Seen Holding Seen Reading

This just in!

I now have an actual physical copy of Seen Reading by Julie Wilson.

Why am I so excited? Check out my blog post about this from last week called Seen Wanting.

I'm going to start digging into it this weekend.  Okay, I'll admit it, I started to take a few peeks. I couldn't help myself.

The book, by Freehand Books (an imprint of Broadview Press) is gorgeous, beautifully designed - from the texture of the cover itself right to the cover flaps, and right through the visual presentation of the printed text on paper. And it's not just the curious geo-tagged map cover that tempts you with spots to immediately jump to within the text, but the layout and presentation of the entries themselves.  There's an overall aura about the book now that I've held it in my hands which reinforces that it is a celebration of something I adore -- the voyeuristic thrill of seeing someone reading in public.

Along those lines, I must show a recent status update that my beautiful wife made the other day . . .

. . . she said "I saw someone reading . . . a BOOK at the bus stop! Not their stupid phone, but an actual book! So nice to see!"  She's a smart cookie, Francine, and often states things this wonderfully.  It falls right into line with this voyeuristic thrill us book lovers get when we spot someone reading in the wild.

And that's part of the meta magic of holding this book in your hands.


Simply, the book feels wonderful in your hands. It fits perfectly, like a glove. And it looks even better to be seen reading.

Speaking of which, I've got a photo of Clare Hitchins, publicist at Wilfred Laurier Press and a fellow book nerd. Seems she rec'd a review copy of the book yesterday as well.  So I'm presenting her picture holding the book . . .

. . . so that I can add her to the Pinterest board called Seen Holding Seen Reading.

Better be careful - I could add YOU to this growing board.

In fact, I WANT to add you to this board.  If you're a book lover and get your hands on the book, snap a pic and point me to it (or send it to me). If you're a bookseller, snap a picture of the book in your store (ideally, merchandised front and center for all your book-loving customers to marvel over)

Go ahead, get seen holding Seen Reading.