Clothbound Books

I've been using the library a lot lately- if I don't get drawn into a book pretty quickly I return it and grab the next one on my "hold" list. But when it comes to classics, I'll always have room on my bookshelf for a beautifully designed book. I have Sense and Sensibility from the first Penguin Clothbound series, and they've just released another ten.

Little Women in a chocolate brown? Emma? Alice? Yes Please! The Odyssey is so pretty I'm almost tempted to read it again. But not quite. Which is your favorite?

Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, discovered via Twig and Thistle

Books...

Let's talk about books. Real, paper, curl up with it on the couch, books. I read pretty quickly, and pass along a lot of books when I'm finished, but there are some I hang onto dearly. I borrowed W's copy of Illusions last year, and loved it so much I asked for my own copy, which he gave me for my birthday. I also love inscriptions inside books when they are gifts- so you'll always remember who gave it to you and when.

So I was thrilled to see that Pretty Pretty Paper and East Side Bride have started Read the Printed Word, a pledge to continue reading real books in this age of iphones and kindles and all manner of electronic thingy-mabobs. They have lovely buttons you can add to your blog (like the image above, or the stack of books to the right) if you decide to take the pledge, and they might even start up a book club around it. 

One of my goals for 2010 is to not only read more good books, but to use the New York Public Libary. I got a library card when I first moved to New York, but as a grad student I spent most of my time in the main research library which is gorgeous (remember the first wedding scene in Sex and the City?), but you can't actually check out any of the books. And there my patronage ended. Until Now. This week I dusted off my library card and got it reactivated. It seems that at some point in the last few years the NYPL has become this amazing, free, "Netflix of Books"! You can save lists of books online, and put things on hold which they will ship to the branch of your choice, and they even tell you how long the wait is. I have six books on hold at the moment- it seems I am number 84 in line for a copy of My Life in France by Julia Child. Yay for books and our amazing system of public libraries!

I'm Reading...

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert

I loved Eat, Pray, Love.  I identified with Gilbert's restlessness. Heartbroken? Head to Italy and beyond. Makes sense to me.  Committed is the follow up to EPL, where Gilbert finds herself forced to marry her sweetheart so that he may enter the United States. A self-declared skeptic of marriage after a nasty divorce, this book is part history of marriage, part anecdotes on marriage from family, friends, and strangers around globe, part self-rationalization and philosophy lesson. If you've ever asked yourself Why? or conversely, Why Not? to the question of marriage in the modern age, this book attempts to pull all of those questions and ideas and justifications together. In the end however, it is a love story.

Some quotes:

“It is delicate, then, this operation of mutual, quiet, almost velvety oppression. Out of respect, we   must learn how to release and confine each other with the most exquisite care, but we should never- not even for a moment-pretend that we are not confined.” (pg 226)

“Every couple in the world has the potential over time to become a small and isolated nation of two-creating their own culture, their own language, and their own moral code, to which nobody else can be privy.” (pg 257)

I tend to ask these kind of philosophical questions anyway, but it was handy it have it all wrapped up with a bit of history thrown in for good measure. It's not the captivating story of Eat, Pray, Love, and really there are very few thunderbolts in here. She mostly ignores the role of children in marriage, and touches only lightly on recent politics. But it is an easy read in the voice of an old friend, and a few times I was given pause by a new idea or piece of the puzzle.

While we're on the subject, check out this New York Times article "Married (Happily) with Issues" by Elizabeth Weil and this post by Meg on her experiences with pre-marital counseling.

A Little Lighter...

Today I hit up two sample sales, finished the last of my Christmas shopping, and got a haircut. Whew! My hair is now up off my shoulders, with lots of layers- I feel so much lighter! It's amazing how fabulous a good haircut can make you feel. Let's take a break from the holiday madness and talk about books! The bookshelf print above is by Jane Mount, you can buy various book combinations on her etsy store, or commission her to paint your favorite books!

I'm compiling a list of books to read in 2010, and I need your help.  What were your favorite books this year? What is on your list for the New Year?

Two books that caught my heart in 2009:

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach- the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It's a difficult book to explain- it's about a pilot who meets a savoir in a cornfield and begins to learn from him. It's more philosophical than religious. It's full of quotes like these: "Even though it's changing every second, the sky is always a perfect sky... and the sea is always a perfect sea", and "If you will practice being fictional for awhile, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats." I loved this book so much that W bought me my own copy for my birthday.