Tattered Essence

Are you into books that are a bit quirky? If that is the case, make sure you do not miss Slate’s listing of the 10 Oddest Travel Guides Ever Published.

The list is made up of:

1. The Truth About Hunting in Today’s Africa, and How To Go on Safari for $690.00, by George Leonard Herter (1963)
2. A Guide Through the District of the Lakes in the North of England, by William Wordsworth (5th edition, 1835)
3. Das Generalgouvernement, by Karl Baedeker (1943)
4. Fodor’s Indian America, by Jamake Highwater (1975)
5. Bollocks to Alton Towers by Robin Halstead, et al. (2006)
6. Travel Guide of Negro Hotels and Guest Houses, by Afro-American Newspapers (1942)
7. Lonely Planet Guide to Micronations, by John Ryan et al. (2006)
8. The Night Climbers of Cambridge, by “Whipplesnaith” (1937)
9. A Tramp Trip: How To See Europe on Fifty Cents a Day, by Lee Meriwether (1886)
10. Overland to India and Australia, by the BIT Travel & Help Service (1970)

Be sure to click on the link above to read in depth about each of the titles.

Have you been thinking about getting the Amazon Kindle? If so, you might want to take advantage of a special going on right now. You can get it with free two-day shipping for Father’s Day. So, I suspect that means that you have to order it at least 2 days before Father’s Day in order to get the free shipping.

Amazon Kindle is a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 125,000 books, blogs, newspapers, and magazines. Whether you’re in bed or on the train, Kindle lets you think of a book and get it in less than a minute.

So, order Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device today and get free two day shipping in time for Father’s Day.

Have you ever read a book that was widely praised and absolutely hated it? Well, there is a pretty good chance you are not the only one. Last week a lively discussion on this topic was taking place in the comments section of a blog on the Publisher’s Weekly site.

Check out The Book Loved By Everyone But You and be sure to read the comments. One of your favorites just might be listed there! Or you may find some like minded people that hated the same books as you.

Yesterday was the annual free comic book day. Did you make it out to get your free comic book? If not, you can participate in this annual celebration of comic books next year by watching their official site for info. And there is more than just free comics to look forward too. You can also expect to see character appearances as well as things like artists on hand to draw sketches for you.

Do you buy your books on Amazon.com?

I actually buy a lot of books from there. That is when I am not buying them used or just getting them from the library.

And what I really like about Amazon is that I can get more than just books all in one transaction. I can get groceries or electronics or whatever.

Just recently I ordered grocery items and dvd items from there.

The thing that I dislike about Amazon though is how they hurt the little indie bookstores.

Have you been trying to think of ways to get your kids to read? If so, why not check out this interesting kids party idea from the Dollar Stretcher. It is sure to get kids to reading!

For your child’s next party, consider having a “book exchange” instead of gifts. Here’s how it works. Each child who attends the party brings one wrapped book (age appropriate of course). At the start of the party, all of the books are put into a bin. Then, when the party’s over, each child gets to choose a book to take home as his or her party favor. We tried this for our daughter’s fourth birthday party recently and it worked great. The parents all loved the idea because they didn’t have to worry about what to buy for a gift. And it freed us up from having to buy or make goody bags, which usually just consist of candy and/or cheap plastic toys anyway. At our party, everyone remembered to bring a book. However, I’d recommend placing two or three wrapped books in the bin yourself in case anyone forgets to bring one.