naaawwww x)

Cutest thing found in a book today :)

go to your room! (and read this.)

You may or may not know that I collect old girl's pony books. I remember my mum promising me a box of her old books if I helped clean out my grandparent's garage one weekend, and when the old carboard box tumbled down and out poured all these old pony stories - I was IN HEAVEN. It was all my christmases at once as a 10 year old pony-mad booklover! I still have them all to this day, and have now accumulated more over the years from Vinnies, and garage sales, and 2nd hand book shops. I Can NEVER resist them (as my husband will attest to!)
Doesn't everyone want their children to follow in their footsteps? A little? I try to foster a love of books and reading in my daughter, and luckily, she seems to be catching on! Hubby and I are both avid booklovers, and always have been.

So in saying this, there are a few books that have made their way onto my daughter's bookshelf for the furture, and I desperatley hope they become as good a friends to her as they have been to me. :)

1) Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
2) The Secret Garden - Francis Hodgenson-Burnett
3) National Velvet - Enid Bagnold
4) The Naughtiest Girl in the School - Enid Blyton
5) The Jinny Series - Patricia Leitch
6) Charlotte's Web - EB White
7) Pippi Longstocking - EM Longfield
8) Matilda - Roald Dahl
9) Anything by Josephine, Christine or Diana Pullein-Thompson!
10) The Jill Series - Ruby Ferguson (Yeah I was a bit of a pony-mad girl!)
11) Grandma Cadbury's Trucking Tales - Di Bates
12) Hairy MacLairy From Donaldson's Dairy - Lynley Dodd

What are your favourite childhood books?

famous!

I borrowed this book book called "My Librarian Is A Camel" by Margriet Ruurs for CupKatie to show her what Mummy does when I'm in the BookTARDIS.

It basically has a 2 page spread of a country and a 'bookmobile' that operates there, be it an Elephant-powered on in Thailand, a minibus in Papua New Guinea, or camels in Kenya.

Then I happened to flick over to a spread on Australia...

and...

"HEY!!!

I recognise that... that's...

THAT'S MY BookTARDIS!!!"

Famous :)

what happens at the bookmobile on the weekend?

Well, we don't drive on the weekends, but I have a feeling something goes on... I mean, I cant believe my magical bookTARDIS would just sit quietly and behave itself for 2 days!

No way.

I reckon the people at Type Bookstore have a pretty good idea of what books get up to when no one's around ;)

on the first day of christmas...

the mobile brough to me -

One driver lost as can be.

On the second day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me - 

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the third day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the fourth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the fifth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the seventh day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the eighth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Eight books put back wrong,

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the ninth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Nine cups of coffee,

Eight books put back wrong,

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the tenth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Ten Mills and Boons,

Nine cups of coffee,

Eight books put back wrong,

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
Eleven library fines,

Ten Mills and Boons,

Nine cups of coffee,

Eight books put back wrong,

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders, and

One driver lost as can be.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the mobile brought to me -
"Twelve items only!"

Eleven library fines,

Ten Mills and Boons,

Nine cups of coffee,

Eight books put back wrong,

Seven strange queries,

Six lights a-warning,

Five! Bookmarks!

Four home deliveries,

Three hidden lollies,

Two cup holders,

And one driver lost as can be.

Merry Christmas from The Casual Librarian xxx

confession

On a whim I recently picked up a copy of a title in my favorite series when I was a horse-crazy teen for a re-read and a trip down memory lane. I loved the Jinny series by Patricia Leitch. I love the mix of horses and spirituality, and the descriptions of the animals and the untamed Scottish moorlands. Most of all, Ms Leitch managed to capture in the character of Jinny exactly how I passionate I felt about horses and riding. Like it was etched into my very soul.

Read them if you get a chance! Especially if you love horses! They're exceptionally hard to track down nowadays, being out of print and not widely popular. I, however have the set.

And here, dear readers, is where I need to make a confession. (Surely fellow bibliophiles will sympathize?)

I collect vintage pony books.

I love them. I find them at second hand book shops, at garage sales, at markets, at thrift shops, and I just have to buy them. It's compulsive. Maybe it's my way of clinging to my childhood, and holding on to a time where the world was simpler, more fun, and a hell of a lot less scary. I think I've read so many English pony books, I actually feel like the Pullein-Thompson's long-lost 4th sister, and that I actually grew up in a cottage in country-village England.

Ahh what it is to be transported to another time and place with a good book...

had to share...

Bookmark invite and library book card RSVPs for our library's 21st Birthday Luncheon :)

Ain't that adorable??? (Nice work, Jess!)

hey darklyss? what do you think of...?

I don't write book reviews, as a rule. I have written about books I've read on this blog, but usually I write my opinion in a short paragraph or so.

I do this for a number of reasons:

a) I am a time-poor Mum of a toddler, with a casual job, a full life, and a big book addiction!
b) I don't have time to read lengthy reviews, and I assume there are others like me who don't either!
c) I can usually say what I think about a book in a few minutes thusly:

"I liked it/hated it. I liked it because ***. I didn't like it because ***. If you like ***, you'll probably like this one too."


That's all I usually want to know when I read a book review. Call me overly simplistic, but if I wanted to know in copious detail about the themes/characters/plot - I might as well read the book! (And make up my own mind!)
d) The fourth reason - in all honesty - is that I don't think I write that well, nor do I think that my opinion is necessarily gospel! Just cause I loved it, doesn't mean you will! And if I hated it - I'd want you to read it anyway, and make your own mind up!

What do you think? Do you write/read book reviews? Do you feel like they affect your opinion of a book, or what you read?

Here's Darryl Campbell's view on reviewing books:

Darryl Campbell has a few suggestions on how book reviewers can sound more esoteric

And some pointers by John Pinsky:

How Not To Write a Book Review: What a hatchet job on John Keats teaches us.

What do you think?

how do u describe a colour?

So I just found this on the book TARDIS - this is one of the coolest books I've seen.



I opened this, and thought: "Wha...?!" Every page is black...




:S Wha...?



This is a book of colours for VISION IMPAIRED kids!!! Is that not the coolest thing?! The writing is in print AND Braille! It describes what the colours FEEL like, then the next page appears blank, but have raised 'pictures' on them to feel! I turned them into the light so I could photograph a couple:


















I LOVE THIS. And books SHOULD be for everyone. ESPECIALLY picture books! :)

- Posted on the road from my iPhone