Because I have been known to pick up an old book just for its end papers or just for a small illustration on one page out of one hundred, I wanted to share what looks to be a wonderfully curated and beautifully photographed library-inspired craft book.
BiblioCraft, published by Abrams, includes project ideas inspired by all facets of library materials and encourages readers to get lost in the stacks (one of my personal favorite things to do): "Explore and discover. Collect and learn. Wander and reveal."
Written by NYPL Rare Books Librarian Jessica Pigza and featuring projects from Grace Bonney and Heather Ross (to name a few), this book appears to be something I will literally pore over for hours and hours. And it's already inspired me to set aside some time this weekend to become reacquainted with my personal collection of old books - how many lovely quirks and little oddities are there to be found within the pages to jolt a creative spark?
I've already put in my request slip at the library!
(*note: if you're reading this post through a reader and it cuts off after the first paragraph, click through for the full effect! for some reason, it's getting cut off by the video underneath)
one of the things i did during the great void was join a book club. it's a small group that my co-worker started (we've never had more than five at a gathering) and i love it so much. i've never been in a book club, so i'm not sure how the selection of books usually works, but in our group we take turns choosing the book and hosting the club. a friend asked me recently if it was similar to the 'finer things club' from the office. ha! it kind of is.
as you can tell, we've chosen a wide range of topics and titles over the months and it has kept things very interesting! august was my month to choose and to host, so i picked gulp by mary roach. oh, my gosh, do i love mary roach. are you familiar with her work? she's a science writer with a sense of humor. let me tell you, it is hard for me to get through non-fiction and her witticisms make it do-able. her newest work covers everything from taste and smell to stomach acids and bacteria to rectum smuggling and elvis' mega-colon. catch your attention?
i loved it (maybe too much?) and i have to give my friends props for getting through most of it -- there were some pretty eye-opening (and stomach-turning!) descriptions going on.
to go with gulp, i decided that a night of tastings would be fun - cheese, wine, and chocolate! plus, we did a fun and easy taste experiment that went along with a chapter in the book. now, i know nothing about cheese. give me a hunk o' colby from the local supermarket and i'm pretty happy. my sister is a bit of a connoisseur, though, so i consulted with her and spent a lot of time on pinterest looking up cheese plate anatomy.
turns out, it's not that hard. if i learned anything it's this: get a goat cheese, a brie, a bleu, and one or two hard cheeses (cheddar or manchego) and you're done. pair it with dried fruits, some nuts (walnuts or almonds work great), crusty bread, honey, a bit of mustard and you're good to go.
i picked up a chocolate sampler from a local dark chocolatier, dude sweet chocolate, and it was so much fun to go through the box and taste some truly inspired combinations. i think we all loved the honey and hated the radish!
it was a good night! we chose never let me go by kazuo ishiguro for september and i'm excited to start it! i read it a few years ago, but it's been long enough that i don't quite remember all the specifics, which is good.
i've been getting acquainted with my nook over the last few days and i'm rethinking my nook cover purchase.
i likelove the color, but it seems a tad bulky for my taste. i don't care for the flap and extra pocket at all. i want a simple, stylish, and perhaps even humorous sleeve. the best place to find something to fit my parameters? etsy, of course.
the first shop i stumbled upon was nokomomo. how amazing and awesome are these?
rokitbot offers their sleeves with a sweet wristlet option. i covet the liz lemon-esque glasses fabric so. much. if you're headed to their shop, check out the nerd herder wallets, which are my organized self's dream.
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