Favorite Reads

Personally, I think the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is one of the dumbest things anybody has ever said. (Unless you are speaking figuratively, then that's a different story). But really, why shouldn't we judge books by their covers. If someone has sat down to create masterpieces with words then surely they could take some time to put a worthy cover on their book. A good cover is, of course, a simple matter of opinion. Still, I am genuinely disappointed when I see books with sad covers sitting on the shelf. So, here are a few of my all-time favorite reads with their not-so-shabby covers.

Love Walked In :: Marisa de los Santos

           Winner of my "All-Time-Favorite-Book-Ever-In-The-World" award.

Belong to Me :: Marisa de los Santos

      The sequel to Love Walked In. Runs a close second as far as absolute favorites go.

Water for Elephants :: Sara Gruen

 The movie is suppose to be coming out soon starring Reese Witherspoon. I'm excited! Please let it be as good as the book!

Seabiscuit :: Laura Hillenbrand

I've read this one at least seven or eight times and it can still hold my attention. The best non-fiction book I've ever read.

To Kill A Mockingbird :: Harper Lee

I love the cover on this classic. I searched high and low for this specific one. Favorite part:
[Scout is recounting what happened the night she and Jem were attacked in the woods by Bob Ewell] "Somebody was staggerin' around and pantin' and coughing fit to die. I thought it was Jem at first, but it didn't sound like him...I thought Atticus had come to help us and had got wore out--"
"Who was it?"
"Why there he is, Mr. Tate, he can tell you his name."
As I said it, I half pointed to the man in the corner, but brought my arm down quickly lest Atticus reprimand me for pointing. It was impolite to point.
       When I pointed to him his palms slipped slightly, leaving greasy sweat streaks on the wall, and he hooked his thumbs in his belt. A strange small spasm shook him, as if he heard fingernails scrape slate, but as I gazed at him in wonder the tension slowly drained from his face. His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor's image blurred with my sudden tears.
      "Hey, Boo," I said.

You have to know the general story to understand the last line, but to me "Hey, Boo" is the best line in all of literature.

A Mighty Heart :: Mariane Pearl

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo :: Stieg Larsson

An exception to the rule. This is the only book that I have ever bought that I hadn't already read and that (in my opinion) did not have a really good cover. It pays off to break your own rules sometimes, I suppose.
P.S. The sequel is turning out to be another good one as well.

Autumn coming

{via pretty books}

Today is the last day of August. [Moment of silence with a sad, sad face on]. I don't care what they say, in my book, tomorrow summer is officially over. It's September. That means: leaves changing and falling, going camping in the mountains, classes everyday, homework every night, chilly nights, apple cider, apple butter, apple pies, and everything else to do with apples, boots, plaid prints, and scarves. Actually that doesn't sound so bad. Autumn is always tinged with a little sadness though, because I know winter is coming. (I'm not a winter fan). But there's still awhile yet before I have to worry about that, so for right now: Happy Fall!

Jazz Age Lawn Party

Check out these amazing photos of the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Govenor's Island. Lovely ladies and dapper gents gathered to listen to Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra, play horseshoes, dance, and do Gatsby-era sort of things. I am in love with the outfits! I wish people would dress this way every day.

                                       I want to go next year!

                                  {photos from here and here}

A Dining Room Without Walls

I love outdoor dining rooms!

{via style files}

Bicycle

               The Abici Sveltina Donna Bicycle from anthropologie is pure perfection.

Green

Do you have a favorite color? Mine is green, by far. Here are a few green things that I'm in love with at the moment:

Pea green Hunter boots

Analiese taper holder from Anthropologie

Fleur lampshade from missprint.

Anthropologie latte bowls.

Green pendant lamps.

List notebooks

Green school tote.

Polaroid families

I love my cakies family polaroids. They are so sweet! Here's a family polaroid of my family that was taken last year. My grandparents are on the right, my parents beside them, and there I am in khaki and black. The rest of those hoodlums are my lovely siblings.

Polaroid's officially have my heart! Since Christmas '07 when I got my very first polaroid camera, I have been completely and madly in love. It's only down-side is the expense, but it is worth it! I don't think there is hardly a better way to capture sweet moments.

VW Ads

My latest obsessive joy is coming from volkswagen ads. They are genius and creative!

Survival Kit

                                                    
                                                         A survival kit in a sardine can. Perfection.

A fun backyard

Can't you just  imagine the hours of fun this would be for a little tyke? What a snazzy idea.
My sisters and brother and I used to do this four hours on my grandparents car-port. We would set up chairs and brooms that we would loop around and around and around. Oh, the simple joys of childhood. I miss them.

[image via Design Scouting]

Zumi Love

                                                                     Meet Zumi.

She's tiny, but her awesomeness is endless. She takes digital images and video that have the look and feel of vintage film (lens flare, vignetting, she does it all!). Her video's are an 8mm film lovers dream! The new Zumi Digital 2.0 also has B&W video mode, sound, and 3 megapixels.

Check out some Zumi pictures here.

Camp Wedding

Becca & Brooks' camp wedding was awesome! Having the entire bridal party stand on colorful school chairs makes this couple pretty stinkin' cool! And I am head-over-heels in love with that green striped bow-tie.

{images via Green Wedding Shoes}

Geezer Names For Girls

Would you name a little girl Clarence, Howard, or Floyd? Nameberry's list is filled with old men's names that can be used for girls. I'm a fan of unusual names. I feel genuinely sorry for people with boring names or names off of the Top 10 Baby Names list.
Some of these names border on cruelty, though. A little girl named Marvin? Stanley? Wallace? No, that's too mean. But Jay, Silas, Sinclair, or Laurence? Now there's some creative possibilities.

Check out Nameberry's other creative lists:

* Author Names
* Coolator for Girls Names
* Old Lady Names
* Place Names Off the Map
* Hipster Names

Men on bikes

Business men on bikes!

[via the Sartorialist]

Growing Old Together

                                    This is one of the coolest wedding invitations I have ever seen!

Present Day

10 years

20 years

40 years

 

50 years

reMade

the market bag

"reMade USA is a design company that upcycles* used materials to make one-of-a-kind objects. Our mission is to create beautiful, long-lasting, well-made products that postively impact the environment, our users, and our makers. All products are handcrafted in the USA. Our first line is a range of bags made from used leather clothing and scrap."

Aweeesome! That big bag is going on my wishlist.

Swedish kick

I have been on a Swedish kick lately. Everything from the cities, the houses, names, books, pictures -- anything to do with Sweden I am all over it. This is a fairly new and recent obsession. I admit I've never really thought about this particular country before. But now that it's caught my attention, it's doing a good job holding it.

a Stockholm plaza

a summer home in Sweden by Peter Carlsson for Hus & Hemm

And what the obsession all started with:

I picked this book up on a whim in the airport bookstore. Actually it was more than just a whim. I had seen people reading this book for months -- a lady sitting on a bench in Union Station, a man on the metro. It's cover had graced book shelves for long enough that I could no longer resist. I did, however, leave the bookstore without buying. I went and sat at security and waited for Mark's plane to land, but I kept casting sideway glances back into the bookstore where I could see it perched on its shelf. After ten minutes of contemplation, I gave in. With $7.99 no longer in my wallet and the book in my hand, I left the airport bookstore.
I'm still surprised that I actually bought the book. As a rule, I do not buy books on a whim. I only buy books that I have read and love. They then get added to a valued collection of books that I can truly say are good. I also am obsessed with book covers. I believe that every good story should have a good cover to go along with it. So that was two strikes against the book. I had not read it before and the cover was just so-so.
It started off good. My attention was caught. Towards the middle, the story started to drag. I kept reading, though, anxious to find out what was going to happen. When things started happening, they really started happening. I stayed up way too late and read furiously. It was the kind of book that makes me sad to leave when I'm finished with it. I finished it on Sunday night and barely made it to Tuesday before I had bought the second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire). The Entertainment Weekly review on the front cover says, "A gripping, stay-up-all-night read." I believe it. I felt bad for pulling my bookmark (a polaroid of my handsome Mark) out of Richard Wright's Black Boy to start it. But Black Boy will be here when I finish it. Right now I'm on my Swedish kick, so Steig Larsson it is.