Recently some friends and I were discussing movies, including one of my favorites–High Fidelity. With most movies I have to be in the right mood to sit down and watch. This is not the case when it comes to the movie adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, and Jack Black.

The opening lines when the main character wonders “Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”, the pathetic yet charming elitism displayed by the employees of the vinyl record store, a great soundtrack, a mix of comedy and tragedy– all this contributes to a great film.

Another aspect I love about High Fidelity is the recurring use of the Top 5 List, including but not limited to: Top 5 Most Memorable Breakups; Top 5 Side Ones, Track Ones; and Top 5 Songs About Death: A Tribute List to Laura’s Dad. In the spirit of this, I present my Top 5 Favorite Celebrity READ Posters:

1. Tony Hawk 2
High Fidelity
Not only can he turn tricks on a tiny piece of wood, but clearly he has great taste in books as well. As one of our most popular READ posters, this is the new and improved Tony Hawk poster.

2. Julia Stiles
Me Talk Pretty One Day
While it might not make my Top 5 Favorite Movies list, I used to love Julia Stile’s irritable yet independent character in Ten Things I Hate About You. She also holds a book by one of my favorite authors, David Sedaris.

3. Tim Gunn
The Magic Mountain
Unlike the first two in this Top 5, this poster makes the list not so much because of the celebrity or book (although I do enjoy watching Mr. Gunn encourage the designers on Project Runway) but rather the poster itself. I think it’s a well-conceived design, and I love the tag-like stitching of Tim Gunn’s name onto the poster.

4. Yo-Yo Ma
Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon is a (the?) most beloved children’s classic. With the obvious connection to classical music and the classiness of world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma, this poster and its design is simply, well, classic!

5. Steve Martin
Metamagical Themas

Although now a retired READ poster, I can’t decide whether the poster is so silly it’s serious or so serious it’s silly.

So I leave you with this challenge: Top 5 Best Places to Display Customized READ Posters?

One of the most interesting things about working on the READ campaign is finding out what book each celebrity will be holding in their poster. The only instructions I give to celebrities is that they cannot choose a book that they have written. Part of the fun of READ posters is discovering what has inspired, informed, entertained, or educated your favorite celebrity, athlete, or musician.

The books they choose can reflect their personality. Rachael Ray, for instance, conveys her sense of humor and love of food, as she holds Jon Scieszka’s, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales. I was interested to learn that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was one of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s favorite books. I was thrilled to receive a signed copy from Kareem urging me to read it!

While the celebrities choose the book they want to hold, I always purchase a copy and send it to the shoot. No need to with Tim Gunn, the Project Runway mentor. Mr. Gunn brought and held his very own, slightly battered copy of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. Linda Cardell, who appeared in our Search and Rescue Poster with her K9 hero, Kobie, brought along Emma and the Night Dogs, a book she reads to groups during school visits.

Thinking about what books various celebrities have chosen over the years prompted me to think about my all-time favorite book. If I could only pick one, what would I choose to hold in my own READ poster? After much reflection (and an eventual coin toss) I decided on The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This novel marked the beginning of my love for reading (apologies to runner-up, A Prayer for Owen Meany). The Handmaid’s Tale was chosen as suggested reading for incoming freshman class my first year of college. At the time I wasn’t a big reader. More precisely, I didn’t crack a book unless I had to for school. Teen Read Week hadn’t been invented yet and I didn’t understand the idea of reading “for the fun of it.”

Needless to say I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of spending the summer with my head in a book. My mother knew this and proposed we both read it saying, “It’ll be fun!” I wasn’t falling for it. My mom sped through it. I can’t remember what she said when she finished, but her review of the book got me curious enough to give it a shot. And, as they say, the rest is history. Today I can’t imagine a summer—let alone my daily commute to work—without a book in my hands. In writing this entry, I Googled The Handmaid’s Tale and was interested to learn that it was included in the ALA’s “10 Most Challenged Books of 1999″ list and was #37 on the “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000.” If I had only known back then, during my rebellious teen years, how “subversive” this book was, maybe I would have become an avid reader sooner.

With Banned Books Week and Teen Read Week just around the corner, I invite you to reflect on your favorites—challenged or not.

I was browsing recently through the list of the READ posters with celebrities on them and the Anthony Hopkins one caught my eye. His book of choice was The Great Gatsby, that post-WWI/lost generation classic. This was notable to me because, just the day before, I’d watched the 2000 movie version of The Great Gatsby.

I love movie adaptations of books, particularly classic books. How much easier is it to understand a classic like The Great Gatsby or Pride and Prejudice or The Lord of the Rings when you know who the characters are and what the basic story line is? Then you can spend the book enjoying the writing and the plot development rather than trying to keep the five Bennett sisters straight.

Whether you read the book first and then watch the movie, or watch and then read, I think watching a (good) cinematic adaptation can enhance a literary experience and make it far less scary to leap headfirst into a classic. Of course, when I think of movie adaptations, my first thought is usually the grainy black-and-white versions we watched in high school on a minuscule television, but there are many many excellent new adaptations with all-star casts now where you won’t be at all tempted to lay your head down on the desk and sleep through the show.

Some of my favorite adaptations are Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Horatio Hornblower, and Jane Eyre.

And while I’m on the topic of movies, celebrities, and books, what’s your favorite way to print customized celebrity READ posters? Many use a trusted printer to create 11″ x 17″ mini posters or take them to a print shop like Kinko’s for full size 22″ x 34″ posters. What about experience with using a plotter and roll paper? Whether you print big, small, color, or not at all, please comment away!

Hello! My name is Karin Dalziel, and I am a graduate student in Library Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Like many in the library profession, I love to read. My undergraduate degree was in fine art, so I also love to draw, doodle, paint, sketch and design. The READ poster campaign is a perfect fit for me!

I remember seeing READ posters while growing up in my school and public libraries. They were oddly comforting, a reminder that I wasn’t alone in liking to read. As I grew, the icons depicted on these posters changed. I was unbelievable happy when I first saw the Ani DiFranco READ poster hanging up in my local library. The READ campaign continues to bring in celebrities that are current with today’s youth and adults.

It was only when I became more involved in the library world that I heard about the READ CDs that allowed a library to design and create their own READ posters. I could immediately see the endless possibilities for local libraries: local politicians, athletes, artists, and teachers could be featured along with the the big name celebrities. Improvements in printing quality (not to mention lower costs) means that these new posters would be nearly indistinguishable from the celebrity posters. Alas, I have not seen any of these customized posters in the wild- or maybe they were so well done, I just looked over them!

I hope I can bring a bit of design flair and advice to the readers of this blog. Feel free to ask me about Photoshop or design issues, and I’ll do the best I can to help. I’ve been using Photoshop since version 2- I remember when the introduction of layers was a big deal!  I have a lot of ideas on how to use READ posters, and some tips on design and photograpy, which I’ll be sharing in the coming year.

In the Blogroll is a link called READ Mini Posters. Clicking it will whisk you to a page where you can insert your picture into 1 of 4 READ poster backgrounds. This service is free and fun, so use it to create your own READ Mini Poster.

One size fits mini!

Pictured: Janssen Bradshaw, contributor to the READ CD Blog and Everyday Reading, also found in the Blogroll.