Petit ver épicurien de livre

OH MY!

2012-01-27T14:10:00.001-05:00

What a long strange trip it's been. I just got a notice from Live Journal which I guess must be somehow attached to blogspot saying they wanted to close down this blog due to inactivity. Now to decide if I think I can begin posting on this as well as my other two blogs, Tumblr accounts, and Facebook fan pages!

Where Are You Now?

2009-12-15T17:47:00.002-05:00

For those of you who are followers you are probably aware that these last two years have been beyond difficult for me. In fact since you last heard from me I became homeless. Being a stubborn lady I refused to give up my yarn OR my books. I stored them in the tree house I was living in. I recently managed to get back into a house and times are still very hard - but I have another blog that is connected to my Etsy store.

I will try to come back to you with more bookish gadgets and doo-dads but for those of you who are interested, while you wait, you can find me now posting on the new blog.

Where Have I Been and What Else Do I Have to Say About the Kindle Text-To-Speech Function

2009-03-15T15:07:00.004-04:00

Well I do have some things stored away to post about and I did indeed give the Kindle text-to-speech a spin. But first an explanation of where I was. AT first I was just gloriously buried in knitting but a few days ago my husband received a FedEx from the military. He is being called back and then sent to Iraq. Things have been a bit hectic here - trying to figure out what will happen to me when he leaves, canceling any contracts that need to be canceled, and trying to still manage to enjoy each other in the time we have left.

Now about that kindle:

I tried to listen to The Torture Garden and all was fine until I realized that the kindle does not realize when to pause. Which really affects the tone of the story. The voice itself is not so bad but perhaps I chose a bad first book to try with this.

I also have the conundrum of when I go out needing access to my knitting patterns. What on earth does this have to do with the kindle? You can upload music, audio books, and in my case - knitting patterns to it. At first I thought I would need to buy the proper adapter. Not so! For any of you who have one or as considering one - you can remove the outlet plug-in to reveal a USB connector. The Kindle comes up like any other removable drive and you can drop and drag to the correct folders.

More specifically about loading knitting patterns. Since so many of them are PDF's you should know it is best for you to open the pattern and save as text instead of copy. When you save as copy your pattern isn't viewable. I do not recommend loading any pattern that requires a chart. I haven't tried to do it yet but I cannot see how that would fair well.

And I Didn't Even Need to Skip School!

2009-02-24T23:27:00.005-05:00

Well darlings, it's here. It's finally here - and I nearly skipped class to insure that I did not miss the delivery man. Have I read with it yet? If you count the first page of The Wasteland then yes. I wanted to give the K2 the time it deserves so I am finishing the audio book I am listening to on my laptop while I knit. I should be finished with it tomorrow. My first K2 test drive will in fact be the audio. I want to know how well it performs.

Since I do not have any of the Kindle goodies I mentioned in a previous post I will need to knit myself a K2Cozy (just as SOON as I finish this honeycomb sweater.)

Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies

2009-02-23T14:11:00.002-05:00

Let's face it - all I've been able to say or think about right now is Kindle, Kindle, Kindle. And the worst part was I didn't know if I had even gotten it because it was first come first serve - well I believe I can rest assured I probably have it from the e-mail I received today from Amazon.

_________________________________________

Dear [Petit ver episurien de livre],

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to Amazon Kindle 2.

We built Kindle 2 with the goal of creating an exceptional and hassle-free reading experience. As such, we wanted to point out a few details before you get started.

Your Kindle is automatically registered to the same Amazon.com account you used to make your purchase. This enables you to shop, purchase, and download books, newspapers, magazines and blogs wirelessly from your Kindle right out of the box.

If you purchased Kindle as a gift for someone else, you should de-register this Kindle from your Amazon.com account. You can de-register Kindle from the Settings page on the device or at Manage Your Kindle on Amazon.com. The gift recipient can then re-register the device to their Amazon.com account right from the Settings page on the Kindle.

Protect your Kindle for an additional year and guard against one-time accidental drops and damage with a 2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle 2 . Visit the Kindle 2 Accessories Store on Amazon.com to shop for great Kindle 2 covers and accessories.

You can start building your library before your Kindle even arrives by shopping for books, newspapers, magazines and more at the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. Amazon's unique wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet, will auto-deliver your purchases directly to your Kindle. Once you receive your Kindle, you can also shop the same great selection directly from your device.

Your Kindle purchases are made using your existing default 1-Click payment method at Amazon.com. To view or change the current payment method associated with your Kindle, please visit Manage Your Kindle on Amazon.com. For general information on 1-Click, please visit the 1-Click section on Amazon.com help.

To get more information about your Kindle before it arrives, please visit the online Kindle Users Guide.

We hope you enjoy reading on Kindle and look forward to hearing about your experience. Send us your feedback at kindle2-feedback@amazon.com.

Sincerely,

The Amazon Kindle Team

M-Edge

2009-02-19T12:40:00.006-05:00

It was only a matter of minutes after my last post that I decided to purchase the new Kindle. IF I was not too late and will be sent one it should be arriving February 26th.

In the meantime for those of you who already have one or are waiting on yours as well, here are some Kindle items for your consideration:

M-Edge items

The Executive Image Jacket for Kindle 1

$29.99

The e-luminator book light for Kindles 1 & 2

$14.99

The Platform jacket for Kindle 2

$29.99

K-Day (like D-Day or V-day - yeah I know . . . I kinda suck)

2009-02-11T12:03:00.004-05:00

The day SO many of us has waited for - is here. And I am sooooooooooo glad I held out.

The kindle 2 is now available for pre-order with a price tag of $359. I will be spending the day deciding to pre-order or not to pre-order.

For those of you who did not receive the same e-mail as myself. Here is the announcement:

Dear Customers,

I am proud to introduce Kindle 2—the next generation of our wireless reading device.

Since launching the original Kindle a little over a year ago, the customer response has far surpassed our highest hopes—and were grateful and appreciative for that. More people are reading more books, periodicals, and blogs on Kindle sooner than we ever imagined. We kept everything readers love about the original Kindle—the convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the immediacy of getting book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, and Kindles ability to disappear in your hands so you can get lost in the authors words.

Improved battery life means you can read up to four days on a single charge. Its new, streamlined design makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine and lighter than a paperback. We added more storage, allowing you to carry over 1,500 titles. An advanced display provides even crisper images and clear text for an improved book-like reading experience. Our new new Text-to-Speech feature means Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you.

At Amazon, weve always been obsessed with selection, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without the books you want to read. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 230,000 books, including 103 of the 110 New York Times Best Sellers, plus top newspapers, magazines, and blogs. We added over 40,000 new titles in just the last three months. Our vision for Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds.

We hope you enjoy Kindle 2.

Jeff
Jeff Bezos
Founder, Amazon.com

P.S. If you'd like to have Kindle 2 ship to you the day it becomse available, we recommend you preorder today to reserve your place in line.
We hope you found this message to be useful. However, if you'd rather not receive future e-mails of this sort from Amazon.com, unsubscribe here.

© 2009 Amazon Technologies, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, the Amazon.com logo, Kindle, and the AmazonKindle logo are trademarks of Amazon Technologies, Inc. or its affiliates. Kindle, and the AmazonKindle logo are trademarks of Amazon.com Inc. or its affiliates.
Amazon.com, 1200 12th Ave. S., Suite 1200, Seattle, WA 98144-2734. Reference:11267670

Thank You

2009-01-21T11:18:00.003-05:00

Thank you SO much to those of you who have contacted me with your condolences and well wishing. I will try to come back to you once I have an arsenal of goodies for you.

In the time that I have been gone I have been mostly knitting to deal with the grief so once I am back there will probably be the addition of knitting tidbits or knitbits as well.

For any of you who ARE knitters - I am now on ravelry as VAChickWithSticks

Last Post?

2008-10-22T19:10:00.001-04:00

This has been a rough year. And I'm terribly sorry for the inconsistency after a while. My computer went down many times, I lost power for over a week, and last week my little brother died. Perhaps it was not my year to blog.

"Talk Amongst Your Shelves"

2008-09-23T13:52:00.006-04:00

Thanks to hurricane Ike I have not had power until very recently. Here is the promised post that I told you was coming.

When reading isn't enough - why not arrange your books to tell their own story?

"The Sorted Books project began in 1993 years ago and is ongoing. The project has taken place in many different places over the years, ranging form private homes to specialized public book collections. The process is the same in every case: culling through a collection of books, pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom. The final results are shown either as photographs of the book clusters or as the actual stacks themselves, shown on the shelves of the library they were drawn from. Taken as a whole, the clusters from each sorting aim to examine that particular library's focus, idiosyncrasies, and inconsistencies — a cross-section of that library's holdings."

You can now view other people's sortings here on Flickr.

Source

Marilyn Monroe's Typewriter

2008-09-13T17:29:00.001-04:00

Sorry It Happened Again

2008-09-09T22:15:00.003-04:00

I swear I'm not dead.

My computer was fried due to landlord-related negligence involving my electricity.

Stay tuned- I have a post planned.

Attention Kitchen Witches

2008-08-21T14:59:00.000-04:00

Well cats and kittens - it's happened again. I am having computer issues. When my power was blown it fried my machine.

On to the post.

After the other days post I did a little more digging and there are quite a few Harry Potter based recipes out there.

Even Betty Crocker has joined forces with Hogwarts and put out their own licorice wand recipe. Nutritional info is even included.

6 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark), chopped
24 licorice twists (any flavor)
Betty Crocker® Decor Selects candy sprinkles, nonpareils or colored sugars

1. Place candy coating in 2-cup microwavable measuring cup. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted.
2. Dip half of each licorice twist into melted candy coating. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles. Place on waxed paper about 1 hour or until coating is firm.

Here is a site with Harry Potter inspired theme recipes like parchment scrolls, herbology fruit, and licorice wands.

Floo Network, not to be confused with the Food Network, a site that takes its name from Floo Powder has a recipe for Mrs. Weasley's Rock Cakes.

Mrs. Weasley's Rock Cakes

Ingredients:

8oz or 2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
4oz or 1 stick of butter
3oz sugar (1/3 cup plus a tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 oz currants or sultanas (scant 1/3 cup golden raisins)
1 tbsp candied peel
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
caster sugar for dredging (superfine sugar)

Directions:

1. Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter lightly with the fingers until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the sugar and dried fruits.
3. Beat the egg with the milk and vanilla, then pour it into the flour and fruit mixture, and mix it up to make a stiff dough.
4. Butter two baking sheets, and drop on tablespoons of the mixture.
5.Roughen the dough lumps with a fork, and dredge with a little castor sugar. (should be enough mix to make 15 - 20 small cakes)
6. Bake in a hot oven, 425F or 220C, for 12-15 minutes, until firm and pale golden. Cool them on a wire rack.

NOTE: They should be crumbly in texture. If they are hard and inedible, like Hagrid's, you mixed the dough for too long or baked them in the oven too long.

Following that recipe on Floo Networks page are recipes for gingerbread newts, pumpkin pasties, treacle (molasses to those of us in the US) fudge, and butter beer.

Another new [to me at least] and interesting site, Potter Parties has a massive list of recipes. The site also has instructions on how to find or plan a Potter party. Here is their recipe for Dobby's delight.

Dobby's Delight

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
9 tablespoons cocoa or 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
11 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 (12 ounces) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed,divided
2 cups cold milk
1 (3.9 ounces) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
Instructions:

1. Melt shortening and chocolate or cocoa in microwave and transfer to mixing bowl.
2. Blend in sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. Add flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Pour into a 9x13 pan, with bottom only greased.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
6. Cool completely.
7. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar till smooth and light.
8. Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping.
9. Spread over brownies.
10. In another bowl, combine milk and pudding mix.
11. Whisk till smooth and thickening.
12. Refrigerate 5 minutes, then spread over cream cheese layer.
13. Top with remaining whipped topping.
14. Sprinkle with pecans if desired.
15. Keep refrigerated.

This should keep those of you waiting for the movie busy with Harry Potter goodies in the meantime.

Might I even suggest a Harry Potter party when the movie is released on DVD?

Harry Potter Recipes

2008-08-18T13:29:00.005-04:00

While you wait for the new Harry Potter movie to come out you can make yourself a few HP treats. For those of you who are hardcore fans, this is OFN, but those of you who have a fondness that does not usually extend to fansites - I've got news. Mugglenet (an HP fansite) offers the below recipes for items mentioned in the series.

Madame Rosmerta's Butterbeer

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
1/2 cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated. Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit. Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses.

Pumpkin Juice

Ingredients:
2 cups of pumpkin, chopped up into chunks
2 cups of apple juice
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 teaspoon of honey (to taste)
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and/or Allspice (all ground, to taste)

Directions:
Juice the pumpkin pieces by squeezing through a cheesecloth or by using a juicer. Pour the pumpkin juice, apple juice and pineapple juice into a blender. Add the honey and spices, adjusting quantity to taste. Chill or serve over ice.

Treacle Fudge

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light cream or evaporated milk
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup molasses

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix cream, brown sugar and salt together, set aside. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat and add molasses. Add the chocolate mixtures and cream mixtures together. Pour mixture into a pan and let cool. Cut into squares after cooled and serve.

In fact the food network seems to have a recipe of their own for butter beer.

On my next trip to the grocer I intend to pick up what's needed to make butter beer. If it seems you're interested in the results - please let me know and I will definitely make a post about it. Otherwise, I may not - to avoid boring you.

Anyone who has already tried any of these. I'd love to hear how it went!!

Source

Trashionista hottness

2008-08-17T11:24:00.003-04:00

While perusing one of my favorite sites I came across a great block of information.

The new Harry Potter movie will be delayed. Instead of opening in November it is now slated to come out July of next year. Apparently there are even petitions in circulation to do something about this injustice.

http://www.trashionista.com/2008/08/movie-news-harr.html

A look at Anthropologies [in store I believe] book decor

I've never seen anything this complex in an Anthropologie. I'm not sure I could handle the pleasure overload though.

Even more pictures of this bookish hottness on Trashionistas source.

http://www.trashionista.com/2008/08/book-displays-a.html

And last but not least. How to make your own book rack from a wire coat hanger (despite what Joan Crawford would have said about the matter.)

http://www.trashionista.com/2008/08/make-a-book-rac.html

Peleg Design - Reflective Book End

2008-08-14T18:20:00.002-04:00

If you are even unsure of whether or not the object before you is a book, the reflective book end can help put an end to your woes. Mind you this sweet relief will only come if you stand at a certain angle. The "action" shot is available on the site - and I must say it looks a lot better with books between each end, however I;m not sure if this is an item this particular blogger feels is worth the samoleans.

It's not available yet but click here for watch when it becomes available for purchase.

Source

DIY Book Art

2008-08-13T08:26:00.002-04:00

An interesting idea - framing a favorite passage of a book. I couldn't bring myself to rip up one of my own babies but perhaps if you had your hands on a book that was nearly in shreds . . .

Insider Kindle Info

2008-08-04T12:23:00.003-04:00

For those of us still cryin' ourselves to sleep over the absence of the kindle in our lives. I have news.

Two new editions of the kindles are scheduled to hit stores this coming holiday studio.

"The first is an updated version with the same sized screen, a smaller form factor, and an improved interface. The source told us that Amazon has “skipped three or four generations,” comparing the old Kindle to the 1st gen iPod and the new version to something like the sexy iPod Mini.

The second new model, which is shaped like an 8 1/2 x 11-inch piece of paper, is considerably bigger than the current model and should be available next year."

The need for DIY mod's will decrease with the new option of different colors.

Both of these models will also be geared more towards younger readers (which causes no undue stress for those of use over the age of twenty who read Harry Potter, or Uglies, or anything that falls under the young adult category really.)

Source

Douglas Adams Original Typewriter

2008-08-04T12:11:00.004-04:00

For those of you who have a spare $25,000 laying around you could have had Douglas Adams' typewriter.

Source

Je suis tellement terriblement désolé

2008-07-23T14:43:00.001-04:00

The internet has been cut off at my house so once again I am unable to make regular posts.

I hope to be back very soon.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

2008-07-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

I have been holding onto this for a while now having no idea how to post about it. A couple of sketchbooks made their way around a collection of artists in different countries and contributed towards some amazing bookish art that is available for sale.

Source: http://www.lookatbook.com/store/main.php

Paris, Paris

2008-07-09T19:40:00.003-04:00

I do not usually do book reviews of any sort. But I just read Paris by Andi Watson and Simon Gane and could not be more thrilled. At the conclusion of the book I felt like I was walking out of the nickelodeon after a film that has you in a spell for hours.

There is much to be gained from the experience. The artwork is beautiful - worth scouring each inch of every image. For those who are interested in the French language there are portions of French conversation. There is even a bit of art education to be gained.

In the back you will find an index of paintings mentioned and translations of all French phrases used.

The Power of Books

2008-07-07T18:16:00.001-04:00

What's not to love about this idea by Mladen Penev?

Source

While I Look for Something Else New and Interesting to Post About

2008-07-07T17:36:00.002-04:00

“Earthling 1, Respekt - Istanbul”, 2005 from the series “Earthling 1” by Warren Neidich.

It's a letter opener. It's a book. No! It's on sale!

2008-07-02T18:09:00.002-04:00

Somehow this just seems appropriate . . .

Get yours here only $8.

Flybrary

2008-07-02T18:01:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure if I like this idea or not. For one thing if you're clumsy, or pregnant, or have pets - that seems like an invite for bookhaps (book mishaps.)

But I DO love the way its portrayed in Canadian House & Home

Source

Marilyn Monroe Secret Poet?

2008-07-01T17:43:00.003-04:00

I've been reading Blonde by Joyce Carol Oats. Which is the story of Marilyn Monroe with certain liberties taken (it is NOT a biography.) I like to fact check interesting things from books I read and it appears Miss Monroe was a bit of a poet. Team Sugar has done a beautiful job covering just this issue. You can read some of her poetries and look as some wonderful pictures as well here: http://teamsugar.com/165788

There is also a book called My Sex Is Ice Cream: The Poetry of Marilyn Monroe which can be purchased at amazon.com.

Dorothy Parker Moment

2008-07-01T10:54:00.002-04:00

Inventory
By Dorothy Parker

Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.

Four be the things I'd been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.

Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.

Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.

My source today was the July newsletter for the Dorothy Parker Society

Greatest DIY Booklamp EVER!

2008-06-29T18:53:00.003-04:00

I have been meaning to post about this since the first week I started this blog.

Visit my source for instructions

For those of you following or interested in the progress of how many books I'm reading this year:
Animal Farm
George Orwell

Metamorphisis
Franz Kafka

Excuse me But I was Next
Peggy Post

Before You Say I Do
Todd Outcault

What I Wish I'd Known Before I got Married
Kay Coles James

12 Books that Changed the World
Melvyn Bragg

The Odyssey
Homer

Bibliotopia
Steven Gilbrar

In the Know
Nancy MacDonnell

The Omnivores Dilemna
Michael Pollan

College Bound Reading List

2008-06-25T12:53:00.004-04:00

In case any of my readers are college bound - we are half-way through summer. So if you haven't been reading (SHAME ON YOU!!!!) Perhaps it's time you picked up one, or two, or fourteen of these college bound reads:

Anderson, Sherwood
Winesburg, Ohio

Baldwin, James
Go Tell It On the Mountain

Bellamy, Edward
Looking Backward: 2000-1887

Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451

Cather, Willa
My Antonia

Chopin, Kate
The Awakening

Cormier, Robert
The Chocolate War

Crane, Stephen
The Red Badge of Courage

Dorris, Michael
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

Ellison, Ralph
Invisible Man

Faulkner, William
As I Lay Dying

Fitzgerald, F. Scott
The Great Gatsby

Gaines, Ernest
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Scarlet Letter

Heller, Joseph
Catch-22

Hemingway, Ernest
A Farewell to Arms

Hurston, Zora Neale
Their Eyes Were Watching God

Kesey, Ken
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird

London, Jack
Call of the Wild

McCullers, Carson
The Member of the Wedding

Melville, Herman
Moby-Dick

Morrison, Toni
Sula

Parks, Gordon
The Learning Tree

Plath, Sylvia
The Bell Jar

Poe, Edgar Allan
Great Tales and Poems

Salinger, J.D.
The Catcher in the Rye

Sinclair, Upton
The Jungle

Steinbeck, John
The Grapes of Wrath

Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Uncle Tom's Cabin

Twain, Mark
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

For more summer reads go to my source for this particular list

NOW GET THEE TO A LIBRARY OR YE OLDE BOOKSTORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Want to Date a Librarian?

2008-06-25T12:50:00.001-04:00

For those of you wondering what the do's and don't of picking up a librarian are:

Ever hear of the Librarian Fetish?

The tightly buttoned-up attire, the perma-scowl, the hair in the bun. And the cateyes. There's just something about those specs.

Nobody can be so repressed all the time, can they? Hence the genesis of the fetish: anybody that repressed must be equally wild behind the scenes, or so the fantasy goes.

Well then, for all you people out there who suffer the Librarian Fetish and dream of what happens when the bun comes down ...

... this is the post for you.

How To Pick Up A Librarian

Don't try to pick them up in the library. Big no-no. Most are so focussed on the heavy workload of checkins/checkouts, reorganizing books in return carts, and reading Hollywood gossip online, that they more than likely won't recognize what it is you are trying to do.

Do get yourself over to an off-site librarian hangout. Skip the local bars, you won't find any librarians there. The surplus of exposed cleavage which has made the club scene famous tends to intimidate the buttoned-up librarian types. Instead, head to a Librarian Bar ... otherwise known as a bookstore with a Starbucks inside.

Don't try the usual pickup lines. If you've ever been in a library, you will know that librarians generally do not care about their outward appearance and make minimal effort to look pretty. Ergo, any lines formulated around the concept of their physical appearance will go relatively unnoticed.

Do compliment their tastes, be it the books they have in hand, or the equisite detail on the rims of their cateye spectacles. But be warned: librarians are behind the times and still see themselves as the gatekeepers of the world's information access, Internet be damned. By extension, they love knowledgable people. If you don't know your books, your MARC, or your Hollywood gossip, better luck next time, pal.

Don't be "all that". Librarians don't care how much money you make, largely because we don't make enough to really care about it ourselves. That and a large percentage of librarians live inside the Great Bubble of Altruism, believing in what they do above all else. In their minds, your six-figure Executive VP CEO-track position is nothing compared to their for-the-betterment-of-society responsibilities.

Do speak highly of as many non-profit organizations as you can, especially those centred around literacy and children's education. If you drop the props at the right time, and in the right amount, you will see that bun begin to slip.

Don't mention how much you love the convenience of the Internet, or the thought of a paperless (and therefore bookless) society. In fact, if your job is based around making information more accessible to the average person (rendering librarians redundant in the process), you may as well head home now and start looking for a new fetish.

Do mention your strong hatred of Everything Google, even if this is a flat-out lie. Hey, we all lie when we're trying to pick up anyway, so what's the difference? For some odd reason, librarians get really excited whenever something bad is said about Google. It's the librarian's equivalent to Spanish Fly. Seriously.

Don't mention the overdues you have at your library, or the time you were kicked out for screaming at staff over the $2 per day DVD fines. This should go without saying.

Do speak in code, wherever possible. In other words, learn a little LC or Dewey, same as you would learn a little French if you were going to Quebec with the intention of picking up. If you can manage to successfully work a little 821.008 in there, you're golden, baby.

A final tip:
If you look like Johnny Depp, even just a little bit, you won't have to do a thing; the librarians will come to you. This is a truism across the board. Don't ask me why - it just is.

So if you find yourself feeling that Bunhead itch, hit up your nearest bookstore/coffeeshop mashup, stake out the Reference, Mystery, and Romance aisles, and get ready to rip that juke joint in two.

Use these tips properly, and you will see for yourself the freaky-deeky hiding beneath the bun.

Source

The Name of This Book is A Secret

2008-06-23T10:38:00.003-04:00

I am terribly sorry I have not been posting much. I am in the throws of wedding planning with no help from anyone else and the date is August 2nd - so much to do!

Now on to my post.

Recently I finished the book Middlesex. I must say I am not entirely sure what the obsession with this book is. I liked the 2nd half much better than the 1st. My favorite portion was when the notion of the girl crush is brought to light.

The girl-crush is something so many females get and none admit to. Over at the Clothes Horse the (shared by many including yours truly) admission of a girl crush on someone a few of us have come to know as "Louise the Redhead."

There are other things people choose not to regularly admit to - secret reads if you will. Trashionista not unlike the Clothes Horse has the cohones to admit her secret read.

A secret read can be defined as something "worthy and fashionable" when instead they are enjoying a "children's book or a bodice-ripping romance".

My own personal secret read will be revealed once I figure out what on earth it may be.

And as a personal comment to le trashionista I say. We still love you over here no matter what you read shuga.

Source

I'm Late in Learning About This - Perhaps You Are As Well

2008-06-19T23:33:00.001-04:00

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- This isn't the typical whispering you might expect to hear at a library.

Vienna's City Hall has launched a "sex hotline" to raise money for the capital's main public library, officials said Tuesday.

It's unusual, but it's not particularly raunchy: Callers pay 39 euro cents (53 U.S. cents) a minute to listen to an actress read breathless passages from erotica dating to the Victorian era.

City Hall set up the hotline earlier this month to help the library raise cash for planned remodeling and expansion, Austrian media reported.

Anne Bennent, a famous Austrian stage and film star, reads passages from the Vienna library's collection of 1,200 works of erotic fiction from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the library said.

Officials said the hotline would be operational through May 31.

Source

Charitable Donations

2008-06-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

Public Library for UO Darfur Heart Tee from Urban Outfitters

Designed exclusively for Urban Outfitters by Public Library, the graphic on this t-shirt is hoped to raise awareness of the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. In washed-soft and faded jersey; Cut with a v-neck and finished with a graphic message at the front. $5 from the purchase of every tee goes to savedarfur.org. Exclusive to Urban Outfitters. Made in the USA. Machine wash.
$28

When searching the word "library" on urban outfitters website five items will come up.None of them are to my particular taste but I felt that it was worth the mention.

For those of you out there who have a drawer full of old glasses you may consider donating them to the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation. Your old glasses will go to those who need them in developing countries.

The Sun Also Rises

2008-06-18T16:47:00.003-04:00

I have no idea if this is meant to be how it looks to a bibliophile - I also don't care.

Available from Shopbop.com for $98

Notebook Pride

2008-06-16T07:49:00.002-04:00

The computer may nearly be fixed. There are still some things to work on but I wanted to check back in on you dear readers.

In an earlier post I mentioned Penguins deck chairs. It would seem they are offering their own moleskin-esque notebooks with favourite titles on them.

Aside from you and I here is who else has just got to have it: Source

Recently Finished:
The Magicians Nephew
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis

Poems
Sylvia Plath

Eclipse
Stephenie Meyers

What Would Audrey Do?
Pamela Clarke Keogh

Don't Be That Girl
Travis Stork

Unfortunate English
William Brohaugh

The Gilded Tongue
Rod Evans

Lost in Austen
Emma Campell Webster

Eat This, Not That
David Zinczenko

Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendack

Computer Fall Down Go Boom

2008-06-07T12:11:00.003-04:00

I have run into some electrical issues at my house. It seems everything on the upper floor is on the same breaker. The power cuts out frequently. My computer has also been possessed by the spirit of annoyance - and is not working properly. On top of all this I need to buckle down and do more wedding planning since the date this August. I will do my best to keep things posted from my school in the meantime.

Recently Finished:
TinTin in America
TinTin in the Congo
Herge

The Chocolate War
Robert Cormier

Holy Librarian Batman!

2008-06-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

Writers Rooms - A View

2008-06-04T01:47:00.005-04:00

I've never understood the fascination some seem to have with looking into peoples medicine cabinets. However, when it comes to certain writers I could see why you'd feel the urge to sneak a peak.

At the moment I haven't dug out the contents of writers medicine cabinets for you (but we never know what the future will hold.) But as an extension of when I posted about authors bedrooms and desks I've grabbed a few (writing spaces) out of a deliciously lengthy list of writers to choose from.

Colm Tóibín

George Bernard Shaw

Anne Enright

Margaret Forster

David Harsent

Adam Philips

Jung Chang
Check out the sculpture over the bookcase

Craig Raine

Adam Thirlwell

Hanif Kureishi

Will Self
I LOVE the wall of post-it's.

And I saved the best for last.

Beryl Bainbridge
Excuse my while I drown in my own droooooolllll . . . .
src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/FairyPrintSets/berylbainbridge.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">

Source

Recently Finished:
Go Ask Alice
Anonymous

The Metamorphisis
Franz Kafka

The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Bunnicula
Howliday Inn
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Deborah Howe

A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle

New Moon
Stephenie Meyer

The Adventures of TinTin: Land of the Soviets
Herge

These will now bring the total number of books I am certain have been read this year to . . . 91

My Pen Name is Trudy Alverston What's Yours?

2008-06-02T23:01:00.003-04:00

While rooting around on the net researching grave sites for authors as well as literary destinations I found this, a pen name generator courtesy of Ohio reading road trip.

Here are a few names that came up for me:
Trudy Alverston
Trudy Acostan
Twyla Attaway
Tailynn Audley

Another pen name generator
This one gives you options depending on what sort of writer you wish to be
This random name generator doesn't even require you type in a name. Just click the link.

Ver De Livre is Getting Married

2008-05-31T15:06:00.005-04:00

Last Wednesday my boyfriend proposed. The wedding date has already been set. And it is not very far off in the future at all. I have chosen to do a somewhat literary theme for my wedding (quel surpise.)

I intend to use the library card invite idea myself. Which meant further investigation was warranted.

Papertrail over at Etsy has a flirty card that some of you may decide to remember for valentines day.

Also on wonderful Etsy I found save the date cards that I adored. I am considering using this as possible inspiration for my final design.

Recently finished
Twilight
Stephenie Meyer

Books As Art Part Deux

2008-05-30T17:49:00.002-04:00

I was asked once about where you can purchase some of the book art I mentioned here

As you may notice if you follow the link I got a comment back from someone who can help you with that.

The comment:
We were pleased to see Georgia Russell's work on your site and also noticed that one of your readers wanted to know where to find 'books like these'. Some of the books are from our website as we represent Georgia Russell and have held several exhibitions of her work at our London gallery. She is currently working towards an exhibition with us early next year and we always have some of her work at the gallery. See www.englandgallery.com

There you have it ladies and germs!

Tess Of The D'Urbervilles

2008-05-29T23:33:00.004-04:00

The other day after posting about GoodReads.com I decided to abandon my plan of reading 300 books in one year. I feel I wasn't spending quality time absorbing things the way I should. And when it comes to literature or great food and wine - that's just heresy.

Recently I added Tess of the D'Urbevilles to my must read list. It seems that the BBC will be turning this into a tv show. Despite my not living in the UK - this pushes the book up my reading list.

Cast details:
Gemma Arterton (James Bond: Quantum Of Solace, St Trinian’s) stars as Tess

Hans Matheson (The Virgin Queen, Dr Zhivago) plays Alec
Eddie Redmayne (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) is Angel
Jodie Whittaker (Venus) plays Izzy
Ruth Jones (Gavin And Stacey, Saxondale) as Tess’s mother Joan
Anna Massey (Oliver Twist, The Importance Of Being Earnest) is Mrs D’Urberville.

Add this to the list of classic novels that BBC has decided to improve the idiot box experience.

Source

A Post for Wallflowers

2008-05-29T22:14:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the delay in todays post. I spent the day hiding out at Barnes & Noble reading Twilight. Amazon.com is simply taking to long to deliver my copy so I decided to dig in elsewhere while I wait.

Ever wish you could blend into the wall for one reason or another? Desiree Palmen has figured out how to do so in the most bookish of ways.

Visit the source to see more of her camouflage photography

Take the Word with You Everywhere You Go

2008-05-28T09:25:00.005-04:00

Nanette Lepore does it again. Only this time for Keds (read - more affordable) with her Champion shoe.

Grab yours at Zappos for $64

She has also designed a script print sandal for Keds (note - it is sold out on the Keds site)

Another Secret Room

2008-05-28T08:01:00.003-04:00

I cannot wait until I can have one of these of my own. And now thanks to Hidden Passageway I don't have to DIY.

Source

CHOKE!

2008-05-27T22:04:00.002-04:00

Last week the teaser poster for Chuck Palahniuk's Choke was released.

This week the trailer has been released.

If you haven't already - READ IT!

Moleskins and Men

2008-05-27T18:58:00.004-04:00

Men - they're out there and the good ones are literate. However, I have no idea how many read my blog. But since this is a distinct possibility I wanted to post this top 100 list of reads for men that I found while I was reading Hitting on Girls in Bookstores.

The other week I posted about the moleskin. Well so did the blogger running the above mentioned blog. I thought it was hysterical (although his venom at the end about pens makes me sad.)

Whack-a-Moleskine.

A Moleskine is a tiny black book that writers have been using for centuries, apparently. Before I even get to my next sentence I'm going to go ahead and tell you that I do own one. But there's a difference between owning one and writing in it and owning one and using it in public (for instance, I'm not an attention whore).

The Moleskine, to me, says "I think I'm a fucking genius who doesn't have to use a laptop or a dollar notebook from Walmart."* It says "I am so 19th century and have decided to rebel against those pricks at Starbucks who use machines that require an outlet. My Moleskine has a ribbon place holder and you can't plug that shit into an outlet, that's how hardcore I am."

The person who uses a Moleskine in public wants to be approached! That way they can tell you what they're putting in it! Because it's so damned important for others to know that "I'm a serious writer. Look how serious I am! I'm using an expensive notebook! And it has a pocket!"

Using a Moleskine makes it appear that you put too much thought into what tools you're using to write, as opposed to just writing. And if that person goes into a spiel about how Neil Gaiman uses one, well, then, you're not Neil Gaiman and he can do whatever the hell he wants because he's Neil Gaiman.

If you want someone to read what you write: don't use a Moleskine; get a blog and rant about how Moleskine users piss you off.

*And the pens these people use, oh, the pen can sometimes cost more than the notebook.
Note: Mine was a gift and has never left my house.

While you're there I recommend reading his post titled Pride & Arrogance (and the asshole way)

In A Library

2008-05-27T17:21:00.002-04:00

A precious, mouldering pleasure 't is
To meet an antique book,
In just the dress his century wore;
A privilege, I think,

His venerable hand to take,
And warming in our own,
A passage back, or two, to make
To times when he was young.

His quaint opinions to inspect,
His knowledge to unfold
On what concerns our mutual mind,
The literature of old;

What interested scholars most,
What competitions ran
When Plato was a certainty.
And Sophocles a man;

When Sappho was a living girl,
And Beatrice wore
The gown that Dante deified.
Facts, centuries before,

He traverses familiar,
As one should come to town
And tell you all your dreams were true;
He lived where dreams were sown.

His presence is enchantment,
You beg him not to go;
Old volumes shake their vellum heads
And tantalize, just so.

Library Pick Up LInes

2008-05-27T17:19:00.000-04:00

Mind if I check you out?

I bet you have quite a nice book worm!

Are you a librarian? Well I really need to be shushed!

Damn... you have more hard covers than my private stash

Have you heard the one about the librarian with more stacks than she could handle?

No one believes I am a librarian, maybe you should try to check me out.

You have the tightest hair bun in the place.

Let's play search engine: enter your terms and see if you get positive results.

I'd catalog you under "Desirable!"

You're the hottest one I've checked out all week.

So... they say Dewey had a harem, care to help me start mine?

They say you're like a public library, anyone with a card can check you out.

I may not be a cataloger, but I bet I can find a place to fit you in.

So is it true academic librarians only let scholars in?

My mom was a librarian, she taught me every should have access to my stacks

What's you cutter number baby?

Playing doctor is for kids! Let's play librarian.

Do you mind if I use my Dewey Decimal on you?

Hey baby, let's play library, you can be the door and I'll slam you!

Do you know the difference between sex and The LC Subject Headings?
(No?) Do you want to go up to my room?

Are you a librarian? So then you can believe in open access to your stacks?

So when's the last time you were "on the desk"

My fingers are quite strong from typing all day.

Good Reads

2008-05-26T22:45:00.002-04:00

Last night I learned of another fabulous site. Good reads.

You can put together lists of what you have read, what you want to read, what you are busy reading, or create your own listing. What's so great about that? You can invite your friends or meet people there.

Once you locate a person you may like to make friends with you can view all their "shelves" (the lists I mentioned before.) If that's not enough for you, you can also compare your lists and ratings with other members when you view their profiles.

Here is the profile link for myself (currently public - may switch to private at some later time.)

Good reads - is what your friends are reading!

Be Like Me - Find a Reason to Make Every Day a Party!

2008-05-26T10:55:00.003-04:00

Perhaps the post about towel day peaked your literary holiday curiosity (what sort of phrase was that?) Anyhow. I did some digging just for you ma' babies.

By the way it seems this month is National Under-Appreciated Librarian Month as well as Get Caught Reading Month

Library Lovers month - February
National Book Month - October
National Library Week--4th week in April
Reading is Fun Week--4th week in April
Read a New Book Month--December
Read Me Day--April 23
On this day, wear clothes that everyone can read.
National Storytelling Festival--October 5
Tell a Story Day--April 27
Read an Almanac Month--July
Dictionary Day--October 16
Card Reading Day--February 21
National Columnists Day--June 27
Humorists Are Artists Too Month (HAAM)--March
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month--September
Poetry Month--March
Great Poetry Reading Day--April 28
Bad Poetry Reading Day--August 18
Limerick Day--May 12
Clerihew Day--July 10
Mother Goose Day--May 1
Winnie the Pooh Day--January 18
Paul Bunyan Day--June 28
Tom Sawyer Fence Painting Day--July 4
Tolkien Week--Last week in September
Hobbit Day--September 22
Alfred Hitchcock Day--March 12
Eliza Doolittle Day--May 20
Dear Diary Day--September 22
Plan Your Epitaph Day--November 1

List of Authors birthdays

Thanks to Today in Literature you can literally become more aware of bookish history ;)

I also turned up the calendar of literary facts. Just click on the month and day you wish to know more about and there you have it.

Literary significance of each month in the year

Bridalwave

2008-05-25T22:53:00.003-04:00

Sister site to Trashionista which I mentioned the other week who flatteringly mentioned my post on what celebs can be found reading has also apparently noted my appearance on the blogging scene.

Thank you BridalWave I love you too:

Library-themed wedding invitations

When Southern California public librarian Scott Douglas, author of McSweeney's Dispatches from a Public Librarian column and the memoir Quiet, Please, married a library assistant, they somewhat inevitably created library-themed wedding invitations that I can't look at without smiling.

Did they fine guests who arrived late, I wonder...

[via Petit ver épicurien de livre]

NERD PRIDE DAY!!!

2008-05-25T11:52:00.003-04:00

Appropriately today is also Nerd Pride Day. A day celebrating the right for each and every one of us to embrace our geek or nerdiness.

This particular holiday only began in 2006 in celebration of the premier of the 1st Star Wars movie in 1977.

HAPPY TOWEL DAY!

2008-05-25T11:41:00.009-04:00

It's that time of year again. May 25th - towel day. Celebrated every year t this time as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams.

Towel day 1st began in 2001. It was held to demonstrate fans mourning the passing of Adams.

Douglas Adams' own ode to a towel:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very, very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

The original article that began towel day from Binary Freedom:

Towel Day: A Tribute to Douglas Adams
Monday May 14, 2001 06:00am PDT

Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks after his passing (May 25, 2001) be marked as "Towel Day". All Douglas Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day, and preferably quote the popular books and television series constantly..

So long Douglas, and thanks for all the fish!

– D Clyde Williamson, 2001-05-14

Towel day links of note:

http://www.towelday.kojv.net/
http://www.towelday.org/
http://greatzarquon.tripod.com/
http://www.hoboes.com/Mimsy/?ART=197
http://www.towel-day.com/en/

Wikihow to celebrate towel day

Towelini - another good resource for all your towel day needs

Oops

2008-05-25T10:35:00.002-04:00

In case it looked as if there had been no new post over the last week. There have. Last Saterday I pre-wrote more entries and throughout the week published them.However, they all despite the date of publishing say the day they were wrote. So there may be newer entries you did not catch beneath the entry Proust's madeline. All of them will be released today.

That Just Ain't Right

2008-05-25T00:45:00.003-04:00

No - this is not a joke.
No - I did not pull this photo from the internet. I took this myself.
No - I do not live in this particular town. I was just there for the festivities.

Recently finished:
Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole

Snuff
Chuck Palahniuk

Batman Villain - The Bookworm

2008-05-19T12:11:00.003-04:00

A bookworm super villain?

Real Name: Nelson Gruber

First Appearance: SleepWalker 4

What's His Problem? Nelson Gruber was an industrious, if insecure, psych graduate student at Metropolitan University who was conducting sleep experiments for his graduate advisor. One patient, Rick Sheridan, exhibited a brainwave pattern Gruber'd never seen. He fed the patterns into a computer and magnified it a millionfold to better study it. However, the computer overloaded and knocked Gruber unconscious. When he awoke he discovered he had the ability to transform written text into material form. He became unhinged and soon decided to get revenge on fellow student Whitney Cooper III for ditching him. He lost grip with reality, thinking he was unstoppable.
Abilities: See, the brain patterns Gruber recorded were actually the other dimensional being known as SleepWalker leaving Rick's brain. When the computer overloaded, shocking Gruber, it allowed him draw energy from the Mindscape (SleepWalker's home dimension) and transform it into physical form. As well, Gruber was apparently a gifted psych student and computer technician.
Weapons: Oh, tomes, texts, novels, encyclopedias, collected works, scrolls, documents, scripts, magazines, pamphlets, or, I dunno, books maybe?
Favorite Quote: "I am the Bookworm! And mine is the power of the printed word!" (SleepWalker 4)
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: Since SleepWalker was the accidental cause for his powers, they're a natural combination.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Alyssa Conover (the girlfriend of SleepWalker's human host Rick Sheridan) thought Gruber was a nice enough guy at first to hang out with him when he was feeling low. And while she may have aided in his eventual capture by SleepWalker by handing him a book with empty pages, she was doing it merely to help him since she thought he was losing grip with reality.
Most Despicable Act: Easily, one of the first manifestations of his power was his most despicable act. Angry at Cooper for ditching him while he went on a date, leaving Gruber to do all the work Gruber summoned up several Amazon warriors who beat and tortured Cooper. All this because Gruber was feeling under appreciated, yeesh! You'd think the guy would have just told their graduate advisor.

Bookworm (about the Dynamic Duo): "Our bats have flown the belfry and are still squeaking."

Bookworm: "My brain-drenched mind has done it again!"

Bookworm (about Bruce Wayne): "This fellow is almost as obnoxious as Batman."

The Bookworm played by Roddy McDowell, only appeared in 2 episodes. Episodes 29 (The Bookworm Turns) & 30 (While Gotham Burns).

Shown here with side-kick Lydia Limpet

This reminds me a little of Penny from the Inspector Gadget cartoons

Source

Prousts Madeline

2008-05-18T23:19:00.003-04:00

"I raised to my lips a spoonful of the cake . . . a shudder ran through my whole body and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place."

"The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it...." but "....as soon as I had recognized the taste of the piece of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give me .... immediately the old grey house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set to attach itself to the little pavilion opening on to the garden which had been built out behind it for my parents."

Marcel Proust (1871-1922)
Remembrance of Things Past

FRENCH MADELINES

4 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. clarified butter (or Promise Spread)
1 tbsp. vanilla
Confectioners' sugar

Stir eggs and sugar into top of double boiler until creamy and lukewarm. Remove from heat and beat until cool; add flour gradually, mixing well. Fold in butter and vanilla.

Use special shell-shaped Madeline molds that have been buttered and floured (or small 1 1/2 inch muffin pans). Fill molds 2/3 full; fill muffin tins less than 1/2 full. Bake in a 425 degree oven for ten minutes or until lightly browned. Dust cooled tea cakes with powdered sugar. Yield: 5 dozen.

Source

Food for Thought

2008-05-18T22:14:00.007-04:00

There are actually a decent amount of literary cookbooks out there. But for those of you who either do not have the money to splurge on each and every one of them to feed your literary addiction as well as your tummy I have searched around to come up with a list of literary recipes.

Twice baked potatoe s The Boleyn Inheritance
Black Butter Jane Austen's Christmas
Emily Bronte's favorite meat pie
Mrs. Leibowitz’s Lentil-Vegetable Soup Angela's Ashes
Carrot Pudding A Christmas Carol
Turkish Delight The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump
Persian Cucumber and Yogurt House of Sand and Fog
Cucumber and Tomato Sandwiches Women in Love
Jam Tarts Sons and Lovers
Mrs. Ramsay's boeuf en daube dinner To the Lighthouse
Quail in Rose Petal Sauce Like Water for Chocolate
Italian Pea Pottage Shakespeare's Kitchen
Tennessee Williams's Lemon Icebox Pie
Lane Cake To Kill a Mockingbird

Recipes from The Color Purple Cookbook
Jack Kerouac Diner Menu

Tarragon Eggs A La Jane Austen

40g butter
4 eggs
Ground pepper
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons tarragon (fresh or dried)

Mrs B- was not used to disagreeing with the better informed mind of Lady Cumberland, and now, her every cherished opinion of parsley's worth overthrown, she turned her eye to rarer visitors, including the tarragon. She had always thought tarragon a difficult herb and hard to please. 'It refuses to grow here, it refuses to grow there, but fancies itself so very great, disappearing every winter I know not where. I quite detest the plant.'

Clafoutis Grandmere A La Virginia Woolf

500g cherries, 3 eggs
150g flour, 150g sugar
10g yeast, prepared in warm water if necessary
100g butter, 1 cup of milk

When the flour came it was a delight, a touch left on her cheek as she brushed aside a wisp of hair, as if her beauty bored her and she wanted to be like other people, insignificant, sitting in a widow's house with her pen and paper...

Quick Miso Soup A La Franz Kafka

3 dessertspoons fermented miso
150g silken tofu
4-5 small mushrooms
A few leaves of dried wakame

He placed three spoonfuls of the miso into a saucepan and poured on two pints of hot water, shielding the process from the panel as he did so. He became angry with himself for thinking of the new arrivals as a panel; they had not announced their purpose in calling on him and as yet he did not know what position each of them held.

Mushroom Risotto A La John Steinbeck

Extra virgin olive oil
25g porcini mushrooms
1 onion, 2 cloves garlic
200g risotto rice
500ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper,
60g parmesan
1 glass white wine

The parmesan cheese was hard and dry. The cook grated what little she had. The cheese grated coarsely, like maize from the thresher; the cheese grated finely, like the first powder snow; the cheese grated in shavings, like the wood thrown up from her husband's plane.

Truman Capote's Family's Cornbread

- makes 8 wedges -

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or bacon drippings
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups stone-ground white cornmeal

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place the butter or drippings in a 10-inch cast iron skillet; place it in the oven.

2. Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisking together well with a fork.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, salt, baking soda, and cornmeal; stir well to combine.

4. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, beating just until the dry ingredients are moistened and no more.

5. Pull the skillet from the oven. It should be hot, with the fat sizzling. Swirl the pan to coat. Quickly transfer batter to skillet; return skillet to oven.

6. Bake until browned and pulling away from skillet, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot, in wedges.

Emily Dickinson's Black Cake Recipe

Adapted by Margery K. Eagan

This is a good "do-ahead" cake, since the brandy syrup needs time to soak in...ahhh.

Have a bottle of brandy on hand—you'll need 1/2 c. to pour over fruit plus approx. 1 cup more for cake-soaking syrup. Two large cardboard cake boards will be helpful if you are making a large cake.

The day before baking the cake, if possible, prepare brandy syrup: In a 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat, mix 3 c. sugar with 2 c. water until sugar dissolves. Let cool and add brandy (approx. 1 cup) or to taste. The brandy can be a Cognac-type by itself, or a combination of flavors including amaretto or hazelnut liqueur. Your taste buds can guide you here. (See notes about storing any leftover syrup.)

1 3/4 lbs. raisins

8 oz. currants

8 oz. dried apricots, cut in 1/2" pieces (size of raisins)

8 oz. pitted prunes, cut in 1/2" pieces

2 oz. dried pears, cut in 1/2" pieces

4 oz. pitted dates cut in 1/2" pieces

In a large bowl, toss fruit with 1/2 c. brandy. Let stand overnight, preferably, or an hour, or just while you get the other ingredients together.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Butter a 13" X 18" X 2 1/2" pan and line with wax paper or parchment: butter paper or parchment. (See notes about using different pans--you don't have to make just one cake.)

1 1/2 lbs. soft butter (salted or un: if salted, don't add salt to dry ingredients)

1 1/2 lbs. granulated sugar

13 eggs at room temperature

3/4 c. molasses

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift together:

1 1/2 lbs. unbleached flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt (or none if using salted butter)

1 1/4 tsp. each cinnamon, cloves & mace

1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. ginger

In a very large bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, keeping mixture light. Add eggs 3 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping sides of bowl several times to keep mixture uniform. Add vanilla. With mixer going, pour in molasses. Mixture might look broken, but that's ok. On low speed, gradually add sifted dry ingredients, mixing just until flour is incorporated. Place fruit on top of batter, leaving any liquid at the bottom of fruit in the bowl. (Save the liquid and add to the brandy syrup.) Fold fruit into batter, taking care not to overmix. (Note: with this much batter, make sure your spatula is sturdy; otherwise, your hands are your best folding tools.)

Turn batter into pan, smooth the top, and bake for at least one hour, or until the middle top of cake is firm to the touch. The cake will be very dark on top and slightly sunken.

Let cake cool in pan. (Note: if you want to present the cake with a smooth top, level the top of the cake with a serrated knife. It will be inverted later, making the bottom the top.) Invert cake onto large wax paper-covered board and back again onto another board. The paper should prevent the top of the cake from sticking to the board. With a skewer, poke several holes through the cake at 1" intervals. Begin brushing/tapping the brandy-sugar syrup evenly over the cake, allowing a few minutes for the syrup to soak in before brushing on more. If the cake seems moist enough, it may not be necessary to use all the syrup.

Wrap cake well in plastic wrap (or slide it into a large clean plastic bag) and allow to stand for at least 1 hour—or, preferably, a day or two, in a cool place. Slide cake carefully onto a large serving platter. (Or, for a smooth top: invert onto platter.) Keep the cake covered until presentation time. Fresh greens and flowers around the cake add a festive touch.

Notes

This recipe makes about 20 cups of batter. Since an average loaf pan uses between 4 and 5 cups of batter, this recipe would make about 4 large loaf cakes. In 9" round pans: probably 5 or 6 layers. Or, in a 12 x 2" round, perhaps 2 layers. You get the idea, though: you can bake the batter in any size and shape. Butter and paper the pans, and fill them about 2/3 full for proper baking.

If freezing cakes: Remove cooled cakes from pans and wrap well. After thawing, and at least 1 hour before serving, brush/soak with brandy syrup.

Leftover syrup: Tightly-covered, the syrup will keep, refrigerated, for several weeks. If you've made small cakes and have frozen them, use the syrup as you need it.

This one is actually a drink - Champagne Hemingway

Around the Writers Block

2008-05-18T21:21:00.008-04:00

I've never understood the concept of peeking into people medicine cabinets when you visit their homes. But there are some aspects of certain authors lives I wouldn't mind peering into. So I collected some images of authors desks and rooms.

Emily Dickenson
Amhurst, MA

William Faulkner

Jane Austen

Mark Twain
at home

Mark Twain museum

Edgar Allen Poe
and it's portable!

Virginia Woolf

Apparently I wasn't the only one to be curious. Photographer Susana Graph has a series called "A Sense of Place" where we can see the inside of Eudora Welty's home.

Eudora’s Library, Jackson, Mississippi, 2007

Source

Sartorial Appreciation

2008-05-18T18:05:00.005-04:00

Even the Sartorialist has included some bookish type looks.

The caption for this one reads how this look would not be complete or the same without the moleskin

Below are some of the looks that came up when I searched "Librarian"

Ukranian Book Fashion?

2008-05-18T17:54:00.003-04:00

Designer Andre Tan must have a little book lust of his own creating something like this:

Source

Wall Decals

2008-05-18T17:45:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Ivy Surface decor you can pimp out [your own] child's room with decals inspired by books like Harry Potter

Source

Return of the Retro Writers

2008-05-18T15:23:00.003-04:00

Over the years I have seen a lot of posts about retrofied computers. For all you writers out there this may be something of interest to you.

The Remmington Keyboard

Which was inspired by the Steampunk Keyboard

Instructables on the computer keyboard

The Eletriclerk

Bookish Seating

2008-05-18T14:59:00.003-04:00

I love this one but its nearly $1000 price tag is far too rich for my blood. It looks like something you would find in the hotel lobby of one of the literary destinations mentioned on this site before.

From big cozy books

Here is a list of locations where you can try these out for yourself.

Gruppo Dam's Libro chair

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: http://www.nobodyandco.it/

From fishbol design

And although this is not seating I felt this coffee table by unal&boler was worth a mention.

The cityscape coffee table

Free Books? Yes Please!

2008-05-18T14:49:00.004-04:00

Here is an online list of the best places to find free books. The list is supposed to be kept updated and if you yourself know any more places to get free books you are encouraged to add to the list.

Source

Tank Books Makes Me Wish I Never Quit Smoking

2008-05-18T14:43:00.003-04:00

If you still smoke and I were you I'd have at these available from tankbooks

Sadly it seems these are only available to those in the UK.

Source

I Don't Have a Witty Title for This Post

2008-05-18T14:32:00.004-04:00

This is a wall hanging you can purchase online - but really it looks like something I feel you can do on your own with either the aid of stencils and paint or a printer and a trip to Target.

But if you're this sort who would rather purchase (and I understand in some instances) here is where you can purchase.

Another idea I would LOVE to try out is the dictionary wall.

The link to the DIY instructions may be found at the source.

Source

Online Catalogging Aids

2008-05-18T14:22:00.004-04:00

I'm a bit of a pack rat - but an orderly one. I like to make sure I keep receipts for just a bout everything I own in case the house burns down - however they are not kept in a fireproof boxes. Don't worry I'm aware of the huge problem this presents.

A good way to protect your literary investment is online book cataloging.

Kimbooktu has done a far more in depth search on this subject than myself. To see her reviews and find the right site for you follow the source link.

Source

Nicolas Jones - Book Cutter

2008-05-18T14:03:00.004-04:00

One of you asked me about purchasing book art. Nicolas Jones may be a good person to answer such a question.

I'm sure if you contact him he may be willing to talk pricing with you.

Source

Design Your Own Book Cover

2008-05-18T13:53:00.004-04:00

O'Reilly book cover designer reminds me of computer book covers. But if you ever feel compelled to put together your own cover it's a nice option to have available to you.

O'Reilly cover:

Computer book cover:

That's alllllllllllllllllllll I'm sayin'.

Source

Site Updates

2008-05-18T13:18:00.002-04:00

I have made a few minor changes to the site.

1. I have learned the golden rule of blogging - and thus have begun sourcing more of my info
2. I have begun adding post labels for searchability - because if you're like me you like having that option available
3. Because there should always be a three

Recently finished:
The Stepford Wives
Ira Levin

Alright. I have now read the book and seen both movies. I can not say without a doubt in any form I get it - I love this story. Also, guilty Lifetime watch I sometimes am - I have even seen the Stepford Husbands a few times (btw - story still rocks that way too.)
I believe this now puts me at around 75 books out of the 300 I am hoping to read this year.

YOU LIKE ME YOU REALLY LIKE ME!

2008-05-18T13:14:00.002-04:00

You know it's gonna be a good day when the blog you've been reading mentions you too:

Who's reading what?

One of my current favourite book-related sites, Petit ver épicurien de livre, has a great round up of pictures of celebrities carrying and reading books.

While Courtney Love sunbathes with Candace Bushnell's Trading Up, Sarah Jessica Parker goes a bit more highbrow with Nicole Krauss's The History of Love.

Check it out if you're interested in what Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton and Madonna have been caught reading. Yes, they're all books.

Source

Kindle Spotting

2008-05-16T19:43:00.001-04:00

Jennifer Aniston has apparently joined the kindle elite

Writings from a Pen Geek

2008-05-16T18:17:00.004-04:00

I love pens. Always have. And I don't mean Bic's. My pen of choice is a fountain pen. My preferred brand is Waterman.

Mont Blanc, a well known brand even to many who aren't pen geeks offers a limited edition series of writers edition pens. Yeah I know, say "edition" a few more times.

Names that are to be found in this series are Agatha Christie
Hemingway
Oscar Wilde
Voltaire, Alexandre Dumas, Dostoevsky,
Edgar Allan Poe

Marcel Proust, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Gerald, Jules Verne, Franz Kafka, Cervantes,
Virginia Woolf
and William Faulkner.

Information on these can be found here.

Conklin is also another brand throwing its hat into the writers ring with its Mark Twain pen.

Take Note

2008-05-16T11:54:00.005-04:00

Anyone who reads this blog has long since caught on I love books. It's not just the books I read though. I also love journals and sketchbooks. I was using my own form of this long before these made it on the scene but I did start using them all the same. The moleskine.

Well known moleskine users (despite the company's founding in 1996) are said to be Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, Andre Breton, Pablo Picasso, and Bruce Chatwin.

Moleskins have made cameo appearances in . . .
The Devil Wears Prada

The DaVinci Code
Stranger Than Fiction
National Treasure

Bones of Contention
I Heart Huckabees
Shall We Dance
Maria Jose' the Last Queen
State and Main
Amelie

K-Pax
The Son's Room
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Magnolia
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The trend has caught on with many celebs as well.
Victoria Beckham and Heidi Klum

Ashton Kutcher

Brad Pitt

Chris Gray of Radiohead

Jennifer Morrison of House MD

On that note here are some excerpts from some authors we have come to know and love from their own personal journals.

William Wordsworth - copy of November 1806

Virginia Woolf - a draft from Mrs. Dalloway

Oscar Wilde - an early draft from The Importance of Being Ernest

Lewis Carroll - a page from Alice in Wonderland with original illustration

Source

A Novel Idea

2008-05-15T17:11:00.003-04:00

Urban Outfitters has a great new hyperlink sort of ad on their site:

Celebrity Readings

2008-05-15T13:09:00.005-04:00

COURTNEY LOVE

Her book club: Blonde Ambition
What she's reading: Trading Up by Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell
Category: Beach read
A selected passage: "He might not have been the man that Janey had always imagined she would marry, but the man you did marry never was."

SARAH JESSICA PARKER

Her book club: Literature and the City
What she's reading: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Category: Literary fiction
A selected passage: "I try to make a point of being seen. Sometimes when I'm out, I'll buy a juice even though I'm not thirsty."

Source

Mischa Barton - The Kite Runner

Madonna - The Night Listener

Lindsay Lohan - God's Promises for Your Every Need

Paris Hilton - The Power of Now

Angelina Jolie - Crimes of War

And on that note here is a sort of whose who of who reads what.

Kindle Cake

2008-05-14T18:09:00.003-04:00

I've been trying hard to decide if I want a kindle or not. But in the meantime there is one sort of kindle I can have and eat it too. The kindle cake.

It looks just as delicious as the real thing.

Source

Fellow Book-Wormin' Bibliophile Blogger

2008-05-12T22:15:00.004-04:00

The same day I was working on my post on bookworm fashion I came across the blog of a fellow fashion Bessie at tech same time making a mental note to make a post about her at a later time. The time is now. Meet the clothes horse.

Oddly enough this post mentions her recent Hitchcock fest when I myself recently spent days watching all three seasons of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and insuring I have indeed seen all of his movies.

The Private Collection

2008-05-12T17:45:00.005-04:00

Ah Marilyn. A woman so many women would have loved to have been and that men would have loved to have been with. The Christie's auction of the century was held quite a while ago so while on earth would I bring it up now and what on earth does she have to do with a book blog?

At the time of her death some said she owned over 200 books, some said over 400, others say over 500. So what books could be found in this esoteric book-worms shelves?
I contacted Christies and Sotheby's to find out just that. But since it was a personal inquiry they were unable to provide me with the list of the titles auctioned off. Next I tried contacting a long list of those in possession of the auction catalog.

In the end I was able to hunt down the majority of titles that could be found in her library. Since it is too long for me to post here. And I would like to read titles that I have not read that were in it. I created an amazon wish list containing confirmed titles from her collection.
If you too are interested my list can be found here.

Book Furniture made of Books

2008-05-08T14:35:00.004-04:00

Secret Agent Bookshelf
appropriately pull on Sherlock Holmes to open the door

To learn the specifics of this all too awesome at home project visit Per Vivere [To Live]

Okay so that one wasn't made of books but it was too awesome not to mention

Bookshelf of books

Jim Rosen's bookcase and bookshelf of books can be purchased from his website or made to order.

Desk made of books

from Milan Design Week

More on the Sweet Scent of Literature

2008-05-07T11:10:00.004-04:00

After my last post I was left wondering about what other literary scents we could get our hands on. So I did a little digging just as much for you, dear reader, as for myself and these are my results.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, an online store specializing in gothic scents, is selling perfumes based off the novels of Neil Gaiman. They also offer perfumes with some literary, poetic, and mythical inspirations such as:
Highwayman
Hymn to Proserpine
I Died For Beauty
Incantation
Inferno
Kubla Khan
The Black Tower
La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente
Lampades
Leanan Sidhe (W.B. Yeats)
Ode On Melancholy
Ozymandias
Penny Dreadful (titled after the penny dreadful novels of yesteryear)
Poisoned Apple (from Snow White)
The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe)
Scherezade (1,001 Nights)
Tavern of Hell
Tempest
Twenty-One (Dorothy Parker - whose own favorite scent was Coty's Chypre)
Ulalume
Wilde
They also offer a collection called the mad tea party that features perfumes named for the characters in Alice in Wonderland

Perfumer Laura Tonatto as a promotion for a bookshop created five perfumes based on scents described in classic works like Swann's Way by Marcel Proust; Madame Bovary by Flaubert; The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilder; Perfume by Patrick Suskind; and Gabrielle D'Annunzio's The Child of Pleasure.

Alice in Wonderland
Bath and Body Works is offering scented bulbs
(if fact they have an entire limited edition line right now)
Konstantin of parfums d'Imperfiction available on his own site as well as Aus Leibe Zum Duft
(there you can also find his perfume based on the book Eleven Minutes)

Disney is offering perfume featuring characters from children's stories like Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Bambi. For a full list and availability visit here.

Apparently even J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter has had a perfume all of it's own as well.

For excerpts from literature involving scent I recommend scented pages. A few more can also be found at Memory and Desire.

For poems with the theme of perfume visit poetry-chaikhana.

And for anyone who has not read of seen Perfume: The Story of a Murderer I recommend you procure it in whatever way you see fit post haste!

Book Lovers Perfume

2008-05-07T10:15:00.003-04:00

Christopher Brosius hates perfume, and I mean really hates perfume:

"I hate perfume.
Perfume is too often an ethereal corset trapping everyone in the same unnatural shape
A lazy and inelegant concession to fashionable ego
Too often a substitute for true allure and style
An opaque shell concealing everything – revealing nothing
A childish masque hiding the timid and unimaginative
An arrogant slap in the face from across the room
People who smell like everyone else disgust me
* * * * * * *
Perfume is a veil that reveals the soul
Perfume is the fanfare of our individuality sounding differently to everyone who listens
Perfume is a signpost to our true selves – a different journey for the brave to travel
Perfume is the weather of our inner world bringing life to a personal landscape
Perfume is an art that shows us who we can be if we dare – an invisible portrait of who we are
Perfume is discovered fully only by our lovers when we are together - naked
* * * * * * *
I encourage you to be yourself, expand yourself and please yourself
Allow yourself the luxury of your own vision
Perfume is an adventure I encourage you to explore
I love making perfume
I love being a perfumer"

What on earth does perfume have to do with books? CBIhateperfume in so many words is the new Demeter Fragrances (for those of you who do not Demeter their fragrances include scents like tomato, dirt, baby powder, laundromat, rain, and caramel.) But unlike Demeter CB uses oil and water as a base for the perfume.

CB also offers something of particular interest to bibliophiles. A scent by the name of "in the library"

Follow your nose

Random Book Goodies

2008-05-06T11:48:00.004-04:00

Wicked Witch Door Stopper

$18.00

Even though winter has passed that doesn't mean you won't love the

Alice in Wonderland Dishes

Wicked Witch Draft Stopper

$40.00

The Library Shop's Literary Luncheon Collection

Book Coasters

Books and Tea Teapot

Literary Summer

2008-05-06T11:17:00.005-04:00

Vacation time will be upon us soon. And for those of you who cannot only afford to go on vacation but can afford some literary vacay swag here are some of my summer recommendations.

Penguin Books Deck Chair

What a perfect way to curl up pool or seaside with a book (and you will know your chair from all the others.) For those who may be able to afford the chair but not the vacay this will do just as nicely on your porch or in your garden.

Available in the following titles:
The Common Reader
A Room of Ones Own
Brighton Rock
The Big Sleep
The Horizontal Man
The Man of Property
Country Life
Man and Superman
The Big Sleep
The Garden Party

Price tag $118.04 + shipping

And what better way to remember your vacation with a camera.

Lens: 23.1mm f8
Shutter: 1/80
Film advance: Manual
Film: 110mm film (film sold separately here.)
Flash : None
Body Size: 110x31x68mm
Weight: 110g
Accessories include: Paper case, manual.

$67

As a further follow-up on my previous post of literary destinations I have a few more places I have stumbled upon.

The Spencer Hotel and Spa
Chautauqua, NY

Akawaaba Bed and Breakfast
Washington D.C.

ZORA NEALE HURSTON

Decorated in tribute to Zora Neale Hurston, this second floor guestroom faces picturesque 16th street and is decorated in bold red hues. One of the largest rooms in the house, it is furnished with a Brass King sized bed, antique writing secretary, and mirrored armoire. The front bay window allows plenty of natural light. The private bath features a 2-person Jacuzzi tub and shower.

TONI MORRISON

Nobel prize winner, 1993 for her collected works and Pulitzer Prize, 1988 for Beloved, Morrison is best noted for her “epic themes, vivid dialogue and richly detailed African American characters.” Located on the second floor, in the middle of the house, this room features a queen-sized bed, decorative fireplace, and private, shower only bath.

ROMANCE SUITE

A queen-sized 4-poster canopy bed sets the tone of this second floor guestroom decorated honoring the romantic in all of us. Situated at the rear of the home, allowing for a quite peaceful nights sleep, or quiet respite from life's hectic pace. The private ensuite bath features a couple's shower with dual showerheads.

LANGSTON HUGHES

Poet and Playwright Langston Hughes is memorialized in this 3rd floor guestroom. Decorated in deep browns and greens, this room includes a small private balcony overlooking 16th street. The second of the largest rooms in the house, guests will find a king sized bed, decorative fireplace sitting area and ensuite private bath with 2 person Jacuzzi tub and shower.

MODERN CLASSICS ROOM

Located on the 3rd floor, this guest room offers a queen sized bed with
upholstered headboard, and private shower only bath. Sleek trim decor,
hardwood floors and decorative fireplace give this room a modern feel mixed
with old world charm.

WALTER MOSLEY SUITE

Best known for his Mystery novels featuring lead character Easy Rawlings, guests who stay in this suite often feel as though they are staying in Mr. Mosley's secret writing retreat. The Mosley Suite is located on the 3rd floor and rear of the home. The room offers a queen sized bed, decorative fireplace, writing desk and private bath with couple's shower with dual showerheads.

INSPIRATION ROOM

Be inspired with this 4th floor suite. Tucked in the eves of the home, yet bright with a large skylight, neutral tone and 2 windows, this room proves to be very popular with our guests looking for a little romance or pampering. The room is furnished with a king sized iron bed and sitting alcove with 2 wing back chairs. The ensuite bath is shower only, however an antique claw-foot soaking tub is tucked in the room, and perfect for a hot bubble bath.

POETRY SUITE

Dedicated to one of your host's favorite genres, the Poetry Suite offers a library of collected favorite works. This 4th floor room, features 2 queen-sized beds, allowing comfortable sleeping accommodations for up to 4 guests. Natural light fills this room with a large window stretching almost the full width of the room. A large couch allows for a great place to catch up on your favorite book, or a pick from the room's collection.

THE WRITER'S SUITE

The Writer's Suite is a Garden level/English basement fully furnished, and private entranced efficiency apartment. The spacious main room is divided into sleeping and living quarters offering a cozy living room with a full sized leather sofa, armchair and TV with cable and DVD player.

The bright front bay window has a dining table which also provides a great work space to catch up on email. Sleeping accommodations include a king sized bed and bureau and night stands at the back of the room.

The apartment provides a galley style kitchen, with gas stove/oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, and all counter-top appliances. There is also a full bath. Breakfast and daily housekeeping are not provided with this unit. All bed and bath linens are provided. Wireless Internet is complimentary.

Reserved off street parking is available behind the home by reservation for an additional $12 per night.

Ammenities include:

Choice of 8 guestrooms each with private bath (2 feature Jacuzzi tubs
Home cooked hot breakfast served each morning, 8am weekdays, 9am weekends
Complimentary WiFi
Available reserved off street parking
Rooms with King sized beds
Color television with cable in each room
Romance packages available
Massage services can be reserved on-site
Afternoon refreshments
Smoke free/pet free accommodations
We can accommodate children over 12 in the Poetry Suite

Rates:
Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes Suites: $190-285
Romance and Walter Mosley Suites: $165-235
Toni Morrison and Modern Classics Rooms: $150-205
Inspiration Suite: $175-235
Poetry Suite: $175-235 for 2, $30 per night for each additional guest up to 4.
Writer's Suite: $145-195

See more here

Recently Finished:
The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette
Carolly Erickson

EnLIGHTening Books

2008-05-06T11:08:00.003-04:00

The Oskar book shaped book lamp

The Oskar is solidly built from aluminum plates, with the cord out the back and the on/off switch in the front. Again, perfect for sitting on your book shelf: The cord is hidden in the back, while the switch is easily accessible in the front. It uses a 50W halogen bulb which is a little on the bright side for my tastes, but it gets the job done.

These were initially available from Ikea for about $20 but now it looks like if you want one you will need to consult ebay.

Light Reading Book Lamp by Sam Johnson
The book lamp disguised as a book that will not heat damage its shelf mates.

$149

Shameless Self Promotion

2008-05-02T01:45:00.001-04:00

Once and long ago I went to art school. I learned art does not feed anything other than my tortured soul. I still create.

Doc Martin is having a contest. Artist are able to submit their work. Only two winners will be chosen. So I made a bunch of entries. Your votes would mean so much. And hopefully you are able to vote because you actually like my designs.

Passing these along is also a great help to help procure more votes.

Thanks to everyone for all love and support this will provide and sorry for the shameless self promotion

Links to my designs:
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/LVWishes
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/fright
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/releaseme
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/steponmyex
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/Lahman
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/skrik
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/stockingfeet
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/EyeFull
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/buckinghamboot
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/mindtheboot
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/notre
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/watcher
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/rocktree
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/empirical
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/HawaiiRainbow
www.dmbootdesign.com/view/letitsnow

Anthropologie Summer Classics

2008-05-01T15:18:00.003-04:00

No sooner do I make a post about "bookish looks" than I get the new Anthropologie catalog with an adorable spread (pgs 22 - 31) featuring a model reading The Color of Green and intermittent quotes from authors.

Bookish Looks from Polyvore

2008-04-30T22:13:00.004-04:00

It's . . . ALIVE!

2008-04-30T21:10:00.003-04:00

Live book is a small, removable vase with drainage system that opens up into an actual book.

by designer: Soo-Yeon Yang

Housing Mockingbirds You May Want to Kill

2008-04-30T20:57:00.003-04:00

Spring has sprung and for those of you who find little birdies pleasant here is a good way to bring your birdie joy and your book lovin' together.

Sorry but you're better off keeping your To Kill a Mockingbird birdhouse indoors - since these are made of books. And you aren't the type who would leave your books out in the rain are you?

Purchase your own reading robin birdhouse here for $120

Attention Literary Drunks

2008-04-30T15:43:00.004-04:00

Presenting . . . . . the book bar

better yet it is made up of books that the Stanford Library was getting rid of

Card Catalog Generator

Recently finished:
Physics for Dummies
Steve Holzner

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
Michio Kaku

I Know What My Next DIY Book Project Will Be

2008-04-27T17:54:00.004-04:00

Just some random book storage and library yumminess:

Recently finished:
The Geek Handbook: User Guide and Documentation for the Geek in Your Life
Mikki Halpin

Bathroom Reading

2008-04-24T23:03:00.004-04:00

I'll admit it. I have been known to read in the bathroom. There's no shame in it. The shame is really only in reading someone else's book in the bathroom.

Limited space in your bathroom? Not to worry you can always look into storing books on the back of your door thanks to "sticklebook"

There's no need to limit yourself to your bathroom. Sticklebook can be used in the kitchen, bedroom, office, living room - or in whatever room that *gasp* doesn't have books in it!

*hint* I even keep a few in my medicine cabinet

Another idea that may appeal to some of you out there is the Loo Read a removable pull out shelf that can be used to support your books or any work you can't seem to separate yourself from.

My dream bathroom

Thank you apartment therapy

Recently finished:
Understanding Business (8th Edition)
Nickles
McHugh
McHugh

Programming Logic and Design (4th Edition)
Joyce Farrell

Tell Me a Story

2008-04-21T14:14:00.004-04:00

I always wanted one of these as a child.

Aaaaaah Teddy Ruxpin the most awesome story telling toy available in the 80's.

You can still get your very own Teddy Ruxpin

If the 54$ price tag is still out of your range there is Yano, yet another interactive storytelling toy available for only 20$

Personally I find his appearance a little frightening.

Top 20 Geek Novels in English

2008-04-21T14:12:00.001-04:00

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams 85% (102)
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell 79% (92)
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley 69% (77)
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick 64% (67)
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson 59% (66)
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert 53% (54)
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov 52% (54)
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov 47% (47)
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett 46% (46)
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland 43% (44)
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson 37% (37)
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 38% (37)
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson 36% (36)
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks 34% (35)
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein 33% (33)
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick 34% (32)
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman 31% (29)
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson 27% (27)
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson 23% (21)
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham 21% (19)

Soure: The Gaurdian

A Few More Words on Library Wedding Invites

2008-04-18T00:16:00.004-04:00

Here is a library invite presented like a book. Open it to the bookmarked page and find a library card invite.
Custom designed letterpress by Sesame Letterpress

Photos by Pen Carlson Photography of a Library Wedding in Chicago

Literary Themed Weddings

2008-04-16T07:32:00.004-04:00

What could be more beautiful than an amalgam of all you love? Your spouse to be and literature surrounded by family.

The Offbeat Bride suggests a library wedding

Raina’s library wedding

The offbeat bride: Raina, Graphic Designer

Her offbeat groom: Mike / freelance photographer & TV production guy

Location & date of wedding: The Clayville town library in Clayville, NY

What made our wedding offbeat: We really wanted to save a lot of money and keep it simple, simple, SIMPLE! We only had 7 people at the ceremony besides the two of us.

We did it at the tiny library in the town I grew up in. It was perfect because it was so small on the inside, and it happed to be a church at one point which lent itself to the layout of the ceremony well. We didn’t have a religious ceremony but it was kind of cute to be in an old church turned library (and my job involves designing book jackets, so it was extra special!).

… We spent under 600 dollars!

We spent the tiniest fraction of money you can on a wedding — we did this because we live in Brooklyn (high rent!) and our parents didn’t have money to give us so we knew we just had to be creative. The first step was to cut out guests and the whole idea of a reception.

I wore my mother’s wedding dress from 1979 which just so happed to be exactly what I was looking for in a dress! The only expense there was to have it taken in slightly and cleaned up a bit. Mike wore his grandfather’s wedding band, my mom and I did the flowers ourselves, and we had one of our good friends take all of the photos. Add in the cost of dinner for 9 people and we spent literally under 600 dollars on EVERYTHING! It was small, intimate, and the day was so memorable because of it. Everyone involved had a part — my brother was my “man of honor”! I just couldn’t have hoped for anything better.

Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was dealing with all of the family drama that came along with not inviting my grandmother, and our aunts and uncles and cousins. We had to hear a lot of snide remarks, and people being hurt that we didn’t invite them! Our friends all understood — it’s so hard to be young and live in such an expensive city, so they were just happy that we were doing it OUR way. Family, however, just didn’t understand why we weren’t doing this huge, 200 guest shindig. I just have NEVER wanted that, or the stress that comes with it.

We had to politely explain, again and again and AGAIN (people just didn’t get it) That this was OUR DAY! And we can do what WE want! It’s a hard concept for family to grasp. We had a hard time keeping our cool having to tell them over and over, but in the end, we really didn’t want to offend anyone.

My favorite moment: My favorite moment of the day was a really unexpected one for me. I wasn’t planning on having my dad walk me down the aisle (being the modern lady I am!), but he really, really wanted to. So while everyone was inside of the library waiting for us, we had a few minutes for a nervous chat and a few laughs, out in the lobby and just the look on my dad’s face as we got ready to walk down the aisle (which was actually a row of bookshelves!) was wonderful and priceless. I always knew how much my dad loved me, but this was a moment that only happens once in a lifetime, and I’ll never forget it. It sounds awfully cheesy, but I was loving it.

My offbeat advice: Do what YOU want!!! I feel like I always read this advice on offbeat bride, but it’s so, so important. If you want a small wedding, find a way! If you want a huge one, find a way! Make a budget, too. If it’s 500 dollars, trust me, you can do it. If you want a huge wedding, that’s fine, just plan out exactly what your vision is before you go forward. You can do it!

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: Who says you can’t have a beautiful wedding for $600?!

The wedding invites mentioned in the above:

A Librarian Author and His Library-Themed Wedding Invite
February 7, 2008

Southern California public librarian Scott Douglas LaCounte, aka "Scott Douglas," author of the upcoming humor memoir Quiet, Please and the "Dispatches from a Public Librarian" column for McSweeney's, is getting married, to a library assistant, and they've created some charming library-themed wedding invites.

Centerpiece idea for bibliophiles

Some centerpieces fit some gatherings perfectly, yet they're also pretty enough to decorate the table any other day. For a book club luncheon, a stack of books is the perfect anchor for the middle of the table. Use older looking books with dark colors, or new books with the dust jacket removed. Choose and stack the books with larger ones on bottom and smaller ones towards the top.

Storybook Invites

STORYBOOK gives you six pages to author the charming story of how you met, gather together special songs, or reprint parts of your love letters...be creative!

One Color Storybook $25.60/set
Two Color Storybook $27.80/set

Typewriter Guest Book (as suggested by Martha Stewart)

Set out an old-fashioned typewriter with long sheets of paper for guests to write good wishes to the bride and groom as the feeling strikes, says Martha. Look for inexpensive vintage machines online or at thrift stores or flea markets; they come in colors to go with any palette. After the wedding, tie into a scroll with ribbon.

Library board from snippets and ink

Board #164: Sshhhhhh...

...it's a library wedding! Complete with library card save-the-dates and stacks of books under every centerpiece. You can use an old typewriter for your guest book, and give small journals for favors. Here, even the bridesmaids' bouquet is part book (would that be a book-et? bad pun?), wrapped with colorful ribbon and decorated with chocolate cosmos. Another idea is to use book catalog cards as seating cards, and name tables after sections in the Dewey decimal system. Even if you don't get married in a library, the stacks of antique books as part of the centerpieces is one of my favorite elements, and is an easy way to incorporate your and your fiance's love of reading.

Mood: erudite elegance
Palette: rich red and mahogany, faded-paper ivory

{click image to enlarge}

Top row from left: boutonnieres from Rebecca Thuss, library book save-the-date by Crossroads Creative, cupcakes from Jen's Desserts
Row 2: bouquets by The Green Vase, Priscilla of Boston dress from Brides
Row 3: photo by Heather Waraksa, centerpieces by Artfool, library card invitation by Lily Darby, vintage type via More Ways to Waste Time (photo by thetypejunkie)
Row 4: centerpiece by LMD Floral, bow tie photo by Jessica Claire, old typewriter from Matthew Mead, book bouquet from Chewing the Cud (photo by Anna Kuperberg)

Update! I meant to include this earlier - Martha B did a library-inspired wedding board awhile back and it is truly lovely. For more library inspiration, take a look!
Update! How about this perfect invitation found on flickr?
Update! Look at these beautiful invitations by Sesame Letterpress via Faye & Greer.

Naming tables after authors

More examples can be found here

How to plan a Literary Wedding (from E-how)

Step 1:
If possible, plan the wedding on the day of your favorite author's birthday.

Step 2:
Write your own vows in the style of selected literature.

Step 3:
Use an officiant with an appropriate accent to enhance the feel of the wedding.

Step 4:
Design invitations in the format of a book. Use a play on the title in the invitation. Use a font that is reminiscent of the selected literature.

Step 5:
Plan the wedding attire to reflect the period of the story's setting.

Step 6:
Plan food and decorations for the wedding that are reflective of the culture found in the literary work.

Step 7:
If possible, give each guest a copy of the literary work on tape as a wedding favor.

Step 8:
Leave the reception in transportation fitting of the literary theme.

Some other wedding ideas I found on the indie bride forum

Dewey Decimal System Seating

Carrying a book instead of a bouquet, possibly including a single flower stem

A Lewis Carrol style tea-party reception with printed confetti and printed streamers to be thrown at the finale.

Song idea by Moxy Furvous

Lyrics below:

Well you should see my story reading baby, you should hear the things that she says
She says, "Hon drop dead, I'd rather go to bed with Gabriel Garcia Marquez."
Cuddle up with William S. Burroughs, leave on the light for Bell Hooks
I been flirtin' with Pierre Burton 'cause he's so smart in his books
I like to go out dancin'
My baby loves a bunch of authors
My heart's so broke and bleedin'
Baby's just sittin' there doin' some readin'

So I started watchin' some T.V., played my new CD player too
She said: "Turn it off or I'll call the cops and I'll throw the book at you."
All this arguin' made me get dizzy, called my doctor to come have a look
I said, "Doctor hurry!" he said: "Don't worry I'll be over when I finish my book"
I like to go out dancin'
My baby loves a bunch of authors
We've been livin' in hovels
Spendin' all our money on brand new novels
So I got myself on the streetcar and it drove right into someone
The driver said: "I was looking straight ahead!" but he was reading The Toronto Sun
So my honey and me go to a counsellor to help figure out what we need
She said: "We'll get your love growin', but before we get goin', here's some books I'd like you to read"
I like to go out dancin'
My baby loves a bunch of authors
Lately we've had some friction
'Cause my baby's hooked on short works of fiction
So we split and went to a party, some friends my girl said she knew
But what a sight 'cause it's authors night and the place looks like a Who's Who
Now I'm poundin' the ouzo - with Mario Puzo
Who's a funny fella? - W.P. Kinsella
Who brought the cat? - Would Margaret Atwood?
Who needs a shave? - He's Robertson Davies!
Ondaatje started a food fight, salmon mousse all over the scene
Spilled some dressing on Doris Lessing these writer types are scream!
I like to go out dancin'
My baby loves a bunch of authors
We'll be together for ages
Eatin' and sleepin' and
Eatin' and sleepin' and
Eatin' and sleepin' and
Turnin' pages