While you're waiting...

My latest read, The Book Thief is with me at all times, it's a great story narrated by Death, no less, anyway I'm taking my sweet time over it, because it's excellent and I don't want it to end.

Interestingly I was in a Post Office queue for 30minutes the other day and it was lovely because I read the whole time. Queuing, so ordered, so British. Why am I uttering this drivel? Oh yes, books are great for swallowing you whole, as this advert neatly shows. The fact it happens to be Penguin is merely a coincidence, although as you know, I love them too.

A Penguin Princess

Um, that title may need some work, but I went to a Penguin talk last night at The Design Museum and came away thinking that Coralie Bickford-Smith is a truly remarkable designer. There's a great interview with her here. Her Penguin Classics hardback designs are simply sublime, her designs hark back to other times and yet are so modern in their execution.

I would also like to heap praises on Jim Stoddart, the art director of Penguin Press for an impassioned yet calm, witty and truly knowledgeable talk that made me want to join the ranks of Penguin Towers even more. Okay, I'll stop gushing now.

Overview of the talk:
PENGUIN COVERS THEN AND NOW

Over the decades Penguin has sustained a reputation for generating innovative and influential cover designs as seen in the work of Alan Aldridge in the 1960s. In this cross generational discussion, celebrated Penguin designer David Pelham and former Penguin editor Judith Burnley will talk about the factors behind their particular Penguin heyday to be compared with recent achievements and future direction described by current Art Director Jim Stoddart.

Reading is officially sexy

I love Penguin. Anyone who knows me, knows this much is true. So I have to tell you that Penguin have teamed up with match.com to form www.penguindating.co.uk, so you can find your love based on the books you read, you have to have a common interest right? Unless you subscribe to the 'opposites attract' philosophy which I happen to.

Photograph credit: Eifion