The Library in the Clouds

To read a book is to travel across space and time, that is perhaps the irony of having a Boeing 727 converted into a library.

Mexican officials decided to give another perhaps to their retired Boeing 727 which took its last ride in the sky in 2008.

It took 10 years, for the project to take shape, thanks to the efforts of Suena Mexico Suena, with the support of the Federal Secretariat for Culture. The airplane was transported and assembled in Ciudad Hidalgo (Michoacán) in order to become the Biblioteca en las Nubes, a library opened to students and visitors eager to discover the treasures that it holds.

This original library is a crowd pleasure, with its selection of books, high speed internet,  pcs, tablets, and flight simulator. With a reading room in the back and a flight simulation in the front, visitors experience the best of both worlds. There is even a projection room to discover movies.

Whether you choose to escape space and time through a book or enjoy a flight simulation, one has to admit that the Biblioteca en las Nubes offers an intellectual ride not to be missed.

Sun kissed Free Beach Library

Nothing like drowning your thoughts in a book while enjoying a day at the beach, listening to the waves as they caress a shore of golden sand.

­­­­­­In 2013, for the first time in Europe, a beach library opened in central Albena Beach.  The initiative was such a massive success that it led to the opening of two additional free beach libraries in 2014.    With over 6000 books of all genres, available in 15 languages, readers can find whichever genera they crave.

In an effort to promote the Bulgarian literature, the free beach libraries are rich in Albanian novels which are available in 6 languages, so that tourists from different parts of the world could get acquainted with the richness of Bulgarian literature.

Consultants and guides are available on premises to help beach goers choose the right book for their vacation. Renting books is free of charge and tourists are asked to return the books and even donate some of their own in order to enrich the library with different cultures and languages.

The concept being that exchanging books increases cultural exchange and introduces tourists to the literature of different nations.

The Black Sea coast is the only place that offers tourists the opportunity to pick up a book for free and directly on the beach. The initiative has not only proved to be a successful campaign to promote reading, but has also helped to promote Bulgaria as a cultural tourist destination.

The Book Paradiso

The lower countries, The Netherlands, located mainly in Northwestern Europe, has long been a pioneer in modernity and social tolerance, topping the international indexes in press and economic freedom, human happiness and development, as well as quality of life.

The Netherlands has always prided itself in being ahead of the curve. Since 1930, they launched an initiative to endorse book reading and preserve their language. Under the emblem of the Book Festival, each year a renowned Dutch writer, is tasked to write a novel entitled the Boekenweekgeschenk (book week gift), which is distributed free of charge during the festival. Libraries offer it, complimentary, with every purchase of a Dutch book or new book membership.

The Boekenweekgeschenk was initially a counter measure against new-age media. A way to ensure the survival of books against radio and cinema. It was supposed to be a one day celebration, however publishers, booksellers, other intellects seized the opportunity, and organized a longer event to promote Dutch literature.

For over a decade, Dutch intellectuals have enjoyed the perks that this celebration ensues: From free books to free rail trips across the country’s entire network simply by showing their Boekenweekgeschenk.

The foresight of the Netherlanders has ensured the survival of books against all new technology. Until this day, the popularity Boekenweekgeschenk continues to grow against all odds.

The Real Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is the father of forensic science, as he always uses science and attention to details to solve murder cases.

Behind this fictional character stands, Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, a genius physician and British writer acclaimed mostly for his fifty crime fiction stories featuring the captivating character: Sherlock Holmes. Although he was the author of historical, spiritual and fictional stories, Holmes remains his most celebrated one.

Hereby some facts that you didn’t know about Conan Doyle:

• Conan Doyle came from a highly artistic background. His father as well as uncles were artists.
• Conan studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School and practical botany at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.
• Doyle was a loyal man, he remained married to Louisa Hawkin, his first wife, despite falling in love with another. He maintained a platonic relationship with his second wife-to-be Jean Elizabeth Leckie while his first wife was still alive. In 1907, after the death of his first wife, he married Jean Elizabeth Leckie.
• A Study in Scarlet was originally named Tangled Skein, however after several rejections, it was renamed. Published in 1887, it was written in 1886, the story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in popular fiction.
• All of Doyle’s children died, from health issues, at a young age.
• Conan was obsessed with justice as his protagonist, Sherlock was. He often investigated cases that he believed were faulty. Thanks to his analytical skills and forensic savoir-faire, he successfully exonerated innocent people that were wrongfully convicted.
• He was initiated as a Freemason (in 1887) but left it for good in 1911.
• Conan Doyle believed in the paranormal, that the spirit of the dead continued to exist and were reachable by the living. He believed in the existence of fairies.
• Conan Doyle played sports in his lifetime. His favorite sport was cricket.
• In 1900, he ran for parliament twice in Edinburgh but failed to be elected.
• He despised Sherlock Holmes and thought that he was taking all the attention away from his other features. He tried sabotaging Sherlock Holmes by asking extortionate fees from publishers, but failed as they were happy to pay.
• A square was named after him in Meiringen, Switzerland, where the scene of The Adventure of the Final Problem took place.
• He said to have died in 7 July 1930 in his garden, after whispering to his wife: “You are wonderful.”

Whether you like Sherlock Holmes or not, you can’t but admire his acute sense of observation and analytical skills as well as his intense sense of pride. Conan might not have been a fan of the detective but in essence he was his alter-ego.

Booklovers Dream

The “Little Tree Library” is bookworms ultimate dream come true as it merges their treehouse fantasy with their love of books.

The concept came to when Sharalee Armitage Howard, a passionate Librarian living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, decided to turn a dead 110-year-old cottonwood tree stump into the ultimate Library. Sharalee was sick of looking of the lifeless yet majestic tree so she decided to give it another chance, a breath of life, the right amount of magic it needed to metamorphose into a free book exchange place.

The “Little Tree Library” is part of Little Free Library, the world’s largest book-sharing movement.  It was launched in 2009 by Todd Bol and Rick Brooks of Hudson and Madison, Wisconsin, respectively. It became an official   nonprofit organization in 2012. There are Little Free Libraries in over 70 countries and the movement continues to grow.

The library itself is a work of art with inviting stone steps, a sloped roof, a large green door, interior and exterior lighting, and decorative miniature books. The Library also features interior and exterior lighting, giving it the coveted warn and homey feeling, as well as a “roof” over the top of the stump to complete the transformation.

Sharalee Armitage Howard said that it’s things like these that make the world a cooler place to live in.

It is kinda poetic when you think about it: this small library doesn’t only represent learning but is also a symbol of metamorphose, showing people that in the right hands anything can blossom and reach its full potential. It only takes the proper person, the right kind of care, time and vision, to turn anything magical. So next time you want to give-up on something or someone, think of “Little Tree Library”.