Balancing Act

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Hey, I need to level things out here. All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl. Too much studying! I need a pleasure-read. What are some good books you'd recommend, oh dear readers? "But, Lily," you say, "you don't have time to read!" One can always find time for a worthy book, yo.

I like books like, uh, Count of Monte Cristo. There's only one of those, though, and even all of Dumas' other works combined didn't compare to the wonder and glory of that one book, you know? So what else? In essence, I like books that transport me to another world/time/way of thinking. I like to be completely consumed by a fantasy. The best ones follow me around after I put down the book, lingering behind me like a pieces of gauze in the wind, the little scraps settling in my hair when I slow down.

Classics are best, but I like new stuff too. And I'll read non-fiction if the ideas are fascinating enough.

Leave suggestions in the comment section, why don't ya?*

(Rather than through the contact form, you know who you are!)

Herbs

I found this book at a thrift store and I can't put it down! Being slightly too lazy to scan my copy, I tried to find an image to show you what I'm talking about, but all I could find was this copyrighted image from amazon. The book is really old and not much in fashion at the moment.

It is fascinating to me! Back in college, I took a botany class and still feel pretty comfortable with the terms and parts. Having family members with a somewhat specialized knowledge of wildflowers and the like has given me a natural tendency to be interested in the area. And it is so practical. 

The Herbalist has a lot to offer for such a small book. There is an illustrated, encyclopedic section telling the various names, descriptions and uses of the herbs. Then a lot of recipes and directions for making teas, spices, wines, cordials, bitters, potpourri, sachets, dentifrices, gargles, cosmetics, dyes, smoke mixtures and curios. 

(Now I'll be able to get some use out of my Rosemary's Baby necklace...)

I think the next thing to do is start collecting examples of these plants, pressed for reference. And eventually do some further reading. Here are some other books on the subject. 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Delving into an area of special study for the purpose of independent enrichment is so good for the brain. Do you have an area of interest like this? For one of my brothers, it seems to be early roman emperors and for James it is American folk songs right now...

Time Enough

When I was sitting for all those hours in the hospital room, I occupied my mind with this book, Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein. It is a futuristic, sci-fi/fantasy novel that so far doesn't touch Dune, but still offers quite a bit of interest and fun.

I didn't get very far because we all talked an awful lot and watched this weird reality game show about competitive tattooing as well as the last half of Gladiator, the first third of Book of Eli and Fracture in its entirety. And I'll admit I took some naps. Because if I have to sit in a stuffy room, wear a hospital gown and sit in a chair that can't not recline, I'm going to get sleepy. As would you.

This last picture makes me want to start a new blog all about how to look ridiculous. But I don't know how, it just comes naturally.

The Anti-Nuclear Handbook

If more important things were presented like this, I would understand so much more. Seriously, illustrate it and use everyday language and I get it. I do. 

This is a book form the late 70s that I found in our school library. I was doing research for a speech I'm writing. Boy, did our library surprise me. So many great books. And this fun little one. 

I'm not going to be citing it in my speech because 1) it is a comic and 2) it has a definite leftist slant (with which, for the record, I am ok). For the purpose of persuasion, I am trying to use only Presidents' Commissions and scientific papers, etc. But for my own understanding and the sake of conversation, this book is great. 

Consider the Ravens

One of the best things about this holiday season for me was getting to see Hudson, my brother who lives in the frozen north, West Virginia. He only comes to visit every few months and we write letters intermittently between his visits. 

Hudson lives on a mountain and works the land. He spends a considerable amount of time alone and I believe he must spend most of that time reading. His letters are laced with quotes and references. 

He left me feeling inspired to read more. Specifically my Bible, but generally everything. Classics and anything interesting. Because your mind is a palace and why fill it up with images from a bright, flashing screen when you can fill it with wonder and intrigue and complexity of thought? Hudson has a million references to make his own experience more historically resonant, by which I mean, he can see how what he sees and does echoes what has come before and parallels ideas that great minds from the past have expressed. 

It is a wonderful thing, a head full of thoughts.

image via pinterest

What She Wore :: Frida Baby

I only titled the post that way because I have "Santa Baby" stuck in my head. (Possibly thanks to a friend who reminds us all on facebook that Christmas-song-time is coming up [not that he hasn't been listening to those songs all year].) Anyway, back to the post. Beatrice has this amazingly fun outfit that she likes to wear for dress up. Yes, that's right, she wears clothes sometimes. But only sometimes. (See flickr page) I made the skirt and James took the pictures.

The skirt goes all the way to the floor and she calls it her Laura skirt. Like Laura Ingles. We read that earlier this year. We started The Chronicles of Narnia last week, but it didn't work. Her eyes just got too darn big with wonder while I kept tearing up due to an excess of nostalgia. It's fine. We'll wait a few years until Amby is ready to join us. For now we'll stick to My Father's Dragon. 

Return to Arrakis

So I've been reading Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) to satisfy my Sherlock cravings. (I recast it, though, hope that doesn't offend anyone. [nevermind, never you mind who is who...]) It is an intellectual mystery wherein the author assumes the reader is comfortable with stretches of Latin (check), French (une petit) and Italian (niente affatto). They are all thrown together pell-mell whilst I do my best to recall anything that remains of my past studies. Yikes. The story is gripping though and there's enough English that I can keep up.

I only know one person who has read this: my friend Josh. He knows I'm trying to read it. Yet, yesterday he went out and bought the next Dune book for me. So much for improving my romance languages. I'm about halfway through Heretics of Dune as of tonight. And I'll read a bit more before bed.

Mini Crit

Tomorrow in Graphic Design class, we are having a mini critique for our current project. We are designing book covers for a series. We get to choose three books by different authors. The books should have some common thread or connection.

These are my preliminary sketches that I will show tomorrow. I have a backup set in a completely different vein in case these are rejected. Of course, they'll be super refined (these are scanned from my sketchbook), but I think you can see where I'm going with it:

That last one is a bit lost in scanslation. Hard to see what's going on. Anyway. I'm having fun! :)

Have you read any of these books??

Braids

This little girl wears two braids in her hair almost every day. She has to be like Laura. We are reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Bea loves it! She wants me to read it to her as soon as she wakes up in the morning, but mostly it is for bedtime/naptime after Amby is down.

Those books are so sweet and I think it is really good for Bea to start to realize that I'm not just making this stuff up: My standards for Bea's behavior are very similar to Ma's standards for Laura and Mary. Little girls must not be selfish, they must obey, do their chores and sometimes they must even be quiet.

I think Bea's favorite part so far was when Ma slapped a bear because she thought it was Sukey, their cow. That was really scary! But they were ok because Laura obeyed right away without asking questions. :)

Books

Paul Rumsey*

Judging from the great quantity of fashion/outfit/style oriented posts around here, you may be surprised to learn that I have a life outside of my closet. My life extends, believe it or not, all the way to the local library. Last week I checked out Ender's Game and consumed it in a few days. It's so engrossing! I had only read one Orson Scott Card book before, the first in the Seventh Son series.

FACT: The only thing better than discovering a new author, is learning that s/he is prolific.

Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell? What a wonderful book! Now I'm well into the author's collection of short stories. I love that she sticks to her Jonathan Strange universe in this collection. England in the early 1800s. And faerie.

I enjoy books that are mind bending, have well-conceived plots, and are character driven. If you know of any that fit this bill, TELL ME!

François Schuiten

*I am afraid I must advise you not to follow this link. Though this library mind is fascinating, the other images are disturbing. You have been warned.

Charm: The Career Girl's Guide to Business and Personal Success

I had this book when I was a teenager and I spent countless hours with it. Somewhere in all the upheaval of college and moving and marriage, it got gone. Finally, last week, I looked it up online and ordered another copy. (Life is so much easier now that we have the internet. As a teen, I chanced upon it at the Salvation Army or similar thrift store. Back when I spent more time in the book section than the clothes.)

This is a book that teaches a young lady how to be charming: how to do your hair and make-up, how to develop your personal style, how to be pleasant company and have a pleasing voice, how to find and keep a good job, how to charm a man into giving you his name. And it is a treasure trove of vintage graphics/pictures/illustrations.

That last image is in the section that tells you all about how to deal with The Office Wolf and the many varieties of office wolves there are. You will also learn how to deal with old people and which girdle works best for you, how to behave at a party and how to wear a wig.

This book would make a great gift to any young lady in your life, especially one who has a heart for vintage or who is career oriented. (Or who you feel needs a good nudge some inspiration.)

What She Wore 3: DIY Owl Costume

After seeing this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess, I wanted to make one for my own self. Or should I say, my own selfish. Because I have a little girl who would actually get more wear out of a pretty costume like this than I would. So I made it for her.

In addition to the tutorial, this dress is also inspired by Beatrice's current favorite book, Owl At Home by the amazingly charming Arnold Lobel. His stories and illustrations are so perfect that I really don't mind reading this to Beatrice 2-5 times a day.

My Little Bookworm

I just read the first 3 chapters of Matilda by Roald Dahl to my mesmerized 2 year old. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are so perfect! I am sure a lot of it goes right over her head, but she loves it none the less. Reading aloud slightly above her level is a great way to build up her vocabulary and stretch her understanding. She is getting the basic plot though- I know because I stop and ask her questions about what's going on every few pages.

Mockingjay

I got it Sunday and finished it this morning. Frustrating, but ultimately satisfying. I won't say anything more because Mama is reading it now...

Next Book, Please!!

I finished reading Dune by Frank Herbert last night (at 11:30, in the bath). I can't wait to get the next in the saga. If I had an extra $10 lying around, I'd probably buy this:

It's a journal made out of pages from Dune.

Have you seen the movie? You know, the silly-80s-B-movie? I love it. I want to watch it right now. It is so quotably cheesy! It was directed by David Lynch and a total flop!

 The story in the book is waaaaay different, though. As usual.

What I'm Reading

and

I'm interested in Geisha as a subject for my art. Their floating worlds fascinates me. There is so much beauty and mystery, tradition and ceremony. And grace. I love that they leave a bit of skin bare on the backs of their necks to remind us that underneath all the makeup and costumes there is a flesh and blood woman.

Why I Haven't Blogged

There are lots of reasons. Here are the best ones:

1. We had one of those Super Busy Holidays. I mean, the kind where we still feel a bit hung over from it.

2. I was reading these great books I got for Christmas:

Byron in Love by Edna O'Brien and -

The Varieties of Scientific Experience by Carl Sagan. OK. Neither of these pictures represents the actual book covers, but they show is pretty.

3. We got so sick as to be bedridden. For two days.