Item  #1 

Apparently, you can check people out (in a library) in London. Can you imagine how your bibliography would look if you did that? Can you imagine how far that could set you back if you were a ”book” not chosen? The Times has the article here, or here is a snippet to encourage you to transcend beyond this page and on to the link:

“The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I [the author] was there as Gay Man.”

 Item #2

“ It starts with a phone call from someone claiming to be an author. Then the caller asks for money. But sellers are catching on.”

Apparently, scammers have moved out of inboxes and on to bookstores. Like the famous Nigerian scam, this is just ridiculous, and yet, it’s just so sad. L.A. Times article here.

Item #3

Not so much a book item, but it is language related, which is all that matter to me. The BBC translates the translation difficulties behind making British comedy classic ‘Allo ‘Allo funny to Germans. For those of you who don’t know the show, it follows the flops and foibles of a French cafe owner during WWII. Basically, nothing is sacred, every line is drenched in innuendo and nobody is safe. What also makes the show unique is that the French characters speak in a French accent while the Brits speak in an exaggerated British one, but neither character can understand the other. With less meaning than Brian Friel’s Translations, I really wonder if ‘Allo ‘Allo will last one zany, twisted, plot in Deutchland.