Booklicious: May 2010

May 28, 2010

| 0 comments]

*Today, L. Ron Hubbard is known mainly for his Scientology legacy than his literary one, but before his Xenu-centered doctrine gained fame, he was one of the leading pulp writers of his day. To mark his and the genre's achievements, Galaxy Press is giving away an 80GB iPod filled with more than 150 hours of audiobooks penned by the writer. For more details, click here.

*To Kill a Mockingbird, that mainstay of high school English classes, is turning 50, and to mark the occasion, HarperCollins is organizing a host of events through September 22. Four new editions of the book are to be released in June, but the famously reclusive Lee is not expected to make an appearance during the summer of festivities. Her book has not been out of print since it was originally published in 1960, and it sells nearly one million copies every year. 

*It's been nearly 20 years since Terry McMillan shot into the spotlight with Waiting to Exhale, but this summer will see exclusive excerpts from her sequel, Getting to Happy, published in Essence magazine as part of its Summer Fiction Series. The first excerpt will be featured in the June issue of the magazine, with following excerpts running through the September issue. The book will be released September 7. 

*The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group have announced the winners of its 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The fiction prize went to Keith Remer's The Hiding Place of Thunder, and the nonfiction to American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture by Mary Collins. The rest of the winners can be found here.

*Good news, tech-savvy Harry Potter lovers! No e-book versions of Rowling's beloved novels currently exist, but her agency recently announced that it is actively "exploring options and opportunities that this evolving space provides."

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 27, 2010

| 1 comments]



 Alright, sing it with me, everybody - "You...light up my liiiiiife..."

This quirky pop-up light is the work of designer Myung-seo Kang. The amount of light it puts out can be adjusted as it is opened or closed. It can be shut, like a book, to be easily stored when not in use.

[Thanks, Sophie!]

1 comments

Post a Comment

May 26, 2010

| 1 comments]

There are certain things you expect to see on a cruise ship - swimming pools, card tables and more buffets than you can shake a crab leg at. But a mind-bogglingly, eye-gogglingly, heart-stoppingly lovely library? That's usually not one of the featured attractions. 

This piece of gorgeousness can be found aboard Celebrity Solstice, which tours the Caribbean.  

[via Sutanto]

1 comments

Post a Comment

May 25, 2010

| 0 comments]

This should perk your Tuesday up. 

What's better than guys reading books? Hot guys reading books, of course. And, because there's a blog for everything, there's one for this, too. Hot Guys Reading Books is one swoony Tumblr, and although the hotness of the guys is sometimes arguable, it's the thought that counts, and you have to admit - it's a pretty darn good thought.





0 comments

Post a Comment

May 24, 2010

| 0 comments]

See you Tuesday!

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 21, 2010

| 0 comments]

*Supermodel, actress, TV host - Tyra Banks has been incredibly successful at three lifetimes' worth of careers. But she's not stopping there. Miss Tyra has signed a three-book deal with Delacorte Press for a YA fantasy series entitled Modelland. The first book is due to be released in summer 2011. 

*Did you know there's now an awards show for book trailers? Yep, there is. The first ever Moby Awards took place last night - you can check out the winners and finalists here

*Happy birthday, Penguin! The publisher is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a spiffy website, a book about its iconic covers, a contest to win 75 of its titles, and a cutecutecute Penguin-themed Mini Cooper. 

*Better late than never. The Law of Nations by Emer de Vattel, borrowed by George Washington (yes, that one) more than 200 years ago from the New York Society Library, has finally been returned, albeit in the form of a copy of the same edition, since the exact book has never been found. The theoretical fine for the long-overdue book was $300,000. Cha-ching!

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 20, 2010

| 0 comments]

The Ex Libris perfume by Tokyo Milk has been making the rounds for a few years now, but I only just discovered that there's also a candle of the same scent. At only $12 (for a 6oz. candle), it's a more affordable way to satisfy your curiosity. I'm seriously considering it, since I can't seem to find anyone who's actually smelled this page-inspired parfum. Plus, I'm sort of a candle fiend, so...yeah. My restraint is diminishing by the second.

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 19, 2010

| 0 comments]





Got a lot of books and money but not a lot of space? Then do what Veronika and Sebastian did: hire a team of kickass architects to build you a hidden staircase bookcase.

Levitate Architects, the London firm that created this marvel, described the project:
 

"We created a 'secret' staircase, hidden from the main reception room, to access a new loft bedroom lit by roof lights. Limited by space, we melded the idea of a staircase with our client's desire for a library to form a 'library staircase' in which English oak stair treads and shelves are both completely lined with books. With a skylight above lighting the staircase, it becomes the perfect place to stop and browse a tome. The stair structure was designed as an upside down 'sedan chair' structure (with Rodrigues Associates, Structural Engineers, London) that carries the whole weight of the stair and books back to the main structural walls of the building. It dangles from the upper floor thereby avoiding any complicated neighbour issues with the floors below."

If you're a heavy reader, this staircase library would be doubly rewarding. :) I do wonder about dust and dirt, though, seeing as the books are at floor level. 


[via Apartment Therapy]

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 18, 2010

| 0 comments]



This is one Bardacious Etsy find. (I know, I know, it's terrible. I couldn't help myself, sorry.) Immortal Longings is an Etsy shop from across the pond (London, to be exact) that has been selling "Delightfully dramatic gifts featuring the Bard's best-loved scenes and characters," since late 2006. Obviously, she's doing something right. 

"She," by the way, is illustrator Elizabeth E. Schuch. Her Opera series is equally lovely, and is carried by the New York Metropolitan Opera's store. At $5 a pop, her leather bookmarks are more than affordable, and her leather-bound journals run about $35. Browse the dreamy Immortal Longings Etsy shop here and its website here.

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 17, 2010

| 2 comments]

How annoying is it when you pick up a book you're in the middle of and leaf through to find your place, only to discover your bookmark has done a disappearing act and fallen out? Not cool. Apparently, it's happened to Martha Stewart one too many times, because she has a handy dandy way to mark your page without relying on (apparently) fallible bookmarks. 

You simply find a colorful paper bag or envelope, snip the corner off (you can use scalloped scissors or the like to pretty it up), and place it over the corner of the page you want to mark, like a little hat. How clever! I've seen ready-made versions of these (I smell a roundup...), but this is an easy-peasy way to create your own personalized versions. I tip my hat to you, M.Stew. More details here.

2 comments

Post a Comment

May 13, 2010

| 0 comments]

Just a heads up - I won't be posting Friday, as I'll be traveling out of state for a funeral. :( But things should be back on track Monday. 

0 comments

Post a Comment

| 0 comments]


The London Review of Books is Britain's most esteemed literary magazine. Published fortnightly, it features essays, reviews and the most outrageous personal ads ever set in type. The following is a selection from the latest issue. 


*Everyone has their faults, but I'm sleeping on mine. Geologically unstable California woman (47, 5'6", 120lbs, inexplicably Christian) lives on the division between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates. I'm tired of lonely emergency preparedness--I need some seismically special someone to make the earth move. If you're male, relocatable, and have thoughts about schist, don't just sit there quaking.
Email: ZoneofSubduction@hotmail.com

*I had Montaigne to help me through the separation. She got lawyers. Man, 50, now seeks woman to form Rezillos tribute band. Or maybe just send money.

Email: streamout@hotmail.co.uk

*Attractive, polyglot M, 49 would like to meet female in London for conversation for conversation in a language of their choice. 

Email: linguafranker@yahoo.co.uk    

*I used my department's art development grant to pay for this advert. LOL! M, 34.
box no: 08/09   

*Let me change the ribbon in your typewriter. American man, 45, seeks letters from abroad: correspondence for an affair of the mind. Generalist musings encouraged. Fictionists, political pundits, American expatriates, and email aficionados discouraged. Reply with patience: all respondents answered.
Address: J.BS., P.O. Box 268364, Chicago, IL 60626

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 12, 2010

| 2 comments]

I've noticed that brightly colored furniture is a pretty hot trend in home design right now. The colors tend to be rather unorthodox - I've seen a lot of neon and citrus shades, which put a rather quirky twist on an otherwise ordinary or even unfashionable piece of furniture. There's a Chicago-area Craigslist seller who posts gorgeous refinished items that I can't resist browsing, even when I'm not after anything.

This lime green bookcase is from the art deco collection by Atelier. They have some really stunning items in a whole range of colors (their dressers are amazing), but this was the only bookcase I saw in this style. Atelier doesn't list prices on its site (so start saving your pennies now), but creating your own could be a moderately easy DIY project if you found a piece of furniture and shade of paint you liked.

2 comments

Post a Comment

May 11, 2010

| 0 comments]

 Right now, I only have purely utilitarian dish/tea towels in my kitchen. They're not the most hideous things I've ever seen, but they're certainly not cute, quirky or envy-inducingly cool. Obviously, I have to remedy this. While on my tea towel travels, I discovered a few specimens made for us literary-minded folk.

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 07, 2010

| 0 comments]


*There's a new social networking site that really takes the term "social networking" to a new level. Called Fitfinder (fit is a Britishism comparable to hot - with or without the extra t (what's with that, by the way?)), it's a Twitter-like site used by students studying in the library. See a young Gore Vidal? Post about it on the site; include your number if you're really daring. Read more here

*One Book, One Twitter, the worldwide book club held via Twitter, launched with Neil Gaiman's American Gods as the first read. Pretty cool!

*Jacket Copy has compiled a bunch of Flickr photos of people reading in a variety of places in celebration of spring. It's pretty lovely.

*Oprah picked 10 books she read in the past 10 years that meant the most to her. It's an interesting list, and it's not just a regurgitation of her book club picks, in case you were wondering. (I know you were wondering.)

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 06, 2010

| 0 comments]

Three lucky readers just won some sage (and hilarious) advice from Aunt Epp:

Maiah, New York City
Sara, Oshkosh, Wis.
Kim, Aberdeen, N.J.

Congrats! I hope you enjoy the book.

0 comments

Post a Comment

| 2 comments]


If you're boring like me and planning some home improvements this weekend (I'm doing some painting - woot!), you might want to check out this awesome Instructables tutorial. The supplies list has a couple of IKEA materials on it, but if you don't live near one, it looks like you could easily substitute them with items from a regular hardware store. If you don't have the required miter saw or drill press on hand, most Home Depots have a tool rental service that anyone can take advantage of.


If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

2 comments

Post a Comment

May 05, 2010

| 0 comments]

Drum roll, please! We've got more giveaway winners.

Paranormal giveaway:
Katie, Rossville, Ga.

My Name is Memory:
Victoria, Kansas City, Mo.

My Wife's Affair:
Jonnie, Edmonton, Canada

Where's My Wand?:
Mary, Eau Claire, Wis.

Girl in Translation:
Jasmine, Chula Vista, Calif.

The Seven Year Bitch:
Donna, Ind.


Congratulations, everyone! The winners of Aunt Epp's Guide to Life will be announced tomorrow.

0 comments

Post a Comment

| 2 comments]


Here's one more reason (as if we needed any more) to love Jimmy Stewart. Not only was he handsome, talented and adorably goofy, he also had a serious library, to boot. Jimmy Stewart and his wife Gloria lived in this Beverly Hills house for nearly 50 years (!), and it's been kept up by the Stewart family since Jimmy's death in 1997. "The library was the most used room in the house," said his daughter Kelly. "Family and friends always gathered there before dinner." 

Sigh.

You can browse more photos of the house at Architectural Digest's site.

2 comments

Post a Comment

May 04, 2010

| 0 comments]

Here's a short but sweet roundup of the giveaway winners thus far:

Wish Her Safe at Home:
Mel, Madison, Wis.
Lien, Garden Grove, Calif.
Sarah, Montreal, Canada
Romina, Sugar Land, Texas
Dani, Regina, Canada 

Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer:
Marcus, Round Rock, Texas
Krista, Chicago
Mel, Madison, Wis.

Congratulations, guys! The rest of the winners will be announced later this week. Also, today is the last day to enter to win one of three copies of Aunt Epp's Guide for Life. I'll be reviewing the book later this week.

0 comments

Post a Comment

| 0 comments]


This amazing necklace is the handiwork of Philly-based Etsy shop The Black Spot Books. It's really quite incredible. She makes these miniature books by hand, using antique and scrap leather for the cover and Strathmore paper for the pages. They're hand-stitched and bound, and are completely usable. She sells a range of other tiny book jewelry, as well as full-sized handmade books. You should take a gander here.  

[Thanks, Cory!]

0 comments

Post a Comment

May 03, 2010

| 5 comments]

I was idly wandering through Borders the other day, trying to distance myself from the embarrassingly nerdy sci-fi books my husband was browsing, when I stumbled upon a veritable goldmine of blog material. I took hurried photos with my phone, hoping they'd be adequate, but alas, a combination of low light and blurriness resulting from my stifled laughter made the photos unusable. I had no choice but to go back with a real camera a few days later and try to take more photos without anyone noticing - or judging.

Here's a taste:





Romance novels have really changed since the last time I looked at them. (Admittedly, that was about 15 years ago, when I flipped through one I found in my grandmother's guest room.) Apparently, the romance label is not enough anymore, so subsets within the genre have been created:



Still can't make up your mind? Don't worry - additional sub-genres will help you decide:





Want even more romance? Then here's the sub-sub-genre for you:






And, if you're an adventurous, sporty type of gal:


I don't even know what to say. Really, I've got nothing for this one. Take a look at the books, though:

5 comments

Post a Comment

 
{"retval":1,"msg":"","data":