My Summer Reading with Kathleen Wilson, author of the new eco-fantasy "Rumer and Qix"

This week on our series My Summer Reading we have the pleasure to have with us Kathleen S. Wilson, the author of the new book 'Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita'.

Kathleen consults with media companies on digital strategy and creative development and teaches in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is the author of a new book, “Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita” – a futuristic, eco-fantasy adventure for tweens and all those who are forever tweens at heart. To learn more about “Rumer & Qix”, visit http://www.rumerandqix.com.

Kathleen is collaborating with Eco-Libris and for every sold copy of 'Rmuer & Qix' a new tree will be planted with us. Buyers of the new book will also receive our "One tree planted for this book" sticker.

Hi Kathleen, what are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading “The Earthsea Trilogy” by the incredibly imaginative and original Ursula Le Guin. I became intrigued when I read that one of my favorite animators, Hayao Miyazaki, a pre-eminent Japanese anime writer/director, once approached Le Guin to make a film based on her Earthsea series, was rejected at first, then later granted the rights.

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
It’s great to have a range of options available in the summer depending on things like your mood, the weather, where you are and who you’re with.

Some of the summer reads I’ve enjoyed over the years are “World of Wonders” the last book in a trilogy by Canadian writer Robertson Davies, the science fiction classic, “Enders Game” by Orson Scott Card, Neal Stephenson’s eco-thriller “Zodiac,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night,” a fascinating, first-person insight into Asperger’s Syndrome by Mark Haddon and, for readers of all ages, “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss.

What you are planning to read this summer?
As always, there are so many books I’d like to read that I don’t know where to begin. I’m into a fantasy streak at the moment and a few that keep bubbling up to the top of my list are “The Wind Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel” by Haruki Murakami because it’s been described as both surreal and amusing, “The Gone Away World” by Nick Harkaway, which is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic fantasy with funny moments, “The Dark is Rising” by Susan Cooper, a magical, mythical fantasy that has been adapted to film and, not a fantasy, but still intriguing, “The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World" by Michael Pollan.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
I live in NYC and, like everyone who lives in a big city, tend to spend too much time inside. When the warm weather arrives, I love to find a place outside to read. After a long winter, it feels like a dream to sit on the grass under a tree with a good book in any of the city’s fantastic parks, or at a table at one of the many restaurants with outside seating, or to escape the city altogether to find a spot to read by the ocean or in the mountains, either of which can be reached within a couple of hours from NewYork City.

Thanks Kathleen!

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green reading

My Summer Reading with Jennifer Taylor of GreetQ

This week it's on our series My Summer Reading we have a dear guest from Seattle - Jennifer Taylor, the owner of GreetQ.

GreetQ offers a unique service: shoppers can buy paper greeting cards online, add a personal message, then schedule the cards to be sent on a specific date. GreetQ then mails the personalized card to the recipient on behalf of their customers on that specific date. The scheduled cards, which can be scheduled for up to one year in advance, are queued online in the customer’s “card-queue.”

GreetQ is collaborating with Eco-Libris to plant a tree for every 10 greeting cards purchased through the GreetQ.com's website.

Hi Jennifer, what are you reading now?
It's Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book - I believe the target audience for this book is graphic designers and marketers. However it works as a sort of self-help book for creative types of all sorts, serving as cheerleader with the intention of convincing readers that they can accomplish the impossible. It's a brief read and I've actually completed it already but plan to carry it around in my summer tote, referring back to its more epiphanic sections all season.

What I’m planning to read + recommendations:
Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories by Moffett and Mcelheny - The short story format is perfect for librophiles when on summer days everyone's pressuring you to put down the book and pick up a Frisbee. You can get your literary fix in 50 pages or less while still enjoying long sunny days.

I've been a long-time fan of this genre ever since it was introduced to me by one of its top purveyors, my college professor, who's also a brilliant prize-winning short story writer, Josip Novakovich. And although his work is still one of my favorites, I often find myself longing for the classics like Updike & Capote. Which is exactly why the "Points of View" anthology, loaned to me by a friend, is right up my literary alley. I have a lot of anthologies but this is the best collection I've seen thus far. And it includes one of my all time faves: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

The Bedside Baccalaureate - It's full title, "The Bedside Baccalaureate: A Handy Daily Cerebral Primer to Fill in the Gaps, Refresh Your Knowledge & Impress Yourself & Other Intellectuals," sounds a bit pretentious but you'll be thankful you bought it when at your 4th of July BBQ someone asks "Hey, who wrote the 1st draft of the Declaration of Independence again?"

Okay, maybe that won't happen but you'll feel great when by the end of the summer you've filled in all of those pesky knowledge gaps. And like the short-story anthology, the information in this book is given in brief, summer-sized bites on topics ranging from Environmental Science to Art History to Philosophy.

1984 - This is a must-read that I've passed over for far too long. Described as one of the best works of modern fiction of all time, I've decided to finally give it a go this summer.

Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office - Again, a book with a very long title but as intended, it certainly caught my attention. I'm not usually a fan of "chick-lit" but how can one pass up a read with a title like this? I may have to make a fake "War and Peace" bookcover to read it however. After all, this is Seattle.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?

I don’t abandon my beloved coffee shops during the summer. They really are the perfect place to read year-round.

There aren’t enough coffee shops with outdoor seating here but the next best thing is shops with lots of natural sunlight and plenty of big windows. Like the Seattle’s Best Coffee shop across the street from Pike Place Market whose large storefront windows swing open. Or Zoka which also has huge windows, lots of wood paneling, big comfy leather chairs and sort of resembles a library. In the fall, you’d be hard pressed to find a seat, but come summer when all of the college students have headed home, it’s the perfect place to park with a book for an hour or two.

Thanks Jennifer!

More information on GreetQ can be found at http://www.greetq.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

My Summer Reading with Sue Schrader of the bookstore Sources of Hope

The second guest today on our series My Summer Reading is Sue Schrader of Sources of Hope in Dallas, Texas. This gifts and books store is part of the Cathedral of Hope and also participates in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Hi Sue, what are you reading now?
Artifacts by Mary Anna Evans

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
Light fiction – no specific titles

What you are planning to read this summer?
Have several books at home, but can’t remember titles.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
Same as in the winter—at meals, waiting in line or on appointments, on the couch.

Thanks Sue!

More information on Sources of Hope can be found at http://www.sourcesofhope.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

My Summer Reading with Erica Caldwell of the bookstore Present Tense

This week it's bookstores time on our series My Summer Reading with two recommendations from bookstores that participate in our bookstores program, where customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!

Our first guest is Erica Caldwell of Present Tense in Batavia, NY.

Located in Batavia, NY, halfway between the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, Present Tense is a locally-owned independent bookstore that serves as a center for reading, writing, and the arts in Western New York. As you can see from the picture below Present Tense is also celebrating the summer with a great program of visiting authors.

Hi Erica, what are you reading now?
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan

What you are planning to read this summer?
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha and then hopefully a few more that are in my towering stack of unread books!

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
On the deck

Thanks Erica!

More information on Present Tense can be found at http://www.presenttensebooks.com/

So far on My Summer Reading series:

Christian Valentiner of the Norwegian publisher Flux

Avrim Topel, co-author of 'My Green Beginnings'

Tania Hershman, author of 'The White Road and Other Stories'

Elisabeth Baines, author of the upcoming book 'Too Many Magpie'

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green publishing

My Summer Reading with author Elizabeth Baines

Our second author today on our My Summer Reading Series is author Elizabeth Baines, whom we work with to green up her upcoming book "Too Many Magpie" by planting one tree for every copy printed.

Elizabeth Baines was born in South Wales and lives in Manchester. She has been a teacher and is an occasional actor as well as the prize-winning author of plays for radio and stage, and of two novels, The Birth Machine and Body Cuts. Her award-winning short stories have been published widely in magazines and anthologies.

Hi Elizabeth, What are you reading now?
I'm reading Dido, the new novel for young adults by my friend Adele Geras, and John Lahr's The Autograph Hound for my reading group.

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
I always think Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca is a great summer read because if I'm right she wrote it during one rainy summer stay in Cornwall, and that atmosphere pervades the novel. Ali Smith's The Accidental is a great book about a summer holiday with a weird turn of events, as is Margaret Atwood's Surfacing, which has an environmental thread.

What you are planning to read this summer?
A whole pile of Salt books - short stories and poetry.

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
In the middle of a field under a tree halfway up a mountain in North Wales - when the weather's good!

Thanks Elizabeth!

"Too Many Magpie" is due from Salt Modern Fiction in Oct 2009. You can read more about Elizabeth on these links:

www.elizabethbaines.com
http://elizabethbaines.blogspot.com
http://fictionbitch.blogspot.com

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

My Summer Reading - Avrim Topel, co-author of "Green Beginnings"

Our second guest on the new series 'My Summer Reading' is Avrim Topel, co-author of "Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home".

"Green Beginnings" is following the journey Avrim and Vicki Topel had while building a new green sustainable home from scratch, one that will be eventually awarded the USGBC’s LEED Silver and Energy Star Qualified Home designations in October, 2008. It is also part of a greater effort of the couple to share their experience with others, which includes tours in the house and a documentary video.

Eco-Libris is collaborating with the authors to plant trees for the copies sold of the book.

Here are Avrim's choices for this summer:

Hi Ave, what are you reading now?
1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die by Robert Dimery

Any recommendation on a good summer reading?
Corsair by Clive Cussler

What you are planning to read this summer?
Medusa by Clive Cussler

What is your favorite place to read in the summer?
On the beach and on my screened porch

Thanks Avrim!

You can find more information about Avrim and Vicki Topel and their great book at www.greenbeginningsconsulting.com

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net