TheBookJeanie

WELCOME SUMMER WITH THEBOOKJEANIE This week a dear friend sent me a picture of her lastest quilt, created for two young girls who live by a lake in Wisconsin. I wanted to share this quilt with you, a delightful pattern of pairs for the sisters "to cuddle under while reading books." This brings to mind Laura Ingalls Wilder and her sisters, deep in the Wisconsin woods, warmed no doubt by a lovingly made quilt and surely having spent many nights reading by the light of a kerosene lamp.  Hopefully the two young girls by the lake have discovered Wilder's Little House series and have spread their quilt on the soft grass next to the lake to read and dream of those sisters long ago. The Seattle Public Library proudly set the record for the longest domino chain made entirely of books.  To watch this incredible chain reaction, click on this link: http://io9.com/watch-the-worlds-longest-domino-chain-made-of-books-513633327 Isaac opens his...

Watch words take flight with THEBOOKJEANIE Hopefully summer gives you more time to sit back and relax with a good book.  Some public libraries are even offering reading incentive programs for adult readers, like those that my children grew up with offering stickers, prizes and ice cream for participants. This summer my local library has such an adult program and in addition to dollar coupons for the friends of the library book store for every ten hours read, participants choosing to fill out a short book review form receive a coupon to enter in the drawing of their choice, to win either a gift certificate to a local nursery, a year's membership to the state parks, admission tickets to local caverns, or a gift certificate to a book shop.  You might think that THEBOOKJEANIE has stuffed the raffle jars with coupons for book reviews but so far this blogger has only submitted three reviews  - I am aware that I do have an unfair advantage!  After readi...

Inside the National Library    in Vienna, Austria with THE BOOKJEANIE While spending time in Vienna last month, I stopped by the magnificent Austrian National Library housed in a separate wing of the Hapsburg Palace.  The beginnings of the state library date back to the 14th century but the creation of a court library in a permanent structure was initiated in 1722 by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI.  The baroque State Hall (Punksaal) is considered one of the most beautiful historical libraries in the world and houses more than a 8 million books and objects.   "What is on that man's back?" you might wonder. It seems that materials are transported throughout the library on these wooden shelves attached by leather straps to the poor librarian's shoulders. Looks like a medieval torture device - maybe this fellow is being punished for misshelving books . . . An eight-year-old girl is separated from her family and sent to ...