First of all a Happy New Year to all my fellow Sunday Saloners. I hope you all had a great holiday period and received as many wonderful bookish gifts as I did. I’ll be speaking more about these in subsequent posts but I wanted to use my first Sunday Salon post of 2009 to introduce you to a new addition to my life. It’s one that’s had a serious affect on my reading routine of late, and it’s one that up to now has brought to a grinding halt, my speedy return to regular posting on RobAroundBooks following the Christmas break (arghh! :o)). This is it, or rather him, he’s called Steinbeck, and he’s a seven-month-old Labrador Retriever:

We picked up Steinbeck (formerly known as Ebo) at the rescue kennels on New Year’s Eve. I know the woman who runs the place and she knew we were on the lookout for a new dog. She thought this bouncy Lab was the perfect match and she wasn’t wrong, but boy does this guy have energy, and I mean endless energy, as I’m sure anyone who has ever owned a Labrador knows already :o).

Wishing to settle Steinbeck into his new home, and to give him time to get used to us (and vice-versa), reading went out of the window entirely for a few days, but thankfully, as we’re all settling back down again, I’m getting back to some greatly missed page flicking - albeit after much strenuous exercise and with a ton weight on my lap :o)

With a passion for tearing up paper, our ‘book bursting’ home must seem like an Aladdin’s Cave to Steinbeck, but thankfully he seems to sense just how precious books are in our household. The worst thing he’s done so far is to crinkle one of the pages of Ammaniti’s The Crossroads with his slobbery tongue (a slobbery tongue which I may add, was en route towards my face at the time). That doesn’t mean we’re getting complacent though. We know the first chance Steinbeck gets to commit some serious ‘book crime’ he likely will, so we’re making sure temptation’s not too much in his way.

It’s kind of strange safe-proofing your home against someone who sees books more as a meal than a good read but I’m sure in time the dog will be as sacrosanct about looking after books as we are, and with a new name like Steinbeck, how could he not be? I’m just looking forward to reading him his namesake’s Travels with Charley (he’s sniffed the book already but didn’t seem too overly impressed :o))

So apologies to anyone and everyone who has visited me in the past few days and found a complete absence of activity. I’m still here and probably more active than I’ve ever been, but as you can see it’s been fully doggy-centric. The good news is I’m beginning to adapt to this new routine and I’m finding ways to work in my blogging responsibilities. So we could say, without tempting fate, that service at RobAroundBooks has now fully resumed.

**This post has been specifically written for Sunday Salon participation**

Hey Everyone….I just wanted to drop in a quick post to wish everyone in the worldwide reading world all the very best for the New Year, with a greeting that comes from the Hogmanay Capital of the world, Edinburgh (or rather 12 miles away on the fringes of Fife, in Dunfermline - but hey, who’s measuring :o))

With the holiday season coming to a close expect to see regular posts resuming on RobAroundBooks in the next couple of days. I’ve got a ton of stuff to speak about :o)

It’s officially Christmas Day in my part of the world so I thought I’d take a moment just to wish all of the readers of RobAroundBooks a very Merry Christmas.

Needless to say that posting around here will be light for a few days as I spend time with my family, but rest assured I will return to regular posting once the glittery veneer of Christmas has worn off, and the over-consumption of mince pies has taken its toll.

Have a great one fellow bibliophiles and may all of your presents be book-shaped!

It’s the time of the year when many eyes look towards the Holy City of Jerusalem and for this week’s Bookshelf of the Week I’m doing the same, with this extraordinary shot taken by Jon (Johnk85), of the Or Shalem - Jerusalem Lights the Night light show.

Billed as a “spellbinding experience for the most extraordinary city in the world”, the Or Shalem - Jerusalem Lights the Night is a multimedia spectacular that tells the story of the history of Jerusalem, using a combination of 20 projectors, 10 video players, 14 computers and multiple speakers.What makes the Or Shalem show even more special though, is it utilises the unique backdrop of the ancient Tower of David as its projector screen.

A part of the presentation involves projecting images of books and as this featured shot from Jon shows, the Tower of David is temporarily transformed into a library of bookshelves. Quite remarkable and wholly breathtaking isn’t it? (Note: Jon had the foresight to also provide a ‘before’ shot taken on the same night from the same perspective).

For more info and to see a small video clip of the Or Shalem show (although sadly not containing any of the ‘bookshelves’ footage), visit the official Tower of David website (the direct link to the video can be found here).

Thanks for a great shot Jon!

Rob’s Intro: So it’s Christmas week (yay!) and I wanted to do something a little different for this edition of Reader of the Week. I had phoned up Santa to see if he’d like to participate but he gave me some excuse about being too busy (something about toys and reindeers and stuff :o)), so I had to rack my brain to think of someone else. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightening! What about featuring someone a little closer to home i.e. my very own daughter? She certainly fills the requirements for someone really special for Christmas week, because it doesn’t get much more special to me than featuring one of my daughters, so that’s what I’ve decided to do.

So it’s with great delight, and not a little pride that I bring to you Katy, a 14 year old up-and-coming bibliophile, and one of only two teens I’m proud to call my daughter (well most of the time, when she’s not evangelising hardcore rock bands that is :o)). So without further ado, and a lot of shouting to grab her attention over that infernal racket she calls music, here’s Katy:

Hello I’m Katy. I’m 14 and am currently studying in 3rd year at high school. I enjoy art, music and especially reading. I have been reading from a young age with encouragement from my parents and it has helped me a lot in life. I think reading is important and it makes you a more intelligent person. I think people should read as there is something out there for everyone

1. Favourite Genre? I like a quite a mixture of genres, but usually nothing too far-fetched with a few exceptions (Twilight and Wolf Brother)

2. Favourite Book? I have quite a few, they would probably be The Road, Twilight series and The Curious Incident Of the Dog In the Night-Time.

3. Why do you love reading so much? My Dad has inspired me a lot but I probably read most for escapism, because it lets you experience a different world to your own. I also love how reading increases your vocabulary and knowledge.

4. Favourite reading place? In my bed before I sleep because it helps me to relax.

5. How BIG is your reading addiction? I don’t think I have an addiction. I read every day for at least an hour, but if it is a book i’m really enjoying I would read it for hours on end.

6. How do you normally add books to your collection? Buying them in Waterstones, going to charity shops or book swapping sites.

7. How do you decide what to read? Mainly through my Dad but also through booksites or recommendations from trusted sites. I wouldn’t read books just because they are mainstream though; they usually aren’t very good.

8. Ebooks - love or hate? I like how easy it is to read ebooks online but personally I like having physical books because I like to have a collection. I think E-Readers are a good idea for portability, though.

9. Has reading inspired you to do any serious writing yourself? Yes it has, some authors have amazing talent which I wish I could have. But I think a lot of authors are pretentious which puts me off.

10. What single piece of advice (or tip) would you give to fellow readers? Don’t just read the mainstream books authors churn out every month, as sometimes these people are more interested in the money than their passion for writing.

Katy, thanks for interrupting your lounging around (;o)) to speak to your Dad’s readers. Now, while you’re here - is there any chance you can turn that music down?

If there were a book called 101 Creative Things to do with Bookcarts (I dunno maybe there is?), then the National Library of Australia would definitely be in it. At their recent Christmas party they pulled into service a fleet of bookcarts as part of a choreographed rendition of Micheal Jackson’s Thriller, and the above video is a capture of the event.

It’s a very entertaining routine and judging by the whoops and cheers from the assembled librarians it’s one that won’t be forgotten for a while (and who said librarians were a boring bunch :o)). One thing I’m wondering though - did the Health & Safety official leave the party early? :o)

Excellent stuff, and if this is the kind of thing that rolls your trolley wheels then you’d better get yourself over to Kathryn Grennhill’s ‘Librarians Matter’ blog, where she links to a load more of this “Micheal Jackson meets Book Cart” revelry. Seems it’s a bit of a trend! :o)

::Credit to Thingology for pointing to this in the first place.

I promised myself I wouldn’t file another Sunday Salon post unless I had something worthwhile to write about, and so far I’ve stuck to that promise. However I couldn’t let the Sunday before Christmas pass, without taking the time and opportunity to pass on my Christmas wishes to all of my warm and dear friends in the bookish community. I was going to treat you to a picture of myself in all of my Christmas regalia but my new friend Edgar insisted that he hog the limelight instead (and he can be quite insistent when he wants to be..[rolls eyes]..), so I give you Edgar, who as you can see, took the time to don his winter gear in order to give your eyes a bit of seasonal delight. Doesn’t he look great? [whispers]..please tell him he does or I won’t hear the end of it! :o)

So what special things are you guys getting up to over the Christmas period? Briefly, aside from spending some quality time with my family which I’m really excited about, I’m going to be finishing up on my mini Niccolò Ammaniti reading special. I was reading I’m Not Scared as part of my ‘50 Novel’ reading challenge anyway (HERE’S my ‘forethoughts), but I had the good fortune of receiving an advance copy from the publisher of Niccolò’s latest novel The Crossroads (released in its translated form in the UK next month), so I’ve doubled it up with I’m Not Scared, and created a mini reading special for myself…yay! :o)

I’ve actually finished reading I’m Not Scared already, and I loved it (more in my afterthoughts soon), so I’m now starting on the new one. However I think I’m going to finish The Crossroads reasonably quickly over the holidays giving me loads more reading time. So in addition to finishing an important ARC novel as well, I’ll hopefully be ticking off a bunch of other titles in my ‘50 Novels’ list. I will also, of course, be continuing to work my way through my other short-story reading challenges as well. So good reading times ahead and who knows what other great reads Mr. Claus may be dropping down the chimney? Oh, I’m excited!! :o)

Well all that remains then is to close with my raison d’être for this post in the first place - to pass on my Christmas well-wishes. So I’d like to to wish a very, very happy Christmas to each and every one of you and may all of your bookish wishes comes true, and you receive the books and book-related gifts your heart has been yearning for. For those not celebrating Christmas at this time, may you also have a fun and peaceful end to the year, one that’s filled with copious amounts of book-reading goodness!

**This post has been specifically written for Sunday Salon participation**

Title: Small Fry
Date Read: 19 December 2008
Word Count: 1308
Briefly: Watching the dignified citizens heading out for the Easter celebrations, lowly petty clerk Nevyrazimov bemoans his lot to his friend Paramon who is also on duty. As Nevyrazimov’s words of woe continue his depression deepens, as thoughts of promotion seem wholly improbable.
Afterthoughts: I quite enjoyed this tale although it never really added anything out of the ordinary from Chekhov. Nice flow, nice ending but not the best Chekhov story I’ve read to date.
Notable Quote: “”What a lot of people!” sighed Nevyrazimov, looking down into the street, where shadows of men flitted one after another by the illumination lamps. “They’re all hurrying to the midnight service. . . . Our fellows have had a drink by now, you may be sure, and are strolling about the town. What a lot of laughter, what a lot of talk! I’m the only unlucky one, to have to sit here on such a day: And I have to do it every year!”

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

*Story read as part of my Checking Off The Chekhov Shorts reading challenge.

Well it’s Friday so that means it’s time for another RobAroundBookLists feature, and this week I’m going to point you to a rather short book list. Don’t be put off though, the list may only be comprised of eight titles, but it’s one that’s sure to titillate the taste-buds of any and all bibliophiles. Composed by librarian Leah Smith for one of my favourite websites - FlashLight Worthy, the list entitled ‘Books about…Books!’ is, as its name would suggest, a list of books all about books.

Leah’s list is a charming one and she’s done a great job putting it together. I won’t steal Flashlight Worthy or Leah’s thunder by re-listing the book titles here verbatim (you’ll have to head on over to Flashlight Worthy to see them all there), but I will point out a couple of titles that really draw me:

The first is Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman. I love the sound of this book simply because it’s a book of reflections from a bibliophile who grew up in an extraordinary literary household. It sounds incredibly bookish, but not plain bookish, rather that kind of bookish that comes with a golden glow, if you get my meaning :o).

The second is a book I’ve heard good things about before - Sixpence House: Lost in A Town Of Books by Paul Collins. This was a book that was first bought to attention by former Reader of the Week Tracy Bryant, who commented after seeing my post on the Honesty Bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. For those who don’t know, Hay-on-Wye is a kind of ‘Sunset Strip’ of bookstores with the small village containing no less than 38 book shops. The book is about the author’s relocation to this bibliophile’s ‘dream paradise’ and the time he spent living there. I’m already enamored with Hay-on-Wye (it reminds of another book village I have been to - Wigtown), and this title I feel would only deepen the attraction.

Anyway this is only two titles from Leah’s list that I’ve singled out. In truth all of the books look appealing so I do recommend taking the time to check them all out. All that remains is to thank Leah for bringing such a nice, warm, bookish glow to a cold winter’s evening!

On the greater scale of things it’s no big deal but I thought I’d let you all know that the sign-ups for my 100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge has reached the magical number of 20, following the sign-up to the challenge last night, of Lena, from the ‘lost, not found’ blog. Yay thanks Lena!!!

I’ve got to tell you that I couldn’t be happier! Although I’d initially set up the challenge solely for me, as a way to expose myself more to the short story format, I’m delighted that already 20 ‘beautiful minds’ have decided to join me on this short story reading adventure, making it so much more exciting. So thanks to each and every one of you!!

If you’ve yet to discover the enthralling world of short stories for yourself then I invite you to take up the 100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge too. It’s incredibly non-committal i.e. read ANY 100 short stories WITHOUT deadline, but it’s a challenge that I think can be truly rewarding. Enrollment is simple - drop me a message with a link to your blog (preferably a direct link to where your updates for the reading challenge will be), and I’ll add you to the participant list on the hub page. Then voilà - you become an official ‘Short Shooter’! For further details and links to the challenge badges head on over to the challenge hub page.

So one milestone reached! The next is 50! How exciting would it be to reach that? Hopefully I’ll find out one day. Until then good luck everyone and happy short story reading!