| Digital - teacher | Education in a technological world

Nostalgia, updated

I've stumbled across the most wonderful little iPad / iPhone app in the appstore. It's called the "Ladybird Classic Me Books" app, and for those of a certain age that 'L' word conjures up wonderful memories of reading.

Under the Dome

Stephen Kings latest book, "Under the Dome", is about to be published. As the website for the book says;

336,114

Six digits, thousands of words.

An annual event

I know this sounds like something I would have said many years ago, as a child, but...

"I've just finished my Christmas Annual"

That's right, I was given the QI Christmas Annual and tonight I had time to finish reading through all the trvial facts contained within it. So, that's another QI book I have now gone through - the 2009 annual, the 2008 annual, and the book of general ignorance. I now know so much useless information it's untrue.

For the love of books

LoveReading4Kids is a website dedicated to the best in books for , well children of course!
It has been created to be the ultimate children's online independent bookstore using the experience of parents and book lovers, who want children to read great books.
They currently have a special feature on the 70th anniversary of the Carnegie prize, and the 50th anniversary of the Greenaway prize.

In addition, they have two sister sites; lovereading (for grown ups) and lovereading4schools. The latter  encourages schools to sign up, and then for every £100 parents spend on books, the school receives 5% in vouchers to build up class / library books.

Ten books you can't live without

It's World Book Day on Thursday 1st March, and as usual there are £1 (or €1.50) tokens for school children to spend on the books.
As it is the 10th birthday (yes, can it really be 10 years since they started this?) there are 10 books, not 6 to choose from this time around.

In addition, by visiting the website you can click through to 10 books you can't live without, and vote for your all time top 10 list of books you must have.

Completed the Quest

Finally, after so many years I have completed the Dark Tower. I had chance to read the remaining third of the book whilst on holiday and so I finally read of Rolands journey to the Tower, and the unexpected, unusual but also strangely perfect ending to the whole seven books.

So, now I can start on the list of other books that I have been piling up since last year...

Cover Art

My daughter is talking about the cover of a book. It's not even in the shops yet! It won't be for another 4 months, but today the cover of the sixth Harry Potter book from JK Rowling was launched.

Get your kids ready for that early morning trip to the bookstore on July 16th...

A never ending story

I'm trying to complete the quest. The Stephen King Dark Tower quest. I bought the very first book in his mammoth seven book series way back in the last century (suddenly I sound like my great gran when she used to speak about her childhood. Arghhhh), and now I am reading through the seventh and final book.

Well, I say reading through it, but that's just it. I keep reading chapters and sections, but everytime I go back to it and look at the bookmark it never seems to get past the centre of the book.

Now, either I am re-reading the pages over and over again without realising it, or something strange is happening.

I want to reach the end of the book, I want to reach the Dark Tower, I want to see what Roland sees. I just don't think I am going to make it that far...

Clarkson

It's really quite scary.

For Christmas I received a book by Jeremy Clarkson, called (suprisingly) 'Clarkson'. Now I must admit that Top Gear is funny because of him and his comments. I find myself agreeing with his views on car manufacturers and styles.

However, I don't find it funny that I am sitting reading his book and agreeing with nearly every word he says. Apparently I keep laughing out loud at some of the things he writes, especially his views on Americans. I must look like a chimpanzee with CJD.

It's really quite scary that I would agree with Mr Clarkson. After all, he's a grumpy old man. I've seen the show. Does this mean that I am becoming one too ?

Please, someone shoot me before I am converted fully.

Off topic

I'm reading through the latest book from Stephen Kings Dark Tower series (he's onto book six now, Song of Susannah).
Now the first three I read many years ago (I can't remember how many, but it must be getting on for 15 years back). They were great. A 'gunslinger', travelling in his world towards a dark tower, drawing in 3 people from the other worlds. Eagerly I awaited book four (Wizard and Glass). Bizzare - lots of references to L Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz.
Last year was book five - Wolves of the Calla, hurrah back to the good stuff, but it also introduced one of his previous book characters (Father Donald Callahan), and then references to what happend in the book itself ('Salem Lot), but told as if true by the character 'Pere' Callahan.
I thought, the author is putting his books into this book???
And now, Song of Susannah is going further down the road. The gunslinger and a friend are heading to to Maine to meet ... yep , you guessed it - Stephen King.

It's getting very bizzare.