Category Archives: Reading

A Bookstore is Gone, Long Live the Books! Part 4-Boswell’s London Journal

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A local used bookstore recently closed after 25 years. They had a fantastic going-out-of-business sale. While part of me feels “guilty” for taking advantage of their sad circumstances, the rest (and logical) part of me knows that they needed to sell as many books as possible. Through these books, a bit of their entrepreneurial and intellectual spirit will live on. With that idea in mind, I’m doing a limited-run series where I’ll spotlight each of the volumes I “adopted” from this sweet little shop. Shine on, you bookish gems!

Today’s selection? Boswell’s London Journal.

Boswell’s London Journal

DETAILS:

  • TITLE: BOSWELL’S LONDON JOURNAL 1762-1763
  • AUTHOR: JAMES BOSWELL
  • YEAR PUBLISHED: 1950
  • MCGRAW-HILL PUBLISHING/YALE UNIVERSITY
  • PREFACE: CHRISTOPHER MORLEY
  • “NOW FIRST PUBLISHED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT”

WHY I BOUGHT IT:

James Boswell? Check. 18th-century London? Check. Journal? Check. Interesting jacket painting? Check.

Thanks for reading! I hope you like the new series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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A Bookstore is Gone, Long Live the Books! Part 2–A Literary Chronicle: 1920-1950 by Edmund Wilson

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A local used bookstore recently closed after 25 years. They had a fantastic going-out-of-business sale. While part of me feels “guilty” for taking advantage of their sad circumstances, the rest (and logical) part of me knows that they needed to sell as many books as possible. Through these books, a bit of their entrepreneurial and intellectual spirit will live on. With that idea in mind, I’m doing a limited-run series where I’ll spotlight each of the volumes I “adopted” from this sweet little shop. Shine on, you bookish gems!

Today’s selection? A Literary Chronicle: 1920-1950 by Edmund Wilson.

A Literary Chronicle: 1920-1950 by Edmund Wilson

DETAILS:

  • TITLE: THE LITERARY CHRONICLE: 1920-1950
  • AUTHOR: EDMUND WILSON
  • YEAR PUBLISHED: 1956
  • DOUBLEDAY ANCHOR BOOKS
  • COVER AND TYPOGRAPHY: EDWARD GOREY
  • SHOUT-OUT TO “CHARLES D. KLAPP,” WHO OWNED THIS COPY IN 1957. THANKS FOR WRITING YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK!

WHY I BOUGHT IT:

I like Edmund Wilson, sue me. I don’t always agree with his pronouncements (far from it), but I appreciate his style. The elegant cover (by my beloved Edward Gorey!) makes this book a beautiful visual addition to my collection.

Thanks for reading! I hope you like the new series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

What Are You Reading in January?

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I’ve been busy this month, but not too busy to get my reading year off to a fairly fine start. This is typical of my reading habits, though. January is always one of my best bookish months.

This is what I’ve been up to in January, reading-wise.

Joan Crawford by Ruth Harriet Louise, circa 1930

BOOKS I’VE FINISHED:

  • OUTSIDE THE LINES: LOST PHOTOGRAPHS OF PUNK AND NEW WAVE’S MOST ICONIC ALBUMS BY MATTEO TORCINOVICH
  • JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ENDURING STAR BY PETER COWIE
  • LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CITY BY JOSEPH GIES & FRANCES GIES
  • THE MYSTERY OF EVERETT RUESS BY W.L. RUSHO
  • LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE BY JOSEPH GIES & FRANCES GIES
  • THE MGM STORY: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FIFTY ROARING YEARS BY JOHN DOUGLAS EAMES

BOOKS I’M CURRENTLY READING:

  • JUBILEE HITCHHIKER: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RICHARD BRAUTIGAN BY WILLIAM HJORTSBERG
  • THE MAN WHO NEVER DIED: THE LIFE, TIMES, AND LEGACY OF JOE HILL, AMERICAN LABOR ICON BY WILLIAM M. ADLER

What are you reading this month? Please share in the comments!

Shopping for the Bookworm: Snowbound Edition

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Big snow is a-coming this weekend! Well, maybe. The meteorologists cannot decide whether we are in for 2.5″ or 23.5″…no joke! Regardless of the outcome, this wait-and-see situation has me dreaming of snuggling on the sofa with my beasties, a good book (or three), and a bottomless supply of warm beverages. With that in mind, I’ve curated a handful of cozy, bookish items for this Snowbound Edition of Shopping for the Bookworm. Enjoy!

Quick! A blizzard’s on the way, let’s gather some essential bluestocking supplies!

A fragrant, on-theme candle:

Antique Books Candle by Werther & Gray. $19.00.

Fingerless gloves:

Fingerless Gloves by Gasspedals. $33.15.

Loose leaf tea:

Victorian Earl Grey

and

Chai Spice with Assam

Tea by Mary Cassatt, 1880. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Decadent hot chocolate:

Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate

Stylish socks:

Where the Wild Things Are Socks at Out of Print Clothing. $10.00.

An enveloping infinity scarf:

Chunky Infinity Scarf by Picton Elizabeth. $30.00.

A soft, classic blanket:

Pendleton National Park Motor Robe in Badlands Olive. $99.50.

Eight timeless books:

The Outermost House by Henry Beston

The Mystery of Everett Ruess by W.L. Rusho

Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies and Frances Gies

Ansel Adams: An Autobiography by Ansel Adams

My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson by Alfred Habegger

Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks

The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy

 The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

And a few other ideas:

*Special treats for your furry friend(s)*

*Extra-thick moisturizer or lotion*

*Lip balm*

*A bottle of bubbly to shake up the hot drink monotony*

Advert for Debray Champagne by Pierre Bonnard, 1891.

*Homemade gingerbread cake* (I use the recipe from A Christmas Carol Cookbook)

What are your snowstorm essentials? Share them in the comment section!

“Well, I know now. I know a little more how much a simple thing like a snowfall  can mean to a person.”–Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

11 Books I Enjoyed in 2017

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I enjoyed most of the books I read in 2017, but here are 11 that, for different reasons, caught my fancy.

In no particular order, they are:

  1. SHAKESPEARE: THE WORLD AS STAGE BY BILL BRYSON
  2. SINATRA: HOLLYWOOD HIS WAY BY TIMOTHY KNIGHT
  3. BEAUTIFUL BOREDOM: IDLENESS AND FEMININE SELF-REALIZATION IN THE VICTORIAN NOVEL BY LEE ANNA MAYNARD
  4. LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE BY FRANCES AND JOSEPH GIES
  5. PAIN, PARTIES, WORK: SYLVIA PLATH IN NEW YORK, SUMMER 1953 BY ELIZABETH WINDER
  6. UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF L.A. PUNK BY JOHN DOE
  7. IN THE GREAT GREEN ROOM: THE BRILLIANT AND BOLD LIFE OF MARGARET WISE BROWN BY AMY GARY
  8. GRETA GARBO: THE MYSTERY OF STYLE BY STEFANIA RICCI
  9. WHEN PARIS SIZZLED: THE 1920S PARIS OF HEMINGWAY, CHANEL, COCTEAU, COLE PORTER, JOSEPHINE BAKER, AND THEIR FRIENDS BY MARY MCAULIFFE
  10. SIRENS & SINNERS: A VISUAL HISTORY OF WEIMAR FILM 1918-1933 BY HANS HELMUT PRINZLER
  11. THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION: A LITERARY HISTORY OF THE BEATS BY ALLEN GINSBERG

What were your fave books of 2017? Please share with me in the comments.

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