Book journey.

Have you ever been somewhere you've read about in a book?
Or traveled to an author's home?

I went to Walden Pond... I'm not a huge fan but being in a place that inspired someone else is special. Sitting in his home, looking at his views. Stepping into another's shoes. 

I think I would like to go to Emirates Stadium (oh wait! I did!), and Beirut, and to Thirsk to see James Herriot's surgery.

What I'm reading in bed this week.

Oprah Does Books.

I volunteer of Fridays. It's not very glam, I wipe down rooms full of germs between patients and stock carts and read old magazines. But fortuitously for me there were relatively new magazines this week and what did I spy? A book list in O! These are the winter books I'll be adding to my library cart (as well as a new book club book). Except the first book... that one has been on the list for a while and I have no excuse as to why it's not read yet. Oops. I'm especially psyched for The End of Your Life Book Club since it's about my job + reading. What a great combo.

What would you name your autobiography?

Stories, I love them. Anyone else love them? Two of my favorite books of all time are autobiographies.
I think one thing that is appealing about them is that they are charmingly skewed by the person writing them. I love to hear true stories- I listen to the Moth obsessively and ease stories out of my patients every day. Today a woman told me that last week while she was at treatment her husband bought a new house and moved them into it without her finding out. In five hours she was unpacked and completely settled in a new home! Isn't that crazy!!? True stories are so wild.

These two are thoroughly enjoyable as well...  and one written by a friend.

I love to think about what I would title my autobiography.
I haven't settled on anything I love but I make myself laugh with stupid titles.
How about you? Anything you've had squirreled away for when you write about your exciting life?

Big bookcase-

Have you seen this giant gorgeous Brazilian home?

I don't think I could have enough books to fill a bookcase that size (I reread too much). 

But it's so pretty! The house is a weird mix of design but a giant bookcase is hard to argue with.

The only kind of porn I endorse.

Reading, writing.

Read a book!

It's book week (not that I won't be watching Walking Dead but...)!

Again. Because I love reading.

Reading is discovering the hearts of others. And discovering yourself.

I write things down.
To remember it.
To sort it out in my head.
To discover things about myself.

So they are related, reading and writing and sorting things out.




Keeping a journal.
A girl reading in the olden days. And another.

Nailed It!

Book week was a success!

And when I say success I mean I love books and talking about books and reading books and so I had the most enjoyable week ever!

Aren't these pretty covers?? Embroidery is my next skill to learn.

Gorgeous paintings. Of books.

Jane Mount paints pictures of people's favorite books, their ideal bookshelf. She even does custom orders (unless all you really want is the Harry Potter books, in which case she's got you covered already!). I love the gorgeous bindings on all the Jane Austen books- I just read an article that said books are becoming works of art in order to entice people to buy them as opposed to a kindle or nook copy (can't remember where, sorry).

I think that's something that should have been happening anyway!

Owning vs Borrowing

I housesat for some friends and I visited them to see how to take care of the puppy before they left. I only had one question: where did they keep their books? I'd been in every room in the house and hadn't seen a bookcase! And they told me

THEY DIDN'T OWN ANY BOOKS- THEY JUST BORROWED FROM THE LIBRARY.

(photo from here)

I thought that was the weirdest thing! What happens when you want to read your favorite book right then? But then I examined the books I own vs the books I brought to college and I realized that many books I own I don't really love or read or need. If I want to read Frederick Douglas or The Sun Also Rises I can always hop it down the waterfront library and borrow it. I took every book I was sure to read with me to school and they neatly fit on my dresser top.

I'm having a dilemma: purge my books or let them be the one thing I collect?!?

All stars.

I went to my bookcase and looked at my books and picked out the ones I read and reread- everything on this list I read at least twice a year. More if I'm being honest.

And what I actually read makes me laugh:

I love the struggle in Guy.

I love that it's short and that doesn't make it less great.

I bought a new copy of this in Paris but knowing me I'll give it away to someone before 2013!

Comfort poetry. He loves the sea, I love the sea.

When I can't sleep I read this book out loud and it lulls you like the waves. Not joking.

If you're extra awake you can read it in spanish (this version is bilingual).

I enjoy this entire series but this one is my favorite: it's James' time in WWII and some of the funniest vet stories. There is no one in the world I can think of who wouldn't enjoy James Herriot. I've given copies of his books as gifts more than I've given anything else.

The first Chuck book I ever read, and also the best.

Love the biographical way it's told. "We'll never be as young as we are tonight."

The exception to my read twice a year books is Fermor, I still haven't finished A Time of Gifts just because I have this thing about finishing books I really love! It's so dumb but the magic of reading a book for the first time.. I don't want it to end! A travel memoir, he walked Europe in 1938 and then writes the book twenty years later with the help of his journal and his hindsight about the coming war.

A school book that I actually loved.

If you like the Middle East (Wait, everyone isn't obsessed with Islam?) try it out.

Nick Horby (favorite) + Arsenal (favorite) = GUARANTEED SUCCESS.

I read this book more than any other- I went through a period where I kept it in my purse and just read it over and over. I'm glad this wasn't the first book I ever read, I would have been ruined! Hornby's voice (especially his non-fiction and columns) is so relatable. He is what I want to sound like and what I want my best friend to sound like all at once.

This shouldn't count as a real book, it's a conglomeration of Reader's Digest jokes.

I'd say don't laugh, but that's kinda the point.

Whoa nerdy!

I love the second Hunger Games book (one is great too)!

I love the arena, I seriously love every single character and every single situation.

Everything books that's not books.

Sky high arched bookcases!

Made from ikea bookcases, I think even I could pull of this easy diy!

A place to rest your books (via hip hip gin gin).

A nightstand wouldn't be truly finished without it!

Books on clothes.

I got this one for my birthday and I've already worn it to death!

Sometimes when a great idea happens it's so simple that I can't believe it wasn't invented before. Like book candles.

How to read.

One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom reading to my brother and I after we finished dinner. We read adventure books sometimes like The Lost World but we also read Wind in the Willows which has no dinosaurs or guns. And we looked up every word we didn't know (Scottish people and their big words). Dinner was for family time and books.

The National Endowment for the Arts has some interesting reading on literacy in America. I love to read but I know lots of people who are not as enthralled by the smell of dust and bindings... Nick Hornby talks about reading for the joy of it and makes some perfect points. Even reading these links is going to be a turn off to some!

Maybe being an introvert (despite being loud) gives me an extra push toward loving books- they are quiet companions.