Reading, lately

This turned up in the mail, an unexpected gift from my mom.

{comfort reading}

My childhood copy had been tattered and torn to bits, eventually losing several chapters. The Teddy Bear Habit is one of those random gems of young adult literature. Set in Greenwich in the 60s and full of slang, cultural references and foot chases across Manhattan, it's far more hilarious than I realized as a kid. 

Sadly, it isn't widely available. It was briefly re-issued in 2001, and luckily there are still a few of those editions floating around (like the one pictured here). The paperback 70s edition had fabulous sketched illustrations, but it seems impossible to find.

Reading, lately

Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin had the trifecta - intriguing name, well designed cover, Lauren's stamp of approval.

{reading}

It seems almost redundant to say it was excellent, but it was. Lots of interwoven stories, done well. Good plot (as gauche as it may be to admit it in literary circles, I like plot). The writing itself is artful - almost unbelievably quotable. You know when you find yourself sticking post it notes all over a book because you keep finding sentences you love? That happens here.

Like this ... The simple things come back to us. They rest for a moment by our ribcages then suddenly reach in and twist our hearts a notch backward.

And this ... Some people think love is the end of the road, and if you're lucky enough to find it, you stay there. Other people say it just becomes a cliff you drive off, but most people who've been around awhile know it's just a thing that changes day by day, and depending on how much you fight for it, you get it, or you hold on to it, or you lose it, but sometimes it's never even there in the first place.

Luckily McCann doesn't get so caught up in crafting those sentences that he loses the overall arc of the story. It's lovely, truly. I checked it out from the library, but I'll be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf because I'm sure I'll be wanting to re-read it soon. 

(Re)reading, lately

I know there are a million worthwhile books in the world and at this rate I might never get through the winners on the Pulitzer fiction list, much less the finalists, and that is a shame. But I still like re-reading. So there.

{re-reads}

I Capture the Castle is hilarious and sweet without being saccharine. Very classic. Don't be put off by the new cover, which they designed after the movie came out. (Haven't seen it - is it worth two hours of my life?)

C.S. Lewis never gets old. Can you tell how many times I've read these? Will you be horrified to find out that this is actually the second boxed set I've been through and that the first 30 pages of The Silver Chair fell out years ago and I lost them? My books aren't carefully tended, they are water stained and dog eared and sometimes full of crumbs, but they are thoroughly loved.

Reading, lately

Loved, loved, loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

{reading, lately}

I fully admit that I picked it off the shelf because of the title. I was a teensy bit unsure of where the book was going in the beginning, but I fell into it fairly quickly. It's sweet and funny and unusual. The ending wallops you out of nowhere, which I always love.

I also love that the people who gave it bad reviews on Amazon almost universally mention that they found it pretentious. I found the pretension purposeful and intentionally hilarious - I guess we all read things differently.

Do you ever go to Amazon and read other people's reviews after you've finished a book? I try to never do it before I read something, because I like to come to it without any idea of what I'm getting into.

Reading, lately

I was a gluttonous reader over the holiday break. I went to the library and checked out an enormous stack of books and dove right in.

My favorite one of the bunch?

{Mark Haddon, A Spot of Bother}

It was so amazingly funny and touching. It focuses on family tensions (um, do I ever read about anything else?) during a transitional period (a daughter prepares for her second wedding, the father has just retired). I wanted to tear through it as quickly as possible but somehow also make it last as long as possible. That's the sign of a good book.

I haven't read his first(?) novel yet, but it's on the list.

Reading, lately

Now is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer - I loved, loved, loved this book. It's a pretty straightforward bildungsroman of a young gay man growing up in Idaho in the 60s but the voice is pitch perfect and the characters suck you right in. I was so grateful that it was nice and long because I didn't want it to end. I even re-read parts of it right away.

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz - This is almost a mystery, with lots of secrets and tension. It's set in a rural area and takes place during and after World War I. If you love dark period pieces about social mores and family secrets, you'll like it.

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout - I found this book hard to read, because the central mother daughter relationship is so painful. But the writing is absolutely beautiful and the characters come alive and I ended up loving it.

What to read in Hawaii (or poolside anywhere)

What I read...

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I loved this but it isn't really poolside reading. I don't think I did it justice, because I was putting it down and picking it up and splashing water all over it and getting distracted by waiters with pina coladas. It deserves better treatment, like a quiet afternoon on the couch with a cup of tea.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory
This is not fine literature but it's addictive, particularly if you are an avid historical fiction fan like I am. Start with The Other Boleyn Sister (I'd already read it).

Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
I love the Dame. This was a re-read for me (I've read every single mystery she's ever written) but I found it for a buck at a used book store and I needed back up material. Perfect escapist fun.

Reading, lately

I don't always share my reads with you because sometimes when I get stressed or overly busy I go on Agatha Christie binges, which aren't particularly useful to anyone. Except me, because I find them comforting.

Non murder mysteries that I've enjoyed recently...

The Outside World by Tova Mirvis

A funny, sweet and emotional little love story that gives you a glimpse into the Orthodox Jewish world.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I might be the last person to read this, but I finally gave in and I loved it. Such a great, escapist love story.

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

I couldn't resist the title. This novel focuses tightly on family dynamics, which I always love, but I have to admit I disliked several of the main characters which made it less appealing. The writing is wonderful, though, and I like the way food is used throughout the book.


How about you? Anything good on your bedside table these days?

Reading, lately

I actually read a lot, even though I don't post about it often. I have a pretty haphazard method of picking out books at the library, which is nice because I can find things I've never heard of before, but it also means I read a lot of books that are just so-so and not worth mentioning. Happily, I've gotten quite a few stand outs over the last few weeks, based on nothing other than dumb luck.


Three Junes by Julia Glass definitely sucked me in. It's a family story, with a couple of different viewpoints. I pretty much always love books with some good family tension. Plus, it's fun to read something with a nice shiny medal on the front, isn't it? If you like Scotland, family secrets and frustrations with a nice healthy dose of sibling love/squabbling, I'd recommend it to you.




The World to Come by Dara Horn was one of those books I picked out just because I liked the cover design and font choice. Uh huh, I am weird like that and I actually do this a lot, with mixed results. But guess what? It turned out to be really good, so I'm vindicated. There's a bit of mystery, some spiritualism, some art and some love. If you like Chabon, I think this is a good bet for you.




The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton was pretty amazing, but it also turns out to be incredibly depressing. I can't decide whether I would recommend it to you, even though the writing is gorgeous. Apparently, Oprah recommends it. I have to admit, I tend to be a little snobby and try not to carry around books with her seal on them. Does anyone else have this issue? It's nothing against Oprah or her book club, really. The edition I checked out from the library had not yet been stamped with her little O so I was safe.

Are you guys on the lookout for stuff to read? I could always do more frequent posts about books. I read a crazy mix of stuff, mostly novels, short stories and murder mysteries, for when I'm feeling too tired to sink my teeth into something meaningful. I end up going through 4 -5 books a week, on average, which sounds a bit insane, but I take public transit everywhere, which gives me lots of time to read. I'm deep in The Zookeeper's Wife right now, which I embarrassingly and mistakenly believed to be a novel until I got an entire chapter through and realized it was non-fiction/history. The title fooled me, but I'm loving it so it's okay.

Are you reading anything right now that I should know about?

Thrifted books (and fabric)

Since we were already downtown on Saturday, I convinced D to stop in at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. It's enormous, hot, poorly lit, and completely disorganized. To most people, this probably sounds like a nightmare, but I see it as a challenge.

And I scored! I picked up several sweet vintage sheets. Sheets are an amazing way to get tons of fabric for very little money per yard, if you check the labels to make sure you're getting 100% cotton, and keep your eye out for sheets that don't look too sheet-y, if that makes sense. For some reason, many sheets are instantly identifiable as sheets, even when the fabric is cut up. It takes some effort to look for good colors in high quality fabric so that you avoid this problem.

Actually, one of these is a table cloth, but whatever. Sorry for the poor lighting. I swear the colors are cuter in the light of day.

I fell in love with this print, and in person, the colors are a great range of greens on white cloth.

But I really made out in the book section. $2.10 for each hardback, and despite somewhat limited patience, I managed to dig out three books I'm very glad to add to my library.

I grew up with the Jane Brody cookbook, and I love it. The subtitle is Living the High Carbohydrate Way, which thrills me. Of course, she really means veggies and whole grains, rather than say, Twinkies. The Silver Palate Cookbook looks great too, but I'm really excited about the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. This little gem has incredibly detailed descriptions of basically every sewing technique you can imagine, perfect for a novice like me.

You can get the new version on Amazon, but the cover isn't nearly as cute. And it probably doesn't have this amazingness...

Seriously, how cool is this lady? I heart the bag, the outfit, the massive sunglasses. I wish the scan quality was better so you could see all the detail.

And this really made my day. It's just a little skirt for wearing to the beach, right?

Wrong. It's also a makeshift tent for changing out of your swimsuit.

According to the book: Worn as a skirt over a swim suit, the coverup will take you in style to snack stand or parking lot. Take cover under the cape for protection against sun or breezes. In a pinch, under its generous width, you could even change from wet suit to dry clothes!

Amazing. Please note that the "cape" does not have slits for your arms, so you would have to walk around like a mummy.

It looks like there are copies of the old version up on Ebay. I can already tell it's going to be a mine of information as I do more and more sewing.

A little bit of everything

This weekend somehow managed to be packed full and lazy at the same time. I'm not sure how that happens, but it makes the weekend feel nice and long, so I'll take it.
Some highlights...

• Big fluffy lisianthus from the farmer's market in my newish milk glass vase that I picked up at my favorite antique mall last month.
• A good trip to the library (I made it through The Spellman Files in one day and I'm currently tearing through Comfort Me with Apples).
• Some thrifted fabrics from Goodwill - I'm starting to think about Christmas gifts and these were purchased with a special project in mind.
• Mango salsa! No real recipe. Mangoes + tomatoes + red onion + a chili pepper + cilantro + salt + pepper + a dash of vinegar.
• Lots of good tea both mornings, drunk in bed while reading.
• Super cute sailor pants from the Anthro sale. Naturally, they have to get some serious hemming, but they were a good find. Love the sale room at the 3rd street Anthro.

First post

I've thought a lot about starting a blog lately, and I've finally decided that I should just give it a shot and see how it goes. Rather than just thinking about it all the time, that is.
Why? I like to write, and I like to talk, and this seems like a nice fusion of the two.
Why now? I just got a new sewing machine and a new camera, and between the two of them I am feeling the need to get some images out there.
What? Not sure yet. I admire those people who are able to pick a focus for their blog and just run with it, but I think this will probably end up being a bit of a hodge podge. I don't stick to any one thing long enough to make an entire blog out of it.

I picked my blog name from my favorite stanza in T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland. Yes, I am nerdy like that. Get used to it. Here's the quote:

'You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;	35
'They called me the hyacinth girl.'
—Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither
Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,	40
Looking into the heart of light, the silence.
Od' und leer das Meer.

I'm not sure why, but those lines get me every time. If you can, check out the recording of T.S. Eliot actually reading the poem. It's even better in his gravely voice.