Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

11.07.2012

I could happily live in a bookstore such as this one


I Ask You

What scene would I want to be enveloped in
more than this one,
an ordinary night at the kitchen table,
floral wallpaper pressing in,
white cabinets full of glass,
the telephone silent,
a pen tilted back in my hand?

It gives me time to think
about all that is going on outside--
leaves gathering in corners,
lichen greening the high grey rocks,
while over the dunes the world sails on,
huge, ocean-going, history bubbling in its wake.

-part of a Billy Collins poem

I found the loveliest bookstore in Salt Lake City this past weekend. If you're in the area, be sure to visit The King's English bookstore. I was searching for a place to shoot a particular photography assignment and this was the first bookstore I went to and I was immediately enchanted. The ladies were very patient, and kind and helpful and I left one book richer with this collection of poetry by Billy Collins.

current reads



When people find out that I'm an English major I've noticed that they right away assume that I have certain tastes in reading. They expect me to know and love all of the classics and if I deign to read anything more modern than Tolstoy, certainly not anything mainstream. But I'm not that kind of reader.

I like reading lots of the "classics" (although when I was growing up I hated anything that I had to read for class *rebel at heart*), in fact Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte are two of my favorite authors, but I also love reading pop fiction. YA fantasy and science fiction are my favorite.

Since the last time I wrote about my current reads Nick and I finished reading The Night Circus and it was wonderful all the way through. If you haven't read it you should; it was captivating. Lately, I've been reading a smattering of science fiction/fantasy (can you tell that I'm an Orson Scott Card fan?) with some English novel classics thrown in and a little poetry to top it all off. For some reason I think that this time of year is meant for poetry, for curling up with some pumpkin hot chocolate, wrapped in a blanket absorbed by elegantly formed verse.

Robin McKinley is brilliant as always and even though I'm not very far into Dragonhaven yet, I already completely believe that Smokehill National Park not only exists, but should be on every family's vacation spots that they plan to visit.

I am apparently in the minority in having never read Heart of Darkness up til now. I knew of it, and thought I knew about it, but this short read was more complex than I expected (possibly aided by the fact that I read it for a class and we discussed it in depth) This novel wasn't nearly as black and white as I was led to believe.

Orson Scott Card sucks me into his worlds every time. Lost Gate and Ruins are pretty different, Norse mythology and time traveling pre-Earth-Human, but Card's characters are so dynamic and real, even the completely detestable ones, that I'd read anything he wrote. If only he would finish some of the series he has me addicted to.

The Thirty-Nine Steps was another book for my English Novel class, but I didn't have to fight to get into it. I felt like I was sitting in Humphrey Boggart's detective's office, like in The Maltese Falcon as I read this book.  It's one of the first spy/mystery type novels and has such a quick, informal writing style that it's easy to forget the narrator's name (Richard Hannay) because you feel like you're right there with him throughout the story, not reading about it as a second-hand witness.

Billy Collins is one of my favorite poets. He was the Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, which I imagine would be the most validating feeling in the world. (How many people even study poetry; not literature or creative writing in a general way, but specifically poetry?!) He has a fun, quirky tone and while reading his poetry is wonderful, listening to him read them is so much better. There are a lot of recordings available online, here is one of my favorites. So clever!

10.03.2012

why I spend so much time reading







Sometimes when people see me reading they'll tell me that they "wish that they had as much time as I have to just read." And then in the next breath they'll tell me about what movie they just saw or which television show they are addicted to. 

I don’t mean this as a criticism of the leisure activities that people choose to spend their time on; I, myself, enjoy movies and have too many shows, past and present, that I love. What's curious to me is that these people seem to think that I am either twiddling my thumbs, searching for activities to occupy my time or else the sole possessor of the secret to time management. In reality I am as engaged in my life as the next person, but if I don’t have time to do something it’s because I’ve allocated my time to something else. I simply love to read and so I choose to spend what "free time" (where's the giveaway for that prize?) reading. As of two weeks ago, I still slept with a flashlight by my bed, partly because we needed a bedside lamp and partly because I still think like the eight years old me sometimes and even though I know that I should be sleeping I can’t put my book down!

Anywho, off of my soapbox and onto some books. I haven't updated those books to your left in awhile but don't worry, I have still been reading. These are a few of the books that I’ve read/listened to lately:

The Book Thief—I know that I’ve mentioned this book before but since Nick and I have been listening to the audio book it has taken us awhile to finish it; although, not for lack of interesting plot or beautiful writing to be sure. I’ve picked this book up previously and was told how great it is but I put it down for one reason or another. Now I cannot write enough in praise of this book. The characters, writing, set up and emotions combined to make it a wonderful experience. Definitely the sort of book that I want to own so that I can reread and lend it out.

Emma was a joy to read this time around. I tried it years ago and didn’t finish it but this time I was laughing and cringing and thinking the whole time. Jane Austen might have said that she created a heroine that only she could like but I found myself relating to Emma—both her foibles and her difficulty sticking to her resolve to change. Although, I do pity Jane Fairfax for the putz she chooses to marry. 

The Night Circus is actually my current read. I’m reading it for book club but I had already started it and heard many good things about it. Overall I’m intrigued, and in many parts confused. It is a book with many many plot lines that it weaves together in a way that seems jumbled but never makes me want to stop. I'm worried to see what will happen next.  

Possession was the most recent read for my book club. I got about 60 pages into the book and then realized that I had seen the movie version on Netflix a few years back. Gwyneth Paltrow. This both made me like it more and halted my anticipation since I knew all of the plot twists that would come. It had some very poetic writing but a tad too erudite for my tastes. (Er·u·dite—having or showing great knowledge. Emphasis on the showing.) If you are more highbrow than myself, which isn't hard, try it out. Otherwise, enjoy the movie. 

Nick is also experiencing The Blue Sword for his first time ever and I'm happy to reread it with him. What are you reading right now?

P.S. How great are these book cover designs? I am fascinated by them; embroidery, silhouettes, an illustration and this renaissance painting!

8.29.2012

The Story/Book-Katherine

Katherine is the lovely thrifty-fashion blogger behind Thrifted Things. I've followed her blog for a while, but I haven't yet had the opportunity to meet her in person even though she lives relatively close.  She is an Apparel and Design student at BYU-Idaho in the little town of Rexburg, which I think is so cool and appropriate for her since she loves clothes and has awesome style. She recently got married and you can read about some of their adventures together on her blog. Katherine said that she loves thrifting and ice cream almost as much as she loves her hubs Rob.

Thanks Katherine, for being a part of The Story/Book.
The Story~
One of my favorite books is The Great Gatsby. I'll be honest with you all--reading has not always been a priority or love of mine. But by growing older and I've really learned to enjoy reading. I read this book for the first time my sophomore read of high school. 

The Book~
I fell in the love with the period of time it was written in. I wish that I could go back in time and live in this book. The way he describes people and the places and the time... goodness, it gets me every time.

Other Recommendations~ A couple other favorites that I love are Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I'm reading the Hunger Games right now and I am hooked.

The Hunger Games can be so addictive! Thank you Katherine, for being a part of The Story/Book.

8.03.2012

how to create a window display for a bookstore

I love bookstores. The big chain ones like Barnes & Noble and the small, local ones that seem to be everywhere in Cambridge.

I came across Lorem Ipsum, a new and used bookstore, many weeks ago and instantly liked it because of the clever sign it displayed on an old-fashioned TV that said, " Read Instead." The inside is filled with books for pretty much anyone and everything. I've worked at both a library and a bookstore and love the feeling of being surrounded by shelves of books. It's a feeling of safety and anticipation. (I am such a nerd.)

If I was ever to open a shop it would almost certainly be a bookstore, although I probably wouldn't make a profit since I would be too busy reading the books myself to want to sell them to other people. :) Another sign in the window said, "New work coming soon." So I thought I would share how I would design the window display and decorate the inside of their (or my) store.

I guess the store used to be Cambridge Refrigerator Specialists since that's the larger sign on the outside and they have an old refrigerator filled with books inside the store. So the window display would be a vintage kitchen with book accents, like the plants and broom.

Woman, Umbrella, Plants, Broom

7.19.2012

Dear Nick,

We ate pizza on a quilt on our living room floor. We kept the door propped open to let in the after storm cool of the night. Jeopardy was on TV and we answered "What are" and "Who is" before the contestants beeped in. There were root beer floats, pizza sans gluten and sans dairy, and a brownie for dessert. You ate your pesto and cheese pizza even though it was thin crust and you prefer thick and you liked it.

Then we crawled into bed and listened to more of The Book Thief and I became more in love with you. Because I was sick and you cared for me. I was sad and you comforted me. I was alone and you stayed with me. I was hungry and you fed me. I was bored and you played with me. I was lonely and you gave me attention. I wanted to create and you supported and helped me. Thank you, Nick.

Last night I had a terrible migraine. Despite the amazing, cable destroying thunderstorms we had here we were supposed to go canoeing with some of the boys in our church, but we had to bail on them which made me feel even worse than the migraine. I felt so frail, which is not a condition I am used to since I am usually the caretaker not receiver.

Nick was very sweet and gentle with me and with a little medecine and lots of attention he made me all better. I was still weak from my episode though and had no desire to cook so we went to our trusted friend Groupon and got a great deal on pizza from Stone Hearth Pizza which is conveniently located right across the street from us. This was the third night in a row that we had pizza for dinner (and you might be able to guess what I've been having for breakfast as well) but I wasn't sick of it and theirs was seriously good pizza and service in my book. It makes me so happy whenever I find a restaurant that has a good gluten free selection on their menu. I love to cook, but sometimes you just want to go out to eat--or at least have them make your food and then eat it picnic-style on your own floor--and not feel like your dietary needs are a hassle or that you might accidentally be poisoned because the people don't know what gluten is. 

6.19.2012

lost and found?

So I disappeared for a while.

I'd like to blame it on the blast we had camping in Zion National Park, moving to a new city (a cool one I might add--Cambridge), or being so busy from packing up our life and roadtripping it to Chicago for a couple of days on the way to our new abode.

But the truth is those are not the reasons that I haven't been blogging. In fact we've been more or less settled in for the last week (shut up,  dishes in the sink and three bags full o' laundry in the corner). In fact I've been twiddling my thumbs in between job searching, and catching up on entire seasons of shows via the internet that I didn't know I even cared about two weeks ago.

The reason that I haven't been blogging is because I've been waiting for the ta-da  before I share the many stories that have been happening in our life. You know what I mean. That point in the book or movie where it all works out or comes together, or the storyline finally makes sense, or at the very least there is a feeling of acceptance (usually accompanied by soulful, yet non invasive music, and sometimes rain.) Cause even though I know that everyone has real life problems and no one expects me to be Perky Patty, I. Want. That. I don't like feeling like saying "C'est la vie" every time that one more thing piles up and I do want to feel like there's a purpose behind all of this. I know that some things just happen, but when it's one thing after another, I begin to feel broken down, beaten up, hollow but not fragile--hard. So that's what I haven't wanted to share with you, but I'm so tired of waiting for one big good thing to happen to wipe it all away. Maybe this, telling it, all of it, can be a good thing big enough for now. For today.

The Reasons: Nick loses his wallet--his driver's license, and credit card and the cash that he carries, his Olive Garden gift card, we can't find his birth certificate or passport, he needs a passport to go on a trip for his internship, we enter DMV hell for so many days and so long I now understand the phrase "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" refers to that place, we get a deserved speeding ticket (but the justice doesn't make us feel better), 
I lose my wedding band (queue gasps, and yes I know that it's not the worst thing in the world, but I consistently have dreams that I've miraculously found it, (said miracles sometimes involve octopi) and when I wake up I'm despondent and even knowing we will eventually get another band doesn't make me feel better inside because it won't be my ring, just some replacement), we almost run out of gas on a mountain, we kill a squirrel, we almost get another speeding ticket, we almost kill a cat, Nick loses a second wallet, with less but still vital contents, I stub my toe so badly I think it's broken (it's not), and then, today, we are towed and I arrive 3 minutes before a open interviews end for a job I was interested in (chances of getting that job . . . ) The End

Now that that's mostly out of my system I'm excited to update you on what's been happening and what's coming up and everything I've been thinking and how I'm feeling about what I'm thinking about.   Now on to some more pictures of us in Cambridge and proof that even though I technically don't have to I do shower and go outdoors and wear clothes. Not always in that order of course.

P.S. It was actually Nick's idea to take so many pictures as a little Family Home Evening activity. So sweet, so cute, so glad he's mine. 



5.16.2012

The Story/Book- Bri

This is Bee. Doesn't she take the most beautiful pictures? And, not to make her blush, but she has gorgeous eyes and a snazzy sense of syle. She blogs over at The Secret Life of Bee where she writes about life, art vintage style and, oh yeah, takes amazing photographs. I've enjoyed her pictures and writing for a long while now.

Thanks Bee, for being a part of The Story/Book.
The Story~
I am excited to be over here talking about one of my favorite things in the world: books! I am a total bibliophile which I proudly get from my mother. My all time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. For those of you that have not read it, it is about poverty, prejudice and loyalty in the deep south as seen through the eyes of a child. Like many people, I read it in high school. The particular teacher I had when I read it was so wonderful and really brought the story alive for me.

The Book~

I honestly don't have one specific reason why it's my favorite. There are so many pieces/people in the story that are dear to my heart: Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, Calpurnia, Scout, Dill. So many reasons to love all of these characters. Someday I plan on giving one of our children a name from one of these beautiful characters.

Other Recommendations~
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith, The Old Man and The Sea Ernest Hemingway, The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald, As I Lay Dying William Faulkner, Life of Pi Yann Martel. 
I am always looking for more books, so stop by and let me know what your favorite is!

My mom was a great supporter of my reading habits too, Bee. Thanks again for being a part of 
The Story/Book.

12.05.2011

books and quotes


I've always loved reading. 
Through books and blogs I can read about experiences that I've never had. 
I've heard it said that it's not what you read, but what you re-read that tells the most about you. 

There are so many good books and blogs out there, but I do have my "favorites" that I go to time and again. 
If something is well written I think you can learn something new each time, not just when it's fresh and the first time.  

P.S. I left my SD card at home : (, but I have some cute pictures to show you when I get there. : )

11.25.2011

Thanksgiving recap

Our Thanksgiving started with a 10 o'clock pie run on Thanksgiving Eve to satisfy the husband's sweet craving, which rears it's head so infrequently that pie became my highest priority. Then we watched an inordinate amount of shows on Netflix and ended the night by snuggling in bed while reading one of my favorite Diana Wynne Jones books, The Dalemark Quartet. (Reading together over the break is a tradition for us that we started last Thanksgiving right after we got engaged.)

The next morning was sleepy and slow and perfect. (Love our heater and blankets.) Then we got up, danced around our place to Christmas music while I made g-free bread and artichoke dip and we both talked to our fams back home.

After much food and some games at Nick's aunt's house we continued the party with his sister and brother-in-law at my friend Amy's place. (We might have had a second Thanksgiving dinner with her. And she may have made the best sweet potatoes ever. Maybe.) Then we watched a double feature, first at Amy's and then the dollar theater. (Yay for cheap treats!)


I know that Halloween was ages ago, but I just saw this video yesterday and I was doubled over laughing. What would you have done when you were a kid if your parents told you that they ate all of your Halloween candy?

7.20.2011

The Power of Books

via

I love to read. 
When I was young reading was more important to me than eating, a new book, food. 
I have lived a thousand lives, been on a hundred adventures, and saved the world more than once. 
When I find myself crying as I read a book I am not crying for the character. I am crying for myself because I am that person in the book. 
For a few hours at least I feel what they feel I see what they see and I want what they want. At least that's what happens when I read what I would characterize as a good book. 
I needed books when I was growing up. 
They kept me and I kept them. 
Mostly. 

The only problem that I had with books was that they always had an ending.
You can feel it as you become immersed into a world of wonder, their is a kinship between you and at least one other character and you are excited for the journey they take and worried for them at the same time, but with each page turn the book becomes lighter in your right hand and thicker in you left. The climax will happen and the end will come. 
Endings always left me somewhat flat and empty. 
It wasn't a feeling of is that it? 
More like a deflated balloon after it soars. 
I do sometimes still feel hungry for a good book, but endings don't leave me so empty anymore.
And I wonder if I wasn't really empty, because those books have stayed with me and changed me. Perhaps I just wasn't full yet. 

It's been many years since I finished the last book in the Harry Potter series, and this last weekend Nick and Stephanie and I went to see part 2 of movie 7.
(I was Winky, just so you know.) 
And while I loved the books, they were not the only ones that shaped my teenage years. 

Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite authors. 
She died earlier this year after battling cancer. 
I owe a lot to her and her stories for the imagination that they helped me develop and the choices I had to make, as I lived through her characters, in situations I'll never really have to face. 
If you have never read her books I am sorry. 
They are magical.
And it's not just that they are fantasy stories or her writing style is simple and beautiful. 
It's all of it and more for me.
Go and read The Homeward Bounders, The Time of the Ghost or The Dalemark Quartet.
Go beg for someone to lend you their copy, borrow it from your nearest library or buy it from a bookstore. They are worth it. 

Thank you for your books and letting me get to know you through them, Diana.

6.15.2011

Date a girl who reads


The following quote, although written by someone else, is too beautiful to cut up and vaguely reference so I've included it in its entirety. Before you read it I must say that I agree.


"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by God, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

I found this here but it is by Rosemary Urquico.