“So what the heck is a blook?” I hear you ask. Essentially a “blook” is a book that is based on a blog (or other website). Publication of blog or website based books has increased in popularity over recent years so much so that there are now enough produced to have their own literary competition, The Blookers (of course). Last year’s Blooker winner was My war : killing time in Iraq by American “grunt” Colby Buzzell (any blog that gets glowing reviews from Kurt Vonnegut and Henry Rollins is worth a look, in my humble opinion). Winner in the comics category was Mom’s cancer, the true tale of cartoonist Brian Fies’s mother’s battle with metastic lung cancer that started its life as a webcomic. It’s clear that there is as much scope in blooks as there are in books with less “digital” beginnings.
It’s a testament to the continuing appeal of books as physical items that punters will pay money to buy books that they could read on the internet for free. If you still prefer your recreational reading on paper rather than lap-top then, as well as those blooks mentioned above, you might like to consider the following -
- Julie and Julia : 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen : how one girl risked her marriage, her job, and her sanity to master the art of living – 2006 Blooker winner documenting Julie Powell’s mission to master every recipe in Mastering the art of French cooking by Julia Child, over the course of a year. You can take a look at the blog here.
My boring-ass life : the uncomfortably candid diary of Kevin Smith – In which director and sometime actor Kevin Smith details his day to day going ons up to and including movie auditions, bickering with the wife, charity events, toilet breaks, and the saga of a friend with substance abuse issues. If you like what you read (or are a Silent Bob fan) then you might be interested in checking Smith’s online diary.- The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl – Known only by the nom de plume “Belle de jour” the author of this blook reveals all the nitty gritty details of her life as a high class prostitute. The book and blog (warning – sexual content) have been so popular that it’s spawned a television series due to start its run on New Zealand screens next week. Secret diary of a call girl stars Billie Piper as the “Belle” in question. A second series has been given the green light.
- Baghdad burning : girl blog from Iraq and sequel – The war in Iraq as seen through the eyes of a young local woman who goes by the name of “Riverbend”. Checkout more recent entries from Riverbend online.
So, have you read any good blooks lately?
