long long ago, in a land far far away

I love the very idea of this month's #rwpchat twitter reading group theme - #faraway. The idea of exploring places not here, worlds that don't exist, and times long past is exciting and intriguing, and just downright fun!  I feel like a small child in a fancy toy store - it's all so bright and sparkly and I want to look at and touch everything at once!

So what are some of my favourite #faraway reads? Where are some of my favourite #faraway places?

Anything Fantasy, anything Science Fiction immediately springs to mind. But so do Westerns and Historical fiction. Anything set overseas 'cause hey, it's not here and here being Australia means that overseas is faraway. Even something that explores a concept I am unfamiliar with is a #faraway read. And of course cooking books which explore cultures from around the world falls naturally into this group as well. 

I love this theme - the choice is limitless!

Lord of the Rings / J R R Tolkein
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever / Stephen R Donaldson
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn / Tad Williams
The Dirty Streets of Heaven / Tad Williams
Zoe's Tale / John Scalzi
The God Machines / John Scalzi
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams
Discworld series / Terry Pratchett
The Long Earth / Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Shakespeare
Chaucer
John Donne
American Gods / Neil Gaiman
any / all of the NASA twitter feeds
any / all of the ABCStarStuff twitter feeds
Wuthering Heights / Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre / Charlotte Bronte
Emma / Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen
Shades of Grey / Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair (Tuesday Next series) / Jasper Fforde
The Lightbringer series / Brent Weeks
Wanderer of the Wasteland / Zane Grey
A Song of Ice and Fire / George R R Martin
Harry Potter series / J K Rowling
Where the Wild Things Are / Maurice Sendak
The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek / Jenny Wagner
Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks

Global Village / SBS
Food Safari / SBS
Star Trek
Red Dwarf

Star wars
Shrek
Willow
The Princess Bride
The 13th Warrior
The Searchers
Harry Potter

Bioshock
Game of Thrones
Assassin's Creed


... just to name a few

What is reading?

For 2012 the National Year of Reading twitter reading group set up a blog - love2read2012 - to act as a point of reference and maintain the conversation. One of the pages on that blog discussed what is reading. In 2013 the team is continuing the twitter reading group (which began with the #readit2011 campaign), spreading globally and expanding on the idea of what reading is. The new blog is called ReadWatchPlay and was launched at the Imagine the Future Public Libraries NSW conference held just this past week at Shoal Bay. Below is a copy of the page on that blog which discusses what is reading within this context (it is a bit of a rewrite of the original love2read post). Enjoy. What do you think reading is? What does 'reading' mean for/to you?

We value all kinds of reading experiences which provide enjoyment, knowledge, understanding, and relaxation. Be it a book, a movie, a game, or a piece of music – reading reaches out to the world and hugs them close.

The concept of ‘reading’ encompasses a broad spectrum of activities – reading, watching, and playing.

Reading has made me who I am. To read is to learn and grow, to experience, to empathise, to understand, to marvel, to wonder, to laugh, and to cry. To live other lives in other places and times, to deepen a connection with place. Reading is immensely important to me. It shapes my personality and identity as do all experiences. I am a fuller, more rounded person because I read. I am able to imagine and empathise with others. I learn things that help me in my daily life and I experience joy, sorrow and relaxation when I read.

I’m reading when I check my email, I’m reading while I download songs, I’m reading when I sort my bills from the ones I must pay now to the ones that can wait a little longer. The act of reading is an everyday function. The act of taking time out to read the story behind the recipe, the description of the engine space, the context of the game, all are integral actions which inform and enhance my experience. Reading isn’t just about escaping into a world of fiction –  it’s also about providing context to our environment – both real and imagined and thus enriching our lives.

Reading can be

• fun, sad, traumatic, confusing, fast, slow, episodic, continual
• collaborative
• participatory
• exclusive
• inclusive

And all reading is reading – no matter the format.  We should not be textist about format, or length of work, or the context of the reading. Reading something for young children filled with pictures and sounds is just as valued as reading a university thesis. Reading a biography is just as valued as playing a game exploring the period of the Crusades. Reading an adventure story for young adults written by a well-renowned Australian author is just as valued as watching a BBC television series featuring the antics and explorations of a mystery-solving sleuth or a galaxy-travelling adventurer. Reading a book in a digital format on my computer, tablet, or phone, or indeed listening to one through my iPod, Mp3, car stereo, or home stereo, is just as valued as holding that paper-bound version in my hands and inhaling the sweet smell of print and glue. Watching the movie is just as valued as reading the book. Playing the game is just as valued as reading the graphic novel or comic on which it is based, and vice-versa.

Indeed reading is many things, …

• devouring a book cover to cover, and then starting at the beginning again
• poring through each recipe, and the stories in between
• exploring the repair manual so you can fix your car
• flicking through pages, just reading a few words
• watching the faces in the crowd as an author/storyteller engages the audience in their story
• discovering the story in the game so you understand the game
• reading in games to achieve objectives
• watching the episodic movie breaks between one game level and the next to experience the story
• information to get stuff done
• information for fun
• in any format, at any time
• facts and figures
• lifesaving or death defying
• therapeutic
• relaxing
• searching flickr images
• tweets
• blogs
• signs
• watching a movie
• watching a television series
• listening to music
• playing music
• listening to a story
• writing your own story

Reading is an experience – what has your experience been, what is your experience now?

Amy, Cathy, Ellen

And before I forget ................ #readit2011

The #readit2011 Twitter reading fest has been an amazing journey so far. All the details can be found here - http://readit2011.wordpress.com/ - and here - http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/page/2011+Twitter+Reading+Group

Not to mention the shirts you can buy the shirts from RedBubble here - http://www.redbubble.com/explore/readit2011

There are plans afoot to continue the love next year too in conjunction with the National Year of Reading and make it bigger and better and broader and bookier!! .............. is that a word? You get what I mean, I'm just a tad excited about it all.

Now, I'd best be off to update my reading challenge list on the RA wiki .............................

Dragons in the Metcalfe - #ra2011 - part eight

Next up was Vassiliki (@vaveros) with her delightful presentation RA and Twitter which is viewable via Sharepoint and on the RA wiki (along with all the other presentations from the day).

And then yours truly ( @CatyJ) showcasing the delight of #readit2011 and #bookbinge plus the range of shirts now available from RedBubble to support these events.

#suagb resources

I was browsing the reference shelves this morning and stumbled on titles from the Read on series from Libraries Unlimited.

Most pertinent to the current #readit2011 challenge and January's theme of Scare Up A Good Book (#suagb) was the title: Read on... Horror Fiction by June Michelle Pulliam & Anthony J. Fonseca. Each chapter covers a particular appeal characteristic - Story, Mood & Atmosphere, Setting, Character, Language. Plus an appendix for Horror on Film, another for Series, and one for Genreblends (including Splatterpunk). It's my new favourite resource!

Thinking about the upcomong RA seminar in March (Dragons in the Metcalfe), I also grabbed Read on... Fantasy Fiction by Neil Hollands. This title again includes chapters on Story, Character, Setting, Mood, and Language. Plus an appendix of Suggested Trilogies and other Series, and another of Award Winning Fantasies.

#readit2011

From a recent PLN e-list post:-

After a very successfull 2010 Librarians Reading Challenge, the NSW Readers Advisory Group are inviting library staff to take part in our 2011 Librarians Reading Challenge.
http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/page/2011+Librarian%27s+Reading+Challenge
and to join the Twitter Reading Group so as to engage with the broader online community.

2011 Librarians Reading Challenge
Each month in 2011, we are encouraging librarians to read items on a set theme and to then post their choices to the corresponding month on the NSWRA wiki. Your reading experience on the topic for the month can vary from books and blogs to poetry, plays or essays.
As well as discussing what they are reading in the library, some library staff will also be tweeting about their reading on twitter using the hashtag #readit2011 as well as specific monthly themed hashtags.
To take part you will need to be a member of the NSW Readers Advisory Wiki.
http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/
Once you are a member you can go to the 2011 Librarian's Reading Challenge page and add your name.

2011 Twitter Reading Group
The Twitter Reading Group (and blog - http://readit2011.wordpress.com/) is an opportunity to run programs for the broader library clients and online communities. This is an online reading group, one that involves microblogging, blogging and taking pictures about reading. Through this program, we will be encouraging our clients to tweet, blog or post photographs about what they are reading. This is also an opportunity to engage with online users who are not currently library users.
For more information on the 2011 Twitter Reading Group go to
http://readersadvisory.wetpaint.com/page/2011+Twitter+Reading+Group

Already #readit2011 has taken off on Twitter with January's #suagb (scare up a good book) theme. It looks to be a great year for reading - and for sharing online.