Book from the BIBLIO-MAT © Steph Spencer
Serendipity is a wonderful thing, and it is often the unexpected that gives us the most pleasure. The Monkey’s Paw antiquarian bookstore in Toronto has an unusual way of bringing serendipity to the reading lives of its customers.
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As I have written about before, the BIBLIO-MAT is a vending machine that dispenses random weird old books. The curious and delightful machine has many fans, and now The Monkey’s Paw has decreed January 19th BIBLIO-MAT Fanatic Day.
The event will offer fellowship for lovers of literary randomness and also honours an unusual achievement by Vincent Lui, who is quite possibly the BIBLIO-MAT’s biggest fan.
In 2013 Lui left his reading choices in the hands of fate. Once a week for the entire year he bought a random book from the BIBLIO-MAT and dutifully read whatever volume the machine dispensed. Lui reviewed every book — from Good Food For Bad Stomachs, to CAMELS!!, to 1001 Yiddish Proverbs — on his blog
The BIBLIO-MAT’s creator, Craig Small, will also be at the event to mingle with fans of his creation. Check out more about this on The Monkey’s Paw blog