(Divine Diptych collaboration between Elle Moss and Marico Fayre)

It has been almost a year to the day since I first discovered the work of Anne Fadiman via this slim volume of book-related essays, a recommendation in one of Nick Hornby’s excellent Believer Magazine essay collections. Given my predilection for cyclical reading, it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising that, without consciously doing so, I found myself desiring to read this again during this time of year.

Having closed the page on the same library-borrowed copy of the book, I found myself thinking a great deal about why I am so drawn to Fadiman’s thoughts on the pleasures of being a book lover. It certainly is not because we agree on everything, because we do not, nor is it because of a shared intelligence, because I humbly consider Anne Fadiman in an entirely different intellectual stratosphere than the one that I occupy. I believe it is because Anne Fadiman makes me want to be a better reader. Not in the sense of reading better books, but in the sense of encouraging me to be more cognizant of all the many pleasures of being a bibliophile and to savor those pleasures.

Reading her essays also makes me long for many more bookshelves in my modest home.

Continue reading Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader ~Anne Fadiman →

(Once Upon a Time, image by Anne-Julie Aubry)

Hello All! As sad as it is to admit it, it has been a week since my last post!

And I’ve missed you!

It has been a week of spring yard work, collecting a wicked case of poison ivy (the gift that keeps on giving), and being really busy at work—-a good kind of busy though, nothing to complain about.

Other than my romance with a bottle of Caladryl, I have been eyeball deep into Seth Godin’s new book, Linchpin, and more than any other book EVER I can barely resist underlining and writing all over it! I’ve resisted thus far, but there is a lot of book yet to read! Who is Seth Godin? Among other things, I will be posting about that soon as I have read two of his smaller books that I can’t wait to tell you about.

And, the next time you see the above image, it will be attached to a giveaway of some of Anne-Julie Aubry’s newest creations, all very fitting for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.

I wish everyone the very best of weekends and will bombard you with posts very soon! April is just about over, get some poetry in before it is too late! 🙂

(image of Montgomery Ward’s “Telephone Dial” Airline radio by The Rocketeer)

On this gorgeous Monday afternoon in Kansas City, when a glance outside makes us working stiffs want to find an early out from the work day, it is natural to reflect back on an equally gorgeous weekend–one that went by all too quickly.

Not sure what the rest of you did, but we spent Friday evening and part of Sunday doing things to improve the look of the yard: planted grass, repaired fence boards, built a stone landing at the bottom of the deck, cut down volunteer trees, planted a few flowers (thank you Dad for all your help!!!). Sandwiched in between the work was a lazy Saturday filled with reading and listening to the music of a group that I newly discovered late last week: Angus and Julia Stone.

This brother-sister duo from Australia is probably not new to the rest of you, but blog surfing just brought them to my attention and my daughter and I are both smitten with them. Not only do I enjoy their sound, but a number of their videos showcase the kind of creativity that sparks my artistic interest.

And so, to help both myself and the rest of you start your week off on the right note…yes, I realize how lame that is…I thought I would share a few of their songs/videos with you, starting off with the video that I stumbled across online, which is a very fun video of someone’s wedding put to the song Bella by Angus and Julia Stone. More videos after the jump.

Continue reading Melodious Monday →

Though it is late in the afternoon to be posting about this, in the spirit of the Once Upon a Time Challenge I must share with those who did not already know that March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day

The collective vibe of a host of kindred spirits must have reached out to me because even before I knew this was the case I used my middle of the night insomnia to begin reading The Two Towers.

Tolkien purists will no doubt question my blasphemy at heading this post with an image from the film version of The Return of the King. There is a method to my madness.

Continue reading Tolkien Reading Day →

(Image by James Jean)

…otherwise known as my Once Upon a Time IV Challenge Reading Pool. These are but a handful of books that have flitted across my mind as I have been savoring spring fever. I have no illusions, or delusions, that I will somehow get through this list.

And so, in alphabetical order by author last name:

Continue reading The “Yes, I’m dreaming” List… →