Ring book

I mentioned that I gave Jennifer her ring within a book; when she saw it she said I must love her a lot to desecrate a book for her! I do, and I bought a backup copy anyway. When we first moved in together, I used to read her poetry in the evening before we went to bed (still do sometimes when we're in the same place at night!), so I thought a book of love poems would be perfect. I took a while to search for just the right book: a poet we both liked (although Duffy was a new addition to our repertoire, since I really discovered her work over here); hardcover so it would withstand cutting a hole into its pages; and beautiful cover design so it would be aesthetically pleasing as well! I started searching probably around a year ago, when I began planning the proposal, and found the perfect book late fall of last year.

We plan to use the book as a mini-scrapbook of our engagement day; we'll include all of our instax mini photos (shown on last post) along with pressed flowers, the business card from The Winding Stair, and other whatsits from the day.

Penguin

omFg, Penguin, stop being so freaking cute. First I read about your new Great Foods series with cover design by my fav Coralie Bickford-Smith, then I see your beyond adorable Penguin Threads Deluxe Classics with embroidered (!) cover design by Jillian Tamaki. I just can't stand it anymore, there is too much adorableness going on over at that company.

Great Foods series as seen on Design*Sponge

Penguin Threads as seen on Poppytalk

Wild and Homeless Books

Best name for a used bookstore ever, Y/Y?

via book lovers never go to bed alone

Bookgasms for today

Library of Parliament Reading Room

George Peabody Library

Literary bar in West LA: Picture brass reading lamps, a bar menu printed on textured paper, oversized bookshelves jammed with books and guest checks issued in miniature novels, and you get an idea of the detail that went into designing this literary bar. With a cozy fireplace and plenty of comfy seating, you can easily while the night away until last call. 10929 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064 (West L.A)

Dreaming

I literally gasped when I saw this picture on my blog reader. Like, all out, overdramatic gasp like most people do when they see an adorable baby or an amazing touchdown or whatevs. Oh books, I love you forever.

The Rijksmuseum Research Library, Amsterdam, Netherlands, as seen on book lovers never go to bed alone (also it is apparently the largest art history library in the Netherlands. SWOON).

A very Sherlock Christmas

I had an awesome Christmas at my homes this year - I spent a week at my parents' and two weeks with Jennifer, and got to celebrate two Christmases! I was terribly spoiled this year as well, my brother and sister-in-law got me a host of British movies (Maurice, Howard's End, Bright Young Things), my parents got me some of Penguin's gorgeous cloth-bound classics, and my sister got me a Kindle gift card! Jennifer went with a bit of a theme and fed my unhealthy Sherlock obsession:

 First, the Robert Downey Jr/Jude Law Sherlock Holmes movie...just in time for the new one this spring!

 

AND, MY LOVE. The Jonathan Adler Pipe matchholder, perfect for your Sherlock mantel. My girl knows me so well.

Non-Sherlock but awesome: I've been wanting to get into graphic novels, and god knows I love me some victoriana lesbian porn, so Jennifer got me Lost Girls, a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan as Alice, Dorothy, and Wendy's sexual awakenings. Porny like whoa, just past the point of being vulgar but in an awesome way.

Kindling flames...

I don't need this, because I already have the ever-so-handy Kindle cover with a built-in light. BUT, it is Oscar Wilde + Kate Spade and that is a winning combination!

Kate Spade New York Kindle cover (also comes in Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby)

Books, books!

I told you Hodges Figgis was my new favorite place. Look at my haul from yesterday!

 I love E.M. Forester, and this delightful little book of short stories was a perfect addition to my collection. In fact, I bought today the last novel of his I was missing (and almost bought another copy of A Room With A View because I liked the cover, but resisted).

 I love love poetry! And I didn't have any Auden in my poetry collection.

 Since seeing The Edge of Love, I have had a slight Dylan Thomas obsession. He was a bit of a jerk, sure, but that Welsh accent makes me melt. These are love letters to the many and sundry women in his life.

Carol Ann Duffy is my new favorite! She's the current UK poet laureate and an out bisexual woman. Her poems have a modern sensibility but have tend to have a structure that feels very classic and familiar. Plus, hot pink cover!

Books on the go

So cute! Via book lovers never go to bed alone.

Bookstore or heaven?

I would like to live here please. As seen via book lovers never go to bed alone.

Want, please

Neil Gaiman's basement library. Gorgeous. Photographed by Kyle Cassidy, seen at Shelfari.

Book sale

Last weekend was the much-anticipated Natick Morse Library book sale. I love it because there's always a lot of books from the 40s-70s with amazing cover designs rather than four dozen copies of the latest chick lit/Oprah's book club pick. I'm always tempted by the pretty covers and occasionally pick up a copy of something I may never read or already have a copy of just because of its cover. My favorite picks this time:


The piece de resistance: my favorite book in the ultimate Penguin Classic design:

Best Iowa buys

We did a fair amount of shopping (and eating!) while in Iowa this past week. I'm currently wearing one of my favorite buys, a purple boat-neck stretch sateen cotton sheath dress (with pockets!) from Gap Outlet. But, some of my favorite non-clothes items are below:

A bird sculpture in a delicate glass globe from Pier One.

In situ on one of my favorite bookshelves! This shelf houses my gorgeous Evelyn Waughs as well as my growing collection of vintage books. I love the covers on them! Within the collection is a sub-collection of vintage Arthurian/medieval myth books. Also, the knight in shining armor is holding up our collection of vintage Italian tour guides.

These books were bought at the oh-so-creepy Trinity Heights. I will admit, I felt a little guilty giving money to an organization that has a garden dedicated to the "victims of abortion", but I couldn't resist the sweet cover designs on these two. I especially love the Sin one, with the snake and apple.

Awesome library advertising

I love these book-themed trucks advertising the Kansas City Library. Yay reading!

Found via CopyRanter

Book Review: At Swim, Two Boys

I finished Jamie O'Neill's behemoth, ten-years-in-the-making novel last week. It was fabulously, spectacularly good. It tells the story of two young friends who fall in love against the backdrop of the beginnings of the Irish war for independence. The two boys, brash and scarred Doyler and shy and naive Jim, make a pact to swim out to Mugglins rock in the Irish sea on Easter 1916. The entire book is tense with both anticipation for the swim, which acts as a symbol of the revolutionary tensions in Dublin, and the almost painfully slow evolution of the boys' sexuality and relationship. I was absolutely dying for these two boys to have a happy ending; not to give anything away, let's just say I cried in my girlfriend's arms after I finished the book.

My haul from the Bookmill

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Chronicle of a Death Foretold
EM Forster - Howard's End
Isabel Allende - Ines of My Soul
Emma Donahue - Slammerkin
Cornelia Funke - Inkheart
Brian Hall - The Saskiad
Jamie O'Neill - At Swim, Two Boys

I already read Howard's End, but how cute is this 1956 cover?


I just this morning started reading the 650-page At Swim, Two Boys, and I'm already drawn in to the 1915 Dublin world. Also, I think my book gaydar is working - I had been drawn to At Swim, Two Boys originally because of the historical setting, but in reading more about it realized it's very much about the relationship which develops between the titular young men. The Saskiad as well portrays a young girl who develops a sexual crush on her close female friend. Though I have a feeling neither ends well.

Books, books, lovely books

Beautiful books from Creature Comforts.

It's no secret to those who know me that I love books. As a kid, I read everything I could get my hands on, I went to the library weekly during the summer, and I carefully cultivated my own collection of YA fiction, classics, and novels far too advanced for me to really understand but which I tackled with gusto. Since my dad always told me growing up that he wouldn't buy me any of the usual junk kids my age wanted, but never minded buying books, I quickly became a fan of neat, matching, complete collections of books which would not only allow me to re-read my favorite stories over and over, but made a great visual impact sitting there together on the shelf.

That has not changed; I'm still a sucker for a pretty cover.

Vintage library of Thibault de Montaigu and Sofia Achaval at The Selby.

I've been collecting the gorgeous Back Bay Books Evelyn Waugh editions for a while and recently got hooked on the bold Agatha Christie collection. My current lust is for this witty hardcover collection of PG Wodehouse novels and stories.

Waugh's The Loved One, Christie's Death on the Nile, Wodehouse's Young Men in Spats.

Any one else out there who finds themselves collecting books based on the covers?

Book Review

A few weeks ago, the local library had one of its semi-annual book sales, where I picked up no less than a dozen fabulous books, including an adorable 1960s copy of TH White's The Sword in the Stone. How could I resist this sweet cover?

Sadly, due to the dry, fragile condition, the cover snapped off the first time I opened the book! But I'm planning to frame it or pin it up on the wall, so all is well.

I've been wanting to read White's Arthurian series for a while (the four books plus one previously unpublished manuscript are currently published in two volumes, The Once and Future King and The Book of Merlyn), so I was excited to start.

I was definitely not disappointed. White's writing is of the dry humored, light-hearted sort like that of two of my other favorites, Evelyn Waugh and CS Lewis. In fact, I could definitely see my younger self being obsessed with White's Arthur in the same way I adored Lewis's Pevensies (and Prince Caspian!).

Even though it might be thought of as a kids' read, The Sword in the Stone is written in a way that's delightful for adults as well. Full of allusions and anachronistic remarks, it reads a little like a puzzle and challenges the reader to accept an odd fitting-together of various myths, true and made-up English history, and 20th century life. Full of magic, whimsy, and daring adventure, The Sword in the Stone contains charming, complicated characters who display a full range of emotions. The one-dimensional characters seen in the Disney movie version are literally caricatures of White's originals.

I can't wait to read the other three books in The Once and Future King, as well as the more somber Book of Merlyn.

In the next few days, look for a (probably more serious) review of my current read, James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, first published in 1956.