more distinctly. So is it really possible to achieve the holy grail of a truly well-integrated bookshop/café model that also offers space to relax and browse?

Happily, plenty of establishments exist along these lines, leaving plenty of room for experimentation for those of us wishing to answer this question. Jaffé and Neale, in Chipping Norton, have a café as part of its bookshop, but comments on its 'about us' page suggest that the eatery element may be outside, rather than being a place inside the shop to cosy up on rainy days. The same looks like it could be true of Wigtown's ReadingLasses shop. Foyles, situated in London, also has a café, but given that it's described as the largest bookshop in Europe, as it's spread over 5 floors, I wouldn't be surprised if it all feels rather distant from the books (especially given that it sells CDs, stationery etc also).

Customers in the Bookroom Café, Brighton

One place that does appear to have got the mix right is Brighton's Kemptown bookshop, with its Bookroom Café being right among the books, and serving everything from cakes to light meals. However, I'll be waiting to see what the café looks like after its renovations are complete this year, and hoping they won't have changed this aspect of it. Equally, while Main Street Books' café looks well-integrated, it also raises its own concerns: it could all be a little too noisy, and while it clearly serves proper meals, it doesn't look like there's much space for lounging around with a mocha and a McCall Smith. Some establishments possibly go too far the other way: while the Christian community is well-known for its expertise in quiet contemplation along with tea and sympathy, some may be a little too quiet: I can promise you that I've never stepped into a bustling religious bookshop. Still, at least there are plenty to choose from, and it's possible that actually, a café could provide just the right type of invigoration for this environment.

Mr B's Emporium in Bath offers a clever compromise between busy and quiet, café and home: for a mere £3.50, you can hire a private reading booth, complete with hot beverages, a comfy chair, biscuits, headphones, and a 'do not disturb' sign on the closed door. However, you'd be unlikely to know the service was available unless you already frequented the store (the same is true of Topping and Company in Ely - they offer free coffee to customers), whereas cafés have a more visible presence to draw customers in. It's this visibility, though, that some people seem to dislike, believing it a trite technique to get people through the doors. Even if this is true, it's my view that anything that gets people closer to books is a good thing (and yes, this means also admitting through gritted teeth that if people are reading Harry Potter and Twilight then it is better than nothing at all).

Some bookshops in the UK really seem to achieve this ultimate goal of simultaneous closeness to books and beverages in both sumptuous comfort and stunning elegance. Here are my top 3 to try:

Booka, Shropshire

3. Booka (Oswestry, Shropshire)
Its elegant tables and chairs sit right among the books without being an imposition, and perhaps the best bit? Themed cupcakes to tie in with their events. 

Booth's, Hereford

2. Richard Booth's Bookshop (Hay-on-Wye, Hereford)
This lush, luxuriant and skylit setting will make your jaw drop, as will its café menu (which includes brunch) and mixture of second-hand, new and antique books.
 

The Hours, Brecon

1. The Hours (Powys, Brecon)
Its wooden beams and cosy lighting basically mean that pub meets bookshop in this delightful Welsh setting. Light meals, sticky toffee apple pudding, and Fairtrade coffee await among books with a proud Welsh heritage.

And for your little ones? Get comics and cakes at Barefoot Books in Oxford. Meanwhile, all of this reading around (and eating in my mind) has got me wondering what bookshop cafés I can ferret out in Paris. Cafés in bookshops? Heck, I think Sartre would approve.

Bookworm News (February 2013)

Nicholas Hoult, who will reportedly play Stephen

The sun is shining and the birds are singing
Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks, is one of the best works of First World War-rooted literature I've read (although if you can recommend others, I'm all ears), and far surpasses his more recent works. Now Birdsong fans can breathe a sigh of nostalgia thanks to a film version of the novel being released, hot on the heels of the 2012 BBC miniseries. Rupert Wyatt has adapted the script and will be directing this version of the modern classic, and Nicholas Hoult is rumoured to be starring in the main role. No release date has yet been set for the film, but you can be sure that I'll be in the queue at the cinema as soon as it comes out.

Also up for adaptation is Tolstoy's War and Peace, which will be adapted for the BBC by Andrew Davies (who to date has already adapted such classics as Pride and Prejudice and Bleak House). While it sounds like it could be a little dumbed down according to the Telegraph's report (which states that "lengthy philosophical elements of the book will be left out"), the emphasis on romance and on human relationships is not without appeal. There are already whispers on the wind that Davies hopes to cast an unknown as Natasha - and after her sterling performance as Kitty in the recently released Anna Karenina, I do hope fervently that rising star Alicia Vikander will be considered.
 

Pass it on
Amazon was last week granted a new patent to sell used ebooks and other digital objects, Wired magazine reports. Purportedly working similarly to Amazon Kindle's ebook lending process, the original owner of the digital file would transfer the access rights to the buyer permanently. However, I'm not sure how far this can really work: how can you ensure, for instance, that the old user would really delete all traces of the file from their own computers, rather than simply continuing to use them? It seems that Bill Rosenblatt, a consultant and expert witness in digital content patent cases, is also worried about an issue that equally plagues the second-hand market for physical books: the fact that the publisher loses control completely once the book leaves their hands. I think there's still a lot to iron out here before this can really be put into practice.

Victoria Barnsley, HarperCollins CEO

Just browsing? That'll be £2, please
Several book lovers (including myself) are often guilty of using physical bookshops as mere showrooms: we go in, we look around, we make a list, and then buy the books off cheaper websites later. The CEO of HarperCollins UK, Victoria Barnsley, has suggested a solution to this problem: charging book lovers for the right to browse. Some shoe stores apparently exercise this policy already in America to sort the wheat from the chaff, and while I agree that it could do this, I also think that it could reduce the number of people buying unexpectedly. How many times have I gone in not intending to buy and yet come out with something anyway? Quite a few, in fact. It seems to me that knowing you will buy before you even enter the shop, because you are in effect forced to purchase, also removes some of the excitement and limits customers' ability to research a purchase. My view? It's a risky strategy that, like Amazon's ebook second-hand store idea, will require careful thought.

Bookish Bits and Bobs: Every Error You Make, Every Step You Take, I'll Be Watching You

As an English teacher, I'm always keenly interested in anything which promises to improve student spelling, punctuation and grammar. My current technique for marking runs roughly as follows: I grade out of 20, and for every four errors you make, you lose 1 mark. This generally works well and results in an accurate grade for the student (assuming you follow my school's scale, which states that anything between 10 and 13 counts as satisfactory, 14 and 15 count as good, 16 and 17 count as very good, and that anything scored at 18 or over counts as excellent). For dyslexic students, I don't take away a point until they reach 8 mistakes. However, even with this system in place, adjustments sometimes still need to be made, with me giving a grade roughly corresponding to the system above (if I think it's good in terms of structure or content, for example, I'll give a 14 or 15). Why do such adjustments need to be made? Because if I followed that system to the letter every single time, I would find that some students make so many errors that their grade would actually be in minus numbers.

My interest was naturally piqued, then, when I heard about this: a new grammar pen that vibrates with every error you make, in real time, as you write. There are plenty of perks: the pen's Orthography setting would encourage students to self-correct and eventually to avoid making the mistakes altogether. It's also not as expensive as a tutor or voice-activated software, and continues to encourage the art of handwriting. This is reinforced by the pen's Calligraphy mode, which is designed to help students improve legibility and form when they write. This would all be done thanks to the pen's built-in sensors, which are supposed to detect variations in letter formation and subsequently alert users to errors with a light vibration.

All of this seems to be a logical next step given the current tools available, such as autocorrect within word-processing programmes. But could this lead to an over-reliance on technology for a generation for whom this is already becoming a serious problem? I agree that no one piece of technology could trigger such complacency, but it does all build up to a culture of using one's brain less. It's already bad enough when students rely on autocorrect to fix their mistakes: the work comes in, and there are still errors because they haven't gone through the process of having a human proofread it (whether that's the student themselves, or somebody else, such as a peer or family member).

The pen would also run into the same problems as machine translation: the pen is not an encyclopaedia, and so would be limited by a lack of human knowledge and context. 'Bear' and 'bare' are both perfectly correctly-spelled words, but only the human knows that we 'grin and bear it' and yet 'bare all'. Ultimately, the human still needs to reread their work - the pen may reduce the number of mistakes, but it needs to be supported by human critical thinking.

Other criticisms have also been mentioned by those who have heard about this idea. In relation to the above, some quite rightly point out that the pen would seem too scolding or critical in a way that a human reader or teacher may not: the pen tells you that you've made a mistake, but doesn't tell you why it's wrong or how to fix it. More jocularly, some commenters joke that their poor spelling would make the pen go up in smoke within a paragraph, leading me to question how the pen would be powered (no functional prototype currently exists). The pen may not go up in smoke thanks to repeated errors, but if battery-powered, it could prove costly to run, meaning that the makers of the pen, Lernstift, may wish to consider a mains-powered mechanism. However, the amount of money that Lernstift will have available to spend on working this out is dependent on public support: the company hopes to source crowdfunding of up to €1.5 million for the purpose.

So, in the face of all this, how can people improve their standards of spelling, punctuation and grammar?

My answer as an education professional would always be to read, read, and read some more, whether it's comic books, newspapers, magazines, books, or even blogs like this one. Reading widens vocabulary and cements knowledge, meaning that with luck, if you see commonly-mistaken words enough times, you will eventually become familiar with their spelling. This also works for punctuation and grammar: if you read enough, you will notice patterns of punctuation use (particularly concerning the demon semi-colon, whose patterns of usage seem to trouble many), know when and how to use English's rare subjunctives (we know mainly from reading that it's "Long live the Queen", not "Long lives the Queen"), and know how to make subject and verb agree in complex sentences. Reading also provides that much-valued context - so that you know when to use 'deign' and not 'Dane' - and encourages you to challenge yourself and broaden your interests (eventually, when your favourite author is no longer writing books or you begin to tire of your currently favourite genre, you will begin to look elsewhere).

Equally, the classic spelling lesson technique of 'look - cover - say - write - check', while more laborious, works for the trickier words. In addition, I would advocate speaking clearly. This doesn't mean speaking like the Queen of England, but just being sure to enunciate: of course you will always write 'tetnus' instead of 'tetanus' if you never pronounce the 'a'. Finally, playing with words is also helpful: try crosswords, making words from the letters on car registration plates, and playing Word Mole on your Blackberry (did I mention I'm a bit addicted to this game at the moment).

While technology is certainly not useless in allowing people to improve - as evidenced by my game recommendation above, and by the fact that so many people read on the go these days thanks to the exhaustive storage capacities of Kindles and iPads - it's important to harness the power of our brains in conjunction with it. We need to stay conscious, rather than being in thrall to machines, and to be aware of what they cannot do for us, as well as being aware of what they can do. And in the meantime, I should probably pick up that pile of marking that's still in my work bag from Friday, so that I can tell myself I didn't bring it home in vain - and hope wholeheartedly that my Grade 11 didn't make too many spelling mistakes.

Bookworm News (January 2013)

Promise me
Like any other bookworm, I also enjoy buying books as gifts, whether it's for Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays, or 'just because'. Premium gifting brand I Promise has now shifted the concept of gift-giving to the written word in a different way, by allowing busy gifters to choose written promises to be sent to a loved one in a beautiful bundle. These can be personal to you, or chosen from I Promise's 1000-strong list. Given that it's the thought that counts, I will definitely be considering this as a beautiful, heartwarming gift the next time I'm stuck for ideas.

First Chamazon, now...Japple?
Amazon's latest adventures in China have got them into a couple of scrapes recently, so I'm watching with bated breath to see if Apple does better in Japan with its recent ebook venture. Even though Apple's other products, such as the iPad, are already popular in Japan, ebooks have never really come into this until now, as they had trouble getting the necessary permissions and agreements together. Now Nasdaq is reporting that Apple will be competing with Amazon and Google, who already have a presence in Japan, by selling around 80,000 ebooks: roughly the same number as these other major retailers. Somehow I have more trust that Apple will do this properly: any wheelings and dealings that I have ever had with their customer care have always proved them to be excellent, and I am sadly hearing about more and more blunders recently to do with Amazon's after-sales service. However, let's take my derision with a pinch of salt: in spite of my earlier pledge at the beginning of January, my automatic reflex to purchase from Amazon continues unabated, with me having placed 4 physical orders and 2 ebook orders since the start of 2013...

Thriving profits boost bookshops
In case I needed further encouragement in my above quest, it seems that our American friends have also voted with their feet and are now discovering (or rediscovering) their local literary emporia: in November, bookstore sales rose by 3.3%. That said, however, many bookstores (such as the UK's WHSmith) also sell many other items, including confectionery, stationery, music, and magazines - so perhaps what this says exactly about current reading habits is a little more difficult to quantify. 

a 24-hour bookstore in Taiwan

Moonlighting and e-lending
The notions above of ebooks graduallly encroaching upon our reading habits, and the increased interest in this in Asia in particular, come together in two more pieces of news. Publishing company Macmillan is launching an ebook lending service which will initially consist of 1200 titles, with a generous lending period of two years. Beginning with mystery and crime novels, it is the CEO John Sargent's belief that "this pilot will provide books especially desired by library patrons". Whether Macmillan will follow Amazon and Apple to Asia in this project remains yet to be seen, but another exciting new venture lies in the opening of a 24-hour bookshop in Beijing. Taiwan and Hong Kong already have successful round-the-clock bookstores, so theoretically there's no reason why this shouldn't work. I'm just surprised that this concept hasn't already taken off in Britain given the high density of 24-hour shops that currently exist, and given that the frequent integration of coffee outlets into British bookstores already means that the concept lends itself well to a 24-hour licence. 

Whodunnit?
While not much of a crime fiction lover (although I have been known to enjoy a bit of Ruth Rendell and Paul French from time to time), even I can recognise the significance of Agatha Christie's Go Back For Murder, in which protagonist Carla tries to clear her mother's name in relation to a murder case, finally taking to the stage this year for a UK-wide tour. Having already stopped in Windsor, Cheltenham and Malvern, the production also promises to visit a variety of other locations, including Southend, Bath, and Stoke. The tour doesn't end until mid-July, so fans of the queen of crime have plenty of time to bag tickets.

Classic culture vultures
The world of academic research is never easy at the best of times: eggheads toil away for years on niche subjects in return for what can seem at times to be pitiably little recognition, and then on top of this, their books can be prohibitively expensive even if published by mainstream printers. It is to be hoped, then, that the University of Liverpool's recent acquisition of several of the University of Exeter Press' lists (Medieval Studies, History, Archaeology and Landscape Studies, and Classics and Ancient History) will heighten accessibility to the latest research. Liverpool plans to digitise many of these texts for the first time, while Exeter focuses on streamlining its offerings in the humanities (including local history, film history, and performance studies). The Liverpool acquisition takes place with immediate effect, and with luck will curb some of the eye-watering fees that can burden the world of academic publishing.
 
Une librarie française à New York?
The French embassy in the US is considering whether or not to open a French bookshop in New York City, and is seeking views from consumers and teachers as to whether or not this would be a valued service in one of the world's most multicultural metropolises. The store would offer paper and digital books for sale at reasonable prices, which I hope would encourage even the cash-strapped to improve their language skills. However, in a land where the most in-demand foreign language is arguably Spanish, I'll be very interested to see the level of enthusiasm for this new project.