Friday Whatnot: March 13, 2015
In every book club I’ve been involved with–except for the texting one–there has been a member of the club who attends, says nothing, and then leaves. I’m convinced that instead of sharing with the group, they go home and immediately unload their thoughts on Ishmael. Call Me Ishmael is a service where you can talk about a book you’ve read, but to a machine instead of a person. Here’s how it works:
- Call Ishmael’s number. It goes straight to voicemail.
- Listen to Ishmael’s short answering machine message. It changes weekly.
- Leave a voicemail about a book you love and a story you have lived.
Ishmael then transcribes and shares the anonymous calls through email, Facebook, Twitter, and on the Call Me Ishmael website.
Also… the opening round for the Tournament of Books began this week. So far, The Bone Clocks triumphed over Adam; A Brief History of Seven Killings edged out All the Birds, Singing; All the Light We Cannot See defeated Wittgenstein Jr; and yesterday The Paying Guests advanced past A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall. If you want to follow the action yourself, find the decisions and commentary at The Morning News Tournament of Books website.
And remember, today is the deadline for submitting nominations for the IndieNext Spring/Summer 2015 Reading Group List.
