A couple of weeks ago I joined the books & readers twine on Twine and today it paid off with this wee gem: the Golden Notebook project. This online project combines two of my great loves, really interesting literature and webby goodness. The project is based in the UK and is a collaboration between if:book London and Apt with funding by Arts Council England. Basically seven women are reading Nobel laureate Doris Lessing’s Golden Notebook, the entire text of which is online so you can read along with them, and they are exchanging their comments / marginalia, online, which you can read. There’s a discussion forum for people to discuss the book and the comments made by the seven ‘readers’ and a blog which the ‘readers’ will be posting on. It only began a couple of days ago so go have a look – there’s a few posts already – and get involved.

What I find quite intriguing is the intersection between all the ‘voices’ involved – Doris herself, her characters, the seven ‘readers’ and all the unofficial online readers. Some of the ‘readers’ comments about the difference between reading in the physical book and reading it online are also interesting if you’re into that sort of thing. This project is really venturing into new territory, and I can’t help but draw parallels with Sword & laser – an online book discussion group where titles are chosen by the two hosts who also do regular podcasts about the books read, but also have online forums.

The project has certainly gotten me interested in re-reading the Golden Notebook as I’m certain that I have read it but actually can’t remember much about it. It is probably Lessing’s most famous novel, partly for its perceived feminist agenda, but my favourites of hers are the Canopus in Argos series. Technically they’re  science fiction, but like the best of the genre its more an exploration of ideas and humanity. I have read Shikasta about once a decade since my teens and always find it a realignment of my thoughts.