2009 – Page 11 – Bookmarked!

Reading in the 21st century

Reading never goes out of style, even in the age of technology.

In the August 1894 issue of Scribner’s magazine, an article by Octave Uzanne, predicted “The End of Books,” proposing that in the 20^th century, the printed page will be replaced by “storyographs,” patented cylinders containing recordings of books, and writers replaced by “Narrators” that read stories aloud for the recordings. Uzanne imagines today’s libraries transformed into “phonographotecks” or “phonostereoteks,” repositories for the “storyographs.” He also imagined portable players that he called “pocket phono-opera-graphs.”

While Uzanne’s predictions almost accurately cover audiobooks, ebooks, mp3 players, and personal ebook readers, he was wrong on one count: the introduction of these technologies did not herald the end of books, but rather gives the 21^st century person new ways to enjoy the printed page, enhancing the reading experience for the page-turner.

The Manila International Book Fair lists the top reading technologies, proving just how relevant reading still is in the 21^st century.

As the Manila International Book Fair, the paramount event of the Philippine book industry, marks its 30^th anniversary this year on Sept 16-20 at the SMX Convention Center, it once again welcomes book lovers to celebrate it celebrates the written word in all its forms.

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Adventures in the Amazon

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Eva Ibbotson is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve read most of her books, but the two books in this review, A Company of Swans and A Journey to the River Sea (books #136-137 for 2009) are unique, both set largely in the heart of the Amazon.

I’ve always been a fan of Ibbotson’s idyllic pastoral scenery and tree-hugging characters, and I was eager to find out how she would take on a more exotic environment such as the Amazon. I took A Company of Swans with me on the trip to Cebu, while Journey to the River Sea was one of the books that kept me company during my hospital stay (reading wasn’t easy, even after the fever passed, as my left hand got swollen after so many bottles of IV and they had to transfer the IV to my right).

Despite the exotic change of scenery, I was not disappointed with Ibbotson’s forays into the Amazon, as she manages to paint a magical setting that enhances her work’s trademark charm.

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39 Clues hits the halfway mark with “The Black Circle”

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Nearly a year after its launch, Scholastic’s groundbreaking action adventure series, The 39 Clues, reaches the halfway mark with the fifth installment of the ten book-series, The Black Circle (book#135 for 2009), by Patrick Carman.

The interactive multi-media series has been making its way to eager young readers around the world. Aside from the simultaneous release of the hardcover and audio editions in various parts of the word, Scholastic reports that the series has been licensed for publication in 17 foreign languages, including Japanese, Italian, German, Chinese, French, Greek, and Hebrew.

The adventure series recently made its debut in Scandinavia with the first three books released in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, and followed by the release of the first three books in Japan. Additional international editions are set for release in 2010.

At the heart of the series is the Cahill family, a powerful family that has produced the movers and shakers in world history. When the last remaining Cahill matriarch, Grace, passes away, she leaves 11-year old Dan and his 14-year old sister Amy a strange bequest: the choice between a million dollars for each of them, or the first clue in the quest for the Cahill family legacy, and a reward beyond measure.

Choosing the path of adventure, Dan and Amy go off on the adventure of a lifetime to beat the rest of the Cahills to the source of their family’s power, getting in touch with the lives of other prominent Cahills along the way: Benjamin Franklin in The Maze of Bones, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in One False Note, Toyotomi Hideyoshi in The Sword Thief, and Howard Carter in Beyond the Grave.
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Still Alive…

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Hi everyone!

A quick note of explanation —

Pardon the week that went by without a new post, I have been hospitalized with dengue (hemorrhagic) fever, and it took me the whole week to recover.

Thankfully my platelet count stabilized before I needed a transfusion, so I’m okay now, I’ve been home since Friday, although I still need to have some tests done today and another checkup with my doctor tomorrow.

Thank you to all those who stood by and prayed for my swift recovery, especially to those who visited me in the hospital, and to those who were getting ready to donate blood for my transfusion. I would never have recovered so fast without your support.

Thank you to those who dropped by my site while I was away, and wondered where I’d gotten off to. Will resume regular blogging this week.

Back to the Manila International Book Fair

Twenty more days ’til the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF): five straight days of books, books, and more books, enough to drive a book lover to madness!

I always look forward to this annual event, ever since I was in third grade, when I first went to the MIBF on a field trip with the school Reading Club.

Even back then I was already a voracious reader, and the MIBF was such a magical place — I had never seen so many books all in one place!

My friends and I happily spent the day poring over all sorts of books, going from booth to booth, strategizing on how we could best spend a couple of weeks’ worth of pocket money. And after we had settled on our books, we made the rounds again, this time to collect freebies from the various booths, chase down the mascots, listen to a story or two, watch some cartoons, and of course, take note of books we planned on begging our parents for as soon as we got home. Continue reading “Back to the Manila International Book Fair”