Just because we didn't do much reading in Great Britain didn't mean we were wholly divorced from the written word.
For one thing, the first night we were there was the night they announced the winner of the Booker Prize, which was an event that was not only televised but which featured authors wearing sparkly dresses and tuxes. It was awesome; the whole show was very similar to the Oscars and featured rampant speculation beforehand about who would win. The newspaper we bought that day was The Guardian, so we also had a handy "Digested Reads" guide to all the contenders. I have never been a big fan of any Booker Prize-winning novels, but I must admit that evening dress and a televised event seems the proper approach to giving books awards, and we should do it more here.
I was also struck at the number of huge posters advertising a number of new books, in the Underground and throughout the city (particularly in London)--I saw Eoin Colfer's new addition to Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, And Another Thing, advertised so often that I just had to have it.* Do books get these big posters in big American cities, too? Would someone who lives in a big city enlighten me on this?
Last but not least, while we were in London one of their biggest newspapers, The Evening Standard, forged a new path by making itself free. Evidently for years it was sold by hawkers in the street, at 50p** a pop, but now those same hawkers were just handing it out. There was a lot of commentary on the news about whether or not the strategy would work, which is a story I'm going to try and follow, as I'm curious about it.
All in all it was a surprisingly word-driven vacation, which I appreciated almost as much as the beautiful scenery and cultural and historical sites. Tomorrow: Some manner of picture, I promise. They're on my laptop, but figuring out how to resize them is still beyond me. I have been dragged into the digital camera age kicking and screaming, and I can only learn one new thing a day (at most).
*The blurb on the back didn't hurt either: "The storm had now definitely abated, and what thunder there was now grumbled over more distant hills, like a man saying 'and another thing' twenty minutes after admitting he's lost the argument."
**"p" as short for "pence." I refuse to go back to "cents" because "p" is so much shorter and sounds cooler. That's just my 2p.
Dear Ms. CR:
Hie thee to thy online connection ::grins:: and download a copy of IrfanView. It's a free program that I highly recommend. I've used it myself since the mid-1990s and it just keeps getting better.
And if you have questions - please email me privately and I'll try to help. Basically, you open the program, File/Open the photo, then Image/Resize-Resample. You can also compress the files when you save them. I usually save as .JPGs and compress to 20% if I've got a typical 4MB file. That's all there is to it!
(It also works with a scanner, which I use a lot)
Hope this helps ~
LynneW in Ohio
Posted by: LynneW | 21 October 2009 at 12:53 PM
PS Ooops - that didn't work exactly as I expected! If you click on my name in the "Posted By": section, it will take you directly to the IrfanView site. Full disclosure: I have no connection with these people other than a sincere appreciation for an excellent product.
Posted by: LynneW | 21 October 2009 at 12:56 PM
Lynne!
You're the bestest. I will give IrfanView a try; thank you! I love knowing librarians; they give me the answers I need before I've even sufficiently pulled it together to ask the questions.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 21 October 2009 at 01:16 PM
You're very welcome, and I hope it works for you.
Lynne
Posted by: LynneW | 21 October 2009 at 02:24 PM
Just got back from NYC. Only huge book poster I saw was for the new Dan Brown book (can't remember that name of it!) all over the subway. Ugh. Hard to believe that the greatest city on earth wouldn't have more/better book ads...
Posted by: Mary | 21 October 2009 at 04:22 PM
Hi Mary!
Ooh, NYC, still my favorite city in the world (although London may have passed Montreal for that coveted second-place spot now). What did you see there? Well, at least it's a book ad. The new Brown was also being advertised in London, along with some James Patterson title, but they also threw in the Colfer/Adams and there were a few other authors I wasn't familiar with. I agree. More range in these big book ads would be an exciting thing, although frankly, I'd love to see any book ads in my small city...
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 21 October 2009 at 04:46 PM
I want to know what they feed James Patterson. Whatever it is, Joyce Carol Oates probably developed the original recipe...
Posted by: Jessica | 21 October 2009 at 05:55 PM
Jessica,
They feed Patterson the souls of a stable of contract writers. Well, maybe not their souls, but certainly their labors.
Yeah, Joyce Carol. I think she actually does write her own stuff, unlike Patterson. How DOES she do it so fast?
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 21 October 2009 at 06:03 PM
I agree - London is fabulous too. Also agree that Bath might be the lovliest city I've ever seen. Funny that I have the exact same picture of myself in Bath!
NYC: Went to the Union Square Greenmarket, the Highline (abandoned elevated freight tracks that have been converted into a city park), Radio City Music Hall for a concert, the Strand (love those big city used book stores) and, of course, Central Park, and the Musueum of the City of NY... to name a few things. Can't get enough of that city.
Welcome back from Loncon - keep the travel stories coming
Posted by: Mary | 23 October 2009 at 09:56 PM
Ooh, Mary, your NYC trip sounds wonderful. The Greenmarket! The Highline (which I've never seen but would love to explore). Oh, and the Strand. Such a beautiful bookstore.
Too bad now I have to get to work and try to save for the next vacation; mentally I'd be ready to take another one right now and head for NYC!
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 25 October 2009 at 02:44 PM