Close to My Heart

Made By Niki Love Letter Bra

Look Glamorous Feel Amorous in Made By Niki

The Love Letter Collection features removable gold Locket Jewellery which can be worn separately or suspended from the bra straps. The bra has an all-over print of a hand-written letter in antique cream and taupe colours, and strap options which include strapless, halterneck, crossover and one-shoulder.

This Limited Edition Collection comes with Niki's signature certificate of authenticity and hand-painted Gold Number Label. The sought after style is proving popular as a special gift for the bride-to-be or a romantic valentine.

Price

£152.00

I'm Not Dead . . .

. . . I've just been studying. But fear not I have still been reading.

Recently finished:
E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
David Bodanis

Entanglement
Amir Aczel

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Book Leaves!!!

Earlier I made mention of the Biederlack blankets. I made an attempt to make one mine and it seems that the company has either not made very many or has sold too many. It seems no longer worth the effort unless you want a blanket with Louisa May Alcott.

I say all that to make mention my idea. A blanket for the bibliophile. At custom creations you can arrange to have your own photo blanket made for one of the best prices available online with whatever you desire. I chose to have a photo montage of nine book titles.

Once you order you provide the company with the pictures you would like to appear and can even tell them in which order you'd prefer they be arranged and then you will be sent a proof to get your own personal thumbs up on the project.

Here was mine (arriving within the hour of ordering)


Initially my plan had been to go with one of the fleece versions. But then I noticed an all important phrase: "However, it is not a thick snuggly blanket like out Knitted and Woven Photo Blankets are." Needless to say I got the knitted and I must say I could not be more pleased.

Production of your blanket will begin very shortly after your go ahead after viewing the proof. It will take around 5 - 7 days and then your blanket will be shipped UPS. Be home at the time of your delivery because you will need to sign for this beauty - don't want the neighbors making off with your new trophy piece.

Recently finished:
The Science of Superheros
Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg

Decartes in 90 Minutes
Paul Strathern

I would most assuredly recommend this to a newcomer to the world of philosophy. But buyer beware - this is an amuse bouche. Be prepared to still be hungry after this read.

The Physics of Christmas
Roger Highfield

I expected this to be more about the physics of how Santa delivers presents all around the world in one night - and this is in fact covered. But the majority of the book covers anthropological facets of Christmas and basic physics as a building block to this explanation. Very enjoyable read.

Emma 1
Emma 2
Emma 3
Kaoru Mori

Comic series written by a Japanese Anglophile set in Victorian England. The story of a maid and an aristocrats forbidden desire to be together.

Step One: Teach Yourself Violin

This set comes with a small booklet, a three-cd set and one dvd. None of them seemed worth owning.

Perhaps this would be of some use to a small child who is beginning to play and had has a few lessons. But if you are truly teaching yourself to play violin, on your own - this is not the best place to begin.

The booklet does contain morsels of good information. But if you do not, say, know which strings are which - then you really learn that much less from this set.

The cds contain no instruction. They are tracks of the songs in the booklet played at a slow pace and then a medium pace. There are also tracks to play along with. I am not sure how you are intended to play along if you still are uncertain of how to make the correct sounds come from that beautiful instrument known as a violin.

David Sedaris Delivers Pizza Now

Author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Naked ... delivering pizza?



Recently finished:
The Universe in a Nutshell
Steven Hawking

When Curling Up with a Good Book Just Isn't Quite Enough

Curl up with the author as well


http://www.storetheprofessionalcollection.com/authorwriter-throw-blanket.html

Mark Twain

Edgar Allen Poe

Louisa May Alcott

Emily Dickinson

But of course you can still curl up with the book itself

Above throws and pillows from the Author! Author! and Best Sellers collections from Beiderlack

Britain by the book: other great literary walks

Thanks to Telegraph UK

Alfred Lord Tennyson lives on not only in his poetry but in the Tennyson Trail, a 15-mile footpath on the Isle of Wight that stretches from Carisbrooke to Freshwater Bay, across lovely scenery. The last few miles run past Tennyson's monument on the downs and close to Farringford, his island home, where he wrote The Charge of the Light Brigade. Details from Isle of Wight Tourism (01983 813818 ).

The Brontë sisters have given their name to the whole area around the village of Haworth in West Yorkshire where they lived and wrote. You can visit their former home, now a museum, and then follow one of the many trails that leads from the village up to the Pennines and the moors that form the backdrop to Wuthering Heights. The tourist information centre in Haworth has maps and walk leaflets (01535 642329 ).

Samuel Taylor Coleridge spent two creative years at Nether Stowey in Somerset, often walking on the surrounding hills. The Coleridge Trail runs west from here to Porlock, crossing the Quantock Hills and parts of Exmoor; details from Taunton tourist information (01823 336344 ).

Coleridge's fellow Romantic, William Wordsworth, is most closely associated with Cumbria. A footpath through classic Lakeland scenery links two of his homes: Dove Cottage, in Grasmere, and Rydal Mount, near Ambleside. Details on www.wordsworthlakes.co.uk.

"I walked on to the cliff path again, the town behind and below waking up now so very slowly," wrote Dylan Thomas in Quite Early One Morning. New Quay on the Welsh coast lays claim to being this "cliff-perched town at the far end of Wales", and you can follow Thomas's route by climbing up to the coastal path above the town, from where there are sweeping sea views and sometimes glimpses of dolphins below. Information on www.newquay-westwales.co.uk.

ctors lead the way on Edinburgh's Literary Pub Tours, guiding you through the backstreets, courtyards and taverns of the city and giving a lively account of their influence on its writers - from Sir Walter Scott to Irvine Welsh. Book on 0800 169 7410, www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk.

The county of Hampshire has impeccable literary connections. Jane Austen ived in the village of Chawton and liked to walk across country to Farringdon, where she had friends. For details of her route, and of other literary walks in the area (including an Edward Thomas walk through Steep ), see www.easthants.gov.uk or contact Petersfield tourist information: 01730 268829.

Austen spent the last months of her life in Winchester, and is buried in the cathedral. After visiting her tomb you can walk down to the water meadows where John Keats drew inspiration for Ode to Autumn. Details from Winchester tourist information (01962 840500 ).

The 10th Daphne du Maurier Festival will be held in Fowey, Cornwall, from May 11 to May 20. Planned events include guided walks to places associated with the writer. See www.dumaurier.org from early March for details.

Recently finished:

A Briefer History of the Universe
Stephen Hawking

I was quite surprised by how many times God or a great creator was referenced in this book. Walked away from this agreeing with Einstein, to paraphrase - Politics are for the present but science is forever.

Custom Books of New Sort

Many of us at least dream of an at home library that could rival the people in Ninth Gate, The Librarian, or even Beast in Beauty and the Beast (if you don't remember his library you should re-watch).
Apparently there are those that would like more than anything to have every bit of space taken up and not in the typical way that you would think either.
New York City's Strand Bookstore is offering books priced by the foot. Prices range from $20 - $400 dollars a foot.
Thanks to The Strand you can now make off with a collection of leather bound books or have a shelf custom filled with your favourite subject matter.

Book Worms on Vacation

Literary Walk
Central Park
New York City, New York

Located in the middle of Central Park (Mid-Park and 72nd street) you will find a garden of authors, known as literary walk includes sculptures of the following people you may find heavenly to pass by on a nice day outdoors.
William Shakespeare
Sir Walter Scott
Robert Burns
Christopher Columbus
Victor Herbert
Ludwig van Beethoven

The mall runs from 66th to 72nd streets.

For those who may find themselves in England and yearning for more book worm culture I suggest Pavement Pounders.
Currently there are three guided walks:
Coleridge & Highgate
Romantics in Hampstead
Hampstead Between the Wars

and one in preparation

Fitzrovia, a Region of the Mind

And lastly but certainly not least this site seems to be the ultimate in pay dirt for literary travels

Books you may also be interested in checking out:
Walking with William Shakespeare
In the Steps of Jane Austen
In the Steps of Thomas Hardy
Words to Walk by: Exploring Literary Brisbane
Walks in Literary Santa Fe: A Guide to Landmarks, Legends and Lore
Walks in Hemingway's Paris: A Guide To Paris For the Literary Traveler
Walking Literary London: 25 walks Through London's Literary Heritage
Literary Chicago: A Book Lover's Tour of the Windy City
A Literary Companion to Venice
Literary Trail of Greater Boston: A Tour of Sites in Boston, Cambridge and Concord
A Literary Companion to Rome: Including Ten Walking Tours
From The Lighthouse To Monk's House: A Guide to Virginia Woolf's Literary Landscapes
Literary Nashville
The Ideals Guide to Literary Places in the US
Traveling Literary America: A Complete Guide to Literary Landmarks
Storybook Travels: From Eloise's New York to Harry Potter's London, Visits 30 of the Best-Loved Landmarks in Childrens Literature
Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addicts Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips For Bibliophiles and Other Bookshop Junkies
The Book Lover's Guide to Florida: Authors, Books and Literary Sites
Walks in Oscar Wilde's London

Recently finished:
Footsucker

Books As Art

Good as Gold by Donald Lipinski

Book Sculpture
Chelsea Gallery District

Georgia Russell

Abelardo Morell

(Alice in Wonderland Series)

Cara Barer

Robert The

Takeshi Ishiguro

Olafur Eliasson

More:

Of Words, Paper, and Shapes, The Book Series

Homage to Chamberlain / 42" x 30"

Flurry / 12" x 12"

Losing Weight Little by Little / 12" x 18"

Foam / 11 1/8" x 16"

Funk M-Z / 12" x 18"

Body of Desires / 23" x 30"

Stratum / 24" x 16"

Not Easily Moved / 12" x 12"

Romance / 12" x 18"

Winston's / 12" x 12"

Tilted A-L / 12" x 18"

White Pages Portrait / 8" x 13"

Who's Who / 12" x 12"

Anthology / 12" x 12"

Found Reference / 12" x 12"

Info and pictures courtesy of